The Extension Connection

A Game-Changer for Women’s Health: Discovering the benefits of strength training for aging women

April 17, 2025

Strength training boasts an impressive list of health benefits, yet the group that stands to benefit the most – older women – is participating in strengthening activities the least. National guidelines recommend that adults and older adults engage in muscle strengthening activities at least 2 days each week.Benefits of strength trainingThe benefits of strength training go far beyond increasing...

Blog articles

the base of a newly planted tree with fresh dirt

Ensuring the survival of newly planted trees: Essential care tips for the first three years

April 25, 2025

Good Growing

How do you take care of a newly planted tree?Lots of trees get planted in April, at least in Illinois. What follows is a ‘will they, won’t they…survive?’ In multiple instances, I’ve come across a tree that gets planted and maybe watered once to a handful of times that year. What most people don’t...

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Events

May 3, 2025

Master Gardener Plant Sale
Come and join the Master Gardeners and the Master Naturalists for our annual Plant Sale. We will have a variety of plants such as annuals, perennials, house plants, natives, succulents, hanging baskets, vegetables, tomatoes, and herbs.  Master Gardener and Master Naturalist volunteers will...

May 7, 2025

Homegrown Harvest: Warm Season Crops
Homegrown Harvest is a series of free, family-friendly vegetable garden workshops designed to support beginning gardeners through the growing season. Topics include seed starting, warm and cool season crops, planting, harvesting, soil health, and garden tool maintenance.Workshop materials will be...

May 13, 2025

Let's Talk about the Birds, the Bees, the Rabbits and the Groundhogs
The Crossing Garden Education series is a free monthly program focusing on a variety of topics during the 2025 growing season. Join the Master Gardeners for this month's session for a discussion on the importance of wildlife in the garden, how to make your yard welcoming to beneficial animals,...

Heart Smart Eating showing various food groups with stethescope

May 19, 2025

Heart Smart Eating
Heart disease is the leading cause of death of U.S. adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Changes to lifestyle, including food choices, can improve symptoms like high blood cholesterol and high blood pressure.  In "Heart Smart Eating" you will learn about 4...

May 31, 2025

Carolyn Mason Education Day
Please join us as we spend the morning learning about nature to celebrate a special woman. We will start with an optional birding hike followed by registration and a continental breakfast. MJ Oviatt from the Savanna Institute will be speaking about bringing the oak savannah biome back to the...

June 2, 2025 - June 6, 2025

Willy's Garden Week
Youth are invited to spend five days learning about plants, insects, and wildlife you might find in your own garden. Join the Master Gardeners in the Children's Auditorium at the Decatur Public Library and get ready for a daily dose of gardening adventures!This event is limited to the ages...

Beneficial Insects: Garden Warriors text pictured on a yellow background with wildflowers and insects

June 17, 2025

Beneficial Insects: Garden Warriors
Not all insects we find in our gardens are pests. In fact, most insects aren’t pests at all. It's a buggy world, and you may be surprised to learn we need them!Participants will learn to identify different types of beneficial insects that can be found in their Illinois garden, the bad insects they...