It's a perfect time to buy plants because fall is a perfect time to add them to our gardens. If you're in the mood for some plant shopping, plan to be first in line at two upcoming sales at Quail Botanical Gardens. Our guest Julian Duval, president and CEO of the Encinitas gardens, previews the San Diego International Orchid Fair on Oct. 3, 4 and 5 and the annual Fall Plant Sale on Oct. 18 and 19. Both feature dozens of vendors, including many from San Diego County. If you're new to orchid culture, Duval, an orchid collector, offers tips for selecting and growing these intriguing plants. More information on both sales is at qbgardens.org.

Anyone with citrus trees in San Diego needs to be on the alert for a new pest that has destroyed some 65,000 acres of citrus groves in Florida. Our guest Vincent Lazaneo, urban horticulture advisor for UC Cooperative Extension, describes the Asian Citrus Psyllid, newly discovered in Southern San Diego County. This tiny insect can transmit a bacterium that causes citrus greening, a disease that leads to sour fruit and eventually the death of the tree. Lazaneo tells how to spot the insect and what home gardeners can do to stop its spread. More information is at californiacitrusthreat.com, where pictures of the psylllid are posted. Call (800) 491-1899 to report any sightings.

Bearded iris have always been stars of the spring garden; but these days, with the advent of rebloomers, their splashy flowers are on view on and off for months. Bill Molnar, vice president of the San Diego Iris Society, shares tips for buying iris rhizomes, planting them and caring for them. He also lists some favorites that thrive in our mild climate. Once established, most will be a perfect fit in today's drought-tolerant gardens. Take your pick of hundreds of varieties at the Society's sale Sunday Sept. 7 starting at 10 a.m. in Balboa Park's Casa del Prado and on Sept. 12,13 and 14 at the Fall Home/Garden Show at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. More information about irises is at irises.org.

She was an internationally renowned beauty and a famed opera singer who married six times. Her last husband brought her to California and it was on an estate in Santa Barbara that her best-known creation took root. She is Madame Ganna Walska and her one-of-a-kind accomplishment is Lotusland, a 37-acre garden filled with rare plants and exuberant design. Our guest is Gwen Stauffer, Lotusland's new executive director, who recount Walska's history and ultimate passion for horticulture that consumed the last decades of her life. Stauffer also takes us on an arm-chair tour of the garden, from its exotic aloe garden and beautiful ponds cloaked in blooming lotus to a dramatic cactus collection given to Walska by a Fallbrook collector, the late Merritt S. Dunlap. Information on the garden and how to visit it is at lotusland.org.

Amazing American gardens shouldn't be allowed to fade away when their creators are no longer there to care for them. That's the mission of the Garden Conservancy, a national non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of exceptional gardens. Bill Noble, the Conservancy's director of preservation projects, recalls the organization's founding in efforts to preserve the Ruth Bancroft succulent garden in Walnut Creek. Today, two decades later, the Conservancy is involved with 16 preservation projects across the country, including restoration of gardens on Alcatraz and support of Pearl Fryar's topiary garden in South Carolina. A documentary on Pearl's achievement - "A Man Named Pearl" - opens for a limited run in San Diego on Aug. 22 at the Gaslamp 15 theaters. For more information on the Garden Conservancy, visit gardenconservancy.org.

Have you tried to take pictures of your garden or flowers, but for some reason, you and the camera don't click? Today's guest, professional photographer Bob Bretell of Second Street Photography shares tips that will make gardeners better photographers. His lessons were gleaned from almost a decade's work photographing poinsettias and other plants for the world-famous Paul Ecke Ranch. Much of the work is done before the camera comes out of its bag, as the photographer focuses on really "seeing" the scene and simplifying the shot. A tripod helps too, as does a macro lens. On Aug. 16, Bretell teaches Flower Photography at Quail Botanical Gardens. For more in, visit qbgardens.org or 2ndstphoto.com.

Lady Banks, Graham Thomas, Gertrude Jekyll and other notables live on in our gardens in the beautiful blooms of roses that bear their names. A new book, "Pink Ladies & Crimson Gents: Portraits and Legends of 50 Roses" (Clarkson Potter, $22.50) takes us back in time to meet these and other characters (most real, but some fictional) who have roses named after them. Authors and rose lovers Molly and Don Glentzer spent months doing research and photography for this charming book. Join us as Molly introduces us to the real Lady Banks, as well as a rose that sparked a revolution, and Don shares tips for getting gorgeous photos of the roses in your garden. More information on the book and some related products is at glentzerprojects.com.

