Down The Garden Path Podcast

It's November in the garden! As the gardening season slows down, there are still a few gardening chores to accomplish. 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 you need to do in your garden this month so you'll see the results you want in the spring.

Each month in our "In the Garden" podcast, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing do their best to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible. In this episode of Down the Garden Path, we share tips and to-dos for your November garden, answer listener questions and share with you what's happening in the garden centre and in our own gardens.

Some of the topics we cover this month:

• the importance of watering weekly, especially newly planted evergreens
• adding compost/manure/organic matter to your garden
• how and when to winterize specific plants
• the November stars of the garden
• tips for clearing out annuals and winter arrangement ideas for old containers
• how to clean and care for your lawn and fruit/vegetable garden
• the rust that is currently affecting lawns
• shredding and spreading the leaves on your lawn
• applying winter fertilizer and corn gluten
• closing your pond
• cleaning your gutters and getting ready for winter!

As landscape designers and gardeners themselves, Joanne and Matthew think it is important and possible to have great gardens that are low maintenance and we want to help you make it happen.

Trees. They provide us with so much. They clean our oxygen, give us shade, provide food and act as a habitat to wildlife. And despite all of this, whether you're a homeowner or landscaper, there is still some debate about how to properly plant a tree.

On this week's episode of Down The Garden Path, we're joined by Sean James of Sean James Consulting & Design. With time left to plant a tree in your own yard, we take a closer look at the newly published Ontario Landscape Tree Planting Guide.

Gardening has been Sean's hobby and profession for over 35 years. A graduate of the prestigious Niagara Parks School of Horticulture, a Master Gardener, writer and teacher, Sean focuses on eco-gardening techniques. And this makes perfect sense because he grew up surrounded by nature near Crawford Lake in Campbellville, Ontario. He has spoken from the Maritimes to Seattle and landscaped from Nova Scotia to California. In 2017, Sean was recognized by GardenMaking magazine as one of 20 Canadians making a difference in horticulture for his work promoting various types of eco-friendly gardening. He also sits on several environmental committees and has appeared on many television and radio shows.

Tune into this week's podcast and learn more about:

• Sean's involvement in the Ontario Landscape Tree Planting Guide
• Why the guide is so important
• The specific issues about tree planting the guide addresses for the landscape industry
• Where you can get a copy of the guide

With October well underway, one of the gardening tasks on our minds and our to-do lists is planting fall bulbs. For the most part, we think of them only as early spring colour, when really, they're so much more.

On this week's episode of Down The Garden Path, Peggy Anne Montgomery from flowerbulbs.com joins Joanne and Matt in the studio. She discusses the importance of spring bulbs as a source of pollen and nectar to the myriad of beneficial insects waking up after long winter.

An account executive at Garden Media Group, Peggy Anne has been a horticulturist for over 30 years. Her background is in native plant research, public relations and sales with a large wholesale nursery. She studied horticulture in the Netherlands where she raised a family and owned a sustainable landscape design business. Peggy Anne has appeared on several television shows to discuss gardening and has written for numerous trade and popular publications over the years, including Better Homes & Gardens, Fine Gardening, PHS's Grow Magazine and Organic Gardening.

Flowerbulbs.com represents a consortium of flower bulb growers in the Netherlands. They don't sell any products but instead, have created a website designed to educate and inspire consumers.

In this episode, Peggy Anne explains the importance of planting early blooming bulbs, which varieties are available and why you should think outside the tulip!

For pollinators, it is really important to plant single flower varieties in good size groupings to make it easier for the insects.

Tune into this week's podcast and learn more about:

• When to plant fall bulbs
• What protection is needed when planting bulbs
• The best bulbs to prevent squirrels and other animals from digging them up
• The meaning of "naturalizing"
• Tips to getting bulbs to rebloom
• The number of bulbs to plant in a small garden
• Growing bulbs in a container

Despite a brief respite of steamy weather in southern Ontario, fall truly is upon us. 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 October in the Garden with down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

Each month in our "In the Garden" podcast, professional landscape designers Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing attempt to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible. In this episode of Down the Garden Path, we share tips and to-dos for your October garden, answer listener questions and share with you what's happening in the garden centre and in our own gardens.

Some of the topics we cover 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

If you have a garden and want to make it as low maintenance as possible, then this podcast is for you. As landscape designers and gardeners themselves, Joanne and Matthew think it is important and possible to have great gardens that are low maintenance and they want to help you make it happen.

On this week's episode of Down The Garden Path, Joanne and Matt talk discuss tips and tricks for successfully growing garlic in your garden.

A species in the onion genus, Allium, garlic's close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to Central Asia and northeastern Iran and is a common seasoning found across the globe.

Cultivated for over 5,000 years, with approximately 1,000 cultivars worldwide, garlic's most popular cultivars are usually the ones that are most suitable to the area they are grown in and are enjoyed by local cuisine.

Did you know you can easily grow your own garlic? Or that fall is the best time to plant it? After teasing you about it a few times in earlier episodes, this week we take a deeper look at how to plant, grow, care for and harvest this culinary staple.

In this week's episode, we discuss:

• the difference between hardneck and softneck garlic
• the best time to plant your crop
• how and with what to fertilize
• when and how to harvest, cure and store!

