Events

Blog Posts

Nasturtium flowers
Read article: Spice up the garden with edible flowers
Spice up the garden with edible flowers
May is finally here, when Spring has sprung and homeowners are rushing to get the garden ready. As gardeners start their season, consider something...
Baptisia: Bold, beautiful, and underused native perennials. Purple baptisia flowers and green foliage
Read article: Baptisia: Bold, beautiful, and underused native perennials
Baptisia: Bold, beautiful, and underused native perennials
As gardeners, we're often on the lookout for low-maintenance plants with colorful flower displays. One such plant that fits that description, and is...
Columbine in the garden: Beauty, pollinators, and the battle with leafminers. Columbine plants with green leaves and red and yellow flowers
Read article: Columbine in the garden: Beauty, pollinators, and the battle with leafminers
Columbine in the garden: Beauty, pollinators, and the battle with leafminers
Columbines are popular garden plants. They can be found in a variety of colors, ranging from red, pink, yellow, white, purple, and blue, and they can...
A tray of orange pepper plants that was grown indoors sits outside in the sunlight for a few hours as part of the hardening off process.
Read article: Is it time to plant?
Is it time to plant?
It’s that time of year again. The time when spring weather is warming, we are all starting to get active in our gardens to plant things. ...

News Releases

Pink and orange blooming zinnia flowers speckled with white powdery mildew on leaves
Prevent, protect zinnias from powdery mildew
URBANA, Ill. — The summer is always a little brighter in the garden when brightly colored zinnias are among the various plants. Zinnias are heat and drought-tolerant plants that attract a variety of summer pollinators. This flower thrives early in the season, but as summer temperatures rise and...
pollinator friendly pink and yellow flowers against a blue sky
Join the Pollinator-Friendly Planting Event at Prairie Gardens
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — University of Illinois Extension invites community members to dig in and help pollinators thrive during a special hands-on container planting event sponsored by the Champaign County Master Gardeners. This event will be held at Prairie Gardens in Champaign on May 27 or 28,...
pink purple and yellow flowers growing
Mother's Day Flower Walk in Genoa
GENOA, Ill. — On Saturday, May 10, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the day before Mother’s Day, University of Illinois Extension offers guided wildflower walks at the Natural Resource Education Center (NREC) in Russell Woods Forest Preserve. Russell Woods is located one mile west of Genoa on State Route...
a bee perched on a pink flower
Available prairie seed mixes may fall short for pollinators
URBANA, Ill. — As populations of bees and butterflies decline in the Midwest, native prairie restoration becomes crucial. A new Prairie Research Institute study found, however, that many commercial seed mixes used to conserve and restore prairies may not have enough diversity or spring flowering...

Videos

Themed Gardens: Design with Kids in Mind

 

Foster the love of gardening with the youth in your life by creating theme gardens. Join Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator Brittnay Haag as she shares ideas and tips for creating a special place for your young, hands-on learner to grow, explore, and be creative. Whether it’...

Spring Ephemerals: Four Seasons Gardening

Restore healthy ephemerals. These bulbs get their name because of their quick appearance in the environment in the early spring, flowering even before leaves have fully grown on deciduous trees. Horticulture Educator Gemini Bhalsod guides you through the interesting diversity of spring...