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

View Rhonda Ferree's MUM YouTube video at http://go.illinois.edu/ferreevideos Have you ever had a fall blooming mum that doesn't look at all like what it is supposed to come September? Is it tall, leggy and flopping over with a few flowers at...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator I am so fortunate that I had opportunities during this cold, snowy winter to visit two tropical locations. I went to Costa Rica in December to pick up my son from his semester of studying abroad and I just returned from my husband's...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Growing plants in containers is very popular. Almost anything can be grown in containers, including trees and shrubs. Rhonda Ferree, Horticulture Educator with University of Illinois Extension, says that containers provide a feeling...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Pinterest is a rapidly growing social media site where you can get great ideas on many topics. Basically Pinterest is a digital bulletin board. You create board for various topics and then "pin" links and pictures you like onto that...

Edible landscaping is becoming more and more popular. One way to use fruit trees to small gardens is by using the espalier technique of training fruit trees. I plan to espalier a couple fruit trees along my garage. The following information is from an article from Oregon State Extension. See the...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator It is time to think about mosquito control and the prevention of West Nile Virus. Since we don't know what this mosquito season will bring, don't let down your guard. Remember to "dump the water" and follow these tips to protect...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator This year I plan to write once a month about one of the 12 garden trends from the 2014 Garden Media Group report. The trends are based on many facts and figures. They include technology and smart gardening techniques meant to find...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator July brings us our seventh gardening trend for 2014: Simple Elegance: Think one color flower in an elegant container. Many people think of a mono-chromatic color scheme as boring, but it can be quite impressive The Garden...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator This month's 2014 garden trend is "Drink Your Garden" Coincidentally I also just bought a new book called The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create the World's Great Drinks by Amy Stewart. Intrigued? Simply put, there are...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator May brings us our sixth gardening trend for 2014: Cultur-vating. "Taking local to the next level, people are growing the world in their gardens, mixing cultures and embracing what is local to their own region." Growing our own food...