Join us to learn more and visit the Garlic Growers Association of Ontario for some interesting garlic facts. Some you may know, some that may just surprise you!

On this week's episode of Down The Garden Path, Susan Poizner of Orchard People joins Joanne and Matt in the studio to discuss growing exotic apples.

Susan is the author of the award-winning fruit tree care book, Growing Urban Orchards. She is also the host of The Urban Forestry Radio Show and Podcast, and offers online courses in fruit tree care.

If you're considering planting an apple tree in your yard, Susan suggests thinking outside of the box. Susan delves into apple tree cultivars and how they are developed and explains how to source and order more exotic apple tree cultivars. Cultivars that produce delicious apples may also be easier to grow.

In this episode, you'll also learn about the history of apples and how we've transitioned from the hundreds of cultivars from decades past to the only five or six main ones in grocery stores today.

We discuss how the best selling Red Delicious apple became less delicious over time and how we can grow even tastier varieties. Susan does warn that this endeavor is not for the faint of heart, as there are many steps involved throughout an apple tree's life. So if you're looking for a low-maintenance fruit tree, this may not be for you.

Joanne discusses rootstocks and why they are important, and Susan reviews the differences between Standard, Dwarf and Semi-Dwarf trees and the best ones for your yard.

Thinking of planting a fruit tree next spring? Now is the time to place your order! Specialist fruit tree nurseries often take orders up to six months in advance because many cultivars do sell out. You can find Susan's list of recommended mail-order sources on her website www.orchardpeople.com.

This show also appeared as a Facebook Live. View it on the Orchard People YouTube channel.

This past spring, in our first Down the Garden Path podcast on Growing Cannabis, we took a look at this controversial plant. What it is, how it's grown and what laws and regulations face Canadians with its recent legalization.

In Cannabis: Part 2, we dive a little deeper. As temperatures drop and the harvest season quickly approaches, Canadians are learning what they can about the best practices involved in harvesting this plant. We hope we can help!

Matthew really outdid himself with his research for this episode. I hope you'll join us as we touch on topics from flushing and harvesting to curing and storing.

Some of the topics we cover this month:

• The optional technique of flushing and why many cannabis connoisseurs swear by it
• Why knowing when to harvest is key to getting the desired effect from the plant
• The reasons behind trimming your plants wet vs. dry
• The do's and don'ts of storing your cannabis

When it comes to growing and harvesting cannabis, there's a lot to learn. Tune in to this episode of Down the Garden Path for tips on how to ensure your cannabis crop is healthy and your harvest is bountiful!

September in the garden is upon us! Although September marks the end of summer and the gradual change to fall, it doesn't have to signify the end of the gardening season. In fact, September should be a wonderful time in your garden and yard.

Each month in our "In the Garden" podcast, we attempt to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible. In this episode of Down the Garden Path, Matthew and Joanne share tips and to-do's for your September garden. We answer listener questions and share with you what is happening in the garden center and in our own gardens.

Even in the vegetable garden, there are still some crops you can plant in September to harvest this fall or next year. Tune in to this episode of Down the Garden Path - September in the Garden to learn more.

In our weekly podcast, we often talk about the ever-growing trend of growing your own fruit and vegetables. This week on Down the Garden Path, we look at the challenge of growing lemons, a fruit which can be difficult to grow here in the GTA.

Author Steven Biggs joins us to discuss his book Grow Lemons Where You Think You Can't.

Steven and his daughter Emma are the Garage Gardeners and have co-authored Gardening with Emma. Steven's previous books include Grow Figs Where You Think You Can't and No Guff Vegetable Gardening.

During this episode, Steven discusses the different varieties of lemons, growing conditions for lemons in northern climates and the all-important winter protections. He also gives us a source for purchasing lemon trees via mail order: Fruit Trees and More.

After speaking with Steven, I am definitely inspired to pick up a lemon tree and try growing some of my own. Listen to this week's podcast and let me know if you are, too.

In this episode of Down the Garden Path, we discuss nematodes, the primary method homeowners here in Canada use to control pests such as grubs on our lawn.

It's been a heavy Japanese beetle season in the Greater Toronto Area, with a lot of damage done to the foliage of our trees and shrubs. As the hot days of summer come to an end, so will they! However, where there are Japanese Beetles, there are white grubs. And right now, those white grubs are beginning to hatch and eat our lawns, growing and becoming next summer's Japanese Beetles.

So, what can we do? This is where nematodes come in.

Nematodes are microscopic, colourless worms that travel through water in the ground to attack and kill the grubs. (Hint: If you want them to work, you have to water your lawn well.)

They don't bother humans, pets, or plants but will attack an assortment of soil-borne pests instead. When a nematode finds a host they want to eat, they work their way inside them and consume their host using powerful bacteria. A single nematode can kill a pest in 24-48 hours, making them a quick and efficient solution to infestations.

In this podcast, we discuss what nematodes are, how they work and the best practices for applying them. If you've been seeing the effects of Japanese beetles in your garden this summer, you won't want to miss this podcast. We offer lots of great tips to help your garden and lawn thrive into the fall and prepare it for success in the spring.

Nematodes are available for a few other pests, as well. Tune in to learn more!