PONTIAC, Ill. – After five undoubtedly successful "A Day in the Garden Patch' events hosted by the Livingston County Master Gardeners, we present a new opportunity for the gardening community around Pontiac: Fall Garden Patch because after all, gardening is a yearlong endeavor. This brand...

Homemade gifts can be extra special during the holiday season. This season, give the gift of a succulent wreath. Succulent Wreath Supplies: wreath form, Spanish moss, paddle wire, straight pins, and several succulent cuttings Moisten a sheet of moss in a bucket. Place moss in a...

Master Gardener Training opportunity coming to Livingston County PONTIAC, Ill. – University of Illinois Extension and Livingston County Master Gardeners invite those eager to learn about growing vegetables, landscaping, trees, insects, or community and school gardening to join...

Super Cool Greens! 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. However, horticulture educator, Kelly...

  EUREKA, Ill. – University of Illinois Extension would like to congratulate Woodford County Master Gardener, Tina Deetz for being recognized as a 2018 Outstanding Illinois Master Gardener. In her two years as a Master Gardener, Tina's volunteer services and contributions to the Master...

Each season brings a different look to the garden, and some plants are uniquely beautiful in winter. Rhonda Ferree, horticulture educator with the University of Illinois Extension says that winter is a great time to see a plant's texture and form—each unique and mystical. "Look for the differences...

Originally published by Kelly Allsup on July 20, 2018. Walking in the Illinois State University Horticulture Center garden this week, I see the hover flies (aka syrphid flies or flower flies) are covering any nectar-producing flower in droves. These flies, commonly mistaken for bees are...

The Winter series of University of Illinois Extension's Four Seasons Gardening program, which focuses on environmental stewardship, home gardening, and backyard food production, gets underway this month. The first session of the series is titled, The Green Pathway to Invasion: Ornamental Invasive...

Originally published by Kelly Allsup on March 20, 2018. Colorado blue spruce's silvery green color and perfectly placed boughs make it one of the most sought-after conifers in the industry. It was first discovered growing in the meadows and by the streams in the Rocky Mountains. Despite...

Eliot Coleman, author of The Winter Harvest Handbook, says "sweet winter candy carrots are his most acclaimed winter crop." He states "the tastiness resulting from growing in the fall weather elevates the humble carrot to another plane." Many gardeners who have experimented with spring grown vs....

I was going to write about preparing the garden bed, but then it snowed. Then I thought I could write about seeding in the snow, and then it melted. This weather has been cruel keeping me indoors. According to the Illinois State Water Survey: Illinois Climate Network,...