The past few weeks, we’ve had spectacular weather for gardening, which has really ramped up efforts across central Illinois in preparation for the growing season to come. This early spring warmth combined with garden centers packed full of new plants creates the irresistible impulse to plant...
Among gardeners, there is an ever-growing interest in creating plant arrangements that support pollinators. This has been driven by recent research identifying declining insect populations around the globe as gardeners respond with garden design to provide valuable habitat. In addition...
Signs of spring are beginning to pop up if you look close enough. In the last week or so, I’ve noticed harbinger of spring (Erigenia bulbosa) and spring beauties (Claytonia virginica) in natural areas. The beginnings of Virginia bluebells can also be found as their...
On a sunny and cold day in early February, some Urbana residents helped to spread handfuls of native prairie seed on the ground. Using tools as simple as a paper cup or their bare hands, the seeds were broadcast into the air, falling silently to the ground. As these seeds are exposed to...
It’s that time of year again – time to start planning for the vegetable gardening season. The explosion of enticing seed catalogs hitting my mailbox these days has started to get me in gear by dusting off all the tools, looking at our empty garden beds and dreaming of the growing season to...
If you are just dying to get into the garden these days, there is one essential practice that is best done during winter dormancy. Pruning is perhaps the most important landscape maintenance task performed in any space that hosts woody plants. There is a large list of benefits to plant health,...
Across the United States, our urban and natural forest ecosystems support a wide range of both flora and fauna. Trees are certainly the center of these plant communities and remain the most symbolic and recognized plant life on the landscape.
Have you ever wondered exactly how many native species...
Extreme winter cold is something that can keep gardeners up at night. Since plants are dormant, there is little we can do in the way of plant health care and that can be a real helpless feeling. The extremely cold weather back in December certainly raised concern and my office received...
Hollies are common landscape plants and even more common holiday decorations that belong to the incredibly diverse genus Ilex which contains over 400 species, both evergreen and deciduous, that hail from all corners of the globe.
A locally adapted holly species or cultivar is relatively easy...
When you consider the common field crops in Illinois, it is no doubt that corn (Zea mays) has heavily influenced on agriculture. However, broomcorn (Sorghum bicolor) is a lesser-known member of the grass family (Poaceae) with an agricultural history of its own in our...
