Extend the season with fall flowers for your beds, borders, and containers
URBANA, Ill. – Fall blooming plants extend the season of our gardens after many plants have dried up or are done blooming for the year. They are also a much-needed food source for pollinators who are still foraging and getting ready for winter.
Prolong the floral show in your yard with...
Keep garden, plants hydrated going into fall
URBANA, Ill. — This summer has brought drought to many parts of Illinois. Most gardeners are aware that plants need water to thrive, but it can be helpful to review the ins and outs of garden hydration to ensure the best results.
“Many environmental conditions factor into...
Fall gardening is your time to plan for beautiful spring
URBANA, Ill. – Seasons come and go, but home gardening, environmental stewardship, and backyard food production take year-round effort. University of Illinois Extension provides timely tips in its fall edition of the popular Four Seasons Gardening horticulture workshops.
Each...
Give monarch butterflies something to munch on, plant native milkweeds
URBANA, Ill. – Imagine eating only one type of food your entire life. Your survival depends entirely on being able to find this food. This is the challenge monarch butterflies, Danaus plexippus, face every day as landscapes change nationwide and fewer native plants are available. But home...
Create backyard paradise with tropical plant garden
URBANA, Ill. – Summer may be the season for vacations, but if you can’t get away create your own backyard paradise with a tropical plant garden.
Tropical plants can be planted in the ground or in containers and overwintered inside. Treat tropical plants as annuals in the Illinois...
Support pollinators with cheerful viola flowers
URBANA, Ill. – Roses are red, violets are blue and they have also earned top honors being named Plant of the Year by the International Herb Association. Every year, the association selects plants that are considered...
Magnolia blooms, beetles are nature’s spring flower odd couple
URBANA, Ill. – Every spring, magnolia trees across the Midwestern landscape offer some of the most spectacular flowering displays of any woody plant. These beautiful ornamental trees, native to Asia, are some of the first landscape plants in our area to deliver such a showy display; truly one of...
Researchers call on backyard scientists to help save pollinators
URBANA, Ill. – Fluttering quietly and steadily from flower to bloom, butterflies, bees and other pollinators do the hard background work of fertilizing flowering plants, fruits and crops. But these unsung heroes are in danger. Studies have shown an estimated 40% of insect species, including the...
Early blooming spring ephemerals flowers welcome warmer weather
URBANA, Ill. – Spring ephemeral flowers are nature’s gems after winter. These short-lived beauties are wildflowers that grow in woodlands in the early spring before the leaves on deciduous trees are open. They are called spring ephemerals because they have a relatively short blooming time....
Fields of dreams: From 4-H to cut flower grower
NORTHERN ILLINOIS – When Local Foods Small Farms Educator Grant McCarty is looking for inspiration, he makes his way to Clara Joyce Flowers. There, farmer Drew Groezinger inevitably has something new going on.
There are high tunnels being...
Pelleted seeds improve planting ease, germination rates
URBANA, Ill. – Tiny seeds provide challenges for gardeners trying to evenly space lettuce, onion, carrot, and herb seeds. Pelleted seeds are coated with a biodegradable material and easier to hold and plant.
The colorful coating also protects the seed, improving germination rates. Pre-...
Keep jumping worms from damaging lawns, gardens, natural areas
URBANA, Ill. – A new threat is invading Illinois. Jumping worms attack gardens, lawns, and natural areas with devastating results.
Illinois Extension forestry research specialist Chris Evans says the worms are voracious eaters that decrease soil quality and reduce organic matter....
Poinsettias add a rainbow of color options to holiday décor
URBANA, Ill. – With their bright red blooms, Poinsettia’s are a holiday tradition, but buyers don’t have to limit their selection to one color. This winter, celebrate and decorate with a rainbow of Poinsettias.
University of...
Proper maintenance extends lifespan, saves money on garden tools
URBANA, Ill. – One of the pricier expenditures for home gardeners is quality hand tools. High quality tools will last longer, but this does mean the tools — whether shovels, rakes, pruners, or hand trowels — cost more.
“Buy the best you can afford. Take care of your tools, and they will...
Small bees attracted to small flowers
URBANA, Ill. – While the bumblebee is likely the most well-known pollinator, pollinators come in a variety of shapes, species, and sizes.
“Many entomologists believe the tiny sweat bee nectaring on your flowering weed is just as important to a healthy ecosystem as the more well-known...
Plant asters for unique display of fall color
URBANA, Ill. – Fall gardens may need some added pops of color this time of year to maintain beauty and diversity until winter arrives. Asters are a late-blooming, pollinator friendly flower that looks great in the garden and in a fall floral display.
“Think beyond the...
