The Garden Shift

The RHS is the UK's leading gardening charity- founded in 1804. In this episode we are joined by Leigh Hunt. Leigh is the Principal Horticultural Advisor at Wisley Garden where he works with over 150 scientists to help deliver gardening advice to their members. We talk about Bringing Nature Home Initiative (2026), Jennifer Owens' 30 year bug study, resilience in plants, primroses, slugs, hedgehogs and more.RHS Bringing Nature HomeJennifer Owens Garden StudyKen Thomson, Ecologist

Learn about agroecology and growing seed crops with my guest, seed farmer and author Dan Brisebois. We talk about 'First Seed Mindset' and building a relationship with a plant. What species make a good seed crop, will there be cross pollination, what's a F1 seed, don't be afraid of Brassicas, and lots of vegetable tips will be shared.Ferme Tourne-Sol Co-OpThe Seed Farmer, New Society Publisher, 2025Planting Guides

Junaid is an ecologist who knows nature can heal. His journey starts in Pakistan where nature was always somewhere else. Moving to Canada and now living in Peterborough he sought out a connection to the land through both traditional indigenous learning and alliances with community groups and organizations. Junaid reflects "I see my work is to weave together people's understanding of what it is to be part of nature so we can heal ourselves and each other"https://www.truecology.ca/The National ObserverLet Junaid Shahzad Khan Help you Work on Your Relationship With the Landhttps://www.nationalobserver.com/2021/11/08/news/let-junaid-shahzad-khan-help-you-work-your-relationship-landColla Conservation Science Labhttps://www.savethebumblebees.ca/https://www.creatorsgardenmarket.ca/https://outdoorlearning.com/product/anishinaabe-bird-names/

Would you like to collaborate with a team of volunteers while enjoying some nature therapy? Toronto Nature Stewards may be the organization for you. Pat Concessi is a caring citizen and she wants you to get to know the ravines. Learn why some plants are harmful in the ravine ecosystem and need to be removed, what species may appear in your garden and how to identify , remove and dispose them.https://torontonaturestewards.org/Garlic Mustardhttps://www.ontario.ca/page/garlic-mustardOntario Invasive Plant Councilhttps://www.ontarioinvasiveplants.ca/Grow Me Instead https://www.ontarioinvasiveplants.ca/resources/grow-me-instead/

Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP) Canada is a registered Canadian charity widely recognized as the pre-eminent authority on the bird-building collision issue. Millions of birds die every year from collisions with windows.What can we do to safeguard birds in our yards. Michael discusses option for our windows and placement of our bird feeders.https://flap.org/Global Bird Collision Mapperhttps://www.birdmapper.org/

Joanna Dyer is teaching her young family to love bees and bugs, removing invasive plants, experimenting with garden techniques like dead hedges and seed snails and growing new species at every opportunity. Her Shift is happening at a racing pace in her garden in Hamilton, Ontario.Follow Joanna on Instagram: the_native_gardening_noviceOrder Wild Ginger -Ontario Native Plant:https://onplants.ca/shop/asarum-canadense/Remove Periwinkle:https://www.ontarioinvasiveplants.ca/invasive-plants/species/periwinkle/

Victoria Badham joins today from the Toronto Wildlife Centre. Thousands of calls are handled on the hotline in the busy part of the year. Rescues, medical care , rehabilitation and education are all components of this charity's mission. Victoria answers questions and dispels myths around the wildlife that show up in our urban gardens. What to do and what not to do. Building a healthy community for people and animals in Toronto.https://www.torontowildlifecentre.com/

Dr Elaine Wiersma research at Lakehead University highlights the special opportunity that gardeners have to make positive change as stewards, conservationists, guerilla gardeners, advocates, learners and teachers. We discuss her new project - Whispers From the North, a nursery she opened in 2021 in Pass Lake Ontario. Special species like Early Figwort, Northern Sweetgrass and Poverty Oat Grass are discussed.https://www.whispersfromthenorth.ca/Matrix Gardening:https://wildones.org/matrix-landscape-design-with-benjamin-vogt/

Social Media sensation Grant Minkhorst is hooked on gardening. He wants you to jump in and make mistakes. A clever and often hilarious communicator , we talk the joy of flowers, starting from seed , and pest management . gardeninggrant.comNews- How To Start Your Garden for the Seasonhttps://globalnews.ca/video/11200929/how-to-start-your-garden-for-the-seasonGrant recommends:https://www.ted.com/talks/rebecca_mcmackin_let_your_garden_grow_wild

