Whether planting a vegetable garden, flower garden or pollinator garden, “site preparation is paramount,” says master gardener Susan Helm. “I can’t stress enough how important this is.” There are thriving pollinator gardens all over Springfield, thanks to Helm and a cadre of dedicated volunteers. Examples are the Monarch Flyway native plantings at the Route […]
Fall Home & Garden
Posted inFall Home & Garden
An autumn glow-up for your home
With the autumn season here and winter not far behind, many of us are busily preparing our homes for time indoors due to dark evenings and cooler weather. While we may feel the urge to go all-in on a renovation, budgets and time constraints are realistic impediments to going through with an all-out redo. So […]
Posted inFall Home & Garden
Fall Home & Garden Calendar 2026
Illinois Product Farmers Fall Market Sat., Oct. 10, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Features Illinois meats, produce, baked goods and wine. Includes children’s events and live music. illinoisproductsfarmersmarket.com. State Fairgrounds, The Shed, 801 Sangamon Ave., 217-524-9129. Old Capitol Farmers Market Wednesdays and Saturdays. Continues through Oct. 31. Springfield’s longest-running and most popular Farmers Market in downtown Springfield. […]
Posted inFall Home & Garden
Fall Home and Garden 2026
Fall is a great time to tackle yard projects, such as planting bulbs for a spring payoff or potting herbs and other plants you can move indoors for the winter. It’s also helpful to being making plans now for your spring home improvements, so whether you’re dreaming of an outdoor kitchen or updating part of […]
Posted inFall Home & Garden
Healthy trees enrich communities
Fall is an excellent time to assess and care for existing trees in your yard and plant new trees. Too often homeowners don’t pay enough attention to the structure and health of their trees and only discover problems after a storm when trees or limbs fall to the ground (or on the house). Healthy trees […]
Posted inFall Home & Garden
Prepare your yard and garden for fall
It’s a great time of year in the circle of garden life. Autumn in the garden. Cool weather crops. Final summer harvest. A few weeks to tuck in the garden for winter before the spring seed catalogs arrive. Here’s what area gardeners are doing this fall, what they recommend to start a new garden and […]
Posted inFall Home & Garden
Take the 30-day decluttering challenge
As the seasons start to change, it’s time to put away swimsuits and goggles in order to find sweaters and slacks. Oftentimes, when you are looking for fall and winter items, you may notice that an abundant amount of stuff has somehow piled up in every cabinet and drawer throughout the course of the summer […]
Posted inFall Home & Garden
Try fortified wines for fall
The scent of autumn is in the air, distinctly spicy from the freshly fallen leaves and ripening wildflowers baking in the afternoon sun. As the season shifts from summer to fall, so do our choice of beverages, away from icy cold glasses of crisp rose in the shade to a cozy tipple by the fire. […]
Posted inFall Home & Garden
Don’t let winter blindside you
The following checklist is in no way a hastening of winter; rather, it’s a stress reducer, because a little time spent preparing your home for winter now will save you a great deal of grief later. Begin with the exterior of your home while warmer temperatures prevail and then move to the interior: Roof Have […]
Posted inFall Home & Garden
Fall Home & Garden Calendar
Illinois Product Farmers Market Third Thursday of every month, 3:30-7:30pm. Through Sep. 18. This market hosts a variety of producers, growers, bakers, artisans and local vendors as well as a food truck, live music and wine and beer choices. agr.illinois.gov. Illinois State Fairgrounds, The Shed, 801 Sangamon Ave. Old Capitol Farmers Market Wednesdays, Saturdays, 8:30am-12:30pm. […]
