I'll discuss how to keep the perfect garden journal for your landscape and garden in this podcast. I'll answer gardeners' questions on dealing with rabbit damage and box elder bugs. Salt buildup on house plants and how to remedy it is the subject of my pest tips. I'll finish by mentioning COINCIDE: The Orton System of Pest Management from Labor of Love Conservatory, 468 S. President, Suite 103, Carol Stream, IL 80188-2894.

I thought I would dedicate this podcast to addressing your garden problems. Knock Out roses have yellow fuzzy caterpillars. I'm looking for a landscape company. My strawberry plants are wilting. No flowers on my Hibiscus. Japanese lilac needs help!

Homemade from the gardener is still possible even if your garden is under snow.  Tips on gifts that are sure to please novice and advanced gardeners and fit into every price range from seeds to cuttings, plants and indoor gardens. The key to affordable gifts everyone will love is sharing your gardening know-how, resources and creativity. Plus, tips on seed saving, problem gardens and dealing with pesticides.  Visit www.wbu.com for directions on making simple bird feeders to give as gifts or make for fun family activities.

In this podcast I would like to focus on the planting beds. I'll answer gardeners' questions on how to get a great lawn, perennials for shade, planting primrose and telling the difference between male and female bittersweet vine. In my pest tip I'll discuss septoria leaf spot on tomatoes. Finally I'll discuss using a down spout shut-off/diverter with your rain barrel.

I'll tackle gardeners' questions regarding planting pussy willows, late blight and other tomato problems, managing weeds and improving the soil organically, and dealing with deer damage to sugar maple. I'll talk great resources for information on late blight -  Penn State, Food Safety & Late Blight; Cornell University, Late Blight Overview; Iowa State University, Tomato Diseases and Disorders; University of Wisconsin, Managing Late Blight in Organic Gardens

In this podcast I thought I'd focus on a few award winning plants as well as a few new introductions.  I'll talk blue false indigo, the Perennial Plant Association's Perennial Plant of the Year for 2010.  I'll also discuss the 2010 Hosta of the Year, 'First Frost' and also the 2010 Herb of the Year, dill. I'll answer a gardeners' question on caring for poinsettia through the year and spider mites on hibiscus.

In this podcast I offer options for caring for your plants while on vacation. Then I answer gardeners’ questions regarding white spots on everbearing raspberries and problems with tomatoes. Then Kristin Gies joins me for tips on identifying and managing verticillium wilt. I finish off with a favorite plant, swap milkweed (Asclepias incarnata.)

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.

This podcast covers container gardening. Then I answer gardeners’ questions from across the country on crabapple suckering, pruning a yew hedge, and tomato blossom drop. I finish off with a discussion on water holding crystals, a product used to help hold moisture in the soil for less frequent watering.

Proper harvesting will help insure the best flavor, quality and maximum productivity.  I'll share tips on harvesting squash, peppers, and potatoes as well as many other popular crops.  Also, what to do with green tomatoes. I answer gardeners' questions on tomato troubles and clematis with yellow leaves.  I'll discuss how these pepper plants (pictured) received help from Purple Cow in the garden. I'll finish with a mention of a great harvesting tool, the garden hod.

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.

I'll quell some popular garden myths including: evergreen needles making soil too acidic, removing tomato leaves, maple and oak leaves are bad for compost. I'll answer gardener's questions regarding yellow hibiscus leaves, Johnny Jump-ups and surprise lilies.  The focus of my pest tip is squash vine borer.  I finish with information on Bayer Advanced for Japanese beetle control on fruit trees, citrus and some vegetables.

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.

Gardening tools make wonderful gifts for the holidays. Consider trowels, handpruners, houseplants, gloves, Ups-A-Daisy or a self watering can. I'll answer gardeners' questions about non-blooming calla lilies and a crooked tree. Pest tip: scale insects on houseplants. Visit Cool Springs Press for gardening books.

I'll cover the basics on house plant care. Treat your indoor garden like your outdoor landscape. Then I'll answer a gardener's question on watering calla lily. The subject of my pest tip is mealybugs. I'll finish with a handy garden tool -  self-watering pots.

I'm going to give you detailed steps on how to move your house plants back indoors for the winter. I'll answer gardeners' questions on hostas and sedum. I'll discuss watering trees & shrubs with softened water. I'll talk about a favorite tool, Ups-A-Daisy.

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.

