ILRiverHort

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Connecting Greenery Uses Technology to Connect with Nature

January 22, 2016

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Eight trends are featured in this year's 2016 Garden Media Group garden trend report. I'll write about each trend sometime this year. The 2016 trend report is titled Syncing with Nature. I agree with the report's findings...

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Birding Equipment...how to use binoculars

January 17, 2016

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Each winter our garden pond attracts many different types of birds. We keep a small area of open water in the pond, which the birds love. The past couple of weeks we have been inundated by robins. We also commonly see Eastern...

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Bee-nificial Bees!

January 15, 2016

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Beekeeping is an increasingly popular backyard hobby. It also fits the growing trend to protect pollinators, which are so important to our food supply. There are many different types of bees. Bumble bees are the only truly social...

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January Garden Tasks

January 10, 2016

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Believe it or not, there are actually a lot of gardening tasks you can do in January. Here are some to consider. For those of you who received poinsettias or other flowering holiday plants, be sure that they are near a bright window...

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Community Gardening Toolkit

January 6, 2016

If you are planning a community garden, this toolkit from the University of Missouri will be a big help. https://web.extension.illinois.edu/fmpt/downloads/45968.pdf

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Snow, Cold, and Plants

January 6, 2016

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Winter is so unpredictable anymore. Snow is pretty, heavy snows and cold temperatures do affect plants as well as humans. Fortunately, most of our landscape plants are well adapted to the snow and cold. Accumulations of snow can...

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Bark of the Day Featured on ILRiverHort

January 5, 2016

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator My January Plants of the Day will all be of tree bark, which is more visible and often times even more beautiful in the winter. These will post daily in the 6 pm hour on my ILRiverHort...

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Illinois Farm to School Network

January 4, 2016

Farm to School is more than a program – it is a people-powered movement that seeks to teach students where food comes from and how delicious it can taste when eaten in season. There are three basic elements to farm to school: Local food procurement School gardens Food and nutrition...

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Trees in Winter

January 3, 2016

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Each season brings a different look to the garden. I enjoy each one, but I must say that plants are uniquely beautiful in winter. Now is a great time to see a plant's texture and form - each unique and mystical. Look for the...

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Farmers Markets

January 2, 2016

Visit the University of Illinois Extension Local Food Systems and Small Farms website for Farmers Market resources at https://web.extension.illinois.edu/smallfarm/farmersmarket.html

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