University of Illinois Extension

Blog Posts (63)

Holly: A native holiday decoration

Native Perennials with Winter Interest

Managing thirteen-lined ground squirrel

a thirteen-lined ground squirrel eating a seed

Choose your garden tools to fit your needs

False Indigo - A Native Shrub for the Home Landscape

Knowing poisonous plants can save a life

Common poisonous plants of Illinois

Native hydrangea trial evaluates pollinator value and landscape attributes

Using Phenology for Ornamental Pest Control

Sick tree

Prune properly, your forsythia and lilac shrubs will thank you

Yellow flowers on stems of forsythia, wood chip background

Force flowering branches for an early spring show

How to properly prune hydrangeas

pruners cutting dried hydrangeas

Trees in our communities enhance learning

Add some color to your winter landscape by growing holly

Add some color to your winter landscape by growing holly. Red holly berries and green holly leaves.

Selecting the Best Plant Material for Tree or Shrub Planting

Containerized trees and shrubs are great plant material for your fall tree planting projects.

Native Shrubs for Fall

Smooth sumac is a commonly occurring native plant that boasts a spectacular fall display of fiery red leaves.

Fall watering is important

Northern Illinois dry conditions and why watering matters

What's wrong with my lilac? Summer foliar diseases on lilac

diseased lilac leaves

Winter bloomers add a spot of cheer

Watering Trees and Shrubs

As the summer heat intensifies and rainfall dwindles, watering newly planted trees and shrubs becomes incredibly important.

Factors to consider when choosing tree species

Everything is coming up roses

Surveying winter damage as spring emerges

The top four spring-flowering trees to plant

Redbud is a fantastic spring-flowering tree offering the best floral display of any Illinois native tree.

9 native Illinois shrubs for sun and shade

Amorpha canescens - Lead Plant - Layne Knoche

Forsythia in Spring

Forsythia is currently blooming across central Illinois with clusters of bright yellow flowers creating a dramatic display.

Hydrangea Care

Time to do all kinds of pruning

Smart tips for shrub success

witch hazel (fothergilla) flowers - photo by kelly allsup

How to create butterfly habitat in your garden

Gray hairstreak butterfly (Strymon melinus) feeding on a Coreopsis flower. Flower has bright yellow petals with a dark red center

Ice Accumulation on Trees and Shrubs

Ice accumulation yesterday resulted in damage to many trees and shrubs in our area.

How Woody Plants Grow

Trees and other woody plants grow from buds at tip of each limb which release hormones to suppress growth of other buds lower down the stem.

Harvesting evergreens for holiday decorations

holiday decor harvested from backyard

Fall evokes the five basic senses

Winter Protection for Newly Planted Trees and Shrubs

Metal hardware cloth is a great material to protect young trees and shrubs from winter browsing wildlife.

Overwintering potted plants

pots with dormant plants covered in snow clustered together on a porch

Fall Color and Phenology

Burning bush (red leaves) and bush honeysuckle (green leaves with red berries) are very easily identifiable in fall as leaves change. Changes in plant processes this time of year make control of these exotic, invasive species more effective in fall as well.

Burning Bush

burning bush

Poisonous Plants

The 'Annabelle' Hydrangea

The ‘Annabelle’ hydrangea is a cultivar that was originally collected from a wild specimen in southern Illinois and remains one of the most popular in production today.

Boxwoods

2019 Gardening Goals

Bird Migration and Native Shrubs

Fall Color in Native Grasses and Their Ornamental Uses

Elderberry

Take your butterfly garden to the next level

Advanced butterfly gardening

silvery checkerspot by kathy dumler

Watering tips for hot weather

Expected and unexpected spring pruning

Magnolia Pollination

Saucer magnolia is currently in full bloom in our area with an abundance of white to pinkish, showy flowers

What is springing up?

Spring Pruning Can Hurt Your Tree’s Bank Account

Spring Pruning Can Hurt Your Tree’s Bank Account

Urban Tree Planting

Newly planted urban trees are at risk of mortality if proper after-planting care, such as mulching and watering, is not carefully tended.

Rapid Response to Ramorum Blight

This rhododendron shoot is infected with the pathogen Phytopthora ramorum, displaying the typical symptoms of ramorum blight. PC UI Plant Clinic

Illinois has an Abundance of Milkweeds

Butterfly milkweed is the only Illinois milkweed with orange flowers, which provide a showy display each summer, often blooming a second time around early

Weeding out Invasives

The green foliage in this picture is bush honeysuckle, which is an invasive species that dominates forest understories in Illinois. If not weeded out...

Witch Hazel

Chinese witch hazel blooms during the late winter to early spring with a flowering display that often lasts over a month.

The history of blueberries: From Native American staple to domesticated superfood

The blueberry, commonly known as one of our “superfoods”, was not grown in cultivation until 1912 due a previous lack of understanding about their very specific soil requirements.

Landscaping with Blueberries

Blueberries offer attractive fall color as well as beauty in all other seasons.

Bringing Spring Indoors - Forcing Branches

branches from cherry tree blooming indoors

Holly for the Holidays

Hollies are symbolic of the holiday season, providing beauty in the landscape as well as abundant berries for native birds. Photo Credit: Diane Plewa, Illinois Extension Plant Clinic

Why do some trees retain leaves over winter?

This young swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor) has retained its leaves while the maples on either side have already dropped theirs. Many of our native oaks keep their leaves all winter as young trees.

Ornamental Fall Berries Provide Year-Round Awe

brandywine viburnum

News Releases (5)

Master Naturalist Native Tree and Shrub Sale 2022

Some trees weather wet soils, floods better than others

Learn how to prune your shrubs with 'cutting hedge' technology

Fall flowering witch hazel charms home gardens

Growing holly

Staff (1)

Christopher Enroth

Christopher Enroth

Horticulture Educator