Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Deer hunting season is upon us, and so it seems appropriate to do an article about deer damage to landscape plants. Fall and winter are a time when deer can cause significant damage to landscape plants. Two types of damage can occur...

Here is a listing of Central Illinois Garden club websites or Facebook Pages. Check out their upcoming events.  Central Illinois Hosta Society - http://www.cihshostaclub.org/ Heart of Illinois Beekeepers Association...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Each season brings a different look to the garden. I enjoy each one, but I must say that plants are uniquely beautiful in winter. Now is a great time to see a plant's texture and form - each unique and mystical. Look for the...

Instagram is an social media network where friends can share photos and videos. I'll use it to share photos and videos of plants in an educational way. Join me and learn how to garden grow your own food create a backyard paradise manage pests in the garden and much more!...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator On a camping trip in Southern Illinois my husband Mark kept taking pictures of non-flowering plants. His pictures made the ferns, mosses, lichens, and club moss look like something right out of a fairytale. In fact, these non-...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Herbs taste great, but they also make great landscape plants. I think that herbs are some of the easiest plants to grow. They have very few pest problems and grow in many types of gardens, from formal herb gardens to small patio...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Holly and mistletoe are symbols of the Christmas season. They are very different plants, but both quite beautiful in their own unique ways. Mistletoe is actually quite a pest in the South. It is most often found in the South,...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator My son Derek just moved to Monterey California to attend graduate school at the Middlebury Institute for International Studies. California has been in a drought for a very long time, and so water conservation is a real concern there...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Happy New Year! Where did 2016 go? Whether you toast in the New Year with sparkling grape juice or a more spirited drink, it is interesting to think of all the plants that make up spirits. Spirits are actually named by the fermented...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator My January Plants of the Day will all be of tree bark, which is more visible and often times even more beautiful in the winter. These will post daily in the 6 pm hour on my ILRiverHort...