Zimmerman pine moth is a common trunk and scaffold branch borer in Scotch, Austrian, and red pine in Illinois. It is a shoot tip borer in Eastern white pine. Although it is difficult to control once inside the tree, its life cycle makes it relatively easy to control while on the outside of the tree...

Cool Kale Our Local Foods and Small Farms Educator, Bill Davison, says "kale is at least 30-40 percent cooler than broccoli. The reasoning behind this prevailing statement is the ease in which it is grown and how ornamental it can be", explains University of Illinois Extension...

Straw bale Gardening at Bloomington Library Straw bale Gardening has become a big hit with the recent introduction of Joel Karsten, book called Straw bale Gardening and has taken the garden world by storm and giving growers a new media to grow vegetables, herbs and annuals. If you...

Hydrangeas are known hosts to several leaf spots, both fungal and bacterial. Oakleaf Hydrangeas, in particular, are known to develop leaf spots caused by the bacterial pathogenXanthomonas campestris. Bacterial leaf spot on hydrangea overwinters in diseased plant debris. The pathogen...

Growing Perennial Vegetables to save the Garden Dollars The National Gardening Association has said a $70 investment can yield more than $650 worth of produce. "Most of this investment is needed to buy seeds and transplants of annual food crops like beans, tomatoes, peppers and...

Life as a Woodford County Master Gardener Bruce Brown of Congerville and Linda Simpson of East Peoria both proudly boast the title of University of Illinois Woodford County Master Gardener. Fourteen years ago, Bruce was looking for something to do after retirement and had a...

Keeping with the spirit of inside gardening, growing microgreens can be just as tasty as herbs but can be even easier to grow, with added benefits. Microgreens (micro-vegetables or micro-herbs or tiny greens) refers to the stage of growth between baby greens and sprouts. These tiny greens are...

Food Forest Work Day Join University of Illinois Extension in planting the first food forest located in a city park in Illinois. You can be a part of food forest history on May 9, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. as we plant this forest at One Normal Plaza, which is located at the...

So far this year we've had 5 confirmed cases of Verticillium wilt in woody ornamentals at the University of Illinois Plant Clinic. Four were Japanese maple trees, and the fifth was a redbud. Verticillium wilt is fairly common in Illinois. This fungal disease is usually lethal to the host, and...

ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE TO OFFER FREE RECYCLING PROGRAM FOR AGRICHEMICAL CONTAINERS SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Illinois Department of Agriculture is encouraging farmers and agrichemical facilities to save their empty agrichemical containers. The department announced today...

Horticulture Myths "As a horticulture educator, it is my duty to dispel horticulture myths," says University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator, Kelly Allsup. Myth:Some mulch is good. A lot of mulch must be better. I am referring to the sad...

Miniature Succulent Gardening University of Illinois Livingston Master Gardeners will host a highly requested program on May 14 at 6:30 p.m. entitled "Miniature Succulent Gardening" as part of the Master Gardener Summer series. The program fee is $20 and registration is required...

Clotheslines, raising chickens and goats, heirlooms, growing fruits and vegetables, canning and seed saving the way our grandparents did is back in style. "We are channeling an old-fashioned style of gardening in 2015, with an emphasis back on small-farm ideals," says University of Illinois...

A Habitat for Monarchs "Planting a mix of native butterfly weed and annual tropical milkweed was a winning pollinator garden combination for our small 4-H Garden plot planted this summer," says University of Illinois Horticulture Educator, Kelly Allsup. The combination resulted in...

The Four Seasons Gardening program from University of Illinois Extension starts the year with Super Sempervivums. The program will be hosted by Livingston County Master Gardeners at the University of Illinois  Extension Offices. Sempervivums, also called houseleeks, live forever or hens &...

Illinois Butterfly identification programs have been popular among the prairie walkers and flower gardeners. It is these delightful visitors of flowers or tree sap or in some cases dung and mud puddles that capture our interests and cause us to ask "What kind of butterfly is that?" and "Where did...

Understanding the Life Cycle of Native Bees Most people know that the honey bee is the most economically important insect in the United States because of the pollination services it provides. "However, some of the native bees like leafcutter bees, carpenter bees and digger bees...

Beekeeping for the Backyard Gardener Are you bee curious? Learn what it takes to keep bees in your own backyard! The Four Seasons Gardening program from University of Illinois Extension continues with the second session of the series titled, Beekeeping for the Backyard Gardener....

"Vertical Gardening" is the theme for this year's Home, Lawn and Garden Show presented by the McLean County Master Gardeners. Mark Dwyer, director of horticulture for the Rotary Botanical Garden in Janesville, Wis., will speak on the popular garden trend of growing plants up. His presentation will...

"A group of University of Illinois Master Naturalists, and employees and volunteers of Parkland Foundation, found a den of coyote pups while clearing out invasive brush in the Letcher Basin," states University of Illinois Horticulture Educator, Kelly Allsup. The employees used a large brush...