Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
My son Derek just moved to Monterey California to attend graduate school at the Middlebury Institute for International Studies. California has been in a drought for a very long time, and so water conservation is a real concern there...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
We've all heard wives'-tales that predict the weather. I can still hear my grandma saying, "Red sky at night, sailors delight; Red sky in morning, sailors warning." There are legends of people using groundhogs, hornets, woolly bear...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
As a plant geek I am often fascinated by how plants work. Take vining and climbing plants and the methods that they use to grow vertically.
In broad terms, climbing plants are either clinging or non-clinging. As the name implies,...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
I have been battling some difficult and very invasive weeds this summer in my yard.
A new weed in my gardens this summer is prickly sida (Sida spinosa), also called prickly mallow. This summer annual has a yellow flower and...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
If you are like me, your gardens did not develop exactly as you had planned in the spring. I have more weeds than I usually do in early fall. Parts of my lawn has too much crabgrass and some plants simply do not like their location...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
I remember when my sons Derek and Tyler used to play Pokémon on their Gameboys and collect the trading cards. I never really understood it then, and I'm not sure I fully understand it now; but, I did download Pokémon Go on my phone...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
Recently I helped lead a bus trip to Chicago for Bradley's OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) program. On the way to Chicago I spoke on the bus about the history of landscaping in Chicago. Although we are far from Chicago, some...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
Tomatoes are the most popular vegetable grown in the United States, said a University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator.
"They are probably one of the easiest vegetables to grow, but no vegetable is problem proof," said...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
Do you have an annual flower in your garden this year that you especially like and want to use again next summer? You might be able to clone it using vegetative propagation methods.
I have a coleus plant that I particularly like in...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
Summer is the time for family and school reunions. Rhonda Ferree, Horticulture Educator with University of Illinois Extension, suggests taking reunions to another level by starting a reunion garden.
"School reunion gardens are...
