On Down the Garden Path Podcast, landscape designer Joanne Shaw discusses down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes. She believes it is important and possible to have great gardens that are low maintenance. On Down the Garden Path, she speaks with industry experts and garden authors to educate listeners on how to seasonally manage their gardens and landscapes.
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In this episode of Down the Garden Path, Joanne Shaw 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
Know what variety is especially important with this issue.
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 bud.
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
The preferred pruning practices to mitigate that
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
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.
Seasonal Stressors
Season 10 · Episode 31
Tuesday, August 20, 2024 • Duration 58:16
In this encore presentation of Down the Garden Path, landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing answer listener questions about the seasonal stressors we're experiencing in our gardens this month.
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?
Alan Heeks is an inspiring guide to helping people cultivate their well-being through parallels with Nature. After a Harvard MBA and a successful career managing building materials businesses, Alan has spent 30 years creating nature-based learning venues, and leading groups there. In 1990, he started Magdalen Environmental Trust, converting 130 acres to a mixed organic farm. Since 1992 he has created Hazel Hill Wood as a 70-acre conservation wood and retreat centre. Alan has led many workshops with his Seven Seeds of Natural Happiness approach, including individuals, community groups, and NHS doctors.
Here are some of the topics covered in this episode:
Natural Happiness can help you dig deep and stay cheerful in these stormy times.
It shows how you can use gardening methods such as composting, mulching, and crop rotation to cultivate human nature, too.
A gardener applies skills like observation, patience and creativity, and you can adapt them to deal with daily stresses and big issues such as climate change.
Alan's approach is positive and practical, easy to use for gardeners and others.
On the podcast and on YouTube, they talked about the interesting and practical exercises sprinkled throughout the book
The Nourish Your Roots exercise suggests trying Tree Talk.
Imagine yourself as a tree and consider whether all parts of you are in balance.
The roots, the trunk and your branches. It is a practical and helpful exercise, especially when it encourages us to do some pruning!
Another self-help "quickie" we discussed was how we handle compaction in our lives.
Alan related it to the soil in a garden, which for gardeners is a very clear analogy.
Rent the Chicken
Season 8 · Episode 13
Tuesday, April 26, 2022 • Duration 59:06
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, , and .
Root Rescue with Bob Reeves
Season 8 · Episode 12
Tuesday, April 12, 2022 • Duration 59:50
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?
Each week on professional landscape designers and discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.
Organic Pest Control with David Smorenburg
Season 8 · Episode 11
Wednesday, April 6, 2022 • Duration 59:36
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.
Designing Your Edible Spaces
Season 8 · Episode 10
Monday, March 28, 2022 • Duration 56:14
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.
Talking Tomatoes with Emma Biggs
Season 8 · Episode 9
Tuesday, March 15, 2022 • Duration 59:11
In this episode of Down the Garden Path podcast, landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing continue their month-long look at edible gardening by talking tomatoes with author, speaker, and blogger Emma Biggs.
About Emma Biggs
Emma is a 16-year-old gardener, author, speaker, and blogger. Her passion is growing tomatoes, trying new, unusual crops, and saving seeds. She has raised over 150 tomato varieties in her Toronto garden and loves to try weird and wonderful plant projects. Emma gives talks at libraries, seed exchanges, garden clubs, and garden events. She is the co-host of The Food Garden Life Show, and her latest book is Gardening with Emma.
Don't miss Joanne and Matt's conversation on growing tomatoes with author Emma Biggs.
Some of the questions and topics covered:
What are your top tips for starting tomatoes from seed?
Do you have a favourite type of tomato to grow?
How do you grow them, in beds or containers?
We know you grow a lot of varieties: How do you harden them all off to get them outside?
How do you handle pests and diseases?
What's your actual favourite tomato variety that everyone should grow?
Each week on Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designers and discuss down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.
Growing Herbs with Julia Dimakos
Season 8 · Episode 8
Tuesday, March 8, 2022 • Duration 59:21
This month on Down the Garden Path podcast, landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing begin their month-long look at edible gardening. In this episode, all-star guest Julia Dimakos returns to the podcast to discuss growing herbs and her new e-book How to Plan a Vegetable Garden, available now at www.juliadimakos.com
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 10 years and has been published in Canadian Organic Grower magazine twice.
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.
Don't miss our conversation on growing herbs with Gardening Girl Julia Dimakos.
Some of the questions and topics covered:
What are the best conditions to grow herbs inside?
Harder to grow from seed: parsley, sage, oregano, lavender, savory (summer or winter), lemongrass
Is it better to buy herbs for indoors vs. starting from seeds?
Better to purchase as a plant: rosemary, mint, lovage
What conditions do we need to have to grow herbs outside?
Is there a special fertilizer required for herbs?
Should we use organic fertilizer when feeding herbs and other edibles?
What are some of the common pests and diseases herbs are susceptible to?
You can find Julia online , as well as on , , , and .
Ask Us Anything!
Season 8 · Episode 7
Monday, February 28, 2022 • Duration 58:22
This week on the Down the Garden Path podcast, landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing wrap up February's houseplant theme with an "Ask Us Anything!" episode.
Tune in to hear Joanne and Matt respond to listener questions.
Some of the questions listeners asked:
Does rock salt for ice hurt lawns?
Are your past shows posted anywhere?
After that beautiful flower blooms and dies off, what do I need to do to the plant?
I already see that the home improvement stores have their spring fertilizer out. As soon as the snow melts, what is the earliest time to put this down on our lawns?
When's your book coming out?
I want to plant a red maple in my yard this year. I live just outside of Toronto. What is the earliest that I can do so?
My kids saw a seed package of giant pumpkins at the store the other day, and they want to grow them for this coming year's Halloween. Any tips or advice on how to do this properly? How soon can we put the seed in the ground? Do you need a lot of room? What about fertilizer?
You had a gentleman on your show a while back talk about garden ponds. Can you please tell me his name or company?
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 combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide.
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.
If our soil has good structure and is permeable then the air, heat, water, and nutrients can get in.
The opposite is compaction.
Many of us know how to handle compaction in the garden more than we know how to handle it in our lives. This book is full of these practical and thought-provoking exercises.
With such chapters as "Use Natural Energy Sources," "Compost Your Troubles," "Cultivating Community" and "Growing Through Climate Change," you are in for a wonderful helpful book even if you are not a gardener.
This book also inspires the child in all of us who remember drawing trees, climbing trees and playing outside.
Whatever you might have going on in your life, Natural Happiness: Use Organic Gardening Skiles to Cultivate Yourself would be a wonderful addition to your bookshelf.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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