The Growing Season

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! And we're out walking sites!  Matt McFarland has started the wheels in motion for the 2023 Landscape Season and it all begins with a little walk around sites.  During these site walks and discussions with clientele the many challenges with their sites are highlighted.  Light or lack of it, mature trees up against a house, grass that refuses to grow u...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! I'm sorry, it grows WHERE? The Growing Season trio dives into some of harshest environments on earth that boast some of the most unique growing conditions. The International Space Station, Mt. Everest and deep below the earth's surface are all places that, on the outside, seem to be least hospitable for plant growth yet are flying in the face of...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! The Growing Season trio spend 53 seconds outlining salt tolerant plants - rapid fire. Buckle up! Looking to book a consult for your property?  We'd love to help.  CLICK HERE. What is a TGS Tiny Garden? CLICK HERE. Subscribe to The Growing Season podcast.  CLICK HERE. 

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! The Growing Season's McFarland trio step into the shade and deliver the names of some of the plants that they use routinely for shadier environments. Looking to book a consult for your property?  We'd love to help.  CLICK HERE. What is a TGS Tiny Garden? CLICK HERE. Subscribe to The Growing Season podcast.  CLICK HERE. 

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! That's right, you can use molasses to fertilize your plant materials!    We're not kidding!   Let Jack, Lynne and Matt explain the how-to's! Looking to book a consult for your property?  We'd love to help.  CLICK HERE. What is a TGS Tiny Garden? CLICK HERE. Subscribe to The Growing Season podcast.  CLICK HERE. 

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! "You light up my life!" There's something to that age old expression.  In  honour of Daylight Savings Time returning to our circadian rhythms, Jack, Lynne and Matt McFarland discuss all things light. How much time does the sun have left?   What would happen if it just shut off? The McFarland Query System insults the trio... The sun's e...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! The Growing Season trio attempt to take the PTSD out of the process by which plants make food. Hopefully this helps make the process clear. Looking to book a consult for your property?  We'd love to help.  CLICK HERE. What is a TGS Tiny Garden? CLICK HERE. Subscribe to The Growing Season podcast.  CLICK HERE. 

