Episodes
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Spring is tiptoeing in and we want to set you up for the smoothest garden year ever. This week we’re recording live on location in Erin’s garden and examining what tasks she has already done, what’s next on the list, and what pressures to let go of. (Remember: don’t let perfect be the enemy of good!)
The first order of business as winter ends is to prune woody fruit-producing perennials. We chat about currants, apples, and grapesâyes, grapes in zone 4b. Naturally that leads into propagation: cuttings, mound layering, and even air layering. Next we talk seed starting indoors and out and the season extension that helps us save space on our windowsills. Then it’s on to spring bulbs to plant, fall bulbs that are blooming, water management (if you’re listening from a region with flooding, our hearts go out to you!) and the ever-vital skill of observation. Finally, we wrap up with a lightning round of fifteen other early-spring tasks that get you set up for success.
Ready to get your hands dirty? Listen now!
Take a Peek at Erin’s GardenLast year’s cuttingsSwenson RedThe Swenson Red grape, prunedThe IKEA trellisThe peas are sprouting!Erin’s vegetable gardenThe air layering deviceComments? Feedback? Want your garden question to be featured in a future Q&A segment?Email us, reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon.
Discord: https://discord.gg/K6wF9dY4Ja
Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com
TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
YouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
Website: www.plantsalwayswin.comCredits
Website Design and Illustration by Sophia AlladinIntro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-plays
License code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PH
Timestamps00:41 Introduction
02:11 The Myth That Your Garden Is Already Behind
04:18 Late April in Zone 4b
04:58 What Erin Has Done So Far
05:56 Season Extension
06:36 Growing Swenson Red Grapes in Zone 4b
10:52 Pruning Currant Bushes
12:45 Mound Layering: Intentional or Unintentional Propagation
14:00 Apple Trees and Winter Damage
15:46 Propagating Fruit Tree Cuttings
17:28 Air Layering to Propagate Fruit Trees
20:28 Sean’s Paean to Crabapples
24:54 Starting Seeds Indoors and Hardening Off
27:13 Starting Seeds When You Have No Indoor Space
32:50 Use Up This Year’s Seed Inventory
33:53 Bulbs to Plant in Spring
35:00 Fall Bulbs and the Siberian Squill Controversy
39:35 Native Lawn Alternatives
42:32 Water Harvesting and Rain Gardens
45:37 Observing Your Garden
47:41 Lightning Round: Things To Do at This Time of Year
53:53 Outro and Contact Us -
Are you breaking the law every time you plant a shrub?
This week we welcome Ian Simpson, VP of Communications and Corporate Affairs at Ontario One Call. Thatâs the public safety administrative authority that makes sure your gardening project doesnât end in a damaged gas line or ruptured water main. Youâll find Call Before You Dig services across Canada and the United States (search âOne Callâ for your province or â811â for your state), but Ontario is the one place where that callâor that clickâis required by law. If youâre breaking ground, even by an inch or two, even out in the country, itâs your responsibility to submit a locate request to make sure you wonât be nicking any underground infrastructure.
Fortunately, Ontario One Call makes the process easy, free, and surprisingly quick. Ian explains how it works behind the scenes, what your responsibilities are as a homeowner, renter, or landscaping contractor, and why it matters so much. He also shares some startling statistics about the number of accidents that do happen, especially to people who think they know where their underground utilities are. Donât be one of those statistics! Listen now and get the dirt on digging safety.
Connect with Ontario One CallColour Codes: https://ontarioonecall.ca/#colours
Comments? Feedback? Want your garden question to be featured in a future Q&A segment?
Ontario One Call: https://ontarioonecall.ca/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnwjQMBxkG4QrPW2q5sbjpA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ON1Call/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/on1call/Email us, reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon.
Discord: https://discord.gg/K6wF9dY4Ja
Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com
TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
YouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
Website: www.plantsalwayswin.comCredits
Website Design and Illustration by Sophia AlladinIntro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-plays
License code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PH
Timestamps00:15 Introduction
00:45 Meet Ian Simpson and Ontario One Call
01:48 Underground Infrastructure in Rural Locations
02:40 How to Request a Locate
03:43 What if I’m Only Digging an Inch or Two?
05:25 Sometimes the Infrastructure is a Mess
06:20 Ian’s Role at Ontario One Call
07:30 Close Calls and Consequences
08:40 Statistics on Digging and Damage in Ontario
12:03 Who’s At Fault When Damage Occurs?
12:33 How it Works: Getting Locates from Infrastructure Owners
14:05 Expiry Dates on Locates?
15:30 How to Read the Colours of Spray-Painted Markings
08:45 Unexpected Jobs that Might Require Locates
19:36 Landscapers, Handymen and Liability
24:12 Sharing Locates with Multiple Contractors
26:19 Busting Myths
28:00 Timing for Locates
33:55 If You Do Hit Something…
35:04 Courses and Resources Available from Ontario One Call
37:00 When to Call 911
38:31 What If You’re Not in Ontario?
39:50 Final Words of Wisdom
40:45 Outro and Contact Us -
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For some of us, happiness is a hydrangea in full, glorious bloom.
And if youâre not yet well acquainted with these flowering shrubs, who better to learn from than The Garden Lady herself? C.L. Fornari is the author of the upcoming 2026 book Hydrangea Happiness: Planting, Pruning and Blooming, among many others. Sheâs also a well-known gardening radio host and podcaster, appearing over the years as a contributor on NPRâs The Cultivated Gardener, as host of GardenLine on WXTK, as co-host of the podcast Plantrama, and today as the eponymous host of The Garden Lady on several NPR stations. We get the scoop on her broadcasting career, on her founding of the Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival, and on how she planned a modern-day guide to hydrangeas thatâs âmore Instagram and less coffee table book.â
Dive into this interview to learn about choosing the right hydrangea for a northern garden, about the truth of acidifying your soil for those beautiful blue mophead blooms, and about finding joy in your garden and your life.