Are your plants feeling the heat? Stay cool, try these helpful hints and keep your plants looking beautiful. I'll answer gardeners' questions on tomatoes, seeds and river birch with yellow leaves. Chlorosis is the subject of my pest tip. I'll finish by recommending a brushed stainless steel compost keeper for your kitchen scraps.

I'll once again focus on gardeners' questions in this podcast. I cover concerns about dwarf Alberta spruce, Corinthian cherry, holly, lilac, river birch, hibiscus, and the orchid-like weed helleborine.

In this podcast I'll talk about my visit to the 2010 Mid-America Horticultural Trade Show in Chicago. I found many exciting plant introductions on display and I'd like to share them with you. Then I'll answer gardeners' questions on getting amaryllis to rebloom and splitting arborvitaes caused by snow load. I'll wrap it up by discussing wildlife damage and the different control measures to prevent their feeding.

I'll talk homegrown nutritious additions to the holiday menu.  Sprouts, greens and root crops can still be a part of your kitchen garden during the winter months.  Then I'll answer gardeners' questions on spiderwort and black-eyed Susans taking over coneflowers.  I'll finish with a mention of a fun addition to the indoor garden, a two tiered sprouter.

In this podcast I give you helpful hints while scouring the plant catalogs, including information on AAS, AARS, PPA, Proven Winners, and more. Then I answer gardeners’ questions on successfully starting seeds indoors. Next Kristin Gies joins me for tips dusting off and cleaning up your houseplants. I finish off with a favorite new product, Bionic gloves, for comfort and protection while gardening.

In this podcast I cover planting and growing tomatoes. Then I answer gardeners’ questions from across the country on blossom end rot on tomatoes and shredded paper mulch. Then Kristin Gies joins me for tips on identifying and managing aphids in your garden.

Holiday plants not only include the favorite poinsettia, but also cyclamen, bromeliad, kalanchoe and more. I'll discuss the many selections for holiday color. Then I'll answer gardeners' questions on spearmint gone wild and why some annuals can be started indoors and others outdoors. I'll talk about fungus gnats and how to deal with this common houseplant pest. I'll finish with a great houseplant reference, The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual by Barbara Pleasant.

In honor of National Poison Prevention Week, I focus on reducing chemicals in your home and landscape in this podcast. Then I answer gardeners’ questions on pruning tomato plants and plants for challenging landscape spaces. Next Kristin Gies joins me for tips on black knot. I finish by recommending the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and their website www.aspca.org, for great information on keeping your pets safe from poisonous plants and harmful household products.

I'll start with a few ideas to get you started. AAS winning osteospermum or there's the Perennial Plant of the Year, Rozanne geranium and much more. I'll discuss indoor plants sporting yellow leaves. Don't forget to call or email me with your favorite product! Garden websites to visit: All-America Selections, Perennial Plant Association, All American Daylilies

Houseplants are easy to propagate, I'll tell you how to get started. Then I'll answer gardeners' questions on hibiscus, cassia, mimosa and legumes. Scale on weeping fig is the subject of my pest tip. I'll finish with how to make a mini propagator.

Scratch that gardening itch by starting your summer garden indoors now. Whether you're growing flowers or vegetables, starting from seed allows you to expand your garden pallet. Many more cool and unique varieties of plants are available to you in the form of seed. In this podcast I'll walk you through sowing to setting out in the garden. I'll offer tips on germination, thinning, lighting and hardening off. I'll explain how to avoid damping off of seedlings and strategies to keep your seedlings happy and healthy. I finish with a mention of a spring favorite of mine, the early blooming Hellebore, and more specifically a wonderful new introduction, 'Pink Frost' Hellebore. For photos and more information on this plant follow the link here to the National Garden Bureau website. Photo: National Garden Bureau

In this podcast I'll discuss the aftermath of drought and how we often forget about the framework of our landscape - our trees. I answer gardeners' questions on bringing hibiscus indoors for the winter and planting seeds. Multicolored Asian lady beetle is the subject of my pest tip. I then finish with a product to help get your newly planted trees off to a good start - Treegator®

This week’s discussion is on common tomato problems; black bottom, fruit isn’t forming, cracking from the rain, distorted fruit and other diseases and insects. I answer gardeners' questions on black walnut toxicity and pine with red spider mites. Then I'll discuss the Topsy Turvy planter that grows tomatoes upside down.

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.