With summer in San Diego comes ant invasions. Today's guest, Vincent Lazaneo, urban horticulture advisor for UC Cooperative Extension, has solutions. He reminds us that the dominate ant in San Diego County is an import from Argentina, and like many insects, their population and need for food and water multiplies in the summer. Even though we're out numbered, Lazaneo suggests simple, non-toxic methods for eliminating ants, their trails and their points of entry into our homes. Plus he offers tips for getting ants out of your potted plants and garden trees. Detailed information on ants and other garden pests can be found in dozens of "Pest Notes" prepared by UC experts and downloaded for free at mastergardenerssandiego.org (click on Garden Links and then Pests).

In a year, Quail Botanical Gardens expects to open the Hamilton Children's Garden, a new botanical playground north of the existing garden in Encinitas. Quail's dynamic Executive Director Julian Duval takes us back in time to the new garden's inspiration and inception, born out of a drive to lure kids off the couch and back into nature. He also recounts how Quail's current children's garden, Seeds of Wonder, demonstrated the popular appeal of an interactive garden aimed at youngsters. Finally, he takes us on a virtual tour of the new garden, starting in what will become its symbol, a tree house set in a Banyan fig tree. For more information and opportunities to contribute to the $3.5 million endeavor, visit qbgardens.org.

His stylish display gardens have been honored at both the Spring Home/Garden Show and the San Diego County Fair. Today Ryan Prange of Falling Waters Landscape Development discusses his modern approach to landscape design - a point of view that mixes rigorous design with playful contrasts, sophisticated plant and color palettes, and an awareness of our urgent need to conserve water. A native San Diegan with a love of art and horticulture, Ryan captured the minds and hearts of show judges and fairgoers with "Art and Texture, his display garden with a 100-year-olive tree as a focal point. He tells us how the tree journeyed here, how he creates his "industrial" water features and the best time of day for viewing the "river" of grasses and Russian sage that edge the award-winning display. The garden is on view at the fair through July 6. For more about Ryan, visit fallingwatersweb.com.

Botanist and professional photographer Stephen Ingram joins us to talk about his new book, "Cacti, Agaves and Yuccas of California and Nevada," published by Cachuma Press. Ingram trekked throughout both states to find and photograph these dramatic plants in their native environment - and in spectacular bloom. He looks back in time to the plants' origins in North America, discusses the remarkable features that enable them to survive in harsh conditions and reveals their role in the ecosystem their share with other living things. Ingram also points to places in San Diego County where some rarities grow, including Shaw's agave and the aptly named snake cholla. Ingram will be in San Diego to lecture on June 17 at the meeting of the San Diego chapter of the California Native Plant Society (info at cnpssd.org) and on July 27 at Quail Botanical Gardens (info at qbgardens.org). To order the book, visit cachumapress.com.

In the five years since it was launched, the California Friendly Landscape Contest has focused gardeners' efforts on creating beautiful drought tolerant gardens that use water wisely. Kate Breece, public affairs coordinator for the Helix Water District, explains how water conservation gets a boost when landscape watering for thirsty plantings like lawns is reduced. Information about the contest and pictures of winning gardens can be viewed at landscapecontest.com. We then talk with landscape designer Linda Whitney who transformed the land around her Eastlake home into a haven for herself and her family, as well as visiting wildlife. Whitney was one of three regional winners in this year's contest. View her garden and those of the other winners at uniontrib.com/more/waterwise.

In 1998 Ellen Sullivan and her husband bought a nine-acre farm in Valley Center to raise sheep and llamas for wool for her weavings. They also decided to plant lavender, and now a decade later, have created a little bit of Provence in North County. The Lavender Fields opens to the public in May and June to display their growing fields and a host of products, including foods, lotions, soaps and therapeutic items scented with this versatile herb. Over the years, Ellen has learned which lavenders grow best here and how they thrive with "tough love." She shares her expertise and previews classes and tours scheduled at The Lavender Fields during the next two months. For more information, visit thelavenderfields.com.

