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Beyond Impatiens Downy Mildew: What’s next for America’s favorite bedding plant?

February 12, 2019

Impatiens (Impatiens walleriana) is one plant I had written off years ago. In my mind, I thought I had seen the last of one of the most popular bedding plants in the nursery trade. Impatiens were fast disappearing from garden centers because of an incredibly infectious disease – impatiens...

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Extreme Cold and Your Plants

January 29, 2019

Being a fan of winter, this weather has been an absolute blast, but even I must admit- darn it's cold out there. One question I have been hearing a lot is "What about our plants?" Well, if you religiously adhere to the USDA cold hardiness zones then you should have nothing to fear. More than likely...

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How to Get Rid of a Mouse in the House

January 16, 2019

Is your house full of visitors that annoy you, eat your food, and can lead to great exasperation and hollering? In-laws and extended family members aside; what I mean are the mice that have decided to move into your home for the winter months. In the wild, these creatures would look for shelter to...

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New Garden Plants for 2019

January 8, 2019

Every year garden catalogs advertise new, exciting varieties of our favorite plants. Sometimes the options can be overwhelming, with each new addition sounding better than the previous. So how do you go about deciding which new variety to select? Fortunately, All-American Selections (AAS), an...

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Garden Resolutions for 2019

January 2, 2019

A new year brings the opportunity for a fresh start. For a gardener having the year switch in the middle of winter can be difficult. Right now, I am full of ideas and goals as I am once again missing my near-daily commune with soil. If it were in my power to change when we celebrate New Year's, I...

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Poinsettia Care After the Holidays

December 26, 2018

Congratulations, you've made it through Christmas and managed to keep your poinsettia(s) alive! As Chris mentioned last week, poinsettias are the most popular potted plant in the U.S. If you're anything like me you have a hard time throwing perfectly (and...

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Pain in the Poinsettia: How to keep your Poinsettia alive over the holidays

December 18, 2018

Have you dodged the bullet this holiday season? You know what I am referring to, right? Poinsettias! Allow me to explain. All of your friends know you are an avid gardener. With all the vegetables you give away each summer, you hold the status of Gardening Guru. You have likely responded to plant...

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Caring for Christmas Trees

December 11, 2018

Selecting a live Christmas tree is a tradition for many families. Whether you get your tree from a retail lot, direct from the farm or cut your own here are some tips for keeping your tree looking great throughout the holiday season: After purchasing your tree, place it in an unheated garage or...

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real christmas tree next to an artificial christmas tree

What's More Sustainable: Real or fake Christmas trees?

December 4, 2018

Growing up, a family tradition was going out to the Christmas tree farm to find that perfect tree. As a child, it was fun going out to pick our tree, cut it and then watch it hauled to the barn on a sled, shook for all its worth to get the dead needles out, and finally bundled up on our car ready...

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Salt in the Landscape

November 28, 2018

As we've already experienced this year, winter in Illinois commonly means snow and ice. Though plowing and shoveling are the primary means of removing snow and ice where they aren't wanted, deicing salts also help prevent slick, hazardous conditions. While salt is great in its place, it's not so...

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