About Mid-American Gardener

Mid-American Gardener, which premiered (under the title Illinois Gardener) on WILL-TV on May 1, 1992, has a loyal following of viewers who tune in to get tips on garden pests, what to plant, diseases attacking lawns and plants, as well as pruning and other basics of plant and tree care specific to Hardiness Zone 5.*

Guest experts are highly trained professionals from around Illinois. Many are University of Illinois professors and Extension advisors with varied expertise in the fields of entomology, horticulture and landscape design. Some are master gardeners and a few own and operate nurseries and gardening centers.

The informal, easy-going atmosphere that host Dianne Noland creates on the set encourages both experienced or novice gardeners who call or write with questions.

* The U.S. Department of Agriculture has divided the country into 11 Hardiness Zones according to their average winter temperature. Zone 5 covers substantial portions of Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. For more information about USDA Hardiness Zones, visit the U.S. National Arboretum web site.

About Illinois Public Media

Illinois Public Media is the not-for-profit public media service of the College of Media at the University of Illinois. Our programming and community engagement projects:

• stimulate minds and inspire lifelong learning;
• provide a public forum for the diversity of voices and opinions essential to a healthy democracy;
• provide quality content, respecting the intelligence of our audience;
• explore issues of importance to the communities we serve;
• come from a trusted media organization, accountable and responsive to people we serve;
• present a continuous stage for performing arts programs, assuring the arts a place in our daily lives.

WILL Public Media encompasses:

• WILL-TV blends a core of PBS programming with locally produced documentaries and programs such as “Illinois Gardener” that focus on central Illinois.
• WILL-AM 580, offering an alternative to quick-fix news through local and regional coverage as well as local talk shows, weather and agricultural news, and coverage from NPR and the BBC.
• WILL-FM 90.9 offers programming to nourish the spirit and the mind, with classical music along with local news and NPR’s news magazines, “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered.”
• WILL Online at will.illinois.edu, providing live streaming of the WILL-AM signal; program updates; downloads and archives of news stories and programs; weather; and the WILLKids site for families and teachers.
• WILL Community Outreach and Engagement, improving the civic health of the communities we serve by working together with like-minded organizations to address identified community needs and accurately reflect those needs and efforts in the stories we tell.
• WILL Young Learners Initiative, building on our line-up of quality children's television to provide workshops, books and educational resources to parents, teachers and child care providers.