Garden Talk

Arboretums are wonderful places to learn about plants and gardening. We talk about native plants and upcoming events with our guest, the Senior Outreach Specialist in the Wisconsin Native Plant Garden at the UW-Madison Arboretum.

With summer winding down, there are a lot of to-dos in terms of lawn care during the fall. We talk about lawn revival, overseeding and repair. Our turf expert also explains the importance of fall fertilization and perennial weed control.

Should you seed your prairie garden in the fall or summer? What about burning, when's the best time? We answer those questions, as well as talk about transplanting, collecting seeds and weed control with our prairie garden expert.

A water feature can transform an ordinary garden into an extraordinary one. We talk about what to consider when adding a pond or other water feature to your landscape, what plants work well and what you need to do to maintain it.

Late summer in the garden can be a challenge. We turn to two plant experts to discuss how to deal with pests like lily leaf beetle and jumping worms, and diseases like mildew and cedar-apple rust.

We discuss compact plants and how their small stature can help solve garden problems, especially when space and time are limited. Suggestions include edibles, flowering and fruiting trees and shrubs, evergreens and perennials.

Are you looking to add more color and a bit of pizzazz to your garden? There’s still plenty of time. We talk to a gardening expert about what annuals and perennials will bring color from now into the fall, and the best ways to plant them.

Irises have been a staple in our gardens for centuries. We focus on these beautiful plants and learn about growing them, making them happy and all the different cultivars that are available.

The Vicars are back to talk about cultivating and caring for vegetables. We look at the five new winners of the All-American Selections (AAS) designation. They include cucumber, tomato and watermelon varieties.

Animals and plants in a shared ecosystem have evolved to be codependent. We talk about how to choose native plant varieties that will support the most wildlife, and how to blend native plants into your home garden to create a beautiful and sustainable habitat.