Join Extension at the 2025 Garden & Green Living Expo in Madison, a premier event for gardening enthusiasts and sustainability-minded individuals. This annual expo brings together experts, exhibitors, and attendees for a weekend of learning and inspiration. Whether you’re looking to enhance your gardening skills, explore eco-friendly living solutions, or connect with local plant and sustainability experts, the expo offers something for everyone.
At the expo, you’ll have the chance to explore a variety of educational opportunities, from hands-on demonstrations to expert-led seminars. Many of these sessions are presented by our own specialists from the UW-Madison Division of Extension. Check out the lineup of UW presenters below and learn more about the topics they are covering.
All seminars and stage demonstrations are free with the cost of admission.
Extension Presentation Lineup at the 2025 Garden & Green Living Expo
View full education schedule here
Jump to: Friday, Feb. 7 | Saturday, Feb. 8 | Sunday, Feb. 9
Friday, Feb. 7
Garden Talk: Secrets to Your Gardening Success
Larry Meiller, Lisa Johnson and Brian Hudelson | 11:00 a.m. | Demo Stage A
Attend a live broadcast of Wisconsin Public Radio’s Garden Talk with Larry Meiller 11:00 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7. Expert guests Lisa Johnson and Brian Hudelson will share their years of knowledge and talk about key things to know for creating your perfect garden. We kick off by talking about what you can expect at the Garden & Green Living Expo. Please note: registration is required to attend the presentation starting at 11 a.m. Doors do not open to the public until Noon.
Connecting Water Cycles, Watersheds & Gardening Practices
Kevin Masarik and Peggy Damann | 12:15 p.m. | Mendota 8
Wisconsin is fortunate to have abundant access to water for everyday needs as well as recreational opportunities. Learning about the water cycle and watersheds of Wisconsin, we will explore how soils and geology influence the occurrence and movement of water through Wisconsin’s landscapes and built environments. With predictions of more extreme weather conditions, understanding how to manage landscapes for both too much and too little water will become increasingly important. Practical examples of garden and landscape practices to both manage water runoff and help conserve water will be discussed.
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Beets
Amy Freidig | 12:15 p.m. | Waubesa/Kegonsa
The title speaks for itself! You may know how to grow them but there is so much more to learn about this fascinating vegetable. You’ll leave this talk with a new appreciation for the story behind beets – and you’ll be able to tell your friends why they taste like dirt!
Putting Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to Work in Home Gardens
Allen Pyle | 1:30 p.m. | Mendota 1-2
Learn how to reduce pest damage in home gardens and landscapes with Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques. IPM is a science-based approach that focuses on understanding pest life cycles and using a combination of targeted control measures to reduce pest damage. IPM is applicable to pests including insects, mites, diseases, weeds and even critters. The presentation includes examples and information on some of Wisconsin’s most common garden pests as well as new invasive exotic pest threatening the state. Learn useful techniques regardless of your gardening experience.
WiBee: The Wisconsin Wild Bee App
Hannah Gaines Day and Claudio Gratton | 1:45 p.m. | Mendota 3
WiBee is a citizen science smartphone app designed for growers, gardeners and nature enthusiasts to conduct short pollinator surveys on flowers and blooming crops. We will introduce the app and provide the information needed to start doing pollinator observations in your own backyard.
Growing Healthy Plants
Brian Hudelson | 5:15 p.m. | Mendota 8
Learn about common methods for disease control, their pros and cons, and how you can adapt these techniques for use in your own home garden. Please note this talk is 90 minutes long.
Gardening Success Starts with Soils
Bruce Spangenberg | 5:30 p.m. | Mendota 4
Good soil conditions are key for gardening success. Essential components of soils and how various amendments and fertilizer applications impact soil conditions for plant growth will be discussed. Learn what you can do to create and maintain optimum soil conditions in your yard and garden.
Saturday, Feb. 8
Gardening Success Starts with Soils
Bruce Spangenberg | 9:15 a.m. | Mendota 1-2
Good soil conditions are key for gardening success. Essential components of soils and how various amendments and fertilizer applications impact soil conditions for plant growth will be discussed. Learn what you can do to create and maintain optimum soil conditions in your yard and garden.
