Plants Always Win

These two free plant ID tools can help you level up your observation and identification skills, spot invasive species, and even engage in citizen science to track what is spreading in your area. If you garden, hike, or just want to know whether that weird thing in your yard is a native, a weed, or a problem waiting to happen, this episode is for you.

Sean sends Erin to do a trial run of the apps he actually trusts, including the built-in photo matching tools on smart devices, iNaturalist, and EDD Maps. They explain why a confident-looking app result is not the same as a correct identification, how to improve your odds with better photos, and how to improve your own skills by learning to think about location, season, leaf shape, branching pattern, and flower stage.

You’ll discover:

iNaturalist

“Identify plants, animals, fungi, and more while adding to a living atlas of life on Earth.”

EDDMapS

Find, map, and report invasive species in your area.

Plants Always Win: Resources

Find all our favourite gardening resources in one place. 

Email us, reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon. 

Discord: https://discord.gg/K6wF9dY4Ja
Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com
TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
YouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
Website: www.plantsalwayswin.com 

Credits
Website Design and Illustration by Sophia Alladin

Intro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-plays

License code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PH

00:12 Introduction
01:11 What’s Growing On? Erin’s Harvest + Japanese Beetles
03:26 What’s Growing On? Sean’s dividing perennials and purging hostas
06:53 The World’s Tallest Sunflower
09:52 What Is Your Favourite Plant Identification App?
10:27 Built-In Smart Device Photo Matching
12:06 Knowing the Basics of Plant Identification
13:30 iNaturalist for Native Plant Tracking
20:22 Himalayan Balsam in Thunder Bay, Ontario
23:48 Correctly Managing Invasive Species
27:43 EDDMapS for Invasive Plant Tracking
34:50 Final Thoughts and Best Practices for Plant ID Apps
38:00 Growing More Fruit Trees and Shrubs in Central-Northern Ontario
42:35 Outro and Contact Us

Reclaim your neglected garden! Sean and Erin share eleven steps to overcome the overwhelm and start your own midsummer garden cleanup, even when you’re short on time and energy.

When a city dweller with no gardening experience gets pulled into leadership for a communal permaculture project, he starts using all his spare time to grow food and grow community in Toronto’s east end. This is Patrick Tohill co-founder of Garden@Kimbourne Community Permaculture Project.

Sean talks with Jesse Thorn about how gardening in LA compares to gardening in Ontario; about produce exchange and community food distribution organizations; and about access to green space, including majestic sequoia trees. The two of them even step into the roles of internet judge and expert witness to settle an age-old question: is a palm tree really a tree?

Spring is tiptoeing in and we want to set you up for the smoothest garden year ever. This week we’re recording live on location in Erin’s garden and examining what tasks she has already done, what’s next on the list, and what pressures to let go of. (Remember: don’t let perfect be the enemy of good!)

The first order of business as winter ends is to prune woody fruit-producing perennials. We chat about currants, apples, and grapes—yes, grapes in zone 4b. Naturally that leads into propagation: cuttings, mound layering, and even air layering. Next we talk seed starting indoors and out and the season extension that helps us save space on our windowsills. Then it’s on to spring bulbs to plant, fall bulbs that are blooming, water management (if you’re listening from a region with flooding, our hearts go out to you!) and the ever-vital skill of observation. Finally, we wrap up with a lightning round of fifteen other early-spring tasks that get you set up for success.

Ready to get your hands dirty? Listen now!

Email us, reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon. 

Discord: https://discord.gg/K6wF9dY4Ja
Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com
TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
YouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
Website: www.plantsalwayswin.com 

