This week, Joanne welcomes Ellen Zachos, author of 11 books on plants, including her latest, Mythic Plants: Potions and Poisons from the Gardens of the Gods.

About Ellen

A Harvard graduate, Ellen's first career was on Broadway (Les Miz), but the gift of a peace lily on opening night opened her eyes to the wonderful world of plants. Ellen taught at the New York Botanical Garden for many years and also served as Coordinator of the Gardening Department in Continuing Ed, before moving to Santa Fe, NM. She was named a Great American Gardener by the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival. Her 11th book, Mythic Plants: Potions & Poisons from the Gardens of the Gods, was published this year.

Inspiration & Research

• Grew from Ellen's Greek heritage and lifelong love of mythology and plants.
• Greek mythology felt personally significant; she wasn't drawn to Norse or Indian myths.
• Extensive research across historical texts; citations couldn't fit in the print book, but are available online.

Plant Stories & Mythology Connections

• Nepenthe (Poppy):
  • In Homer's Odyssey, Helen of Troy prepared Nepenthe—an "anti-sorrow" drink of wine and opium poppy.
  • Calmed grief temporarily. Linnaeus later named the tropical pitcher plant Nepenthes after this myth, believing its beauty could lift sorrow.

• Moly (Snowdrop):
  • Hermes gave Odysseus "Moly" to protect him from Circe's spells.
  • Described as a plant with black roots and white flowers—likely the snowdrop (Galanthus).
  • Contains galantamine, which counters hallucinations—aligning with the myth's antidote effect.
  • Modern research explores galantamine for Alzheimer's treatment.

• Fig:
  • Valued food in ancient Greece, consumed fresh or dried before refrigeration existed.
  • Special laws governed fig harvesting; penalties for theft were severe.
  • Ancient figs required complex pollination (caprification).
  • Some myths surrounding figs are notably "saucy."

• Pine Tree:
  • Associated with violent origin myths, but also practical uses.
  • Pine nuts were a staple food; pine resin sealed wine vessels, the origin of Retsina wine.
  • Modern Retsina has a milder pine flavour, enjoyed especially in Greek summer settings.

• Aconitum (Monkshood):
  • Misunderstood as poisonous to touch—false. Dangerous only if ingested.
  • Blooms beautifully when few others do; it is resistant to deer and rabbits.
  • Ellen wishes for a "Plant Mythbusters" show to debunk misinformation about plant toxicity.
• Daffodil (Narcissus):
  • Linked to the myth of Narcissus falling in love with his reflection.
  • Also central to the Persephone story, Zeus created a daffodil to lure her before Hades abducted her.
  • Explains the origin of winter and spring cycles through Demeter's grief and renewal.

Themes & Insights

• Plants in Greek mythology were deeply symbolic, medicinal, and magical.
• Many ancient uses align with modern scientific knowledge.
• The book groups plants thematically into short, easy-to-read chapters, ideal for bedtime or book clubs.
• Appeals to gardeners, historians, herbalists, and mythology enthusiasts.

Ellen's Life & Work Today

• Now based in Santa Fe with a small, fully edible garden.
• Enjoys discovering new drought-tolerant plants in a vastly different climate.
• Former rooftop gardener in New York City; designed and maintained terrace gardens.
• Also teaches and speaks across the U.S.—including the upcoming Herb Society of America Conference in Texas (April).
• Other popular books: How to Forage for Wild Foods Without Dying, Backyard Foraging, The Wildcrafted Cocktail, The Forager's Pantry.
• Advocates for safe, informed foraging and appreciation of wild edibles.
• Mythic Plants features beautiful botanical illustrations by Lisel Ashlock.

Mythic Plants makes a great gift and is available on Amazon! Find Ellen Zachos on Instagram.

Other Resources Mentioned in the Show:

Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden

Down the Garden Path Podcast

On Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designer Joanne Shaw discusses down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes. As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. She does her best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible. 

In Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and fellow landscape designer Matthew Dressing distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide.

Get your copy today on Amazon.

Don't forget to check out Down the Garden Path on your favourite podcast app and subscribe! You can now catch the podcast on YouTube.

This week on the podcast, Joanne welcomes Brandie, the Suburban Gardenista, an avid gardener passionate about supporting pollinators with native plants.

Brandie is Pollinator Stewardship Certified by Pollinator Partnership Canada and loves sharing her learnings through podcasts, workshops, and social media. 

You can find her online on YouTube and Instagram @thesuburbangardenista.

Brandie's Gardening Journey

• Began gardening ~20 years ago after moving into a home with no plants
• Inspired by her mother's lush gardens
• Discovered native plants through growing Obedient Plant — her "gateway" plant
• Realized the importance of planting natives to support local ecosystems and pollinators
• Certified through Pollinator Partnership Canada (Pollinator Stewardship Certification)
• Shares gardening insights via YouTube, Instagram, and workshops

Native vs. Non-Native Plants

• Native plants provide critical support for specialist pollinators (those reliant on specific species)
• Non-natives mainly support generalist pollinators
• Balance between natives, non-natives, and invasives is key
• Common aggressive natives: Canada Anemone, Obedient Plant, Common Milkweed
• Alternatives like Butterfly Milkweed and Swamp Milkweed are more contained

Managing Aggressive or Invasive Species

• Important to research before planting
• Remove known invasives such as English Ivy, Vinca/Periwinkle, Lily of the Valley
• Learn plant behaviour (spreading, seeding, etc.) before adding to the garden

Designing with Natives in Small Spaces

• Small gardens can host a wide variety (Brandie has 70+ species)
• Focus on the right plant, right place, rather than "low maintenance" alone
• Use design creativity: logs, natural materials, and container plants to fill early gaps

Community and Education

• Shares excess seedlings with neighbours; encourages community planting
• Label plants with signs to spark curiosity and conversation
• Promotes pollinator education through advocacy and her YouTube channel

Pollinator Partnership Canada Certification

• The program includes 3 components:
  1. Education: 8 in-depth classes
  2. Habitat Creation: Build pollinator-supportive space
  3. Advocacy: Share learnings through outreach (e.g., YouTube video)
• Highly recommended by Brandie; new cohorts start in February
• Includes regional eco-guides and plant-pollinator charts

YouTube & Monthly Garden Tours

• Started in 2020 to document native garden progress
• Monthly updates show plants' life cycles and seasonal variations
• Helps gardeners identify seedlings and avoid weeding out young natives
• Encourages patience and learning through real-life, imperfect gardening videos

Key Takeaways

• Start small—one native plant at a time
• Do research: focus on scientific names, avoid hybrids if aiming for ecological impact
• Natives can thrive in containers and urban spaces
• Real gardens are messy, evolving, and full of learning opportunities
• Supporting native pollinators starts with curiosity and one plant

Brandie's Favourite Natives

• Obedient Plant (despite its unruly habits)
• Swamp Milkweed – fragrant and pollinator-friendly
• Eastern Redbud Tree – long-term vision for beauty and ecosystem support

How to Support Pollinators

• "Start with one plant. Once you see the pollinators arrive, you'll be hooked."
• Gardening with natives isn't about perfection—it's about participation in the ecosystem.

Native Plant Resources Mentioned

• Books:
  • A Garden for the Rusty Patched Bumblebee 
  • Gardener's Guide to Native Plants of the Southern Great Lakes Region
• Online Resource:
  • Rick Gray's interactive North American map of native plant sources
• Organizations: Pollinator Partnership Canada

Have a topic you'd like me to discuss?

Please let me know what other topics you would like me to discuss.

Email your questions and comments to downthegardenpathpodcast@hotmail.com, or connect with me on my website: down2earth.ca

Find Down the Garden Path on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube: @downthegardenpathpodcast.

Down the Garden Path Podcast

On Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designer Joanne Shaw discusses down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes. As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. She does her best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible. 

In Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and fellow landscape designer Matthew Dressing distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide.

Get your copy today on Amazon.

Don't forget to check out Down the Garden Path on your favourite podcast app and subscribe! You can now catch the podcast on YouTube.

Thinking about a starting a new landscape project? This week on Down the Garden Path, Joanne draws on her experience as a landscape designer to share insights on planning, selecting high-quality materials, and collaborating with professionals.

Topics covered in this week's episode:

1) Go for a walk in your neighbourhood or drive to another neighbourhood and walk there to look at landscapes so that you can see what you like and don't like.

• Pay attention to homes that are the same style and or colour
• Look at the colour of the paving material used. This can help for choices in the front or backyard.
• For front yards, focus on features like front entrances etc.
• Do you see an aesthetic you like?
• Gardens: do you want more garden and less lawn, or the other way around?
• Again, do you like clean lines and minimal plantings, or do you want a colourful all-season garden?

2) Ask for referrals from neighbours, family, or friends who have completed successful landscape projects.

• Research landscape companies on social media and websites before contacting them.
• Look at the type of jobs they are building, the material they are using.

3) Call Landscape Companies: Ask about design services

• Don't fall for "We can do anything you want!"
• You don't know what you don't know
• Many contractors have design services, and if they don't, many independent landscape designers can help you with a plan.

4) Ask potential landscapers questions and read through proposals thoroughly.

• Ask about how deep they dig their base, what base materials they use, what type of edging techniques do they use.
• Will they repair or replace the sod?
• What is their preferred landscaping material?

5) Once you have chosen your landscaper, you will need to choose your material before your project starts.

• You can narrow down the options by reviewing different catalogues, but it is more helpful to visit material yards in person. Visit with your landscaper or designer to select appropriate materials.
• Choices can be overwhelming, so do not go alone. It is important to make sure that all the different materials coordinate
• Consider future needs like irrigation and lighting if your budget is limited. The landscaper can add during the initial project to make it easier to add lighting and irrigation later.

Resources Mentioned in the Show:

Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden

Are you a landscape or gardening expert?

We'd love to have you on the show! Click here to learn more.

Find Down the Garden Path on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube: @downthegardenpathpodcast.

Down the Garden Path Podcast

On Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designer Joanne Shaw discusses down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes. As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. She does her best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low-maintenance as possible. 

In Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and fellow landscape designer Matthew Dressing distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. Get your copy today on Amazon.