Sean James is an ecological landscape expert. With his extensive horticultural knowledge he creates gardens that are public pleasing. Bold features, drifts of plants and seasonal vignettes make up his designs. This episode is jam packed with plant choices that can bring both birds and bees to your garden. Some plants of note are Bladdernut , Black Cherry, Silky Dogwood and Arrowleaf Aster. Noteshttps://www.seanjames-consulting.ca/Sean James YouTubehttps://youtu.be/1K8x-vUkoMI?si=Z53QzXPjhZ25yhVOhttps://landscapeontario.com/about/

In this episode you will meet community builder & Toronto Master Gardener Jen Morley. Jen cares about the natural world and does her part right in her neighbourhood in downtown Toronto. She entered the Master Gardener training program in 2023 and has fast become a rising star.  A skilled writer, editor and communicator with a knack for making connections and bringing people together. Listen in as we talk about her ongoing leadership role in the Girl Guides, a successful grant application for PollinateTo funding, and her ongoing studies that are assisting her on The Shift. Enjoy.Notes & LinkPollinateTOhttps://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/water-environment/environmental-grants-incentives/pollinateto-community-grants/Girl Guides Videohttps://youtu.be/yeXP4v891nQ?si=i16UJomAb74N2iij

In today's episode you will hear from Andrea D'Silva the owner of Swallowtail Native Plants an online specialized seed company.Why is growing plants from local seed important and what seeds are easy to try if you are new to growing native plants from seeds.Winter is the time to buy seeds and Andrea gives great tips on how to have success with germination. Blue Flag Iris , Wild Basil and Prairie Smoke are a few special species we discuss. www.swallowtailnativeplants.caAndrea's Native Plant Easy to Start List

In this episode we continue on the theme of naturalized gardens and out dated by-laws that penalize gardeners who want to do their part for nature. The City of Burlington is taking ecologist Karen Barnes to court over her naturalized garden, that was deliberately planted, maintained, free of noxious weeds and not obstructing any sidewalk or sightline. It's been a battle that has seen her front and back garden mowed down by the City.Listen in to Karen joined by her daughter Julia as they detail the case based on constitutional grounds and their aim to set a strong precedent in support of Canadians’ rights to freedom of expression through gardening.https://www.nationalobserver.com/2025/08/29/news/ontario-naturalized-garden-charter-challengeDonate https://smallchangefund.ca/campaign/protecting-naturalized-gardens/

Douglas Counter goes to court in Counter v City of Toronto (2002) to express his pro-environmental views of how to manage a garden on privately maintained public property. Listen to a passionate gardener who fought and won this case for all Canadian gardeners. Recorded in Nov.2025Contact Douglas: [email protected] Spacing Toronto |  https://spacing.ca/toronto/2024/08/21/from-drainage-ditch-to-vibrant-pollution-absorbing-habitat/Fireflies- -Ontario Nature https://ontarionature.org/fireflies-of-ontario-blog/

The Garden Shift is back for 2026.In this episode we define & explore common botanical terms used in ecology and horticulture. What is a weed? What makes a plant invasive? Is a naturalized plant bad for an ecosystem? Ryan Godfrey, Senior Conservation Research Associate Specialist at WWF Canada, makes sense of it all.Use the chart found in this link to follow along:https://wwf.ca/stories/botanical-terminology-invasive-ornamental-plants/

Listen in as we close the year with TMG Pat Concessi and Tena van Andel. This is a tell all- as we share real stories from our own gardens. Don't miss the last few minutes when we are joined by researcher David Lawrie from the Toronto Region and Conservation Authority- he will outline the work to create safe passage for an endagered species who you might recognize from The Garden Shift podcast cover.https://wildones.org/about/honorary-directors/larry-weaner/https://trca.ca/conservation/environmental-monitoring/searching-for-salamanders/