Credits
Website Design and Illustration by Sophia Alladin

Intro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-plays

License code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PH

00:41 Introduction
02:11 The Myth That Your Garden Is Already Behind
04:18 Late April in Zone 4b
04:58 What Erin Has Done So Far
05:56 Season Extension
06:36 Growing Swenson Red Grapes in Zone 4b
10:52 Pruning Currant Bushes
12:45 Mound Layering: Intentional or Unintentional Propagation
14:00 Apple Trees and Winter Damage
15:46 Propagating Fruit Tree Cuttings
17:28 Air Layering to Propagate Fruit Trees
20:28 Sean’s Paean to Crabapples
24:54 Starting Seeds Indoors and Hardening Off
27:13 Starting Seeds When You Have No Indoor Space
32:50 Use Up This Year’s Seed Inventory
33:53 Bulbs to Plant in Spring
35:00 Fall Bulbs and the Siberian Squill Controversy
39:35 Native Lawn Alternatives
42:32 Water Harvesting and Rain Gardens
45:37 Observing Your Garden
47:41 Lightning Round: Things To Do at This Time of Year
53:53 Outro and Contact Us

Are you breaking the law every time you plant a shrub?

This week we welcome Ian Simpson, VP of Communications and Corporate Affairs at Ontario One Call. That’s the public safety administrative authority that makes sure your gardening project doesn’t end in a damaged gas line or ruptured water main. You’ll find Call Before You Dig services across Canada and the United States (search  “One Call” for your province or “811” for your state), but Ontario is the one place where that call—or that click—is required by law. If you’re breaking ground, even by an inch or two, even out in the country, it’s your responsibility to submit a locate request to make sure you won’t be nicking any underground infrastructure. 

Fortunately, Ontario One Call makes the process easy, free, and surprisingly quick. Ian explains how it works behind the scenes, what your responsibilities are as a homeowner, renter, or landscaping contractor, and why it matters so much. He also shares some startling statistics about the number of accidents that do happen, especially to people who think they know where their underground utilities are. Don’t be one of those statistics! Listen now and get the dirt on digging safety.

Colour Codes: https://ontarioonecall.ca/#colours
Ontario One Call: https://ontarioonecall.ca/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnwjQMBxkG4QrPW2q5sbjpA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ON1Call/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/on1call/ 

Email us, reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon. 

Discord: https://discord.gg/K6wF9dY4Ja
Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com
TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
YouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
Website: www.plantsalwayswin.com 

Credits
Website Design and Illustration by Sophia Alladin

Intro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-plays

License code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PH

00:15 Introduction
00:45 Meet Ian Simpson and Ontario One Call
01:48 Underground Infrastructure in Rural Locations
02:40 How to Request a Locate
03:43 What if I’m Only Digging an Inch or Two?
05:25 Sometimes the Infrastructure is a Mess
06:20 Ian’s Role at Ontario One Call
07:30 Close Calls and Consequences
08:40 Statistics on Digging and Damage in Ontario
12:03 Who’s At Fault When Damage Occurs?
12:33 How it Works: Getting Locates from Infrastructure Owners
14:05 Expiry Dates on Locates?
15:30 How to Read the Colours of Spray-Painted Markings
08:45 Unexpected Jobs that Might Require Locates
19:36 Landscapers, Handymen and Liability
24:12 Sharing Locates with Multiple Contractors
26:19 Busting Myths
28:00 Timing for Locates
33:55 If You Do Hit Something…
35:04 Courses and Resources Available from Ontario One Call
37:00 When to Call 911
38:31 What If You’re Not in Ontario?
39:50 Final Words of Wisdom
40:45 Outro and Contact Us

For some of us, happiness is a hydrangea in full, glorious bloom.

And if you’re not yet well acquainted with these flowering shrubs, who better to learn from than The Garden Lady herself? C.L. Fornari is the author of the upcoming 2026 book Hydrangea Happiness: Planting, Pruning and Blooming, among many others. She’s also a well-known gardening radio host and podcaster, appearing over the years as a contributor on NPR’s The Cultivated Gardener, as host of GardenLine on WXTK, as co-host of the podcast Plantrama, and today as the eponymous host of The Garden Lady on several NPR stations. We get the scoop on her broadcasting career, on her founding of the Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival, and on how she planned a modern-day guide to hydrangeas that’s “more Instagram and less coffee table book.”

Dive into this interview to learn about choosing the right hydrangea for a northern garden, about the truth of acidifying your soil for those beautiful blue mophead blooms, and about finding joy in your garden and your life. 

Email us, reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon. 