Don't forget to check out Down the Garden Path on your favourite podcast app and subscribe! You can now catch the podcast on YouTube.

This week on the Down the Garden Path podcast, Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing speak with Sam Hoadley from the Mt. Cuba Center about his latest research on Carex and other exciting projects at the center.

About Sam Hoadley and the Mt. Cuba Center

Sam Hoadley is the Manager of Horticultural Research at Mt. Cuba Center. Nestled in the hills of Hockessin, Delaware, the Mt. Cuba Center's mission is to inspire an appreciation for the beauty and value of native plants and a commitment to protect the habitats that sustain them. Sam evaluates native plant species, old and new cultivars, and hybrids in the Trial Garden. He earned his degree in Sustainable Landscape Horticulture from the University of Vermont. 

Here are some of the questions and topics covered in this episode:

• • • Tell us about the Mt. Cuba Center.
    • Why did you decide to research Carex?
    • What factors did you use to evaluate the 70 types?
    • What did you learn about the various results?
    • Are sod farms interested in the results?
    • Is the industry considering moving away from existing lawn grasses?
    • How can we as gardeners and homeowners help to move to a more sustainable lawn?
    • Can you tell us about another research project that you are excited about?

Find Sam and The Mt. Cuba Center online:

• www.mtcubacenter.org
• Facebook: MtCubaCenter
• Instagram: MtCubaCenter
  
• YouTube: MtCubaCenter
• Pinterest: MtCubaCenterGarden
• Twitter: MtCubaCente

Down the Garden Path Podcast

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. A horticulturist and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. It's now available on Amazon.

Don't forget to check out Down the Garden Path on your favourite podcast app and subscribe!

AI has moved into the world of gardening! This week on the Down the Garden Path podcast, Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing speak with Dale and Carrie Spoonemore, creators of the new garden AI app, Seed to Spoon.

Here are some of the questions and topics covered in this episode:

• Why did you decide to create this app?
• Where does the gardening information come from?
• Who is this app geared towards?
• Is it North-America based only?
• Can users customize their profiles so it remembers the app remembers their location?
• How does it differ from Google search?

Find From Seed to Spoon online:

• www.seedtospoon.net
• Facebook: @seed2spoon
• Instagram: @FromSeedtoSpoon
  
• YouTube: @FromSeedtoSpoon
• Tiktok: @seed2spoon
• Pinterest: @fromseedtospoon
• Twitter: @fromseedtospoon

Down the Garden Path Podcast

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. A horticulturist and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. It's now available on Amazon.

Don't forget to check out Down the Garden Path on your favourite podcast app and subscribe!

If you're not lucky enough to be living somewhere tropical, mid-winter has you in its grasp and you may be wondering what you can be doing in February in the garden. Although there's not much to do outside, there are several activities you can work on inside to get you ready for a new growing season. 

Suggestions from Joanne and Matt in this episode:

• Take care of your Christmas houseplants.
• Set up grow lights for starting seeds.
• Check out seed catalogues for interesting veggies or perennials to grow.
• Order seeds from catalogues or from online plant sources.
• Grow sprouts for salad.
• Take an online gardening class.
• Book tickets for a local garden show.
• Attend a local Seedy Saturday.
• Force spring bulbs.
• Force spring branches like pussy willow or forsythia.

Resources mentioned during the show

How to Grow Amaryllis

Growing Under Lights

Down the Garden Path Podcast

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for 17 years. A horticulturist, college educator and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. You can find it on Amazon.

Winter can be a gloomy bleak time of year, but that doesn't mean it has to be that way in the garden. In the season nine premiere of Down the Garden Path podcast, landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss how to create winter interest in your garden and landscape.

Discover how to create winter interest in your garden and landscape.

Here are some of the questions and topics Joanne and Matt cover in this episode:

• Thanks to all the listeners who wrote in over the break.
• Changes to the show format: addition of the Stepping Stone segment
• Join Matt and Joanne on social media!
  • Instagram: Down the Garden Path podcast
  • Facebook: Down the Garden Path Podcast group
• How do they define winter interest?
• How can you create winter interest in the garden?
  • Are plants the only way?
  • Preparing your garden for winter - the loss of winter interest.
  • Design considerations
• Joanne and Matt's plant recommendations for adding winter interest.

Resources mentioned during the show

Home Hydroponics with Tyler Baras

Down the Garden Path Podcast

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for 17 years. A horticulturist, college educator and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. You can find it on Amazon.

In this episode of the Down the Garden Path podcast, landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing answer questions about their book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, on The Landscape Ontario Podcast. In this monthly podcast, host Scott Barber has conversations on the issues shaping landscaping and horticulture in Ontario.

Scott asks Matt and Joanne a variety of questions:

• Tell us more about your background.
• What inspired you to write a book together?
• Can you speak to the importance of keeping our gardens low-maintenance?
  • Is the public, in general, receptive to this idea?
• Tell us about the different sections and topics covered.

Listen to Landscape Ontario on the Down the Garden Path podcast:

Landscape Ontario

Landscape Ontario

Find them online at www.landscapeontario.com, on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

Down the Garden Path Podcast

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. A horticulturist and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. It's now available on Amazon.

In the final episode of the Down the Garden Path podcast for 2022, Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss the pros and cons of buying a real tree vs. a fake tree.

Tune in to hear Joanne and Matthew discuss the pros and cons of choosing a real tree vs. a live tree.

Here are some of the questions and topics covered in this episode:

• What type of tree do Joanne and Matthew put up and why?
• What is the environmental impact of each choice?
• Choosing an everlasting, or fake, tree: What do we need to know? 
• Choosing a real/live tree: What do we need to know?
• Reasons why live trees are more expensive than ever.
• Rent-a-tree program: caring for a potted Christmas tree

Resources mentioned during the show

How to Grow Amaryllis: A short episode we created after many listeners wrote in to ask about them.

Down the Garden Path Podcast

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. A horticulturist and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. It's now available on Amazon.

In this episode of Down the Garden Path podcast, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing spotlight the classic holiday plant, Amaryllis. These easy-to-grow bulbs make great gifts or additions to your own holiday decorating.

Some of the topics they cover in this episode:

• the various ways you can purchase them
• what they require in order to grow
• tips on how to keep your bulb for next year

Down the Garden Path Podcast

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. A horticulturist and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. It's now available on Amazon.

Don't forget to check out Down the Garden Path on your favourite podcast app and subscribe!

With Christmas around the corner, you may still be looking for a gift for that special gardener in your life. In this episode of Down the Garden Path podcast, Matthew Dressing and Joanne Shaw are joined by Kristin Beane Sullivan from Garden Gate magazine. Kristin shares some of her favourite gardening gifts she's received, gifts she's given, and other good gifts for the gardener in your life.

About Kristin Beane Sullivan

In her 25 years at Garden Gate magazine, Kristin Beane Sullivan has been lucky to meet hundreds (if not thousands) of gardeners, tour and photograph countless gardens, and learn something from every single gardener she's met. She comes from a long line of farmers and gardeners, and today tends an ever-expanding urban garden with her husband, and three teenagers who are a lot more help in the garden than she was at their age.

Tune in to hear Joanne and Matt speak with Kristin Beane Sullivan about gifts for gardeners.

• Christmas is fast approaching. During your time at Garden Gate, and as a gardener yourself, what are your gift recommendations for this holiday season?
• What would be your top gift choices for new gardeners?
• What's your favourite gardening gift you've ever received and why?
• Tell us a bit about Garden Gate magazine. What amazing information can our listeners find within its pages?
• What topics does Horticulture magazine cover?
• What types of subscriptions can we get to these magazines?

Find Garden Gate magazine online:

Website: www.gardengatemagazine.com
Instagram: @gardengatemagazine
YouTube: @gardengatemagazine
Facebook: @gardengatemagazine
Pinterest: @gardengatemag

Find Horticulture magazine online:

Website: www.hortmag.com
Instagram: @hort.mag
Facebook: @HorticultureMagazine
Pinterest: @hortmag

Other resources mentioned on the podcast:

DIY Gardening gift ideas

Garden Gate Store

2023 European Garden Tour

Down the Garden Path Podcast

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. A horticulturist and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. It's now available on Amazon.

This week on Down the Garden Path podcast, Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing wrap up authors' month by speaking with The Mocha Gardener, Ashlie Thomas, about her new book How to Become a Gardener. In it, Ashlie teaches readers how to empower themselves by creating food security at home.

About Ashlie Thomas

Ashlie Thomas is an author, food security and gardening advocate, and entrepreneur known on social media as The Mocha Gardener.

For nearly seven years, Ashlie worked in the scientific research sector and managed healthcare-based projects in academia. With a background in biology and chemistry, she is currently pursuing her graduate studies in food and nutritional science and undergoing training as a certified health and wellness coach through Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Outside of work and school, you will find Ashlie consulting and working with organizations to help bridge the gap between food security and chronic diseases in underserved and low-resourced communities. Using her passion for gardening and training in health coaching, she seeks to bring awareness through practice to growing issues of food insecurity, while empowering and educating others on how to take control of their wellness through growing the very thing that sustains them: good nutritious food.

Tune in to hear Joanne and Matt speak with author Ashlie Thomas about creating food security at home.

Here are some of the questions and topics covered in this episode:

• What inspired you to write How to Become a Gardener?
• You start off with defining a garden. What is a garden?
• What's the history of Food to Table?
• Why are we, the gardeners, important?
• In the book, you draw the "journey to becoming a gardener." What does that look like?
• Later in the book, you say "gardening is rarely a solo adventure because you need something from someone, whether it be tools, soil, an extra set of hands, or even advice." At the beginning of Chapter 3, you have 13 useful tools for your garden. Can you tell us about your top three favourite tools?
• What is "Ashlie's Dozen?"
• How to Become a Gardener is more than a how-to guide. It's about empowerment. Tell us more.
• You finish off the book with lessons in the garden. Without spoiling the book, what are some of the lessons you feel are most important?

Find Ashlie Thomas online:

• Facebook: @the.mocha.gardener
• Instagram: @the.mocha.gardener
  
• YouTube: @TheMochaGardener
• Order "How to Become a Gardener" on Amazon

Down the Garden Path Podcast

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. A horticulturist and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. It's now available on Amazon.

