Create Your Own Outdoor Paradise - 2025 Library Program

Spending time in nature and gardens helps reduce stress, improves mental and physical health, and elevates mood. Whether living in an apartment, condo, or house with a small or large lot, you can create an outdoor paradise.  From April – June, gardening expert and author Melinda Myers is inviting Public Libraries throughout Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and its patrons to participate in free webinars and activities as part of the 2025 Create Your Own Outdoor Paradise Program to learn about affordable ways for everyone to boost the beauty and enjoyment of time spent outdoors from spring through fall. Affordable, sustainable, and beautiful gardening strategies for creating an outdoor paradise will be covered. 

The webinars and activities are completely free thanks to underwriting sponsor We Energies.

Gardening Webinars, Videos, and Activities

Sponsored by: 

Gardening Webinars presented by Melinda Myers:

*Event happened 4/2/25 - Container Gardens for Sun and Shade

Container gardens add color and seasonal interest to balconies, patios, decks, and even your front entrance. No matter where they’re placed, matching the plants to the available sunlight will help boost success.  Gardening expert and author Melinda Myers will share container plant combinations for both sun-filled and shady locations. Plus, she’ll provide tips on the proper care to keep them looking good all season long.

WATCH RECORDING

DOWNLOAD HANDOUT

DOWNLOAD SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION & RESOURCES
 

*Event happened 5/7/25 - Vertical Gardening

Save space, screen bad views, and create privacy by growing vertically. We’ll discuss fun, affordable, and attractive ways to use this gardening technique to incorporate flowers and edibles into your landscape and container gardens. Gardening expert and author Melinda Myers will share ways vertical gardening can help reduce energy use by shading air conditioners, walls, and outdoor seating.

WATCH RECORDING

DOWNLOAD HANDOUT

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

June 4^th @ 6:30 PM CT

Attracting Hummingbirds

Invite these beautiful pollinators to your landscape by growing a few of their favorite flowers. Add one or more feeders and don’t forget the water.  Gardening expert and author Melinda Myers will cover a variety of hummingbird-favorite shrubs and flowers to include in your gardens and containers. Plus, we’ll discuss tips for filling, cleaning, and placing feeders in the landscape to support and keep them safe.

Register Here

Gardening How-To Videos & Activities

Be sure to share photos of your activities
on social media and include #OutdoorParadise to inspire others.

April 2025 - From Seed to Your Container or Garden

Starting plants from seeds indoors allows you to jump-start the season, save money, and grow varieties unavailable from the garden center. You can start the garden season now with a few containers, new or made from repurposed items, seed starting mix, and seeds. The video and activity guide will cover the following:

• Ways to spend less and benefit more when starting seeds indoors
• Tips to boost success from planting the seeds to tending the young seedlings
• Tackling any problems that may arise

DOWNLOAD the ACTIVITY GUIDE and WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW

May 2025 - Create a Vertical Garden From Repurposed Items

Planters mounted to walls, fences, or other vertical structures add color and growing space where needed. Create your own from old pallets, used pots, discarded blue jeans, and more. The video and activity guide will cover the following:

• Directions for creating a small pallet with container gardens and a second one from old jeans
• Tips for selecting plants suited to these types of planters
• How to care for these and any similar type of vertical garden

DOWNLOAD THE ACTIVITY GUIDE and WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW

June 2025 - Inviting Nature's Insect Managers Into the Garden

Hummingbirds not only help pollinate our plants but like most birds, they supplement their plant-based diet with insects.  Keep them and beneficial insects safe by working with nature to manage insect pests in the garden. The video and activity guide will cover the following:

• Identifying a few of the good, bad, and ugly insects you may find in the garden
• Tips for deciding when to leave them be or help nature manage the problem
• Eco-friendly methods for managing problems when intervention is needed

ACTIVITY GUIDE - COMING SOON!

VIDEO - COMING SOON!

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