ILRiverHort 2025

By Jill Meints, Extension Master Naturalist serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria, and Tazewell counties1. RestJust like with our gardens & plants, it can be our season of REST!  Read on for ideas on how to embrace the season! 2. Clean out your pantry and organize it. You may have things...

By  Ella Maxwell, Extension Master Gardener serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria, and Tazewell countiesFall is an excellent time to plant a tree.  But what tree to plant? A flowering ornamental tree, evergreen tree, shade tree, native tree, fruit tree, or the "right" tree for you, your...

By Jennifer Bass, Extension Master Gardener and Master Naturalist serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria and Tazewell countiesI love my yard with all of the trees, the wilder areas behind my home, and the small prairie plot in the small sunny patch in the front of my house.  But, I am...

By Janine Donahue, Illinois Extension Master Gardener and Master Naturalist serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria, and Tazewell countiesMy journey into learning about native plants began about 6 years ago when I decided to add native plants to one of the Master Gardener projects. As I looked at a...

By Mike McGraw, Extension Master Naturalist serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria and Tazewell counties  Even as a teenager, I loved the ephemeral wildflowers that grew in the woods near my home in Alton, Illinois – plants with wonderfully evocative names like Harbinger of Spring, Spring...

By Margaret Kelly, Extension Master Gardener serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria and Tazewell counties  Springtime is the best time to focus on iris care, allowing us to enjoy a breathtaking flower display throughout the iris season.FertilizerWhen getting ready for fertilizing, here is a...

By Trudy Yazujian, Extension Master Gardener serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria, and Tazewell countiesI used to tease that I was a public-school teacher to support my gardening habit. While there was a little truth to that, I loved being a teacher and had wanted to be a teacher since I was in...

By Julie Robinson, Extension Master Naturalist serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria and Tazewell countiesIt is hard to believe that 2025 finds Local OPAL’s (Local Outdoor Playing and Learning) website celebrating its fifth birthday.  What began as a mere (and somewhat crazy) idea during 2018...

By Jennifer Bass, Extension Master Gardener and Master Naturalist serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria and Tazewell countiesThis past weekend I pointed out to my grandkids the first goldfinch of the season I spotted at my feeders.  Bird watching is enjoyable for many of us – I had an uncle...

By May Bach, Extension Master Gardener and Master Naturalist serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria and Tazewell countiesIn the spring of 2024, three local Extension Master Gardeners created a hügelkultur bed inside the Wildlife Prairie Park 4-H Learning Garden that has become an excellent rain...