Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Beekeeping is an increasingly popular backyard hobby. It also fits the growing trend to protect pollinators, which are so important to our food supply. There are many different types of bees. Bumble bees are the only truly social...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Holiday dinners often include the traditional turkey and dressing, pumpkin pie, and more. All these foods include a variety of herbs and spices, which make the food taste great! Rhonda Ferree, Horticulture Educator with University of...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Hornets are one of those insects that many people are afraid of, but they are also very important in our natural world. Extension Entomologist Dr. Philip Nixon summed this up well in answering a recent question about how to kill...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Many different organizations select plants of the year and this year I plan to spotlight them each month in this column. Let's start with the Garden Club of America. According to their website at ...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator The Norfolk Island Pine is commonly sold as a holiday plant. It is sometimes even used as a small indoor Christmas tree. Often the small trees are sold already decorated with little balls and tinsel. Norfolk Island Pines are very...

Control of household pests has changed considerably over the last 50 years, both outdoors and indoors. There has been a fine-tuning of methods and products over the years which has reduced exposure to pesticides but may have resulted in an inadvertent increase in some pests....

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Every year I try to provide ideas for those of you who are searching for the "perfect" gift for a gardener in your family. This year I thought I'd focus instead on the nature explorers, though most are also gardeners. As the state...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator While driving around Mason County recently I saw acres of acres of peas. Peas are one of my favorite vegetables so this really excited me! Mason County's irrigated sandy soil grows many different types of specialty crops. In...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Horticultural Grilling What do plants have to do with grilling – other than eating vegetables? Well, great chefs use many "tricks" to get just the right taste from their grill and many of those tricks involve plants...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Do you sometimes wonder where some of the foods we eat came from? Rhonda Ferree, extension educator in horticulture, says that she is fascinated by the multitude of newer foods on the market, including flax seed. Flax is thought to...

Japanese beetle adults are above ground eating leaves for about 6 weeks from mid-June into August. After mating and feeding females lay eggs in moist, actively growing lawns. Eggs hatch into large "C" shaped grubs that feed on plant roots. In fall grubs burrow into soil. Next year they form adults...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator If you haven't been on summer vacation yet, the following tips by Rhonda Ferree, Horticulture Educator with University of Illinois Extension, might be useful as you plan. Most gardens can withstand neglect for a long weekend, but...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Sunflowers are popular. It seems one can find a sunflower on almost anything, from throw pillows to towels to floor mats and rugs. I've also noticed more and more gardeners growing sunflowers for their beauty, their tasty seeds, or...

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 GENERAL Clean and store hoses and flower pots. Clean and sharpen lawn and garden tools and store them in a dry storage area. Store leftover garden chemicals according to label directions, out of the reach of...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator We've had an increase in bedbug calls to our Extension offices and Master Plant Helplines in recent weeks. The bed bug feeds at night on the blood of humans and other warm-blooded animals including chickens, cage birds, and other...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator On June 1st my husband Mark and I will celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. My Grandma Simmons told me June brides are extra special. I don't know if that is true, but I sure did feel special that day. Certainly, June is a...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Efforts to save the monarch butterfly are everywhere with many people pledging to plant milkweed for monarch larvae to eat. There are two different types of plants you can grow for butterflies: nectar food sources and larval food...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Do you have fairy rings in your yard? After reading this article you might decide that you do. Fairy rings are an interesting situation that is quite noticeable this time of year. Fairy ring usually appears in the lawn as circles or...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Every year I do a Spoon River Drive article highlighting natural items for you to look for while on the drive. In honor of OAKtober, this year's spotlight is oaks. The Morton Arboretum news says oak ecosystems have been a...