Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Thousand Cankers Disease was recently confirmed in Indiana, putting the disease threateningly close to Illinois walnut trees. Kelly Estes, Agricultural Pest Survey Coordinator for Illinois Natural History Survey, reported on this...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired Extension horticulture educator As promised I'm writing each month about a 2014 garden trend. Trend two from the 2014 Garden Media Group report is "Super Foods, Super Models." Let me try to explain what that is. My interpretation is that the trend is to...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Spring flowers have been very welcome this year after the hard winter. "Many of those also add great scents to my outdoor gardens," says Rhonda Ferree, University of Illinois Extension educator in horticulture. "Adding fragrance to...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator I first wrote about garlic mustard in 2001. Since then, this dreadful weed has gotten even worse. Many hundreds of man-hours and dollars have been spent trying to prevent it from choking out more of our native wildflowers. Garlic...

A few of my favorite Herb Garden resources The Complete Book of Herbs – Lesley Bremness; Dorling Kindersley Publishing Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs, Rodale Press Websites to check outUniversity of Illinois Herb website ...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator This is for the participants in my class today at Bradley University's OLLI program. January - Carnation General - Fascination Pink – I'll never forget you Red- Admiration (My Heart Breaks) Purple –...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Happy Birthday to my sister Lynn Miller! Lynn's birthday always makes me think of wiener roasts and pumpkins. Those of you celebrating Halloween carve pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns. Others, including my sister, simply enjoy...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator If you have trouble growing houseplants, the Mother-in-Laws tongue is for you. "The Mother-In-Laws Tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata), also known as snake plant, is one of the most durable houseplants and is a plant...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator My Dad and I are planning some of our garden catalog orders together this year. This serves many purposes. We inspire each other to begin planning and some catalogs offer discounts or free shipping for larger orders. Now is the time...

The following publications contain the most current treatment options for Emerald Ash Borer. Emerald Ash Borer Factsheet by Extension Entomologist Dr. Phillip Nixon...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Although ornamental flowering pears are beautiful in the spring, they have several severe problems. Below is a portion of an article written by Sandy Mason, Extension Educator in horticulture based in Champaign, IL. Since this...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator April brings us our fourth gardening trend for 2014: Dress up Your Yard. I often talk about my various outdoor garden rooms. Outdoor spaces are truly an extension of your home. You might have a kitchen for barbeques, a...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator It is Spoon River Drive time again! Each year I am drawn to items made from natural materials, including woodcarvings, dried flower arrangements, decorative plants, and so much more. I have been going on the drive since I was a...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator I've had several questions about lavender this spring. Most gardeners wonder if their lavender survived the winter, but others want to know how to use it. Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is an ancient herb. It has been a...

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has become a problem almost throughout the state. Each year, more and more counties are finding the insect on traps or in trees. This website was developed to help homeowners first ID their tree to make sure it truly is an ash, followed by EAB...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator If you find large, ragged holes in the leaves of hosta (and other) plants in your garden and notice a slime trail as well, a University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator warns you may have a slug or two taking up residence...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Each year I seem to battle more and more difficult and very invasive weeds on my property. These include honeysuckle, garlic mustard, burning bush, and bittersweet. Oriental bittersweet is quickly invading my landscape beds. This...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator I am hoping for some warmer weather so I can do some winter pruning. Winter is a perfect time to prune most trees and shrubs. Correct pruning is an essential maintenance practice for ornamental trees and shrubs. However, most...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Recently I toured the Illinois Department of Agriculture's green roof on their administration building at the State Fairgrounds in Springfield. It is an impressive sea of green sedum growing atop a structure of concrete and steel....

Posted by Rhonda J. Ferree - News for Homeowners