On September 15 the Ford-Iroquois Master Gardeners hosted their fall plant share at the Idea Garden on the grounds of the Onarga Public Library. People from all around came to visit with the Master Gardeners, share some of the plants that had done well in their gardens this year, and take a few new things home to try out. The plant share is a great way to find some beautiful and interesting plants, for both in the garden and the home.

In addition to the plant share, the Master Gardeners hosted guest speaker Rod Kroemer from Five Acre Farm Daylilies in Tolono, IL. Rod discussed many topics including how to pick daylily varieties and how to plant them,. Rod's presentation was a great addition to the Four-Seasons telenet on daylilies earlier in the afternoon. He also demonstrated how to properly divide clumps of daylilies with an interesting technique, using a tool called a daylily divider. This tool made dividing these sometimes-troublesome perennials quick and painless. Check out the picture below to see the divider in action!

The University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners in Ford-Iroquois Counties are a group of volunteers trained by Extension Educators to provide a network of gardening programs and horticultural activities to education the public and enhance life in their communities.

Interested in becoming a Master Gardener? Do you have a sincere desire to learn and share home horticulture information? Are you able to volunteer time to training sessions and volunteer works? If you answered yes to these questions, the Master Gardener program may be for you. Training for Master Gardeners in Ford-Iroquois Counties begins on January 26, 2015. For more information or to apply online visit: http://web.extension.illinois.edu/units/survey.cfm?sID=565&UnitID=480. If you have any questions, please contact me at 815-268-4051 or tkhawke2@illinois.edu.