Shelley Ryan - Photograph
Producer and Host of The Wisconsin Gardener

Master Gardener Shelley Ryan has been the producer/host of WPT's The Wisconsin Gardener for the entire run of the series. The series, which premiered in 1992 and taped its last season in 2013, airs statewide, provides gardeners and homeowners with tips and practical information on gardening and landscape-related topics specific to Wisconsin.

Before the inception of The Wisconsin Gardener, Ryan worked as a publicity manager at WPT. Throughout her career, she has served as the on-air voice in promotional spots for WPT and Wisconsin Public Radio, as well as commercial television and radio stations. She has worked for the Department of Natural Resources, the Sierra Club-John Muir Chapter, Wisconsin Trails Magazine, and at several gardens, greenhouses and nurseries in the Madison area pursuing her love of plants.

The Wisconsin Gardener series has earned two Central Educational Network (CEN) Awards for Best Informational Program. Among numerous other recognitions, Ryan holds an Award of Merit from Seed Savers Exchange Internationan, an ADDY Award for sports promotion, two national PBS Advertising and Promotion Awards, a DNR Certificate of Appreciation for outstanding work in a radio advertising campaign, a University of Wisconsin-Extension Communications Skills Management Award and a first-place prize for outdoor photography from the Dane County Como Photo Contest.