Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Fall is an ideal time to plant many woody trees and shrubs. Before grabbing the spade and digging a hole, Rhonda Ferree, Horticulture Educator with University of Illinois Extension, suggests that there are several important factors...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Time for our next gardening trend of 2014: Fingertip Gardens. It's all about gardening using high tech with mobile apps and technology. It seems that every day I hear about a new garden-related app for smart phones and tablets. I...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Fall brings wiener roasts, festivals, and leaf removal. Rhonda Ferree, Horticulture Educator with University of Illinois Extension, suggests making good use of the fallen leaves in your yard. The tree leaves that accumulate in and...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator When you need advice from a gardening expert but a trip to the gardening store isn't convenient, check out the University of Illinois Extension channel on YouTube. Visit www.youtube.com/...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Many people consider getting plants established in shady areas of the yard as a challenge. Fortunately, this does not have to be true. There are many options available to gardeners for shady areas. Want to learn more? I will present...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Current buzzwords in the world of gardening include pollinators, butterflies, natives, and monarchs. It seems that everywhere I look I read something about the importance of pollinators and how we can protect them. One of the best...

Weekly Crop Update 7-9-14 By Mike Roegge, University of Illinois Extension, Adams/Brown/Hancock/Pike/Schuyler Strawberry harvest was completed several weeks ago, but there is still a little time to renovate the patch if you've not completed that chore yet. You want to do this as soon as harvest...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator I have been enjoying trying new foods, especially those I prepare from scratch myself. Recently I made homemade granola and several types of bread. Recipes called for ingredients that I wasn't familiar with: quinoa, flax seed, wheat...

Many Japanese beetle larvae did not survive the winter, particularly in the northern half of the state. Research has shown that Japanese beetle grubs do not migrate deeper than 11 inches into the soil for the winter. They die if the soil temperature reaches 15 degrees F or if they are...

University of Illinois Extension recently named Rhonda Ferree as the new statewide coordinator of the Master Naturalist program. Ferree also serves as an Extension horticulture educator serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria, and Tazewell Counties The U of I Extension Master Naturalist program provides...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Learn more about gardening by attending a garden day event this spring. Garden day events are sponsored by University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners and are held all over the state. You can find a garden event to attend on...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has been confirmed in Peoria and Tazewell counties. On July 25th the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) announced the detections occurred in residential areas of the two central Illinois counties. In...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator I grew up thinking that a green bell pepper was called a mango. It wasn't until my sister Lynn Miller moved to Florida that we realized there was also a fruit called a mango. Now that I have seen and tasted a mango, it seems odd to...

October 2, 2014 (1:00 PM ) Festival Building 2200 E. Washington St East Peoria, IL 61611 (Tazewell County) Date: October 2 Time: 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.Participants: local officials, municipalities, park districts, arborists, and others impacted by recent EAB...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Recent droughty summers, a cold winter, and various other environmental and pest problems have killed many trees in our area. Usually when a tree is removed a stump is left behind. Here are several suggestions on how to remove tree...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator National Arbor Day is always the last Friday in April, putting it on April 25th this year. Are you ready to plant a tree? If not, Rhonda Ferree, Horticulture Educator with University of Illinois Extension, says that you can plant one...

Written by James Schuster, retired horticulture educator Following a few suggestions can prolong the beauty of flowers given on Valentine's Day and other special occasions, says a retired University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator. "Whether you are giving roses, carnations,...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Our last gardening trend of 2014 is TREE-mendous! A 2012 US Forest Service research study found that urban tree cover has been declining at a rate of about 20,000 acres per year or about 4 million trees per year. This greatly...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator The recent University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Team professional improvement meeting in Springfield included three tour sites. One location was the grounds at the governors mansion. I've been to the grounds many times and...

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...