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! Sometimes you just gotta wear it. In what has become an annual tradition, The McFarlands spend some time focusing on the plant materials that go into making textiles. Cotton, flax, bamboo, oranges, apples and grapes are all revealed to be highly used to create clothing and even leather products.  Jack, Lynne and Matt discuss sustainability and how the &qu...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! So what about the big ones? The Growing Season spends much of its time chatting about the newest varieties of plant materials to grace the aisles of nurseries. But how about the monolithic entities that have dotted our skies for hundreds of years? Bristlecone pines, giant sequoias and dawn redwoods have co-existed with humans for centuries and Jack, Lynne...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! "Ohhh the weather outside is frightful..." Actually, for residents of Southern Ontario, this years weather has been anything but that.    Despite the wimpy winter Jack, Lynne and Matt McFarland dive into the science behind  winters wonders -snow and ice. Do we need snow?  What happens in a winter such as this years when we have little snow.  Wil...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! RISE and shine! It's that time of year again... Roses, chocolate, wine, sun flowers, devils walking stick... wait. Jack, Lynne and Matt McFarland guide The Growing Season into sexy plants just in time for Valentines Day. Heath, watermelon, lavender, ginseng and many more plants with an aphrodisiacal bent feature prominently on what has proven to be a...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! "Baby, its cold outside...." And it is!   Many parts of Canada are finally experiencing the frigid frosts framing a Canadian winter. In honour of that Jack, Lynne and Matt McFarland guide this week's episode of The Growing Season into Horticultural Fuels. The trio discuss natural gas, wind, solar and hydrogen electric energy sources from co...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! "The world is a wondrous place..." The Growing Season pays homage to The Twilight Zone and Unsolved Mysteries by diving into the weird and wonderful of the natural world. Jack, Lynne and Matt discuss the strangeness of ghost orchids, fire weed, ghost plants, bee orchids, and many more hortganisms that fall into the "what?" category.  F...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! THE SPIDERS!    GET RID OF THE SPIDERS!!! So you've got an infestation of insidious insects inside your home.  Now what?  Jack, Lynne and Matt McFarland follow up last week's houseplant show with the insects that can cause significant damage to your already petulant horganisms.  Aphids, mealy bugs, and spider mites are all sap suckers and they A...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! Divas!   They're divas I tell you.  Jack, Lynne and Matt McFarland discuss house plants on this week's episode of The Growing Season. Jack's disdain for these horticultural organisms is on full display as the trio discuss Croton, Snake Plant, Benjamin Fig, Jade Plant/Money Tree, and many more.  What is the easiest house plant to grow for fi...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! "Celebrate endings—for they precede new beginnings." - Jonathan Huie. And that is just what The Growing Season is up to this week. Jack, Lynne and Matt McFarland celebrate 2022 by digging deep into some of the things that didn't get their full due during 2022.  Insects that see in certain colours and how to attract them to your garden space...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! And that's a wrap! The McFarland's put a bow on 2022 as they guide The Growing Season into the realm of Horticultural Spirits. In honour of New Years, the trio chat about the ins and outs of turning plants into the alcohol we enjoy at this time of the year. Why is Champagne called Champagne?   What is the difference between Champagne and sparkli...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! So what about all the other Christmas traditions that aren't Christmas Trees or Poinsettias? Holiday movies and music are touched on off the top of the show.  Why was popcorn banned around Christmas years ago? Amaryllis, stockings, mistletoe just to name a few...  How did these wonders become forever linked to the celebrations of Christmas Season.  S...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! So what if you don't want to use the traditional Christmas Tree? What if you're allergic or live in a setting that doesn't allow for such a decoration?  Jack, Lynne and Matt McFarland discuss the various alternate Christmas Trees that many are using for these situations.  Norfolk Island Pine, Rosemary, Potted Spruce and many more are discus...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! Its all here, wrapped up in a nice little bow, pardon the pun. Jack, Lynne and Matt McFarland guide The Growing Season into the All-Star game of Christmas.  The heavy hitters are featured prominently. Christmas Trees, both real and artificial, poinsettias, Santa Claus and candy canes are just some of the tropes explored. What kind of real Christmas tree s...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! And here we are again!    As The McFarland's place a bow on another year, The Growing Season kicks off the holiday season with North Pole Horticulture.  Could the Pine Trees that feature decorations prominently in The North Pole stylings of kids movies at this time of year even grow that far north? Are they practicing horticulture in the arctic and,...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! We're all sick.  All of us... The McFarlands attempt to dull the knife a little and discuss medicinal and aromatic plants on this week's episode of The Growing Season. Jack, Lynne and Matt discuss lavender, peppermint, chamomile, ginseng, gingko and many more medicinal favourites.  How about "scented stuff?"  Yup, they chat about that...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! So the birds fly south.   The butterflies follow.  But what about the raccoons?   The spiders?   The Earwigs?    Where do the insects and animals that overwinter in Canada go?   Jack, Lynne and Matt McFarland uncover the mysteries surrounding the overwintering practices of many of the creatures that live along side us. Some hummingbirds overwinter here in...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! Well, its that time! For many of us this is the time of the year that tastes bittersweet.   The summer months have come to a close and we prepare to move inside for the winter.  Jack, Lynne and Matt McFarland continue their "Bedtime" series with part 2. Staking and burlapping sensitive shrubs and trees, storage of bulbs, watering of your plant m...

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat! Its about that time!    The growing season is wrapping up and we're chatting about it on The Growing Season.  Jack, Lynne and Matt McFarland dive into the ins-and-outs of getting your lawns and flower beds prepped for the winter.  How do the root systems of plants survive the winter?   When should you be fertilizing your lawn in the fall?   SHOULD yo...