University of Illinois Extension

Events (9)

Colors and Shapes and Forms, OH MY! Ann Tice Interviews the MSU Trial Plants Manager

Tue, 02/07/2023 - 12:00

Where Will You Garden? | Growing Great Vegetables

Tue, 02/28/2023 - 12:00

Online

outdoor raised vegetable garden in a backyard

Seed and Plant Choices | Growing Great Vegetables

Tue, 03/07/2023 - 12:00

Online

small plants emerging from soil

Tricky Pollinator Questions and Answers | Everyday Environment

Thu, 03/09/2023 - 12:00

Online

a bee on a flower

Vermilion County Master Gardeners 2023 Garden Day Workshop

Sat, 03/11/2023 - 12:00

Photo of a butterfly on colorful flowers with "Garden Day 2023" in the middle.

Cool Season Vegetables | Growing Great Vegetables

Tue, 03/14/2023 - 12:00

Online

fresh-picked carrots in a wooden container

Warm Season Vegetables | Growing Great Vegetables

Tue, 03/21/2023 - 12:00

Online

cucumbers with yellow flowers on the vine in a garden

Insects and Diseases | Growing Great Vegetables

Tue, 03/28/2023 - 12:00

Online

close-up of an invasive insect on a plant

April in Paris Gardening Seminar 2023

Thu, 04/13/2023 - 12:00

Betty Jane's Kitchen

purple flowers

Blog Posts (77)

Holly: A native holiday decoration

Native Perennials with Winter Interest

What Happened to my Dwarf Spruce Tree?

Fall Color from Conifers

White pine has beautiful color that is expressed in the yellow innermost needles this time of year.

Colorful fall trees and shrubs in the Central Illinois landscape

Orange and yellow maple tree in foreground of a line of colorful trees in fall

Methods for identifying plants is a great learning experience

Labeling is an Important feature of a plant collection

Planting and Maintaining Perennial Mums

Right now, mums are available at local garden centers in a wide variety of colors.

Attracting wildlife with native plants

blackcapped chickadee with a caterpillar in it's mouth

Stormwater woes, and how rain gardens can help

Flooded road

Identifying River Oats

Golden spikelets of River Oats growing in full sun

Sedges for the Landscape

False Indigo - A Native Shrub for the Home Landscape

Tips for a creating a successful windbreak

A windbreak of evergreens

Native hydrangea trial evaluates pollinator value and landscape attributes

Designing from the ground up: Ground covers for your landscape

Barrenwort leaves

The should’s and should not’s of landscaping

arrows pointing every which way in the lawn

Vegetable Gardening with Raised Beds

Vegetable Gardening with Raised Beds

New Research Assesses the Value of Urban Pollinator Gardens

monarch

The winter garden needs planning too

Deicing Salts and Plant Damage

Deicing

A plant’s growth habit provides function and beauty

Japanese gravel garden with mounded plant forms

Take care of hostas going into winter

Hosta in fall

Create a bird-friendly yard

bird at a bird bath with flowing water

Celebrate the colors of fall with autumn flowers

Climate Change Adaptations for the Urban Forest

Urban trees provide a variety of benefits which are going to be increasingly important as climate change impacts Illinois in coming years.

The disadvantages of landscape fabric

landscape fabric fail

Adding purple shade trees to your landscape

‘Forest Pansy’ is a cultivar of our native redbud that offers unique purple foliage.

Perennial plant of the year: Calamint

calamint and Echinacea

Tender bulbs make for summer delights

Photo by Nick Windsor via Unsplash

Two invasive landscape trees you didn’t know about: Tree of Heaven and Amur Corktree

tree of heaven

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.

A certain air around Callery Pear

Callery Pear on forest edge - Photo by Chris Evans, University of Illinois Extension

Smart tips for shrub success

witch hazel (fothergilla) flowers - photo by kelly allsup

Spring Garden Cleanup

Standing dead stems are important overwintering habitat that should not be removed from the garden until insects emerge later in spring.

