The Gardener on Lifestyles 55 Radio: Recent Episodes
Dorothy Dobbie
Lifestyles 55 Radio (digital) serves the same audience providing music of the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, reaching out to other decades on occasion and offering fun and entertaining talk about the issues of the day and more.
Dorothy and Shea Doherty of Our Farm Greenhouses in Portage la Prairie discuss how to keep your favourite houseplants alive and healthy.
Jan Pedersen’s personal garden is kaleidoscope of colour, shape, texture and form all created by his skill in landscaping with trees and shrubs. Jan, who was once the co-owner of Shelmerdine Garden Centre, the largest garden centre in Manitoba, also spent 10 years working for one of the foremost growers of hardy shrubs and trees in Canada, Bylands Nurseries out of Kelowna. Jan is a knowledgeable guy.
Also you can listen to the The Gardener with Dorothy Dobbie every Sunday morning at 9AM (Central) online at www.lifestyles55radio.ca
You know spring is most here when Preferred Perch store owner, Sherrie Versluis comes on the air to talk about our backyard feathered friends.
Also enjoy listening the The Gardener with Dorothy Dobbie every Sunday morning at 9AM (Central) on www.lifestyles55radio.ca
We visit the International Peace Garden with CEO, Tim Chapman. The International Peace Garden straddles the border between North Dakota and Manitoba, just about 20 minutes south of Boissevain, Manitoba. It was the dream of Dr. Henry Moore of Islington, Ontario who belonged to an international horticulture association. Dr. Moor realised the idea and a meeting in New York in 1928 and the following year, at a meeting in Toronto, the deal was done.
Kevin Twomey, the former owner of T & T Seeds, returns to talk with Dorothy Dobbie about preparing for the upcoming gardening season.
We spend time with Senior Director of Horticulture, Gerald Dieleman, as he tells us about The Leaf an exciting and new addition to Assiniboine Park.
We spend an hour with former Shelmerdine owner, Jan Pedersen, who is a wonderful garden designer with shrubs. He tells us how to refresh out favourite shrubs after they have completed their first flush in the spring, whether this means flowering or spring foliage colour.
Click here to read more.
Our old friend Kevin Twomey comes to chat with us about what has been going on in the growing world this summer. On one hand it has been hot and humid most of the summer after a heavy rainfall this spring, and that was good for some plants – many trees for instance. But some plants did quite the opposite.
Some people are born into their calling and tree man – Tree Dog -- Dave Lutes is one of those. From the first moment he took a job planting trees, he understood this was the life for him. He was captivated and has never looked back despite some serious falls and many broken bones and other parts. “I learned from every experience,” he says proudly, adding that he learns from others but enjoys imparting what he knows.
To read more, click here.
The Schriemer name has been synonymous with gardening for 50 years and now a third generation of Schriemer’s has dedicated his life to plants. Harry Schriemer’s son, Matt, the 6-foot, 7-inch former wonder on the volleyball court, bought Patterson’s Greenhouse on Roblin Blvd. in Winnipeg about four years ago and he has carried on Marge Patterson’s tradition of excellence.
To read more click here.
How deep should a raised garden be? Should your garden have a floor or not? How do you keep a raised garden hydrated and how often should you water? How can you tell if the garden needs water? What can you grow in a raised garden and more importantly, what should you NOT grow in a raised garden? What kind of soil should you use and where should you locate the garden? How much can you grow, how far apart should you plant things, can you grow potatoes, when is the best time to plant
You know spring is most here when Preferred Perch store owner, Sherrie Versluis comes on the air to talk about our feathered friends. We have been hearing and seeing flocks of geese honking overhead and Sherrie says the puffy little dark-eyed juncos are back.
Click here to read more.
Even though it is the middle of March and the earth in middle Canada is covered with four feet of snow, spring is in the air. It is hard to believe, says Kevin, that last year, at this time, it was plus 12 C and there was no snow!
For more info, click here.
Are you a gardener with a passion for plants but wish you knew more about his whole fascinating world? Maybe you should consider becoming a Master Gardener. Marilyn Dudek, one of Manitoba’s first master gardeners tells us she reached her dream and helped other Manitobans with a like passion, discover how they could do the same.
For more info, click here.
Tim Chapman is the CEO of the International Peace Garden, a beautiful place on the border of Manitoba and North Dakota where you can move seamlessly from one country to another without interference.
