The Growing Season

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! "The world is a wondrous place. Filled with sights, sounds and imagination.  Childhood innocence gives way to our adult realities.  Do not adjust your podcast, join The Growing Season for strange, BUT true." The Growing Season ventures into the wonderful world of weird and The McFarlands are on-board. Jack, Lynne and Matt McFarland offer some in...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! Cue "Holiday Road" by Lindsay Buckingham...  You know the song - from the Vacation Movies. I found out long ago (Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh) It's a long way down the Holiday Road (Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh) Holiday Road... Holiday Road.... BUT THEN DISASTER STRIKES! Mosquitos, wasps, hornets, ants, flys, poison ivy, poison sumac and poison oak are just some of th...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! At the time of recording the Greater Toronto Area has received a summer's worth of rain in just 4 weeks.  Less than one month into summer and the many of us have seen as much or more rain than we usually get in 3 full months.  Jack, Lynne and Matt McFarland discuss the absolutely insane amount of precipitation we've seen this year.  French drain...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! What's better than one colour?  How about two? Three?  MORE! The Growing Season returns to their TGS Colour Series with a bang.  Bi-Colour/Colour Gradients are the latest entry in the Colour Series library.  Jack McFarland updates the listeners on his ongoing cancer treatments.  The trio discuss the trend of plants featuring blooms and leaves that ch...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! All hail Charlotte's Web! Jack, Lynne and Matt McFarland discuss the ins and outs of using ferns in your landscape and/or your landscape designs.  Matt details the various degrees of success he's had with using ferns and, specifically, fern varieties.  The fern life-cycle is explored.  Outside of the spores that we all have heard about puddles a...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! They're one of the most asked about plant materials on sites and designs and The McFarlands spend 54 minutes discussing them on this week's episode of The Growing Season.  Jack, Lynne and Matt McFarland spend close to an hour on hydrangeas.  From 5-10 classic varieties to dozens upon dozens of variations of the flowering shrub the hydrangea has...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! Children of the wind, rejoice! Jack, Lynne and Matt McFarland unearth the secrets of ornamental grasses on this week's episode of The Growing Season.  All grasses can be linked back to something called "The Timothy Grass."   What's the history of said grass?   How does the lineage work? What about grasses in shade?   They exist and THE...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! You’d be amazed at how many horticultural organisms have cancer fighting elements built in. Jack, Lynne and Matt McFarland base this week’s episode of The Growing Season on Jack’s recovery from cancer. Jack details his stay at the Princess Margaret Cancer Lodge and how The Growing Season can get involved in the gardens there. Black Walnut, maple, pines ar...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! So they're not as much work as everyone says! ROSES.  Years ago this word struck fear into the hearts of many a gardener.  Roses, renown for their beautiful blooms and fragrance BUT along with that comes disease, fungus and insects.  Jack, Lynne and Matt McFarland cautiously guide this week's episode of The Growing Season into the world of roses...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! "Splish splash I was taking a bath...." One of the most maintenance heavy features for your garden takes centre stage on this week's episode of The Growing Season.  Jack, Lynne and Matt McFarland uncover the ins and outs of installing a water feature. Matt discusses why he moved away from installing the outdoor water holes and what drove hi...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! The GTA has had record levels of rainfall over the last 6-8 weeks. What does that mean for gardeners. Jack, Lynne and Matt McFarland open this week’s episode of The Growing Season with a rant from Matt. Matt is offended! Fear does all this rain mean for the growth of your plant material outside of rapid growth? Disease and fungus can be exacerbated by rai...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! LLLLLEEEETTSS GET READY TO RRRRRUUUUUMMMMBBBBLLLLEEE! In what will be called the greatest battle horticulture has ever seen The Growing Season has ringside seats in the fight between annuals and perennials. Which will come out victorious?  Jack, Lynne and Matt McFarland weigh in on the debate on this week's show?  Aren't annuals more financially...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! Follow my lead!   Green is all you need.  In some cases, the statement above is correct.  