Good Growing

Tick

Good Growing – A bad year for ticks? Take steps to protect yourself

Ticks! I can’t stand these parasitic arachnids. I have had far too many run-ins with ticks throughout my life. They seem to find me every year. So far this spring I have found one lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) attached to me and I have caught several other ticks headed my way looking for a bite to eat.

Fortunately, lone star ticks are not known to transmit Lyme disease, but there are plenty of other ailments they can impart to their human host. One such affliction is the dreaded alpha-gal syndrome that makes humans allergic to red meat.

Periodical cicadas will be emerging across much of Illinois in 2024.

Good Growing – Periodical cicadas are here…now what?

The long wait is finally over! After spending 13 (or 17, depending on where you’re at) years underground feeding from roots, periodical cicadas have started to emerge (at least in central and southern Illinois). Soon, many places will be awash in cicadas. So, what can we expect now that they are beginning to emerge?

Virginia bluebells produce attractive foliage and flowers and are a great addition to shade gardens.

Good Growing – A plant of many colors: Virginia bluebell

Extension With the arrival of warmer weather in the spring, we start to see signs of new life in our landscapes. Birds begin singing, our landscapes start turning green again, and spring ephemeral plants start to emerge. Among the spring ephemerals in Illinois, one of the most captivating and commonly encountered are Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica).

Periodical cicadas will be emerging across much of Illinois in 2024.

Good Growing – The cicadas are coming! Periodical cicadas in Illinois in 2024

Can you hear them? Probably not yet, but soon, Illinois will be awash in the songs of periodical cicadas. This year is a big year for periodical cicadas in Illinois, where Broods XIII and XIX will be emerging throughout much of the state at the same time for the first time since 1803. Despite some talk of an impending insect apocalypse, cicadas don’t pose a threat to humans (or pets).

Heart Garden

Good Growing – Proper pruning is an act of love

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I want to share one of my great horticulture loves with you all…pruning. I love the idea of it, the exercise of pruning, the science of it, and the potential it has for significantly improving the health and longevity of woody plant material. 

Since trees are large, long-lived plants in our landscape, pruning activities done throughout the life of a tree can have a significant impact on how that tree functions in the landscape and how long it survives. Proper pruning conducted while a tree is young can have exponentially advantageous results for overall tree health, maintenance requirements, and beauty.

Heart Garden

Good Growing – How to prune flowering shrubs for more blooms

Have you ever seen a lilac bush that only blooms at the very top, or maybe not at all? Perhaps you’ve seen or have a forsythia bush that doesn’t bloom nearly as prolifically as it once did. This often happens due to a lack of or improper pruning. When done correctly, pruning can help flowering shrubs thrive and produce a bounty of blooms.

Good Growing – Garden trends for the new year 

The internet is a wild place full of an endless amount of information, ideas, opinions, advice, arguments, and more. Tangled in this web, it will come as no surprise that my favorite spaces are those that relate to plants. I’ve been known to have many, many pages open in my browser window that relate to a vast expanse of horticulture topics. As I read through articles to answer one question, inevitably, more questions develop, which demand research and so on and so forth.

Winter House

Good Growing – A pop quiz written by a winter hermit

We are only a few weeks into the new year and 2024 has already brought an actual winter! At least for now. In the prolonged cold of this past week, going outside has been, well painful. Being stuck inside I have gotten so much accomplished! We organized our storage totes, I got that window trim repaired. I even got to finish a puzzle! It’s been years since I’ve been able to finish a puzzle.

Winter Walk

Good Growing – In a stressful season, seek nature

According to songwriters and composers Edward Pola and George Wyle, this is the most wonderful time of the year, but research indicates it may be that and more. According to the American Psychological Association, two in five adults experience an increase in stress levels between November and January. A nearly equal number of adults say that the increased stress affects their ability to enjoy holiday celebrations and gatherings.