cc >> Okay, I'm going to have you
clap again. [LAUGHTER]
I would like to welcome you to our panel discussion
celebrating 20 years of The Wisconsin Gardener.
[APPLAUSE] Thank you.
[APPLAUSE] You did
[LAUGHTER] One of the things we're going to
do today is talk about
the show, but also highlights of highlights of the 20 years of
the gardening industry, the gardening field, what's changed,
the good and the
I'd like to start out, bad and whatever.
distinguished panel. These though, but introducing our
people that have been on my show, and mostly my favorites.
[LAUGHTER] This one's a favorite.
Mark Dwyer from Rotary
[APPLAUSE] He's the one Gathat taught me youe.
can grow bananas in Wisconsin. [LAUGHTER]
Brian Hudelson, Extension pathologist, also lovingly known
as Dr. Death. [APPLAUSE]
Phil Pellitteri,
Every time I hear him speak, I Extension entomologist.
and I'm going get another degree think I'm going back to school
insects fascinating. [LAUGHTER]
[APPLAUSE] Neil Diboll,
president of Prairie
And he's the one Nursery out of Westfield.
One of the first things I planted in my garden was a small
prairie, and all the neighbors
"Are them wildflowers said, ?" [LAUGHTER]doing?
[APPLAUSE] And that's one of the things
that has changed in 20
And then Larry Meiller, who I've actually known for 30-plus
years. He's the host
I've been on with him many of Garden Talk.
been lucky enough to times, and occasionally I've
And let me tell you, he makes that job look an awful lot
easier than it is. [LAUGHTER]
[APPLAUSE]
There's two seats for two special people
up here in the front row.
Right here. [LAUGHTER]
Now I'm embarrassed. [LAUGHTER]
You ain't seen nothing
I do want to mention, you have yet. [LAUGHTER]
chair, and it lists allthe upcoming shows.your
The next show, March 4, is
inspired, it's called "How a brand new show, and it's
It's inspired completely to Cure a Brown Thumb."
[LAUGHTER] Once you've by my sister's gardening.
with a spaghetti seen somebody garden
You know they need fork... [LAUGHTER]
Luckily, she's in Chicago and can't hear a darn thing we're
saying. [LAUGHTER]
The April show is already wrong in the schedule, but it's a good
chance to promote the fact that you can check out all of our
shows on our website. wpt.org and then click
on Wisconsin. We have a brand new website, and
you can even watch the videos and actually watch me age 20
years right in front
Please don't. [LAUGHTER]
In addition to Phil Pellitteri, who was on one of the first
shows in 1992, I'd like to
on the very first show in 1992. Jim Schroeder, would you please
stand up for a minute and turn around.
[APPLAUSE] One of the first lessons we
learned was don't try to do an entire show in one day.
[LAUGHTER] By 5:00
disgusted, angry and had not we were sunburned,
[LAUGHTER] And they a cstill let us do thisng.
for another 20 years. >>
thought a five-minute spot Jim told me once that he
[LAUGHTER] He didn't would be five minutes.
with him, he said that day, and he had to run out to McDonald's
and get lunch and come
I don't think any of us, this was my idea but when I first
went to the station manager 20
don't know me but you need a years ago and said, hi, you
what's your television garden show, he said, well,
did a carpet commercial backgrouonce. [LAUGHTER]well, I
I thought it was enough.
blindly. A number So wof people at thethis
station helped me create this.
how to make it into reality. I had the idea; I had no idea
people, Laurie Gorman, in particular, and Nancy Ciezki
who are not here that I need to thank because I didn't know how
to make the picture part. I just knew how to do the
weeding and the planting. And even Jim Schroeder helped
with that. He was one of my instructors as
a master gardener. One of the other inspirations
that's really helped me through 20 years to keep going when it
was 95 degrees out and I was
[LAUGHTER] I don't trying to pretend I was happy.
[LAUGHTER] But through like 95 degrees.
dislocated shoulders, tripping, falling, things like that, but
that has kept me going for
through the times when it was 2hot out and not so fun isng
somebody else that's in the room, and I'm going to embarrass
him. My dad is almost completely
blind, and what did he do?
board, and when his vision He's on the Columbia County
feeling sorry for himself, he joined the Wisconsin Council for
the Blind to try to help other people.
