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white flowers with blue lines
Unseasonable weather makes for early plant arrivals
Over the past several weeks, residents in northern Illinois have experienced some unseasonable weather. Warm, spring-like temperatures, thunderstorms...
A hand holding a milkweed seedpod
Seed Stratification: How to get seeds from native perennials to grow
Seed starting is a widespread indoor gardening activity this time of year.  It can be a great way to satisfy your gardening desires while waiting for...
daffodils
Spring Gardening: When is the best time to get started
By Ella Maxwell, Extension Master Gardener serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria and Tazewell counties The temperatures this spring have been up...
A plant of many colors: Virginia bluebells. Purple and blue bluebell flowers.
A plant of many colors: Virginia bluebell
With the arrival of warmer weather in the spring, we start to see signs of new life in our landscapes. Birds begin singing, our landscapes start...
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News Releases

Erin Garret standing next to little bluestem in a garden
Grasses at a Glance blog earns award from national Extension organization
URBANA, Ill. — Grasses are a small and often subtle backbone of many ecosystems, making up nearly 30% of the planet’s land cover. They prevent soil erosion, regulate water flow, and provide food and habitat for wildlife and livestock. But ask someone to identify one grass from another, and you...
Text "Rain Garden Rumble" with illustrations of native plants
Root for your favorite native plant in Rain Garden Rumble playoff
URBANA, Ill. — It’s plant versus plant in the return of the Rain Garden Rumble that pits native flowers against each other in a friendly competition to take home the 2024 title. This March, get to know 28 plants native to Illinois by building a bracket and voting for your favorites in the annual...
Red-throated hummingbird.
Learn how to attract ruby-throated hummingbirds to your backyard
Have you noticed different birds at your feeders? Although ruby-throated hummingbirds are expected visitors to gardens east of the Rocky Mountains, several species of vagrant hummingbirds have been documented in Illinois. Did you know that there are citizen science projects looking for your...
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Videos

Reduce Flooding & Water Pollution with Rain Gardens and Native Plants

Rain gardens and native plants incorporated into home and business landscapes can help to reduce localized flooding, improve local water quality, provide habitat for wildlife, and much more. Learn how to consider natural options to handle rain runoff and walk through the recent renovation of the...

KILL Your Callery Pear & Burning Bush and plant these instead

Are they invasive? Not legally in the state of Illinois. (Yet!) But we are seeing Callery pear and burning bush escape from our yards into natural areas across the state. Today Ken and Chris talk about these two plants, give some background, and then what we can plant instead of these baddies!...

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