In this podcast I cover annual and perennial selection, planting and care. Then I answer gardeners’ questions from across the country on garden resources, weed control methods for garlic mustard and dandelions, and tips on mulching tomatoes and peppers. I finish off with a favorite product, floating row cover, used to jump-start the season and keep insects at bay.

Thank you for sending in your gardening questions.  I'll focus this podcast on getting some of them answered. Should I plant basil in the sun or shade? When to cut my mums? Can I plant a snowberry bush in the same place that I cut down a tree? Suggestions for weed control? Grass seed for shade areas? Italian parsley has mutated. Geranium has foliage but no flower buds. I'll finish with a mention of a great reference book, Garden Insects of North America by Whitney Cranshaw; Princeton University Press. ISBN: 0=691-09560-4

In this podcast I'll talk about composting yard waste, a natural, friendly and valuable soil amendment for your garden. Then I'll answer gardeners' questions on non-blooming hydrangeas and environmentally friendly weed killers. Then I'll discuss a "good guy" in the garden - the ground beetle, which preys on other pests. I'll finish with a simple plan for building your own compost bin.

Spring marks transition in the landscape, I'll discuss a few conifers for your landscape. Then I'll answer gardeners' questions on buying red worms, tomatoes and ant hills and groundcovers shaded by trees. I'll talk Milorganite and soil preparation. Wooly adelgid is the subject of my pest tip. Then I finish with a recommendation of The American Conifer Society and Rich's Foxwillow Pine Nursery, both are great resources for information on conifers.

I focus on controlling weeds in the landscape, solutions for salt damage and moss growth. I answer gardeners' questions regarding red leaf coral bells that droop but are watered frequently and an iris that doesn’t have leaves on the plant. I discuss the annoyance of aphids and offer solutions to the problem. I conclude by suggesting a great product called “BurnOut II” that quickly destroy those bothersome weeds.

In this podcast I'll share great lawn tips, solutions to common problems and discuss how to be more eco-friendly. I answer a gardener's question about rust on dwarf Alberta spruce. I'll talk about Martha Washington geranium (Pelargonium x domesticum) a great plant to know and grow. Then I outline the differences between crabgrass and quackgrass. I'll finish with some recommended lawn care guides: The Lawn Guide - Midwest Series by Melinda Myers,  The Lawn Guide - Southern Series by Steve Dobbs and The Florida Lawn Guide by Tom McCubbin.

Here are some tips to help you burn calories and build your health and well being. I'll follow that by answering gardening questions on transplanting grasses, perennials, shrubs and trees. Also caring for gardenia bushes and getting rid of the weeds in an environmentally safe way. My pest tip focuses on multi colored Asian lady beetles. New Product/Plant:  Garden Your Way to Health & Fitness by Bunny Guiness & Jacqueline Knox. Timber Press ISBN 13:978 0 88192 881 5

Autumn. I'm going to discuss some tasks for fall maintenance, of course it will depend on where your location is, however the task will be the same but the timing will vary. I'll then answer gardening questions on analyzing lilac, finding a blackberry that will survive Minnesota winters and a greenish-grey moss growing on the trunk of a tree. Finally I'll share a favorite garden, The Portland Classical Chinese Garden.

Fall is an excellent time to care for your lawn. In this podcast I give some helpful guidelines to keep your lawn healthy. I answer gardening questions on purchasing a green roof bird-feeder, allium bulbs and tomatoes that are rotting on the bottom. I'll discuss my updated Lawn Guides - Midwest Series. *Note: to order plans for the Green Roof Birdfeeder: Send a self addressed business size envelope to Melinda Myers - Birdfeeder Plans, P.O. Box 370331, Milwaukee, WI 53237-0331

Spring break is a good time for family fun in the garden! Gardening questions will be posted in next week's podcast. Pest Tip: Bugs! Only 3% are harmful. New Product/Plant: Lois Ehlert from Children's Literature Independent Info and Reviews.

Are your perennials overcome with too much growth? Do your annuals need a bit of deadheading? Let's grab the pruners and get to work!  I'll finish with a mention of the Cut and Hold - developed for roses and other prickly shrubs.

This podcast is dedicated to children and how to inspire and engage them in the garden. Then I answer gardeners’ questions on columbine with sawfly and rust on junipers. Next Kristin Gies joins me for tips on getting rid of dame’s rocket. I finish by recommending great gardens to visit with children: W.J. Beal Botanical Garden at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan; The Morton Arboretum just outside Chicago, Illinois and Longwood Gardens in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Gardening can be fun with children, create a theme, accessorize and enjoy the harvest. I'll answer gardeners' questions on Japanese knotweed, and what type of fertilizer to use on raspberries & rhubarb. Pest tips: soldier beetles. New Product/Plant: Book: Nature Printing with Herbs, Fruits and Flowers by Laura Donnelly Bethmann. ISBN-0-88266-929-X.

