Ticks! We all dread getting them. To help us better understand these nasty critters, here is part of an article written by Dr. Phil Nixon, recently retired University of Illinois Extension Entomologist. Deer tick, the northern subspecies of the black-legged tick, spreads Lyme disease, perhaps the...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator I have been enjoying walks through our little woods. Many of the earliest wildflowers are about to perform their annual spectacular show. Woodland wildflowers are beautiful and a welcome sign of spring. Here are some examples of the...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Mint! For some, the word brings to mind fresh breath, refreshing drinks, or a place where money is printed. As a plant nerd, to me, mint means square stems. Here's why. All mint plants are in the Lamiaceae family. Although not...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Earth Day falls every year on April 22. As you use this day to reflect about our world around us, you might  try to look at a small piece of our world from a completely different viewpoint. Take dandelions, for example. To...

Sugar and spice make everything nice, especially Christmas cookies. But, do you know where your sugar and spice come from? Sugar beets vs Sugarcane The sugar we use comes from two different plants: sugar beets or sugarcane. Sugarcane Worldwide, 70% of our sugar comes from sugarcane. Sugarcane...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator May Bach and Jennifer Bass were honored for their outstanding contributions to University of Illinois Extension's Master Gardener Program during the 2017 Illinois Master Gardener Conference in Normal. May and Jennifer were among 36...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Now is a great time to remove invasive bush honeysuckle. Not only are bush honeysuckle invasive to native woodlands, new research shows that they also can increase the spread of tick-borne diseases. Bush honeysuckle are upright...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator A walk in the park or a scroll through Facebook quickly show how many people have cats and dogs. The American Pet Products Association estimated that approximately 44% of all households in the United States had a dog, and 35% had a...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator As most of my readers know, one of my favorite activities of the year is watching the New Year's Day Rose Parade. Every year I am amazed by the amount of work that goes into creating the floats using only natural materials. I've...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator I remember mom having nuts in the shell on the coffee table during the holidays. Although I didn't eat many nuts at that time, I liked using the little tools to crack open the nut and dig out its sweet inner meat. Let's look at the...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator It seems like yesterday that Judy Holloway walked into my office wanting to start a Canton garden club and annual garden walk. As a University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener, she did just that, and much more. Since 1999, the...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator What is the best way to water plants? Community watering restrictions, rural water shortages, and high water costs sometimes require homeowners to make some tough decisions about outdoor water use. Here are ten wise watering tips for...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator My 2018 Garden Calendar is now available. It provides garden tips, a calendar of events, and a picture each month spotlighting University of Illinois Extension volunteers and programs. New this year are hyperlinks to information on...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Here are some upcoming Garden Day events in West Central Illinois in 2017. March 4 Home and Garden day -...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Have you noticed the huge hibiscus blooms this summer? Hibiscus has magnificent flowers that make quite an impressive display each summer. There are many different types of hibiscus. The rose-of –Sharon (Hybiscus ...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator While hiking recently I got to thinking about the various plants that stick to our sock and pants. Certainly, they are frustrating; but, as a plant geek, I wanted to know more. Sticky plants attaching to clothes, hair, fur, and...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Now is the best time to prune many of your trees and shrubs, including fruit trees. Pruning of fruit trees is done to improve fruit quality, develop a strong plant, facilitate harvest, and control the size/shape of the plant....

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator During the holiday season many different types of plants are available for decorating and display including the spectacular amaryllis. Amaryllis flowers make a bold statement. Borne on 1 ½ to 2-foot tall stalk, the trumpet-shaped, 6...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator If you love butterflies, you could also put in a butterfly garden habitat in your own yard. You don't need a lot of space to attract our native butterflies. There are two different types of plants you can grow for butterflies:...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Now is the time to take soil tests. If you have plants that are not growing the way they should, a soil test might be needed to see if soil amendments are needed. Soil amendments should be based on a soil test to know the amounts...