What to do with live Christmas tree after the holidays

tree cookies hanging from woody vine

Natives and Landscape Plant Selection

Native butterfly milkweed is a favorite among gardens for its beautiful flowering display and high wildlife value, but native plants are a surprising minority of plant material available for purchase each year in the US.

Plant spring bulbs now

bulbs, pixabay

Burning Bush

burning bush

Fall Color in Oaks

Ornamental Brassicas

Benefits of Urban Trees

Fall Tree Planting

Daylilies

Poisonous Plants

Buttonbush

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.

2019 Vermilion County Master Gardener Garden Walk

Garden Storm Damage

Native Plants and Biodiversity

Osage Orange

Strategic Garden Plantings

Prescribed Burning

Daffodils

2019 Gardening Goals

Great Gardening at Danville Area Community College: Local college hosts a wide variety of winter horticulture

Tree Bark

Climate Change and USDA Plant Hardiness Zones Part Three

Fall Color in Native Grasses and Their Ornamental Uses

Douglas Discovery Garden

Garlic Planting

National Pollinator Week

2018 Garden Walk

Pruning Spring Flowering Shrubs

Dividing Perennials in Spring

Gardening with Reptiles

Vegetable Gardening in the Midwest

Planting Potatoes

Gardening with Natives

Renovation of Allerton’s Triangle Parterre Garden

Keyhole Gardens

Hostas

Hand pollination of last year’s hosta flowers produced the seeds used to grow this tray of hosta seedlings. However, it will take a few more years for these plants to mature and truly express the traits gained from hybridization. Photo credit: Barb and Rick Schroeder

Landscaping with native grasses

These young prairie dropseed plants will mature into a nice sidewalk border of thin, feathery vegetation.

Two trees you should never plant in Illinois - Colorado blue spruce and Callary Pear

Colorado blue spruce is a non-native, commonly planted landscape tree that suffers from many issues here in Illinois.

Native vs. "nativar" - do cultivars of native plants have the same benefits?

This non-native, kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa ‘Klipka’) was bred for variegated leaves which may greatly affect insect leaf feeding.

Beat summer heat with low-water xeriscape gardens

Xeriscape style garden

News Releases (33)

Landscaping with these plants will help reduce your watering this summer

Tree bark adds visual bite to winter landscapes

Planning a new perennial garden? Plant for the whole garden ecosystem

To get in touch with nature, create a sensory garden

Give summer-blooming bulbs a second chance, store them over winter

Gardening advice now available 'in the air'

Illinois Extension program teaches rainscaping practices

Native prairie grasses create distinct, breezy aesthetic in home landscape

Taking time to select plants for difficult growing conditions helps long-term success

Create backyard paradise with tropical plant garden

Support pollinators with cheerful viola flowers

Six ways to keep your hosta foliage looking great

Gardening enthusiasts invited to attend Gardeners’ BIG Day

Be inspired for a great growing season at April in Paris gardening seminar

How to use the 9 flower shapes to make your landscape something special

Discover what you need to know before choosing Evergreens for your landscape

Geometric shapes in landscapes add interest

Autumn is a great time to plant trees, learn more at Oct 26 webinar

Tips for planting balled-burlapped trees for long-term health, success

Plant asters for unique display of fall color

After the storm: Repair and care for damaged trees

Create a bird-friendly yard

Hire tree care professional with confidence

Get to know the incredible Illinois milkweed

Tour beautiful gardens during the Master Gardener Over the Gate Garden Walk

Missing Arbor Day doesn't mean you can't plant a tree

The gardening methods you need to tell goodbye

Grow your green thumb this spring with free online gardening classes

Heirloom flowers provide fragrance, beauty, pollinator support

Birds, bees need growers' help to keep pollinating

Make way for new award-winning garden plants of 2021

Perennial plant of the year, calamint, a perfect pick for pollinators

Fall is a great time for planting trees

Staff (4)

Christopher Enroth

Christopher Enroth

Horticulture Educator

staff photo of Tara Heath

Tara Heath

Horticulture Program Coordinator

Stanley (Jay) Solomon

Stanley (Jay) Solomon

Extension Educator Natural Resources, Environment & Energy

Emily Swihart

Emily Swihart

Horticulture Educator