Garden Expo (Feb 8-10)

Plant, tend and harvest with the annual Garden Expo! The Expo will be held at the Exhibition Hall of the Alliant Energy Center, February 8-10, 2013.  The Expo features exhibits, seminars and hands-on workshops for the gardener and landscaping enthusiast. Many of the presenters and hands-on consultants are staff with UW-Extension, Cooperative Extension.

Ticket prices, on-site, are $8.00 for a single day, $12.00 for two days and $17.00 for three days (advance ticket savings and a discount coupon are available from the Website). Admission proceeds support Wisconsin Public Television. See what’s new for 2013--including, again this year, the special Garden to Table dinner.

Factor Steenbock Library into your garden planning.  The library receives seed catalogs that can be found and browsed near the first floor vending area. Additionally, the library maintains an extensive collection of books about gardening, organic gardening, landscape design, composting, floriculture, and pest management, among other related topics.  Consult with library staff for assistance locating and using these collections.

First Robin of Spring?

In the depths of winter, many of us will eagerly seek any indication that spring will arrive, to note the promise of seasonal change.  Others will record that change systematically to inform our understanding of this planet and its climate.  And, while my grandmother once maintained an annual desk diary of her observations, and would solicit my own, our online networks facilitate greater collaboration, locally and nationally. 

Discover your inner phenologist with the following sites.  Find inspiration from the Arboretum’s Naturalist’s Notes and the Cooperative Extension’s Wildlife Phenology Calendar (available from the Learning Store).

And, do consult with your Steenbock librarians for assistance using the library catalog to find books and more from our collections. 

Project Budburst

USA National Phenology Network

Wisconsin Phenological Society

Drought

There is no denying that southern Wisconsin, as well as many parts of the upper Midwest, is experiencing critical drought conditions with significant and, potentially, long-lasting implications to the success of the farming sector and to those who benefit from its production. 

In response to the various concerns arising from farmers and their communities, the UW-Extension, Cooperative Extension has developed on online guide, Drought 2012.  Visit this guide for news, maps, human health and livestock care.  Consult, additionally, with your Extension agents for advice on how to best manage resources in light of exceptional and challenging circumstances.