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You may call our focus group the "wet-footed gardeners" since this is AIS Outreach to people with ponds, rain gardens, water gardens and shoreline gardens. Our goal is to help gardeners feel empowered to make a difference in AIS and upland invasive species prevention and management through our their own gardening choices and efforts.
Unfortunately, and often to the total surprise of the gardeners, invasive species they brought into the gardens can overrun the garden. At that point, there's the risk of intentional release not realizing the harm they can cause or of having the plant manage to escape and spread through other means, such as floods, or accidentally during garden clean up.
Melinda, her team, and the AIS Program also partner with Liz Tanner, WDNR Organisms in Trade Coordinator to extend invasive species outreach to upland species. Liz is the primary contact: elizabeth.tanner@wisconsin.gov. If you have concerns about finding an invasive species found for sale, contact her.
Below the introduction to Melinda Myers, there is a list of the videos now available for sharing with your partners.
Check out this new fact sheet for invasive plant species commonly found in trade.
Landscaping Alternatives to invasive plants are now available in a webpage form, online copies, and hard copy. Order hard copies through DNRAISinfo@wisconsin.gov.
Landscaping Alternatives for Terrestrial Invasive Flowers and Grasses
Landscaping Alternatives for Common Invasive Wetland and Aquatic Plants
Names for publications with order numbers, links to online views and print copies:
Landscaping Alternatives for Terrestrial Invasive Flowers and Grasses (WY-110): Web version and Print version
Landscaping Alternatives for Common Invasive Wetland and Aquatic Plants (NH-402): Web version and Print version
Landscape Alternatives for Invasive Woody Plants (NH-947): Web version
Since 2019, the UW Madison Extension Natural Resources AIS Outreach Program has been contracting with Melinda Myers and her team to help us reach this audience as our trusted spokesperson/social influencer. Melinda, a former Extension Master Gardener Educator herself, is well-known throughout the state and nationally as a gardening expert and trusted voice to bring education, including invasive species education, to gardeners. She provides articles focused on AIS topics to our partnership, garden clubs, Master Gardeners and others as well as publishing in her own newsletter. She's done videos and a webinar for us that we can share and that she also shares on her website and does at least a dozen social media posts per year on AIS topics. At events, including the NARI Spring Home Improvement Show in Milwaukee, the PBS Garden and Landscape Expo in Madison and the Wisconsin State Fair, she includes our AIS messaging and materials for those who visit her displays and listen to her presentations. Keeping track of the shows may help you find places where you can also get involved to reach gardeners.
Videos and Webinars - Webinars usually have excellent handouts to download also.
February 19, 2025 Strategies for Managing Invasive Plants - Click here for webinar and handout access
January 2025: Terrestrial Invasives ID video - Click here
Feb. 28, 2024 Create a Beautiful Landscape Free of Invasive Plants Click here and scroll to it to watch and download the handout.
Jan. 31, 2024: Tips & Strategies for Helping Gardeners Create a Landscape Free of Invasive Plants To watch On Demand, CLICK HERE and enter the password: C4UKDz!y
May 2023: Identifying Eight Aquatic Plants in Wisconsin - Click here
February 2023 Webinar: Grow Beautiful Water Gardens Free of Invasive Plants
Watch on demand: Click here and enter password: n#wVAD9M
May 2021 Webinar: Top Plants for Rain Gardens, Water Gardens, Shoreline Gardens & Those to Avoid--To watch on demand - CLICK HERE and enter password: &xe9hPU^
DOWNLOAD HANDOUT This recording will be available until the end of 2022. If you have other projects, you may find other helpful videos and webinars on her website such as a two webinar series on Rain Gardens.
January 2022: In this video, Top Invasive Plants to Avoid, Melinda talks about the importance of avoiding invasive and aggressive plants in shoreline, rain and water gardens. Several plants are covered with images and specific problems they can cause:
Earlier productions: All of the videos below are professionally captioned and translated into Spanish.
Length 3:58–a general message that includes information from the other videos.
Grow Beautiful Water Gardens While Protecting Our Lakes and Waterways
Length :51–Focused on purchasing plants, so a good one for spring
Avoid Invasive Plants when Growing a Water Garden
Length 1:07 – Focused on summer garden care and getting rid of plants that have invasive qualities properly
Summer Care for your Water Garden
Length 0:53—Getting rid of any aquatic plants, including potentially invasive, properly in the fall
Fall Water Garden Clean Up to Keep Lakes and Waterways Healthy
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