And it's that kind of inspiration that has kept me
going through my own hard times.
credit you with a lot of So, dad, I really would like to
going. So if you would stand up,
please, dad. [APPLAUSE]
Turn around. [APPLAUSE]
And don't come late again. [LAUGHTER]
I think I just dropped
So, with that,... >> I my glasses, too.
to these guys, or have these think we should talk
experiences with you. >> Oh.
[LAUGHTER] >> I'm pretty sure Brian
Hudelson has perhaps a story or two that we might enjoy hearing.
Brian. >> Yeah, Shelley's giving me the
evil eye because she knows I
things if I wanted to. >> can You have a time limit.sing
[LAUGHTER] >> Yes, I know.
I think my first memory was doing that first show and being
absolutely terrified. It was
started in the clinic, and I had very shortly after I had
And Shelley made it look never done television before.
As much as you said it was really easy, actually.
pleasant experience and I've difficult for you, it was a very
My favorite episode, though, has had a blast doing that.
garden expo, I came up to you and I said, Shelley, we have tot
talk smut. [LAUGHTER]
And that developed into our,
did was "Where Bad Pathogens Go Good," where I talked about how
plant pathogens can actually
segment on huitlacoche. be >> Which is corn smut.d a
Corn smut. That was one of my favorite
episodes. So it's been a lot of fun.
I enjoy working with
And I also enjoy the crews you. >> Thank you.
her really, really because we can really gang up on
And Phil Pellitteri, were you on the first show?
The second. >> The second show.
1992. >> There's always bugs to
complain about so that
The fun thing, I guess before when I've done stuff we were
allowed to make mistakes because
paste. So to show up they would edit and cut and
basically we're going to do five-six minutes and there's
no cutting and pasting. It
shoot might take you about 10 turns through and what not.e
But the crew was just an
almost wish you were paid for as much fun, I guess, we've had
over the years doing
It's not the easiest thing to get excited about a Japanese
beetle and be pleasant
[LAUGHTER] >> A Japanese about it, but we do.
one of those things that 20 years ago we didn't even hear
about. >> No.
My mentor, Chuck Covell, I know some of you know, he said he was
going to retire before that critter got going and he did and
I've never forgiven Chuck. [LAUGHTER]
This summer we're going to
critter, the giant air a segment on another new
Yeah, and that's a neat one. cicada killers.
but it really is It's big and scary looking
It's one of these things when I look at my career, one of the
big changes has been the climate
northward. So this is has alan insect that was a move
central Illinois or Indianapolis
this state, and we will continue insect, and now we have it in
especially when we to see those kind of changes,
I've said it before on Larry's lack the cold weather.
Missouri, he just show, tdidn't tell us.ed us to
[LAUGHTER] >> And if
watch the show this summer you see this, folks,
this big, and they look scarier than all get out but they don't
want us. They just eat cicadas.
And I think one of the things Phil and I have tried to do is
do preventative maintenance to
don't need to run and hide from tebecause hopefully this willyou
prevent a lot of
[LAUGHTER] >> Definitely.
And the males can't sting, and
one to get stung. So the females you'd have to tackle
But to look at things, people tend to react to big and ugly
in unfavorable ways. [LAUGHTER]
Especially with wings. >> Yeah.
And Mark, the Rotary Garden in Janesville has been in
existence to 23 years now, and
you've been on my show and you've been a part of the show,
Shelley. I'm wondering you've also been on with
changes in how people look at various plants?
Are there some plants now that
trees, that are a lot more are a lot more popular, shrubs,
20 years ago? >> That's populara great question.hey were
I think what I've observed, and something that Shelley has hit
on with her shows at the
ornamental edibles. The idea gardens, is the trend toward
we can have plants that are beautiful but also functional in
the kitchen. And I
there was a huge, kind of an think with the economy
which is very important, but increase in home gardening,
spaces, growing our own food for growing vegetables in tight
been a great trend and plants, food safety issues, I think it's
should be part of our our vegegarden's proper.iful and
And Neil, for you, I think 20 years ago people probably looked
at prairies a whole lot differently than they do today.
