Yard and Garden Information

Local News

Ask a Master Gardener
(Posted on 11/2/2009)
Linn County Master Gardeners provide unbiased research based answers. Clients recently asked questions about an evergreen whose needles were brown and falling, when to fertilize their lawn, protecting pumkins from frost, Asian Lady Beetles and Box Elder bugs, how to protect a recently planted grape arbor from rabbits and much much more. Learn the answers to these questions and find out when and where to call to ask your own!

Houseplant Care
(Posted on 10/27/2009)
Get answers to questions about diseases, watering and pests.

Holiday in the Garden
(Posted on 10/26/2009)
Artistically hand-crafted items, lunch and other home-baked goodies will be available for purchase to benefit a greenhouse at Lowe Park. Check out the Artists' Gallery for a preview. Mark your calendar to attend, Saturday, December 5th!

Encourage Birds to Visit Your Yard During Winter
(Posted on 10/19/2009)

Gardening the Green Way Classes
(Posted on 10/14/2009)
Join the Linn County Master Gardeners to learn how to use environmentally safe ways to garden and help do your part in saving our planet. Classes include Rain Gardens, Composting, Organic Vegetable Gardening and Getting Rid of Pests the Green Way.

Prepare your Garden for Winter
(Posted on 10/1/2009)
It’s about that time of the year—can you believe it—to commence preparing for our garden’s long winter nap...

Overwintering Your Mums and Geraniums
(Posted on 9/24/2009)
Did you know you can successfully save and replant both from year to year? It's a bonus in time and the pocket book, learn how!

Before You Dig...
(Posted on 9/9/2009)
Did you know that “A person shall not excavate, fill or make any physical change within the right-of-way without obtaining a permit from the applicable highway authority?” Be informed and follow these necessary rules before you dig.

free garden class presented by linn county master gardeners

FREE Garden Classes
(Posted on 8/24/2009)
Presented by Linn County Master Gardeners at the Hiawatha Public Library throughout September and November

Commercial Pesticide Applicators Continuing Instruction Courses
(Posted on 3/31/2009)
Linn County Extension will serve as a site for the upcoming Continuing Instructional Courses (CIC) for commercial pesticide applicators. There will be only 2 dates scheduled for each CIC so you will want to register today.

Christmas Cactus Care, Overwintering Strawberry Beds & Transplanting Perennials
(Posted on 9/25/2007)

News from Iowa State University Extension

Ask the ISU Extension Garden Experts: Perennials, Amaryllis Bulbs, African Violets and Fertilizer
(Posted on 11/4/2009)
This week's answers discuss which perennials will not last forever in your landscape, how to have amaryllis blooms at Christmas, light needed by African violets, and how to store unused fertilizer.

November Garden Chores
(Posted on 11/2/2009)
Now is the time to prepare your roses and strawberries to withstand the trials of winter.You also can do cleanup in your vegetable garden to prevent disease carryover, and protect your trees and shrubs from rabbit damage.

Ask the ISU Extension Garden Experts: Vegetables, Acorns, Water Lilies
(Posted on 10/29/2009)
This week’s answers discuss how to prepare your vegetable garden to minimize disease problems next year, damage from acorn weevil larvae, and what to do with your tropical water lilies this fall.

Yellowjacket Wasps Look for Sweet Things to Eat in the Fall
(Posted on 10/26/2009)
Winter weather will put an end to invasions from yellowjacket wasps, but they can be annoying at this time of year.

Ask the ISU Garden Experts: Twig Beetles, Hostas and Magnolias
(Posted on 10/21/2009)
This week's answers discuss why leafy twigs may be falling from oak trees, whether hostas need winter protection, and how to germinate seeds from a saucer magnolia.

Grow Green Know How and When
(Posted on 10/19/2009)
Show a “green” attitude with a 2010 Garden Calendar from Iowa State University Extension – seasonal task prompts and earth-friendly gardening tips with space for your garden diary; printed on recycled paper using soy ink.

Growing Garlic
(Posted on 10/19/2009)
Pumpkins are not the only plants associated with Halloween. Fall is a great time to plant garlic in Iowa -- to keep vampires away and for use later in a wide variety of good-tasting recipes.

Ask the ISU Extension Garden Experts: Fish, Lichens and Compost
(Posted on 10/15/2009)
This week's answers discuss what to do with the fish in your garden pond over the winter, lichens that grow on tree bark and how to avoid odor issues with compost piles.

Prepare Your Plants for Winter
(Posted on 10/12/2009)
Help your plants "harden off" and clean up the sources of disease in your yard to minimize your problems next spring.

Ask the ISU Extension Garden Experts: Beetles, Deer Damage and African Violets
(Posted on 10/8/2009)
This week's answers discuss lady beetles in your home, deer damage to your trees and how to improve the blooming of your African violets.

Events

Horticulture (lawn, garden, trees, turf)

11/11/2009 Free Garden Class: Backyard Wildlife Management
11/18/2009 Free Garden Class: Decorating Winter Containers
12/05/2009 Holiday in the Garden

More Horticulture (lawn, garden, trees, turf) events

View the complete ISU Extension events Calendar

Staff

Bev Lillie-Master Gardener Coordinator
Phone: (319) 377-9839
Fax: (319) 377-0475
Email: lillieb@iastate.edu

Patrick O'Malley-Field Specialist - Commercial Horticulture
Phone: 319-337-2145
Fax: 319-337-7864
Email: omall@iastate.edu