Down The Garden Path Podcast

In this mid-summer tips episode, Joanne answers some commonly asked questions about managing your lawn and garden.
Some of the topics covered:
Practical mid-season planting advice:
You can still plant trees, shrubs, and perennials in July, provided they are watered consistently. When purchasing discounted plants, check the roots rather than judging them by their above-soil appearance.
Managing common summer garden problems:
 Learn more about Japanese beetles and crabgrass, including how to properly position beetle traps, interrupt the beetles' life cycle, remove crabgrass before it sets seed, and avoid spreading weed seeds while mowing.
Choosing native plants thoughtfully: Add native plants gradually and intentionally rather than removing healthy, established non-native plants. Choose the right plant for the right location while considering pollinator value, growing conditions, and how aggressively a plant may spread.
Have a topic you'd like Joanne to discuss?
Email your questions and comments to downthegardenpathpodcast@hotmail.com, 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.

Wondering what to do in your garden in July? This week on the podcast, Joanne reviews the essential July garden tasks every gardener should know, including deadheading, weeding, pest control, smart watering, and summer lawn and vegetable care.
Some of the topics covered in this week's episode:
July garden maintenance: The cooler spring, heavy rain, and sudden heat have left many gardens behind schedule, with some plants blooming weeks later than usual. Gardens will catch up, so focus on practical July tasks like deadheading, cutting back perennials, and staying on top of weeds.
Managing perennials, shrubs, evergreens, and pests wisely:
Do you know what to prune, what not to prune, and when to act? Joanne explains deadheading for second blooms, the Chelsea chop for tall/floppy perennials, careful handling of spring-blooming shrubs, and pest control tips for box tree moth and Japanese beetles.
Watering, lawn care, and easy edible gardening in July: Fast, heavy rain does not always soak into the soil, so gardeners still need to check moisture levels, especially around new or expensive plantings. Let lawns grow longer in hot weather, and if you want to try growing vegetables, Joanne suggests easy vegetables like lettuce, cherry tomatoes, hot peppers, and potatoes.
Have a topic you'd like Joanne to discuss?
Email your questions and comments to downthegardenpathpodcast@hotmail.com, 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.

Peony season may be over, but there's still plenty to learn about these garden favourites. In this episode, Joanne explores the different types of peonies and explains what makes each one unique. She also shares practical tips for planting, supporting, deadheading, and caring for your peonies so they return beautifully year after year.
Some of the topics covered in this week's episode:
The three types of peonies: Learn the differences between herbaceous peonies, tree peonies, and Itoh/intersectional peonies, including how they grow, bloom, and how deeply each type should be planted. 
Planting, moving, and caring for peonies: Discover the best practices for proper planting depth, fall transplanting, careful handling of the roots, watering deeply, and avoiding burying the crown with soil or mulch.
Post-bloom peony care and support: Joanne explains what to do after peonies finish blooming, including deadheading, choosing proper supports for herbaceous peonies, and helping the plant put energy back into its roots for next year.
Have a topic you'd like Joanne to discuss?
Email your questions and comments to downthegardenpathpodcast@hotmail.com, 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.

Do you have a lilac bush in your garden? If you've ever wondered when or how to prune it, don't miss this week's episode. Joanne shares timely tips for caring for your lilacs and explains why now is the perfect time to prune.
Some of the topics covered in this week's episode:
The importance of pruning lilacs right after they bloom
Lilacs bloom on old wood, so timing matters. The best time to deadhead or prune is immediately after flowering, usually in June, before the plant puts energy into seed production or begins setting next year's blooms. 
How to rejuvenate older, woody lilacs
Two approaches: a drastic cutback of very old, unproductive lilacs, or a slower three-year rejuvenation plan in which the oldest stems are gradually removed. Remember to use sharp pruners, not hedge trimmers, and be intentional about which branches are removed. 
Understanding different lilac varieties and their care needs
Joanne compares common/French lilacs with newer repeat-blooming varieties like Bloomerang, as well as dwarf types like Miss Kim. Even repeat bloomers benefit from deadheading after the first flush so they can produce more flowers later in the season.
Have a topic you'd like Joanne to discuss?
Email your questions and comments to downthegardenpathpodcast@hotmail.com, 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.

In this episode of Down the Garden Path, we revisit last spring's conversation with Ernest Williams from Aquascape about how pondless water features can bring the beauty, movement, and soothing sound of water into your yard.
Here are some of the topics discussed in this episode:
Pondless water features offer beauty with less maintenance: Pondless waterfalls, fountainscapes, spillway bowls, bubbling rocks, urns, basalt columns, and disappearing streams allow homeowners to enjoy the sound and movement of water without the maintenance and safety concerns of a traditional pond.
Water features can transform the feel of a yard: Water adds calm, sound, movement, and atmosphere to outdoor spaces. Use water features to create a backyard oasis, improve curb appeal, attract birds and wildlife, soften traffic or neighbour noise, and make your home feel more like a cottage retreat.
Water features can also solve practical landscape problems: Pondless features, aqua basins, aqua blocks, and rainwater collection systems can help manage runoff, wet areas, downspout water, drainage challenges, and stormwater concerns.
To learn more about pondless water features and everything Aquascape offers, visit them at www.aquascapeinc.com and view their videos on YouTube.
Have a topic you'd like Joanne to discuss?
Email your questions and comments to downthegardenpathpodcast@hotmail.com, 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.