Find C.L. Online at:GardenLady.comFacebook: @CLTheGardenLadyInstagram: @CLTheGardenLadyMentioned in This EpisodeHydrangea Happiness: Planting, Pruning & Blooming: https://brandeisuniversitypress.com/title/hydrangea-happiness-planting-pruning-and-blooming/ The Cope Cod Hydrangea Festival: https://www.capecodchamber.org/events/cape-cod-hydrangea-fest/ Hydrangeas on the Azores: https://www.treehugger.com/hydrangeas-azores-4869708 Comments? Feedback? Want your garden question to be featured in a future Q&A segment?Email us, reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon.
Discord: https://discord.gg/K6wF9dY4Ja
Credits
Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com
TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
YouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
Website: www.plantsalwayswin.com
Website Design and Illustration by Sophia AlladinIntro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-plays
License code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PH
Timestamps:00:14 Introduction
00:56 C.L. Fornari’s Garden Radio Host Career
05:52 Founding the Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival
08:33 Why (and How!) C.L. Wrote About Hydrangeas
11:21 Postcards from Plants
14:43 How Many Hydrangeas? Breeding and Selection
16:43 A Paniculata Hydrangea for Erin’s Cold, Clay Conditions
18:47 Finding the Right Spot for Your Shrub
21:16 Are Hydrangeas Invasive?
23:00 Hydrangea paniculata, a.k.a. Panicled Hydrangea
23:25 Hydrangea arborescens, aka Smooth Hydrangea
24:15 Hydrangea macrophylla, a.k.a. Bigleaf Hydrangea, a.k.a. Mophead Hydrangea
25:09 Hydrangea serrata, a.k.a. Mountain Hydrangea
27:10 C.L.’s Hydrangea Poetry
28:25 Hydrangea quercifolia, a.k.a. Oakleaf Hydrangea
28:35 Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris., a.k.a. Climbing Hydrangea
28:55 Acidifying Soil for Blue Hydrangeas
31:05 The Stubborn Myth that Pine Needles Acidify Soil
33:20 Moss Lawn Plant Rant
34:27 Macrophylla Hydrangeas with Inconsistent Colours
37:56 Poison Ivy Acres and Embracing All of Gardening
39:40 Find C.L. Fornari Online
40:45 Outro and Contact Us -
The internet is a minefield of questionable plant hacks, rage bait, andâsighâbanana water. Good thing The Plant Prof is here to shed some science on the matter.
Vikram Baliga, a.k.a. The Plant Prof, is a professor of horticulture and the host of the podcasts Planthropology and Deep Roots. He is that rare being in the world of science: an academic who has also honed the skill of communicating with non-academic audiences. As he says, public taxes pay for science research. The public deserves good, true scientific information.
Todayâs conversation ranges across education and misinformation in the digital age, the evolution of science, and the importance of experimentation. Then we get practical with tips on compost tea, a nuanced discussion on using synthetic or organic fertilization methods, and garden hacks that actually work. Of course, we also have to take a few minutes to get excited about Vikramâs information–packed childrenâs book, Plants to the Rescue: The Plants, Trees, and Fungi that are Solving Some of the Worldâs Biggest Problems. Have a listen; class is in session!
Find Vikram Online at:The Planthropology PodcastDeep Roots Podcast Texas Tech Davis College of Ag Natural Resources website YouTubeBlueskyInstagram FacebookX Vikramâs Book:Plants to the Rescue , published by Neon Squid Books
Timestamps00:14 Intro
00:30 Meet Vikram Baliga, The Plant Prof
02:33 Vikram’s Podcasts: The Planthropology Podcast and Deep
Roots
03:37 The Challenge of Public Science Communication
10:42 Plants don’t read our textbooks.
12:20 Plants Always Win Stole its Name from Planthropology Merch
13:04 The Evolution of Science and the Freedom to Experiment
15:56 Vikram’s Home Fertilizer Hack Experiments: Rice Water, Banana Water, Oatmeal, Cinnamon, etc.
18:36 How to Make Compost Tea
21:22 Synthetic Commercial Fertilizers vs. Organic Fertilizers for Containers, Planters, and Gardens
30:48 Vikram’s New Kids’ Book: Plants to the Rescue
36:50 Gardening Hacks that Actually Work
40:04 Things That Make Your Gardening Life Easier
40:41 That Time Sean Hacked his Leg Open
42:32 The Best Way to Grow a Garden is In Community
44:52 Find Vikram Online
45:43 Outro and Contact Us -
In this versus episode, we bring you two of the nicest-smelling and slowest-growing plants in the garden. Sean gets us started with rosemary, which is known to science as Salvia rosemarinus (though some botanists may be surprised to hear that!). We learn how to grow this Mediterranean plant and how to help it handle a northern winter, even if that means bringing it indoors. One option, of course, is to take softwood or hardwood cuttings and root them for next year, and Sean gives us a crash course in doing that before moving on to the fascinating research being done on rosemary and cognition.
In the second half, Erin narrows down the many species and cultivars of lavender to just two: Lavandula angustifolia, often called English Lavender or âtrue lavender,â and Lavandula X Intermedia, a hybrid you may see marketed as âlavandin.â One is good to eat, and the other is great for toiletries. How do you know which is which? Erin has the intel. Just donât ask her to talk about French lavender. You might be in for a plant rant.
