Gardeners have an increasing responsibility to conserve what remains of our fresh water supply. Selecting plants that can survive with less artificial watering (the hose) is becoming important. Here's some tips to help your garden survive dry periods.

The three basic rules to remember is: 1. You can't rely on the weather. 2. You can't rely on the weather. 3. You can't rely on the weather. I think you see where this is going.

Drought-tolerant plants may survive better during periods of little or no moisture than some others.

Our supply of ground water is not as renewable a resource as it once was thought of. Proper watering, even for drought-tolerant plants, is important. A good, deep soaking of one inch per week is recommended. The 'splash and go' method just isn't enough. It forces plants to send their roots higher to get a drink. This makes them less drought-tolerant. Getting water deep down to the roots keeps them from seeking water at the surface. Bottom watering like soakers hoses is best. Also provide good drainage.

Buying drought-tolerant plants this year? Keep in mind that they will need good watering the first year until its root system is developed. As they mature, they will become a more drought-tolerant plant.

A drought-tolerant garden has a good layer of organic mulch that conserves moisture, moderates and stabilizes soil temperatures, prevents weeds, provides winter protection and beautifies the bed. Mulch perennials to a 2-inch depth; trees and shrubs to 3 to 4 inches.

Some common drought-tolerant plants are:

ANNUALS-Alyssum, phlox, coreopsis, cape marigold, cornflower, four-o'clocks, larkspur, morning glory, portulaca, sunflowers and zinnias.

PERENNIALS- Gypsophila (Baby's Breath), gaillardia (blanket flower), liatris (blazing star or gay feathers) asclepias (butterfly weed or bush) , chamomile, columbine, euphobia, inula, baptisia, some campanulas, papaver (poppy), aster, mallow, rock cress, snow in summer and helianthus.

SHRUBS-Barberry, bayberry, most junipers, rugosa rose, and fragrant sumac.

TREES- (Most mid to northeastern trees can withstand some drought.) Maple, beech, oak, poplar, and most evergreens.

Established drought-tolerant plants offer a grace period if you forget or cannot water for some reason during dry spells. Although they are more forgiving than their thirsty counterparts, leaving them go without deep watering once per week is not recommended.

- Darlene Ray, Master Gardener, LaSalle County

Ever wonder what tropical plants would grow in your garden or how to care for your ornamental grasses? How about feeding preschoolers or do you or someone in your family have diabetes and you'd like new recipes. The answers to these and many more questions are just a click away on the University of Illinois website at web.extension.edu/state.

On the home page of this web site you will find many links to click on and explore such as Nutrition and Health, Horticulture , Home and Family and many other links.

After clicking on these links there are several topics you can select from.

By clicking on News alerts and News from Extension you will be alerted to many topics such as frost damage on rhubarb, dealing with mold in your home, healthy eating and many other topics.

Check out the publications that are available for you to purchase by clicking on the Publications link. You can contact your extension office also to purchase these publications.

Lastly, the find an office or person link will take you to extension offices around the state.It will tell you office location, staff, a calendar of upcoming events and a listing of their programs.

All this information can be yours at the click of a button. Mark this website as one of your favorites. After checking it out once you'll want to keep going back.

- Gwen Balensiefen, Marshall-Putnam Master Gardener

What's not to like about a trellis covered with beautiful clematis blossoms! But, just how do you get your plants to that stage? Let's start with soil. Clematis prefer slightly alkaline soil, with a ph of 7 to 7.5. Dig a hole approximately 11/2 feet wide and deep. Plant so the first two sets of leaf nodes will be underground, and work in plenty of compost. Use a 4" layer of mulch to keep the roots cool and retain moisture. Be sure to leave a 6" collar around the stems to prevent rot. Clematis like to be fed will an all-purpose fertilizer each year. The best time to fertilize your vines is right after pruning.

Pruning the right way for your type of clematis seems to be one of the most important and perhaps confusing issues regarding this plant. Clematis will survive quite well with no pruning, however, with the correct pruning you will have a more vigorous plant with spectacular blooms.

The basic rule of thumb is to leave the plant unpruned and dormant until spring. You will then need to know which pruning group your vines are in: Group A,B, or C. (1,2 or 3) If you have just purchased your plant, the tag should contain this information. If you are unsure, you will need to observe the clematis vine for a year. The things to note are bloom time, and whether it blooms on woody stems from last year or new green stems from this year. This information will help you to classify your plant.

