Down The Garden Path Podcast

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.

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.