Youâre also in for some fun facts about growing lavender at home, becoming a commercial lavender grower in Ontario, and what historical humans and modern scientists think itâs good for. We wrap up with a busted myth: what does lavender have to do with King Tut? Itâs not what you think!
Who won the plant face-off? You decide! Email us, tag us on social media, or pipe up in our friendly Discord server to let us know who you thought made their plant the most interesting.
Will YOU be growing lavender or rosemary this year?
The Ontario Garden Events CalendarItâs live! Check it out at https://plantsalwayswin.com/events/
Comments? Feedback? Want your garden question to be featured in a future Q&A segment?Email us, reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon.
Discord: https://discord.gg/K6wF9dY4Ja
Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com
TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
YouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
Website: www.plantsalwayswin.comCredits
Website Design and Illustration by Sophia AlladinIntro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-plays
License code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PH
CitationsRosemary Plant Profile
Rosmarinus officinalis L. (n.d.). USDA Plants Database. https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ROOFRosemary. (n.d.). Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved February 8, 2026, from https://www.britannica.com/plant/rosemary
Rosemary and cognition
Kamdar, D. (2025). Rosemary has been linked to better memory, lower anxiety and even protection from Alzheimerâs. The Conversation. https://doi.org/10.64628/ab.fu4jyy3mxBanerjee, P., Wang, Y., Carnevale, L. N., Patel, P., Raspur, C. K., Tran, N., Zhang, X., Natarajan, R., Roberts, A. J., Baran, P. S., & Lipton, S. A. (2025). DIACCA, a Pro-Drug for carnosic acid that activates the NRF2 transcriptional pathway, shows efficacy in the 5xFAD transgenic mouse model of Alzheimerâs disease. Antioxidants, 14(3), 293. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox14030293
Herbs that can boost your mood and memory. (2026, June 2). Northumbria University. https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/about-us/news-events/news/2016/04/herbs-that-can-boost-your-mood-and-memory/
Studying Hinoki cypress oil and relaxation
Ikei, H., Song, C., & Miyazaki, Y. (2015). Physiological effect of olfactory stimulation by Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) leaf oil. Journal of PHYSIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, 34(1), 44. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40101-015-0082-2Etymology of lavender
Lavender – Etymology, Origin & Meaning. (n.d.). Etymonline. https://www.etymonline.com/word/lavenderGrowing lavender in Ontario
Growing lavender in Ontario: an introduction for prospective growers. (2023, February 22). ontario.ca. https://www.ontario.ca/page/growing-lavender-ontario-introduction-prospective-growersWhat people historically thought lavender was good for, and what scientists think today
Civilyte, A., Karanikola, K., & Kramer, A. (2025). From antiquity to modern hygiene: the archaeological and medicinal legacy of lavender as a promising antimicrobial agent. PubMed, 20, Doc21. https://doi.org/10.3205/dgkh000550Medicinal uses and side effects of lavender
Lavender: Overview, uses, side effects, precautions, interactions, dosing and reviews. (n.d.). https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-838/lavender#dosingLavender: Usefulness and safety. (n.d.). National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/lavender
The Ontario Lavender Association
Ontario Lavender Association. (n.d.). Lavender Ontario. Lavender Ontario. https://lavenderontario.org/History, taxonomy, and production of lavender
Timestamps
McCoy, J.-A., PhD. (2022). Lavender: History, Taxonomy, and Production (J. Davis, Ed.). NC State Extension. https://newcropsorganics.ces.ncsu.edu/herb/lavender-history-taxonomy-and-production/00:17 Introduction
01:00 What’s Growing On? Erin at the Landscape Ontario Conference
02:09 What’s Growing On? Sean on the Modern Landscaping Industry
05:09 Sean’s Ask a Master Gardener events in Huntsville, Ontario
06:23 Water Break: Seedy Saturdays
07:17 The Plant Face-off: Rosemary
07:20 Keeping Rosemary in a Zone 4 Winter
09:28 Rosemary’s Changing Taxonomy
12:14 Surprise! The Name Rosemary is about the Sea
13:46 How Rosemary Grows
15:16 Caring for Rosemary
16:24 Sean’s Big Mistake Prepping Rosemary for Winter
17:40 Starting Rosemary from Seed…EARLY
19:05 Sean’s Daughter’s Lavender Plants
20:24 Propagating Rosemary by Softwood and Hardwood Cuttings
21:14 Rosemary as Specimen or Bonsai
22:49 What does “Specimen” Mean in Horticulture?
25:10 Pests and Diseases Don’t Bother Rosemary Much
26:00 Plant Rant: Deer Resistance
27:43 Culinary Uses for Rosemary
28:00 Cultural History of Rosemary
28:27 Rosemary for Memory and Concentration, According to Science
34:18 Water Break: Libraries and Seed Libraries
35:33 The Plant Face-Off: Lavender
36:18 “English Lavender” vs. “French Lavender” is Not Helpful!
