Recently, on a cold, single-digit day I paid a visit to the University of Illinois Plant Biology Greenhouses. Since it was quite sunny and warm under the glass greenhouse roof, my mind drifted far from the snow and ice that was entrenched outside. Nothing can beat the tropical ecosystem...
Winter is an excellent time for reflection on the past year’s growing season and any gardening successes or failures to account for next year. In this season of seed catalog mailings and New Year’s resolutions, I have found it to be an ideal time to set gardening goals for the coming year...
The Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria heterophylla) is a common houseplant that is often sold around Christmas time due to its Christmas-tree-like appearance. However, in its native range, it is quite different than the 1-5 ft houseplant we know it as, reaching heights of 150-200 feet...
Have you ever heard of a plant with no roots? How about a plant that has no roots in the soil, but rather root-like structures that grow into other plants to steal water and nutrients? Doesn’t that sound like something right out of a sci-fi movie? Well, every holiday season, many of us...
About forty-five years ago, two Extension Educators in the state of Washington met to brainstorm ideas and solve a problem they both shared. David Gibby and Bill Scheer were both Extension Educators in the Seattle metropolitan area and were looking for ways to handle the overwhelming public...
If you live near a wooded area and have any type of minute crack in the exterior of your home, then you have undoubtedly been visited by a creepy, crawly winter guest over the years. The Asian lady beetle (Harmonia axyridi) seeks refuge in rocky bluffs to spend the winter in its...
At this point in fall, most of our vegetable gardens are completely done for the season, with the exception of some kale or a few other cold hardy crops. Wouldn’t it be great to have a way to extend the growing season for a few months and keep enjoying fresh produce? Many small farmers...
In 1863, Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a National Holiday and in that move, solidified our national memory of this plant-based holiday. The original Thanksgiving occurred several hundred years earlier in 1621. It was a celebration of the plants produced through successful...
Over the past several weeks, our fall color has peaked here in central Illinois. The stunning bright red to pink hues of red maple (Acer rubrum) were exceptional this year. Who could miss the rainbow of color from sweet gums (Liquidambar styraciflua), covering yellows...
The annual ritual of fall garden cleanup can be a toilsome, yet rewarding task. After racking up piles and piles of leaves, it is really nice to see some green grass poking through as one last gasp of summer. Cutting back the old, dead stems from garden beds can create a more manicured...