A whole lot differently. Let's
I first started working with go back 35 years ago when
these pljobs. [LAUGHTER]e whack
So some things never
[LAUGHTER] >> Well, as change, I guess.
when people thought Queen Anne's Lace was a wildflower.
And I guess you could classify it as such, but it's
not the one I would choose first.
No. >> But when I went into business
30 years ago, every single
Undeniably, certifiably a weed plant that I grew was a weed.
we plowed up to plant crops, and because there were plants that
from Europe or wherever and wwe plowed up the prairie.rs
And, in fact, some of our local neighbors called us the weed
farm. [LAUGHTER]
And I assured them you come over
one of these will be a weed in and look at my plants and not
and were duly impressed. But your field, and they came over
for people to realize that our it took a long, long time
beautiful, not just the flowers but also the grasses.
Phenomenal plants.
purple coneflower as being And I have to credit
in the mid-'80s, late '80s the ice breaker because
elevated from wildflower suddenly purple coneflower was
[LAUGHTER] >> That to perennial.
Made it important. Suddenly the garden gate opened
and in came the prairie plants
So, to me, purple coneflower which were excluded before.
of prairie plants. [LAUGHTER]
It broke the weed barrier and has been great ever since then.
So it's been a huge change and
environmental benefits, the cost I think people realize the
you do it right and create a savings, the time savings when
as other native prairie plants, you get such benefits all across
the board including saving
chemicals, saving time. energy,>> No fertilizer.limited
No fertilizers and the benefits just pile up over time.
So it's really changed. >> That's changed a lot.
Actually, I've seen a change too
been more than 20 years, and in Garden Talk, which we've
How many years, Larry? >> I've been on the air for
about 44 years. [APPLAUSE]
I was 7 years old when I first...
[LAUGHTER] >> Nice try.
He's here to make me
Kidding. >> One of look young. [LAUGHTER]
really noticed, first, there's the things that I've
vegetable gardening a whoright now. >> Yes.st in
So we kind of go through
25 years ago we were at sort of a low cycle, I think, in terms
of vegetable gardening. Now we're certainly a lot more
interested in that. The other thing I think we're
much more interested in sort
So the least amount or no herbicides, the least amount of
commercial fertilizers. I think there's a much more of
an emphasis on that today among our consumers than there
probably was 20-25 years ago. And so that's been a big change
for me. I wondering about you, how have
things... [LAUGHTER]
How have things changed for you?
show, I was coming out of working at Allen Centennials
Gardens, and I was
And people would look at me and go, what's an heirloom?
And that's one of the biggest changes.
Now when you say I grow heirloom
your talking about. And tomatI think that's just what
exploded. Everybody's,
nurseries, everybody's growing mainstream
apples, and when I was first heirlooms, tomatoes, peppers,
didn't know what I talking about them, people
Again, the prairie plants, I was talking about.
exciting things that I've seen think the other, one of the
Yeah. >> And using on my show is rooftop gardening.
money, energy, keep tbuildings cooler.,
Like Mark said, also, I think the ornamental edibles has just
skyrocketed. Now there's
in seed catalogs for actually a section
And that's always been a passion ornamental edibles.
gardener. If it looks of minegood and I can eata lazy
it, hey. [LAUGHTER]
Why plant twice? But then,
ago people were either a as you said, 20 years
gardener and never the vegetable gardener or a flower
And now that's changed too twain would meet.
condensing, I don't know if our population is all aging or it's
just me... [LAUGHTER]
But we're making our
We're doing ornamental edibles time more valuable.
that's also of use. So, so tyeah, that's the biggestden
change. >> Brian, I'm wondering, we
haven't talked, I don't think we've talked about diseases and
changes in that over time. Are
we haven't seen before? >> you seeing new things that
seeing a lot of pathogens more I think, like Phil, I'm
southern pathogens. The one so that comes to mind whichore
was at Allen Centennial Garden
fungal disease. It's like is sthe granddaddy of theis a
fungal pathogens. If you're an herbaceous plant in
the path of this particular organism, you're dead.