Lets start with group C because they are the easiest ones to deal with. Most of these die to the ground over winter or have flowers only at the top with lots of bare stems at the base. This cultivar blooms in the spring or summer as well as the fall. Some of the popular are 'Jackmanii', 'Sweet Autumn", 'Niobi', 'Gypsy Queen,' 'Ville de Lyon.', "Crimson Star', and 'Betty Corning'. To keep vines full and lush, cut stems to about 1 foot off the ground, leaving two to four sets of buds on each stem. This is necessary since they only bloom on new wood. Otherwise the plant will be thin and full of dead stems, with fewer flowers, which will, of course, be smaller.

'Bee's Jubilee', 'Henryi,' 'Nelly Moser', 'Ruby Glow', 'Artic Queen' and 'Empress of India' are some of the species which fall into the B group. Most have large double flowers which are produced on old wood and then single flowers in summer on new wood. They have to have the broken and dead branches pruned and possibly some areas thinned. Cut these areas back to a set of new buds. This can be done in the spring as the plant leafs out.

Our last pruning group is A. These clematis do not die back in the winter and bloom in early spring. Some of these cultivars are 'Superba', 'Tetrarose', 'Armandii' and 'Clematis Montana' To keep this group looking great, you only need to remove any damaged wood and possibly minor trimming to shape up. You should wait until after the main flowering is finished to do most of the pruning so you do not accidentally cut off buds.

Hopefully, this information will answer some of your questions and your garden will have the prettiest clematis in town.

- Rita Simpkins, Marshall-Putnam Master Gardener

Spring lawn care's main goal is to help cool-season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass or fescues develop a good root system to survive the hot summer.

Mowing- Take mowers in for a tune-up now before the rush. Keep blades sharp to cut the grass not rip as dull blades do. Stock up on mower/trimmer supplies now before store inventories disappear, sometimes by July. Mow grass as soon as it's 3 to 4 inches tall. Cut to about 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches high. Don't scalp it but allowing grass to get too tall will stress the plant and encourage diseases. Don't cut off more than you leave. Avoid cutting wet grass which spreads disease.

Fertilizing- Don't buy everything stores put out for a 'lush green carpet'. Established lawns in good soil may not need fertilizers or chemicals. Take a soil test to determine if or what it needs. Compost is good for lawns too but won't work in spreaders. Fling by hand to distribute good compost across your lawn, a half inch deep will do. Earthworms will distribute the nutrients through their castings; a win-win situation.

Experts say avoid early spring fertilizing but if you must, apply a low rate. Adding nitrogen fertilizers 'green-up' the lawn but stimulates shoot development at the expense of root growth.

The purpose of fertilizing is to promote a deep, dense, strong root system to survive hot summers. A low rate fertilizer greens up lawns but won't over-stimulate shoot growth. Apply fertilizers to ¼ the rate of a full application listed on the package. Apply a full application in May if you intend to water the turf all summer. If not, use a slow-release fertilizer that requires less moisture and won't 'burn' the grass.

Weed Control-Apply crabgrass pre-emergence chemicals in early spring (April 1st) before crabgrass geminates when soil temperatures are 55 degrees or warmer for 10 consecutive days. Apply a second application in May to control late-germinating crabgrass and warm-season annual grass weeds. Avoid crabgrass-fertilizer combinations. Plain crabgrass products are sufficient. Follow directions carefully.

Seeding- Sow as soon as possible. Bluegrass needs two months of growing to mature. Late April is pushing it, success isn't guaranteed. Seeds need continual moisture to geminate; don't allow seeds and soil to dry out.

Dethatching and Aeration-Lawns needs dethatching if thatch layer is 1 inch or more. Use a dethatcher, power rake or vertical mower you can rent. Aerating loosens, increases air content in soil and promotes root growth. Dethatching and aerating is done on September 1 and again April 1 or just April 1 is okay too. Aerate AFTER dethatching if doing both. Don't remove more than ¼ inch of thatch. Do not use golf, football cleats or sandals with nails through soles. These compact soil into surrounding areas of the 'punched' holes. A core aerator will pull 1- to 2-inch plugs from soil every 3 to 4 inches of lawn. Remember, a nice lawn doesn't have to be a living room carpet.

