The holidays are here, your garden may be buried in snow and the family is restless.  Everyone could benefit from a little horticulture relief.  Get easy and affordable ideas for indoor gardening projects for the whole family.  Build a terrarium, start seeds, or create colorful plant markers and more.  And I will give you a recipe for peanut butter suet, talk about the benefits and concerns of using coffee grounds in your garden, and uncover the mysteries of the 3-month-old flocked and the sprouting cut Christmas tree.  Visit www.bottlebiology.org for more fun affordable hands-on and educational projects for the kids.

This episode features tips attracting birds and butterflies to your garden. Then I answer a gardener's question on lichen on a rose tree. Kristin Gies joins me for tips on controlling disappearing bulbs. I finish off with a new plant, My Monet Weigela - Weigela florida ‘Verweig’. For more information about this plant, visit Spring Meadow Nursery.

I cover winter interest in the garden. Then I answer gardeners’ questions from across the country on preventing slugs on hostas and dealing with powdery mildew on beebalm. Next Kristin Gies joins me for tips on managing multi-colored Asian lady beetles. I finish off with a favorite plant, fothergilla (Fothergilla), planted for its fragrant blooms and great fall color.

Deadheading and grooming flowers is the topic of this podcast. Then I answer gardeners’ questions on the bloom time and poor flowering of wisteria and trumpet vine. I finish off with a favorite plant, the 2006 Perennial Plant of the Year (PPY), Firewitch Dianthus (Dianthus gratianopolitanus ‘Feuerhexe’). Visit the Perennial Plant Association website for information on all the PPY winners.

Helpful guidelines on how to maintain gardens and landscapes after torrential rainfall is the focus of this podcast. I'll answer gardeners' questions on what to do when peonies are flattened by storms and perennials that will attract birds and butterflies in shade. I'll discuss the problem of root rot. I'll finish with the importance of hiring a certified tree care professional. To find a Certified Arborist in your area visit treesoaregood.org.

In this podcast I'll continue to share my experiences visiting garden shows in Syracuse, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska and South Dakota. Then I'll answer gardeners' questions about shade gardens and shrubs and flowers that attract birds and butterflies. My pest tip focuses on golden canker on dogwood. I'll finish with a word on the Master Gardener program.

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.

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.

Increase your gardening success by choosing the right plant for the growing conditions. I'll talk heat and cold hardiness, soil conditions, light conditions, and other environmental factors. Visit our Plant Guide for help choosing the right plant for your landscape. Next I'll answer gardeners' questions on butterfly bush and hydrangea care. My pest tip covers moss in the yard. I finish with a product from Moss Acres, the Moss Milkshake.

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.

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.

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'.

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.