Apple cider and crisp fall air call for Halloween festivities and of course, you can’t forget about pumpkins! It would not be an Illinois Halloween if pumpkins were not involved. Jack-o’-lanterns are festive gourds that make great decorations, but what do you do with them after Halloween? Instead...

Certain things just say “fall” to me—changing leaves, apple cider, pumpkins, and of course, mums!  This is the time of year every garden store is filled to the brim with mums in every color and size.  With the right care, those blooms will last and maybe even come back next year!...

Grasses are an often-underappreciated component of landscaping.  They don’t have the showy flowers of many forbs and are thus overlooked.  But when it comes to keeping out weeds, adding structure and winter interest, or preventing erosion, you won’t find much better than grasses.While...

Leaves and temperatures are falling. Pumpkin spice is in the air. That can only mean that Halloween will soon be here. As we prepare our landscapes and gardens for winter, look towards indoor plant care to warm your mood. Giving plants for the holidays brings a little sunshine and warmth to those...

Where did summer go?  It seems like we were just enjoying the sun, imagining all the wonderful produce our gardens would make, and looking forward to those lazy days of summer.  But suddenly, the kids are back to school and there’s that unmistakable chill in the evening air.  It’s...

Hot summer days may be slowly coming to an end, but that doesn’t mean the growing season has to! Fall crops are a staple in the Midwest, which helps farmers and gardeners prolong the short growing season in Northern Illinois. Cool season crops like broccoli are commonly grown in the Spring and Fall...

As the growing season continues, squash vine borer has made its way to the tri-county area. Squash vine borer typically emerges in late June and can decimate entire fields of cucurbit crops in a single season. In this article, you will learn how to identify and control this troublesome pest for...

Are they “lightning bugs”? Or do you prefer “fireflies”? Either way, these living, glowing little lamps are an inimitable sign that summer is truly in full swing.LifecycleThere are more than 20 species of lightning bugs in Illinois, all within the family Lampyridae. Like all beetles, they have a “...

Welcome to summer! The heat, periodic drought, and summer storms can really take a toll on your trees. Here are some tips on how you can help your trees weather the weather.Planting Summer is not a great time to ...

While you may be familiar with many invasive plants and insects, the hammerhead worm is perhaps one of the strangest and least well-known invaders to our gardens. HistoryAccording to the USDA,...

Rainwater is frequently treated like a waste product – gathered up, hustled off our yards, and into the nearest body of water. But instead, what if we kept it where it fell, used it, and directed it back into the ground. We could help mitigate flooding, conserve water, and be rewarded with a...

As spring planting begins and we look forward to the harvests of our labors, one of the best summer treats are strawberries. Depending on cultivar planted, June-bearing provide a large crop of larger strawberries and everbearing strawberries produce smaller berries throughout the growing season....

With all the media frenzy around this year’s upcoming cicada emergence, what can we really expect?  Let Extension help you separate fact from fiction. Why do they live so long? Cicada larva (or grubs) spend most of their life underground, feeding on tree roots.  Depending on the species...

Over the past several weeks, residents in northern Illinois have experienced some unseasonable weather. Warm, spring-like temperatures, thunderstorms, rain, hail, sleet, and snow have been the reality along with 70-degree high days with 20-degree low nights. All of these warm days have woken our...

Every spring, I look forward to the return of the hummingbirds. Their aerial antics around the feeder, zooming by with iridescent flashes of green, red, and white, chasing each other with the precision of a tiny fighter jet – they always brighten my day. When will they return and, more importantly...

At its core, composting is recycling organic matter into nutrient-rich soil.  Plants and other vegetative matter are broken down by decomposers such as insects, worms, fungi, and bacteria, making the nutrients they contain available to other growing things.  It also helps to improve the...

Dormant winter pruning always leaves a mess of trimmings that usually end up being composted or placed in your yard bin. There is another use for those trimmings; you can us them to create plant clones! Plant propagation is the science and practice of creating new plants. This can be done with...

Winter is a time to stow away your gardening tools, put your gardens to bed, pack away your gloves and dream of warmer weather, counting down the days until you can start planting again…or is it?  What if I told you that now is the perfect time to not just plan your gardens (especially if you’...