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'll share a few ideas with you on affordable ways to improve your landscape. Then I'll answer gardening questions on rust in the lawn, blueberry bushes and Japanese beetles. I'll discuss how to deal with whiteflies. I'll finish by talking about Messenger, a plant health regulator.

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.

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

I share tips on midsummer care of perennials. I'll answer gardeners’ questions on poor drainage of lawns, moisture loving plants, and rabbit and deer damage on roses and yews. Then Kristin Gies joins me for tips on managing Japanese beetles. I finish off with a favorite product, Mantis Tiller, a great tool for cultivating soil and edging beds.

So much to do and so little time to do it.  In this podcast I'll offer tips on how to reduce winter damage and lighten the work load for next spring.  I'll touch on storing pesticides and fertilizers, animal protection, winter rose protection, storing tools, winter mulch and fall landscape chores.  I then answer a gardener's question on overwintering geraniums. I'll then discuss yellow leaves on plants that have been moved indoors for the winter.  I wrap things up with the sweet stevia plant.

Tips on creating your own memory and healing garden is the focus of this podcast. Then I answer a gardener's question on ridding hibiscus of whitefly. Then Kristin Gies joins me for tips on managing snow mold. I finish off with a favorite plant, King of Hearts Bleeding Heart - Dicentra x 'King of Hearts'.

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.

Learn how leaves turn fall color and capture the magical moments of autumn - the cool crisp air, vibrant colored leaves, and a bountiful harvest. I answer gardeners' questions on mushrooms in the lawn and potentilla buds. I'll discuss seasonal needle drop of conifers. I'll finish with a fascinating plant, lion's ear or Leonotis leonurus. It looks like “beebalm on steroids”.

Fall is a great time for planting and in this podcast I'll discuss getting your trees, shrubs, perennials and spring bulbs planted before winter. I'll discuss fall lawn care from fertilizing to leaving leaf and grass clippings on the ground. I then focus on plant protection and using repellents and fencing to keep the animals at bay. I'll tackle gardeners' questions on creeping Charlie, Joseph's coat and quackgrass vs. crabgrass.

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

Great landscape design is just one find at this years flower and garden shows.  I'd like to share my experiences with you that I've gained through appearing and touring flower and garden shows across the country. Then I'll answer gardeners' questions on pruning weigela and fertilizing apple trees. My pest tip covers thatch in the lawn. I'll discuss a great quick read, The Man Who Planted Trees by Jean Giono. Finally I'd like to encourage you to visit and share your photos in my photo galleries.

I'll focus this podcast on gardeners' questions. Grubs are invading my garden, is there a safe compound to use? How to get rid of tater bugs? How and when do I prune Knock Out roses? When do I prune back my Peking cotoneaster hedge? Help, I accidentally applied a vegetation killer? What annual plants will not be eaten by rabbits or chipmunks? How can I prevent weeds and animals in my garden? How do I kill off ornamental grass in my backyard?  Then I'll introduce you to UC Berkely and their water wise garden.

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.

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.

This week I focus on Plant Health Care. This is a method of managing plant problems in a proactive and more environmentally friendly manner. It starts with selecting the most pest resistant plant that is best suited to the growing conditions. This along with proper care can eliminate many problems. I continue with tips on proper diagnosis and assessment of a plant health. We start looking at a variety of management strategies that can help reduce the damage of problem insects and diseases.

In this podcast I focus on reviving summer stressed lawns. I answer a gardener's question on ridding the lawn of wild violets. Then Kristin Gies joins me for tips on managing scab. I finish off with a favorite product, Grass Fast, a fabric mulch used to establish newly seeded lawns.

Melinda Myers at Wisconsin State Fair...
Gardens are ever changing. I'll offer a few tips for helping you transform a landscape or maximizing the growing space in your existing gardens. I'll talk soil preparation, fertilization, maintenance, spacing plants, shade, hardiness and edibles too.

I'll give advise on caring for bulbs in spring and throughout the year. Then I answer gardeners' questions on redbud and plants to attract birds and butterflies. I'll offer ways to protect your bulbs from animals. I'll finish with some tips on fertilizing with Milorganite.

I give tips on giving your landscape that needed spring clean up. Then I answer gardeners’ questions on growing grass under trees. Next Kristin Gies joins me for tips on golden canker. I finish by recommending a wonderful organization, the National Wildlife Federation, helping you turn your backyard into a certified backyard garden. For more information visit their website at nwf.org/backyard.

This podcast features tips on proper lawn care. Then I answer a gardener's question on lawn thatch. Kristin Gies joins me for tips on identifying and managing spittlebugs. I finish off with a favorite product, Milorganite, a slow release, organic fertilizer for your lawn and garden.

Bring those tropical plants in from the cold! I"ll discuss the special care needed for tropicals. Then I'll answer gardeners' questions about poinsettia in the garden, sweet potato vine, and Milorganite and weeds. White flies are the subject of my pest tip. I recommend the book Palms Won't Grow Here and Other Myths: Warm-Climate Plants for Cooler Areas by David A. Francko.

In this podcast I discuss the popularity of tropical plants for any garden. Then I answer gardeners’ questions on landscape fabric over bulbs and deformed gladiolas. Next Kristin Gies joins me for tips on selecting disease resistant varieties. I finish by recommending a new plant, Tropicanna Black Canna, Canna indica 'Lon01' for more information check out www.monrovia.com

Tips on watering your lawn and garden is the focus of this podcast. Then I answer gardeners’ questions on protecting rhododendrons during the winter and understanding emerald ash borer. Then Kristin Gies joins me for tips on managing anthracnose. I finish off with a favorite product from Gardener’s Supply Company, Aqua Cones, to assist gardeners with the task of watering.

In this podcast I focus on xeriscaping, as a continuation of our water conservation series. Then I answer gardeners' questions on the spacing of Blue Rug junipers and planting hostas under trees. Next Kristin joins me to discuss managing and avoiding leaf scorch. I finish by recommending a favorite product, Milorganite.