Discord: https://discord.gg/K6wF9dY4Ja
Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com
TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
YouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
Website: www.plantsalwayswin.com 

Intro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-plays

License code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PH

00:14 Introduction
00:56 C.L. Fornari’s Garden Radio Host Career
05:52 Founding the Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival
08:33 Why (and How!) C.L. Wrote About Hydrangeas
11:21 Postcards from Plants
14:43 How Many Hydrangeas? Breeding and Selection
16:43 A Paniculata Hydrangea for Erin’s Cold, Clay Conditions
18:47 Finding the Right Spot for Your Shrub
21:16 Are Hydrangeas Invasive?
23:00 Hydrangea paniculata, a.k.a. Panicled Hydrangea
23:25 Hydrangea arborescens, aka Smooth Hydrangea
24:15 Hydrangea macrophylla, a.k.a. Bigleaf Hydrangea, a.k.a. Mophead Hydrangea
25:09 Hydrangea serrata, a.k.a. Mountain Hydrangea
27:10 C.L.’s Hydrangea Poetry
28:25 Hydrangea quercifolia, a.k.a. Oakleaf Hydrangea
28:35 Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris., a.k.a. Climbing Hydrangea
28:55 Acidifying Soil for Blue Hydrangeas
31:05 The Stubborn Myth that Pine Needles Acidify Soil
33:20 Moss Lawn Plant Rant
34:27 Macrophylla Hydrangeas with Inconsistent Colours
37:56 Poison Ivy Acres and Embracing All of Gardening
39:40 Find C.L. Fornari Online
40:45 Outro and Contact Us

The internet is a minefield of questionable plant hacks, rage bait, and—sigh—banana water. Good thing The Plant Prof is here to shed some science on the matter.

Vikram Baliga, a.k.a. The Plant Prof, is a professor of horticulture and the host of the podcasts Planthropology and Deep Roots. He is that rare being in the world of science: an academic who has also honed the skill of communicating with non-academic audiences. As he says, public taxes pay for science research. The public deserves good, true scientific information.

Today’s conversation ranges across education and misinformation in the digital age, the evolution of science, and the importance of experimentation. Then we get practical with tips on compost tea, a nuanced discussion on using synthetic or organic fertilization methods, and garden hacks that actually work. Of course, we also have to take a few minutes to get excited about Vikram’s information–packed children’s book, Plants to the Rescue: The Plants, Trees, and Fungi that are Solving Some of the World’s Biggest Problems.  Have a listen; class is in session!

Plants to the Rescue , published by Neon Squid Books

00:14 Intro
00:30 Meet Vikram Baliga, The Plant Prof
02:33 Vikram’s Podcasts: The Planthropology Podcast and Deep
Roots
03:37 The Challenge of Public Science Communication
10:42 Plants don’t read our textbooks.
12:20 Plants Always Win Stole its Name from Planthropology Merch
13:04 The Evolution of Science and the Freedom to Experiment
15:56 Vikram’s Home Fertilizer Hack Experiments: Rice Water, Banana Water, Oatmeal, Cinnamon, etc.
18:36 How to Make Compost Tea
21:22 Synthetic Commercial Fertilizers vs. Organic Fertilizers for Containers, Planters, and Gardens
30:48 Vikram’s New Kids’ Book: Plants to the Rescue
36:50 Gardening Hacks that Actually Work
40:04 Things That Make Your Gardening Life Easier
40:41 That Time Sean Hacked his Leg Open 
42:32 The Best Way to Grow a Garden is In Community
44:52 Find Vikram Online
45:43 Outro and Contact Us

In this versus episode, we bring you two of the nicest-smelling and slowest-growing plants in the garden. Sean gets us started with rosemary, which is known to science as Salvia rosemarinus (though some botanists may be surprised to hear that!). We learn how to grow this Mediterranean plant and how to help it handle a northern winter, even if that means bringing it indoors. One option, of course, is to take softwood or hardwood cuttings and root them for next year, and Sean gives us a crash course in doing that before moving on to the fascinating research being done on rosemary and cognition.

