While the name "weed" in any plant name scares many gardeners, milkweed plants add beauty to the garden and are essential for providing habitat for monarch butterflies. Monarch butterflies will only lay their eggs on the leaves of milkweed plants and then the larvae feed only on these leaves. These...

Plant of the Week! Two weeks ago we discussed the Bearded Iris, but this week it's all about the Siberian Iris (Iris sibirica). Siberian iris looks quite different with its fine textured strap like leaves as opposed to the fan like foliage of the bearded...

There are two common types of cicadas in Illinois, the dog day or annual cicada and the periodical cicada. Annual cicadas make their emergence yearly during the heat of summer, but now is the time for the periodical cicadas to start making their emergence. Luckily, here in northern Illinois we will...

Plant of the week! This week's featured plant is Trumpet Honeysuckle(Lonicera sempervirens).This vine is blooming beautifully in my garden right now. Honeysuckles get a bad rap because of their very invasive cousins the Exotic Honeysuckles (...

Plant of the Week The irises are blooming beautifully in my garden and it seems in everyone else's gardens right now! The Bearded Iris (Iris x hybrida) is looking particularly great. According to the American Iris Society, iris can be classified into...

As gardeners I'm sure many have heard the folk tale that ants are needed to help open up the buds on your peonies. I've always heard this as well, but logically, never believed that to be true. In my head I just always pictured muscled up ants prying open the peony buds. Not very likely. Well...

Plant of the week is back! This week I'm featuring the Bridalwreath Spirea (Spiraea prunifolia or Spiraea vanhouttei). You may have noticed it's lovely white flowers blooming now. Bridalwreath spirea has clusters of white, double flowers in mid to late...

Have you noticed less Garden Impatiens (Impatiens walleriana), being sold in local garden centers this year? If so, this is due to a recent disease outbreak on impatiens called Downy Mildew of Impatiens (Plasmopara obducens). In 2011, the U of I Plant Clinic began receiving...

Last week I wrote about the browning that is occurring on evergreens this spring, but we also have some other problems that are being noticed on evergreens throughout the landscape. The first is caused by those pesky deer.Deer can feed on and damage terminal and side branches of small trees and...

Buying bargain plants at the garden center can be very tempting, but before buying that marked down plant, it's important to give it a good inspection. Usually when a plant is marked down it's either because it is towards the end of the season for that plant, or it's because there is a problem...