37:30 Lavandula Angustifolia, aka English Lavender
39:20 Lavandula X Intermedia, aka Lavandin
41:50 Etymology of Lavender: It’s All About Washing
42:44 What Lavender Looks Like
44:11 Range and Growing Conditions for Lavender
45:36 The Ontario Lavender Association: Growing Lavender Commercially in Ontario
47:17 Soil Conditions for Growing Lavender
49:28 Growing Lavender from Seed
50:20 Propagating Lavender by Cutting and Layering
52:53 Pruning Lavender for Rounded Mounds
57:13 Harvesting Lavender: Timing Matters
58:14 Food and Medicinal Uses of Lavender
1:00:21 Cautions about Lavender: No Lavender Oil for Prepubescent Boys
1:02:55 Cultural History of Lavender
1:06:17 Myth Busting: King Tut’s Tomb Did NOT Smell of Lavender
1:09:13 Outro and Contact Us -
As the 2026 growing season waves tantalizingly on the far horizon, weâd like to help you prepare for a disaster-free garden. To do that, weâre sharing a few key landscape design principlesâŠalong with a whole heap of stories about landscape design fails.
No garden is truly no-maintenance, but while ordinary weeding and pruning is one thing, fighting endlessly against the effects of a bad design decision is something else entirely. Weâre talking about hardscaping installed in the wrong spot, poorly selected plants, ever-spreading invasive speciesâŠThe list goes on. Sean shares some zingers from his history of managing client landscapes, and Erin gets vulnerable with some stories of her own past mistakes. Tune in to find out what not to doâŠand to journey with our hosts through the steps you should take when designing a garden or landscape of your own.
Check out our new website!
Check out our web designerâs portfolio!
Comments? Feedback? Want your garden question to be featured in a future Q&A segment?Email us, reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon.
Discord: https://discord.gg/K6wF9dY4Ja
Credits
Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com
TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
YouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
Website: www.plantsalwayswin.comWebsite Design and Illustration by Sophia Alladin
Intro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-plays
License code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PH
Timestamps00:15 Introduction
00:55 What’s Growing On? The End of Erin’s Winter Garden
04:27 What’s Growing On? Sean’s Winter Observations
07:56 Water Break
09:05 Myth Busting: The Low-Maintenance Garden
12:34 Landscape Design Step 1: Dream and Observe
15:44 Landscape Pre-Design: Know Your Needs
17:21 Designing for Accessibility and Maintenance
19:07 Considering Microclimates
20:16 Landscape Design Step 2: Hardscaping
22:25 Artificial Turf Legislation Fail
27:14 Decisions about Paths
28:00 Myth Busting: Permanence in Landscapes
29:36 Landscape Design Step 3: Plant Selection
31:00 Sean’s False Sorbaria sorbifolia Stories
34:36 Erin’s Invasive-Plants-in-Woodland-Garden Story
40:04 Landscape Design Step 4: Plan for Changes over Seasons and Years
46:32 Retaining Wall Fail
50:00 Maintenance Nightmare: Nothing But Stairs
54:30 Compromise and Education are Important
57:09 Staghorn Sumacs Always Win
58:55 Outro and Contact Us -
If youâre looking to build a relationship with the land that feeds you, you can start by embracing the wisdom of the Internetâs Mushroom Auntie.
Gabrielle Cerberville, a.k.a. your new Mushroom Auntie, a.k.a. The Chaotic Forager, has spent her academic life collecting degrees in music. If you catch her in the forest, however, sheâs more likely to be collecting mushrooms and plants for cooking and preservation. Sheâs known online as a mycologist and foraging educator, andâmore recentlyâas the author of the book Gathered: On Foraging, Feasting, and the Seasonal Life â An Illustrated Adventure in Wild Food, Self-Discovery, and Honoring Earth. Part memoir, part field guide, part cook book, and part guided nature meditation, Gathered is 100% an invitation to connect more deeply and authentically with the earth. This week, Gabrielle joins Erin and Sean to discuss its writing, the deeply collaborative process of its editing and fact-checking, and the interconnectedness of nature, food, politics, and community.
Find Gabrielle online at:ChaoticForager.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/chaoticforager
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@chaoticforager
YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC0LqNI92KujRLCj-247ve3w
Facebook: www.facebook.com/chaoticforager
Purchase a copy of Gathered: www.harpercollins.com/products/gathered-gabrielle-cerberville?variant=43429934661666
Comments? Feedback? Want your garden question to be featured in a future Q&A segment?Email us, reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon.
Discord: https://discord.gg/K6wF9dY4Ja
Citations
Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com
TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
YouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
Website: www.plantsalwayswin.comCan you forage on Crown land in Canada?
Using wood from Crown land for personal use. (2025, May 26). ontario.ca. https://www.ontario.ca/page/using-wood-crown-land-personal-use
CreditsWebsite Design and Illustration by Sophia Alladin
Intro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-plays
License code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PH
Timestamps00:14 Introduction
01:10 Gabrielle Cerberville, Your Internet Mushroom Auntie
03:20 The Chaotic Forager and ADHD
05:16 The Myth of Being a Self-Taught Forager
08:29 Community Sufficiency, Not Self-Sufficiency
11:55 Gabrielle’s Music Education
14:35 Marrying Music and Foraging: The Deep Ecology Project
19:01 How Gabrielle Develops Recipes with Foraged Foods
21:40 Foraging and Seasonality
23:30 The Honourable Harvest
26:37 Building a Relationship with the Land
31:04 Foraging on Public Land (Food Is Political)
40:48 The Process Behind Gathered
48:51 Gabrielle’s Shout-Outs
53:45 Outro and Contact Us -
Feeding humanity doesnât need to come at the Earthâs expense. Elspeth Hay is here to talk nut trees, ecosystems, and humans as keystone species.
In 2019, Elspeth was a local food writer who felt despondent about humansâ need to tear up nature in order to feed ourselves. When she discovered that acorns are edibleâthat they had, in fact, once been a central pillar of an abundant North American food systemâshe was electrified. This week she joins Erin to talk about the book that resulted from her all-consuming research into that subject, Feed Us with Trees: Nut Trees and the Future of Food.