In the second half, Erin narrows down the many species and cultivars of lavender to just two: Lavandula angustifolia, often called English Lavender or “true lavender,” and Lavandula X Intermedia, a hybrid you may see marketed as “lavandin.” One is good to eat, and the other is great for toiletries. How do you know which is which? Erin has the intel. Just don’t ask her to talk about French lavender. You might be in for a plant rant. 

You’re also in for some fun facts about growing lavender at home, becoming a commercial lavender grower in Ontario, and what historical humans and modern scientists think it’s good for. We wrap up with a busted myth: what does lavender have to do with King Tut? It’s not what you think!

Who won the plant face-off? You decide! Email us, tag us on social media, or pipe up in our friendly Discord server to let us know who you thought made their plant the most interesting. 

Will YOU be growing lavender or rosemary this year?

It’s live! Check it out at https://plantsalwayswin.com/events/ 

Email us, reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon. 

Discord: https://discord.gg/K6wF9dY4Ja
Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com
TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
YouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
Website: www.plantsalwayswin.com 

Credits
Website Design and Illustration by Sophia Alladin

Intro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-plays

License code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PH

Rosemary Plant Profile
Rosmarinus officinalis L. (n.d.). USDA Plants Database. https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ROOF

Rosemary. (n.d.). Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved February 8, 2026, from https://www.britannica.com/plant/rosemary

Rosemary and cognition
Kamdar, D. (2025). Rosemary has been linked to better memory, lower anxiety and even protection from Alzheimer’s. The Conversation. https://doi.org/10.64628/ab.fu4jyy3mx

Banerjee, P., Wang, Y., Carnevale, L. N., Patel, P., Raspur, C. K., Tran, N., Zhang, X., Natarajan, R., Roberts, A. J., Baran, P. S., & Lipton, S. A. (2025). DIACCA, a Pro-Drug for carnosic acid that activates the NRF2 transcriptional pathway, shows efficacy in the 5xFAD transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. Antioxidants, 14(3), 293. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox14030293 

Herbs that can boost your mood and memory. (2026, June 2). Northumbria University. https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/about-us/news-events/news/2016/04/herbs-that-can-boost-your-mood-and-memory/ 

Studying Hinoki cypress oil and relaxation
Ikei, H., Song, C., & Miyazaki, Y. (2015). Physiological effect of olfactory stimulation by Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) leaf oil. Journal of PHYSIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, 34(1), 44. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40101-015-0082-2 

Etymology of lavender
Lavender – Etymology, Origin & Meaning. (n.d.). Etymonline. https://www.etymonline.com/word/lavender

Growing lavender in Ontario
Growing lavender in Ontario: an introduction for prospective growers. (2023, February 22). ontario.ca. https://www.ontario.ca/page/growing-lavender-ontario-introduction-prospective-growers 

What people historically thought lavender was good for, and what scientists think today
Civilyte, A., Karanikola, K., & Kramer, A. (2025). From antiquity to modern hygiene: the archaeological and medicinal legacy of lavender as a promising antimicrobial agent. PubMed, 20, Doc21. https://doi.org/10.3205/dgkh000550

Medicinal uses and side effects of lavender
Lavender: Overview, uses, side effects, precautions, interactions, dosing and reviews. (n.d.). https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-838/lavender#dosing

Lavender: Usefulness and safety. (n.d.). National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/lavender

The Ontario Lavender Association
Ontario Lavender Association. (n.d.). Lavender Ontario. Lavender Ontario. https://lavenderontario.org/

History, taxonomy, and production of lavender
McCoy, J.-A., PhD. (2022). Lavender: History, Taxonomy, and Production (J. Davis, Ed.). NC State Extension. https://newcropsorganics.ces.ncsu.edu/herb/lavender-history-taxonomy-and-production/ 