- Darlene Ray, Master Gardener, LaSalle County

Whether you realize it or not, you probably are already practicing pruning of your annuals. If you pinch-out the center growth of annual bedding plants to encourage bushiness, if you trim back a geranium or petunia after blooming or pinch a mum to promote fullness, you are in essence practicing the art of pruning.

Even the most casual gardeners know that by mid-summer many petunias and other annual flowers can get leggy, producing blossoms at the tips of long, leafless stems. One exception is some of the new varieties of petunias, including the new trailing types that require little pruning unless you planted them too close together. They are wonderful and colorful, but not all varieties are so care free. Until more varieties are developed with those vigorous flowering characteristics we will have to continue to 'prune.'

Pruning will help promote a second round of flowers, boost your flower power, make bushier plants, and keep plants more compact and attractive.

You can keep non-woody annuals and perennials pruned by using two simple techniques, deadheading and pinching. Deadheading simply means removing faded flowers. Pinching or nipping off growing tips makes a plant bushier.

Promoting a second round of flowers and boosting your flower power - The majority of flowers bloom and set seed, a natural climax to the growth cycle.

Deadheading flowers as they fade not only tidies up the plant, but it interrupts this sequence and stimulates new flowers to appear. This technique also prevents unwanted self-seeding of many plants. You can use pruners or sharp shears to clip spent blossoms from flowering plants or simply snap off the dead flower with your thumb and forefinger. Try it on summer bedding plants and annual and biennial flowers, such as calendula, petunias, and pansies. Remember when you were a child and picked all your pansy flowers, which stimulated them to bloom so you could pick each day. Most perennials also will benefit from deadheading including geraniums, erigeron and verbena.

Rather than putting energy into setting seed, the plant should produce a second flush of flowers later in the summer.

Pinching to make bushier, more compact plants - Many plants concentrate their energy in a single tip bud, while other buds along the stem remain dormant. If this tip bud is removed then buds lower down will produce side shoots. This is called stopping, pinching or tip pruning and is used to make bushier growth.

Coleus can benefit from pinching type of pruning, putting out more dazzling foliage instead of producing seeds. Some plants will only need pinching once, other annuals such as petunias often get leggy and need to be pinched two or three times during the growing season. Some perennials also may need pinching a few times – take out the initial bud of a dahlia and then pinch out the resulting side growth. Lightly shearing over aubrieta, lavender and alyssum after flowering combines deadheading with light pruning. It will prevent leggy growth, keep plants compact and produce an abundance of flowers the following year.

Don't forget pruning in your vegetable garden. In the garden, indeterminate tomato plants such as 'Better Boy' will produce many suckers. A sucker is that new growth that comes in where a branch connects with the main trunk. Removing suckers will decrease the number of fruits produced but will ensure that the remaining tomatoes will be larger and will ripen sooner. Also pruning herbs can prevent legginess and increase your yield and quality of such useful plants. In this case however, you can use the trimmings, dried or fresh, in your kitchen. Pruning can have tasty benefits, too.

- Marylou Sanders, Bureau County Master Gardener

A ground cover is any plant used to cover the ground. Your lawn is ground cover. A ground cover should spread by itself. Species that are typically used produce rhizomes or stolons that spread by offsets or tip layering are best suited for ground covers. They have the ability to spread and form a dense cover for the soil. Some grow so fast that they can be invasive.

Ground covers act like a living mulch by keeping the soil cool, reducing water loss through evaporation and shading the ground to inhibit weed growth. You want plants with a vigorous growth planted on a steep slope to prevent soil erosion. Purple winter creeper is an example of a good plant for a steep slope.

Ground covers can be annuals or perennials; the can be deciduous or evergreen, woody or herbaceous. There are considerations to be made before you start. Match the plants to the soil, sun loving or shade, wet or dry, and wind are important. Most ground covers will not tolerate excessive foot traffic. If foot traffic is anticipated, install a walkway through the planting area before you start to plant.

You will need to improve the soil with a good quality organic matter before you start to plant. Incorporate two to four cubic yards of compost or other organic matter into each 1,000 square feet.

