ILRiverHort 2018

URBANA, Ill. – Grape vines are a beautiful feature for your landscape that provide both aesthetic and edible benefits, says a University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator. "Fresh-picked-from-the-vine grapes are delicious," says Bruce J. Black. "The work you put into growing your grapes...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator I love exploring woods in the spring looking for wildflowers. They bring such joy after such a long winter. Here are a few of my favorite early spring wildflowers. One of the first woodland flowers to bloom is bloodroot (...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Last year I started producing short videos on various gardening topics. They are a lot of fun to make. Currently, I have 31 videos available, covering indoor and outdoor horticultural topics. In my first educational video "Planting...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator In 2017, 167 Master Gardener volunteers contributed over 10,000 hours in the Fulton, Mason, Peoria, and Tazewell Counties. The value of their volunteer service is $263,000 (as calculated by Independent Sector). Master Gardeners have...

I love having fresh flowers on my kitchen table. They bring such beauty, energy, and life to the room. Every spring I vow to bring fresh flowers indoors all season, but I never seem to follow through very well. Maybe I would do better if I had a cut flower garden dedicated specifically to this...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator It's that time of year when trees and shrubs begin popping up at retail sales areas throughout Illinois. Here are some tips to consider as you plan your new woody plant purchases. The most important choice is what type of plant to...