A co-worker was curious about a small white flower with pink stripes that showed up in her yard this month. She brought in a sample, did some research and found the answer: Spring Beauty. Spring Beauty falls into an intriguing class of plants; spring ephemerals. Ephemerals are some of the first...

For the past 2 years, in the dark, dreary (and let's be honest, dreadful) month of February, Champaign County Master Gardeners take the time to celebrate volunteers at their awards ceremony. The following awards are distributed: Hour Awards Golden Trowel Making a Difference Friend of a Master...

"A Rose is a rose is a rose." Gertrude Stein wrote those words in Sacred Emily in 1913. This romantic poem is interpreted to mean "things are the way they are." While I respect the deep meaning behind this phrase, it also reminds me of the beautiful complexity of a rose, which is flower...

The Callery Pear was initially brought over from China in the early 1900's to help develop a more disease resistant fruit bearing pear tree. The unexpected result was the Bradford Pear; an ornamental pear which could tolerate a multitude of tough growing conditions. Heralding spring with their snow...

Mid-winter can be a rather dreary time in East Central Illinois. The landscape is drab and a single yellow dandelion can be cause for celebration. Hang in there because… 'Spring is Coming' with the annual University of IL Extension Garden Day Workshop and Spring Festival. For nearly a decade local...

While we associate many plants with the winter holidays – think of the mistletoe carefully hung in the doorway, or the tree festooned with lights and ornaments – no holiday season is complete without my favorite, the bright and festive poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima). It is interesting...

Are you searching for a unique gift? Do you know someone who would rather be outside in their garden than anywhere else? The University of Illinois Extension Office in Vermilion County will be holding Master Gardener Training Classes starting in January 2016. Master Gardeners are volunteers who...

  Nothing says autumn like apple picking, apple cider, caramel apples, bobbing for apples; apple pie…the list is as endless as the varieties. So where did our love of apples come from? According to the United States Apple Association the crabapple is...

Warning: this is not a story about prince charming, a fancy ball, or dazzling glass slippers. But, it does include a big, beautiful pumpkin. In early June, a big, fuzzy, vine popped up alongside our cornfield. My husband was courteous to mow around it so we could get a better look. After...

After much anticipation, tomato season is finally here but something has been devouring the leaves on your tomato plant and even taken bites out of the green tomatoes. Looking for the culprit you see an enormous alien-looking green caterpillar with white stripes and red dots down its back. Tomato...