If you have ever felt like human beings are rootless and adrift without our own habitat or wild food that can sustain us, this conversation will open your eyes and seize your heart. Erin and Elspeth discuss the oak savannas and chestnut trees that, managed by Indigenous peoplesâ understanding of succession ecology, once fed the human and more-than-human life of a continent. They look at the still-living food culture of chestnuts in Switzerland, grieve over the politics that deliberately erased abundance at home, and embrace hope at the re-emergence of traditional land management practices in agroforestry and restoration agriculture.
Join us in re-discovering our habitat and home. Who knowsâmaybe acorns will change your life, too.
Find Elspeth Hay OnlineWebsite: https://elspethhay.com/
Comments? Feedback? Want your garden question to be featured in a future Q&A segment?
Instagram: @elspethhay
The Local Food Report: https://www.capeandislands.org/podcast/the-local-food-report
Feed Us with Trees: https://newsociety.com/book/feed-us-with-trees/?aff=65Email us, reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon.
Discord: https://discord.gg/K6wF9dY4Ja
Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com
TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
YouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
Website: www.plantsalwayswin.comCredits
Website Design and Illustration by Sophia AlladinIntro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-plays
License code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PH
Timestamps00:14 Introduction
01:00 Feed Us with Trees: Nut Trees and The Future of Food
01:48 Elspeth’s Career in Food and the Environment
02:41 The Lightbulb Moment: Humans Can Eat Acorns
03:27 It Never Made Sense to Me That We Didn’t Have a Habitat
07:39 The Chestnut Huts of Switzerland: A Living Food Culture
09:46 Our Grief and Homesickness for Connection to Place and Species
10:43 The Land of Opportunity Myth
13:07 Oak Savannas and Chestnut Groves: Pillars of an Indigenous Food System
14:39 Food is Politics: The Deliberate Dismantling of Abundance in North America
19:40 Trespass Laws Were Created to Control Formerly Enslaved Foragers
22:00 How Capitalism Makes Food Political
23:47 The Movement to Revive Perennial Food Ecosystems
26:50 Ecological Succession and Embracing Traditional Land Management
30:41 Oaks as the Tree of Life, Biodiversity Champions
32:00 Nature Preserves Are the Wrong Approach. The Land Needs Us.
34:17 Hazelnut Basketry and Kuruk Culture to Elspeth and Erin’s Willow Basketry
37:42 The New Forest in England: An Unenclosed English Farm
40:20 Elspeth’s Recommended Resources
41:50 Elspeth’s Shout-Outs
44:26 Parting Words of Wisdom
45:12 Outro and Contact Us -
Kids ask the best nature questions!
For this episode, a class of elementary-school students prepared a list of questions about plants for Sean and Erin to answer. The best part, of course, is that these are questions few adults would think to ask, and they let our hosts explore all sorts of fascinating topics. How did plants come to be the way they are? Why did they evolve to have roots (or no roots!) and leaves and fruit? What makes one tree grow big leaves while another one has narrow needles? We talk evolutionary niches, the tree of life, food chains, and even how plants move water and sugar through their cells.
Step into our plant-life classroom and see what you can learn from the curiosity of children!
Comments? Feedback? Want your garden question to be featured in a future Q&A segment?Email us, reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon.
Discord: https://discord.gg/K6wF9dY4Ja
Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com
TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
YouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
Website: www.plantsalwayswin.comCredits
Website Design and Illustration by Sophia AlladinIntro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-plays
License code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PH
CitationsBryophytes and Tracheophytes? Categories of Plants With and Without Roots
Plant diversity. (n.d.). NatureWorks. https://nhpbs.org/natureworks/nwep14b.htmThe Parts of a Leaf
Libretexts. (2022, May 4). 13.1: Leaf parts and arrangement. Biology LibreTexts. https://bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Botany/A_Photographic_Atlas_for_Botany_(Morrow)/13%3A_Leaves/13.01%3A_Leaf_Parts_and_ArrangementMaking Paper from Plants at Home
Quillen, K. (2023, October 3). How to make paper from plants â Mother Earth news. Mother Earth News â the Original Guide to Living Wisely. https://www.motherearthnews.com/diy/making-paper-from-plants-zm0z17jjzqui/
Lipman, B. (2024, October 16). Paper from Iris and Daylily. https://www.handpapermaking.org/post/paper-from-iris-and-daylily
Timestamps00:13 Introduction
01:13 What’s Growing On: Sean’s Seed Saving
02:56 What’s Growing On: Erin’s Season Extension
05:53 Do All Plants Have Roots? Let’s Talk Bryophytes
06:08 Plants’ Vascular Systems: Xylem and Phloem
08:40 Why Do Plants Need Roots?
11:15 Many Types of Roots
12:29 What is the Blade on a Leaf?
14:40 Why do Oak Leaves Get So Big?
20:22 How Fast Can Some Flowers Grow?
26:17 Why Do Plants Grow Food?
32:51 How Do Plants Survive the Winter?
41:38 Erin’s New Picture Book: If You Go Walking
42:58 How Do You Make Paper with Plants?
46:10 Paper Recycling Tangent
47:06 Making Paper from Daylilies and Iris
54:33 Outro and Contact Us -
This episode is what happens when two peopleâs loves for venus flytraps, spooky season, and movie musicals collide.
