How to Create The Healthy Garden

We start a brand new year with a brand new book. The Healthy Garden: Simple Steps for a Greener World is written by a couple of gardening pros–Kathleen Norris Brenzel and Mary-Kate Mackey. We’ll talk about how and especially why you should become a friend of the earth. Then Mike and Peggy talk about some of the environmental stories making headlines. And meteorologist Rick DiMaio has his first report of the year, following Chicago’s first snow of the year.

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It’s a Wonderful Slice 2021!

Mike and Peggy wrap up 2021 with their annual presentation of It’s a Wonderful Slice of It’s a Wonderful Life, featuring an all-star cast of friends of the show. Cindy Crosby talks about her book Chasing Dragonflies and why getting out into the natural world is important in winter. She is joined by Illinois Master Naturalist Mac Austin.

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Exploring Sustainability Myths and Solutions

On Sunday’s show, we look at how to grow food sustainably. Is that permaculture? Or regenerative gardening? How about appropriate horticulture? We’ll ask Robert Kourik, author of the just-released Sustainable Food Gardens: Myths and Solutions. Then Mike and Peggy dip into the grab bag of environmental news. Also, meteorologist Rick DiMaio is back and we’ll talk about why it won’t snow in Colarado but it will in Hawaii.

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Prairie Uprising on the Horizon

Two months ago, not many folks had ever heard of Bell Bowl Prairie in Rockford, Illinois. Now, it is at the forefront of a prairie uprising. Amy Doll from Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves and Chris Benda, the Illinois Botanizer, bring us up to speed on the latest developments to save this valuable remnant prairie. Dan Kosta from Vern Goers Greenhouse in Hinsdale, Illinois, has advice on which holiday plants to buy and how to keep them healthy.

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Is a Parking Lot More Valuable Than a Prairie?

Time is running out for Bell Bowl Prairie at Chicago Rockford International Airport. Kerry Leigh from the Natural Land Institute, landscape designer Domenico D’Alessandro, and Jen Kuroda from Sinnissippi Audubon talk about how–and if–the prairie can be saved. Kim Hankins previews the McHenry County College Green Living Expo on November 6.

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An Infestation of Horticulturists

This week, the Garden Writers are coming to town to party with the Independent Garden Centers at Navy Pier. Mike and Peggy welcome GWA members C. L. Fornari, Andrea Whitely and Mary-Kate Mackey in studio, who will be joined on the phone by James A. Baggett, who is being inducted into the GWA Hall of Fame.

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