Garden – Jennifer Fishburn

Looking for a way to decorate a fence, create privacy, complement a good architectural feature (or hide a bad one), or break a monotonous corner? Climbing vines, which have a large effect on a landscape but use a only small amount of ground space, could be your answer. Their diversity of leaves, flowers, fruit, and […]

Three annual flowers and three vegetables were chosen as the 2005 All-America Selections winners. The mission of AAS is “to promote new garden seed varieties with superior garden performance judged in impartial trials in North America.” AAS is the oldest, most established international testing organization in North America. First, the flowers: ¥ The bright colors […]

Come spring, what do you do with the perennial herbs in your garden? Check all of the woody perennials for new growth — mainly lavender, oregano, sage, tarragon, thyme, winter savory, and (if you’ve provided a bit extra protection in the central-Illinois hardiness zone) rosemary. Once the fear of hard frost is over, usually by […]

Crocuses in bloom are a signal to gardeners that we may now begin the search for our first plant purchases of the year. Most of us will go to the garden center, wander the aisles, and find a plant that we can’t live without. At home, we’ll head out to the garden, plant and shovel […]

The winter storm that hit central Illinois recently played havoc with driving conditions, holiday plans, and area trees and shrubs. The heavy snow that fell the day before Thanksgiving knocked branches and, in some cases, entire trees to the ground. But the snow sure was great for making snowmen. Most winter damage to landscape plants […]

Have you noticed the large crate of strange-looking green, orange, and yellow fruits that showed up recently at the supermarket? These tough-skinned beauties are winter squash. Not only do they make fetching table decorations, but they can also be used in many recipes. Winter squash are harvested when the fruit is mature, the rind is […]

If you have a desire to learn more about gardening and share your knowledge with others, the University of Illinois Extension master-gardener volunteer program may be for you. You don’t have to be a gardening expert to become a master gardener. All you need is an interest in gardening, a willingness to learn about horticulture, […]

One of my favorite gardening experiences is seeing yellow and purple crocuses peek through snow in March. Now is the time to select and plant spring bulbs if you want to enjoy a similar splash of color early next year. Flowering bulbs are an important addition to any landscape or garden. The more bulbs of […]

I haven’t met a gardener who has ever found the end of his or her “to do” list. September is a good time to complete projects we didn’t get done this summer. The first garden chore I recommend is an easy one: Spend an evening sitting on your garden bench, reflecting on the beauty of […]

Every summer, gardeners envision a beautiful lush green lawn and flower gardens abounding with color. Then along come four- and six-legged creatures to dine on the smorgasbord provided for them. Although many four-legged animals damage plants, others are just obnoxious. Among them is the lowly mole, a four- to seven-inch-long beady-eyed burrowing mammal with velvety […]

School has started, cooler temperatures are just around the corner, and apple-picking time has begun. Your idea of a fresh apple may be a Red Delicious from the grocery store — if so, expand your horizons this year and take a trip to a local apple orchard. Picking apples is an enjoyable activity for the […]

If you want zip and heat in your favorite entrée, add a chile pepper. Peppers come in a variety of shapes and colors and range in taste from sweet and mild to hot. Bell peppers are often picked when green and immature. Allowed to ripen to red, yellow, orange, brown, or purple, they are sweeter. […]