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Dig It

Service of the Peoria Master Gardeners and the Peoria Journal Star.

May 19, 2013

Information - Much Needed - But Where to Find It?

Jeers to bright and sunny, gentle weather on a Sunday afternoon. I am not up to talking about anything negative like plant problems or bad weather. So I will just chat about what makes me happy.

Your county Extension offers programs to the community in the spring and late summer on subjects that relate to gardening for that season. So far there have been programs, called telenets, hosted by U of I horticulturist on tomatoes, spruce diseases, and the effects of the past drought. Call your Extension office and ask what subjects are coming. The programs are usually one hour long.

Read more from Master Gardener Patricia Middleton at:  http://blogs.pjstar.com/gardening

Posted by Rhonda J. Ferree at 12:45 PM | Permalink |

May 16, 2013

Have You Seen a Bee Swarm?

Thousands of honey bees have just invaded your property or adjacent area and have now settled in a large clump on a tree, a fence or on some other object. The mass of bees, called a swarm, may be as small as a softball or larger than a basket ball.

Read more from Master Gardener Judy Ziemba at:  http://blogs.pjstar.com/gardening

Posted by Rhonda J. Ferree at 4:36 PM | Permalink |

May 13, 2013

Butterfly Gardening

On Mother's Day this year I was privileged to be a part of the ribbon cutting for the new butterfly house at Wildlife Prairie Park in Peoria. The idea for this native butterfly habitat came from several University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists.

Read more at:  http://blogs.pjstar.com/gardening/

Posted by Rhonda J. Ferree at 11:38 AM | Permalink |

May 11, 2013

Jack-In-The-Pulpit and Other Unique Woodland Flowers

There is a second wave of spring ephemeral wildflowers now in the woods.
One of my favorite wildflowers is the Jack-in-the-pulpit. It is so unique. Native indians are reported to eat the corm of the plant, but it had to be well cooked to remove all of the calcium oxalate crystals before it could be eaten.

Read more from Master Gardener Norm Meyn at:  http://blogs.pjstar.com/gardening/

Posted by Rhonda J. Ferree at 4:02 AM | Permalink |

May 7, 2013

Plant Diseases- Spruce

This is the final blog on spruce diseases. Except for an occasional incident, Colorado Blue and Norway Spruce spruce for the longest time were relatively free of serious diseases. However in the last 4 or 5 years there has been a growing number of reported cases and tree deaths especially in the Colorado Blue. Norway spruce is less susceptible but not necessarily resistant.

Read more from Master Gardener Patricia Middleton at:  http://blogs.pjstar.com/gardening/

Posted by Rhonda J. Ferree at 8:09 AM | Permalink |

May 2, 2013

A New Vegetable Garden

If you think you would like to plant a vegetable garden this year, here are a few ideas to help you be successful. The first issue to consider is the location. Almost all vegetables need 6 to 8 hours of full sun, morning or afternoon is fine. Avoid planting near trees and shrubs as they steal nutrition and water from your plants. Your soil should be well drained and have your soil tested to see if you need to add fertilizer and make sure you have a water source nearby for the week we do not get at least an inch of rain.

Read more of this post by Master Gardener Judy Ziemba at:  http://blogs.pjstar.com/gardening/

Posted by Rhonda J. Ferree at 8:23 AM | Permalink |

April 29, 2013

Pansy

As I write this column it is spitting snow outside my window and I'm getting ready to help a friend sandbag her home near the Illinois River. Among all this doom and gloom I saw a glimmer of hope this morning as I left for work. One of the pansies I planted last fall is blooming!

Read more at:  http://blogs.pjstar.com/gardening/

Posted by Rhonda J. Ferree at 10:00 AM | Permalink |

April 24, 2013

Are You Paying Attention?

This is the time to really keep your eyes open. Things change every day once the buds on the trees show color.

Check out the daffodils blooming.

For a massive show, drive by the hill in front of Peoria Players at Lakeview Park and of course other parks and yards have great displays.

For more of this article by Master Gardener Judy Ziemba go to:  http://blogs.pjstar.com/gardening/

Posted by Rhonda J. Ferree at 9:12 AM | Permalink |

April 22, 2013

New Plants for 2013

I was privileged to give the keynote address at this year's Gardeners' Big Day. It truly was a big day with almost 150 attendees, vendors, speakers, and more. The event gets better every year thanks to the leadership of Julia Pryor, Master Gardener coordinator, and all the wonderful Fulton County Master Gardeners.

Read more here:  http://blogs.pjstar.com/gardening/

Posted by Rhonda J. Ferree at 11:34 AM | Permalink |

April 21, 2013

New Plant Diseases - SNEED

A new disease of spruce is Sudden Needle Drop – SNEED. SNEEDis afungus that infects stressed trees. The U.I plant pathologists are not sure if it is an actual cause of death or an opportunistic agent that attacks a tree already ill.

Read more by Master Gardener Patricia Middleton at:  http://blogs.pjstar.com/gardening/

Posted by Rhonda J. Ferree at 8:02 PM | Permalink |