One morning in mid-July I found a surprise in my herb garden. My lovely borage (see my post on borage) had been turned into lunch by some hungry lepidopteran larvae (caterpillars)

In the throes of winter, thoughts of the summer garden may seem but a distant memory, or a future long in the distance. However, winter is a great time to begin dreaming up new ideas for next year's garden. A blustery January evening is the perfect time to settle in to your favorite chair with a...

The joy and festivity of autumn holds a special place in my heart. Judging by the decorative displays on front porches everywhere I go, and the flood of seasonal social media hashtags [#fallfavorites #pumpkinspice #pumpkintime], I believe that I am not alone. The central player in all things fall...

Ornamental chile peppers may provide just the kick you're looking for to spice up your landscape. Breeders at the New Mexico State University Chile Pepper Institute have paired the vibrant and variable colors available in chile peppers with a compact growth habit and upward-facing fruits. The...

If you have ever found yourself second-guessing your spring planting enthusiasm because of all of the miserable failures that you have faced, know that you are not alone! Novice and expert gardeners alike face a number of challenges early in the growing season. In the hopes of demonstrating that...

With Valentine's Day just behind us, I have roses on the brain. It's a good thing too, because it is time to get out and do some spring pruning on your rose bushes. While it may still be a little bit early according to the calendar, the early warming here in Southern Illinois has spring on the fast...

Many plants enter our homes for the holidays as we deck the halls with holly boughs and adorn an evergreen tree. Perhaps one of the most interesting botanical holiday traditions, though, is kissing under the mistletoe. Mistletoe has long been a part of human folklore and tradition. In Europe, the...

Happy Halloween everyone! Today's blog tells the story of why we carve pumpkins at Halloween. This tradition stems from an Irish myth about a man named Stingy Jack. In the legend, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn't want to pay for the...

Giant, bright blue eyes in a child have the power to strike me still. The astounding, azure blue star of a borage flower catch me and hold me fast. Few flowers produce such a remarkable and moving color as that of the clear-sky blue borage blossom. Borage is an herb unknown to many. It is an...

The biggest piece of the U of I Extension mission is sharing research knowledge with the public. The College of ACES (Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences) has been running a Twitter campaign called #askACES, in which researchers are given the opportunity to answer questions from the...