I'm talking All-Americas Selections (AAS) for 2009 in this podcast. The mission of All-America Selections is "to promote new garden seed varieties with superior garden performance judged in impartial trials in North America". I then answer gardeners' questions on re-blooming amaryllis, poinsettia care, and Christmas cactus. Visit the Perennial Plant Association website for Perennial Plant of the Year award winners. I'll finish with heat stress of plants.  Click here to view the American Horticultural Society Heat Zone Map.

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.

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.

In honor of Arbor Day, I focus this podcast on trees. Then I answer gardener's question on propagating shrubs. Next Kristin Gies joins me for tips on sphaeropsis shoot blight and canker. I finish by recommending a favorite “old” plant, bristlecone pine. For more information on Arbor Day events in your area, visit arbor-day.net

In this podcast I'll be doing something a little different. I'll offer you a guided tour of my May 19th walking tour of Boerner Botanical Gardens. Follow along with me by clicking on the virtural tour. I'll discuss spring flowering trees, shrubs and perennials and I'll talk groundcovers, attractive plant combinations and overlooked gems in the garden.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Think Spring! I want to share some new products with you for your garden and landscape. Then I'll answer gardeners' questions on worm composting. New Product: Worms Eat My Garbage by Mary Apelhof ISBN 0-942256-10-7. Pest Tip: damping off fungus

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 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'.

Planting spring blooming bulbs is the focus of this podcast. Then I answer gardeners’ questions on planting glory of the snow bulbs and what to do with left over bulbs. Then Kristin Gies joins me for tips on managing boxelder bugs. I finish off with a favorite website, bulb.com, with helpful tips on growing bulbs in your area.

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.

Helpful information and instruction on how to prune trees is the focus of this podcast. I'll then answer gardeners' questions on Zone 5 wedding flowers and spindly seedlings.  My pest tip centers on anthracnose and spur blight on raspberries. I finish by recommending a great addition to any garden library, Small Perennial Gardens: The Know Maintenance Approach by Roy Diblik (ISBN: 978-1-887632-00-3).

Start planting fruits, vegetables and herbs indoors! No matter where you live, you can get started now. I answer gardeners' questions on Illini Hardy blackberry, plants that attract finches and using baking soda for disease control. I'll talk about fungus gnats in this week's pest tip and using Gnatrol with Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) for control.

Starting early blooming plants indoors from seeds is the focus of this podcast. Then I answer gardeners’ questions on brown spots of ficus plants and keeping poinsettias year round. Next Kristin Gies joins me for discussion of last year’s pest issues and her prediction on issues in the coming year. I finish by recommending a new product called CowPots.

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.

Growing and tending indoor plants is good for the spirit but also good for your health. I'll answer gardeners' questions on Japanese silver grass, overwintering hibiscus, repotting cactus and growing lilies. I'll discuss what we can do for our tomato plants that have spots on them? I'll finish by talking about a recent visit to Garvan Woodland Gardens at the University of Arkansas Hot Springs, Arkansas.