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Flowers, Fruits, and Frass 2015

Hummingbird moths

Small mysterious pollinators have been visiting late-summer and fall-blooming plants in our gardens in order to sip nectar, said University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator Kelly Allsup. With wings as fast as a hummingbird and long tongues like a butterfly, these small moths hover over...
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Beekeeping Workshop comes to Pontiac and Eureka

The Buzz about Bees! Are you interested in keeping bees? Are you interested in gardening to conserve bees? Are you interested in getting greater amounts of produce from your vegetable garden and orchards? If so, then you should attend the Beekeeping 101 Workshop on October 29...
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Pathogens on Monarchs by Phil Nixon

Pathogens & Parasitoids Reduction in Monarch Butterfly Rearing 1.It is difficult to avoid all parasitoids and diseases as long as caterpillars and their food are collected from the wild. 2.Totally captive-reared insects tend to lose some survival abilities after several generations and adult...
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Fall and Winter Tree Care by Kari Houle

URBANA, Ill. - When the cool weather of fall arrives, the desire to work outdoors is enticing. The heat and humidity of summer are past, and the changing colors of leaves are pleasing and relaxing. The impulse to clean up plants and make sure that the gardens are put to bed before snowfall can be...
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Preventing Winter Burn on Evergreens by Candice Miller

Last winter was a tough one on many of our evergreens. Most gardeners had severe browning on many of their evergreen trees and shrubs, and some were even killed by the cold winter winds of winter. This year, take some steps to prevent some of that damage. The problem comes when water isn't...
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Branches in the Buff by Diane Pewa

URBANA, Ill. – It's winter, and the deciduous trees outside are bare. It's a perfect time to examine your trees "au naturel", said Diane Plewa, a University of Illinois Extension diagnostic specialist. "Because the trees are 'in the buff," it's a great time to look for damage to limbs and...
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Holiday Cacti by Jennifer Fishburn

A holiday cactus in full bloom is a great holiday gift. Easy to care for, holiday cacti generally are long lived and will easily bloom year after year. In fact, they are often passed down from generation to generation as family heirlooms.When selecting a new plant, look for sturdy, healthy green...
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Aphids, Leaf hoppers and lacebugs

Aphids, leaf hoppers, and lace bugs are plentiful this wet spring because of all the lush succulent growth. This flush of growth is ideal for these sap feeders that insert their mouthparts into the food conducting tissues of the plant and suck out sugars and cellulose. Generally, low populations of...
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Wet summer could be problematic for tomatoes

Gardeners are wondering if they are going to get a crop of red, ripe tomatoes because of rains across the state states University of Illinois Horticulture Educator, Kelly Allsup. If you suspect disease, here are few signs to look for and what you can do about it: Septoria leaf spot is the most...
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Introduction to Sustainable Landscaping Webinar Offered

The spring series of University of Illinois Extension's Four Seasons Gardening program, which focuses on environmental stewardship and backyard food production, gets underway in April. The first session of the series is titled, Introduction to Sustainable Landscaping. The program is...
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Horticulture and Nature Gifts by Kelly and Rhonda

Horticulture and Nature Gifts for the Holidays "Do you have a plant nerd or 'hortiholic' on your buy-for list this holiday season? Here are some plant gifts that will lead them further down the rabbit hole into the wondrous world of horticulture," says...
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Tree Walk Series Announced

Tree Walk at Illinois Central College Friday, May 22 1:30 p.m. Kari Houle, University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator, will lead a tree walk around the Illinois Central College campus in East Peoria on Friday, May 22 at 1:30 p.m. Map of ICC-...
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Digging and Storing Summer bulbs by Richard Hentschel

URBANA, Ill. - Summer bulbs add beauty to the landscape when earlier spring bulbs have long faded and flowering shrubs have turned to foliage for the season, said a University of Illinois horticulture educator."However, summer bulbs must be dug up at the end of your growing season and properly...
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Arachnophilia

Arachnophilia This past month many homes are being purposefully adorned by abnormally-large, scary black spiders and their webs to hinge on the fact that a large percentage of the population suffers from the fear of spiders, known as Arachnophobia. "In contrast to most of America...
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Growing Tiny Greens at Unity Community Center

With the promise of tasty nutrition and a guaranteed quick return on my gardening efforts, I decided to grow microgreens (tiny greens) inside at the Unity Community program using seeds and soil left over from summer programming. Two 4-foot-long watertight growing pockets (pots) were placed in...
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Recycling your leaves by Nancy Kreith

URBANA, Ill. – For the typical home gardener, fallen leaves are one of the most readily available forms of organic matter and serve as a wonderful soil conditioner, said University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator Nancy Kreith." After raking leaves this fall, think about recycling them...
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Snakes by Jason Haupt

I know that everyone has heard the phrase, "The only good snake is a dead snake", but have you ever really thought about what purpose a snake serves? Are the only good snakes dead? I think the phrase should be changed to, "The only good snake is a hungry snake." Many people think that snakes...
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The Secret of Great Gardening Soil

A recent popular Facebook post shows a gardener starting to prepare her soil, despite being surrounded by mounds of snow. "Once spring is here gardeners start to get excited about planting; almost too excited," states University of Illinois Horticulture Extension educator, Kelly Allsup. Experienced...
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Tips on Growing Herbs Inside for the Winter

For most gardeners, growing does not cease during the cold months of winter, but it causes them to move their growing operation indoors. Many choose to grow herbs indoors, keeping the house alive with greenery and ensuring a supply of fresh garden herbs in their home-cooked meals. Here are a...
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Tree Walk at Illinois Wesleyan Campus on June 19

Tree Walk at Illinois Wesleyan Campus on June 19 "University of Illinois Extension is celebrating the language of trees this spring and summer with a Tree Walk Series," states University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator, Kelly Allsup. Join us in different locations...
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