Down The Garden Path Podcast

This week on Down the Garden Path, Joanne Shaw welcomes David Maxwell from Romex Canada to discuss their line of permeable landscaping products. About David Maxwell David Maxwell has been in sales since he graduated from Mount Allison. With over 10 years of experience in construction sales, he has a strong knowledge in the landscaping construction side with experience in green roofs and hardscapes...

AI has moved into the world of gardening! In this encore presentation of Down the Garden Path podcast , Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing speak with Dale and Carrie Spoonemore, creators of the new garden AI app, Seed to Spoon.  Here are some of the questions and topics covered in this episode: Why did you decide to create this app? Where does the gardening information come from? Who is this app gea...

In this encore presentation of Down the Garden Path , Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss how to design with native plants and strike a balance in your garden between natives and the foreign ornamentals we love so much. When people think about native plants, they often think of a wild meadow or an unkept urban lot. But natives offer many design opportunities and benefits to our gardens and la...

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 and tricks and do's and don'ts 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....

In this encore presentation of Down the Garden Path, Joanne Shaw welcomes Tom Watson from BOLD to discuss landscape lightning. About Tom Watson Tom Watson is a Senior Business Development Manager with  BOLD (Best Outdoor Living Design) , focusing on his territory in Central Ontario. After working in business operations for over nine years, leveraging cutting-edge technologies for strategic growth...

In this episode of Down the Garden Path, Joanne Shaw welcomes Carla Bailey to discuss Women in Landscaping, a supportive community for green professionals that encourages women to enter the profession. 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 environm...

This week on Down the Garden Path, Joanne Shaw welcomes Natalie Green from DynaScape Software to discuss their newest product, Creator. About Natalie Green Natalie is the Director of Product Development at DynaScape, working to understand the needs of landscape designers and build easy-to-use, modern solutions to efficiently create beautiful, functional, accurate plans for outdoor spaces. DynaScap...

This solo episode of Down the Garden Path is a bit of a rant! Recently, I heard landscape design referred to as a luxury product, giving the illusion that only the wealthy need one. I disagree. Despite the initial investment, I believe landscape design will save you money in both the short and the long run. And I am confident that after working with a landscape designer, your project will be even...

This week on Down the Garden Path, Joanne Shaw welcomes author Alan Heeks to the podcast to discuss his self-help book, Natural Happiness: Use Organic Gardening Skills to Cultivate Yourself .  About Alan Heeks Alan Heeks is an inspiring guide to helping people cultivate their well-being through parallels with Nature. After a Harvard MBA and a successful career managing building materials businesse...

This week on Down the Garden Path, Joanne Shaw welcomes author Mariam Pirbhai to the podcast to discuss her creative nonfiction book, Garden Inventories: Reflections on Land, Place and Belonging . About Mariam Pirbhai Mariam was born in Pakistan and lived in England, the United Arab Emirates and the Philippines before her family immigrated to Canada in the late 1980s. She completed her Ph. D. in E...

This week on Down the Garden Path, Joanne Shaw welcomes Julia Dimakos back to the podcast to discuss growing tomatoes. From starting tomatoes from seed to transplanting the seedlings into the garden, Julia shares her tried-and-true tricks to growing them successfully from seed.  About Julia Dimakos Julia Dimakos' 7000 square foot kitchen garden is in Mono, Ontario, on 25 acres on the Niagara Escar...

In this episode of Down the Garden Path podcast, Joanne welcomes Katie Tamony of Monrovia Plants to dispel five myths about growing roses. About Katie Tamony Katie's official title is Chief Marketing Officer, but really, she is Monrovia's chief storyteller and trendspotter. She has more than 25 years of expertise in the lifestyle and leisure industries. About Monrovia Inspired by the beauty of pla...

In this episode of Down the Garden Path, landscape designer Joanne Shaw discusses Hosta Virus X with returning guest Dawn Golloher from Gardens Plus. Dawn Golloher is the owner-operator of Gardens Plus, an independent garden centre in Peterborough, Ontario, specializing in easy-care perennials.  Here are some of the questions and topics covered in this episode: Can you tell us more about Hosta Vir...