In this episode of the Down the Garden Path podcast, landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing continue garden authors' month with a look at their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden.  

In Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide.

Packed with timely seasonal tips for each month to help you create the low-maintenance garden of your dreams, their new book takes the guesswork out of what to do and when to do it.

Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden is now available on Amazon.

Some of the topics discussed in this episode:

• Why did Joanne and Matt decide to write the book?

• What's inside?
  • How are the sections devised so gardeners can find the information they need quickly and easily?
    • Spring/Summer/Fall/Winter
  • What are Matt and Joanne's favourite sections?
• November in the garden:
  • What should you be doing this month?
    • Bulb planting and protecting Japanese maples for winter
• What are the larger sections of the book dedicated to?
  • Cedars
  • Fertilizing
  • Nematodes/White Grubs
  • Clematis
  • Spreading Grass Seed
  • Laying Sod
  • Lasagna Gardening
  • How to Do a Soil Test
  • Glossary

Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden is your roadmap to creating and maintaining a low-maintenance, sustainable garden, and Joanne and Matthew want to help you make it happen.

Order your copy today! 

Down the Garden Path Podcast

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. A horticulturist and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. It's now available on Amazon.

August is a busy but rewarding month in the garden. Although heat stress and plant fatigue can be a challenge, with attentive care, tidying up, and strategic watering and fertilizing, your lawn and garden can thrive into the fall.

Tune in to hear Joanne's tips and advice for keeping your lawn and garden thriving in August.

Topics covered in this week's episode:

Bulb Preparation

• Start thinking about fall bulbs (both flowering and garlic) now, especially if you want specific varieties.

Vegetables and Herbs

• Trim tired herbs (dill, basil, chives, oregano, thyme) for rejuvenation—stagger cuts for small crops to extend harvests.
• Monitor vegetables—harvest tomatoes and sow a second crop of lettuces and other cool-weather crops for fall.
• Keep gardens tidy: remove dead leaves and debris to prevent mildew and fungal diseases, especially after frequent watering.

Watering Tips

• Due to a lack of rain and prevalent heat in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area), consistent watering is vital.
• Overhead watering (oscillating sprinklers) is inefficient—Joanne recommends a circular, ground-level sprinkler for deeper, targeted watering.
• Test soil moisture with a wooden stick/spoon for accurate watering, especially for new plants.

Fertilization and Soil Care

• With heavy summer watering, nutrients may be depleted—top up with compost or hen manure, especially in raised beds and containers.
• Annuals and hanging baskets may also need fertilizer boosts (water-soluble or pellet) and a haircut to encourage new growth.

Container Gardening

• Refresh tired annuals in containers or hanging baskets—replace or trim as needed for continued success through fall.
• Consider adding or dividing perennials like hostas in containers.

Pest and Disease Watch

• Look out for mildew, spider mites, and aphids; ladybugs can help control aphids (ensure they are native).

Lawn Care

• Lawns may look brown but are likely dormant, not dead—no need to fertilize or mow dormant grass.
• Focus on watering deeply rather than frequently. Use a rain gauge or simple container to check water penetration.
• Pay attention to weeds, especially crabgrass—remove before seed heads spread.

Trees and Hedges

• Water trees deeply—target the feeder root zone, not just trunk; mature trees benefit when you water your lawn.
• Avoid spraying tree leaves or trunks.
• Prefer ground-level, slow watering instead of overhead for all garden areas.

Pruning

• Prune flowering shrubs (weigela, lilac, spirea) by cutting older/dead branches from inside the shrub for rejuvenation.
• For evergreens (cedar, yew), light trimming and shaping are appropriate now; major pruning is best left to professionals if needed.
• Shape hedges so the base is wider than the top to ensure sunlight reaches the bottom branches.

Hydrangea Tips

• Highlight on hydrangea varieties that thrive in heat and drought (Paniculata types like Bobo, Firelight Tidbit, Little Lime Punch, and Arborescens/Annabelle types).
• Water hydrangeas thoroughly—wilting signals the need for water.

Enjoyment and Planning

• Observe visiting butterflies, bees, and birds; consider water features (birdbaths, fountains) that attract pollinators and wildlife.
• Take photos of garden gaps for future planning, especially for plants that bloom in late summer or fall.

Resources Mentioned in the Show:

Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden

Are you a landscape or gardening expert?

We'd love to have you on the show! Click here to learn more.

Find Down the Garden Path on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube: @downthegardenpathpodcast.

Down the Garden Path Podcast

On Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designer Joanne Shaw discusses down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes. As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. She does her best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low-maintenance as possible. 

In Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and fellow landscape designer Matthew Dressing distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. Get your copy today on Amazon.

Don't forget to check out Down the Garden Path on your favourite podcast app and subscribe! You can now catch the podcast on YouTube.

Authors' month is in full swing on the Down the Garden Path podcast!  This week, Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing welcome returning guest and garden author Stephanie Rose to discuss her latest books, Big Book of Botanical Crafts and The Regenerative Garden.

About Stephanie Rose

Stephanie Rose is the founder and creator of the popular website and blog, Garden Therapy. Based in Vancouver, she is an award-winning author, artist, and master gardener. She has written a number of books, including The Regenerative Garden and Garden Made. Her latest book, Big Book of Botanical Crafts, will be available shortly.

Tune in to hear Joanne and Matt speak with author Stephanie Rose about regenerative gardening.

Here are some of the questions and topics covered in this episode:

The Regenerative Garden:

• What is regenerative gardening?
• What is the goal of permaculture?
• What is a functioning ecosystem?
• Where can we employ permaculture techniques in the garden?
  • Do you need a large space?
• What are the six elements of a living garden you discuss in your book?
  • Soil
  • Water
  • Plants
  • Climate
  • Ethics
  • Community
• What are some of the activities in the book you recommend our listeners try as an introduction to permaculture?
  • Stephanie discussed using ollas for sustainable watering and has instructions on how to make your own.

Big Book of Botanical Crafts

• Big Book of Botanical Crafts will be released this November 22nd.
  • It has 30 recipes to create all sorts of wonderful natural products.
  • The book is divided into three sections: Beauty/Candles/Cleaners. Learn how to use items from your own garden to create products in these categories.

You can learn more about how to purchase Stephanie's books here, find her online at www.gardentherapy.ca and on social media:

• Facebook: @gardentherapy
• Instagram: @garden_therapy
• Twitter: @garden_therapy
  
• YouTube: Garden Therapy
• Pinterest: @garden_therapy
• TikTok: @gardentherapyofficial

Stephanie also joined Matt and Joanne on the podcast two years ago to discuss her book Garden Alchemy. Listen to that episode here.

Down the Garden Path Podcast

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. A horticulturist and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. It's now available on Amazon.

Don't forget to check out Down the Garden Path on your favourite podcast app and subscribe!

When you think of tea, one of the last places you might think you could grow and make your own tea is Canada. This week, Matthew Dressing kicks off authors' month with his co-host, and Down the Garden Path serial guest superstar, Julia Dimakos. Julia graciously steps into Joanne Shaw's seat for the week to discuss her new book, Tea Gardening for Beginners.

About Julia Dimakos

Julia gardens in 7000 square feet in Mono, Ontario, continuing in the formal kitchen garden style. She has been growing vegetables and writing about gardening for over 12 years and has been published in Canadian Organic Grower magazine twice. She has just released her new book, Tea Gardening for Beginners.

She loves to inspire others to have their own vegetable gardens by showing them the simpler side of gardening. She enjoys teaching others, speaking, and holding workshops. You can read her blog at www.juliadimakos.com.

Learn how easy it is to grow, harvest, and prepare your own tea at home to create the perfect cup of tea.

Here are some of the questions and topics covered in this episode:

• Tell us about your garden this summer.
  • What did you grow?
  • What challenges did you face?
  • What was new and exciting?
• Tea gardening. What is it?
• When I think of tea, maybe like most, we think of tea leaves, but teas can be made from so much more than just leaves.
  • How does one go about making a "tea" with leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds, and roots? Describe each.
  • Can you make tea with any part of the plant? If it's good to use the leaves, is it perfectly fine to use the roots, for example?
• In your book, you have some delicious tea recipes.
  • How does one come up with a tea recipe? Can you simply combine teas to create your own blends?
  • Can you share with us any tips and tricks we should use to make the best teas?

You can find Julia online here, as well as on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.

You can buy her new book, Tea Gardening for Beginners, here.

You can also listen to past Down the Garden Path podcasts featuring Julia:

Growing Herbs

Growing Under Lights

Digging Deep with Veggies

Growing Indoors

Autumn Edibles

Down the Garden Path Podcast

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. A horticulturist and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. It's now available on Amazon.

This week, Down the Garden Path presents an encore presentation of Joanne and Matt's January 2022 Home Hydroponics podcast with Tyler Baras, chief science officer and co-founder of Area 2 Farms in Arlington, Virginia.

About Tyler Baras

Tyler has a range of urban agricultural experiences from homesteading to commercial hydroponics. He has worked as a grower for 3 Boys Farm Inc., one of the first certified organic hydroponic farms in the United States. In 2015, Tyler wrote one of the best-selling hobby hydroponic books, DIY Hydroponic Gardens: How to Design and Build an Inexpensive System for Growing Plants in Water. In 2017, Tyler wrote Roadmap to Growing Leafy Greens and Herbs, an educational book for new growers and investors interested in commercial hydroponic production of leafy greens in greenhouses and indoor farms. In 2021, he wrote Home Hydroponics: Small-space DIY Growing Systems for the kitchen, dining room, living room, bedroom, and bath.

For more on Tyler Baras, please visit FarmerTyler.com.

Don't miss Joanne and Matt's conversation with Tyler Boras about home hydroponics.