Ajuga or Bugleweed are mat forming plants that spread by above ground stolons that root and form new plants, very similar to how strawberries spread. The individual plants are neat rosettes with shiny foliage. Foliage ranges from green, bronze, or variegated with white or silver depending on cultivar. There is also a tricolor. It has blue flowers on most plants; however there are cultivars with white or pink blossoms. The flowers are borne on upright stakes showing well above the foliage. Ajuga blooms the same time as the dogwoods. I like this ground cover, it forms a dense cover that keeps the weeds out, but it can be invasive, so keep it contained. Grows in part shade or sun.

Barren strawberry or Waldstenia is also a very dense mat of foliage. It is called "barren" because the very small fruits are inedible. This plant has the similar rose-like flowers as fruitful strawberries, but is yellow instead of white. It also spreads like strawberries with above ground stolons. It is so dense weeds will not grow. The neat somewhat shiny foliage makes an excellent backdrop for flowers when viewed from above. It make a good ground cover under roses. Full sun.

European Wild Ginger or Asarum europaeum forms dense foliage. This plant is primarily grown because of its very clean, glossy heart-shaped leaf. It prefers shade and acid soil. It is not grown for its flower. The flower is at the base of the stems, you have to lift the leaves to find it. Ginger spreads by underground roots. This is a North American native, Canadian wild ginger, Asarum canadense, which is very similar, but lacks the shiny leaves.

Bishop's weed orGoutweed is a favorite naturalizing ground cover. It can be invasive, if not given room to spread. It's great under trees, on slopes, or in large masses. The variegated foliage makes dark shaded spots pop out in the landscape. It has white blooms like Queen Anne's Lace. It prefers full to part shade. Hot sun will scorch leaves.

Allegheny Spurge more commonly known as Pachysandra has dull coarsely toothed foliage and is not shiny. It is deciduous in northern states. It can be evergreen in Illinois, if it is in a protected spot and kept moist during the winter It prefers moist slightly acid soil and dense shade. It is a good candidate for planting under pine trees.

There are many more cultivars available, with leaves ranging from small to large. Some have ruffled edges. This is just the tip of the ground covers. Contact your Extension office for more information.

- Paul Barrett LaSalle County Master Gardener

They will not carry off your children but they are large. They range in size form 1 1/3 to 1 5/8 inches. They are a wasp. (Sphecius speciosus (Drury). They have a black body that is marked with yellow across the thorax and abdomen. The wings are a reddish orange. They are menacing in appearance, they usually ignore people if you refrain from agitating them, you do not need to be too concerned with them. The males act aggressive if they feel threatened, but are unable to sting. The sting from a female is about the same as a sweat bee sting.

Cicada killers are a solitary wasp very different from the social wasps like hornets, yellow jackets and paper wasp. The female Cicada killers nest in burrows in the ground. These burrows are about the size of a quarter in diameter can go six inches straight down and another six inches horizontally. They sting the cicada which paralyzes the prey. They straddle the prey, take it up a tree, if there is one and take off toward the burrow partly gliding. When trees are not available, they drag the cicada to the burrow on the ground.

There may be many individuals flying over a lawn. But each female digs her own burrow. (They do not nest together.) The soil is dislodged by her mouth and loose particles are kicked back as a dog would dig. The excess soil thrown out of the burrow forms a U-shaped mound at the entrance, causing unsightly mounds of earth in the turf. This ground burrowing wasp may be found in sandy soil to loose clay in bare or grass covered banks, hills as well as under raised sidewalks, driveways or patio slabs. They nest in planters, window boxes, flower beds, under shrubs or ground cover. Nests usually are made in full sun where vegetation is sparse, especially in well drained soil.

The female cicada killer will lay one egg per cicada then stuff them into her burrow. Each burrow has three to four cells with one to two cicadas each. However it is possible for one burrow to have 10 to 20 cells. Eggs hatch in two to three days and begin to feed on the paralyzed cicadas. Feeding continues for four to ten days until only the outer shell of the cicada remains. The larva over winters as a mature larva inside a leather silken brown cocoon it has spun in the earthen cell. Pupation occurs in the spring lasting 25 - 30 days.

The adult wasps emerge about the first week of July. The emergence continues throughout the summer months. Adults live 60-75 days (mid-July to mid-September) while they dig new nests (burrows). There is only one generation per year. The adults feed on flower nectar and sap exudates.

Usually it is not necessary to control cicada killer wasps unless their presence is a nuisance. Sometimes these wasps can be troublesome in high traffic home and commercial areas such as around swimming pools, near planters at door entrances, flower beds, golf course greens and sand traps. Cicada killers may sometimes fly erratically near people, causing fear. Males may actually defend their territory by dive bombing people's heads and shoulders. Males can not sting.