Yes, weâre doing nerdy Halloween horticulture by analyzing the representation of carnivorous plants in the classic musical Little Shop of Horrorsâspecifically the 1986 movie version. If you havenât seen the show, donât worry; we set the stage for you and save any late-story spoilers for the very end. For the most part, weâre interested in one question: based on our knowledge of real-world carnivorous plants, how reasonable were Seymoreâs guesses when he first tried to care for Audrey II? This requires, of course, an exploration of Venus flytrapsâ habitat and habits, how they reproduce, and of the care they need to thrive in our homes.
The movie does raise one more hypothetical, and Iâll put this in code for our listeners who still need to watch it: that ending. Would it really have worked? We get a buzz out of exploring the idea.
Comments? Feedback? Want your garden question to be featured in a future Q&A segment?Email us, reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon.
Discord: https://discord.gg/K6wF9dY4Ja
Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com
TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
YouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
Website: www.plantsalwayswin.com
CreditsWebsite Design and Illustration by Sophia Alladin
Intro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-plays
License code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PH
CitationsLittle Shop of Horrors
Oz, F. (Director). (1986). Little shop of horrors. The Geffen Company.
Venus flytrap Overview
Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula). (n.d.). iNaturalist. https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/52666-Dionaea-muscipula
Venus flytraps benefit from fires
Venus Flytrap. (n.d.). National Wildlife Federation. https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Plants-and-Fungi/Venus-Flytrap
A chemical signal from the flytrapâs prey stimulates the secretion of enzymes.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – the University of Texas at Austin. (n.d.). https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=dimu4
Overwintering your venus flytrap
Little Shop of Horrors. (2025, January 12). Overwintering Venus flytraps. Littleshopofhorrors.co.uk. https://www.littleshopofhorrors.co.uk/over-wintering-venus-flytraps/
Timestamps00:39 Introduction
01:35 What’s Growing On: Sean’s Winter Prep
02:20 What’s Growing On: Erin’s Tomatoes and Greenhouse Build
03:10 Sean’s Pumpkin-Deer Showdown
05:48 Water Break
06:00 Setting the Scene: Little Shop of Horrors
07:44 How Carnivorous Plants Eat
11:26 Can a Carnivorous Plant Survive on Human Blood?
12:46 Venus Fly Trap Etymology
15:50 How the Venus Fly Trap Grows
18:35 Audrey II’s Structure vs. Venus Fly Trap Structure
21:39 Taking Care of Audrey II vs. a Venus Fly Trap
32:24 Overwintering Your Venus Fly Trap
34:51 SPOILER WATER BREAK
35:20 Propagating a Venus Fly Trap vs. Audrey II
41:28 Ethical Purchasing of Venus Fly Traps
42:49 Buying Cool Cultivated Varieties
43:33 Can You Kill a Plant with Electrocution?
47:29 Conclusion and Contact Us
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It’s the versus episode they said couldn’t be done.
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This episode is for anyone who has ever daydreamed about starting a community garden and for anyone who needs the boost of a good-news gardening story.
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Dr. Dana Green, a.k.a. "The Eyepatch Biologist" is back for part two! This free-flying conversation just couldn't be contained to a single hour.We plunge straight in this week with an urgent question: how do bats relieve themselves without dribbling on their own heads? From there the facts come thick and fast: microchiroptera (our local insect-eating, echolocating bats) vs. megachiroptera (bigger fruit-eating bats from other climates that don't echolocate); the truth about bats' sense of sight; and the unexpected songs of silverhair bats. Dana shares how to attract bats to our properties without welcoming them into our homes, and we delve into the devastating consequences of pesticide use in the ecosystemâand how to report it when you witness someone applying pesticides illegally. Throughout the interview we also get some of Dana's opinions on the quality of bat representation in media, including Daredevil, Dungeons and Dragons, Batman and vampire books. The episode wraps up with a lightning round of facts, favourites, and myth bustingâand a promise to bring Dana back for even more ecological eloquence in the future!Learn More:Dana's website: https://www.danagreeneco.com/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theeyepatchbiologistInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/eyepatchbiologist/Comments? Feedback? Want your garden question to be featured in a future Q&A segment? Email us, reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon (http://patreon.com/PlantsAlwaysWinPodcast).Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com (https://bsky.app/profile/plantsalwayswin.com)TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast (https://www.tiktok.com/@plantsalwayswinpodcast) YouTube: @PlantsAlwaysWinPodcast (https://www.youtube.com/@PlantsAlwaysWinPodcast)Website: www.plantsalwayswin.com (http://www.plantsalwayswin.com/)Discord: https://discord.gg/K6wF9dY4Ja (https://discord.gg/K6wF9dY4Ja)Timestamps00:12 Introduction01:00 How do Bats Relieve Themselves?01:58 Flying Foxes, or Megachiroptera, a Subgroup of Bats
