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...

Boxwood blight has been confirmed in three locations in Illinois as of April 2017. This is a serious fungal disease, and the pathogen is regulated by the Illinois Department of Agriculture. In late 2016, two boxwood samples were submitted to the University of Illinois Plant Clinic. Both samples...

URBANA, Ill. – Winter can be a tough time for trees—especially evergreen trees and shrubs, says University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator Candice Hart. When the ground freezes, evergreens are left to survive on the moisture they have stored up in their leaves, as well as any moisture...

Allium 'Millenium' has been awarded the 2018 perennial plant of the year. I actually just heard about this plant at a pollinator conference in October from Steve Foltz, Director of Horticulture at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, calling it a must have plant for the pollinator garden. The...

A team of nine University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Educators was awarded an Interdisciplinary State Team Excellence Award at University of Illinois Extension's annual conference in November 2016. The Interdisciplinary State Team Excellence Award is awarded for excellence in collaborative...