Jennifer Fishburn

Many symbols indicate that Halloween is on its way. Yards are decorated with pumpkins, ghosts, witches, spiders, and bats. Fake bats and spiders may be popular decorations, but the real deal makes people scream. Bats are a highly misunderstood mystery of the night. They are mammals, meaning that they are warm-blooded, have hair, bear live […]

The highlight of my job as horticulture educator for Sangamon and Menard counties is providing direction for the master-gardener volunteer program. I have the pleasure of working with 125 individuals who have a passion for gardening. University of Illinois Extension master gardeners not only enjoy learning more about gardening practices, they also have a desire […]

I have not-so-fond childhood memories of being force-fed cooked spinach topped with sliced hard-boiled eggs. As an adult, I still have trouble eating cooked spinach, but I do enjoy fresh spinach in a mixed garden salad. Spinach has gotten a lot of bad publicity recently. Because of the contamination scare, fresh spinach may be in […]

Dahlias, cannas, caladiums, and gladiolus make great additions to our gardens, but the bulbs of these summer bloomers have trouble with Illinois’ harsh winters and need special attention in the fall. By digging and then storing tender bulbs in a warmer area for the winter months, you can save your bulbs from year to year, […]

Until the end of World War II, most gardeners saved their own vegetable and flower seeds because high-quality seeds were not always readily available. Today, affordable high-quality seeds are available at garden shops and in seed catalogs everywhere, and most gardeners prefer to buy fresh seeds each year from a reliable company. However, a few […]

Looking for something different to add to your spring garden? Try fritillaria. Varieties of this old-fashioned spring-flowering bulb, which puts forth interesting bell-shaped hanging blooms in middle to late spring, range in height from 1 to 4 feet. Most fritillaria prefer a sheltered garden location in a partially shaded area. The unusual flowers will draw […]

As a group, culinary herbs are my favorite garden plants. Easy to grow, they require little care, are subject to few insect and disease problems, and generally prefer moderate soil fertility levels. They also add fragrance and beauty to the garden. Many herbs, such as lavender, sage, and purple basil, are ornamental and work nicely […]

When I was a child, my mom shared her love for gardening with me. She gardened simply because she enjoyed it and because her garden provided our family with fresh vegetables during the summer and extra produce for canning or freezing. Although I now enjoy gardening, as a small child I saw it as a […]

Peaches and ice cream is my all-time favorite summer treat. Nothing tastes better than a tree-ripened peach, and, thanks to a mild winter and heavy blooms, locally grown fresh peaches are abundant this year. Peaches, known as the queen of fruit, rank second in popularity to the apple. A medium-sized peach is a healthy treat […]

The most exciting garden event of the summer arrives when juicy, fresh tomatoes are ready for harvest. Last weekend my family and I were delighted to enjoy an armful of this tasty fruit. We ate our tomatoes with a little salt, with white gravy, and in BLT sandwiches. Our passion for tomatoes is shared by […]

This week, a little behind schedule, the first fragrant purple flowers have begun to adorn the lavender plants in the master-gardener Herb Demonstration garden. Lavender flowers typically appear in June and July, but the plants in the demonstration garden, located on the Illinois State Fairgrounds, were planted this spring and are therefore flowering later in […]