It's spring in San Diego, so it must be time for garden touring. More than 20 tours will be held all across the county before the tour season ends in June. Our guest today, Evelyn Alemanni, is the founder of the Elfin Forest Garden Festival, to be held Saturday, April 26, in the North County community of Elfin Forest. Five gardens will be open for visitors, all with water wise plantings and inviting spaces for outdoor living and entertaining. Alemanni's garden, a finalist in Good Morning America's 2001 contest to find America's most beautiful garden, has been open for many tours and she recalls the hard work required to ready a garden for hundreds of visitors and shares some garden touring etiquette - right, you don't eat the daisies, or pick them either. For more information on the Elfin Forest event, entitled "Entertaining Edens, visit elfinforestgardens.info.

It's a favorite flower - and scent - of springtime. Now you can enjoy sweet peas planted in a tall maze at one of San Diego's top specialty nurseries. Our guest Sheryl Lozier, co-owner with her husband Marshall of Summers Past Farms in Flinn Springs, describes the origins of the nursery 15 years ago and its famous spring sweet pea maze 8 years ago. Planted in November, the plants form walls of fragrant blossoms next to Summers Past's landmark red barn. Wander through the maze and then pick a bouquet ($3 for 30 stems) and buy some seeds to plant next fall. Lozier expect the maze to last through Mother's Day. Other delights at the East County nursery include demonstration gardens (poppies and roses are blooming), a shaded patio and coffee bar, and garden items and home-made soaps (including one scented with sweet peas) for sale. More information is at Published: April 16, 2008

A French hybrid tomato changed Renee Shepherd's life, leading her to found a seed company, Renee's Garden, that supplies gardeners and gourmands with superlative vegetables, herbs and flowers. On this program she shares her knowledge of tomatoes with tips on growing them from seed and selecting varieties with that special blend of sweetness and acidity. She also names some tomatoes - and other veggies - designed to thrive in containers, for those who garden in small spaces. Seeds for varieties she mentions, along with recipes and gardening expertise, are available at reneesgarden.com.

In spring, California hillsides seem covered in rivers of golden orange and blue as sunny California poppies and moody blue wild lilac come into bloom. David Fross, founder of Native Sons wholesale nursery, admits to an obsession with wild lilac or ceanothus. He is the co-author of a book on the subject ("Ceanothus" from Timber Press) and today he shares with us his knowledge of this diverse genus that includes ground covers, shrubs and small trees. He picks some hybrids ideal for San Diego's microclimates and offers care tips guaranteed to help ceanothus thrive in a garden setting. He also previews a yummy new hybrid - think chocolate - coming to market next year.

There are many signs of spring in San Diego, but one unique to our county is The Flower Fields of Carlsbad. For 2 1/2 months starting March 1, these fields visible from I-5 are covered with rainbow-bands of ranuculus blooms. More than 150,000 visitors will enjoy them over the coming weeks. Our guest Don Miller, master gardener at The Flower Fields, tells us how they originated and what visitors can expect, including special events and a new sweet-pea maze, pelargonium garden, a rose garden filled with AARS winners, and more. He also shares tips for growing these bulbs in San Diego gardens. More information is at theflowerfields.com.

Over the years, hundreds of thousands of daffodils have been planted in Julian - along highways, around downtown buildings and in private gardens. When spring comes to his mountain town east of San Diego, the hills come alive with beautiful yellow blooms. In March, the town celebrates with a Daffodil Show, a competitive judging that draws some 300 entries. Our guest, Ann Dawkins, is coordinating the show. She tells us how the Daffodil project started and where to view them. She also describes the farm where she gathers cut flowers that she sells at a stand during weekends. More information is at julianca.com.

Nineteen display gardens, dozens of plant vendors and talks by gardening experts - all add up to bloomin' good fun for gardeners at The Spring Home/Garden Show Feb. 29-March 2 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. Our guests, show coordinator Lucy Warren and landscape designer Shellene Mueller of Designs by Shellene, take us behind the scenes of this annual spring event. Mueller, who has won numerous awards for her display garden designs, began planning this year's design at the end of last year's show. Her garden, called Stone and Steel, will be contemporary is style and built around recycled materials and a plant palette that stands up beautifully to San Diego's dry climate. For the price of admission, show goers also can listen to the advice of garden gurus in free talks and purchase plants from numerous specialty growers, Warren points out. For more info, visit springhomegardenshow.com

