2022 BVGC TV Programs

All programs are hosted by Geri Hoerner unless otherwise stated and include a specific topic along with upcoming gardening events and what to do in your garden for the month.

The January 2022 Program guest is Brenda Anderson, current Vice President of Administration of the Benton County Master Gardeners. The topic of the show is Garden Dreaming and Planning and now is the time to plan changes and additions to your garden to make it more like your dream garden. Several reference books and catalogs are shown that are good resources. Various catalogs and websites are shown where you can determine each plant's needs such as Zone rating, sun or shade, moisture needs and other information unique to that plant.

The February 2022 Program guest is Tony LiCausi, member of the Bella Vista Garden Club and a Benton County Master Gardener. The topic of the show is Garden Tools - Tried and True and examples of basic tools that are needed in the garden are shown. Types of shovels and their uses are discussed and examples of the most needed tools are demonstrated. Purchasing good, strong tools will be more economical in the long run than cheaper tools that won't last. Some tools shown have been used for many, many years with good maintenance.

The March 2022 Program guest is Laura Brewer, a Benton County Master Gardener and Site Manager at Peel Mansion and Botanical Garden. The topic of the show is Preparing for Pollinators and pictures of many pollinator plants are shown that attract bees, butterflies, wasps and other pollinators to your garden. Some can be grown from seed or purchased at their plant sales or other local sales. There are also flowering trees at Peel such as Apple, Redbud, Lilac, Golden Current and St. John's Wort. This is a good time to start planning what you want to add to your garden.

The April 2022 Program guest is Barb Templin, member of the Bella Vista Garden Club. The topic of the show is Creative Containers and pictures of various types of unusual container are shown including vintage or antique items, gutters, pipes, toy trucks, washtubs, rocks and tree stumps. Also shown are examples of items that can be found at flea markets or garage sales that which would make good containers to add some whimsy to your garden.

The May 2022 Program guest is Janet Carson, retired extension horticulture specialist with the University Of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service and was the state coordinator the Master Gardeners. She is also an author and columnist. The topic of the show is Garden Inspirations from Travel and photos of gardens around the world that she has visited are shown together with a variety of garden styles and cultural differences. So much can be learned when traveling when you delve into how plants are used and combined. Every area is different and beautiful their own way and you can bring some ideas home to use in your garden.

The June 2022 Program guest is Pat Meyer, President of the Bella Vista Garden Club and a Benton County Master Gardener. The topic of the show is Bella Vista Garden Club - Celebrating 50 Years and the events held to mark this occasion starting in March and ending in June are discussed. Also the National Garden Clubs, Inc. organization levels are discussed and the awards the Bella Vista Garden Club received from the state and region were listed.

The July 2022 Program guest is Brenda Anderson, current Vice President of Administration and the President Elect of the Benton County Master Gardeners. The topic of the show is Making Glass Garden Art and a piece of glass garden art is made using compatible elements and silicone with a caulking gun. A variety of items that could be used can be found in your cabinets at home or at garage sales, dollar stores or resale shops are shown. In addition, photos of other forms of garden art are shown that will add a special touch to your garden.

The August 2022 Program No program was produced for August 2022 due to the conversion to High Definition at the TV Station.

The September 2022 Program host is JB Portillo and the guest is Andrea Klokow, a Benton County Master Gardener. The topic of the show is Figuring Out Figs and there are a variety of figs that will grow in NW Arkansas and produce delicious fruit. They can be found in nurseries and at the Benton County Master Gardener Plant Sales. Six varieties are tasted by JB and all are quite different in size, texture and taste. Figs should be planted in May or June and need full sun to thrive. Andrea is conducting a Fig Study of over 15 varieties and will share the information after the statistics are develped in the next three years. A tip to ripen late setting fruit is to dap a little olive oil on the end of the fig and it will ripen within a week or so.

The October 2022 Program guest is Butch Tetzlaff, owner of The Bluebird Shed, where you can purchase birdseed, feeders and other items for your garden. The topic of the show is Birds of Bella Vista and Butch shares some of the results of the surveys he has been conducting for the past 3 years. The banding of birds and computer monitoring has resulted in some new findings that fledglings sometimes return to their nest area and help their parents feed the new generation of fledglings. Migration occurs in some birds while others usually stay in one location year round. There are local seminars beginning in January that will be posted on this website.

The November 2022 Program guest is Terry Weiderhaft, a Benton County Master Gardener. The topic of the show is Helping Hands Pantry Garden - Update and a brief history of the garden is outlined, updates to the garden from the original 20 beds to 70 beds and the addition of a large pavilion with picnic tables which was dedicated as the Terry Weiderhaft Pavilion are discussed. Although the total harvest in 2022 was not the best due to the weather, over the 7 years the Master Gardeners have been involved in the project the garden has provided 17,800 pounds of food for the pantry. Several apple trees have been planted for fruit to be provided in the future.

The December 2022 Program guest is Ginny Vance, a member of the Bella Vista Garden Club and a Benton County Master Gardener. The topic of the show is Holiday Shopping for Gardeners and both local shopping suggestions and online options are covered. Pictures of unique and low maintenance options are shown that include some that would be enjoyed by children and get them interested in taking care of plants.