Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
Last year I started producing short videos on various gardening topics. They are a lot of fun to make. Currently, I have 31 videos available, covering indoor and outdoor horticultural topics.
In my first educational video "Planting Fall Mums," I demonstrate from my home garden how to plant fall mums. This two-minute video has 213 views - the most views of all my YouTube videos.
To date, the first eleven videos received 393 views, with "2017 Horticulture Program Outlook" and "Planting Fall Mum" receiving the most views. According to YouTube analytical data, these videos reach a majority of male viewers, which contrasts her other social media sites.
I have several videos that cover simple tips on houseplant care. After watching these short videos, even those with "brown garden thumbs" will know how to have healthy houseplants throughout their home.
Over watering house plants is very common. Watering Houseplants teaches you how to know when to water and how much to water your houseplants.
Selecting the correct pot and correctly handling the plant and roots are critical aspects of repotting houseplants. I demonstrate Repotting Houseplants from my home gardening work center.
Moving Houseplants Indoors shows how to clean and groom houseplants.
One of my most recent video spotlights African Violets. I provide tips to keep them flowering and looking their best.
For the most part, I use my backyard to film clips used in the videos. I consider my backyard a horticultural laboratory where I can do what I teach and teach what I do. My videos provide quick summaries of a particular topic and what the home gardener can do.
Each video begins and ends with guitar music I'm playing. The end of each video provides a University of Illinois Extension website link to more information, as well as links to my ILRiverHort social media sites.
Extension has a reputation for providing the most current information in ways that reach people where they are. Videos offer daily gardening tips and ideas to help people grow their own food and enhance their landscapes. These videos provide trusted information in a complicated world of garden videos, websites, magazines, and television shows.
View these videos at http://go.illinois.edu/ILRiverHortvideos. You'll also find current garden news on Rhonda's ILRiverHort Facebook and Twitter pages.
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.