Grow Olives Where You Think You Can't with Steven Biggs
Down The Garden Path Podcast
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, fruit plantings, and an edible-themed front yard. He's a horticulturist, award-winning broadcaster and author, and former horticulture instructor with George Brown and Durham Colleges in...
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What's Wrong With My Boxwood?
Down The Garden Path Podcast
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 lifespan of 14 days but is a strong flyer, making it challenging to control The challenges in controlling the pest are due to its rapid reproduction and ability to survive cold winters Presents a...
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Groundcover Revolution with Kathy Jentz
Down The Garden Path Podcast
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 , about the groundcover plants you can use to create a beautiful lawn alternative of your own. About Kathy Jentz Kathy Jentz is the editor and publisher of the award-winning magazine, based in Washington, DC. She hosts the popular and is co-author of and author of . Here are some of the questions and topics covered...
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Pondless Water Features & More with Ernest Williams from Aquascape
Down The Garden Path Podcast
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 attracts wildlife Provides the sound of water without the upkeep of traditional ponds Preferred by homeowners seeking aesthetics and simplicity Pondless Water Features Design and Functionality ...
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Frontier Mushrooms with Deb McKee Kelly
Down The Garden Path Podcast
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 with mushrooms and mycelium focuses on sustainable growing practices, education, and innovative uses for fungi in food systems and beyond. With a deep respect for nature’s intelligence — and a...
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Plants Always Win Podcast with Sean Patchett and Erin Alladin
Down The Garden Path Podcast
This week on Down the Garden Path, Joanne speaks with Erin Alladin and Sean Patchett about their podcast, Plants Always Win. Plants Always Win Podcast is a podcast where two Ontario gardeners dive down plant-fact rabbit holes, answer audience questions, interview intriguing guests, and compete to bring you the most interesting stories and information. Erin Alladin, a.k.a. Earth Undaunted, is a professional communicator with a love for gardens, especially garden ecosystems. She’s known online for her writing and videos about gardening with chronic illness and disability, as well as her...
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Growing Lettuce, Spinach and Potatoes with Julia Dimakos
Down The Garden Path Podcast
In this episode of Down the Garden Path, Joanne Shaw discusses growing fresh staples like lettuce, spinach and potatoes with “The Gardening Girl” Julia Dimakos. About Julia Dimakos 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 14 years. She was twice published in Canadian Organic Grower magazine and became a published author in July 2022 with her first book, . In this episode, Joanne asked Julia about a few things we can grow ourselves instead of buying...
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Perennial Plant Association with Ed Lyon
Down The Garden Path Podcast
This week on Down the Garden Path, Joanne Shaw speaks with Ed Lyon, president-elect of the Perennial Plant Association. About Ed Lyon Throughout his public garden administration roles and green industry experience, Ed has been as passionate about education as he is about horticulture. He has had roles in public garden education departments and served as director of three public gardens for twenty years. He retired from public garden service in 2024 and currently sits on the Perennial Plant Association (PPA) board as president-elect. Here are some of the topics discussed in this episode: The...
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Growing a Career in Horticulture with Art Vanden Enden
Down The Garden Path Podcast
This week, Joanne Shaw welcomes Art Vanden Enden to the podcast to discuss exploring a career in horticulture. About Art Vanden Enden Art Vanden Enden is self-employed as a Horticultural Advisor and Horticultural Technical Instructor at Landscape Ontario and Loyalist College. He also serves on the board at , and . He has a long history in the garden centre industry, starting with Weall & Cullen and then Sheridan Nurseries until his retirement in 2022. Here are some of the topics discussed in this episode: The Pandemic's Positive Impact on the Younger Generation The positive impact...
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Adapt & Thrive: Gardening in a Changing Climate with Bri Petersen
Down The Garden Path Podcast
This week on Down the Garden Path podcast, Joanne Shaw speaks with Bri Petersen of Urban Gardening Canada about her new course, Adapt & Thrive: Gardening in a Changing Climate. About Urban Gardening Canada The vision of Urban Gardening Canada (UGC) is to provide accessible gardening advice to all Canadians, regardless of location, housing type or budget. Food security and sustainability are two of the main pillars of UGC. Bri believes that gardening should be accessible to all. Here are some of the topics covered in this episode: Bri left her job in finance to chase her dreams as a...
info_outlineSeed-starting season has officially begun! This week on Down the Garden Path podcast, Joanne Shaw gets tips and advice on seeds for your lawn and garden from Rebecca Boyar of West Coast Seeds.
About Rebecca Boyar
Rebecca Boyar has an extensive and varied career in horticulture, spanning nearly 35 years. She began her journey managing an herb farm on the west coast in the early 90s. From there, she transitioned to developing a non-profit horticultural program and launching the first urban hydroponic training facility in Canada. She later worked as a Non-GMO Commodity Merchandiser at a small agricultural brokerage in southern Manitoba, focusing on soybean and organic production. In 2018, she moved into the cannabis sector, serving as a Master Grower and a Health Canada approved Quality Assurance Processor in Quebec.
Currently, Rebecca is a West Coast Seeds representative in eastern Ontario, offering her horticultural expertise and knowledge in the non-GMO and organic seeds market.
About West Coast Seeds
West Coast Seeds was founded in 1983 in Vancouver, British Columbia, with the purpose of sourcing and supplying seeds of the highest quality while following the traditions of organic farming and gardening. They offer over 1,100 varieties of untreated, non-genetically modified seeds. For them, organic is about much more than saying no to chemicals, it is about saying yes to building a healthy soil for the future.
Renee's Garden and Cornucopia Seeds are sister brands of West Coast Seeds, proudly owned and operated by the same Canadian-based family. You can find these premium-quality seeds at garden centres across Canada.
Here are some of the topics covered in this episode:
- Rebecca discussed her journey to West Coast Seeds and how the season of seed starting is upon us.
- Provided tips on the seeds that need an early start and that we should start now.
- The new seed mix from West Coast Seeds called Grub Resistant Lawn Blend.
- Regular turf attracts grubs, which affects our lawns, leading to Japanese beetles, which affect our plants.
- This new mix of Tall Fescue and pelleted Micro-Clover forms a thick, drought-resistant lawn without the thatch that the beetles love to lay their eggs in.
- Rebecca discussed the best practices for applying this grass seed and there is more information on their website.
- West Coast Seeds has a nice variety of lawn blends for many situations including a Chafer Beetle Resistant lawn blend for those that battle the Chafer Beetle and an Alternative Lawn Wildflower mix.
- This blend is an alternative to having a lawn, and it forms low-growing ground cover that includes a mix of fine fescues, flowers and clover species that stay about 6-8 inches high.
- A nice idea for anyone with a small lawn who wants to support pollinators.
- You can order seed from their website or most garden centres will stock West Coast Seeds.
- If you cannot find something you want in a local store then you can request the store to order it for you.
- For those that enjoy a paper seed catalog, you can order one from their website, as well.
Find West Coast Seeds online:
Website: www.westcoastseeds.com
Instagram: @westcoastseeds
Facebook: @westcoastseeds
ouTube: @westcoastseedstv
Have a topic you'd like Joanne to discuss?
Email your questions and comments to [email protected], or connect via her website at down2earth.ca
Find Down the Garden Path on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube: @downthegardenpathpodcast.
Down the Garden Path Podcast
On Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designer Joanne Shaw discusses down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes. As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. She does her best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low maintenance as possible.
In Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and fellow landscape designer Matthew Dressing distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. Get your copy today on Amazon.
Don't forget to check out Down the Garden Path on your favourite podcast app and subscribe! You can now catch the podcast on YouTube.