The Hill’s yard rolls out before your eyes, unfurling like a lush green carpet into the far distance, finally ending at a “T”, at a long beige ribbon of a driveway. That driveway belongs to Brucemore, the 19th century Queen Anne mansion now on the National Register of Historic Places. The Hill yard’s, nearly [...]

Water extremes are starting to become the norm in Iowa. It is important to know what to do to counter the side effects of drought as well as excess water. Linn County Master Gardener Lisa Slattery fills you in on what to expect with all this moisture. Q: What are the effects of too much [...]

Iowa is well known for its wind. Electric utilities are even building wind farms to capture it for electricity. But what if you want to block the wind from your yard, garden or field? Linn County Master Gardener Lori Klopfenstein gives you some tips to make it last. Q: How do I plant a windbreak? [...]

The sun is shining more than 15 hours a day this time of year but when you are farming or gardening or landscaping, there never seems to be enough time to realize all your plans. When it comes to the bigger projects, well, those are the easiest to put off. However, if you measure your [...]

Love having birds in your yard? Do you have less space than you would like to garden? Becki Lynch, Linn County Master Gardener, has some answers for you on how to create a bird habitat using container gardens. Q: Could you tell me some good plants that I could plant in a large pot that [...]

Have you made it to a farmers market yet this season? This time of year expect to find asparagus, spring greens, radishes, rhubarb, spring garlic and turnips. Some also have local eggs and meats. This is also the time of year that the Linn County Master Gardener Hortline is in full swing. Call with questions [...]

CEDAR RAPIDS — To get the concept, think Cameron Proctor. Without seeking it, Proctor — a 21-year-old master welder and brand-new homeowner with a good credit history and a 30-year mortgage — has become something of a poster boy for a multimillion-dollar neighborhood transformation. It is a change fueled by Four Oaks’ Affordable Housing Network [...]

What a wonderful time of year. New flowers are blooming every day. Iowa’s fertile soil is showing off for us this time of year, and what a beautiful sight. One of my favorite things to do is to go to farmers markets. They have finally started up again. For a listing of area farmers markets, [...]

Plant sales have begun. Garden centers are stocked full of new young plants. Some vegetables are planted in the garden using small plants (transplants) rather than seeds. This is standard practice with warm-season vegetables like tomatoes, peppers and eggplant and is becoming the practice with cucumbers, squash, cantaloupes and watermelons because transplants shorten the time [...]

  Gardeners have many questions right now. When do I plant? What can I plant and when are we going to have warmer temperatures? Here, Linn County Master Gardener Judy Stevens attempts to answer these questions and others. Q: What can I plant in May? A: May is the magical month when all gardeners have [...]