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In this issue for WELCOME TO THE WISCONSIN GARDENER E-NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2006:
COLUMN FROM SHELLEY RYAN, PRODUCER/HOST OF THE WISCONSIN GARDENER
GARDEN EXPO OVERVIEW LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES AT GARDEN EXPO BUY NEW COOKBOOKS AND T-SHIRTS FEATURED BROADCAST PROGRAMS ON WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER HOW TO SUBSCRIBE OR UNSUBSCRIBE COLUMN FROM SHELLEY RYAN, PRODUCER/HOST OF THE WISCONSIN GARDENER 
Behind every program of The Wisconsin Gardener there is a story. Sticks and Twigs, airing at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, is no exception. The program includes segments on pruning, grafting, tabletop fountains and making faerie furniture. It was great fun to put together. I had wanted to do a segment on grafting for quite some time. The idea of making more trees from existing trees in my own backyard really intrigued me. Us plant a-holics always want more! Olbrich Gardens in Madison offers a variety of wonderful gardening classes every year. I know because I have taken many of them, some work related, some just for fun. When I saw who was teaching the grafting class, Jeff Epping, I signed up immediately. Jeff is one of my favorite people. He s also a great teacher and an incredibly knowledgeable horticulturist. I knew I was in good hands. The class was filled. Being a somewhat shy TV personality, I quietly took a seat in the middle of the crowd and enthusiastically took notes as Jeff shared his wisdom. I was fine until Jeff mentioned the grafting knives we were going to be using were extremely sharp and are always sharpened on one side for right-handed users. Because I am left-handed I of course had to make a smart remark. Oops. I really should have kept quiet and not called attention to myself. Class proceeded calmly and we moved from note taking to hands on. My first practice grafting slices were pretty good so I progressed to my first real graft cut. I took the nice, sharp grafting knife, sliced my branch and my right index finger. Being a little embarrassed, I could see headlines like Wisconsin Gardener cuts off finger in gardening class, I quietly went to the bathroom, washed the cut and properly applied pressure. By this time, blood was pouring down my hand and all over the sink. I applied pressure and tried to clean up at the same time. Dumb idea, kind of like using a square of paper towel to mop up Niagara Falls. Sheepishly, I went back to class and explained that I might have a little problem. The look on Jeff s face was almost worth the pain. Needless to say, after much embarrassment and four stitches later, I have decided to leave the world of grafting to right-handed people like Jeff. He makes it look so easy. You ll notice in the broadcast segment that I never touch the knife. One footnote -- the next evening I had to go back to Olbrich to attend a gardening lecture. Imagine my surprise when Olbrich staff members who called out, Oh, look, it s Shelley-lop-a-finger Ryan greeted me at the front door. GARDEN EXPO OVERVIEW Flower power with a vengeance, that s one way to describe the fast-approaching Garden Expo. Mark calendars for Feb. 10 12 at the Exhibition Hall at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison.Tickets for Garden Expo are $6 in advance and $7 at the door; for $10, expo-goers may purchase a two-day pass. Children 12 years and under are admitted for free. Parking is an additional fee and not under the control of Garden Expo sponsors. The event will run from 4 9 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 10; 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11; and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12. A full list of advance ticket vendors is available at the Web site: http://www.wpt.org/gardenexpo. Garden Expo is supported by the Wisconsin Landscape Contractors Association and hosted by WPT, Friends of WHA-TV and the UW-Extension-Cooperative Extension Horticulture Team. LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES AT GARDEN EXPO 
More than 100 educational seminars and demonstrations make Garden Expo a can t-miss event for those thirsting for knowledge on gardens, lawns and landscapes. Many popular seminars are offered more than once during the three-day event. All are taught by experts who are very willing to field questions and swap stories. A sampling of topics this year includes rain gardens, ornamental grasses and tree pruning. There also will be 20 workshops available for an additional fee. These are a way to learn something new, and take home a thing. There will be workshops on Adirondack furniture, a marble tree sprinkler, making succulent wreaths and more. A full list of all learning opportunities is available at http://www.wpt.org/gardenexpo. BUY NEW COOKBOOKS AND T-SHIRTS Stop by the WPT booth at Garden Expo. It will be the first chance to buy the new Wisconsin Gardener T-shirt, this year offered in both long- and short-sleeved varieties. It s a guacamole-green shirt with a lovely reddish-orange tulip surrounded by flitting butterflies.The third edition of the popular Wisconsin Gardener Cookbook, featuring recipes submitted by people from all over the state, will be for sale as well. FEATURED BROADCAST PROGRAMS ON WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION Jan. 13 through Feb. 197:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26 (encore air at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 29) The Wisconsin Gardener Sticks and Twigs. In this all-new episode, gain some practical skills about pruning and how to graft trees. Then, turn to the perhaps less practical, but still lots of fun making faerie furniture and enjoying tabletop fountains. http://www.wpt.org/garden. Funding for The Wisconsin Gardener is provided, in part, by Ariens Co., http://www.ariens.com. 2 p.m. Sundays (except, Jan. 29) Garden Smart. Practical advice and ideas about the latest garden gadgets. http://www.gardensmart.tv 2:30 p.m. Sundays The Victory Garden. Host Michael Weishan tours gardens and offers tips. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/victorygarden 3 p.m. Sundays in January P. Allen Smith s Garden Home. Thoughts on blending indoor and outdoor spaces. http://www.pallensmith.com 3 p.m. Sundays, beginning on Feb. 5 Smart Gardening. In this first episode of the new series on WPT, learn about succulents. Other offerings throughout the month instruct on making a French drain and varieties of basil. http://www.smartgardeningtv.com ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER How to Subscribe How to Unsubscribe | |||
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