How annuals make it to your garden

What makes one petunia thrive all summer long while another fizzles out? Why are certain plants chosen to become the season’s top sellers? In this episode of the CLG Podcast from Canada’s Local Gardener, host Shauna Dobbie speaks with Glenn Andersen of Nordic Nurseries — the exclusive Proven Winners annuals propagator for Western Canada — to uncover the journey plants take from lab to landscape.

Glenn shares what it means to be a propagator, how new plants are selected from thousands of trials, and why Proven Winners varieties consistently outperform others in the garden. He talks about the rigorous breeding process, the global supply chain of cuttings, and what makes a plant worthy of the Proven Winners name.

You’ll hear practical insights on how to grow thriving containers, what shade really means in gardening, and which low-maintenance plants work best for pollinators. From the popularity of Supertunia Vista Bubblegum and Prince Tut papyrus to the pollinator-magnet Cuphea Vermillionaire, Glenn offers suggestions based on firsthand experience in his own home garden.

This episode is packed with garden inspiration and expert knowledge, plus a few surprising tips — like why caladiums don’t always love Canadian summers, and why non-flowering shade baskets are flying off shelves.

Whether you're a backyard hobbyist or a container gardening enthusiast, you'll come away with a better understanding of what goes into the plants you love — and how to choose varieties that truly perform.

Tune in to learn more about plant breeding, pollinator-friendly gardening, and the behind-the-scenes world of wholesale nurseries — all from a distinctly Canadian perspective.

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Faced with the very arduous task of building a new gardening bed, Shauna Dobbie, editor of Canada’s Local Gardener magazine, turns to veteran gardener Ian Leatt to hear about his experiences. In addition to being a long-time grower of vegetables and flowers, Ian is the president of Pegasus Publications, the company that publishes Canada’s Local Gardener.

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It is seed starting time across Canada. From March through June, depending on where your garden is, you may be starting seeds indoors and out. Kevin Twomey, former owner of T and T Seeds in Winnipeg, has grown vegetables and flowers from seeds throughout his life. Shauna Dobbie, editor of Canada’s Local Gardener print magazine, is preparing to put in her first full-sized vegetable garden this year, and she talked to Kevin about what she’s done right, what she’s done wrong, and what she should do next year.

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For many gardeners, power tools sound like something their partner or friend would be more interested in. But at some point, even the luddite might be interested in getting jobs done faster and with less pain, if a little more noise. Kris Kiser is the president and CEO of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) in the United States. Shauna Dobbie, editor of Canada’s Local Gardener print magazine, talked to Kris about lawn mowers and leaf blowers, what’s out there and what she needs to tend to a medium-sized urban garden.

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Did you know that you can give too much compost to your garden? Also, there isn’t a “best” fertilizer for tomatoes or roses or trees. Robert Pavlis is a garden writer, speaker and educator with a background in science. He lives in Guelph, Ontario and gardens at his six-acre home called Aspen Grove Gardens. He has published a handful of books and maintains two websites, gardenmyths.com and gardenfundamentals.com. He speaks with Shauna Dobbie, editor of Canada’s Local Gardener magazine, about the nutrients that plants need, dispelling myths along the way.

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Every year, growers, distributors and hybridizers of plants work on new species, and every year some of those new species make it to the market. New shrubs, flowers and vegetables come out with slight improvements and other distinguishing characteristics over the ones that have come before.

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Since 2002, Canada has been watching the emerald ash borer kill our native ash trees, starting in Ontario and moving east and west from there. Ryan Statham, the District Manager for Davey Tree in Strathroy, Ontario, is on the front lines of the battle against this beetle. Shauna Dobbie, editor of Canada’s Local Gardener magazine, talks to Ryan about the fight and about how we can deal with emerald ash borer.

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Strawberries and raspberries have been growing in gardens across Canada since we became a country. Haskaps, sea buckthorn and ground cherries are more recent introductions for many of us. All of them and more are covered in the book Prairie Gardener’s Guide to Growing Fruit by Sheryl Normandeau and Janet Melrose. Shauna Dobbie, editor of Canada’s Local Gardener magazine, talks to Sheryl and Janet about their book and about growing fruit, mostly berries, particularly on the Prairies.

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