Melinda will discuss space and energy efficient gardening design tricks to keep you gardening when time, energy and stiff joints get in the way.  These sustainable landscaping design and maintenance techniques are good for your mind, body, spirit and the environment.

Myers, best known for her gardener-friendly and practical approach to gardening, has more than 25 years of horticulture experience in both hands-on and instructional settings. She has a bachelor’s degree in horticulture from Ohio State University and a master’s degree in horticulture from University of Wisconsin-Madison, is a certified arborist, and was a horticulture instructor with tenure at Milwaukee Area Technical College.

Outside the classroom, Melinda shares her expertise through a variety of media outlets. She has written 19 books, including Can’t Miss Small Space Gardening, the Birds & Blooms’ Ultimate Gardening Guide, and Jackson and Perkins’ Beautiful Roses Made Easy: Midwestern Edition. She hosts “Great Lakes Gardener,” seen on PBS stations throughout the United States, and “Melinda’s Garden Moments”, which airs on network television stations throughout the country. She also appears regularly as a guest expert on various national and local television and radio shows. She writes the twice monthly “Gardeners’ Questions” newspaper column and is a contributing editor and columnist for Birds & Blooms and Backyard Living magazines. In addition, she hosted “The Plant Doctor” radio program for over 20 years.

For her work, community service and media presence, Melinda has received recognition and numerous awards, including the 2003 Garden Globe Award for radio talent and the Quill and Trowel Award for her television work, both from the Garden Writers Association. She has also received the Garden Communicator’s Award from the American Nursery and Landscape Association, the Gold Leaf Award for Arbor Day from the International Society of Arboriculture, as well as the 2005 Honorary Life Membership Award from the Wisconsin Arborist Association.

For more information, please visit Myers’ web site www.melindamyers.com. The site features regularly updated garden tips, podcasts, a garden club, e-newsletter, books, appearance information, “Great Lakes Gardener” television schedule and more.

On any given day, Ed Lyon, M.S., Horticulture, has to check to see which hat he is wearing.  He works full-time as the Executive Director of Rotary Gardens, Janesville, WI.  He also is proprieter of Spellbound Garden Writing & Consultation in Oregon, WI. 

Lyon is a regular instructor for public gardens and venues including Chicago Botanic Garden, Master Gardener Programs, and lectures on a range of horticultural topics for a variety of audiences. He writes for public and professional magazines and spent almost 10 years assisting in a nursery specializing in garden conifers and ornamental deciduous trees and shrubs, where he also maintained the display gardens.

Since 1978, Gene has managed the Horticultural Therapy Services department at the Chicago Botanic Garden serving over 9000 individuals annually through its range of both on-site and outreach programs. He chaired the design team for the Enabling Garden display opened in 1999 at the Chicago Botanic Garden that has received international acclaim including the 2000 Accessible Design award from the American Association of Museums. He is a frequent lecturer and author on Enabling Garden design and programming and consultant to the healthcare sector regarding therapeutic landscapes and horticultural therapy program development. In 1994 he authored The Enabling Garden: Creating Barrier Free Gardens and most recently co-authored Health Through Horticulture: A Guide for Using the Outdoor Garden for Therapeutic Outcomes published in 2003. He is a 1977 graduate of Southern Illinois University in Plant and Soil Science.