00:17 Introduction
01:00 What’s Growing On? Erin at the Landscape Ontario Conference
02:09 What’s Growing On? Sean on the Modern Landscaping Industry
05:09 Sean’s Ask a Master Gardener events in Huntsville, Ontario
06:23 Water Break: Seedy Saturdays
07:17 The Plant Face-off: Rosemary
07:20 Keeping Rosemary in a Zone 4 Winter
09:28 Rosemary’s Changing Taxonomy
12:14 Surprise! The Name Rosemary is about the Sea
13:46 How Rosemary Grows
15:16 Caring for Rosemary
16:24 Sean’s Big Mistake Prepping Rosemary for Winter
17:40 Starting Rosemary from Seed…EARLY
19:05 Sean’s Daughter’s Lavender Plants
20:24 Propagating Rosemary by Softwood and Hardwood Cuttings
21:14 Rosemary as Specimen or Bonsai
22:49 What does “Specimen” Mean in Horticulture?
25:10 Pests and Diseases Don’t Bother Rosemary Much
26:00 Plant Rant: Deer Resistance
27:43 Culinary Uses for Rosemary
28:00 Cultural History of Rosemary
28:27 Rosemary for Memory and Concentration, According to Science
34:18 Water Break: Libraries and Seed Libraries
35:33 The Plant Face-Off: Lavender
36:18 “English Lavender” vs. “French Lavender” is Not Helpful!
37:30 Lavandula Angustifolia, aka English Lavender
39:20 Lavandula X Intermedia, aka Lavandin
41:50 Etymology of Lavender: It’s All About Washing
42:44 What Lavender Looks Like
44:11 Range and Growing Conditions for Lavender
45:36 The Ontario Lavender Association: Growing Lavender Commercially in Ontario
47:17 Soil Conditions for Growing Lavender
49:28 Growing Lavender from Seed
50:20 Propagating Lavender by Cutting and Layering
52:53 Pruning Lavender for Rounded Mounds
57:13 Harvesting Lavender: Timing Matters
58:14 Food and Medicinal Uses of Lavender
1:00:21 Cautions about Lavender: No Lavender Oil for Prepubescent Boys
1:02:55 Cultural History of Lavender
1:06:17 Myth Busting: King Tut’s Tomb Did NOT Smell of Lavender
1:09:13 Outro and Contact Us

As the 2026 growing season waves tantalizingly on the far horizon, we’d like to help you prepare for a disaster-free garden. To do that, we’re sharing a few key landscape design principles…along with a whole heap of stories about landscape design fails.

No garden is truly no-maintenance, but while ordinary weeding and pruning is one thing, fighting endlessly against the effects of a bad design decision is something else entirely. We’re talking about hardscaping installed in the wrong spot, poorly selected plants, ever-spreading invasive species…The list goes on. Sean shares some zingers from his history of managing client landscapes, and Erin gets vulnerable with some stories of her own past mistakes. Tune in to find out what not to do…and to journey with our hosts through the steps you should take when designing a garden or landscape of your own.

Check out our new website! 

Check out our web designer’s portfolio!  

Email us, reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon. 

Discord: https://discord.gg/K6wF9dY4Ja
Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com
TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
YouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
Website: www.plantsalwayswin.com 

Website Design and Illustration by Sophia Alladin

Intro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-plays

License code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PH

00:15 Introduction
00:55 What’s Growing On? The End of Erin’s Winter Garden
04:27 What’s Growing On? Sean’s Winter Observations
07:56 Water Break
09:05 Myth Busting: The Low-Maintenance Garden
12:34 Landscape Design Step 1: Dream and Observe
15:44 Landscape Pre-Design: Know Your Needs
17:21 Designing for Accessibility and Maintenance
19:07 Considering Microclimates
20:16 Landscape Design Step 2: Hardscaping
22:25 Artificial Turf Legislation Fail
27:14 Decisions about Paths
28:00 Myth Busting: Permanence in Landscapes
29:36 Landscape Design Step 3: Plant Selection
31:00 Sean’s False Sorbaria sorbifolia Stories
34:36 Erin’s Invasive-Plants-in-Woodland-Garden Story
40:04 Landscape Design Step 4: Plan for Changes over Seasons and Years
46:32 Retaining Wall Fail
50:00 Maintenance Nightmare: Nothing But Stairs
54:30 Compromise and Education are Important
57:09 Staghorn Sumacs Always Win
58:55 Outro and Contact Us