Some of the questions and topics covered:

• For people new to the term, what does it mean to grow hydroponically?
• Do you buy plants and transition them to water or can you start seeds in water?
• What are some of the things one should consider before starting a hydroponic set vs. growing in soil? Can anyone do it?
• If there isn't any soil, how are our plants being supported in a hydroponic system?
• How do we feed our plants?
• What do you think of kits like "Click and Grow" or Aero Gardens, etc.?
• Can you tell us about some of the materials we'd need for a simple beginner setup?  Are there DIY starter kits?
• Where can we buy the products for a DIY setup?
• For those of us who might be a bit more adventurous, are there any other items we could use to enhance our hydroponic setup?
• Your new book Home Hydroponics is filled with interesting DIY hydroponic projects. Tell us about how the book came about?
• What are some of your favourite projects?

Down the Garden Path Podcast

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. A horticulturist and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. It's now available on Amazon.

Plants are more than just pretty; many have unique uses and fragrances. Tonight on the show, landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing welcome NYC Aromatica's Amy Anthony to the Down the Garden Path podcast. Amy discusses growing aromatic plants and essential oils and how you can make them a dynamic part of your garden and landscape.

About Amy Anthony

Amy is a certified clinical aromatherapist and aromatic gardener who left her career in marketing research to pursue what is closest to her heart: working with plants. As a certified aromatherapist, aromatherapy educator, herbalist, gardener, certified master composter and artisanal distiller, Amy is one of NYC's top aromatherapy practitioners.

Host of the Essential Aromatica podcast, Amy also tends her own aromatic garden on the North Fork of Long Island where she distills her unique products.

Listed as one of America's most influential aromatherapists, Amy Anthony is currently the New York State representative for the Alliance of International Aromatherapists. Her private practice, NYC Aromatica, includes one-on-one customized aromatherapy sessions, online class offerings, corporate consulting and article writing.

Tune in to hear Joanne and Matt speak with Amy Anthony about aromatherapy gardening.

Here are some of the questions and topics covered in this episode:

• What defines a plant as being aromatic?
• What are some of the best aromatic plants?
• What are some situations we'd employ aromatic plants in the garden?
• How do we best design with these plants in the garden?
• If our listeners are looking to start gardening with aromatic plants, what would be your top three low-maintenance plant recommendations?
• With winter coming, what can we do to bring the benefits of aromatic plants from the garden indoors?
• What are essential oils and where do we get them from?
• How are essential oils produced?
• Can we make essential oils at home from plants in our own gardens?
• How do we get the most from using essential oils?

Where to find Amy:

• Website: www.nycaromatica.com
• Podcast: www.nycaromatica.com/podcast/
• LinkedIn: @amy-n-anthony
• Instagram: @nycaromatica
• Facebook: @nycaromatica

Down the Garden Path Podcast

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. A horticulturist and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. It's now available on Amazon.

There's nothing quite like a fresh bouquet of flowers in the house. This week, landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing welcome Heather Moran of Heirloom Heather Flower Farm to the Down the Garden Path podcast. Heather shares her tips and tricks on how to grow summer flowers and cheerful spring bulbs to create a cut flower garden of your own.

About Heirloom Heather Flower Farm

Heirloom Heather started as a small-scale flower farm in 2021. Dedicated to farming sustainably and using organic methods, they preach low waste and try to be as eco-conscious as they can when making decisions about the farm. Currently, they are learning about soil health, low tiling, and regenerative farming.

Named after the Scottish flower, Heather is the Head Farmer Florist at Heirloom Heather. She does all the planning, prepping, and planting. She has a background in Graphic Design and loves to make stunning colour palettes with flowers. In 2020, newly sober Heather found solace in gardening when the world was basically turned upside down. Heirloom Heather started as a way to spread happiness and joy through flowers when people needed it most.

Tune in to hear Joanne and Matt speak with Heather Moran of Heirloom Heather Flower Farm.

Here are some of the questions and topics covered in this episode:

• Tell us more about the farm. How did it get started?
• We met at the Toronto Flower Market.
• What plant do you grow throughout the different seasons?
• Can people visit the farm?
• Some of the flowers you grow are bulbs. Do you have some to lift for the winter?
• Do you have to start some things inside?
• What hardy bulbs are you planting this season?
• Do you plant all new bulbs every year?
• How do we take care of bulbs?
• What is your bulb subscription?
• What is your fresh flower subscription?
• What other services do you offer?

Other resources discussed: www.johnnyseeds.com

Where to find Heather:

• www.heirloomheather.ca
• Instagram: @heirloomheather
• Facebook: @heirloomheather

Down the Garden Path Podcast

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. A horticulturist and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. It's now available on Amazon.

This week, Down the Garden Path presents an encore presentation of the October in the Garden podcast from 2019.

With gardening chores changing so much from month to month, staying on top of your outdoor to-do list can be a challenge. In this week's episode of Down the Garden Path, Joanne and Matthew discuss what's happening this month in your garden, offering down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

Tune in to hear Joanne and Matthew discuss the do's and don'ts for your October garden.

Some of the topics discussed this month:

• The importance of watering weekly, especially newly planted evergreens
• Stars in your fall garden
• How to plant bulbs
• What to do with your annuals and perennials
• How to clean and care for your lawn and fruit/vegetable garden
• General home and garden maintenance that will make for less work in the spring

Down the Garden Path Podcast

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. A horticulturist and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. It's now available on Amazon.

This week, landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing welcome Aaron Deacon from BIOS Nutrients to the Down the Garden Path podcast to talk about how feeding your indoor plants naturally improves their soil health.

About Aaron Deacon

Aaron first learned about the environmental damage caused by synthetic fertilizers and pesticides during college and set out after graduation to begin growing for himself. He received a license from Health Canada to grow medicinal cannabis and decided to go completely organic. He was discouraged by the results from products that were available on the market and began studying soil to learn how plants grow naturally. After discovering biology within soil that feed on organic matter is what feeds plants, he began practicing fermentation to add biology and organic matter back to the soil and mimic mother nature. Through six years of research and testing, he now makes completely natural fertilizers and pesticides that heal soil and educates communities on how mother nature grows.

Tune in to hear Joanne and Matt speak with Aaron Deacon feeding your indoor plants naturally improves their soil health.

Here are some of the questions and topics covered in this episode:

• How did you discover the biology within soil?
  • Can you share with us how you came to the "ah ha!" moment that started it all? Why is this soil biology so important?
  • Started looking for better soil nutrients while growing cannabis
  • Noticed improved yield and better plant health when used on cannabis and realized it would be beneficial with all types of plants
• What are BIOS nutrients?
• How does BIOS work to improve soil and plant health?
• Is BIOS safe for humans and pets?
  • How does it relate to human health?
• What can we use BIOS on?
  • Is it just for indoor plants?
• If used outside, will the bacteria overwinter in colder regions?
• Can it be used with other natural soil improvement products?
• How do we apply BIOS?
  • How often do we need to reapply it?
• Do we need to feed our plants traditionally after using BIOS?
• What other products does BIOS Nutrients offer?
  • Yucca Extract and Probiotic

Get a free sample of BIOS

Visit www.biosnutrients.ca and sign up to get your free sample of BIOS. Enter coupon code DTGP15 in the order comments to let Aaron know where you heard about BIOS and use DTGP15 at checkout to receive 15% off all of your purchases.

Down the Garden Path Podcast

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. A horticulturist and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. It's now available on Amazon.

This week, Matthew Dressing and Joanne Shaw welcome amateur butterfly enthusiast Lisa-Rae Cormack to the Down the Garden Path podcast to talk about harvesting milkweed and how to grow it from seed.

About Lisa-Rae Cormack

An HR professional from Whitby, Ontario, Lisa-Rae began raising monarch butterflies when she became an empty nester five years ago. To date, she has raised and released close to 400 monarch butterflies. This wouldn't be possible without the monarch caterpillars' only source of food: milkweed.

What started as a small indoor project has grown over the years to incorporate an outdoor enclosure, vast pollinator gardens and two variations of milkweed. Her operation is coined "#FlyBeFree" and in 2020, she was officially certified as a registered monarch waystation by MonarchWatch.org. Through trial-and-error, Lisa-Rae has taught herself how to harvest, stratify and germinate common milkweed for this purpose.

Tune in to hear Joanne and Matt speak with Lisa-Rae Cormack about harvesting and growing milkweed.

Here are some of the questions and topics covered in this episode:

• What got you started down this path?
  • Lisa-Rae was mesmerized by witnessing the caterpillars' transformation
• How did you learn?
  • Self-taught, through trial and error and lots of internet research
• Describe your setup.
  • She has a full cycle operation: from egg to caterpillar to pupa to butterfly and repeat
• Monarchs on the endangered species list; Lisa-Rae feels like she's a part of something big
  • Only 3% survive the full life cycle in "the wild" whereas she has a 98% success rate (this year was 100%)
• Why milkweed?
  • This is the monarch caterpillars' only source of food
  • Lisa-Rae's is organic and chemical-free
• Why the decline in the monarch butterfly's population?
  • The lack of viable milkweed along the migration path to Mexico (and back) is the main reason
• What types of milkweed do you use?
  • Experienced with two types: common and tropical
• Collected common milkweed seeds from pods on the side of the road; once pods open and fluff starts to emerge, it's ready to harvest (Oct – Nov)
• Common milkweed needs to be stratified
  • Can be done in the freezer
  • Can be difficult to germinate
• Start seeds indoors with grow lights and a fan at end of March and move outside end of May once four full leaves have formed.
  • Issues to deal with include mold, too much/little water
• Takes two years for common milkweed to really establish; the container method works well
• Tackling milkweed pests and threats: aphids, ants and wasps, humans (weed killers)
• What's your favourite type? Both!
  • Tropical because it is easy to grow (germinates fast and doesn't need to be stratified) and has gorgeous orange and yellow flowers; it's an annual
  • Common is hearty and has beautiful blooms in its second year; monarchs love it; it's native and it's a perennial

Down the Garden Path Podcast

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. A horticulturist and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. It's now available on Amazon.

 

Do you have some annuals that are still going strong? In this episode of Down the Garden Path podcast, landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss how some annuals can be saved and brought inside for you to use in your gardens next spring.

Tune in to hear Joanne and Matthew discuss ways you can save your annuals.