This week on Down the Garden Path, Joanne Shaw welcomes Garden Media's Katie Dubow back to the podcast to discuss new plants and products for 2024. About Katie Dubow Katie Dubow is the president of  Garden Media Group , a women-owned and run public relations firm specializing in the home and garden industry and celebrating its 31st year in business. Author of the annual Garden Trends Report , Dubo...

In this episode of Down the Garden Path, landscape designer Joanne Shaw discusses hellebores with returning guest Dawn Golloher from Gardens Plus. Dawn Golloher is the owner-operator of Gardens Plus, an independent garden centre in Peterborough, Ontario, specializing in easy-care perennials.  Here are some of the questions and topics covered in this episode: Can you give us a bit of a history on h...

In this episode of Down the Garden Path, Joanne Shaw welcomes author Margot Anne Kelley to discuss her new book,  A Gardener at the End of the World . A gardener's pandemic journal that combines memoir with an exploration of the natural world both inside and outside the garden, it explores questions of what we can preserve - of history, genetic biodiversity, culture, language and what we cannot. I...

In this episode of Down the Garden Path, Joanne Shaw welcomes Tom Watson from BOLD to discuss landscape lightning. Tom Watson is a Senior Business Development Manager with  BOLD (Best Outdoor Living Design) , focusing on his territory in Central Ontario. After working in business operations for over nine years, leveraging cutting-edge technologies for strategic growth and process improvement, Tom...

In this episode of Down the Garden Path, Joanne Shaw welcomes Nick and Hilary VanderHeide of Creekside Growers to discuss their dahlia farm in Delhi, Ontario. Nick and Hilary VanderHeide started Creekside Growers in 2009 on a farm in a little-known Ontario Hamlet called Hartford, about 45 minutes outside Hamilton toward Lake Erie. Since the start of Creekside Growers in 2009, Nick and Hilary have...

In this episode of Down the Garden Path, Joanne Shaw welcomes Elaine Willis to the podcast to discuss Unilock's focus on sustainability.  Unilock is North America's premier manufacturer of concrete interlocking paving stones and segmental wall products. For 50 years, Unilock has been helping people create beautiful outdoor spaces. Elaine embarked on her career at Unilock over 25 years ago, leverag...

In this episode of Down the Garden Path, Joanne Shaw welcomes Julia Dimakos back to the podcast to discuss microgreens and sprouting. Julia Dimakos' 7000 square foot kitchen garden is in Mono, Ontario, on 25 acres on the Niagara Escarpment. Julia has been growing vegetables and writing about gardening for over 13 years. She was twice published in  Canadian Organic Grower magazine and became a publ...

Before Down the Garden Path became a podcast, it was a weekly radio show on  RealityRadio101.com ! In this last installment of our "vintage" podcast episodes from 2017, Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing learn more about ponds and their ecosystems with  Aquascape's Ernest Williams. Ernest educates listeners on water treatments, beneficial bacteria and best practices in pond maintenance. They discuss...

Before Down the Garden Path became a podcast, it was a weekly radio show on RealityRadio101.com ! In this "vintage" episode from April 2017, Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing discuss some common misconceptions about water features with Aquascape's Ernest Williams. They also talk about the different liner options and how to calculate the correct size pump. (Yes, they had to do some MATH!) Tune in to...

Before Down the Garden Path became a podcast, it was a weekly radio show on RealityRadio101.com ! In part two of this "vintage" episode from October 2016, Joanne Shaw continues her discussion with highly regarded landscape designer, author and teacher, Jan Johnsen. They explore many of the ancient traditions from all over the world that Jan writes about in her book, Heaven is a Garden - Designing...

Before Down the Garden Path became a podcast, it was a weekly radio show on  RealityRadio101.com ! In part one of this "vintage" episode from October 2016, Joanne Shaw discusses landscape design with Jan Johnsen. A highly regarded landscape designer, author and teacher, Jan has a passion for plants and beautiful gardens. In her book, Heaven is a Garden - Designing Serene Outdoor Spaces for Inspira...

Before Down the Garden Path became a podcast, it was a weekly radio show on RealityRadio101.com ! In this "vintage" episode from September 2016, Joanne Shaw discusses hellstrip gardening with author Evelyn Hadden, a national speaker and author of four garden books, including Hellstrip Gardening . What's a Hellstrip? We all contend with that troublesome stretch between the sidewalk and the road, or...