Flowers, Fruits, and Frass

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Gnats in the Kitchen

January 7, 2016

Kitchen Gnats "The major houseplant migration, along with the bananas that are ripening on my counter have caused fungus gnat chaos in my kitchen," states University of Illinois Horticulture Educator Kelly Allsup. Flying gnats have not only populated my home but...

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Holiday Cacti by Jennifer Fishburn

December 22, 2015

A holiday cactus in full bloom is a great holiday gift. Easy to care for, holiday cacti generally are long lived and will easily bloom year after year. In fact, they are often passed down from generation to generation as family heirlooms.When selecting a new plant, look for sturdy, healthy green...

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Horticulture Myths

December 17, 2015

Horticulture Myths "As a horticulture educator, it is my duty to dispel horticulture myths," says University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator, Kelly Allsup. Myth:Some mulch is good. A lot of mulch must be better. I am referring to the sad...

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Arachnophilia

December 5, 2015

Arachnophilia This past month many homes are being purposefully adorned by abnormally-large, scary black spiders and their webs to hinge on the fact that a large percentage of the population suffers from the fear of spiders, known as Arachnophobia. "In contrast to most of America...

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Horticulture and Nature Gifts by Kelly and Rhonda

December 1, 2015

Horticulture and Nature Gifts for the Holidays "Do you have a plant nerd or 'hortiholic' on your buy-for list this holiday season? Here are some plant gifts that will lead them further down the rabbit hole into the wondrous world of horticulture," says...

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Household Pest Control Through Time by Dr. Phil Nixon

November 29, 2015

Control of household pests has changed considerably over the last 50 years, both outdoors and indoors. There has been a fine-tuning of methods and products over the years which has reduced exposure to pesticides but may have resulted in an inadvertent increase in some pests. Chlordane came on the...

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A Habitat for Monarchs

November 22, 2015

A Habitat for Monarchs "Planting a mix of native butterfly weed and annual tropical milkweed was a winning pollinator garden combination for our small 4-H Garden plot planted this summer," says University of Illinois Horticulture Educator, Kelly Allsup. The combination resulted in...

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Woodford County Master Gardener Training Announced

November 17, 2015

Would you like to learn about growing vegetables, landscaping, trees, insects or turfgrass from University of Illinois Extension? The Woodford County Master Gardeners want you to join their training program this winter and take you on an amazing garden learning experience to find your inner...

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Life as a Woodford county Master Gardener

November 12, 2015

Life as a Woodford County Master Gardener Bruce Brown of Congerville and Linda Simpson of East Peoria both proudly boast the title of University of Illinois Woodford County Master Gardener. Fourteen years ago, Bruce was looking for something to do after retirement and had a...

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Home Invading Insect Brown Marmorated Stink bug

November 8, 2015

Home Invaders Typically on the top of our home invader list in Illinois is Asian lady beetles. Asian lady beetles were released to help farmers with the soybean aphid but instead of overwintering in the cliffs of their native land, they like to invade our homes. If there is a...

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