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. We care about ecologically sound gardening, strong human communities, and up-to-date science.
When a city dweller with no gardening experience gets pulled into leadership for a communal permaculture project, he starts using all his spare time to grow food and grow community in Toronto’s east end. This is Patrick Tohill co-founder of Garden@Kimbourne Community Permaculture Project.
Sean talks with Jesse Thorn about how gardening in LA compares to gardening in Ontario; about produce exchange and community food distribution organizations; and about access to green space, including majestic sequoia trees. The two of them even step into the roles of internet judge and expert witness to settle an age-old question: is a palm tree really a tree?
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 grapes—yes, 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 Garden Last year’s cuttings Swenson Red The Swenson Red grape, pruned The IKEA trellis The peas are sprouting! Erin’s vegetable garden The air layering device 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 Credits Website 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 Timestamps 00:41 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. That’s the public safety administrative authority that makes sure your gardening project doesn’t end in a damaged gas line or ruptured water main. You’ll find Call Before You Dig services across Canada and the United States (search “One Call” for your province or “811” for your state), but Ontario is the one place where that call—or that click—is required by law. If you’re breaking ground, even by an inch or two, even out in the country, it’s your responsibility to submit a locate request to make sure you won’t 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. Don’t be one of those statistics! Listen now and get the dirt on digging safety. Connect with Ontario One Call Colour Codes: https://ontarioonecall.ca/#colours 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/ 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 Credits Website 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 Timestamps 00:15 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
For some of us, happiness is a hydrangea in full, glorious bloom. And if you’re 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 . She’s also a well-known gardening radio host and podcaster, appearing over the years as a contributor on NPR’s 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 that’s “more Instagram and less coffee table book.” 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.com Facebook: @CLTheGardenLady Instagram: @CLTheGardenLady Mentioned in This Episode Hydrangea 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 Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast YouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcast Website: www.plantsalwayswin.com Credits Website 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 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, and—sigh—banana 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. Today’s 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 Vikram’s information–packed children’s book, Plants to the Rescue: The Plants, Trees, and Fungi that are Solving Some of the World’s Biggest Problems. Have a listen; class is in session! Find Vikram Online at: The Planthropology Podcast Deep Roots Podcast Texas Tech Davis College of Ag Natural Resources website YouTube Bluesky Instagram Facebook X Vikram’s Book: Plants to the Rescue , published by Neon Squid Books Timestamps 00:14 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 “true lavender,” and Lavandula X Intermedia , a hybrid you may see marketed as “lavandin.” One is good to eat, and the other is great for toiletries. How do you know which is which? Erin has the intel. Just don’t ask her to talk about French lavender. You might be in for a plant rant. You’re 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 it’s good for. We wrap up with a busted myth: what does lavender have to do with King Tut? It’s 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 Calendar It’s 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.com Credits Website 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 Citations Rosemary Plant Profile Rosmarinus officinalis L. (n.d.). USDA Plants Database. https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ROOF Rosemary . (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 Alzheimer’s. The Conversation . https://doi.org/10.64628/ab.fu4jyy3mx Banerjee, 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 Alzheimer’s 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/s40101-015-0082-2 Etymology of lavender Lavender – Etymology, Origin & Meaning . (n.d.). Etymonline. https://www.etymonline.com/word/lavender Growing 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-growers What 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/dgkh000550 Medicinal 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#dosing Lavender: 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 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/ Timestamps 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, we’d like to help you prepare for a disaster-free garden. To do that, we’re sharing a few key landscape design principles…along 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. We’re talking about hardscaping installed in the wrong spot, poorly selected plants, ever-spreading invasive species…The 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 do…and 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 designer’s 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 Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast YouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcast Website: www.plantsalwayswin.com Credits Website 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 Timestamps 00:15 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 you’re looking to build a relationship with the land that feeds you, you can start by embracing the wisdom of the Internet’s 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, she’s more likely to be collecting mushrooms and plants for cooking and preservation. She’s known online as a mycologist and foraging educator, and—more recently—as the author of the book Gathered: On Foraging, Feasting, and the Seasonal Life – 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 Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast YouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcast Website: www.plantsalwayswin.com Citations Can 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 Credits Website 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 Timestamps 00:14 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 doesn’t need to come at the Earth’s 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 humans’ need to tear up nature in order to feed ourselves. When she discovered that acorns are edible—that they had, in fact, once been a central pillar of an abundant North American food system—she 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 peoples’ 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 knows—maybe acorns will change your life, too. Find Elspeth Hay Online Website: https://elspethhay.com/ 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=65 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 Credits Website 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 Timestamps 00:14 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.com Credits Website 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 Citations Bryophytes and Tracheophytes? Categories of Plants With and Without Roots Plant diversity . (n.d.). NatureWorks. https://nhpbs.org/natureworks/nwep14b.htm The 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_Arrangement Making Paper from Plants at Home Quillen, K. (2023, October 3). How to make paper from plants – Mother Earth news. Mother Earth News – 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 Timestamps 00:13 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 people’s loves for venus flytraps, spooky season, and movie musicals collide. Yes, we’re doing nerdy Halloween horticulture by analyzing the representation of carnivorous plants in the classic musical Little Shop of Horrors— specifically the 1986 movie version. If you haven’t seen the show, don’t worry; we set the stage for you and save any late-story spoilers for the very end. For the most part, we’re interested in one question: based on our knowledge of real-world carnivorous plants, how reasonable were Seymore’s guesses when he first tried to care for Audrey II? This requires, of course, an exploration of Venus flytraps’ 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 I’ll 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 Credits Website 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 Citations Little 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 flytrap’s 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/ Timestamps 00:39 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
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.
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 ecosystem—and 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 busting—and 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
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:plantsalwaysinpodcast@gmail.com), 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:
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:plantsalwaysinpodcast@gmail.com), 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)
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.
“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.
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:plantsalwaysinpodcast@gmail.com), 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)
