May 2025 Episodes
May 1, 2025
This week on Mid-American Gardener, Ella and Karen bring spring into the studio! Ella brings a bundle of blooming yellow daffodils, and some lovely purple and pink hellebores. Karen shows off her pruning skills and gives us a new hack to speed up the garden cleanup. We'll also discuss when you can expect to see hummingbirds at your feeders, and how to store tomato seeds to make sure they're ready to grow when the soil warms up. And they'll tell you about dividing primrose and other perennial plants that may have gotten a little too big for the space they were originally planted in.
May 8, 2025
Tinisha is joined this week by retired nursery owner Shane Cultra and he introduces us to the Ginger plant, noting its shade tolerance and fragrant roots. He also encourages gardeners to plant now, using frost protection methods like bed sheets.
May 15, 2025
In this episode, John Bodensteiner, Kay Carnes, and Chuck Voigt stop by the studio to talk about some fun things growing in their gardens. John discusses his hostas, Kay tells us how to revive a dahlia tuber, and Chuck talks about his daffodils, including their natural cross-pollination and the challenges of caring for them in windy conditions.
May 22, 2025
This week on MidAmerican Gardener, host Tinisha Spain is joined by not one, but two gardening pros named Jennifer—Jennifer Nelson and Jennifer Fishburne—for a special episode filmed at the beautiful Allerton Mansion. Thanks to a unique partnership between Illinois Extension, Allerton Park, and Illinois Public Media, this episode gave invited guests a behind-the-scenes look at how MidAmerican Gardener is made—from lights and cameras to lively conversations. The live audience recording coincided with Allerton’s annual spring plant sale, giving guests the chance to watch the show in person and then shop for new additions to their own gardens. Despite a little rain, spirits were high, and attendees showed up ready to learn, and load up on plants. Tinisha and the panelists dig into your spring gardening questions, covering everything from mysterious insect damage to identifying backyard plants and coaxing those stubborn hydrangeas to bloom. Both Jennifers also brought lots of flower and plant samples from their own yards to help bring there advice to life.
