Mike McCurdy

Tucked away near Cardinal Court on the Illinois State University campus are 18 acres designated for restoration. The goal: return the area to its original savanna state.

Before those chestnuts can roast over an open fire, they have to be harvested.

It's hard to know when to stop nursing a sick plant, tree, or shrub and just opt to get a new one.

There may be food, just free for the taking. But there may also be a few rules you need to observe to be polite ... and safe.

There's nothing wrong with being a late bloomer. In fact, that's exactly what you might want in late summer for your yard and landscaping.

Some jobs around the yard are beyond the do-it-yourselfer. To get it done right, and safely, it's best to call an expert.

Palm trees bring to mind images of beaches and tropical breezes. But palms can do quite will in the hot, humid conditions in the Midwest.

In this edition of our gardening podcast Grow, Illinois State University's Patrick Murphy and WGLT's Mike McCurdy talk about caring for your little slice of tropical paradise.

The Fell Arboretum is Illinois State University most visible gardening asset. But there are others, and combined they could lead to a new "botanical garden" designation.

Edges and edging can be found throughout nature. Great landscaping successfully duplicates nature on a smaller scale.

A plant you might expect to find in the desert Southwest is native to central Illinois. And it's easy to grow, edible and might have medical benefits.

The first instinct with exposed tree roots is to cover them up. But is that the right instinct? Or could doing nothing be the best option?

The American lawn uses too much water, often gets too many chemicals, and takes up too much space and time. But most of us love the look of a green carpet surrounding a home.

Substances obtained from plants are found in lots of products, including food, drinks, and cosmetics.

Like with anything, there are myths and truths to planting and caring for trees.

GLT's Mike McCurdy and Illinois State University's Patrick Murphy bust some myths and give out solid advice in this latest episode of GLT's Grow.

GLT's Grow is your source for gardening advice and down-to-earth tips. Murph and Mike are ready to take on all your gardening questions, so submit yours today.

Generations of children have watched eagerly as dads and moms have built tree houses. Not all parents have made the best choices in constructing these pint-sized perches or even choosing the right tree to use.

It's always better to work smarter instead of working harder.

In this episode of our gardening podcast Grow, Illinois State University's Patrick Murphy and GLT's Mike McCurdy field a listener question about clay and the answer may save her some time.

GLT's Grow is your source for gardening advice and down-to-earth tips. Murph and Mike are ready to take on all your gardening questions, so submit yours today.

Tax time is here. Bloomington-Normal residents are sitting down to do their taxes or lugging their W-2s and other documents to their accountants, as the April 15 filing deadline looms.

This winter has been a tough one with some record cold temperatures. But there may be a benefit to gardeners. The cold might kill off some invasive insects and plants.

There all kinds of ways a gardener could get hurt, from sprains and strains to even more serious injuries.

We’ve all seen initials, maybe surrounded by a heart, carved into a tree. The tree survives, but we also all know carving your initials into a tree is wrong.

Hear what directions landscaping and gardening might take in 2019.

In this episode of our gardening podcast Grow, GLT's Mike McCurdy talks with Illinois State University's Patrick Murphy about new trends.

GLT's Grow is your source for gardening advice and down-to-earth tips. Murph and Mike are ready to take on all your gardening questions, so submit yours today.

The first day of winter is here. It's the solstice. That means there are still weeks ahead of below-freezing temperatures and frozen earth.

Giving a houseplant as a gift raises a number of questions, such as what kind of plant to give? Is the person receiving it even capable of caring for it?

It will take years for California to recover from this season's wildfires. In this edition of the GLT gardening podcast Grow, Mike McCurdy and Illinois State University Patrick Murphy talk about what role forest management may have played in stoking the flames.

GLT's Grow is your source for gardening advice and down-to-earth tips. Murph and Mike are ready to take on all your gardening questions, so submit yours today.

You can lend a helping hand to neighborhood wildlife with some extra food and water this winter—and in return enjoy the variety of feathered and furry friends that come for a visit.

If you go for real over fake, this edition of GLT's gardening podcast on Christmas trees is for you.

At the top of kids list this Halloween, or the parents who raid the candy haul, is chocolate.

Coffee may jump to mind when thinking about drinks we consume originating from plants. But tea is more widely consumed.

That morning cup of coffee has a backstory.

In this edition of GLT's gardening podcast Grow, GLT's Mike McCurdy and Illinois State University’s Patrick Murphy talk about domestically produced beans and some of the trouble coffee growers are facing due to climate change.

The letters in words you're reading right now were designed by someone, maybe a team of someones. In the digital age, designing fonts and typefaces has never been easier. Simply choosing a font for your document is as easy as clicking on a pull down menu, and among the choices will be typefaces designed by a Bloomington native.