He gets very excited
aI do. [LAUGHTER]
I'm called Dr. Death
And as Shelley can attest, she's for a reason.
she knows what diseases been lurk in my landscape. yard,
I'm actually trying to plant a
that will be interesting to see if that actually flies.o
[LAUGHTER] But that particular pathogen is
very, very aggressive but it
pathogen, and we have seen that over time that while probablyn
20-25 years ago that pathogen didn't survive here in
Wisconsin, with our warmer
will stick around. And winters it is an organism that
problem with that. The so we have a continuing
diseases is probably the other big thing with
After 9/11 there was actually some legislation that came down
at the federal level to link
network, or diagnostic clinics together all of the diagnostic
a network. And so we've at lanbeen spending a lots into
of time basically doing monitoring for new and exotic
both insect pests and also plant diseases.
So if any of you are soy bean farmers, soy bean rust was one
of the diseases that was big. Or you may have heard of sudden
oak death which is a disease
Oregon that's another coone that's of interest.and
So that's been a change from what I used to do.
Well, that's pretty, do you ever have a situation where you
receive something in the mail that you kind of question?
I know where this is
The best sample I've ever had, going. [LAUGHTER]
get and one that I well, one that I like to
The one I got one time was didn't want to get.
Somebody had a fungus growing on their counter top and had
whipped down the counter top and
toilet, and then after they had thdone that, they decided theyir
wanted to know what the fungus
[LAUGHTER] That sat wason my shelf for aboutme.
two weeks before I
The one thing that I do like, which I think is a little bit
anatomical here, but I love getting calls and getting
samples of stink horns. Those are these fungi that look
like a particular part
Let's leave it at ofthat. [LAUGHTER]y.
And I have to say I was in
I went on vacation to Disney heaven about three years ago.
Disney resort and I was able to find three different stink horns
on property all in the
People love to travel with me. same day. [LAUGHTER]
I mexciting. [LAUGHTER]ly
Occupational hazard. >> And Phil, what about you?
Oh. >> You like stink horns too?
No. Just in the sense, I do see a
lot of interesting things.
changed, I guess, is right now One of the things that's
are digital images. And I aboucould make the argumentssing
the digital camera has just been
my career a lot of times. theSo I get to see critters.n in
One of the things is with dealing with the people that we
do, I see people just enamored with nature.
And so I'm seeing pictures
They're not worrying anymore of just neat looking bugs.
and the like, and about that's kind of fun. plants
Now, when somebody sends me a rock and tells me that there are
little alien insects
I've got a rock that's been sitting on my lab bench for
six months, and they
[LAUGHTER] >> I would stilike to see that.ut.
So I do see a few of those samples.
But all and all, it's just
things for the first time. The always fun and we do intercept
me call them because usually people at USDA hate to hear
to know about. And things it'sdo change, as I said. want
There's definitely a dynamic. I can't go through a season
without seeing four or five things I've never seen before.
Isn't that amazing? >>
We keep getting new problems. HHas an insect left?g?
[LAUGHTER] >> One of
again, not so much in this part of the state because we're
similar to the climates in
northern part of the state, the Ilboreal forest, as I said, ashe
things continue to move upwards,
pushed up into Canada and the like, but for the most part it's
been more this migration
Can we get rid of the earwigs?
Earwigs is an interesting one because when I first started my
career the only place we had
Milwaukee. And I know them wawe had done a showhore in
with this. >> Right.
And being a naive, young
entolake effect. [LAUGHTER] the
So it was the early '80s when they took off in Madison, and
to be honest, they made it up to
It takes a long time for an Ashearwig to walk that far.o.
[LAUGHTER] >> It's
So it's an interesting those little legs.
One of the things I think you witness with a lot of these
invasives is that the first few years they get here, they're the
worst. And over time
down. >> The Japanese beetle would bee
an example. >> At least that's my
experience. Now the poor people up in Green
Bay that are just seeing it,
five, six years of misery yet. unfortunately they've got about
patterns where things do balance But you do see a lot of these
encourage you to understand the outdynamics that are going on, I
there. >> One thing that I've seen that
I have to give kudos to Mark
Gardens, which was before you is were there, it was nice.ary
[LAUGHTER] Before you were there.
