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ILRiverHort 2015

Emerald Ash Borer Open House a Success

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator University of Illinois Extension and several other organizations answered questions about the emerald ash borer at a recent Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) event. Homeowners, tree care professionals, municipality officials, and more...
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Tropical cacao takes off winter chill

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator It is that time of year when a cup of hot chocolate and a chocolate cookie hit the spot. In my travels I've seen the tree where chocolate comes from and it always fascinates me. A few years ago a colleague of mine wrote all about...
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Frac'd Up Garden Trend

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator A 2014 garden trend as stated by the 2014 Garden Media Group report was called Frac'd Up: A rejection of the neat and tidy. In other words, a messed up garden is okay and maybe even preferable in some cases. I like this...
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Reunion Gardens

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator My son Derek graduates from University of Illinois this week with a BS in community health so it seemed like a good time to discuss reunion and school color gardens. School reunion gardens are especially nice to do using flowers in...
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Bee-nificial Bees!

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...
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Herbs and Spices

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...
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Hornets

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...
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Plants of the Year

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 ...
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Norfolk Island Pine

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...
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Household Pest Control Through Time by Dr. Phil Nixon

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....
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Gifts for the Nature Explorer

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...
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I Love Peas!

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...
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Horticultural Grilling

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...
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Just What Is Flax?

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...
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Japanese Beetle Myth-information by Sandra Mason

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...
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Vacation Checklist for Your Garden

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...
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Sunflowers

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...
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December Garden Tips

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...
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