Earth First Gardening

06/27/2026

☀️🛑Fertilizing In Hot Weather Can Actually Harm Plants ➡️

Fertilizing your plants in hot weather might seem like a good idea, but it can actually cause more harm than good. Learn how to keep your garden thriving without the risk of fertilizer burn or nutrient overload.

06/27/2026

If you are trying to attract butterflies and hummingbirds this is a must have!

Some pollinator-friendly plants can serve a dual purpose. This edible flower can be used not only to support pollinators but also in teas and spices.

For Week, we are spotlighting Anise Hyssop, a fragrant wildflower that produces spikes of small, purple flowers and is an herbaceous perennial. They are in the mint family and readily reseed, forming clumps in landscapes, making them good border plants.

-Bloom Time: June, July, August, September
-Pollinators They Attract: Bees, flies, moths, butterflies, hummingbirds, caterpillars

🔗 Find out more about Anise Hyssop at https://illinoispollinators.org/plant/anise-hyssop-2/
🔗 Learn more about consuming Anise Hyssop at https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/over-garden-fence/2025-05-29-spice-garden-edible-flowers
🔗 Explore more pollinators and plants at Illinois Pollinators at https://pollinators.illinois.edu

04/13/2026

"You can help reverse this by filling your garden with more flowering plants, trees and shrubs to give bees, butterflies and other pollinators a variety of food sources."

The accusations you may have heard about nonnative honey bees aren’t backed by evidence. Entomologists explain that there are plenty of ways bees make the world a better place.

03/20/2026

Spring is almost here! What are you planting?

03/12/2026

Spring is almost here! Time to get excited! 💐💐💐

03/05/2026

Get excited ☀️☀️☀️ Spring is almost here!

Bloom alert: Snowdrops (Galanthus spp.) have started to emerge at the Garden. Often the first bulbs to bloom, their heady, honey fragrance makes them irresistible to the season’s first insects, and they grow well tucked under early spring-flowering shrubs.

02/16/2026

"Experts say projects like this can help communities process climate grief and see real impact up close."