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Dr. Dana Green is a bat expert who is known online as The Eyepatch Biologist. As a science communicator, a pun connoisseur, and a woman who knows a good joke when it's staring her in the face, she says of herself, "What a wonderful bat advocate to go half blind."In Dana's interview with Sean, she tells us about her master's degree studying grasshopper mice (predatory, solitary, highly aggressive mice that howl) and her PhD in bat ecology, which she completed at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan. We learn about echolocation and other bat chatter, fact check Hank Green's viral video (Do we know where bats go in winter? Not entirely...) and learn about bat species in Canada. We assuage some fears about bats carrying disease, explore the challenges of tracking bat migration, exclaim over the mysteries of bat reproduction, and celebrate their benefits in the garden. The episode is as wide-ranging as these fascinating mammals are, but we spend time especially on the lives of hoary bats, pallid bats, New Zealand's flightless bats, and the Mexican free-tailed bat...or at least their smell! Craving even more bat facts? Then you're in luck! Part two of this interview will be posted next week. Learn MoreDana's website: https://www.danagreeneco.com/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theeyepatchbiologistInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/eyepatchbiologist/Scientists and CommunicatorsSean and Dana drop a lot of names in this conversation. Here are the experts they mention: * Hank Green, science communicator: https://hankgreen.com/ * Dr. Brock Fenton, bat researcher and mentor of bat researchers: https://letstalkscience.ca/careers/brock-fenton* Mark Brigham, Dana's supervisor at the University of Regina: https://www.uregina.ca/science/biology/directory/academic-staff-and-adjuncts/mark-brigham.html * Robert Barclay, bat researcher: https://profiles.ucalgary.ca/robert-barclay * Ted Weller, migratory hoary bat researcher: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Theodore-Weller * Sophiane, aka @honkifurhoary, science communicator: https://www.instagram.com/honkifurhoary/Comments? Feedback? Want your garden question to be featured in a future Q&A segment?Email us (mailto:[email protected]), reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon (http://patreon.com/PlantsAlwaysWinPodcast).Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com (https://bsky.app/profile/plantsalwayswin.com)TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast (https://www.tiktok.com/@plantsalwayswinpodcast)YouTube: @PlantsAlwaysWinPodcast (https://www.youtube.com/@PlantsAlwaysWinPodcast)Website: www.plantsalwayswin.com (http://www.plantsalwayswin.com/)Discord:
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Our gardens are winding down for the season, but our audience is putting on a growth spurt! This crop of new listeners has seeded our Q&A inbox with a flush of questions, which we love to see. And while we’d normally answer these at the end of our versus episodes, we currently have a backlog of recorded episodes and we don’t want folks to have to wait for answers. That means it’s time for another Q&A special!We start with questions inspired by Sean’s recent video about an apple tree sold with its graft and root flare buried well below soil level. If you want to understand how fruit trees are grafted and sold, how to plant them successfully, and what to expect from them as they grow, keep your ears peeled for this conversation.Next, we move on to plants that listeners are hoping to get rid of, touching briefly on bindweed (covered more thoroughly in episode 31) before digging into horsetail, that pervasive prehistoric plant. The question was “How do I get rid of it?” and we do address that—but you’ll find some options you might not have expected in our answers.Finally, we chat about an anecdote that was shared with us: “This year I learned that cosmos don’t like fertilizer.” It’s true that feeding nitrogen to flowering plants will push them to produce more greenery than blooms. But we’re here to offer some education on what you can do to give them a boost.Comments? Feedback? Want your garden question to be featured in a future Q&A segment? Email us (mailto:[email protected]), reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon (http://patreon.com/PlantsAlwaysWinPodcast). Discord: https://discord.gg/K6wF9dY4Ja (https://discord.gg/K6wF9dY4Ja) Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com (https://bsky.app/profile/plantsalwayswin.com) TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast (https://www.tiktok.com/@plantsalwayswinpodcast) YouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcast (https://www.youtube.com/@PlantsAlwaysWinPodcast)Website: www.plantsalwayswin.com (http://www.plantsalwayswin.com)
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Do you make compost at home? Do you delight in the experience? If your answer to either of those questions is no, this week’s guest is here to help.Delaina Arnold is the community programs manager with the Georgian Bay Mnidoo Gamii Biosphere, a UNESCO-designated “ecologically significant” landscape where people are striving to live in balance with nature. As part of that striving, the Biosphere launched a pilot project in 2025 to help people learn about home composting, to get started doing it themselves, and to troubleshoot any problems. Now we get to benefit from all that education, as Delaina answers Erin’s questions on the subject.We begin with the big question: why bother rotting our kitchen scraps at all? Then it’s on to busting common myths before entering a crash course on home composting: where to place your bin, what type to make or buy, and how not to hate the container you use for collecting scraps. We troubleshoot common problems like wildlife, smell, and slow decomposition, then get into a tangent on the truth about using urine in your compost. Of course we also cover how to decompose your garden trimmings safely and what to do with manure. Ready to make some black gold with us? Then dive in to the interview.Learn More“Do the Rot Thing” webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74UODcc3IZE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74UODcc3IZE)All the Biosphere’s short, downloadable gardening guides, including “Composting 101”: https://georgianbaybiosphere.com/gardens/ (https://georgianbaybiosphere.com/gardens/)The Biosphere’s community calendar: https://georgianbaybiosphere.com/events/ (https://georgianbaybiosphere.com/events/) The Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve website: https://georgianbaybiosphere.com/ (https://georgianbaybiosphere.com/)CitationsUrine and Soil StudyRumeau, M., Pistocchi, C., Ait-Mouheb, N., Marsden, C., & Brunel, B. (2024). Unveiling the impact of human urine fertilization on soil bacterial communities: A path toward sustainable fertilization. Applied Soil Ecology, 201, 105471. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105471Follow the Biosphere On Social MediaOn Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gbtownship/ (https://www.facebook.com/gbtownship/) On YouTube: https://www.youtube.