Horticulturally, green is used to keep your plant pals growing strong.  But what about colour?   Is it possible to have all that green hold hands with some prolonged colour over the course of the spring, summer and  fall? Jack, Lynne and Matt McFarland talk about lon...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! Easy now!   There's no reason to get upset. Jack, Lynne and Matt McFarland dive into trees that tear tirelessly.  They WEEP!    You get it? The various organisms that are pendulous in nature become the focus of this week's episode of The Growing Season.  "Pleaching" is discussed but Matt has no idea what it is. Weeping beech, weeping w...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! Oh-oh-ah-ah-oh! Oh-oh-ahhhh-oh! So what the heck are The McFarland’s using on landscape designs in 2024? The Growing Season follows Matt into his annual practice of wiping the slate clean and starting over with his choices of plants. Yucca is back on the menu!  For over 20 years the McFarland’s refused to use a yucca on a design. They explain why. Phlox! ...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! Jack, Lynne and Matt McFarland steer this week's episode of The Growing Season into all things Yellow. The Growing Season's Colour Series continues with a colour that tends to be a divisive topic amongst gardeners. Are you a fan of the colour yellow?   Do you dislike it?   If so, why? Many of the heavy hitters in a yellow variety feature:  Dande...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! "Coming up we'll talk to you about edible herbs and how they can be considered 'sage advice!'"  [BA DUM CHING!] Jack, Lynne and Matt McFarland celebrate Earth Day in style with a 54 minute discussion on plants that produce fruit, berries and nuts. EDIBLES - not marijuana, but plants that produce stuff that can be eaten... Apple tr...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! Landscape design is in FULL SWING for The McFarlands. Jack, Lynne and Matt discuss the ins and outs of Landscape Design on The Growing Season.  Matt outlines how his business model works.  The differences between a landscape consult, design and install are discussed. Why do you, as a homeowner, need a landscape design?   Does the design make the landscape...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! Its safe to finally prune your plants, people! Jack, Lynne and Matt McFarland guide The Growing Season into the heart of spring pruning and all of its related topics.  When can you prune?   If its been 10 degrees during the daytime over the course of 7 days you are good to go.  How do you transition plants from indoors to outdoors?   What about those hydr...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! Bunnies, bulbs and bougainvillea!  We’ll, not the last one but it started with “B” so it fit. Jack, Lynne and Matt McFarland continue to celebrate spring on The Growing Season. McFarland Park is about to undergo an expansion. The trio detail the new elements to be installed. Jack and Lynne offer an update that may impact the show slightly over the next fe...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! LET'S SPRING INTO...WELL...SPRING. Its here and, even though there is snow on the ground for much of the GTA, Spring is here. Jack, Lynne and Matt kick off the growing season in style.  What can you being doing in your flower beds RIGHT NOW?   Spoiler alert - NOTHING.  The trio explains. Sharpening shovels and landscape pruners come into focus.  What...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! Lets get down to some horticultural history. Gardens through time are the focus of this week's episode of The Growing Season.  The Aztecs, The Myans, The Romans, The French, The Indians and The Japanese come into focus as some of the innovators in garden tech.  The French, in particular, have some sordid history intertwined with their horticulture. T...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! So you're looking to take a vacation.   Let The Growing Season guide you through a tropical destination The McFarland's have longed to visit.  FIJI. Let's travel to Fiji via the radio waves.  Jack, Lynne and Matt continue their "Destination Tropical" series into one of the most beautiful places on earth.  The flora, the fauna, the...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! We know, we know, you're ACHING to get out into your garden and start the wheels in motion.  Can you do ANYTHING in the garden right now?   How about pruning?  Is it too early to prune?   Many of us would like to get a head start on gardening activities so this week's topic dovetails perfectly. Jack, Lynne and Matt McFarland dive into the topic...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! Soooo, how exactly does that dandelion grown AND THRIVE in the asphalt on the 401? Jack, Lynne and Matt McFarland discuss extremes and how horticultural organisms have adapted to exist in such environments.  Alpine areas, extreme cold, extreme heat, lack of oxygen and many locations come into focus on this episode of The Growing Season. How exactly do the...