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.

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.

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.

Read the Full Story- Spacing Toronto | ⁠https://spacing.ca/toronto/2024/08/21/from-drainage-ditch-to-vibrant-pollution-absorbing-habitat/

Season 2 opens with Ryan Godfrey of Botanically Speaking.

‘Is this a weed?’ ‘What is a native plant?’ ‘What is an invasive’? Can we still have non-native plants that bring us joy?

Follow along with this handy guide:

https://wwf.ca/stories/botanical-terminology-invasive-ornamental-plants/

This is an end of the year tell all. Join Toronto Master Gardeners Tena van Andel and Pat Concessi as we review the year’s mistakes and marvels. Last few minutes are for those listeners who are curious about my podcast cover critter.

Most pollinators are asleep in the winter garden- now is your chance to planfor a healthy ecosystem with the right plants. Remember it’s not just about pretty flowers.

With 40 years of garden knowledge-how Lorraine Johnson brings people together to enhance their communities.

Scientist and Toronto Master Gardener Dianne Azzarello joins for a thoughtful look at how easily misinformation can take root in the gardening world. Together, we explore what it means to pause, question, and look to credible sources as we grow toward more informed, ecological practices.

In this episode of The Garden Shift, host Tina Cesaroni speaks with Toronto Master Gardener and Nature Steward Pat Concessi about caterpillar sightings in the garden — from black swallowtails on parsley to the chickadees and hummingbirds they help sustain. Together, they reflect on the small wonders of observation, the importance of native plants, and how every leaf eaten tells a story of connection and life.

Master Gardener Tena van Andel joins The Garden Shift to share what our gardens truly need this season. From fallen leaves to seed heads, she explains why “less cleanup” can mean more life for pollinators, soil, and next spring’s blooms.

In this episode of The Garden Shift, botanist Ryan Godfrey from the World Wildlife Fund shares how to reframe the way we see the natural world by developing “botany eyes.” From the meaning of native plants and the language of ecology to cultivating balcony habitats and supporting wild pollinators, Ryan invites us to notice the relationships that make plant life so extraordinary — including a delightful wild bee story you won’t forget.