Here are some of the questions and topics covered in this episode:

• Annuals as houseplants?
  • Coleus, geraniums, tuberous begonias, and sweet potato vine are some of the annuals that we can bring indoors and use as houseplant over the winter.
  • How do you properly bring in plant material for the winter?
    • You can bring in the pot and treat it like a houseplant with indirect light, keeping it lightly watered.
    • You can treat it like a mother plant and take cuttings from it.
      • Put the cuttings in water in indirect light, as well, and plant them when you are ready. Keep in indirect light until they are ready to put out in the spring.
        
        
• Summer bulbs or tubers: Sweet potato vines, dahlias, cannas, and calls
  • How do you properly bring them indoors?
    • Dig them up and shake the dirt loose, but don't wash the tubers or introduce any moisture to them.
  • How do you store them for the winter?
    • Store them in a cool, dark place until February or so; then you can divide the tubers with a clean sharp knife and create even more plants than you started with.
• If you are looking for unusual or special bulbs, corms or tubers, now is the good time to look at online resources. Most mail-order places have a better variety than local stores and they will ship them in time for you to pot them up.
• Dahlia May Flower Farm will start taking orders soon: We encourage you to support smaller growers in your area and buy your plants from them.

Down the Garden Path Podcast

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. A horticulturist and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. It's now available on Amazon.

This week on the Down the Garden Path podcast, landscape designers Matthew Dressing and Joanne Shaw are joined by Bob Osborne, author of Hardy Apples: Growing Apples in Cold Climates, to talk about how to select, grow, and care for our apple trees in cold climates.

For over a decade, the gardening world has seen the continuous rise in popularity of growing your own food and food security. One of the most popular plants of this growing movement are apple trees, and if you live in the northern part of the country where winters can be long and unforgiving, hardiness is just as important as flavour.

About Bob Osborne

Bob Osborne owns Corn Hill Nursery in New Brunswick, Canada. He is a gardening author, a columnist on CBC Radio and a member of several horticultural organizations.

Join Joanne and Matt as they welcome Bob Osborne, author of Hardy Apples: Growing Apples in Cold Climates.

Here are some of the questions and topics covered in this episode:

• Tell us a bit about your background as a gardener.
• How did you start Corn Hill Nurseries?
• How are apple trees produced for wholesale/retail?
• What are the top cultivars you recommend for first-time apple growers in northern climates?
• In your book, you have a note on taste.
  • Can you share that with us?
• When at the garden center, what should customers look for when purchasing an apple tree?
• What should customers consider before planting an apple tree?
• It's home and planted, now what?
  • How do we care for our apple tree?
• What are some of the common apple pests and diseases we'll see no matter where you're growing apples?
• In your dedication, you thank all the "apple explorers who are helping save countless cultivars from oblivion."
  • Can you tell us more about those efforts?

Find Bob Osborne online:
Website: www.cornhillnursery.com
Facebook: @cornhillnursery
Instagram: @cornhillnursery

His book, Hardy Apples: Growing Apples in Cold Climates, is available for purchase on Amazon and Indigo.

Down the Garden Path Podcast

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. A horticulturist and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. It's now available on Amazon.

In this encore episode of Down the Garden Path podcast, landscape designer Joanne Shaw offers mid-season advice for your lawn and garden.

Topics covered in this week's episode:

YES, you can still plant this summer. You do not need to wait until fall.

• Summer is always a good time to pick up a good sale on plants, just check that the roots are healthy.
• The roots are the most important thing to look at in mid-summer, especially on discounted plant material. It may not do much this year, but it will be even better next year.
• Tree and shrub planting is fine, but you need to be around home to water in case of drought.
• If you are away for a few days, that is fine. Consider using a tree watering bag for your trees or even timers for sprinklers. The important thing is to be around to keep an eye on your newly planted trees.
• Also, remember the sign of too much water is the same as not enough. So, check the soil deeply if your plant appears to be struggling.

Mid-summer is Japanese beetle season.

• I want to reassure you that Japanese beetle traps work, when used according to instructions. Read the instructions! Place the trap far away from the garden and plants (including your neighbours' plants)
• Communicate with your close neighbours; you don't all need a trap.
• Follow the distance guidelines in the instructions and you will be fine. The key is to capture as many as possible before they lay their eggs in your lawn, which turn into grubs.

Native Plants

• There's so much talk about native plants and only using them in your garden.
• If it is overwhelming, don't worry. There are a lot of non-native plants that pollinators love.
• There is no need to remove plants or shrubs to add native plants -- unless you have invasive plants, or you want to.
• I suggest a few mid-season native bloomers that can be added now. Many native plants are spring or fall bloomers and many can become invasive or spreaders, so keep that in mind when choosing them.
• Removing seed heads will help with their spread.

Mid-summer is also crabgrass season.

• It is important to pull it out before it goes to seed.
• Try not to cut grass when it has gone to seed because that spreads the seed to create more weeds for next year.
• If you have a large lawn and or a large amount of crabgrass, consider bagging your grass for the rest of the season to try to prevent as many weeds as possible for next year.

Resources mentioned during the show:

Permeable Landscaping Products with David Maxwell from Romex

Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden

Are you a landscape or gardening expert?

We'd love to have you on the show! Click here to learn more.

Find Down the Garden Path on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube: @downthegardenpathpodcast.

Down the Garden Path Podcast

On Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designer Joanne Shaw discusses down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes. As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. She does her best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low-maintenance as possible. 

In Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and fellow landscape designer Matthew Dressing distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. Get your copy today on Amazon.

Don't forget to check out Down the Garden Path on your favourite podcast app and subscribe!

You can now catch the podcast on YouTube.

How's your lawn faring after these past few months of hot dry weather? As summer winds to a close, landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss lawn care and lawn care alternatives.

Tune in to hear Joanne and Matthew discuss lawn care and lawn alternatives.

Here are some of the questions and topics covered in this episode:

• What should we be doing for our lawns in September?
• How do we apply nematodes?
• How do we fertilize at this time of year?
• Seeding and sodding; is now the time?
• What other activities can I do as temperatures cool and the lawn is healthy?
• What is biodiversity?
• What does "lawn alternative" stand for?
• What are some lawn alternatives?
• Do I have to make my lawn just one thing?
• How do incorporate some lawn alternatives into my existing lawn?
• How do I take care of lawn alternatives?

Resources mentioned during the show

Down the Garden Path podcast – Grub Control
Natural Insect Control – www.naturalinsectcontrol.com
West Coast Seeds – www.westcoastseeds.com
Down the Garden Path podcast – Lawn Care: Artificial Turf
Toronto Flower Market appearance Saturday September 10th – www.torontoflowermarket.ca
Doug Tallamy's book: Nature's Best Hope.

Down the Garden Path Podcast

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. A horticulturist and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. It's now available on Amazon.

This week on the Down the Garden Path podcast, landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing close off the month of August by answering listener questions about the seasonal stressors we're experiencing in our gardens.

Tune in to hear Joanne and Matthew discuss seasonal stressors in your August garden.

Here are some of the questions and topics covered in this episode:

• Is it one or two inches of water every week for our lawns?
  • What about in this drought here in the GTA? More water?
• Reminder to water newly planted trees.
• Using water timers on hoses to help with watering.
• Any tips for choosing an apple tree for my yard?
• How do we apply nematodes?
  • When's the best time?
• Watering for a week at night for nematodes: won't that do the damage you talk about for our lawn?
• Is fall a good time to plant?
• Growing an aloe plant

Resources mentioned during the show

Suzanne Poizner's Urban Forestry Show on RealityRadio101.com.

Applying Nematodes

Down the Garden Path Podcast

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. A horticulturist and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. It's now available on Amazon.

In this episode of the Down the Garden Path podcast, landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing answer questions about their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, on The Food Garden Life Show, a podcast hosted by Emma Biggs and Steven Biggs.

Tune in to hear Joanne and Matt answer questions about their book on The Food Garden Life Show.

Steven and Emma ask Matt and Joanne a variety of questions:

• Tell us more about you and your podcast. How did you start working together?
• How do your approaches to gardening differ?
• What was the inspiration for a book that follows the seasons?
• What are your top tips from the book?

Listen to Steven and Emma on past Down the Garden Path podcasts:

Talking Tomatoes

Growing Figs in Cold Climates

Growing Lemons

The Food Garden Life Show

Find them online at www.foodgardenlife.com, on Instagram and Facebook.

You can also find Emma online here, as well as on Instagram.

Down the Garden Path Podcast

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. A horticulturist and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. It's now available on Amazon.

This week on the Down the Garden Path podcast, landscape designers Matthew Dressing and Joanne Shaw are joined by Mary Phillips, Head of Garden for Wildlife™ at the National Wildlife Federation. Mary discusses the Federation's wonderful initiatives and shares how we can play a part in growing a bright future for the monarch butterfly and many other iconic native wildlife species.

About Mary Phillips

For eight years, Mary has led Garden for Wildlife™ and Certified Wildlife Habitat® as an ambassador for native plants. Her work ensures all habitat programs and resources are rooted in sustainable practices and the latest science. Since 1977, Garden for Wildlife has been the nation's oldest and largest Backyard Habitat program generating and supporting millions of wildlife gardeners in North America.

Most recently, Mary helped launch the Garden for Wildlife Native Plants Collection™. The goal of this social enterprise is to increase the native plant supply, reduce carbon impacts, and secure the survival of iconic species, such as the monarch butterfly, native bees, and songbirds. The pilot launch in 2021, resulted in over 4,000 native plant collections sold in five months, 237,000 sq ft. of new garden habitat.

Join Joanne and Matt as they welcome Mary Phillips, Head of Garden for Wildlife™ at the National Wildlife Federation.

Here are some of the questions and topics covered in this episode:

• Tell us more about the Garden for Wildlife organization.
  • Can you describe the different habitat programs you have?
  • What are your native plant collections?
  • There are so many native plants which are not available to gardeners and the public. How is the Garden for Wildlife Native Plants Collection™ increasing the native plant supply?
  • How do you know which collection is right for you?
  • Can you describe how someone's garden becomes a Certified Wildlife Habitat?  Can Canadians get certified?
  • Do you ship to Canada?
  • Do you sell seeds?
• Monarch butterflies
  • What makes a species iconic?
  • Can you share with us what is happening with the monarch? Why are they getting so much attention this summer?
  • What should we all know about the life cycle of the monarch?
  • There is so much we can be doing to restore the native habitats for monarchs and other native wildlife populations. If we could do one thing after the show to help monarchs, what would you recommend?
• How do we get involved with native plants?
• Do you work with any Canadian wildlife organizations?
• What are some of the resources listeners can find on your website?
•  Is there anything you'd like to bring to the attention of our listeners?

