The Garden Scoop

Evergreen holly species have long been a symbol of Christmas and other winter holidays and traditions. The dark green, prickly foliage, combined with contrasting bright red berries, can really be a showstopper in the winter landscape, providing both ornamental beauty and food for wildlife as...

Plants are amazing energy producers, creating the foundation for our natural ecosystems by capturing the sun’s energy and transforming it into biomass that can be shared with all. From humans to wildlife, this process is essential to all that exists on Earth. In today’s world, filled with...

Insects are a celebrated part of our natural ecosystems, but when they enter our homes, it’s rarely anything to celebrate. Each fall, as cold weather closes in, there are a few usual suspects that surface at my house to cause a hubbub. However, these exotic houseguests are rarely a serious...

With colder weather approaching, especially at nighttime, the garden's transition to winter has sped up in the last week or so. Earlier this week, I was out in the garden taking in the fall colors and looking at what plants still have something going on. Here’s a short list of some of the standouts...

Fall is an excellent time to add new trees or shrubs to the landscape, and many of us have already taken advantage of this planting window. With the major work complete after digging, planting, and mulching are finished, we often overlook some of the final steps to prepare new woody plants for...

Each year in late summer and fall, beautyberry catches my eye and reminds me of its fantastic fruit display.  This spectacular fall shrub is a member of the Genus, Callicarpa, which hosts around 140 species globally and countless numbers of cultivars that are available commercially...

A few weeks ago, I was exploring a woodland near Springfield and ran across a fuzzy cluster of feeding insects. It was slightly out of reach, congregated in a lower limb of a young black walnut tree (Juglans nigra).While grabbing a nearby stick and attempting to pull the limb down and get a closer...

North America’s largest native tree fruit is ripening in forest understories and home landscapes across central Illinois this week. Pawpaws (Asimina triloba) are an often-unknown fruit tree to many folks, but they offer a delicious, exotic taste that seems more like a tropical fruit...

Cover crops have been used for ages in agricultural systems, but their use in a garden setting is on the rise as home and commercial vegetable growers realize their value on the smaller scale. What Are Cover Crops, and How Long Have They Been Used?Unlike traditional crops, a cover crop is...

At this point in the growing season, ripe produce is typically coming out of the vegetable garden daily since most warm-season crops are in full swing. From ripe tomatoes and peppers to the many cucurbits in peak production right now, the early-season work to establish and care for these...