When he was six years old, Chuck Ades became hooked on horticulture when a friend showed him that geraniums would grow from cuttings. From that moment on, Chuck recalls, he pursued his plant passion through college and into the business world, where he eventually founded Ades and Gish Nurseries in North County, a supplier of potted and blooming plants around the nation. When many growers were focused on carnations, a flower Chuck says he found "boring," he switched to houseplants that became all the rage in the Flower Power decade. Now the company's line up includes a great variety of begonias, another plant Chuck has loved since childhood. On Feb. 27 he will be honored as 2008 Horticulturist of the Year by the San Diego Horticultural Society at a garden gala that precedes the Spring Home/Garden Show. For more information, visit sdhortsoc.org

Duane Kelly, founder and head of the two largest Flower and Garden shows on the West Coast, looks back at 20 years of producing events in Seattle and San Francisco that draw gardeners from across the U.S. and Canada. He combined a business background with a passion for gardening to launch the shows, now recognized for trendsetting display gardens and talks by notables in the field. Kelly also previews the year's Seattle show, that runs Feb. 20-24 and includes new "balcony" display gardens, and the San Francisco show, March 12-16, that will feature an appearance by the Duchess of Northumberland, who is turning British gardening on its head with a new garden at Alnwick Castle. More information on both shows is at www.gardenshow.com

Pamela Homfelt of pH Designs previews the upcoming Green is Red Hot garden tour. This free event on Feb. 16 visits 3 gardens in the Kearny Mesa area that are environmentally friendly and waterwise. Homfelt, a self-described exterior designer, created two of the gardens on view - one at the San Diego Water Authority headquarters and the other at the City of San Diego's Department of Environmental Services. She shares her definition of green gardens; the advantage of working with, not against nature; and tips for caring for waterwise gardens. Hint: check the sprinklers.

Award-winning hybridizer Tom Carruth of Weeks Roses outlines the new Region's Choice program of All-America Rose Selections (AARS), a group he currently heads as board president. In the works for several years, Region's Choice takes the guess work out of selecting roses that will thrive in San Diego gardens. Carruth describes each of the 10 roses selected, looking at color, fragrance and size. All are disease resistant for easy care.

Has the Queen of Flowers become a royal pain in the garden? No, insist our two experts today. In the first half of the program, Karen Dardick, the author of Simply Roses, outlines the three SSs of easy rose growing - site, soil and selection. She also picks some of her favorite roses for Southern California gardens.

In the second half, Steve Berry, a former president of the San Diego Rose Society and avid rose gardener, previews the society's upcoming seminar, Learn To Grow Beautiful Roses. This all-day event on Jan. 26 promises insider information on selecting, planting and taking care of roses in San Diego's
exceptional rose growing climate.

Stephanie Turner is director of horticulture for seed products for Park Seed, one of the nation's oldest horticultural companies. Stephanie selects the 1,100-plus varieties of fruit, veggie and flower seeds sold by this South Carolina based firm. Stephanie tells us how the 140-year-old company finds new seeds, tests them and keeps up on trends.

In the second half, Stephanie Turner of Park Seed previews some introductions for 2008, including pentas that like the heat and cold; an early-producing tomato, a pepper that thinks it's a tomato, and much more. She also offers tips for growing from seed. Hint: Start with easy-to-grow plants.

Vincent Lazaneo, urban horticulturist for UC Cooperative Extension, supervises the Master Gardener program and its hotline. We look at some of the most frequently asked questions this month and the solutions. In the first half of the program, questions focus on citrus … how to tell when oranges are ripe, what causes split fruit, how to control aphids and the culprit behind empty oranges.

In the second half of the program, Vincent Lazaneo walks us through some winter garden chores. We discuss dormant spraying of deciduous fruit trees, winter lawn care and some steps that will keep pesky critters from damaging your home and garden.

Debra Lee Baldwin, author of SDesigning with Succulents, a best seller from Timber Press, looks at the history of a Southern California holiday icon, the succulent wreath, and its many links to San Diego. Baldwin gives step-by-step instructions for making a succulent wreath and keeping it looking good for months to come.

Southern California holiday icon, the succulent wreath

Quail Botanical Gardens Executive Director Julian Duval takes us to the Encinitas garden for its annual Garden of Lights. This holiday event for the whole family lights up the grounds and includes seasonal delights like wagon rides and marshmallow roasts.

Julian Duval takes us on a tour of some new exhibits at Quail Botanical Gardens … the Seeds of Wonder Childrens Garden and the Mexican Garden that spotlights garden plants native to South of the Border.