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Wedding Flowers

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator On June 1st my husband Mark and I will celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. My Grandma Simmons told me June brides are extra special. I don't know if that is true, but I sure did feel special that day. Certainly, June is a...
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Bed Edges

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Landscape edging plays an important role in pulling the landscape together. Edging function is simply, says Rhonda Ferree, Horticulture Educator with University of Illinois Extension. "It forms a clean, neat line between planting...
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Vegetable Garden Alternatives

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Vegetables are most commonly grown in traditional gardens in rows. Large gardens can seem overwhelming, especially during the heat of summer or after a vacation. If you don't have space for that or just want to try something...
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Mosses…Friend or Foe

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator If you look at ferns, mosses, lichens, and club moss closely, they look like something right out of a fairytale. In fact, these non-flowering plants do have their very own kingdom in the plant world. Instead of reproducing by flowers...
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Butterfly Larvae Food Plants

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Efforts to save the monarch butterfly are everywhere with many people pledging to plant milkweed for monarch larvae to eat. There are two different types of plants you can grow for butterflies: nectar food sources and larval food...
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Reunion Gardens

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator My son Derek graduates from University of Illinois this week with a BS in community health so it seemed like a good time to discuss reunion and school color gardens. School reunion gardens are especially nice to do using flowers in...
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Mother's Day

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Don't forget you special Mom on Mother's Day! If you haven't bought something special for her yet, consider these ideas. You can be sure I'll get my Mom (Doris Simmons) a special horticultural gift for Mother's Day. A gift of fresh...
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Horticultural Grilling

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Horticultural Grilling What do plants have to do with grilling – other than eating vegetables? Well, great chefs use many "tricks" to get just the right taste from their grill and many of those tricks involve plants...
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Do Homemade Herbicides Work?

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator I spend a fair amount of time helping people sort through the many garden myths. Today's social media rage spreads information very quickly. Unfortunately it isn't always good information. For example, recipes for homemade weed...
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Fairy Rings

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Do you have fairy rings in your yard? After reading this article you might decide that you do. Fairy rings are an interesting situation that is quite noticeable this time of year. Fairy ring usually appears in the lawn as circles or...
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