Bloom in the winter with gift of amaryllis bulb kit
URBANA, Ill. — The gift of gardening is an experience anyone can appreciate this holiday season. Take the stress out of shopping this holiday season and give a blooming amaryllis kit that brings the beauty of nature indoors. Poinsettias are beautiful, popular holiday plants, but the gift...

Learn to preserve flowers from home gardens and special occasions
A great way to enjoy flowers with family and friends is to harvest and preserve them. The popularity of dried and pressed flowers has turned an old hobby into a renewed interior design and art trend. Use everlasting flowers to create everlasting memories. If you are interested in learning how to...

Tips for extending the garden’s growing season
URBANA, Ill. — Harvest season in a vegetable garden doesn’t have to end so soon. Stretch growth with techniques that extend the typical growing season past the point where crops would normally be grown outdoors. Protection from frosts can happen at either end of the growing season. A...

Four Seasons Gardening series ushers in the fall season with care
URBANA, Ill. — As seasons shift, take care and fall into gardening with ease. Find healing, growth, and how adding a little planning keeps the mind going and growing. Explore how to keep the season alive with tips for dividing perennials, continuing self-growth, and healing with time...

Butterflies can eat to live, live to eat in a balanced garden
URBANA, Ill. — A favorite thing about visiting gardens in the summer is catching sight of a butterfly enjoying nectar from a brightly colored zinnia or a monarch caterpillar munching on a milkweed leaf. When designing a butterfly garden, expand and balance plant selection to provide more than...

Build drought-tolerant gardens this fall for next summer’s blooms
URBANA, Ill. — Many Illinois gardens are entering the fall stressed from the lack of summer rains combined with scorching hot temperatures. These conditions easily stress some plants; however, many plants quickly adapt to hot, dry conditions. Drought-tolerant plants are not only tough and...

Make flowers and memories last forever with drying for design
URBANA, Ill. — A great way to enjoy flowers with family and friends is to harvest and preserve them. The popularity of dried and pressed flowers has turned an old hobby into a renewed interior design and art trend. Who has not pressed that lucky four-leaf clover between a couple of pages of a...

Master Gardener program offers online training options
URBANA, Ill. — For 48 years, University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners have measured success by gardens planted, insects identified, produce harvested, and the millions of hours volunteers have logged by helping others learn to grow....

Care for perennial gardens with 3 proven pruning methods
URBANA, Ill. — Pruning perennial flowers takes a garden from looking fair to well-kept. Deadheading, cutting back, and pinching are all pruning techniques that can keep perennial plants looking well cared for and healthy.  Pruning perennials is a complex topic because different plants...

Take a break from the summer heat: Enjoy Four Seasons Gardening series
URBANA, Ill. — Summer is a time of growth and exploration. While spring-planted flowers and vegetables are growing, take a break between waterings to learn something new from the vast world of gardening.  Explore the global impact of sunflowers, discover summer-blooming trees, and learn...

Identify, avoid, and manage troublesome wild parsnip
URBANA, Ill. — Often parsnips, large white carrot-like root vegetables, are substituted for celery in soups and stews. The cultivated parsnip that we eat heralds from the appropriately named wild parsnip, Pastinaca sativa. However, wild parsnip is a plant to avoid. The wild version of cultivated...

Discover how to increase Illinois pollinators through thoughtful garden design
URBANA, Ill. — Pollinators are vital to both plant and human life on Earth. In recent years, pollinator populations have declined dramatically, which has prompted an immediate need for their protection and perpetuation on the landscape.  ...

Bugged by houseplant pests? Give carnivorous plants a try
URBANA, Ill. – During the chilly, dreary winter months, I enjoy my green houseplants that add a bright spot in my office and living space. So when I was visiting a new specialty plant shop this fall, I had to add a new plant friend, “Ping,” to my collection. If you have ever dealt with...

Virtual map provides a tool for rain garden stewardship
URBANA, Ill. – When caring for a rain garden, one of the most helpful tools may not be a rake or a pruner, but a map. The Red Oak Rain Garden interactive map shows the layout of the garden’s native plant placement. This makes maintenance easier and also helps visitors learn about the...

Plant top annuals of 2023 to create craveable container gardens
URBANA, Ill. – Experienced container gardeners likely know that successful containers have good drainage, appropriate sun exposure, and proper potting media. Get a jump on new annual arrivals each year, discover the best performers, and be the envy of your neighborhood this summer by building...

Make time to be inspired by nature's lessons
URBANA, Ill. — Spending time in nature allows people to take in the world around them. In today's busy world, learning how to hit pause to take lessons from nature and explore the benefits of outdoor activities is vital. University of Illinois Extension...

Illinois Groundwork provides community resources and guidance for creating community green infrastructure
URBANA, Ill. – During large rainstorms, many Illinois residents brace themselves for flooding in their basements, streets, and neighborhoods. Illinois Groundwork, illinoisgroundwork.org, is a new free, online tool for communities and stormwater...

Use the resiliency and sustainability of plants to naturally beautify your garden
URBANA, Ill. – Seasons come and go, but home gardening never stops. Pick up the knowledge you need to embrace a resilient and sustainable home landscape. Sessions identify plants that could be problematic and ones that promote a natural display of beauty throughout the year.  Learn best...

Make the most of mulch by choosing from living, synthetic, inorganic, or organic
URBANA, Ill. – Every spring, gardeners turn to mulches for their landscapes and gardens for a variety of reasons. One of the main benefits of mulch is reduced soil erosion and compaction. Mulch also moderates soil temperature keeping it warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. Another...

Grow confidence when choosing seed packets for your garden
URBANA, Ill. – When planning a garden, seeds are an inexpensive investment when compared to buying plants. Gardeners have three basic seed selection choices: hybrid, open-pollinated, and heirloom seeds. What is the difference? Hybrid seeds, also called F1 hybrids, are developed by plant...