New & Emerging Plant Diseases
Brian Hudelson | 9:30 a.m. | Mendota 3
Learn about plant diseases that have recently arrived in Wisconsin and have potential economic and regulatory impact, as well as more established diseases that have the potential to significantly impact the state in the near future.
Growing Blueberries in Urban Gardens
Vijai Pandian | 10:30 a.m. | Waubesa/Kegonsa
Rich in antioxidants, blueberries are one of the most popular small fruit crops. However, blueberries are tough to grow in urban gardens due to a lack of acidic soil. This presentation will highlight the techniques in growing blueberries in raised beds, containers and in trench systems and a variety of recommendations for Wisconsin gardeners.
Pruning Deciduous Shrubs
Lisa Johnson and Vijai Pandian | 11:45 a.m. | Mendota 1-2
Learn about effective pruning techniques and which ones to use at what time of year on specific shrubs (including several species of hydrangea). You will find out the correct time of year to prune summer and spring flowering shrubs to preserve the floral display and learn how to make proper pruning cuts to avoid damaging the plant. Most of the session focuses on deciduous shrubs, but evergreens are briefly addressed as well.
New & Unique Plant Varieties & Top Trial Performers
Allen Pyle | 12:00 p.m. | Mendota 6-7
Learn about new varieties, award winners, and top performers in Midwest trials and gardens in the 2024 season. Variety trials allow outstanding plants to shine above competing varieties and prove their worthiness, especially in difficult growing seasons. Allen Pyle will cover annual, perennial and edible varieties.
Apples: Care and Selection
Lisa Johnson and Vijai Pandian | 2:15 p.m. | Mendota 8
Learn how to select apple rootstock and disease resistant varieties suitable for garden use. You will also learn how to select an appropriate site, plant, train, prune and monitor apple trees for insect and pest issues. We will briefly discuss some common diseases and pests and techniques for management, as well.
Customize a Lawn Care Plan for 2025
Bruce Spangenberg | 3:30 p.m. | Mendota 8
With all the lawn care information and products out there, what is truly best for your lawn? Learn more on how to customize a maintenance plan specific to your lawn needs, including fertilizing, renovating and repair, and weed management. Discussion will include ways to reduce chemical use on lawns.
Tough Pollinator Plants for Tough Times
Allen Pyle | 3:45 p.m. | Mendota 4
Backyard habitat provides important resources to pollinators, especially in a time of changing climate. Learn about selecting pollinator plants that thrive in tough environments, techniques to create and improve habitat for pollinators and beneficial insects, and methods for safely controlling pests without harming pollinators. The presentation contains useful information for gardeners of all skill levels.
Groundwater Quality (and Gardening to Protect It)
Kevin Masarik and Peggy Damann | 4:45 p.m. | Mendota 1-2
Groundwater is the primary water supply for 75% of Wisconsin residents and 95% of Wisconsin communities. Ensuring that we have clean and dependable supplies of water is vital to rural landowners and municipalities alike. Using data from research projects and historical well data, we will discuss ways that rural and urban landowners impact groundwater quality and share garden and landscape practices that you can adopt to protect our water resources.
Sunday, Feb. 9
Top 10 Plant Diseases of 2024
Brian Hudelson | 10:30 a.m. | Mendota 3
Learn about 10 plant diseases that made a splash at the UW-Madison Plant Disease Diagnostics Clinic (PDOC) in 2024. Diseases include both those that were most commonly submitted to the clinic and those that potentially had the biggest impact from an economic or regulatory standpoint.
Gardening Success Starts with Soils
Bruce Spangenberg | 10:30 a.m. | Mendota 4
Good soil conditions are key for gardening success. Essential components of soils and how various amendments and fertilizer applications impact soil conditions for plant growth will be discussed. Learn what you can do to create and maintain optimum soil conditions in your yard and garden.
Making More Plants: Propagating Houseplants
Lisa Johnson | 11:30 a.m. | Mendota 1-2
Learn about how plant parts can be used to make new plants. Understanding the science behind how plants grow will help you identify which techniques to use on which plants. You will also learn how and where on the plant to take stem and leaf cuttings, make divisions, separate offsets and more.
