The Gardener's Corner is a quarterly newsletter produced by the Illinois Extension horticulture team. Each issue highlights tips and best practices that will make your garden shine during any season.

Read all past issues at go.illinois.edu/gardenerscorner. 

Most Recent Issue

Fall 2020: Prolong the shelf life of garden-fresh produce with good harvest habits, Benefit your health and environment by growing your own vegetables, Harvest abundant squash for food, decoration, Hold on to summer with home hydroponics, Harvest milkweed pods; plant Monarch butterfly garden, Bring houseplants indoors before the first frost, Select and plant spring-flowering bulbs now, Plant native perennials in the fall for healthy spring growth, Planting trees boosts curb appeal and benefits the urban environment, Fall flowering witch hazel charms home gardens, Exfoliating bark trees add great appeal, Fall is a great time for planting trees, Select the right tree for fall planting in Illinois, Put fall leaves to work as compost, Fall garden cleanup lays groundwork for a successful spring, How to pick the perfect pumpkin

Past Newsletters

Gardener's Corner was first made available as a digital newsletter the spring of 2020. Previous issues are available as PDFs. 

Issue 15

Summer 2020 (PDF): Growing a rainbow vegetable garden, 5 ideas to add shade to your backyard, ‘Annabelle’ hydrangea: A showy shrub with historic roots in Illinois, Drought tolerant plants for the landscape, Growing irises: How to plant, grow and care for iris, When to prune hydrangeas

Spring 2020 (PDF): Perennial Favorite Named Plant of the Year, Why You Should Think About Sequence of Bloom, Designing a Sensory Garden, Wildlife-Friendly Gardens, Soil Temperatures for Spring Planting, Protecting Tender Plants from Spring Frost

Winter 2019 (PDF): Growing Ferns Indoors, Ice Storms and Tree Damage, Pantry Pests, Maintaining Garden Tools, Make a Statement with Succulent Cacti, How to Manage Winter Houseplant Insects

Fall 2019 (PDF): Summer Bulbs: Care and Overwintering Tips, Crop Rotation in Home Vegetable Gardens, Establishing Perennials in the Early Fall, Chrysanthemums Add Fall Color to the Garden, What Can a No-Till Garden Do for You?, Signs of a Dead or Dying Tree

Issue 14

Summer 2019 (PDF): Fruit Tree Planting, Install a Rain Barrel This Summer, Garden Design with Native Plants in Mind, Beauty For a Day, Living with Japanese Beetles , The Versatile Elderberry

Spring 2019 (PDF): Spring Tree Planting, Tips for Growing Ginger, Add Beauty to the Garden with Cool Season Annuals, Spring Lawn Care, Annual Flowering Vines, 2019 Perennial Plant of the Year

Winter 2019 (PDF): Try Worm Composting This Winter, Caring for Amaryllis, Norfolk Island Pine, Winter Watering of Trees and Shrubs, Who is Spending Winter in Your Garden, Houseplant Expectations During Winter

Fall 2018 (PDF): Fall Seeding of Lawns, Ornamental Kale At-Home Tissue Culture, Top Perennials for a Fall Cutting Garden, Five Valuable Tips for Fall Lawn Care, Overwintering Tender Plants Indoors, Fall Browning of Evergreen Foliage

Issue 13

Summer 2018 (PDF): Taking Care of Spring-Planted Trees, Shrubs, and Evergreens, Pineberries: Pineapple-flavored Strawberries, The Basics of Straw Bale Gardening, Be on the Lookout for Ticks, Conserve Water this Summer, Gardening with Reptiles

Spring 2018 (PDF): The Sweet Story of Strawberry Success, Growing Vegetables in Raised Beds, Organic-Based Soil Fertility: A Primer, Kitchen-Scrap Gardening, ‘Millenium’ Allium—2018 Perennial Plant of the Year, The Super-Cool Leaves of Vegetable Greens

Winter 2018 (PDF): Choosing and Caring for Your Christmas Tree, Please Help with BMSB Identification in Illinois, Keep Gardening All Winter Long, Understanding Photoperiodism, One Key to Plant Flowering Propagating Houseplants to Expand Your Collection, Caring for Your Houseplants in Winter, Meet Me Under the Mistletoe

Fall 2017 (PDF): Keeping Your Vegetable Garden in Shape in the Offseason, Making Your Own Tissue Culture Medium, Soil Testing: A Key to Good Gardening, Garden Preparations for Winter, Tulips: Worth More than Gold!, Consider Edibles for Fall Container Gardens

Issue 12

Summer 2017 (PDF): What’s the Buzz About Illinois Bees?, Identifying and Managing Your Garden Weeds Beware of Dangerous Carrots!, Butterfly Weed: Perennial of the Year, School Gardens: Cultivating Produce and Passions, Spice Up Your Landscape with Ornamental Peppers, Tree Foliage Diseases May Look Bad, But They’re Rarely Fatal

Spring 2017 (PDF): Top Five Cool-Season Annuals for Containers, Fire Blight of Apples and Pears, How Can I Support Pollinators? Accessible Edible Gardens, Moss Gardening (Yes, You Read That Right), Corriandrum: 2017 Herb of the Year

Winter 2017 (PDF): Don’t Toss that Poinsettia: Try a Little After-Holiday Care, Grow Tillandsias for the Holiday Season, Choosing Plants with Winter Interest, Living with Your Houseplants and Their Insect Relatives, Orchids Are Elegant Houseplants, Grow Your Own Birdseed

Fall 2016 (PDF): Key Garden Tasks for Fall, Fantastic, Funky Spring-Blooming Bulbs, Daffodils, Narcissus, or Jonquil? Ready Garden Tools and Equipment for Winter, Why Not to Cut Your Perennials This Fall, Handling Your Fresh-Picked Produce 6. Fall Preparation for Vegetable Gardens