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.

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

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 share some of the new plant finds of this season. Ball Horticulture has some exciting new petunias, including Black Velvet. Their Double Zahara Zinnias, Gryphon Begonia and Pow Wow Echinacea are exciting new plants. Bailey Nursery's Little Devil Diablo Ninebark and Vanilla Strawberry Hydrangea will make great additions to the shrub and mixed border. Green Leaf Nursery has introduced a brilliant green dogwood, Garden Glow. I'll answer gardeners' questions on winter container arrangements and rose pests.

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.

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.

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.

I'll offer tips on how to create an outdoor party with the help of colorful plants and containers. Then I answer a gardener's question on lupine seedlings.  I'll talk strategies for dealing with rose slug. I finish with container ideas from Proven Winners and Ball Seed Company.

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

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

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.

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.

My topic this week is trees, with proper care you can keep them healthy for a lifetime. I answer gardeners' questions on raspberries and overwintering containers. I'll discuss problems and solutions for carpenter ants that nest in and decay wood.

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.

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.

This podcast will focus on getting your plants ready for growing outdoors. I'll discuss getting non-hardy bulbs started indoors for earlier bloom outside. Next I'll cover spring care for those overwintered geraniums. Then I'll answer a gardener's question on Canadian goldenrod. My pest tip deals with late blight on tomatoes. Click here for the University of Wisconsin Extension publication on Late Blight. I finish with a beautiful watering devise I discovered at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show that has a little history behind it, the Thumb Pot. Besides being pictured here you can get more information on this and other wonderful artistic garden items at artgardenlaura.blogspot.com.

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).

Season long color using summer flowering bulbs leads off this podcast. Then I answer gardeners' questions on persimmon trees, maple with spotted and curled leaves and rabbits eating marigolds. I'll finish with information on bacterial blight.

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.

In this podcast I'll give descriptions of clinging vines, twining vines and winding vines. I'll answer gardeners' questions on ridding weeds in the vegetable garden and crabgrass growing thru dianthus. Then I'll talk about dieback on hardy shrub roses. I'll finish with a recommendation of a great plant, Campanula 'Pink Octopus'.

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.