Find Garden for Wildlife™ online:
Website: www.gardenforwildlife.com
Facebook: @gardenforwildlife
Twitter: @garden4wildlife
Instagram: @gardenforwildlife
Pinterest: @gardenforwildlife
TikTok: @gardenforwildlife

Find National Wildlife Federation™ online:
Website: www.nwf.org
Facebook: @nationalwildlife
Twitter: @nwf
Instagram: @nationalwildlife
Pinterest: @nwfpins
YouTube: @nationalwildlife

Other resources discussed:
Canadian Wildlife Foundation – Similar Canadian Resources.
www.invasivespeciescentre.ca – Dog Strangling Vine information.
www.monarchjointventure.org

Down the Garden Path Podcast

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. A horticulturist and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. It's now available on Amazon.

This week, Matt and Joanne present an encore presentation of their August in the Garden podcast from 2019.

Tune in to hear Joanne and Matthew discuss the do's and don'ts for your August garden.

August can be a challenging month in the garden. The heat is unrelenting and the weeds are growing strong. It's right around now that our plants can start to look a little tired or spent, and as gardeners, it can be a difficult time because we may be a little tired and spent ourselves!

In this episode, Matt and Joanne talk about the do's and don'ts for the challenging August garden. From watering tips to weed and insect control, they cover it all.

Down the Garden Path Podcast

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. A horticulturist and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. It's now available on Amazon.

This week on the Down the Garden Path podcast, landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing answer listener questions in this "Ask Us Anything!" episode.

Tune in to hear Joanne and Matt respond to listener questions.

Some of the questions listeners asked:

• I saw a post online: 8 plants that repel mosquitos. Any information that you can share with us?
• With this excessive heat in the GTA, is it okay to put down lawn fertilizer? If so, any tips?  
• What is the best mulch to use, and what is the best way to mulch a perennial bed? Lots? Little? High? Low?
• My backyard is mostly shady all the time. What plants can I grow that may look nice without (basically) any sun? My yard may get about 4 hours of sunlight per day due to high buildings and trees.
• I did a soil pH test. What is the best solution for raising soil pH levels? When is the best time to water my plants? Some of my friends say that it really doesn't matter if I water them. Is that true?
• I know that I screwed up this year, (I think). But is it too late to grow a pumpkin for Halloween?  (Even if the pumpkin would be very small by October 31st)? 
• For next year: seeds or plants regarding growing tomatoes?
• How is the book doing? Just remember, Christmas IS approaching!
• Is it better to buy small perennials or larger ones that have blossoms? Can I buy them now and plant them? Any available? I live in the GTA.
• That is great advice about watering plants, (or the lawn) for that matter, at night. But what about when it rains at night? Isn't that the same thing as us watering? Wouldn't rain at night hurt the lawn (and plants) as well in the evening?
• Matt, can't I grow a tomato plant all year round inside with a grow light?
• Resources discussed:
  • Organic Pest Control with David Smorenburg
  • Blue Star Nursery
  • Julia Dimakos – www.juliadimakos.com 

Down the Garden Path Podcast

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. A horticulturist and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. It's now available on Amazon.

This week on the Down the Garden Path podcast, landscape designers Matthew Dressing and Joanne Shaw talk about native plants with Anna Fialkoff, the Ecological Programs Manager at Wild Seed Project in Portland, Maine.

Join Joanne and Matt as they discuss native plants with Anna Fialkoff of Wild Seed Project.

Here are some of the questions and topics covered in this episode:

• What does the Wild Seed Project do and why?
  • A non-profit to inspire people to grow native plants
  • Set people up for success with native plants in the landscape
  • Organize walks, talks and workshops
• Sell and promote native plant seeds
  • Easier to grow from seed as they don't need as much coddling
  • Sow in the late fall and they will germinate in the spring
  • Use a potting mix with compost mixed with your soil
  • Sow them thickly in a 4.5" pot and put them outside with some sand and protect them from rodents
• Tell us about your pledge to rewild and your tree planting initiative.
  • Started in late 2020, helping people find the tools to plant natives and to be more mindful of their practices
  • Mindful practices – less mowing and blowing, unlearning old horticultural practices like cutting everything back in the fall
• Where do you ship to?
  • Currently only ship to the US.
• Are there any special events or items you'd like to promote?
  • Guide publications: Native Ground Covers for Northeast Landscapes and Native Trees for Northeast Landscapes

You can find the Wild Seed Project online at Wild Seed Project and on Facebook and Instagram.

Down the Garden Path Podcast

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. A horticulturist and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. It's now available on Amazon.

This month on the Down the Garden Path podcast, landscape designers Matthew Dressing and Joanne Shaw discuss the wide assortment of shrubs available for your gardens and landscapes. With so many wonderful new and tried-and-true shrubs on the market, they believe there are a few that deserve more attention. So, in this episode, they share some of the hidden gems you can find at your local independent garden centre.

Join Joanne and Matt as they discuss hidden gems you can find at your local garden centre.

Here are some of the questions and topics covered in this episode:

• How do Matt and Joanne define a hidden gem?
• Joanne's favourites:
  • Microbiota or Russian Cypress, Microbiota decussata – zone 3-7, 6"-18" tall by 36" wide, evergreen, full sun to partial shade, burgundy bronze fall colour.
  • Carol Mackie Daphne, Daphne × burkwoodii 'Carol Mackie' – zones 4-8, 2-3' tall by 3-4' wide, semi-evergreen, partial shade, fragrant pale pink flowers in May.
  • Cutleaf Gold Elderberry, Sambucus racemosa 'Lemony Lace' – zones 3-7, 3-5' tall by 4-6' wide, deciduous, full sun to part shade, fragrant white flowers in May and June. Berries are sour but edible.
• Matt's favourites:
  • Low Scape series Chokeberry, Aronia melanocarpa cultivars from Proven Winners – zones 3-9, 1-5' tall by 2-5' wide, deciduous, white flowers in mid spring, edible dark purple berries and orange-red fall foliage. Berries are edible.
  • Tint Tuff Stuff Ah-ha Mountain Hydrangea, Hydrangea serrata 'SMNHSDD' – zones 5-9, 3' tall and wide, deciduous, pink or blue lace cap flowers from summer through fall, with red fall colour.
  • Caryopteris or Bluebeard, Caryopteris cultivars – zones 5-9, 2-3' feet tall and wide, deciduous, true blue flowers in late summer to fall.

Down the Garden Path Podcast

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. A horticulturist and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. It's now available on Amazon.

 

With summer well underway and many of us heading off to the cottage or to spend some time out in nature, Joanne and Matt help you identify some of the harmful plants you might find during your travels. In this episode of the Down the Garden Path podcast, they discuss poisonous plants.

Join Joanne and Matt as they discuss poisonous plants.

What are the common harmful plants when camping and hiking?

• Poison Ivy

Poison Ivy Dermatitis Causes

• Poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac plants contain a compound called urushiol, which is a light, colourless oil that is found in the fruit, leaves, stem, roots, and sap of the plant. When urushiol is exposed to air, it turns brown and then black; plant leaves develop small black spots.
• There are several ways that you can be exposed to urushiol:
  • By touching the sap or rubbing against the leaves of the toxic plant at any time of year
  • By touching something that has urushiol on it, such as animal fur or garden tools
  • By breathing in smoke when toxic plants are burned

After contact with urushiol, approximately 50 percent of people develop signs and symptoms of poison ivy dermatitis. The symptoms and severity differ from person to person.

The most common signs and symptoms of poison ivy dermatitis are:

• Intense itching
• Skin swelling and blisters
• Skin redness

These symptoms usually develop within four hours to four days after exposure to the urushiol. After the initial symptoms, allergic individuals develop fluid-filled blisters in a line or streak-like pattern. The symptoms are worse within 1 to 14 days after touching the plant, but they can develop up to 21 days later if one has never been exposed to urushiol before.

The blisters can occur at different times in different people; blisters can develop on the arms several days after blisters on the hands developed. This does not mean that the reaction is spreading from one area of the body to the other. The fluid that leaks from blisters does not spread the rash. Poison ivy dermatitis is not contagious and cannot be passed from person to person. However, urushiol can be carried under fingernails and on clothes; if another person comes in contact with the urushiol, they can develop poison ivy dermatitis.

• Poison Sumac: Poison Oak and Poison Sumac.
  • Appearance: 10 to 15 ft tree
  • Where they can be found: Wet woodland area, moist acidic areas
  • How they grow
  • How to be safe around them

Other poisonous plants mentioned by listeners on the podcast:

• Giant Hog Weed
• Stinging Nettle
• Water Hemlock
• Night Shade
• Ornamental Plants like Angels Trumpet and Castor Bean Plant

NOTE:
Any treatment mentioned during the show is not medical advice and is based on the personal experience of Joanne, Matthew, and their listeners of the podcast. If you encounter any of the plants mentioned during the show, please seek professional medical attention immediately! In case of an emergency, call 9-1-1.

Source: UpToDate and Poisonous Plants by F. Stary, Z. Berger

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. A horticulturist and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible. In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. It's now available on Amazon.

This month on the Down the Garden Path podcast, landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing are talking about all the wonderful shrubs for your gardens and landscapes. In this episode, they discuss interesting evergreen shrubs. 

Join Joanne and Matt as they discuss interesting evergreen shrubs.

• What makes an evergreen interesting?
• What is an evergreen?
• Best practices when caring for your evergreens
• Differences between an evergreen vs. a conifer?
  • Conifers are cone-bearing evergreens
• Our listeners' favourite evergreens in the warmer climate
• Interesting evergreens listeners should look for?
  • Golden Mop Threadleaf False Cypress – Chamaecyparis pisifera ' Golden Mops'
  • Fire Chief Cedar – Thuja occidentalis 'FireChief'
  • Mr. Bowling Ball & Pancake Globe Cedar – Thuja occidentalis  'Mr. Bowling Ball' & T. occidentalis 'Pancake'
  • Moon Frost Canadian Hemlock – Tsuga canadensis 'Moon Frost'
  • Lime Glow Juniper – Juniperus horizontalis 'Lime Glow'

Joanne and Matt answer listener questions on a variety of topics:

• Needle drop
• Wrapping and screening your evergreens
• Best evergreens for privacy

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. A horticulturist and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible. In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. It's now available on Amazon.

