Down The Garden Path Podcast

This week on the podcast, Joanne discusses soil testing with The Hobby Homestead's Amy Ellard-Gray, who grows 75% of her family's fruits and vegetables in her Guelph backyard.  About Amy Amy runs The Hobby Homestead in suburban Guelph, where she cultivates over 100 varieties of native plants to support the local ecosystem. Through her  YouTube channel , Instagram , website , and in-person consulta...

This week on Down the Garden Path, Joanne shares her passion for indoor gardening with practical winter houseplant care tips and a reminder that there's always something new to learn and grow. Topics discussed: 1. From Annuals to Houseplants It's time to turn your attention to houseplants as gardening shifts indoors. Don't rush out to buy new plants: friends and family often have extras or cutting...

This week, Joanne welcomes Ellen Zachos , author of 11 books on plants, including her latest, Mythic Plants: Potions and Poisons from the Gardens of the Gods . About Ellen A Harvard graduate, Ellen's first career was on Broadway (Les Miz), but the gift of a peace lily on opening night opened her eyes to the wonderful world of plants. Ellen taught at the New York Botanical Garden for many years and...

This week on the podcast, Joanne welcomes Brandie, the Suburban Gardenista, an avid gardener passionate about supporting pollinators with native plants. Brandie is Pollinator Stewardship Certified by Pollinator Partnership Canada and loves sharing her learnings through podcasts, workshops, and social media.  You can find her online on  YouTube and Instagram @thesuburbangardenista. Brandie's Garden...

If your summer containers still look surprisingly lush, don't toss them out just yet. This week on the podcast, Joanne discusses how, with a little care, you can enjoy them again next year. Tune in to learn how to overwinter your annuals. Topics discussed: Many annuals are still looking great in mid-October — don't toss them yet! You can successfully overwinter several annuals to save money and en...

This week on the podcast, Joanne discusses the importance of watering your trees and evergreens throughout October and November. Topics discussed: This summer was the driest summer on record, with only 96 millimetres of rain Although 2024 had more rain, half of it came in a single storm: our rainfall patterns are inconsistent and insufficient By late July or early August, many people give up on wa...

In this encore presentation of October in the Garden, Joanne Shaw reviews some of the tasks you can do this month, but don't worry, it's not as labour-intensive as you think! Tasks you can do this month: Vegetable Gardens Clean up and remove the old stems of your tomato or pepper plants that have stopped producing. Sow cool-weather plants like lettuce and some spinach: they grow better in the shou...

In this encore episode of Down the Garden Path, Joanne discusses how to extend the blooming season in your garden by adding asters. Topics covered in this week's episode: Gardens don't have to stop blooming in September. We can extend the season to October and November. It's very important to have because the pollinators still need something blooming. There are over 30 different species of asters....

This week, Joanne welcomes Aaron Deacon from BIOS Nutrients back to the podcast to discuss the newest addition to his product line, a game-changing plant fertilizer in collaboration with Ryzome  and the  ZooShare Cooperative. You can learn more about Aaron and BIOS Nutrients here. Natural Fertilizer Innovation and Philosophy Aaron started BIOS Nutrients five years ago after being laid off during C...

This week, Joanne Shaw discusses rain garden design with Michael Albanese, owner of AVESI Stormwater and Landscape Solutions and author of The Modern Rain Garden: Scrape, Shape and Plant . About the Book:  The Modern Rain Garden: Scrape, Shape, and Plant   The updated and expanded second edition for 2025 builds off the amazing success of the original release of  Modern Rain Garden . As a professio...

In this encore episode of Down the Garden Path, Joanne shares tips for choosing fall mums and asters. Topics covered in this week's episode: Chrysanthemums, many horticultural varieties and cultivars exist including tender florist mums (a favourite of mine because of how long they stay blooming in a vase). Or Garden mums, more commonly known as fall mums. All Chrysanthemums are native to East Asia...

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 this episode, Joanne offers some practical tips and advice for making the most of your September garden. Topics covered in this week's episode: September Reset Reality check: Hot, dry summer stressed many plants. Use September's cooler nights/rain to reassess. G...

