Shelley Ryan (August 6, 1956 – January 16, 2014) was an American gardener and cook best known as the host of the television show ''The Wisconsin Gardener'' which aired on

Wisconsin Public Television PBS Wisconsin (formerly Wisconsin Public Television or WPT) is a state network of non-commercial educational television stations operated primarily by the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. It c ...

and other

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

Stations. "Gardening isn't about plants, compost or dirt," she said. "It's really about people."

Background

Ryan was born in 1956 in Carbondale, Illinois, to Neil and Jane Ford. She moved to

Middleton, Wisconsin Middleton is a city in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States, and a suburb of the state capital, Madison. Middleton's motto is "The Good Neighbor City." The population was 21,827 at the 2020 census. In 2007, Middleton was chosen as the best pl ...

as a young girl, graduated from Middleton High School, and then attended and graduated from UW-Madison. Ryan worked at

Wisconsin Public Radio Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) is a network of 34 public radio stations in the state of Wisconsin. WPR's network is divided into two distinct analog services, the ''Ideas Network'' and the '' NPR News & Music Network,'' as well as the ''All Classic ...

for a number of years before finding her true love in plants in the gardening world. She became a Master Gardener through UW Extension and worked at a number of different nurseries in the area before her idea of a television show for Public TV that would cover the wants, needs and questions of the state of

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

''The Wisconsin Gardener''

''The Wisconsin Gardener'' is a half-hour show that Ryan produced and hosted on

. On the air since 1992, the program was one of the longest running gardening programs on North American television, with hundreds of episodes filmed. Ryan hosted and produced the program for 21 years. The show led to creation of Wisconsin Public Television's Garden Expo, which draws 20,000 gardening enthusiasts to Madison every February. Over the years, Ryan was also the voice of promotional spots for both Wisconsin Public Television and Wisconsin Public Radio.

Books and publications

Ryan published a cookbook, ''Leeks, Love And Laughter: Growing And Eating Through the Seasons'' in 2005 through HenschelHAUS Publishing. She wrote columns and articles for Wisconsin Gardening Magazine, Country Market,

Midwest Living ''Midwest Living'' is a regional American magazine published by Dotdash Meredith focused on the American Midwest. Founded in 1986, the magazine publishes region-specific information and inspiration, focusing on travel and events, food and dinin ...

magazine, Country Woman magazine,

Fine Gardening ''Fine Gardening'' is a magazine for gardening enthusiasts of all skill levels covering the basics of garden design with advice from horticulture experts and landscape professionals. The focus is more on ornamental plants and home landscaping rath ...

magazine, and local and regional publications.

Personal life and death

Ryan lived in

Blue Mounds, Wisconsin Blue Mounds is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 census, the village had a population of 948. The village is adjacent to the Town of Blue Mounds, and is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area. Blue Moun ...

with her husband. Ryan was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008. Ryan retired from her role as host of ''The Wisconsin Gardener'' in April 2013 after completing work on the show's final season. At the time, she shared news with her fans that her breast cancer had returned.

References

External links

''The Wisconsin Gardener''
TV show Web site {{DEFAULTSORT:Ryan, Shelley 1956 births 2014 deaths Gardening television People from Carbondale, Illinois People from Middleton, Wisconsin American food writers American television chefs American cookbook writers American women food writers University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Deaths from cancer in Wisconsin Writers from Illinois Writers from Wisconsin People from Blue Mounds, Wisconsin American women non-fiction writers 21st-century American women