Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
Pinterest is a rapidly growing social media site where you can get great ideas on many topics.
Basically Pinterest is a digital bulletin board. You create board for various topics and then "pin" links and pictures you like onto that board.
Personally I use Pinterest as a recipe saver. I also have boards for great garden ideas, everything tea, nature books, and more!
My professional Pinterest page uses my social media name and avatar - ILRiverHort. I currently have 28 boards covering a variety of topics. My site currently has 265 followers. In 2014 the boards 271 pins had over 22,925 hits!
By far the most popular board is "Garden Quotes and Facts." I use a lot of pictures that I've taken and add interesting quotes to them. There you'll find a picture of my front yard with the Michael Pollan's quote, "A lawn is Nature under totalitarian rule." "Peace Begins in a Garden" describes the entrance to the ICC Master Gardener demonstration gardens in E. Peoria. A close-up of a dragonfly uses Natalie Angier's quote, "The beauty of the natural world lies in the detail."
The second most popular board is "Plants of the Year." There you'll find plants featured as outstanding by many different gardening organizations. The American Hosta Growers Association's 2012 Hosta of the Year called 'Liberty' received the most hits. Pinners can click on the picture to go to a link with more information about this plant.
Other ILRiverHort Pinterest boards include "Indoor Plants," "Big and Historic Trees," "Canning & Freezing," and "All Things Christmas." They are all available at www.pinterest.com/ILRiverHort.
University of Illinois Extension has 13 Pinterest accounts. The main Extension site includes 38 boards and has over 25,00 followers. It includes lots of gardening boards, including "Historical Gardening," "Videos: Gardening 101," and "Containers Recipes." In addition to my Pinterest page there are also two other horticulture Pinterest Pages. Horticulture Educator Candice Miller has 29 boards and Urban Horticulture Educator Ron Wolford has 25 boards. All are available on the Extension website at www.extension.illinois.edu.
I invite you to take a few minutes (or hours) this winter to learn something new on one of our Pinterest Extension sites. Pinterest is so much fun that it is sometimes addictive!
MEET THE AUTHOR
As horticulture educator, Rhonda Ferree inspired citizens in local communities to grow their own food and improve their home landscapes. She focused on high quality, impactful programs that taught homeowners how to create energy-efficient landscapes using sustainable practices that increase property values and help the environment.
After 30 years with University of Illinois Extension, Rhonda retired in 2018. She continues to share her passion for horticulture related topics as “Retro Rhonda” on social media.
ABOUT THE BLOG
ILRiverHort is a blog that helps people connect to nature and grow.