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“I am very enthusiastic about [gardening]. I don't know if I'm that great at it. I'm not very knowledgeable. I can't really answer any of your garden questions, but I love getting my hands dirty.”Gardening is for everyone! We’ve interviewed plenty of experts on Plants Always Win who’ve mastered everything from groundcovers to home hydroponics, but every so often we like to bring you a less experienced guest who is already skilled in one crucial area: gardening with joyful abandon.In their day job, Chris Paul Rainbows is a speaker and strategist who helps organizations create spaces where everyone belongs. In their own space at home, Chris has tapped into the joy that 80s and 90s children’s television once brought them, designing whimsical gardens inspired by Polkadot Door, Mr. Dressup, Sesame Street, and more. They take us back to the urban-farm inspiration that led them to buy their current home, and the transformation it has undergone with chickens, rabbits, and a surprise pumpkin patch that led to some heartwarming community building. Community, gardening, and cultivating joy are inextricable subjects for Chris, who is an activist for queer and trans visibility. We talk hostas, native plants, managing invasive bindweed, and Chris’ upcoming debut book for 2026, Guinea Pigs Don’t Wear Pants. Now come on into the pumpkin patch through the Polkadot Door and remind yourself just how FUN gardening can be. Find Chris Paul Rainbows Onlineat their website, where you can also find information about Chris’ upcoming picture book, Guinea Pigs Don’t Wear Pants: https://www.chrispaulrainbows.com/ (https://www.chrispaulrainbows.com/) on TikTok: tiktok.com/@chrispaulrainbows (http://tiktok.com/@chrispaulrainbows)on Instagram: instagram.com/chrispaulrainbows/ (http://instagram.com/chrispaulrainbows/)on YouTube: youtube.com/@chrispaulrainbows (http://youtube.com/@chrispaulrainbows) on Facebook: facebook.
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Are you finding yourself thirsty for a little soda pop this summer? How about for some botanical knowledge about soda pop’s history?In this plant face-off episode, Erin and Sean put some fizz into the competition with the plants behind two iconic flavours: the cola nut that gives cola its kick, and the sassafras that puts the root in root beer. Or, at least, the plants that did serve those roles before the advent of artificial flavouring. Erin takes the first swig with a dramatic overview of the North American Sassafras albidum, an aromatic tree with a long history of use for medicine, food, furniture, and one nautical beverage that almost saw it hunted to extinction. She peers into the muddy waters surrounding its first use in root beer and, later, its controversial ban by the FDA, speculates about Choctaw influence on its use in gumbo, and delights over the Kanien’kéha (Mohawk) name, wenhákeras, meaning “smelly thing.” Sean takes his kick at the can with the cola nut, the key ingredient behind the flavour and caffeine of cola beverages. He discusses the flavourful Malvaceae family tree of the West African cola tree (also spelled kola) (Cola nitida and Cola acuminata) and its surprising identity as a broad-leaf evergreen before serving up some knowledge about the fruit’s growing habits and its cultural history as a stimulant and a beverage ingredient. After some medical meanderings and a look at modern-day distribution, we wrap up Coca-Cola origins and its present-day ingredients.Who had the most interesting facts to share today? Vote for your favourite by tagging us on social media and using the hashtag #PAWFaceOff. Comments? Feedback? Want your garden question to be featured in a future Q&A segment? Email us (mailto:[email protected]), reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon (http://patreon.com/PlantsAlwaysWinPodcast). Discord: https://discord.gg/K6wF9dY4Ja (https://discord.gg/K6wF9dY4Ja) Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com (https://bsky.app/profile/plantsalwayswin.com)
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This week we’re celebrating the difference that can be made when a regional government supports its people and businesses in taking climate action. Get inspired by impactful local initiati...
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This week we talk about the activism embedded in native plant gardening and the creation of pollinator habitat with Lorraine Johnson.Lorraine styles herself as a “cultivation activist”. It’s a term she came up with to describe the common purpose at the intersection of everything she does, from writing books to giving talks to supporting the fight against harmful grass and weed bylaws. This episode is for anyone who:* feels guilt or overwhelm when they think about gardening, native plants, and invasive species* feels anger or frustration about garden centres promoting invasive plants* needs tools and resources to fight bylaws that make it hard to grow ecologically responsible gardens (even in cities that have signed pollinator pledges and are investing in flood protection!)* wants to feel re-energized about the value of gardening as activismYou can find Lorraine online at https://lorrainejohnson.ca (https://lorrainejohnson.ca/), where she shares her bibliography, her presentation topics, a blog with lots of updates on native-plant advocacy, and a (sometimes up-to-date) list of upcoming events where she’ll be presenting. Here are the resources Lorraine shared for bylaw advocacy:Network of Nature’s interactive map for finding a native plant nursery near you: https://networkofnature.org/where-to-buy.htm/ (https://networkofnature.org/where-to-buy.htm/) Ecological Design Lab’s Bylaws for Biodiversity toolkit for municipalities: https://ecologicaldesignlab.ca/site/uploads/2024/07/EDL_Bylaws-Biodiversity_ToolkitforMunicipalities.pdf (https://ecologicaldesignlab.ca/site/uploads/2024/07/EDL_Bylaws-Biodiversity_ToolkitforMunicipalities.pdf)The David Suzuki Foundation Action Alert Bylaw toolhttps://davidsuzuki.org/action/bylaws-for-biodiversity/ (https://davidsuzuki.org/action/bylaws-for-biodiversity/) The 1000 Islands Master Gardeners’ post about the Kingston, Ontario bylaw reform on which they collaborated: https://1000islandsmastergardeners.ca/2024/07/29/prohibited-plants-in-kingstons-new-bylaw/ (https://1000islandsmastergardeners.ca/2024/07/29/prohibited-plants-in-kingstons-new-bylaw/)A news story about Kyla Moore’s advocacy on Thunder Bay, Ontario’s bylaw change: https://www.tbnewswatch.
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