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.

This week's topic is “big” trees and the proper way of planting them. I'll answer gardeners' questions on planting in challenging situations and non-blooming hydrangeas. I'll follow that with a pest discussion on Japanese beetle, which feeds on 300 or more species. I'll finish with imformation on the American Forests.

I discuss harvesting fresh blooms and preserving flowers from your summer garden to enjoy year round. I answer gardener questions concerning mushrooms in the lawn and how to transplant Russian sage. Next I talk about problems & solutions regarding the golden tortoise beetle destroying leaves of morning glory and sweet potato vine. I conclude with a visit to PreservedGardens.com, a site that offers resources, ideas, helpful tips and links to artists.

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.

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.

I give tips on creating an edible landscape by incorporating fruit. Then I answer gardeners questions on hydrangeas that won't bloom and grasshoppers eating apple trees. Next Kristin Gies joins me for tips on eastern and forest tent caterpillars and gypsy moth. I finish by recommending a wonderful catalogue, One Green World for unusual fruiting trees and shrubs.

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'.

A friend's recent wedding inspired me to share with you some ideas on using cut flowers from the garden. I'll then answer a gardener's question on starting trees and shrubs from cuttings. I'll follow that with an update on Emerald Ash Borer. I'll finish with some information on Bayer Tree and Shrub Insecticide.

This episode I talk about cutting and drying flowers from your garden. Then I answer gardeners’ questions about protecting butterfly bush through the winter and getting honeysuckle vine to bloom. Then Kristin Gies joins me for tips on managing root rot. I finish off with a favorite product, the Never-Dull Scissors, a handy tool to assist in many garden tasks.

In this podcast I expand on edible landscaping by incorporating ornamental vegetables and flowers. Then I answer gardeners’ questions on why a new lilac shrub has no blooms and dealing with spider mites on plumeria. Next Kristin Gies joins me for information on emerald ash borer (EAB). For more information on this pest visit the Michigan Dept. of Agriculture website or Wisconsin's Emerald Ash Borer Information Source. To find a certified arborist in your area visit treesaregood.org. I finish by recommending a great book, The Complete Book of Edible Landscaping by Rosalind Creasy (ISBN# 0871562499).

In this podcast I'll be focusing on the larger group of evergreen shrubs and selecting the right cultivar that fits in your landscape. Then I'll answer gardeners' questions on ground ivy in the lawn, ant hills, using vermiculite in square foot gardening and building a raised spiral herb garden. My pest tip centers on pine needle scale. I'll finish with a tip on growing a vertical garden.

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.

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.

The second summer or fall garden is the subject of this podcast. Annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs that put on a show in the late summer or fall garden. I answer gardeners' questions on transplanting dogwood and white flowers on a purple rose of Sharon? Emerald ash borer is the focus of this week's pest tip.

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'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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This week I’ll continue the discussion from last week on Plant Health Care – a method of pest management. I’m going to address leaf miner damage, defoliators (caterpillars) that consume foliage, sawfly and many other destructive insects. I'll answer a gardener's question about diagnosing perennial problems. The International Herb Association presents Lemon Balm as the herb of the year for 2007 - additional information can be found on The Herb Society of America website.

I have some great gardening tips on how to plant hardy bulbs when winter gets the ground a bit crunchy. I then answer gardeners' questions on strawberries and dividing Annabelle hydrangea. I'll discuss how to stop animals from damaging your bulbs. I finish with a great garden tool for protecting your bulbs, the bulb cage from Gardener's Supply Company.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Listen closely and I'll share with you some interesting history on our most popular garden vegetable, the tomato. Justice Gray stated; "Botanically speaking, tomatoes are fruits of a vine". I answer gardeners' questions on creating a flower bed and wilted annuals and perennials. I finish with a mention of Seed Savers Exchange.

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.

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

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.

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.