Peoria County Extension Director

If past years are any example, there is a good chance in December, January and/or February we will have a couple of bad ice and snow storms. A heavy snowfall or ice storm may bend branches to the point where homeowners think something should be done. Of course, there may be points where...
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Fall is the best time to start your bird feeding program according to Bob Frazee, University of Illinois Extension natural resources educator. Birds, small mammals and other wildlife are actively seeking food sources to fatten up for migration or for winter temperatures if they are year-round residents. By having your feeders up early,...
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One of the areas for which the Peoria County Office receives many questions is that of horticulture. David Robson, Extension Horticulture Educator, provides information in this month’s issue regarding controlling canker. “Destructive canker diseases on trees and shrubs are common, widespread and should be treated properly. Cankers are localized disease areas in the bark...
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Flower preservation is an old art that is becoming popular once again. Flowers can be preserved in many different ways such as hanging, pressing or using various drying agents. David Robson, Extension Horticulture Educator, provides some suggestions on this “living art.” “Hanging or air-drying is the easiest and best method for preserving most flowers....
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“Mulching is a sure-fire way to eliminate many summer gardening chores,” states David Robson, University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator, Springfield Center. The primary benefit of mulching is to reduce soil water loss or evaporation. This means more water is available to the plants, which means less wilting...
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Now that most of our spring flowering shrubs and trees are finished blooming, it is time to prune them so they will flower on schedule next spring. These plants bloom best and can be kept in bounds with annual pruning. David Robson, Extension Horticulture Educator with the Springfield Extension Center, provides some thoughts on...
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Spring may seem like an ideal time to sow grass seed. However, according to David Robson, University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator, Springfield Center, there can be a few problems. Fall is a better time to seed. Spring results may be satisfactory, but summer’s heat can create problems. Grass plants need sufficient time to...
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An efficient garden is a productive garden. That’s why you may want to consider several techniques and shortcuts that can make a garden more efficient—selecting the best adapted crops and varieties, intercropping, making successive plantings, mulching, trellising and planting with a plan, states David Robson, University of Illinois Extension...
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Youngsters and oldsters for that matter, tired of the dark, cold weather can get an early start on spring by growing plants from things usually discarded in the kitchen. David Robson, Extension Horticulture Educator, has some suggestions on “getting those “starts” started.” “The simplest is to sprout a potato. Sprouted potatoes or sweet potatoes...
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Cyclamen has become one of the favorite winter blooming pot plants. Newer, hardier varieties introduced during the 1980’s have increased the ease with which it can be grown and has led to increased popularity, states David Robson, University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator, Springfield Center. The flowering period of the cyclamen is from mid-November...
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