Garden Talk

From practical gifts to experiences to share with kids, we have holiday gift suggestions for the gardeners and nature lovers on your list.

Many of us give or receive plants as holiday gifts. We find out how to pick them out and care for them.

We talk with horticulture educator Lisa Johnson about wrapping up this year’s growing season. Topics include mums, bulb planting, and what to expect of trees and shrubs that were under water this year.

Flowering indoor plants can brighten even the dreariest day. We talk about how to get your plants to bloom and how to prolong their color.

Herbs are a great way to garden year-round. We talk with Olbrich Botanical Gardens’ herb horticulturist about growing, using and preserving herbs.

Where do you find inspiration for your landscape design? Do you carry memories of gardens or plants, and do those influences find their way into your plantings? Once you get an idea that you can picture it in your head, how do you carry that through and make it happen? We explore how we can we better translate our ideas into our landscape with a horticulture curator.

Many gardeners are clearing out their vegetable plots and wondering how to keep their produce from spoiling. We talk with a UW-Extension horticulture/agriculture agent about what you can do to save potatoes, tomatoes and other bounty from the garden.

Did you have problems with disease in your garden this year? We talk about how to keep this year’s problems from coming back next year.

Garden color in the late fall and winter is subtle but still beautiful, according to the director of Allen Centennial Garden in Madison. We look at why leaving clean up to Mother Nature is the best and what plants have great winter interest.

Much of Wisconsin has experienced violent storms in recent weeks. We talk to a UW-Extension horticulturist about how to treat trees that have been damaged by flooding and wind.

Did you discover some great new plants this year? We talk with a horticulturist about how to care for those plants over the winter - even annuals.

We talk with UW-Extension horticulture educator Lisa Johnson about wild cucumber vine, why there’s so much and if it is a problem. We also take a look at dealing with flooded gardens and when to plant fall bulbs.

Water is important to plants. But sometimes they can get too much of a good thing. We talk with a UW horticulture educator about how to care for plants that have received too much water.

Lots of Wisconsin lawns are under water or have been left very wet because of recent flooding. Our turf expert is back to talk the effects of too much water. He also will talk about crabgrass and the right time to reseed your lawn.

There is still plenty of time to add fall color to your landscape. Our guest gardener is from the UW Arboretum and specializes in native plant gardening. We also hear about an upcoming native plant gardening conference and other upcoming activities.