The Garden Show with Charlie Dobbin

Despite pouring rain we had a keen audience while broadcasting live from Westside Nurseries in Owen Sound. Beautiful location, and a fun crowd with lots of questions! Examples: controlling quack grass, potentilla not flowering, aphids, silver lace vine and more! Listen live every Saturday at 9am on Zoomer Radio

Overgrown climbing Hydrangea, cucumbers without fruit, interesting anecdotal information about seeds not germinating or growing as expected, and a very sad orchid. Listen live every Saturday at 9am on Zoomer Radio

We discuss types and colours of Peonies, bindweed taking over, problems with boxwood, and how to make Hydrangeas blue and/or purple. Listen live every Saturday at 9am on Zoomer Radio

Cooking asparagus, growing garlic, and encouraging iris' to bloom are just a few of the topics discussed this week on the Garden Show. Listen live every Saturday at 9am on Zoomer Radio

Growing and harvesting asparagus, pruning cedars and Hibiscus, replacing ferns around Clematis and creating privacy at the base of tall pines. Best news is: the ducklings are all safe! Listen live every Saturday at 9am on Zoomer Radio

More about ducks in the backyard, plus the joy of Amaryllis, and the frustration of a cool spring. Listen live every Saturday at 9am on Zoomer Radio

Caller worries ducklings will end up in pool - more on this subject next week. Propagating primrose, Hydrangea leaf-tier infestation, limp-leaved Christmas cactus and lots more... Listen live every Saturday at 9am on Zoomer Radio

Sean James (seanjames-consulting.ca) joins in to chat about native vs alien plants, and a growing trend for landscapes designed to support insects and birds. Callers share insights for feeding all the creatures stress-free, and questions arise regarding apricots, tomatoes and serious weeds, like dog strangling vine and twitch grass! Listen live every Saturday at 9am on Zoomer Radio

Soil permeates the show - no pun intended - poor tomato yields, filling raised garden beds, Mycorrhizae and more. Pruning roses & Clematis, planting, and controlling slugs on hosta also feature. Listen live every Saturday at 9am on Zoomer Radio

Paul Oliver (urbannaturestore.ca) joins the show to sort out; squirrels in birdfeeders, best food for Baltimore Orioles, how to clean feeders and birdbaths and hunting for Blue Jay nests. Listen live every Saturday at 9am on Zoomer Radio

How to resurrect a lawn, when to prune Clematis, unhappy Hibiscus and Dahlias growing too soon. All this and more today on the Garden Show. Listen live every Saturday at 9am on Zoomer Radio

Callers have issues with Bromeliads, Christmas cactus, and scraggly rhubarb. Meanwhile we chat about available worm castings in TO (rhswormcastings@gmail.com), Japanese beetles, and 'out of season' Amaryllis! Listen live every Saturday at 9am on Zoomer Radio

Paul Oliver (UrbanNatureStore.ca) joins in again to share tips and tricks to feeding and caring for all your favourite birds. Callers are interested in plants that support birds in autumn, birdseed that won't grow in the lawn. Plus we get a great trick for storing garlic over the winter! Listen live every Saturday at 9am on Zoomer Radio

Using eggshells to control slugs, pruning Butterfly bush, grubs in the lawn and topping up raised bed gardens. Not to mention rascally rabbits! Listen live every Saturday at 9am on Zoomer Radio

Cool, wintery weather is hanging on. However, we talk about planting seeds (Charlie is all over peppers and annual flowers). Callers want to understand how long to use a heat mat, when to cut back Sedum (without damaging overwintering insects), moving daffodils, rotating tomatoes, and of course - when to start tomato seeds. Marilyn's mom always claimed, "plant tomatoes the Friday before Good Frida...

Growing peas with beans, maintaining ornamental grasses, sprayers for different pests and girdled roses (those rascally rabbits!). More about worm castings too. Listen live every Saturday at 9am on Zoomer Radio

Tech can be so challenging - Charlie (CR) is ok; Dean (Port Hope, ON) is glitchy. Sorry to everyone for issues. Meanwhile Amaryllis continues to engage many, companion planting, pre-emergent herbicides, wild strawberries, and emerging Calla lilies are on the agenda. Listen live every Saturday at 9am on Zoomer Radio

Charlie reports on flora and fauna seen this past week in Playa Portrero, Costa Rica. Including sea turtles, crocodiles, and a mangrove estuary at Marino las Baulas National Park. Callers are wondering about fertilizer: seedlings, young peppers and leeks, and whether banana peels are good for tomatoes? Forcing spring branches (Forsythia, fruit trees, Magnolia etc) also a fun way to bring colourful...

Charlie is in Costa Rica, soaking up sun and surf, plus reporting on flora and fauna. Meanwhile winter continues unabated in southern Ontario. Callers are feeling spring, and want to re-pot all kinds of houseplants. Orchids require attention and robins are showing up! Listen live every Saturday at 9am on Zoomer Radio

Our phone lines are back, and the callers are thrilled! We talk: orchid care, plants for pollinators, saving poinsettia and starting seeds. Next week Charlie will be hosting from Costa Rica! Listen live every Saturday at 9am on Zoomer Radio

Frigid, fallow and friable just about sums up today's show. Super cold has gardeners worried about plant survival. A caller wants to know about the benefits of leaving the vegetable garden fallow for a season. And Charlie gets into what is a great soil - friable you say?!? Plus dormant cyclamen, clematis propagation, white pine in a pot and root crops struggling. Listen live every Saturday at 9am...

Transplanting indoor pathos, amaryllis care, and starting nasturtiums seeds. But, days are getting longer and we're thinking outdoors too: moving rhubarb, pruning Rose of Sharon and more! Listen live every Saturday at 9am on Zoomer Radio

Now for something completely different - live communication with text and email! Questions from listeners include: winter seed sowing (both indoors and out), Gardenia with spider mites, lemon trees that don't flower and leaving orchids for an extended holiday. Listen live every Saturday at 9am on Zoomer Radio

Niki Jabbour joins us from Nova Scotia to chat about gardening under cover, some exotic varieties, making soil blocks and more! Listen live every Saturday at 9am on Zoomer Radio

Lots going on in the cyberverse for gardeners! Zoom with a horticultural society, or learn Bird Identification at birdscanada.org in preparation for The Great Backyard Bird Count Feb 13-16th. Paul Oliver (Urban Nature Store) joins the show once more to explain birdfeeder care, and how to help our feathered friends avoid predators! Listen live every Saturday at 9am on Zoomer Radio