Showing results by narrator "Mike McGrath" in All Categories

Morning glories are beautiful, and while they tend to spread quickly, they are easy to control. But they have an invasive, weedy perennial cousin, which can really get out of hand. Mike McGrath will explain the difference between morning glory and bindweed, and give detailed information on how to handle both.

Once again, it's time for the You Bet Your Garden Christmas show! This week, host Mike McGrath and friends look back on the highlights of holiday gardening tips and tricks, such as how to care for your Christmas cactus, poinsettia, mistletoe and more. Plus, musical numbers from You Bet Your Garden Christmas shows past - and a new song as well.

Sometimes moss is the right plant in the right place-and sometimes it's just in the way. This week on You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath will explain how to keep shady sidewalks and such moss-free. And of course, chemical free answers to all your garden questions.

Tired of seeing your prized plants perish when frost comes calling? Mike McGrath will reveal his favorite gardening trick; bringing peppers, begonias, and impatiens inside for the winter. You can enjoy good eating and beautiful color through the cold season, and start out with nice, big plants next Spring. He'll also explain which herbs can over-winter outside in which garden zones, and which ones have to come inside.

We'll celebrate the beginning of seed catalog season with Burpee Seed Company president George Ball. He'll tell us what�s new on the market, and share his favorite picks for unique tomato varieties and bush beans! Plus, the Question of the Week: Cotton plants are very ornamental, with beautiful flowers and seedpods preceding that dramatic burst of white. But if you garden in a climate warm enough to see cotton appear, you probably aren't supposed to be growing it.

Has your lawn carried a lot of extra weight over the years? Host Mike McGrath reveals how to ease the compaction this can cause with soil aeration and other weighty issues on this week's You Bet Your Garden. As always, fabulous phone calls and chemical free answers to garden questions.

Forget Halloween; you know what's really scary? People burning their leaves! On this thrilling episode of You Bet Your Garden host Mike McGrath shows how to harvest this rich bounty of miracle mulch and black gold-to-be. Plus fabulous phone calls, tips and tricks - all chemical free, of course.

Do you know if your summer blooming bulbs need to be protected, and when it's safe to plant spring bloomers where you live? Bulb-man-for-all-seasons Brent Heath of Brent and Becky's Bulbs joins us to reveal the answers, and name the bulbs that critters won't touch. Later on the show: Did dread disease take down your tomatoes? Mike McGrath will discuss the possible causes of yellowed leaves, and how to prevent tomato problems in the future.

Moles create ugly tunnels and dirt piles in lawns. There are many home remedies that supposedly chase away or kill moles, but do they really work? Tom Schmidt, aka "The Moleman", joins us to share what he's learned about those burrowing pests in decades of evicting them from turfs. During the Question of the Week, Mike McGrath will reveal how you can attract toads and frogs into your landscape - they eat pest insects.

Need to grow your own greens in the middle of the summer? Host Mike McGrath will tell you everything you need to know about New Zealand spinach and other greens that like it hot.

Legendary seed-seller Renee Shepherd joins us to reveal her favorite varieties of gourmet veggies and fragrant flowers. Renee's seed picks and growing advice are available at www.reneesgarden.com. During the Question of the Week, Mike McGrath will tackle the topic of azaleas and rhododendrons. These beautiful shrubs are popular additions to our landscapes, but many people don't see the flowers they should, because they ignore their special needs and shear them at the wrong time of year.

Homegrown tomatoes are the treasure of summer! But, if you plant them in the same spot year after year, soil-borne wilts will attack your precious plants. This week on You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath will tell you your options for keeping your tomatoes healthy, even when the growing space is too tight to rotate. Plus: are you envious of plants that you see in the yards of friends, families and neighbors?

Don't let anything get between you and your love apple harvest this season. Mike McGrath will tackle tomato troubles during this week's Question of the Week: are flowers falling off instead of forming fruits? Are your plants wilting during the day, but recovering at night?

Chiggers and no-see-ums are some of the most pestiferous parasites of summer, but because they're virtually invisible, we often don't know what's giving us the itch! Mike McGrath will explain how you can identify and avoid these very different nasty nuisances.

Are little road maps appearing in the leaves of your poor plants? This week on You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath will reveal the surprising cure for leaf miners! And of course, we'll have chemical-free answers to all your gardening questions.

Winter means icy sidewalks and worries about what the salt or other chemicals used to make those surfaces safe is going to do to the poor plants in the proximity.

Plants like running bamboo, honeysuckle and trumpet vine, are so fast growing they can screen out unwanted views in a single season. Unfortunately, they continue to grow, take over entire landscapes, and can cause problems like buckled sidewalks and driveways. Mike McGrath will explain which fast-growing plants to avoid, and what the legal situation is when neighboring properties are affected. He will also highlight some safe options for screening plants.

It's our annual You Bet Your Garden Holiday Spectacular! Our musical director, Mr. Kenn Kweder and the Reindeer Band join us to play holiday tunes and - our annual traditional - the full version of our rocking theme song. We'll discuss the Christmas Rose with Barry Glick of Sunshine Farm, and Garden and Ellen Spector Platt will explain how rosemary and lavender can be used in holiday decorations.

Just in time for Valentine's Day (and with plenty of time for Mother's Day) professional flower grower Alina Alvarez joins us to discuss a new line of Fair Trade certified cut flowers. She is the CEO of InBloom Inc. The sale of these flowers directly benefits the Ecuadorians and Columbians who grow them. Plus, during the Question of the Week: Figs aren't just tasty; they contain more calcium than milk, more potassium than a banana, and more fiber than any other fruit!

Would you like to pick your own fresh apples and peaches, but worry about what you'd have to do to keep all those pests and disease at bay? Don't worry: organic fruit-growing is possible! Mike McGrath will reveal how you can enjoy a bounty of nice clean fruits with the help of compost, clay, clippers, and cleanliness!