Dorte Windmuller has been gardening in Scarborough for over 15 years. Part of The Cliffcrest Butterflyway-a citizen-led group under the umbrella of the David Suzuki Foundation with the aim to bring back more bees and butterflies to our gardens, schools and public places. Listen and get inspiration on creating an oasis for wildlife by planting native.Pollinator Garden by Dorte Windmuller for bees and birds and butterflies https://www.pollinatorgarden.ca/www.Cliffcrestbutterflyway.com What’s the Rush? Doug Tallamy, Co-Founder Homegrown National Park® - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3KQW2BKtx4 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=K3KQW2BKtx4The Chelsea Chop - Credit Valley Conservation https://cvc.ca/the-garden-post/the-chelsea-chop/Merlin Sheldrake https://www.merlinsheldrake.com/entangled-life

Do you love growing plants from seed, ever thought of starting a local native plant nursery? Sundaura Alford Purvis of A Cultivated Art in Ottawa, will tell you all about the magic of growing. We talk unsustainable horticulture practices, plant associations, the importance of wild gathered seed and so much more. This episode is jammed pack with detail- but don't worry included below are great links and resources . And who said you can't listen to the episode more than once?A Cultivated Art - acultivatedart.comVASCAN - data.canadensys.netPlants Have So Much to Give Us, All We Have to do is Ask: Anishinaabe Botanical Teachings, Mary Siisip Geniusz (2015)Plant List- see Resource Library thegardenshift.com

Toronto Master Gardener Dianne Azzarello returns to The Garden Shift. Part accidental, part luck and mostly experimental the results are a four season garden that provides a healthy amount of habitat services and a beautiful boulevard appeal. Included in this episode and found on thegardenshift.com in the Resource Library is her native plant list. Lots of easy to grow plants that you will want to know and grow.Notes: https://onplants.ca/shop/geum-triflorum/, https://www.torontomastergardeners.ca/invasive-species-awareness-initiative/

Lorraine Johnson , writer, author and Cultivation Activist. With 40 years of garden know-how Lorraine Johnson brings people together to enhance their communities. lorrainejohnson.ca

Ingrid Janssen is a Durham Master Gardener and lifelong Ecological Gardener. Her Shift has taken her to start a not for profit called Little Forests Durham. A volunteer-run community organization focused on giving tools and knowledge to people, communities, organizations and local authorities to plant Little Forests in their neighbourhoods and communities. https://littleforestsdurham.ca https://greencommunitiescanada.org/programs/mini-forest/

Pat Concessi joins to discuss yellow and purple blooms in our garden. We walk the Meadoway in Scarborough for seed collecting and inspiration. Listen to our favorite well behaved species that will work in any urban garden.Notes:Braiding Sweetgrass, Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants, Robin Wall Kimmererthemeadoway.caTRCA- Toronto Region and Conservation Authorityhttps://trca.ca/conservation/terrestrial-ecosystems/ranks-and-scores/Aster Purple Dome -Mount Cubahttps://mtcubacenter.org/plants/purple-dome-new-england-aster/Solidago 'Fireworks'https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/fireworks-goldenrod-solidago-rugosa/

Trixie Reichardt is a fellow Toronto Master Gardener. We discuss her North Toronto garden evolution. Less lawn, raised beds, plants grown from seed and tricks to safe guard veggies.Notes:The Pawpaw Growers Manual for Ontario, Dan Bissonnettesayehsunstudio.com- Hone of The Underhill Seedsitters nanps.org- North American Native Plant Society

Scientist and Toronto Master Gardener, Dianne Azzarello joins to discuss critical thinking and doing your research when looking at social media. We will also talk about the value of a botanic garden in helping you on your shift.Notes:Spotted LaternflyInvasive Species CentreToronto Botanical Garden

It's early August-what are you observing in your garden? Toronto Master Gardener and Native Steward Pat Concessi is my guest today. We talk caterpillars and more.

Tena Van Andel has been a Toronto Master Gardener since 2003. An amazing writer, lecturer on all things horticultural. You can find her at The Toronto Public Library, the Toronto Botanical Gardens and many private speaking engagements. We discuss making the Shift, the myth of 'Autumn Clean Up' and starting native plants from seed.https://landscapeontario.com/invasive-asian-jumping-worm-spotted-in-ontario

Botanist Ryan Godfrey of botanicallyspeaking.org shares insights and stories of plant relationships. He asks us to use 'botany eyes' to reframe our human relationship with plants. We cover growing in containers, where to get plants and a wild wild bee story.

Are you ready to make The Shift? Nature needs guardians and this podcast will get you inspired.