Skip to main content

Gardening

Eliana' Garden memorial rock in her garden

Gardening can help you heal while grieving

In August of 2020, I received a call with the news that is every mother’s nightmare. There had been an accident and my six-year-old daughter did not survive. That week, her lovely kindergarten teacher brought us five plants to start a butterfly garden. Although I already loved gardening, at that...
Finish this story
a close up photo of several plants in the garden with varying textures

Engage your senses with a vibrant sensory garden

A sensory garden is not only a feast for the eyes but also for your nose, touch, taste buds, and ears. They are perfect for schools, healthcare facilities, or your backyard oasis. Here's how you can create a sensory garden: Pick the Perfect Spot Find a location that gets plenty of sunshine every...
Finish this story
Seedling in hand

Start saving your seeds today!

Getting Started with Seed Saving If you find the perfect tasting tomato, harvesting and saving the seed will ensure you can have that tomato again next season. The seed stores the genetic information for a new plant. With a bit of practice and patience, you can have the seeds of your favorite...
Finish this story
Paperwhites in winter

Paperwhites: A hint of spring in the darkest winter

The delicate paperwhites, Narcissus tazetta, are a lovely way to brighten winter days.  These relatives of the daffodil are an excellent choice for winter blooms as they don’t require a chilling period as other bulbs do. Paperwhites have a cluster of small blooms at the end of a flower stalk (...
Finish this story
Seed in a glass

The ABC of seed saving

At first: Why save seeds?  Saving seeds is a great way to save money and be prepared for the following year, but it is also a way to pick out the best of what you have grown and save seeds from that specimen (flower, vegetable, etc.). With each successive year, you will...
Finish this story
Crimson Clover

Cover crops to the rescue

Healthy soil is essential for healthy plants.  Using cover crops in the home garden is one way to promote soil health.  Cover crops are non-harvested crops that add organic matter to the soil, transfer nitrogen by creating nitrogen compounds usable by plants, and break up heavy clay or compacted...
Finish this story
jumping worm

Stop the spread of jumping worms and other invasive species

Thoroughly clean tools, shoes, and vehicles when moving from one site to another. Only purchase compost, mulch, or other organic matter that has been heated to appropriate temperatures and duration to reduce the spread of pathogens, insects, and weeds. Jumping worm egg casings do not survive...
Finish this story
jumping worm

Invasive Jumping Worms Confirmed in Peoria County

Originally posted April 15, 2021 Jumping worms (Amynthas spp) are an invasive earthworm probably brought into the country as fishing bait. They go by many names, such as crazy worms, Alabama jumpers, or snake worms. These worms are known to change the soil structure, deplete available...
Finish this story
field of pink cosmos

Heirloom flowers provide fragrance, beauty, pollinator support

Spring brings thoughts of beautiful, colorful, fragrant blooms that brighten up our landscapes after a long winter.   But we aren't the only ones on the lookout for flowers. Pollinators are looking for them also. Heirloom flowers provide these pollinators with more of the resources they require...
Finish this story
pothos growing in aquarium

Aquarium Aquaponics

As the temperatures get colder and gardening work outside slows down, you might be looking for a plant growing project to do inside. I encourage you to try aquarium aquaponics. There is a natural mutually beneficial relationship between plants and aquatic animals such as fish. The fish are making...
Finish this story
Garden journal info graphic

Garden Journal: A helpful gardening tool

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 now we are coming into the 2020 garden season; some of those details have...
Finish this story
praying manthis in zinnia

Wildlife-friendly gardens add more enjoyment and interest

Do you enjoy watching bees buzzing around your flowers, butterflies resting in the sun, or a fat toad sitting in a shady spot? Making your garden wildlife-friendly starts with knowing what will attract birds, insects, and animals to your yard. Wildlife needs water, a food source, shelter, and space...
Finish this story
Banana plant

Go tropical with ornamental bananas

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator While enjoying coffee in the garden, I noticed that my largest ornamental banana is starting to flower. For many years I've been growing banana plants around my pool to give it a tropical feel in the summer. By autumn they have large...
Finish this story
Sunflowers