[LAUGHTER] And that was one of the biggest
changes that I've seen is since you've taken over there
is just how awesome. I mean,
Rotary Gardens, get there. It has just, to use the phrase,
blossomed. [LAUGHTER]
You never know what's going to be the featured area every
spring. My step-mom and I have gone
there and spent way too much on heirloom peppers and things.
But it's just, again, the creativity that you've shown
there, and I would say one of the high points is watching what
you've done with
I now have a banana sitting in my basement because of the
influence of what you've
And I just want to applaud you done with that place.
fplace into. >> Thank you.t
It's fantastic. >> Is that going to cost me
a $20 again? [LAUGHTER]
$50! >> I do want to point out,
Rotary Gardens is a group effort, and the volunteerism
there is it unbelievable. And for those that volunteer in
your community in any capacity, continue to do that and spread
the word because in 23 years of history Rotary Gardens would be
nothing without our 400 volunteers.
Well, and the same
This would not be here. The master gardeners, of which I
am, was one of the best educations I've ever gotten even
with Jim Schroeder's
Actually, it was one of the best help. [LAUGHTER]
where the inspiration for the show came from, becausey
I said here is all this information, now how do we
get it out to the gardeners?
how do we get it Here were all these experts and
And that's really where The Wisconsin Gardener came from.
Absolutely. >> I'd like to think in 20 years
we've got a better educated community, too, because they're
watching this show. >> Maybe
bit more about your experience. I should let you know that Neil
has an international reputation.
person, prairie He's person, in the world.he top
[LAUGHTER] And, actually, he spends some
of his time going around helping
visited many other places and has advised other countries,
people in other countries on this whole topic.
It had to have been a great experience for you to do that?
It is. It's a lot of
it raises questions, my whole thing is native plants, and when
I'm helping a friend in Germany do his prairie garden, it's kind
of like, well, are we maybe going to be causing a problem
here? And he has the
prairie garden south of Frankfurt, and so far none of
the plants have escaped.
I want to send them something nasty back.
[LAUGHTER] And it's great because you get
to work with people, not only internationally, but across most
of the eastern half of the United States.
And it's really gratifying, not only to have that opportunity,
but to bring joy to people and
create, not just flowers and in their landscapes and to
where you really get the grasses, but to create habitat
And that's what I beneflook at as gardening.ystem.
It's not just plants, it's the
within the ecosystem. wholeSo you get the birds,munity
butterflies, and a lot of people
importance of every element of the ecosystem.
For instance, who doesn't like hawks?
Everybody like hawks? Who likes owls?
You hate owls? Everybody
What do they eat? >> Mice.
Mice and rabbits and
So without the whole ecosystem, you don't have the charismatic
macrofauna. You got to have those other
guys. So for me, I
a success when I had a knew my prairie was
Have you ever seen a meadow jumping mouse.
They jump like five feet. They meadow jumping mouse?
and they don't go in have this tail this long,
We have to talk. >> Now I got the pieces,]
the whole pieces. And as
intelligent tinkerer Aldo Leopold said, the
You don't trash the environment. saves all the pieces.
ultimately we're dependent You save all the pieces because
And that's the message on those pieces.
And I think that's the big thing we try to bring.
okay, your plants are weeds to, wow, this is the foundation of
life. And that's a
consciously, for gardeners huge, huge jump,
And we're only and for society in general.
Can you create that in starting that process.
Absolutely. >> Exactly.
Depends on what you want. You're not going to get -- on
10,000 square feet of prairie,
diversity of smaller but you can get an amazing
Like a friend of mine, he used habitat species.
garden that was an eighth of an acre and he had a bird list and
a butterfly list you wouldn't believe in downtown Minneapolis.
So the critters find these
appropriate for their scale. places as long as it's
things even in So you can really do amazing
And Phil and I have talked very small spaces.
pollinators. And, again, native prairie
plants are like manna from heaven.
Exactly. They're
total pollinators per square number one as far as
They're unsurpassed. And foot or square meter.
wof baby birds? Insects.od
And that's the other thing is to
get bugs are bad. >> Right.that
Bugs are good if you want life.