 

In this encore presentation of Down the Garden Path, Joanne discusses some of the issues you may be experiencing with your hydrangeas this month and what you can do about them.

Topics covered in this week's episode:

Hydrangeas not blooming?

• Knowing what variety of hydrangea you have is the first step
• In Joanne's experience, if you have a nice large green bush but no or few flowers then you have a Macrophylla variety
  • They bloom on old wood that is unfortunately susceptible to late spring frost damage
  • The buds form on the old wood in early spring, and then a late frost comes and kills the buds
  • The plant still grows nice and lush and you don't know anything is wrong until it doesn't flower.
  • Extra water and fertilizer provide a nice full-leaved plant, but no blooms
  • I have tried all the techniques to try and prevent this and protect the plant, but I gave up and replaced it with a hardier variety
• If you are in an area where you often get a late frost after a nice warm-up, then consider swapping to another variety
• Hydrangeas discussed:
  • Macrophylla
  • Paniculata
  • Quercifolia
  • Serrata
  • Arborescence
• Which hydrangeas grow on old or new wood

Hydrangeas getting too large/floppy?

• Preferred pruning practices 
• Smaller variety recommendations of each type to have a hydrangea that stays smaller:
  • Munchkin Oakleaf Hydrangea
  • Invincibelle Wee White Hydrangea
  • Invincibelle Limetta
  • Little Lime or Bobo Hydrangeas
  • All are a great way to have more hydrangeas in a smaller space

Related Episodes/Resources Mentioned in the Show:

Tips To Extend The Blooming Season Of Your Endless Summer Hydrangea

Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas Part One

Hydrangeas Part Two

BLOG POST -- Hydrangeas: When They Don't Work And What You Can Do About It

Are you a landscape or gardening expert?

We'd love to have you on the show! Click here to learn more.

Find Down the Garden Path on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube: @downthegardenpathpodcast.

Down the Garden Path Podcast

On Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designer Joanne Shaw discusses down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes. As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. She does her best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low-maintenance as possible. 

In Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and fellow landscape designer Matthew Dressing distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide.

Get your copy today on Amazon.

Don't forget to check out Down the Garden Path on your favourite podcast app and subscribe! You can now catch the podcast on YouTube.

This week on the Down the Garden Path podcast, landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing wrap up their look at perennials with an episode dedicated to some of their favourites. These hidden gems of the perennial garden work hard but are often overlooked.

Join Joanne and Matt as they reveal their top five perennial favourites.

Joanne's hidden gems:

• Geum: Geum Triflorum
  • Zone 4
  • Part to full sun
  • Green foliage with small red-orange flowers on tall stems
• Bergenia: Bergenia Cordifolia aka Pig Squeak
  • Zone 4
  • Part shade
  • A clumping perennial with unique evergreen foliage
  • Flower spike in Spring
• Epimedium: Epimedium grandiflorum also known as Barrenwort or Bishop's Hat
  • A perennial groundcover, good for dry shade.
  • Inconspicuous flower but interesting leaf with nice fall colour.
• Ligularia: aka Leopard plant
  • Zone 4
  • Big interesting foliage with yellow flower spike
  • Grows in part to full shade
  • loves moisture and clay soil
• Amsonia x Blue Ice
  • Zone 3
  • An upright clump-forming perennial with pretty clusters of periwinkle blue flowers.
  • The truest blue flower
  • Full sun to part shade

Matt's hidden gems:

• Little Bluestem, Schizachyrium scoparium
  • North American native
  • Zones 3 – 7
  • Full sun to partial shade
  • Blue-green foliage gives way to fall colours lasting through the winter
• Beardtongue, Bearded-tongue, or Foxglove Beardtongue, Penstemon digitalis
  • North American native
  • Zones 3 – 7
  • Full sun to partial shade
  • Tall spikes of white, pinks and deep pinks over sturdy, upright, dark green foliage
• Turtlehead, Chelone obliqua & C. lyonia
  • North American native
  • Zones 3 – 9
  • Full sun to partial shade
  • Good for moist soils and bogs
  • Blooming late summer to mid-fall with hooded flowers which look like a turtle's head in deep pinks and white.
• Lungwort, Pulmonaria hybrids
  • Native to Europe and western Asia
  • Zones 3 – 9
  • Full shade to partial shade
  • Tall clusters of flowers in late spring to early summer with pink buds turning bluish-pink, blue, purple
• Spigelia, Spigelia marilandica 'Little Redhead'
  • Native to eastern North America in along woodlands and streambanks
  • Zones 5 – 9
  • Full sun to partial shade, with very good shade tolerance
  • Blooms in late spring to mid-summer with upright, arching stems of upward-facing red trumpet flowers with yellow throats

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. A horticulturist and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible. In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. It's now available on Amazon.

This week on the Down the Garden Path podcast, landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing look at two classic perennials that have long been staples in our gardens, phlox and campanula, commonly known as bellflowers. Whether you're looking for a plant with some height, or one a little lower growing, these classics have got you covered.

Join Joanne and Matt as they look at perennial favourites phlox and campanula (aka bellflowers).

Some of the questions and topics covered about phlox and campanula (aka bellflowers):

• What are the ideal growing conditions required?
• When do these perennials bloom?
• Popular choices for short and tall cultivars
• How to find them in the garden centre? Are they expensive?
• Where and how to use phlox and bellflowers in the landscape?

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. A horticulturist and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible. In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. It's now available on Amazon.

This month on the Down the Garden Path podcast, landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss some of their favourite perennials. They begin with a look at a versatile classic, sedums. From shrub substitute to colourful ground cover, it's hard not to have a spot in your garden for a spectacular sedum.

Joanne and Matt kick off the month with a look at sedums, a perennial favourite.

Some of the questions and topics covered:

• What is the best soil for sedums?
• Matt discussed the Sunsparkler Sedum series.
• The versatility of sedums in your landscape
• Sedum mats
  • available in 1 x 2 foot rectangles to quickly cover an area with a dense thick mat of sedums
• Joanne spoke about attending Toronto Botanical Garden's annual garden tour Through the Garden Gate, exploring the Wychwood area of Toronto
• Matt talked about attending the Oshawa Peony Festival 

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. A horticulturist and landscape designer, Matthew Dressing owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, they do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible. In their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and Matthew distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. It's now available on Amazon.

In this episode of the Down the Garden Path podcast, landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing kick off the month with a launch party to celebrate their new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden.  

Joanne and Matthew's new book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, is now available on Amazon.

In Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide.

Packed with timely seasonal tips for each month to help you create the low-maintenance garden of your dreams, Joanne and Matthew take the guesswork out of what to do and when to do it. You'll get valuable information on a variety of topics they address each week in their Down the Garden Path podcast:

• How to grow a robust green lawn year-round.
• When to start seeds indoors and hardening-off young plants.
• Tips for choosing and caring for upright cedars.
• How and when to prune to get the most out of your plants.
• And much more.

Tune in to listen to their virtual launch party -- simulcast on Facebook Live and www.realityradio1010.com --  to learn more:

• Why did Joanne and Matt decide to write the book?
• What's inside?
  • How are the sections devised so gardeners can find the information they need quickly and easily?
    • Spring/Summer/Fall/Winter
  • What are Matt and Joanne's favourite sections?
• What are the larger sections of the book dedicated to?
  • Cedars
  • Fertilizing
  • Nematodes/White Grubs
  • Clematis
  • Spreading Grass Seed
  • Laying Sod
  • Lasagna Gardening
  • How to Do a Soil Test
  • Glossary

Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden is your roadmap to creating and maintaining a low-maintenance, sustainable garden, and Joanne and Matthew want to help you make it happen.

Order your copy today! 

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade.

And Matthew Dressing is a horticulturist and landscape designer. He owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, Joanne and Matthew do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and helpful topics. Their goal is to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

This week on the Down the Garden Path podcast, landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing wrap up May's focus on wonderful landscape shrubs with an "Ask Us Anything!" episode -- and an exciting announcement!

Tune in to hear Joanne and Matt respond to listener questions.

Some of the questions listeners asked:

• Is full sun considered to be 6 or 8 hours?
• What is the best way to naturally get rid of weeds in the grass?
• Is mulch the same as compost?
• What is the best way to raise pH levels in my garden soil?
• Can you please again review what the numbers on fertilizer bags mean? And what are the maximum fertilizer numbers that I can use for new grass seed?

Joanne and Matt also announce that their book, Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, is now available on Amazon.

In Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide.

Packed with timely seasonal tips for each month to help you create the low-maintenance garden of your dreams, Joanne and Matthew take the guesswork out of what to do and when to do it. You'll get valuable information on a variety of topics they address each week in their Down the Garden Path podcast:  

• How to grow a robust green lawn year-round.
• When to start seeds indoors and hardening-off young plants.
• Tips for choosing and caring for upright cedars.
• How and when to prune to get the most out of your plants.
• And much more.

Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden is your roadmap to creating and maintaining a low-maintenance, sustainable garden, and Joanne and Matthew want to help you make it happen. Order your copy today!  They're throwing a launch party! 

Join Joanne and Matt as they simulcast live on Facebook and realityradio101.com to celebrate the release of their new book. You can win a copy of the book or some Down the Garden Path Podcast swag!

When: Monday, June 6th at 7 pm ET

Where: @downthegardenpathpodcast

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade.

And Matthew Dressing is a horticulturist and landscape designer. He owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, Joanne and Matthew do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and helpful topics. Their goal is to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

This week, we present an encore presentation of our May in the Garden podcast from 2019. Tune in to hear Joanne and Matthew discuss the do's and don'ts for your May garden.

May in the garden brings many inspiring ideas, but there are many not-so-inspiring May to-do's you will also need to get done to give your garden its best chance in the season ahead. 

