Ashley Frasca
Can you imagine coming up with three hours’ worth of garden topics and information every week for 52 weeks? That’s what Ashley Frasca does in preparation for her 3-hour Saturday morning show on WSB Radio’s “Green and Growing.”
After eight years as producer of Walter Reeves’ Lawn & Garden Show, she was tapped to create her own program when the Georgia Garden Guru retired.
“When he retired after 26 years of doing his show, Walter left big shoes to fill, but he also has been quite a mentor to me from the beginning,” Frasca said. “I was like a sponge, learning all I could from him. During breaks in his show, he’d come sit by me at the phone screening desk and coach me on my garden knowledge and how to work with callers. It was invaluable.”
Since she started her show more than three-and-a-half years ago, she has become a Master Gardener through the Cherokee County UGA Extension. She’s also forged partnerships with many gardening experts and organizations, often bringing them onto her show.
Frasca’s programming has included interviews with a 15-year-old orchid whiz on how to grow these tropical houseplants, the founders of the Atlanta Coyote Research Project at Berry College, UGA’s Becky Griffin who founded the Great Southeast Pollinator Census, national gardening expert Joe Lamp’l, arborists and pruning experts. She also answers callers’ questions and provides Top 3 Things/garden chores each week.
A UGA graduate in broadcast journalism, she joined the WSB Radio team more than 13 years ago.
“Broadcast journalism has always been my first love and now, combining it with learning all about gardening, I’ve really found my niche,” she said.
Listen to Ashley on Saturdays from 6 to 9 p.m. on 95.5 WSB. You’ll be surprised what you’ll learn. Her shows are also available at www.wsbradio.com and on Facebook at “Green and Growing WSB.”
Garden symposium comes to Gainesville October 13-14
Right in our backyard in North Georgia, the upcoming statewide Georgia Master Gardener Symposium is packed with national speakers, garden tours, a plant sale and plenty of garden knowledge. The best part? You don’t have to be a Georgia Master Gardener to register.
“Cultivating Our Gardens: Beauty, Wildlife & Edibles” takes place at First Baptist Church, 751 Green Street, Gainesville, Friday and Saturday, October 13-14.
Friday features garden tours and a behind-the-scenes peak at Atlanta Botanical Garden Gainesville.
Saturday’s speakers include Marianne Willburn’s “Big Dreams Small Garden,” Diane Flynt’s “Wild, Tamed, Lost, Revived: The Surprising Story of Apples in the South,” and Carol Reese’s “How to Love Weeds.” Three after-lunch break-out sessions offer information about gardening in Georgia soil, how to support pollinators and growing cut flowers.
Conference registration starts at $75. For details, speakers’ bios and to register, visit www.georgiamastergardeners.org.
