Gardening: Growing Herbs

Due to the life-threatening cold that shut down schools and businesses through much of the Midwest yesterday, we'll spend the first few minutes of this hour on Focus checking in with State Climatologist Jim Angel to get an update on the weather and hear a little more about this weekend's storm.

Then, we’ll turn our attention to thoughts of warmer days ahead… There are lots of beautiful plants to incorporate into a garden, and if you're a person who likes function as well as beauty, planting a herb garden might be a good way to go. This hour on Focus, host Jim Meadows talks with Chuck Voigt, University of Illinois Extension vegetable and herb specialist, and Holly Shimizu, Executive Director of the US Botanical Garden about herbs.

Shimizu was the first to plant an herb garden at the US Botanical Garden in Washington D.C., and she says she likes caring for what she calls "useful" plants. In the last 15 years, she’s says she seen an incredible change in attitude when it comes to growing, cooking with and healing with herbs. Have you? Let us know this hour on Focus!

The UI Extension’s 15th annual herb day will be hosted January 18 starting at 9:00 a.m. at the Urbana Holiday Inn. Find more information here.