Joanne and Matthew discuss garden trends which feature some of May's Stars of the Garden.  

The Stars of the Garden plants for this month happen to be the plants of the year for 2019: Hosta, Shrub, Perennial and Annual of 2019.

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade.

And Matthew Dressing is a horticulturist and landscape designer. He owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, Joanne and Matthew do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and helpful topics. Their goal is to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

This week on the Down the Garden Path podcast, landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing continue their look at flowering shrubs and explore the world of Deutzias and Diervillas, some gorgeous small to medium-sized shrubs with a lot to offer your landscape.

Tune in to hear Joanne and Matt talk about Deutzias and Diervillas.

Some of the questions and topics covered:

• What are Deutzias?
  • Where are they native?
  • What zone are they?
  • When do they flower?
  • How much do they cost?
• Popular cultivars of Deutzias:
  • Nikko Blush
  • Yuki Cherry Blossom
  • Yuki Snowflake
  • Crème Fraiche Deutzia
  • Pom Pom Deutzia
• How can we use them in the landscape?

• What are Diervillas?
  • Where are they native?
  • What zone are they?
  • When do they flower?
  • How much do they cost?
• Popular cultivars of Diervillas:
  • Kodiak series: Black, Red, Orange
  • Firefly Bush Honeysuckle
• How can we use them in the landscape?

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade.

And Matthew Dressing is a horticulturist and landscape designer. He owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, Joanne and Matthew do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and helpful topics. Their goal is to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

This week on the Down the Garden Path podcast, landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing continue their look at flowering shrubs, discussing a few classics and a couple of superstars you might be meeting for the first time. In this week's episode, they talk about viburnums.

Tune in to hear Joanne and Matt talk about viburnums.

Some of the questions and topics covered:

• What are viburnums?
  • Where are they native?
  • How hardy are they?
  • How big do they get?
  • Where can you find them?
  • How expensive are they?
• Popular species of viburnum:
  • European Snowball
  • Nannyberry
  • Summer Snowflake
  • Korean Spice
  • Highbush Cranberry and Compact Highbush Cranberry
  • Blue Muffin
  • Mariesii Doublefile
  • Cardinal Candy
  • Arrowwood

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade.

And Matthew Dressing is a horticulturist and landscape designer. He owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, Joanne and Matthew do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and helpful topics. Their goal is to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

 

This month on the Down the Garden Path podcast, landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing take a look at flowering shrubs, a few classics and a couple of superstars you might be meeting for the first time. In this week's episode, they talk about lilacs. Tune in to hear Joanne and Matt talk about lilacs.

Some of the questions and topics covered:

• What are lilacs?
• What are the different groups/types of lilacs and what makes them different?
  • general care, fertilizing, pruning, size colours, flowering time and use for each

• Common lilacs: French hybrids, Korean lilacs, Preston lilacs, Bloomerang
• Some of the pests and diseases common with lilacs
• Joanne and Matt tell us their favourites.
• How to use lilacs in the landscape.

This month on Down the Garden Path podcast, landscape designer Joanne Shaw wraps up "critter month" with the ultimate critter we would all love to have: chickens. Joanne welcomes Homestead Phil, the co-founder of Rent the Chicken.

About Rent the Chicken 

Homestead Jenn and Phil are the co-founders of Rent the Chicken. It started as a way to earn supplemental income and is now full-time employment for both stretching across the United States and Canada. They feel blessed to be connected with many hard-working individuals that make Rent the Chicken successful. On their homestead, they raise chickens, meat rabbits, and ducks. Seeing the smiles on their renter's faces is what they look forward to when making deliveries for Rent the Chicken and Hatch The Chicken.

Don't miss Joanne's conversation with Homestead Phil from Rent the Chicken.

Some of the questions and topics covered:

• How did you come up with the idea for Rent the Chicken?
  • Many people thought about having chickens in their garden and the benefits they bring, but what does it take to raise chickens from an egg or a peep?
• Tell us how Rent the Chicken works?
  • How much food do you need each day to feed the chickens?
• How old does the chicken need to be before it starts to lay eggs? 
• What are some of the regulations around renting a chicken in the States? What about in Canada?
• Where would you recommend someone go to find out the regulations in their area?
• If there is a problem with the chicken, how easy is it to get a hold of Rent the Chicken for help?
• What happens if a predator or a disease causes the chicken to pass while in a renter's care?
• Phil told us all about the other program offerings like Hatch the Chicken, Coops for Troops and the Give a Chicken program.

You can find Rent the Chicken online here, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade.

And Matthew Dressing is a horticulturist and landscape designer. He owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, Joanne and Matthew do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and helpful topics. Their goal is to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

In this encore presentation of Down the Garden Path, Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing show you how to keep your garden and landscape cool and colourful in the summer heat with tips for your July garden.

Here are some of the questions and topics covered in this episode:

• Pros and cons of the recent hard, fast rain and things to consider with your garden and containers.
• Lawns
  • The importance of watering deeply but less frequently
  • The best type of fertilizer for your lawn situation
  • The best time to fertilize
  • Staying on top of weeds
• Perennials/Annuals in the Garden
  • Deadhead perennials to clean up or encourage new growth 
  • It may be time to clean up your annual containers and replace individual plants if they are dead or not growing well
  • Make sure the annual containers are not being overwatered or underwatered
  • Time to fertilize containers as well
• Shrubs: Pruning spring bloomers after flowering
• Trees: Fertilizing shrubs and trees, the best timing depending on the weather.
• Best ways to deep-water trees: do not rely on rain only
• Matthew and Joanne's vegetable garden

Are you a landscape or gardening expert?

Find Down the Garden Path on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube: @downthegardenpathpodcast.

You can also email your questions and comments to downthegardenpathpodcast@hotmail.com, or connect with Joanne via her website: down2earth.ca

Down the Garden Path Podcast

On Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designer Joanne Shaw discusses down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes. As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. She does her best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible. 

In Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and fellow landscape designer Matthew Dressing distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide.

Get your copy today on Amazon.

Don't forget to check out Down the Garden Path on your favourite podcast app and subscribe! You can now catch the podcast on YouTube.

This month on Down the Garden Path podcast, landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing continue their "critter month" with a look into the soil and its diverse life. In this episode, they welcome Root Rescue's Bob Reeves to talk about how you can put little critters to use in your garden.

About Bob Reeves 

Bob has come to believe that the secret to plant success is hiding in the soil beneath our feet. He began the Soil Health/Root Rescue project in 2005 with a discovery made at Reeves Florist & Nursery, his family's garden centre in Woodbridge, Ontario. Bob is the founder and CEO of Root Rescue Environmental Products. He also serves as a Soil Microbiome Advisor to Flash Forest, a leading innovator in drone-powered reforestation.

Don't miss Joanne and Matt's conversation with Root Rescue's Bob Reeves.

Some of the questions and topics covered:

• How did Root Rescue get started?
• What is Root Rescue?
• What are mycorrhizae fungi and how do they work? Compared to fertilizer?
• Why are urban soils dead soils?
• Is there any harm to people or pets?
• How is Root Rescue different from other mycorrhizae products on the market?
• What can't I use Root Rescue on?
• How often should I apply Root Rescue?

You can find Root Rescue online here, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade.

And Matthew Dressing is a horticulturist and landscape designer. He owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, Joanne and Matthew do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and helpful topics. Their goal is to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

This month on Down the Garden Path podcast, landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing gear up for spring by taking a look at some garden products that will help you enjoy your garden to the fullest. In this episode, they welcome David Smorenburg from Upper Canada Organic Products to discuss their line of pest control products.

About David Smorenburg and Upper Canada Organic Products

David is the founder and president of Upper Canada Organic Products, Inc. Upper Canada Organic Products (U C Organic Products) has been a family-run business since 2002. They register, develop, and distribute the least-toxic pest control products in Canada and are a pioneer in bringing plant-based pest control products to Canada.

Don't miss Joanne and Matt's conversation on organic pest control with David Smorenburg.

Some of the questions and topics covered:

• We first learned about you from a previous guest, Guy Ruccolo from Blue Star Nursery. He recommended your products, saying that he couldn't keep them on the shelves.
• Tell us about Upper Canada Organic Products.
• U C Organic was instrumental in assisting the change to the Pest Control Products Act that made it easier for people or companies to bring low-toxic pest products to market in the future.
• Garlic juice and orange peel extract are two of the food-based items now available to Canadians for use to assist in controlling pests.
• What are the names of your popular products?
• How does your mosquito repellent work?
• How does the Orange Guard work?
• What other products do you have available?

You can find Upper Canada Organic Products online here, as well as on Facebook.

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade.

And Matthew Dressing is a horticulturist and landscape designer. He owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, Joanne and Matthew do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and helpful topics. Their goal is to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.

In this episode of Down the Garden Path podcast, landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing continue March's edible gardening theme with a look into the ways we can make our vegetable gardens more beautiful with ideas on how to incorporate vegetables with our ornamental gardens.

This week, learn how to make your vegetable gardens more beautiful and explore ways to incorporate vegetables with ornamental gardens.

Some of the topics covered:

• The "traditional rectangular or square vegetable garden" and how not everyone has that space; for those who do, the garden tends to only be attractive at certain times of the year.
  • • Make it more attractive by setting it in the lawn or using raised garden bed products for use on a patio or in a smaller space.
• Pay extra attention to raised beds with soil and water; they can be a great solution for beginners with less space.
• Learn about some vegetable beds that can be planted in the front yard.
  • Consider interesting shapes like a parterre
  • Or vegetables can be planted in between shrubs and perennials
• Use structures like obelisks or arbours to make use of vertical space while creating visual design features in the front or back.
• Fences can also be used by using chains for the plants to grow up or wall pockets to create a green wall on the fence, especially with herbs or lettuce.

Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes. As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. And Matthew Dressing is a horticulturist and landscape designer. He owns Natural Affinity Garden Design, a landscape design and garden maintenance firm servicing Toronto and the Eastern GTA. Together, Joanne and Matthew do their best to bring you interesting, relevant and helpful topics. Their goal is to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.