For all that East Central Illinois is in Zone 5 and boasts some of the deepest, blackest topsoil in the world, its tropical summers, artic winters, and strong prevailing southwest/west winds present the gardener with many challenges. Although many of the following resources will be useful to gardeners throughout Illinois, the focus is on East Central Illinois, centered on Champaign-Urbana, home of the University of Illinois.If you are new to gardening in our climate, you might enjoy Gardening Notes for the Transplanted Gardener.
| Champaign County | Plant Selection and Care | Native Plant Resources
- Horticulture Hotline - (217) 333-7672 (M-F, 8-5)
- The Hotline is staffed by Master Gardener volunteers of the Champaign County Extension Unit during the growing season.
Be sure to visit the Master Gardener Idea Garden on South Lincoln in Urbana, just south of Florida Ave.
- Illinois Gardener
- WILL-TV's locally-produced gardening call-in show features area experts on horticulture, landscape design, and entomology.
- Champaign-Urbana Herb Society
- The Herb Society is open to anyone interested in finding out more about herbs, herbal lore, culinary and medicinal uses of herbs.
- Grand Prairie Friends
- Grand Prairie Friends (GPF) is an organization of volunteers from all walks of life who share a commitment to preserving and restoring tallgrass prairie in east-central Illinois.
- Grow Illini! listserv
- The Grow Illini! email discussion list is open to all things gardening: questions, answers, advice, recommendations, opinions, plant swaps, and so on. A number of Master Gardener volunteers with the Champaign County Extension, University of Illinois Extension, participate in the list and can answer your gardening questions. For subscription information, see the Grow Illini! homepage.
- Places to visit
- Allerton Park and Conference Center. Formal gardens and more than 100 sculptures are located near the main house and in the woods and meadows north of the river. A native forest, a 50-acre restored prairie, and the Lost Garden.
- Mabery Gelvin Botanical Gardens at the Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve.
- Master Gardener Idea Garden. On South Lincoln in Urbana, just south of Florida Ave.
- Japan House
- Hartley Selections Garden (1900 S. Lincoln Ave Urbana, IL). AAS (All American Selections) trial ground showcases annual and perennial bedding plants.
- University of Illinois Poisonous Plant Garden.
- Champaign County Forest Preserve District
- Urbana Park District - Natural Areas
- For general Illinois listings, see Gardens, Arboreta and Nature Sites
- Illinois' Best Plants
- The Chicago Botanic Garden's Illinois' Best Plants site, features a searchable database of plants for Illinois as well as a browsable index. The database of over 300 recommended plants includes small flowering trees, deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs, and perennials. Individual listings show a picture of the plant and cultural information. The straightforward layout and simple design make the site easy to navigate.
- Hort Corner
- From the UIUC Extension provides illustrated guides to selection, planting and growing annuals, perennials, roses, ornamental grasses, veggies, and, yes, lawns. A selection of short videos covers a variety of garden howtos.
- Tree & Shrub Selection Guide for the Midwest
- Leaflets (PDF) on selection of trees and shrubs to suit a variety of growing conditions. The Morton Arboretum.
- Selecting Trees for Your Home
- Browse selections of trees listed by size, tolerance, use, or exposure or use the interactive search to zero in on the right tree.
- UIPlants
- An encyclopedic resource on trees and shrubs for gardeners, students, and professionals. Search by common name or botanical name. Detailed photos on habit, leaves, buds, stems, flowers, fruits, fall color, bark along with cultural information.
- Weed Identification
- Know the enemy! Interactive identification key and species accounts for 172 weed species.
- The Tallgrass Prairie in Illinois
- Learn about the fascinating history of the Grand Prairie in this illustrated article by Dr. Ken Robertson of the Illinois Natural History Survey. Many original photographs of native prairie plants. Bibliography. Excellent collection of links to other prairie Web sites. A table giving various attributes of prairie plants is helpful when growing prairie plants in a home landscape setting.
- Native Shrubs and Native Trees
- Useful tables by Dr. Ken Robertson of the Illinois Natural History Survey developed for Corridors for Tomorrow Project.
- Illinois Wildflowers
- Descriptions, photographs, and range maps of many wildflowers in Illinois.
- The Morton Arboretum
- Offers these downloadable brochures: Native Trees of the Midwest for the Home Landscape and Native Shrubs of the Midwest for the Home Landscape.
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Last modified April 13, 2008.
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