We planted a couple trees this summer after a long visit to a northwest side garden center and I was shocked and saddened to find last week that the dogwood in the backyard had some bark damage. This, after a month of constant babying.
I decided to ask an expert what to do and I fired off an email to a couple names I found on the Milwaukee County Extension office Web site (see below), only half expecting a reply.
Not long afterward, I had concerned, detailed messages from at two people. One suggested I call right away to get a jump on the problem.
Then, on a trip to the Chicago Botanic Garden last weekend, there was an arborist manning a table answering people's questions about trees. A guy, just standing there, chatting about trees and apparently pleased as punch to do it. No tip jar, no off-putting glare on his face as he did his time.
Man, I wish it was this easy to get questions answered all the time. I could learn all kinds of useful stuff and feel loved by my fellow humans at the same time. Like most of us, I've grown used to the grudging attention that has come to be replace "service."
But, seriously, if you know Amy Gibbs, Outreach Specialist/Diagnostician
Plant Disease Diagnostics Clinic, Department of Plant Pathology, Outreach Specialist/Diagnostician, University of Wisconsin-Madison, or Suzy Orth,
Horticulture Help Line Assistant at the County Extension -- or that guy at the Botanic Garden -- tell them I said, "thanks!"
And if you have a question about your trees, your plants and your garden, give the Extension a call or send an e-amil. If they're not happy to answer, then they're very good at hiding it.
In retrospect, I should also name the garden center -- Minor's on North 76th Street -- because one of its employees drove us around their place in a golf cart for a good long time, helping us pick out trees and offering advice. It was the same kind of friendly customer service that I got from the County Extension and the friendly fella at the Chicago Botanic Garden.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