Let's jump start the season.  I'll talk about planting and hardening off transplants. Gardener's questions: What type of small shrubs can I plant in Zone 5? Pest Tip: Corn and seed maggots. New Product/Plant: Wall-o-Water.

Many households are going to begin growing vegetables for the first time this year. I'll give you some basics to get started. Then I'll answer gardeners' questions on installing an arbor for trumpet vine and growing onions in the north. This week's pest tip will focus on clubroot of cabbage and other crucifiers. I'll finish with a recommendation of a great vegetable to grow, Eggplant F1 'Hansel' , an All-America Selections winner.

Great garden tips for small or limited spaces, try growing vertical. Gardener's ask: What type of spray is used to get rid of box elder bugs? When is the best time to plant Cannas? Pest tip: clematis wilt - roots turn black and stem wilts. New Product: Use twister plant support, a viral support that winds up and through - available thru gardening-naturally and Gardener's Supply Company.

I discuss creating beautiful bouquets, holiday gifts, and making lasting memories of your summer garden by harvesting and drying flowers. I answer gardener’s questions on First Blush Euphorbia (Euphorbia epithymoides) and tomato plants with yellow and brown leaves. I talk about problems and solutions regarding the unpleasant situation of poison ivy. Lastly I suggest a book on pounding flowers that’s a very useful resource.

I discuss proper harvesting of your garden vegetables in this podcast. Then I answer gardeners’ questions on field bindweed and resources on harvesting seeds. Then Kristin Gies joins me for tips on identifying and managing gypsy moths in your yard and community. I finish off with a favorite product, Pike’s Original Maine Garden Hod, a functional and sturdy harvesting basket.

In this week’s podcast you’ll find there’s still time to plant and enjoy fresh vegetables from the garden. I answer questions on yellow trumpet vines, yews with brown leaves, and Japanese beetles. I then discuss pear slugs that feed on cherries and pears in mid to late summer. Finally for garden enjoyment, plant Easter Egg radishes and Purple Haze carrots.

Let's talk lawns! Gardening tips for your lawn that will give you a carpet of green for next year. I answer gardeners' questions on sweet peas and saving seeds. I'll discuss how to prevent crabgrass in your lawn with corn gluten, an environmentally friendly pre-emergent weed suppressant.

Let's continue our discussion on maximizing the harvest, ways to get more produce from small spaces. I'll answer gardeners' questions on soil testing and lawn fertilizers. I'll discuss rose slug in this week's pest tip. Then I'll talk about how to create your own Topsy Turvy tomato planter.

Moss, make a problem into a beautiful garden or accent. I answer gardeners' questions on watering roses, lily care and identifying a tree. I'll discuss invasive species. I'll close with information on Moss Acres - a great resource for everything moss.

In this podcast I discuss planting a shade garden. Then I answer a gardener's question on ferns. Next Kristin Gies joins me for tips on garlic mustard. I finish by recommending a favorite plant, Japanese painted fern - Athyrium nipponicum 'Pictum'.

The season of planting and harvesting asparagus is the focus of this podcast. Then I answer a gardeners’ question on black spots on tomatoes. Next Kristin Gies joins me for tips on treating and preventing salt damage on our landscapes. I finish by recommending a great plant, Brazilian Verbena, Verbena bonariensis.

In this podcast I discuss early spring container gardening. Then I answer a gardeners’ question on garlic mustard. Next Kristin Gies joins me for tips on phomopsis tip blight. I finish by recommending a new product, the Pot Lifter, for more information visit Gardeners Supply Company.

In this podcast I'll give you some pointers on some simple things you can do to spruce up your landscape. I'll answer gardeners' questions on weed control in the garden, overwintering alstroemeria and controlling bindweed in the flower garden. I'll finish off with info on a great plant, Alstroemeria psittacina.

A safe haven for cannas, tuberous begonias, and dahlias is indoors protecting them from winter weather. I'll discuss winter storage. I answer gardening questions about where to buy corn gluten and asters that have some browning. Then I'll discuss gardening tips on how to control thrips. I recommend the beautiful blooms of Pink Quill (Tillandsia cyanea) to brighten the winter months.