Show Notes
This week, Joanne welcomes master gardener Ingrid Janssen to the podcast to discuss the inspiring work being done by Little Forests Durham, a nonprofit organization focused on planting Miyawaki mini forests throughout Durham Region. About Little Forests Durham Little Forests Durham is a volunteer-run community non-profit organization based in Durham Region, Ontario, Canada, focused on giving tools, knowledge, and support to people, communities, organizations and local authorities to plant Little Forests in their neighbourhoods and communities. Topics Covered Ingrid's background as a Durham Master Gardener, seed collector, and advocate for native trees How Little Forests Durham was founded in 2024 and inspired by Little Forests Kingston What a Miyawaki mini forest is and how the method aims to compress forest succession into 20-30 years Why these forests are planted using dense layers of native trees and shrubs to mimic a natural forest community The importance of soil preparation, including cardboard, compost, and mulch to suppress weeds and build fungal-rich soil How sites are chosen through collaboration with municipal staff, parks departments, and local partners Why publicly accessible land is a priority for Little Forests Durham projects The logistics behind site prep, including access for trucks, compost delivery, mulch spreading, and volunteer coordination How volunteers help with planting days, often in large numbers, making it possible to plant hundreds of trees and shrubs in a short time Why planting design still matters, even in a more naturalized system, with careful placement of canopy trees, understory trees, and shrubs The realities of maintenance, including weeding, invasive species removal, tree protection, fencing, and monitoring for drought How mini forests help address climate change by increasing biodiversity, cooling urban spaces, and creating habitat for wildlife The role of partnerships with organizations such as Rotary Clubs, conservation authorities, Green Communities Canada, Greenbelt Foundation, and Trees for Life The group's ambitious goal of planting 30 mini forests by 2030 in Durham Region How listeners can support the effort through volunteering, joining the team, donating, or helping bring projects to their own communities The idea that homeowners can create smaller-scale versions in their own yards, known as pocket forests Ingrid's love of native trees, with a special mention of her flowering dogwood, grown from seed she collected herself Takeaways and Tips Mini forests do not require huge spaces. Even a small corner of a park or a backyard can support a meaningful planting. Native trees and shrubs matter. They support biodiversity, wildlife, and long-term ecological health. The Miyawaki method is about community. It brings together people, plants, fungi, wildlife, and local organizations in one shared effort. Good site access is essential. Successful projects need room for compost, mulch, tools, and tree delivery. Volunteer-friendly planning makes all the difference. Clear layouts and simple planting instructions help create a positive experience. Soil prep is key. Cardboard, compost, and mulch help suppress weeds and create better conditions for young trees to thrive. Maintenance matters. The first few years require protection from rabbits, trampling, invasive weeds, and possible drought. Climate action can be local. You don't have to wait for large systems to change. Communities can begin by planting trees where they live. Small efforts add up. Whether it is joining a planting day, donating materials, or creating a pocket forest at home, every action helps. You can find Little Forests Durham online at www.littleforestsdurham.ca and on Instagram, and Facebook. Have a topic you'd like Joanne to discuss? Email your questions and comments to [email protected], or connect with Joanne on her website: down2earth.ca Find Down the Garden Path on In
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Is your garden soil giving your plants everything they need to thrive? Last November, Joanne welcomed Amy Ellard-Gray to the podcast to explore why soil testing is one of the smartest steps you can take toward a healthier garden. Discover how understanding your soil can help you solve plant problems, avoid costly mistakes and take the guesswork out of gardening. About Amy Amy runs The Hobby Homestead in suburban Guelph, where she cultivates over 100 varieties of native plants to support the local ecosystem. Through her YouTube channel, Instagram, website, and in-person consultations, she helps people design and troubleshoot their own food-growing spaces. Her mantra, "growing food in harmony with nature," guides everything she does, from tending soil life to welcoming wildlife into the garden. Topics discussed in this episode: Understanding Your Soil: Why Testing Matters: Amy and Joanne discuss why healthy gardens start with healthy soil and explore the benefits of professional soil testing. Building Healthy Soil for Better Gardening Results: From choosing quality triple mix to using compost, mulch and organic matter, Joanne and Amy share practical ways to improve soil health. They also discuss raised beds, container gardening, crop rotation and how working with nature can create healthier, more productive gardens with less maintenance. Growing More Food in Small Spaces: Amy explains how thoughtful planning, good soil and sustainable gardening practices can help homeowners grow more food, even in smaller yards, raised beds and containers. Find The Hobby Homestead at www.thehobbyhomestead.com and on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Resources Mentioned in the Show: Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden Have a topic you'd like Joanne to discuss? Email your questions and comments to [email protected], or connect with Joanne on her website: down2earth.ca Find Down the Garden Path on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube: @downthegardenpathpodcast. Down the Garden Path Podcast On Down the Garden Path, professional landscape designer Joanne Shaw discusses down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes. As owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has designed beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. She does her best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low-maintenance as possible. In Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and fellow landscape designer Matthew Dressing distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. Get your copy today on Amazon. Don't forget to check out Down the Garden Path on your favourite podcast app and subscribe! You can now catch the podcast on YouTube.
