As bare trees and brown grass regain their natural green glow this spring, local residents with similar expectations for their personal gardens may want tips on how to maintain their gardens’ healthy green flair.

“Illinois Gardener,” a weekly gardening show filmed in Urbana’s local PBS television station WILL-TV, sets out to help viewers with this and similar gardening troubles. The live call-in show has been running for 15 years and is the fourth most watched PBS show in Champaign.

Dianne Noland, the show’s hostess and producer, describes the show as an educational show that is also entertaining.

“I don’t view it as much as a TV show as much as a classroom,” said Noland who is also a horticulture professor at the University. “It’s an extension of being a teacher for me.”

Noland began hosting the show in 1999 after appearing as a panelist during the show’s first season. She said she had no experience in television, but as teacher, she could bring more than just entertainment to the program.

Each week, Noland hosts a panel of three guests who share their expert opinion on gardening, plants, local horticulture and common gardening issues. She said the show is very popular among central Illinois gardeners.

“People tell me it’s entertaining,” Noland said.

The program also shares local upcoming gardening events and answers mail from viewers. Noland said she often doesn’t write back to viewers so she can respond to their inquiries on the show. She says that is why viewers enjoy the program.

Because the show airs live, Noland said that all questions are timely and to the point. She also tries to select panelists who represent a wide variety of the show’s demographic and topics. Panelists have come from several surrounding cities and areas, including Danville and Indiana.

Noland said she could not do the show alone. WILL uses a number of local and student volunteers to help with WILL programming and production, including “Illinois Gardener.”

“We couldn’t do the show without the students,” Noland said.

Tim Meyers, sophomore in Communications, said he began volunteering at the television station last October. He has operated cameras and acted as floor director for the gardening show. He said that Noland makes the job fun.

“She’s always fun to be in the studio with,” Meyers said. “It really doesn’t feel like volunteering when I’m doing it.”

Elif Basar, volunteer coordinator for WILL, said that much of the WILL production staff are student volunteers. She said the studio tries to train students in many positions. On “Illinois Gardener,” students operate cameras, answer phone calls, direct and run graphic computers. Once a volunteer herself, Basar said volunteering at WILL and with “Illinois Gardener” is a unique opportunity.

“In other places, it’s a lot more strict in who they hire,” Basar said. “WILL is very generous in giving people opportunity.

“Illinois Gardener” is unique in that it is a local program that covers a large topic, Basar said. Although there are gardening shows on larger television networks like Discovery Channel and TLC, “Illinois Gardener” creates a closer relationship with viewers, she added.

“It’s really a great show to have,” said Basar. “It shows that local program is really necessary.”

“Illinois Gardener” airs every Thursday at 7 p.m. on WILL-TV with a re-broadcast every Saturday at 11 a.m. For more information on the show or volunteering visit www.will.uiuc.edu/tv/programs/illinoisgardener.