If you want death, cut the lawn,
bugs, you won't have any birds, you won't have any butterflies.y
If that's what you want, that's great, but that's not what I
want. Most people.
So it's just transition from the
to what I call a joint total control of the environment
Let's live together and by venture with nature.
make a better planet and living together we're going to
we'll be better for it. >> everything will benefit and
know you do a lot of work with Do you do much work with, I
in corporate type settings? hBecause I think there's really
some opportunities, I think I've seen some that were just
wonderful. I've seen
thought, oh, why don't they.. . >> Why is it all gravel?
Yeah. So comment on that maybe.
Yeah, a lot of times we've
corporate parks and done qalso public parks. with
Landfills, re-vegetating
We're working on a big project landfills.
It's 150-acre landfill and in New York City right now.
it now. And that's they're putting all prairie on
And I can talk all I want about the ecology and the energy
savings and how it's good for the environment but you talk to
the CEO and say I'm going to
And time and effort. save you a bunch of money.
Tell me more. So it's really another benefit
for a situation where you're
what end. Let's convert mowing that to somethinglawn to
sustainable that costs you a
one. >> We forgot fractito talk about thetenance
real fun. >> Oh, we're
burning? [LAUGHTER]
I actually met Neil, and I
this, I met you at a talk dyears before this show was
in existence. And my
listening to you and came out of that talk thinking, wow.
You were talking about burning
without telling them. [LAUGHTER]
That was when I was eight. [LAUGHTER]
Okay, yeah. You and Larry.
And I have to tell this story because the first thing we did
when we moved to our home in
prairie. And we Bluelistened to you, and Ithe
took notes faithfully. so the next year we thought,
okay, we got to burn. And so we called the fire
department, we put our hard hats
hoses at every corner and the onneighbors came down to watchd
even. [LAUGHTER]
And, well, of course, it was
a youit... [LAUGHTER]e lit
And nothing happened. And my
crusty old farm folks that never neighbors, who were these
kind of like my camera crew, let me get away with anything,
minutes, and then my neighbor tCarol said, I'll go get some
kerosene. [LAUGHTER]
And I thought of you
[LAUGHTER] >> Well, at that day, Neil.
[LAUGHTER] >> And the lesecond year thene.
when it had grown up, we didn't take any precautions because we
figured it would be as pitiful. And as I brushed off my
eyebrows, I said that was fun, let's do it again.
[LAUGHTER] >> If you
hair, you haven't hburned a prairie.e
[LAUGHTER] >> Talk
one conflagration aboand you're done.ce,
Fun maintenance. >> Yeah.
Yeah, fun maintenance. >> But you got to set it up
right. >> Right and you should call the
fire department and not get too close to the siding,
because vinyl siding
I did that to my office. >> See.
Now he's admitting it. >> My
always burning every spring. problem is at my house I'm
house fire, I'm in trouble And if I ever actually have a
becall. Oh, that's just Neil,er
just burning Neil. [LAUGHTER]
Again, that's a change in 20 years.
People have come to accept that.
The first year the fire Youdepartment says, well, ifie.
somebody calls we're going
As it turned out, it wasn't an issue..
[LAUGHTER] >> And we're really lucky,
it's interesting because as long as you're not in an
urban area in Wisconsin you have
every situation as long as it's not a drought situation where
there's a burning bin. We have many customers who are
farther east, and for them
because it is banned, banned, band banned, and people have no
understanding of the
So to me it's like a birthright. benefits of burning.
You live there. [LAUGHTER] not
And I have three basic things that are required for me to live
somewhere. I have to
keys in the car at night. I got to be able fertilize the
garden naturally. [LAUGHTER]
Without anybody seeing. [LAUGHTER]
And I've got to burn. And if
met, it's time to move. But we are really fortunate that
we have the opportunity to use
And this was the tool the Native fire as a management tool.
to promote the prairies by Americans used to create or help
their land up for prairie flowers and grasses because it
made for better hunting and various other benefits.