Have you ever wished you could save your favourite annuals instead of replacing them every spring? In this episode of Down the Garden Path, Joanne Shaw shares three ways to save your annuals, from bringing entire plants indoors to growing new plants from cuttings and storing dormant tubers. Learn which methods work best for popular plants like coleus, geraniums, begonias and million bells, along with practical tips for keeping them healthy through the winter. It's a great way to stretch your gardening budget and give some of your favourite plants a second season. Topics discussed: How to Save Your Annuals Over the Winter Many annuals can survive the winter indoors and grow again next spring. Joanne explains how to bring plants inside, prepare them for dormancy and care for them through the colder months. Three Methods for Overwintering Annuals Learn how to save annuals by keeping the whole plant indoors, propagating new plants from cuttings or storing dormant tubers and bulbs. Discover which methods work best for plants such as coleus, geraniums, begonias, million bells and cigar plants. Save Money and Grow More Plants Next Spring Overwintering annuals can help reduce gardening costs while giving you more plants to enjoy or share. Get practical tips for managing light, watering, humidity and temperature. Resources Mentioned in the Show: Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden h3>Have a topic you'd like Joanne to discuss? Email your questions and comments to [email protected], or connect with Joanne on her website: down2earth.ca Find Down the Garden Path on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube: @downthegardenpathpodcast. Down the Garden Path Podcast On Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designer Joanne Shaw discusses down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes. As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. She does her best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low-maintenance as possible. In Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and fellow landscape designer Matthew Dressing distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. Get your copy today on Amazon. Don't forget to check out Down the Garden Path on your favourite podcast app and subscribe! You can now catch the podcast on YouTube.
Is October really the time to cut everything back and put the garden to bed? Not necessarily. In this episode, we've gathered some of Joanne's best tips for October in the garden. She shares why October can actually be one of the easiest months, with just a few simple tasks to focus on and plenty you can leave alone. Here are some of the topics discussed in this episode: Do less this fall: There's no need for a major fall cleanup. Most perennials can be left standing, leaf litter can remain, and spent plant material provides a winter habitat for beneficial insects. Prepare for next year: October is a good time to assess the garden, take photos, identify gaps, water newly planted trees and shrubs deeply, mulch fallen leaves into the lawn, and plant garlic. Bulbs and lawn care: Discover why you should buy spring bulbs now but wait until late October or November to plant them. Learn more about fall lawn care, including reseeding, leaving grass taller, fertilizing and dealing with weeds. Have a topic you'd like Joanne to discuss? Email your questions and comments to [email protected], or connect via her website at down2earth.ca. Are you a landscape or gardening expert? We'd love to have you on the show! Click here to learn more. Find Down the Garden Path on Instagram, Facebook, and Have a topic you'd like Joanne to discuss? Email your questions and comments to [email protected], or connect with Joanne on her website: down2earth.ca Find Down the Garden Path on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube: @downthegardenpathpodcast. Down the Garden Path Podcast On Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designer Joanne Shaw discusses down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes. As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. She does her best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low-maintenance as possible. In Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and fellow landscape designer Matthew Dressing distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. Get your copy today on Amazon. Don't forget to check out Down the Garden Path on your favourite podcast app and subscribe! You can now catch the podcast on YouTube.
Not sure what to do with your roses this fall? This week on Down the Garden Path, Joanne is joined by master gardener and author Cauleen Viscoff to talk about making rose care a little less intimidating. They cover fall rose care, winter preparation, planting and moving roses, climbing roses, common pests and, of course, pruning. Cauleen also shares the story behind her upcoming book, Pruning Roses: From Mystery to Mastery, and why understanding how a rose grows is the key to knowing how to prune it. Here are some of the topics discussed in this episode: Fall Rose Care and Winter Preparation: Why fall is not the time for major pruning, how mulch can help, when winter protection is actually necessary, and why choosing hardy roses suited to your zone makes a big difference. Choosing, Planting and Growing Roses Successfully: Learn more about hardy shrub roses, carpet roses, hybrid teas and climbing roses, including companion planting, moving roses in fall, proper watering and how to train climbing roses for better flowering. Taking the Mystery Out of Rose Pruning: Cauleen explains how learning the different growth habits of roses makes pruning much easier and shares how her own sketches became the foundation for her upcoming book and pruning reference cards. To learn more about Cauleen and her upcoming book, visit lush-gardens.com. Have a topic you'd like Joanne to discuss? Email your questions and comments to [email protected], or connect with Joanne on her website: down2earth.ca Find Down the Garden Path on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube: @downthegardenpathpodcast. Down the Garden Path Podcast On Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designer Joanne Shaw discusses down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes. As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. She does her best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low-maintenance as possible. In Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and fellow landscape designer Matthew Dressing distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. Get your copy today on Amazon. Don't forget to check out Down the Garden Path on your favourite podcast app and subscribe! You can now catch the podcast on YouTube.
Have you considered adding native ornamental grasses to your garden? They're often overlooked but add colour, texture, and movement while providing food and shelter for birds and other wildlife. This week on the podcast, Joanne takes a closer look at a few standout varieties that can bring interest to the garden well beyond the summer months. Some of the topics covered in this week's episode: Why Native Ornamental Grasses Belong in the Garden How native grasses add structure, movement and seasonal interest while also providing food and shelter for birds and other wildlife. Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem and Their Cultivars Joanne compares these native grasses and highlights varieties such as Standing Ovation, Blackhawks and Red October, including their size, colour and growth habits. Getting More Seasonal Value from Ornamental Grasses Leave grasses standing through fall and winter for visual interest, wildlife benefits, and stronger garden structure. Have a topic you'd like Joanne to discuss? Email your questions and comments to [email protected], or connect with Joanne on her website: down2earth.ca Find Down the Garden Path on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube: @downthegardenpathpodcast. Down the Garden Path Podcast On Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designer Joanne Shaw discusses down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes. As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. She does her best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low-maintenance as possible. In Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and fellow landscape designer Matthew Dressing distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. Get your copy today on Amazon. Don't forget to check out Down the Garden Path on your favourite podcast app and subscribe! You can now catch the podcast on YouTube.