Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
Fall is known for planting spring flowering bulbs such as tulips and daffodils. According to Rhonda Ferree, Horticulture Educator with University of Illinois Extension, fall is also an excellent time to plant woody plants and some...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
While walking around our yard last night my husband Mark commented that our gardens look better than ever. We usually spend August enjoying the garden instead of working in it all the time. Still there are several activities that can...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
I have a love-hate relationship with spiders. I am continually fascinated when watching a spider spin its web. However, cleaning up cobwebs can be very frustrating.
Spiders are abundant (over 1,000,000 individuals per acre in a...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
Everyone growing blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries should be monitoring for spotted wing Drosophila, a relatively new invasive pest that infests thin-skinned fruits as they ripen.
For the past several years, this invasive...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
While hiking at Turkey Run State Park with friends recently, we found a lot of snails sitting on stinging nettle leaves along the trails. Many of the snails had their head and antennae out of their shell, inviting us to stop...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
Not all bugs are bad. Many gardeners are learning to leave good bugs and tolerate a bit of plant feeding. Some of us are also using plants to attract the good guys. My colleague Richard Hentschel, University of Illinois Extension...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
The summer series of University of Illinois Extension's Four Seasons Gardening program, which focuses on environmental stewardship, home gardening, and backyard food production, gets underway soon. As always, programs are available...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
Roses are beautiful, but did you know that they are also edible? Rose flower petals and fruits (hips) add color, texture, scent, and flavor to various dishes and beverages.
My go-to edible rose is the rugosa rose (R. rugosa...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
Serviceberries are beautiful native trees with tasty edible fruit. Recently I picked several fruits to eat with cereal and freeze for smoothies. Usually, the birds beat me to the fruit, but this year my tree has such a large crop...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
Have you had fresh strawberries yet this year? They are great when eaten fresh from the garden, and it is easy to grow your own. If you don't grow them yet, consider planting some next spring, which is the best time to plant new...
