The 2007 All-America Selections plant winners Celosia ‘Fresh Look Gold’, Vinca ‘Pacifica Burgundy Halo’, Petunia F1 ‘Opera Supreme Pink Morn’, and Pepper F1 ‘Holy Mole’ are the focus of this podcast. Then I answer a gardener's question on keeping Russian sage from flopping over. Next Kristin Gies joins me for tips on checking your landscape for animal damage. I finish by recommending Monrovia Nursery and their website, for great plant information.

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.

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.

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.

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).

Proper harvesting will help insure the best flavor, quality and maximum productivity.  I'll share tips on harvesting squash, peppers, and potatoes as well as many other popular crops.  Also, what to do with green tomatoes. I answer gardeners' questions on tomato troubles and clematis with yellow leaves.  I'll discuss how these pepper plants (pictured) received help from Purple Cow in the garden. I'll finish with a mention of a great harvesting tool, the garden hod.

Tis the Season! I'll discuss the ways in which cutflowers, amaryllis or forced spring bulbs help lift spirits during the holiday season. I answer gardening questions on cutting back spirea and planting mums in the garden. The tiny spider mite is the subject of my pest tip. I'll finish with a great holiday gift that the  whole family can enjoy, AeroGarden.

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

I once again offer you a guided tour of Boerner Botanical Gardens. This podcasts focuses on my June 23rd walk highlighting ground covers and vines. This season's warm temperatures have also allowed many perennials to put on their display a little early than the norm. We have a number covered here that are sure to give you ideas on how to fill your landscape with color.

Virtual Garden Tour

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.

In this podcast I discuss growing a nutritional garden. Then I answer gardeners’ questions on getting rid of ferns and what to plant under evergreens. Next Kristin Gies joins me for tips on herbicide damage. I finish by recommending a few favorite websites for ordering unique and fun fruits and vegetables: Johnny's Selected Seeds, The Cook's Garden, and Renee's Garden.

Fall is here and that means its time to harvest and select the perfect pumpkin for your garden or holiday display. In this podcast I offer tips on selecting the best possible pumpkin. I'll explain how to use the seeds for a healthy treat or a creative art project. Besides carving I'll detail other creative ways to work pumpkins and other garden plants into your Halloween or other holiday displays. My pest tip covers one of the good guys - the garden spider. I finish with a mention of a great book for your gardening library, "The Nonstop Garden" by Stephanie Cohen and Jennifer Benner.

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.

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.

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.

The sense of smell is one of the most powerful of the senses tied to our memories. On this podcast I'll talk fragrance in the garden and the moments in time that scent helps us capture. Then I'll answer a listener's question on beetles in the garden.  I'll discuss how to manage mealybugs in my pest tip.  I'll finish with a mention of a great eco-friendly product, the plant derived Neem.

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.