To read more, click here.
John Barrett, vice president of Veseys Seeds met Dorothy way back in Winnipeg before he moved to Prince Edward Island and became a garden man.
For more info, click here.
Dorothy Talks to Mr. Tomato, Brian, about his leadership in the garden product world. He tells how his gardening interests started back when he was only 11 years old, and his mother would have him mow the grass with an old rotary lawn mower. He was captivated by the smell of fresh grass, and he remembers distinctly the feeling it gave him.
Click here to read more.
Kevin and Dorothy spend a soothing hour or so talking about the wonderful things in the world that make life worthwhile. Listen while you go for a walk in the forest or spend a quiet afternoon dreaming of spring.
Click here to click more.
Shea and Dorothy talk about what to be planting right now: garlic chives, everbearing strawberries and Asclepias (the red ones).
Click here to read more.
Jan Pedersen’s personal garden is kaleidoscope of colour, shape, texture and form all created by his skill in landscaping with trees and shrubs. Jan, who was once the co-owner of Shelmerdine Garden Centre, the largest garden centre in Manitoba, also spent 10 years working for one of the foremost growers of hardy shrubs and trees in Canada, Bylands Nurseries out of Kelowna. Jan is a knowledgeable guy.
Click here to read more.
Dorothy Dobbie and Matt Vinet of Green Drop Trees discuss the world of Winnipeg trees. They touch on the special trees of this is city and indeed the province. Why do we see lone trees set against the vast prairie sky in the middle of a field with no other trees for miles around? Were they planted by some former pioneer or by a passing bird?
To read. more, click here.
The Year of the Garden 2022 is a celebration of our national garden culture and also commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association.
To read more, click here.
Kevin Twomey returns home from an eco-conference in the United States. He is filled with wonder and excitement over what he learned, and he shares his excitement with Dorothy.
To read more, click here.
Dorothy and Shea discuss how to keep your favourite houseplants alive and healthy. They talk about why poinsettias lose their leaves when you bring them home from the shop and how to prevent this.
To read more, click here.
When was the last time you went to the International Peace Garden or even thought about the fact that this one-of-a-kind garden straddles the border between Canada and the United States near Boissevain? Today, current chair of the board, Dorothy Dobbie, and former Chair (and awardee of a Manitoba 150 medal) Charlie Thomsen, take you on a journey of discovery into how the garden came to be and how it looks now.
To read more and view photos, click here.
Our company, Pegasus Publications Inc., is a family affair. Shauna Dobbie, who is not the editor of Canada’s Local Gardener is company founder Dorothy’s daughter. Ian Leatt, now the president of the company, is Dorothy’s “adopted” son and Shauna’s “adopted” brother. Together, the three of them love to garden and in this episode, they look back at what worked, what didn’t, and why in the summer of ’21.
To read more, click here
Dorothy Dobbie talks about the Year of Garden 2022 with Michel Gauthier and Rebecca Sokol of Communities in Bloom
To read more, click here.
Shea Doherty gives us a sneak preview into what to expect on his greenhouse shelves in the coming season. There are several promising new petunias: Crazytunia Firecracker, Merlot Star and Big Deal Chocolate Cheery to name a few. He introduces us to Petchoa, a cross between a petunia and a calibrachoa. He says the blossoms are medium in size but very prolific on a semi-trailing to trailing plant. They keep their colour well and have vigorous and sturdy foliage.
For more information and photos, click here
Kevin Twomey, the former owner of T & T Seeds, returns to talk about what to do in fall.
Click here to read all about it.
Mr. Tomato, the creator of the gardeners’ aids, Sea Magic and Kosy Coats, shares his thoughts on the upcoming Prairie Garden 2022 edition which he guest edited. Your host, Dorothy Dobbie is the 2022 editor.
For more info, click here.
Dorothy learns how to grow giant pumpkins with Milan Lukes
When Milan Lukes was 11, he became fascinated with giant pumpkins and started on his own journey to a Manitoba championship.
For more info, click here.
Kevin Twomey, the long-time owner of T & T Seeds who has just sold T & T Seeds and is now retired with his brother Brian, is still eager to stay involved in some way. He has an amazing compendium of gardening experience to share. He has grown everything from trees to flowers to his favourite, vegetables.
For more info, click here.
