Garden – Jennifer Fishburn

Untitled Document This Thanksgiving, most of us will join family and friends to celebrate the good fortunes in our lives and eat until we feel like stuffed turkeys. Every year since 1863 we have celebrated the traditional American Thanksgiving Day. President Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November a day to give thanks for […]

Untitled Document My husband has our children trained to look for deer when we go for a drive. Watching these fascinating animals graze is enjoyable — unless it’s your rhododendrons they’re eating. The degree of deer damage on a property may vary from year to year, depending on deer-population density, the availability of food, and weather. […]

Untitled Document As I drove to work this morning, I had trouble keeping my eyes from wandering to the bright-yellow ash leaves and brilliant-red sugar maple leaves, and, as temperatures cool, leaf-color changes will become even more dramatic. This weekend, get out and enjoy the beauty of fall — but, before setting out on your […]

Untitled Document Sad at the thought that your cheery geraniums will soon fall victim to the dropping temperatures of autumn? It’s possible to beat the frost and save the plants by taking them inside for the winter. “As soon as we get freezing temperatures, most unprotected annual geraniums will turn a mushy green and die,” […]

Untitled Document Did you know that the grapevine is one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world? Whether as a source of grapes or as an attractive addition to the landscape, grapevines are popular among home gardeners. Grapes can be grown successfully in Illinois — if a variety adapted to our growing conditions is […]

Untitled Document Three years ago, a friend of mine spent a fall day driving around Springfield, collecting bags of leaves. Sure, it sounds crazy — most homeowners can’t wait to get rid of the leaves that pile up on their yards — but my friend was able to turn these leaves into “black gold.” She […]

Untitled Document This fall while adding daffodils to your landscape, don’t forget to plant some garlic. Garlic has been cultivated for thousands of years and is still popular today as a flavoring in food dishes and for its medicinal properties. Though a member of the onion family, garlic differs from onions in flavor, leaves and […]

Untitled Document The crisp, cool air has been a welcome relief from the 90-degree temperatures, but we have not been as blessed with rainfall. Last week I dug a hole for an addition to my garden. I had to wedge my body between the fence and the shovel to get enough leverage to break the […]

Untitled Document The fruits of summer may be nearing their end for the year, but winter squash, which comes in hundreds of varieties and a plethora of sizes, shapes, colors, and flavors, is a tasty, nutritious fall treat. Butternut squash is one of the most popular winter squash. This long, tan, pear-shaped squash has a […]

Untitled Document Fall is the best time to give your lawn some extra attention, because what is done for the turf this fall will have a big impact on cool-season grasses next summer. Most central-Illinois lawns contain cool-season grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, tall fescue, and fine fescue. As hard as we try […]

Untitled Document It’s hard to believe that children have returned to school and another summer vacation has met its end. As I reflect on this summer, I wonder what my children will remember about the past 11 weeks. They spent most mornings playing in the back yard and the afternoons playing video games and watching […]

Untitled Document I park my car under the canopy of a large bur oak tree. For the past several weeks my car has been covered in a sticky substance: honeydew. Aphids are sucking insects that feed on plants by thrusting their long beaks into plant tissue and withdrawing sap from the plant. Aphids excrete large […]