This week on Down the Garden Path, Joanne Shaw speaks with Ed Lyon, president-elect of the Perennial Plant Association.

About Ed Lyon

Throughout his public garden administration roles and green industry experience, Ed has been as passionate about education as he is about horticulture. He has had roles in public garden education departments and served as director of three public gardens for twenty years. He retired from public garden service in 2024 and currently sits on the Perennial Plant Association (PPA) board as president-elect.

Here are some of the topics discussed in this episode:

• The challenges of managing botanical gardens in different regions.
• The Fling, in Memphis, June 5-8
• The Perennial Plant Association Annual Symposium in Asheville for the organization's 40th anniversary
  • Includes educational sessions, tours, and networking opportunities for horticulture professionals
  • Covers various aspects of the industry, from plant breeding to wholesale operations
• The association focuses on herbaceous plants that come back year after year, excluding annuals, tropicals, and woody plants.
• PPA’s role in promoting perennial plants through marketing and educational programs, including the selection of the Perennial Plant of the Year
• The perennial plant, Big Bluegrass, specifically the variety Blackhawks
  • A native grass known for its dark purple to black stems
  • Featured on PPA’s website
  • A potential winner for next year's award
• The concept of native plants and their classification
  • Native plants can mutate and change
  • The term "native" does not necessarily imply purity
• The challenges of finding plants that are both native and non-invasive
• The importance of considering climate change in plant selection
• The PPA’s role in promoting plants that are readily available, hardy, and drought-resistant
• The process of selecting plants for the Perennial Plant of the Year award
• The PPA website: a valuable resource for gardeners seeking accurate information
• The value of attending horticultural symposiums and visiting gardens for education and inspiration
• How learning from other gardeners' experiences is often more valuable than books or online resources
• Staying updated with the latest horticultural research, as practices like tree planting methods have changed over time
• Climate change's impact on gardening and how the PPA symposium addresses these timely issues through expert speakers and research presentations

Learn more about the Perennial Plant Association at perennialplant.org.

Register for the 2025 PPA National Symposium here.

Find them on Facebook @PerennialPlantAssociation and Instagram @PerennialPlantAssociation.

Have a topic you'd like Joanne to discuss?

Email your questions and comments to [email protected], or connect via her website at down2earth.ca.

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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.

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