April 25th, 2019
As gardeners, we have been patiently or perhaps not so patiently waiting for April and May and the beginning of the gardening season. We look forward to enjoying some of our old garden favorites but will also be interested in exploring new gardening trends and the new plants for this ...read more
September 21st, 2018
As we enter September and October, we look forward to harvest and a beautiful fall season. We must also realize that during these two months there will be work ahead as we close up our home gardens and landscapes for the winter.
September is the prime time to plant trees.
Trees for ...read more
August 17th, 2018
If you are an ornamental grass, you need to practice the fine art of patience. While summer gardens are full of blooming flowers, ornamental grasses remain in the background, quietly and discreetly, growing and waiting their turn.
In late August and early September, the role reversal begins. Summer flowering plants are ...read more
August 17th, 2018
In the mid 1800’s, Illinois was discovered as an incredible landscape for those who wished to settle in an ocean of tall grass prairie and rich soils. A prairie full of native grasses and flowers for hundreds of miles.
Our plant communities have since changed, as people inhabited this great nation. ...read more
July 13th, 2018
By the middle of summer, some of our enthusiasm for gardening may be waning a little bit. However, some of our very favorite plants are about to appear in our gardens to be enjoyed this month.
Annual plants should be filled out and looking beautiful in July. Annuals in the ground ...read more
June 14th, 2018
Do you have a love-hate relationship with your garden phlox?
The large clusters of long-blooming flowers are sweetly scented and oh-so beautiful. Their nectar attracts butterflies, bees and hummingbirds.
The downside is that once the heat and high humidity of summer rolls in, white spots can appear on the stems, leaves and ...read more
April 27th, 2018
The flower garden of our dreams has beautiful color all season long. We look longingly at catalog pictures, attend seminars, read advice from experts, and know every garden center within 50 miles.
We buy new plants, pull out dead plants, get divisions from friends, and move things around ...read more
April 27th, 2018
Spring Checklist
It’s spring! As gardeners, we can’t wait to get out and begin planting our gardens, but in March we still have to wait for Mother Nature to give us the go ahead. This is a good time to do some planning for the gardening season ahead and start on ...read more