Garden – Jennifer Fishburn

Untitled Document Imagine my surprise during the first week of July, when my son and I harvested 40 cucumbers from our three cucumber plants. Since then we have been blessed with about 20 cucumbers per week. In addition to being abundant, this is the tastiest crop of cucumbers we have ever grown. So what does […]

Untitled Document When it rains, much of the water falls on impervious surfaces. Instead of allowing all of it to drain away, home gardeners can create an aesthetically pleasing area that will allow the water to drain back into the ground, away from the house: a rain garden. As the name implies, a rain garden […]

Untitled Document Last year’s high winds, tornadoes, and ice storm played havoc on central-Illinois trees. If you haven’t already replaced trees in your yard, take some time this summer looking at trees in your area and learning about them. To help you decide on the perfect tree, Illinois professional arborists representing cities, villages, universities, the […]

Untitled Document Japanese beetles have invaded our gardens again. The first beetles were noticed around June 15 in the Springfield area, and the phone at the offices of the University of Illinois Extension Sangamon-Menard has been ringing off the hook ever since. These half-inch metallic green beetles with coppery wing covers wreak havoc on the […]

Untitled Document Most of us enjoy a surprise, and for gardeners a horticultural miracle is especially exciting. Last week eight inmates moved a giant agave plant — 6 feet wide, 6 feet tall, and bearing a 25-foot flower stalk — to the University of Illinois master gardeners’ demonstration gardens. The container-grown plant, which is getting […]

Untitled Document On my way to work each morning, I have the pleasure of being greeted by the heavenly scent of Mr. Lincoln hybrid tea roses and Knock Out roses. Every garden should contain at least one rosebush — few plants compare, in beauty or in scent — but you should be careful when you […]

Untitled Document While sitting on my grandparents’ porch last Sunday, I noticed numerous ball-shaped objects in their oak trees. Looking closer, I found that almost every limb of the 10-year-old trees contained gouty oak gall. A plant gall is an abnormal swelling that develops within tissues that have been colonized by a parasitic organism. The […]

Untitled Document What happens to my old cell phone after I upgrade? Do the stores really recycle them or give them to the poor, or are they just ending up in landfills? Where can I take mine to ensure that it is dealt with properly? As cell phones proliferate, they are giving computers and monitors […]

Untitled Document Few plants come in a wider range of colors than the iris. More than 300 species have been identified worldwide, and many of them are long-lived perennials that flourish in central-Illinois gardens. In the past 50 years, thousands of cultivars, in various colors, sizes (ranging from the 6-inch dwarf crested iris to the […]

Untitled Document Change the look of your traditional flower garden this year by incorporating some plants that will add a tropical feel. Using tropical plants in the landscape is nothing new — it’s a revival of Victorian-era gardening practices — and it’s easy to create a car-stopping display with just a few tropical plants. Tropical […]

Untitled Document One of my favorite summer treats is a ripe, juicy, fresh-picked tomato from my garden. I think that we can all agree that the quality of produce picked from the garden surpasses anything available at the supermarket. Growing at least one tomato plant is a must for most home gardeners. Here are a […]