If you need an insecticide to control the wasp, contact your county Extension office

Information from Kansas State University Extension and Ohio State University Extension

- Paul Barrett LaSalle County Master Gardener

Hey kids. Do you know of anyone afraid of spiders? Are you afraid of spiders? Well, the truth is that most spiders are shy and actually avoid humans. Of course, you need to treat spiders with respect, because a few spiders are poisonous, and the bite from a spider can cause a allergic reaction in some people. Follow the advise of your doctor if bitten

But very few of these eight-legged predators would actually harm you, even if they wanted to. Even tarantulas are pretty docile, but it is a good idea not to disturb them.

Spiders are good guys!

Don't let the movie "Arachnophobia" freak you out. Spiders are actually "good guys" and eat all kinds of pesky bugs like flies and crickets as well as other "bad guys" that live in our yards and gardens and feed on our flowers and vegetables.

Hurray for spiders!

Scientists believe that some spiders might help control insect pests that destroy farmers crops. Scientists are collecting lots of spiders and finding out what they like to eat. If a spider is found that loves to munch n "bad guys", then further studies are done to see if the spider may be useful.

How do spiders catch their prey?

Most spiders catch their prey by spinning webs of strong, sticky silk. Others spring out from under trapped doors. Some spiders hide and surprise insects or even make lassos to rope their prey.

Did you know?

The black widow and brown recluse are two venomous spiders.

Bites from these venomous spiders are rare since the development of indoor plumbing.

Outhouses were favorite hangouts for these spiders.

You will see more spiders as fall approaches. Spiders reach adulthood, mate and lay eggs at this time of year.

Orb weavers are large spiders that spin webs a foot or more in diameter during the night.

The yellow and black garden spider is an orb weaver that builds a two-foot diameter web. When the web is vibrated the spider moves quickly to bite and roll its prey in a silk cocoon for a future meal.

Wolf spiders lay in wait and then rush out to run their prey down. Crickets and earwigs are on their most wanted list.

Save The Good Guys!

The next time you have a chance meeting with a spider, just greet it kindly and let it be. It just might be standing guard in your flowerbed or vegetable garden. If you don't want spiders in your home, clean up debris around the foundation and seal up cracks and crevices around windows and doors. If you find a spider in your home, consider vacuuming it up and placing it outside. Helping mom or dad dust around the furniture and in the corners will also help.

- Sherry Hockings, Bureau County Program Director, Educational Programs

June

¨ Plant a butterfly Garden.

¨ Stake tomato plants.

¨ Control cucumber beetles.

¨ Plant pumpkin seeds for Halloween Harvest.

¨ Start an Herb Garden.

¨ Prepare for Japanese Beetles.

¨ Apply mulches.

¨ Prepare your lawn for summer.

¨ Control earwigs.

¨ Water as necessary - soaker hoses are great.

July

¨ Fertilize roses.

¨ Check for slugs in your hosta.

¨ Check tomato plants for blossom-end rot.

¨ Check cucumbers for cucumber vine wilt.

¨ Control Carpenter ants.

¨ Feed the birds.

¨ Attract good bugs.

¨ Control cabbage worms.

¨ Make another planting of cucumbers, summer squash and snap beans, broccoli , cabbage, spinach and turnips.

¨ Harvest onions when growth has stopped.

¨ Spray black raspberry plants and sour cherry trees.

¨ Water as necessary - soaker hoses are great

August

¨ Control white grub.

¨ Divide iris.

¨ Control Yellow jackets.

¨ Plant autumn crocus.

¨ Start a compost pile.

¨ Overseed your lawn.

¨ Spray peach trees for peach borer.

¨ Plant a tree.

¨ Continue training grapes to the trellis or support wires. Trim out excessive growth.

¨ Trim apple and pear trees for growth control.

¨ Plant cool weather plants such as radishes and lettuce.

¨ Clean up weeds in the strawberry patch and apply fertilizer mid- month.

¨ Inspect fruit plants for mites under the leaves.

¨ Don't forget to water as needed.

For more gardening tips visit the extension website web extension.uiuc.edu/state/

Have a great summer of gardening!

- Marshann Entwistle, Bureau County Master Gardener