In this episode, Shauna and Dorothy head out to Saskatchewan looking for gardens for Canada’s Local Gardener magazine, stopping first at Virden where Manitoba MLA and Deputy Speaker Doyle Piwniuk has a garden that focusses on amazing tree combinations. One of those trees is a ginkgo, the dinosaur tree, that grow happily in his sheltered garden. He has also built an incredible Mediterranean courtyard, surrounded by trees in his backyard.
To read more, click here.
As the publishers of Canada’s Local Gardener magazine (previously Manitoba Gardener, Alberta Gardener and Ontario Gardener), my daughter Shauna Dobbie and I head west to explore the gardens of B.C and Alberta.
To read more, click here.
Trees, trees, trees! Our Pet, Matt Vinet, of Green Drop Trees talks trees for the next hour.
If you have been wondering how the Million Tree Challenge is coming, Matt has the answer. A long-time member of the Trees Winnipeg board, he is up to date on all the details. Trees Winnipeg will double its Releaf program this fall. Matt says that the spring edition sold out in five days. Releaf Tree Planting program is where Trees Winnipeg offers a variety of trees very well-suited to Winnipeg at amazing prices to the public. And they teach you how to plant the tree you buy!
For more info, click here.
Dorothy Dobbie talks with Michel Gauthier of the Canadian Garden Council in Ottawa https://gardenscanada.ca/canadian-garden-council/ about Canada’s annual Garden Days. This national celebration runs from June 12 to June 20, 2021. Garden Days is a chance to commemorate your garden by posting photos on Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #Garden Days or #It’s time to garden. ScottsMiracle-Gro is offering a beautiful garden basket to the best photo this year, so be sure to enter. It all culminates in National Garden Day on June 19, right before Father’s Day.
For more information, click here.
Flower fairyland is another good name for Our Farm Greenhouse of Portage la Prairie. It is a bucket-list trip for Winnipeggers every spring. Shea Doherty has one of the largest collections of hard-to-find petunias, and just about everything else you can imagine.
For more info, click here.
Guest Sherrie Versluis, the bird lady of Winnipeg and owner of the Preferred Perch, talks about all the bird varieties we are seeing this spring and tells why they seem to be so prominent. One of the highlights we have encountered is an indigo bunting, a dark blue bird that is not often seen here.
For more info, click here.
This week, we take a walk through the garden of Shannon Gage, well, at least through the garden in her mind’s eye as we are locked down once again. Shannon has been gardening since she was a girl. And for her post secondary school, she studied landscape design at Olds College in Alberta. Since then, she has created a jewel of a garden in her backyard in River Heights, and she shares some of the lessons she learned.
We visit the International Peace Garden with CEO, Tim Chapman. The International Peace Garden straddles the border between North Dakota and Manitoba, just about 20 minutes south of Boissevain, Manitoba. It was the dream of Dr. Henry Moore of Islington, Ontario who belonged to an international horticulture association. Dr. Moor realised the idea and a meeting in New York in 1928 and the following year, at a meeting in Toronto, the deal was done.
Get ready, get set . . .garden
Host Dorothy Dobbie interviews T&T Seeds owner Kevin Twomey about getting ready to garden in early May. Manitobans find it hard to believe that gardeners from coast to coast to coast wait until the May 24th long weekend to start their gardens in earnest. Beginning earlier for many plants, both flowers and vegetables, can result in failure or at least stunted plants. That is because the soil may still be too cold or because little plantlings are sensitive to conditions that extend beyond the temperature. They can get chilled from cold winds. Fungus can grow and kill delicate stems if the ground is still too wet. Kevin advises to curb your enthusiasm. He often doesn’t get his crop of veggies in until June because he is busy in the store, but he ends up with a great harvest.
What’s coming up for summer
Shea Doherty of Our Farm Greenhouses in Portage La Prairie is the inaugural guest of the first episode of The Gardener on Lifestyles 55 Digital Radio. Shea is a nature savant. He is totally in tune with the world around him and can even hear plants grow on still nights. He shares a few of his discoveries with our listeners. For example, did you know that when a spruce tree sheds its winter needles in the dead of night, it sounds like rain falling? Shea says a keen ear can hear earthworms dragging bits of leaf from the surface to their underground homes. And the music of the night owl thrills his soul with its deep rich tones.
For more info, click here.