So we're just continuing a long,
12,000-13,000 years from the long tradition over the last
prairies over time. And so people that helped create these
have that. So don't itake my burning rightse
away. [LAUGHTER]
Okay, well let's see if we
[LAUGHTER] >> I canwanted to ask Markis.
a question about the Rotary Garden and botanical gardens,
I was thinking of the gardens that we have here in Wisconsin.
We have some pretty nice
fundraising going on for the ones. I know there was some
before it was even built. A listener to my show came and
asked me if I would talk at a fundraiser, and I said what do
you want me to talk about?
botanical gardens in And she said the role of
And I said, I don't know the 21st century.
botanical gardens in anything about the role of
But I wound up actually researching it, like a
journalist would do, and I gave that talk and I think it was
well received. But that garden, the botanical
garden there is just going great.
What's your take on the gardens we have here across Wisconsin?
We have some great ones.
Without a doubt. Here >in Madison, of course,.
Olbrich, Allen Centennial.
The Green Bay Botanic BoerGarden is wonderful.kee.
There's a garden in Appleton. I encourage people to travel and
really see what's going on, and,
if you head into Illinois, of course, being this far south,
other great resources. there's Chicago Botanic and some
Anderson Gardens in Rockford. The mission of many of the
gardens, including our
Our sole mission is education. own, is education.
flowers and the outside portion of it but using that outdoor
living museum to
And to me, most importantly, the youth.
This disconnect with where our
idea of getting these kids out vegetables come from and the
having them plant and get of involved is so important. and
And we have a huge amount of
families in general. programming for youth and also
And I think that's true, if you went to Green Bay or Boerner
or Olbrich, any of them, they all have great educational
programs, I think,
Do you, Phil, you do going on. >> Yeah.
You get around. >> We have done programs at all
those places
And sometimes, on the insect mentioned and stuff.
little different picture. Most the time, honestly, when
I'm out people want to talk about the 1% of insects that are
not so good. >> Sure.
But the reality is there's
creatures out there lots oand it's fun.resting
And the fun thing with kids is they're enamored with any
insect. They don't
biases, so they're have any of these
It's probably tougher ffor you, Brian.h.
Everything is. [LAUGHTER]
I tell folks I'm the
[LAUGHTER] >> If harbinger of death and doom.
ihappy. [LAUGHTER]ot
I have to say people are
I guess, to me. Maybe vthey feel sorry for me
because of the job that I do, but I do get a sense when I talk
to people that I can excite them
and hopefully I've done that. sI do a lot of master gardener,
training, and the best thing
give my master gardener talk is to have someone come up to me
and say I was really dreading coming to this class tonight but
this kind of stuff is kind of cool, actually.
So when I hear something
worthwhile. But, yeah, like that it makes it very
much rotting, slimy. We did do our slime in a bag
segment one time. >>
So everything that I see Yeah, we did that.
Although, I have to say, my favorite disease probably,
because it is bright and
And we're getting to the time where you can watch for this..
Something to look forward to. [LAUGHTER]
What does it look like? >>
your junipers, particularly Miif you have red cedar.ck
And when you start to see those great big marmaladey, slimy
masses on the branches, that's cedar apple rust.
And probably the best story I've ever heard from a plant
pathological standpoint was from
came in and had been talking our former head of grounds who
campus, and it was that mid-May, to a student on the UW-Madison
student said this is my favorite early June period, and the
it's when the junipers time of the year, because
And I felt really good about bloom. [LAUGHTER]
that they were looking that because that was a pathogen
What pretty flowers...! >> Yeah.
[LAUGHTER] >> Well, you're leading into
something else, I think, that has changed in the last 20 years
and that's integrated pest management.
Instead of looking at a disease or an insect after it's here, or
a problem, and going
In fact, we've really emphasized this on
The Wisconsin Gardener, too, looking ahead and going, okay,
if you see this, it's too late. So back up to the spring or the
fall before and do proper cleanup and do what we can to
not have to deal with the disease or the insect.
Or go back even further and don't plant that.
Right. >> My favorite example
Colorado Blue Spruce. >>
We used, I think, my yard to I was just going to say.
you should not plant. [LAUGHTER]
Of course, with me, hazard of my occupation, you tell me
any plant and I'll tell you what will go wrong with it.