Gardening in August

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator While walking around our yard last night my husband Mark commented that our gardens look better than ever. We usually spend August enjoying the garden instead of working in it all the time. Still there are several activities that can...
Finish this story
spider web

Spiders: fascinating, yet frustrating

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator I have a love-hate relationship with spiders. I am continually fascinated when watching a spider spin its web. However, cleaning up cobwebs can be very frustrating. Spiders are abundant (over 1,000,000 individuals per acre in a...
Finish this story
winter

Winter's impact on insects and plants

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Unfortunately, the winter has taken a toll on many plants. Evergreens are especially impacted, many showing significant winter desiccation or even death. The severe cold winter compounded plant stresses already inflicted by recent...
Finish this story
Bench with books and flowers

Literature Gardens

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Have you ever thought of combining literature and gardening? Literature gardens do just that. I remember a past Chicago Flower & Garden Show, where two popular children's books came alive in gardens: "The Tales of Peter Rabbit"...
Finish this story

Gardening tool gift ideas

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Are you searching for the "perfect" gift for a gardener in your family? As Black Friday and Cyber Monday approach, here are some tools and gadgets that every gardener needs. Gardening is therapeutic, but it can also be hard work....
Finish this story

Prepare Now for Spring Gardening

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Last weekend I walked around my gardens with a journal and took notes. I jotted down what worked and what didn't and began preliminary plans for next year. This really helps me, since I tend to forget these things over the winter....
Finish this story

Ferree provides garden tip videos

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator I am now producing videos on a wide variety of gardening topics and more. Videos are the latest social media trend, with predictions that 74% of all internet traffic in 2017 will be video. My plan is to produce short, informational...
Finish this story

Garden To-Do List for September

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator If you are like me, your gardens did not develop exactly as you had planned in the spring. I have more weeds than I usually do in early fall. Parts of my lawn has too much crabgrass and some plants simply do not like their location...
Finish this story

Pokémon GO Gardening

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator I remember when my sons Derek and Tyler used to play Pokémon on their Gameboys and collect the trading cards. I never really understood it then, and I'm not sure I fully understand it now; but, I did download Pokémon Go on my phone...
Finish this story

Reunion Gardens

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Summer is the time for family and school reunions. Rhonda Ferree, Horticulture Educator with University of Illinois Extension, suggests taking reunions to another level by starting a reunion garden. "School reunion gardens are...
Finish this story

Gardening Blues

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator The color blue is sometimes difficult to use in the garden. This is partly because there are very few true blue flowers in nature and partly because some of the most striking blue-flowered plants are challenging to grow in Central...
Finish this story

Gardening with Kids

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Gardening is for everyone, but is especially important for children. I cannot over-emphasize the importance of gardening with kids. It encourages personal growth, environmental stewardship, hands-on learning, improved nutrition,...
Finish this story

Plan your vegetable garden around your family

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Growing your own food is easy and fun. This year I will write more spotlights on backyard food production in this column. To get us started, here are excerpts from an article written by my colleague Richard Hentschel. Richard writes...
Finish this story

Snow, Cold, and Plants

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Winter is so unpredictable anymore. Snow is pretty, heavy snows and cold temperatures do affect plants as well as humans. Fortunately, most of our landscape plants are well adapted to the snow and cold. Accumulations of snow can...
Finish this story

December Garden Tips

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator GENERAL Clean and store hoses and flower pots. Clean and sharpen lawn and garden tools and store them in a dry storage area. Store leftover garden chemicals according to label directions, out of the reach of...
Finish this story

Fall Garden Tips

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Fall is a fun, exciting, and busy time for gardeners. Many gardening activities are done in fall and some can only be done now. Rhonda Ferree, Horticulture Educator with University of Illinois Extension, says, "Think of fall as the...
Finish this story

Theme Gardens are Fun!

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Theme gardens are really fun and are becoming more and more popular. I've written about various themes in the past, including literary gardens, tea gardens, reunion gardens, evening gardens, and more. Theme garden possibilities are...
Finish this story