Thinking about a starting a new landscape project? This week on Down the Garden Path, Joanne draws on her experience as a landscape designer to share insights on planning, selecting high-quality materials, and collaborating with professionals. Topics covered in this week's episode: 1) Go for a walk in your neighbourhood or drive to another neighbourhood and walk there to look at landscapes so that...

August is a busy but rewarding month in the garden. Although heat stress and plant fatigue can be a challenge, with attentive care, tidying up, and strategic watering and fertilizing, your lawn and garden can thrive into the fall. Tune in to hear Joanne's tips and advice for keeping your lawn and garden thriving in August. Topics covered in this week's episode: Bulb Preparation Start thinking abou...

In this encore episode of Down the Garden Path podcast, landscape designer Joanne Shaw offers mid-season advice for your lawn and garden. Topics covered in this week's episode: YES, you can still plant this summer. You do not need to wait until fall. Summer is always a good time to pick up a good sale on plants, just check that the roots are healthy. The roots are the most important thing to look...

In this encore presentation of Down the Garden Path, Joanne 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? Knowing what variety of hydrangea you have is the first step In Joanne's experience, if you have a nice large green bush but no or few flowers then you have a...

In this encore presentation of Down the Garden Path, Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing show you how to keep your garden and landscape cool and colourful in the summer heat with tips for your July garden. Here are some of the questions and topics covered in this episode: Pros and cons of the recent hard, fast rain and things to consider with your garden and containers. Lawns The importance of wateri...

Joanne Shaw welcomes Carla Bailey back to the podcast to discuss how Women in Landscaping empowers women in the landscaping industry through networking and mentorship opportunities.  About Carla Bailey An HR professional for over a decade, Carla Bailey honed her expertise working for a leading landscaping company in London, Ontario. Dedicated to creating a positive work environment and resolving e...

In this episode of Down the Garden Path, Joanne Shaw speaks with Barbara Pratt about the 29th annual Gardens of Uxbridge Tour, taking place this Saturday, June 21st, 2025, from 10 am to 5 pm. The Gardens of Uxbridge Tour On this self-guided driving tour around the Uxbridge countryside, participants view eight private residential gardens in both town and country settings. The gardens featured chang...

In this episode of Down the Garden Path, Joanne Shaw speaks with author Susan Poizner about her latest book, Fruit Tree Pruning: The Science and Art of Cultivating Healthy Fruit Trees.   About Susan Poizner Susan Poizner is an award-winning author, journalist, urban orchardist, and fruit tree care educator based in Toronto, Canada. She trains arborists, master gardeners, and community and home orc...

This week, Joanne speaks with horticulturist and author Steven Biggs about his latest book, Grow Olives Where You Think You Can't: How to Grow an Olive Tree in a Pot.   About Steven Biggs Steven was recognized by Garden Making magazine as one of the "green gang" making a difference in Canadian horticulture. His home-garden experiments span driveway straw-bale gardens, a rooftop kitchen garden, fru...

This week on Down the Garden Path, Joanne discusses strategies to prevent a box tree moth infestation and explores the moth's continued impact on boxwoods in Durham Region. Here are some of the topics discussed in this episode: The impact of the box tree moth on boxwoods Its discovery in Ontario in 2018 and its recent appearance in Durham Region Box Tree Moth Life Cycle: The adult moth has a short...

The traditional lawn has received a lot of heat over the last few years with many recommending alternatives such as micro-clovers and specialized lawn blends. In this encore episode of Down the Garden Path, Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing speak with Kathy Jentz, author of Groundcover Revolution , about the groundcover plants you can use to create a beautiful lawn alternative of your own. About Ka...

This week on the podcast, Joanne Shaw speaks with Ernest Williams from Aquascape about the popularity of water features in landscaping, including pondless designs, fountainscapes, and natural swimming ponds. Here are some of the topics discussed in this episode: Pondless Water Features in Landscaping Increasingly popular in landscaping for their low maintenance and safety Enhances curb appeal and...

This week, Joanne Shaw speaks with Deb McKee Kelly from Frontier Mushrooms, a leading producer of high-quality, sustainably grown mushrooms. About Deb McKee Kelly Deb is a longtime grower and passionate advocate for reconnecting with the natural world. Based in Grey County, Ontario, she has spent years cultivating gardens, food crops, and for the past 10 years, gourmet mushrooms. Today, her work w...