[LAUGHTER] >> Dr. Doom is, yeah.
But you also, this is a good
closer to the end, hard question chance, as we get a little
whether it's either involving tyour area of expertise or even
The Wisconsin Gardener, favorite moment
in the last 20 years? Larry.
I've so many, especially
I've had a lot of for tgreat memories.show.
I think one kind of nice
to remember now who I was talking with, but we got a call
in and it was a caller who
wLive on the show. >> Wow.y.
And so that was kind
I once had a person on, this is a totally different topic, to
talk about dealing with stress
couldn't answer the aquestions. [LAUGHTER]nd
I don't know, Germany, stress,
Germany, stress. I don't know.
I asked a question and then I had to answer it myself.
[LAUGHTER] And then I asked her
another one and had to answer that one, and somebody actually
called and asked a question, and
out so I said before you I saw that nothing was coming
[LAUGHTER] >> You handle say something, let me.
And after that, she was fine after that third one.
But then the next day and for the next two or three days I got
emails of comments from people
you let your guests that essdo the talking?hy don't
[LAUGHTER] >> I have
occasionally. [LAUGHTER]
That's funny. Neil.
Boy, that's a really hard question to answer, but I guess
one of the more interesting moments was I was giving a
lecture at the University of
hour lecture and I got to the end, and, of course, the end is
always the big fire pictures
everything. And just with the great big flames and
the sudden the fire alarms start going off.
[LAUGHTER] Like, cue
here's the fire pictures. And everybody had to leave and I
never got to finish that lecture.
[LAUGHTER] But it was perfect timing.
We have a few minutes left. Phil, how do you beat that?
Well, I can just think
When I was growing up I would have traded you either my sister
or my bike for a giant
the swallowtails had a swallowtail, which, honestly,
I hope people appreciated that heck of a good year.
were doing well. So I had becausnever collected one.tails
And then we were over by Blue Mounds Park, not far from
Shelley's house, with my kids and we started a family insect
collection. And it
a giant swallowtail. turned out my son caught
We had a specimen for the collection, and, of course,
being a typical kid, for the
incompetent dad last 2couldn't catch one.how his
[LAUGHTER] So it's fun.
I think for me it was actually
do now. I love my job.
I really do. I get to meet a lot of cool
people. Larry, Shelley, I guess you're
cool. [LAUGHTER]
But I get to meet a lot of really cool people,
and I get to see a lot
And it's been very, very enjoyable for me.
I was trained as an epidemiologist, actually, and I
did a lot of mathematical stuff in my thesis and just being able
to actually work with plants
organisms and get people to athink they're kind of cool,g
that's been really
Besides every time you visited fun for me. >> Cool.
always enjoyable. >> Okay, the garden, which were
[LAUGHTER] >> We're square.
I think my favorite moment was
probably 24-25, who came in and lhad a young daughter and whatr,
was neat was the mother said she
hkindergartner. >> Oh, wow.a
And now we're seeing
We're seeing the kids of the the second generation.
educated at the gardens coming first children that were
become ingrained, not only in the community, but with our
visitors. So it will
years to have this progression be nice in a hundred
the gardens. >> And of peyou'll still be there.ying
Probably. [LAUGHTER]
My highlight, I would have
wonderful people and friends to say, is just all of the
for 20 years. I've I've made doing this job
blessed. And a thank been very, very, very
giving the panel, not you guys, sorry.
[LAUGHTER] If you guys would come back
to the booth afterward so we're not trying these on in front
of everybody... [LAUGHTER]
We've got a 20-year commemorative t-shirt that we're
giving to these guys for
say thank you for everything giving up their time and to
Thank you, Shelley. [APPLAUSE]
This was not meant
It looks lovely. >> But this is just a token of
appreciation for 20 wonderful years.
You've done just an absolutely
Thank you. >> And what marvelous job, Shelley.
to receive but flowers. eSo pass that on.g
Thank you. [APPLAUSE]
They're not edible! [LAUGHTER]
Well, you never know. >> I can try them.
Thank you, all, for joining us. >> It's been fun.