You do not need a soil test to tell you organic matter is good for your garden. Perhaps the biggest landscape mistake is not addressing the health of the soil. With all the soil tests that I have read in the last five years of being an educator, tests find around 1 to 2 percent organic matter....

The University of Illinois Extension would like to congratulate McLean County Master Gardeners, Tracy Burr, Carolyn Erwin, Tudy Schmied, Pat Warren, Bob Williams, and Rose Yahnig for being recognized with the 2017 Outstanding State Master Gardener award. The Outstanding State Award was established...

When I attended the 2015 First Detector Workshop, my horticulture experience conveyed the invasive qualities of burning bush, Japanese barberry and Callery pear. I knew I should not recommend them for landscapes; however, I had not realized they have become a problem in the Illinois wild. I needed...

Universityof Illinois Extension and Heartline and Heart House are teaming up to celebrate the holiday season by offering a free make and take Holiday Nature Ornament Program. Not only are these type of ornaments trending this holiday season but also they can be very affordable, easy to make and a...

Hoping to add just a few more spring bloomers to the pollinator garden, University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator, Kelly Allsup, suggests the following. Pulmonaria saccharata Bethlehem Sage boasts pink flower buds that turn blue, as they get older on top of attractive...

This week we are going to look at the largest member of the dog family found in Illinois. The Coyote has a poor reputation particularly among farmers. But is this reputation truly deserved? Coyotes are relatively easy to recognize. They are about the size of a small German Shepherd, much larger...

Originally published by Kelly Allsup on September 15, 2017. Just yesterday, I began thinking about the fall bulb-planting season. I already have designs to plant early flowering spring bulbs for the bees like crocus, snow drops, siberian squill, winter aconite, hyacinths and grape...

Woodford County Master Gardener Plant Sale Coming Soon! Eureka, Ill. – It is time again for the Woodford County Master Gardener Plant Sale at the Eureka Library! The plant sale will be from 8 a.m. to Noon on Saturday, May 20. "Stock up this spring with garden favorites like...

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – McLean County Master Gardeners have worked diligently with the Community Cancer Center these past two years, developing a 5,000 square foot butterfly garden, a 4,875 square foot terrace garden and a labyrinth with the motivation that gardens can be a place of healing. McLean...

Invasive Species Workshop Trains First Detectors in Illinois CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The 2017 Illinois First Detector Workshop on invasive plants, diseases, and insects will be offered at eight Illinois sites beginning in January 2017. In its fifth year, the workshop is being offered...

Sand wasps have similar habits to the cicada killer, but they occur earlier in the spring, with other species common later in the growing season. There are several species, ranging in size from 1/2 to almost 1 inch long. They are dark-colored, slender wasps with one or more contrasting gray to...

Cicada killers (Sphecius speciosus) are on the prowl, and there have been many inquiries about them at the Master Gardener plant clinics. Cicada killers are solitary wasps with yellow banding on their abdomens. They appear in late July and early August and resemble large, black hornets. These...

Kim Kidwell, Dean of the College of ACES Extension personnel...

Many years ago a homeowner might have said, "I don't want nature in my back yard, let it live somewhere else, out there in the woods or the prairies." However, today it is a different story states University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator, Kelly Allsup. "In reality, somewhere else...

You walk out of your home ready for the day, the sun hits your face, and it is an unusually warm day for February. You rejoice. Spring is here. The next day there is a light fluffy snow hitting you in the eye. For most Illinoisans, we have become used to getting our hopes up, only to realize winter...

University of Illinois Extension McLean County Master Gardeners would like to invite you and your family to a festival of herbs at the Unity Community Center, 632 Orlando Avenue Normal, on Thursday, July 27 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Bring the kids to participate in garden festivities while tasting...

URBANA, Ill. – Decorating with mistletoe has been a holiday tradition for many centuries in North America and Europe. It begs the question: Why do we have this strange tradition that prompts friends, family, and even enemies to kiss when they meet underneath mistletoe? "Perhaps you have been one...

Master Gardeners go beyond the confines of the garden to answer and research gardening questions of all kinds throughout the entire growing season. We tend to notice trends. Those trends allow me to provide continued training for the Master Gardeners so that they can better serve the public. The...

Four Seasons Gardening Program Offers Fall Series The fall series of University of Illinois Extension's Four Seasons Gardening program is about ready to get underway on a computer near you. Four Seasons Webinars focus on environmental stewardship, home gardening, backyard food...

Cilantro has been named 2017 Herb of the Year by the International Herb Association and the McLean County Master Gardeners will be celebrating the harvest at the Illinois State University Horticulture Center on August 18 at 11 a.m. They invite the public for cooking demonstrations and tastings of...