Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
Spring is on its way! Soon the silver maples will be plump with red flower buds, grass will get greener, and bulbs will begin to sprout.
Often the signs of spring are subtle in plants. One such example is Witchhazel. This plant has...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Educators addresses Garden Biodiversity with a free webinar series called "The Good, the Bad and the Lovely Plants." Illinois horticulturists and gardeners revel in interesting plant...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
Many of us have vegetable gardens that provide us with delicious, fresh produce all summer long, but do you also grow food indoors in the winter?
Gardening is not limited to outside in the summer. I'll teach you how in my upcoming...
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...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Do you have flowers ordered for your loved one? "Flowers are a great way to communicate your love and affection," says Rhonda Ferree, Horticulture Educator with University of Illinois...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
Now is the time of year when we prepare our seed catalog orders for spring. Seed catalogs can tell you a lot, provided you understand the "lingo". Greg Stack, Retired Horticulture Extension Educator, provided the following...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
If you have trouble growing houseplants, the Mother-in-Laws tongue is for you.
The Mother-In-Laws Tongue (Sansevieriatrifasciata), also known as snake plant, is one of the most durable houseplants and is a plant...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
Do you sometimes wonder where some of the foods we eat came from? Rhonda Ferree, extension educator in horticulture, says that she is fascinated by the multitude of newer foods on the market, including flax seed.
Flax is thought to...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
Many different organizations select plants of the year and this year I plan to spotlight them each month in this column. Let's start with the Garden Club of America.
According to their website at ...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
This year's New Year's Day Rose Parade once again featured many beautiful floats decorated entirely of organic material. I always watch the parade carefully and try to figure out what organic materials are being used.
Amaranth is...
