Horticulture Blogs

pothos

Popular houseplants: Is it philodendron or pothos?

Two houseplants that are often confused with each other are philodendron and pothos. Many houseplants are referred to as philodendron, but most are probably actually pothos. Both are vining plants with green leaves, but they have some distinctive characteristics that will help you to tell them...
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Dried flowers in vase

DIY dried flowers for Thanksgiving

Bring nature to the table this Thanksgiving by creating decorations from collected natural materials. Fall is a great time to explore outdoors and use what you find almost directly in arrangements after gathering. Dry not Damp Make sure to collect when material is dry. Damp material breaks down...
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Garden journal info graphic

Garden Journal: A helpful gardening tool

ILRiverHort
What was that really excellent pepper variety we grew last year? What type of tomato was resistant to disease? Those are the types of questions we think we will always remember the answer to, but when planning for a new garden season; some of those details have slipped...
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Sugar-n-Spice and Everything Nice

Sugar and spice make everything nice, especially Christmas cookies. But, do you know where your sugar and spice come from? Sugar beets vs Sugarcane The sugar we use comes from two different plants: sugar beets or sugarcane. Sugarcane Worldwide, 70% of our sugar comes from sugarcane. Sugarcane...
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Spirited Plants

ILRiverHort
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Happy New Year! Where did 2016 go? Whether you toast in the New Year with sparkling grape juice or a more spirited drink, it is interesting to think of all the plants that make up spirits. Spirits are actually named by the fermented...
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Gifts for the gardener

ILRiverHort
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Are you searching for the "perfect" gift for a gardener in your family? Rhonda Ferree, Horticulture Educator with University of Illinois Extension, provides the following some ideas that might prove helpful. Gardeners always love...
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Fall and winter deer damage

ILRiverHort
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Deer hunting season is upon us, and so it seems appropriate to do an article about deer damage to landscape plants. Fall and winter are a time when deer can cause significant damage to landscape plants. Two types of damage can occur...
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Rhonda Ferree's 2017 Horticulture Program

ILRiverHort
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator I invite you to check out my video that details my vision for my University of Illinois Extension, Fulton-Mason-Peoria-Tazewell Unit horticulture program. My 2017 goals are to continue building on the successful program, support our...
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Do plants predict the weather?

ILRiverHort
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator We've all heard wives'-tales that predict the weather. I can still hear my grandma saying, "Red sky at night, sailors delight; Red sky in morning, sailors warning." There are legends of people using groundhogs, hornets, woolly bear...
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How Plants Climb

ILRiverHort
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator As a plant geek I am often fascinated by how plants work. Take vining and climbing plants and the methods that they use to grow vertically. In broad terms, climbing plants are either clinging or non-clinging. As the name implies,...
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