The Helpful Gardeners

If your home is filled with trailing Hoya vines? Well, researchers have just announced the discovery of an entirely new Hoya species—Hoya dawodiensis—hidden away in the remote corners of India. It’s a powerful reminder that our planet still holds incredible secrets, and that every houseplant favourite has a wild origin story.

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It's Wednesday. That means we turn things over to you and this week, we received a beautiful question on the podcast this week from a listener whose daughter is getting married next summer (congrats!) and is planning on making 12 floral centrepieces for the event! What should she do?

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Ever feel like you're fighting for your patch of green? Imagine your city is doing an amazing thing by planting half a million trees but your already bountiful yard is chosen for one of these trees?! Should you have a say? We're digging into a wild story from Montreal where a resident is battling the city over their grand tree-planting plans. Is it green ambition or overreach?

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It's Diabetes Awareness Month and you may be asking, "Why are the Helpful Gardeners talking about this?" Sure, this might seem like a heavy topic, but there’s a fascinating connection! A new study came out proving how a desert berry may hold secrets to improving metabolic health.

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What if we could grow tomatoes in Death Valley? Your garden wilts in a heatwave, but this tiny plant thrives! We’re diving into a desert survivor that actually grows faster when temperatures soar above 49°C. Could this plants genes unlock potential for previously harsh growing conditions?

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Did you know that goats are great weeders? If you've been to Calgary, AB, you may have seen Nose Hill Park host a herd of fluffy, four-legged lawnmowers tackle the weeds here annually. Plus, their digestive systems are champions at limiting the spread of harmful weeds in our natural areas! Let's dive in on today's episode....

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Ever watched one of those viral gardening videos and thought, "Huh, that's interesting... but also a little confusing?" We did too after seeing a popular video online of someone propagating basil in water. It developed beautiful roots, but then came the head-scratcher: why, oh why, do we then take those water-loving roots and plant them in soil that's designed to drain water away? Why do plants not like their root...

So, you know how things go when you're tidying up the garden in the fall? Brandi's husband got really into his cleanup this year and ended up building something totally awesome: a bug hotel! It got us thinking about these cool little shelters and how they're basically VIP lounges for all the helpful insects that keep our gardens thriving. As the weather gets chilly, these tiny neighbors need a safe spot to crash, so let...

Have you ever stood in the nursery aisle feeling totally overwhelmed by choices? Do you have a Pinterest board full of inspiration but not sure how to narrow it down? Well, the National Garden Bureau (NGB) just gave us the ultimate planting list for a little inspiration. They recently announced their official "Year Of" selections for 2026, and it’s a super helpful list covering everything from shade lovers to spicy edible...

It's one of the greatest feelings: walking out of the nursery with a new houseplant baby. But, if you’ve ever had a plant instantly start dropping leaves or, worse, introduce an unwelcome pest to your collection, you know that the journey from the store shelf to your living room is the most crucial part of its life! We got a great question from Nicole this week that we're answering on the podcast.

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If you’ve been following the news about Monarch Butterflies, you know that life for these delicate travelers has been looking pretty rough. However, there's a ray of hope we need to talk about in this episode.

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Thank you so much for supporting our podcast and for making the world a more planty place. Please subscribe, leave a rating or review and listen in for new gardening discussions every w...

Has your backyard (and pretty much every park path) been turned into an obstacle course of crunchy, rolling acorns lately? This week, we dive into "mast years"—nature's boom-and-bust cycle that oak trees go through with nut production. Learn why your local squirrels are having the feast of their lives, where the word "acorn" actually comes from, and a childhood favourite, and not so favourite, of Colin's...

Learning how to save the seeds is the ultimate trick to scoring a guaranteed bumper crop of all your favorite garden goodies. Plus, Colin brings another treasure from his garden to try and it's cuca-amazing!

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Thank you so much for supporting our podcast and for making the world a more planty place. Please subscribe, leave a rating or review and listen in for new gardening discussions every wee...

This week, Brandi found a random Nerf dart stuck in her perennial border, and that sparked a serious (and slightly hilarious) question: What would happen if you found actual space junk in your yard? While we were laughing about toy foam, farmers across the Prairies are seriously being asked to keep an eye out for debris from satellites!

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Happy Halloween, plant friends! This week, we're getting into the spooky spirit by dressing up as ghosts! We're diving into the creepiest plants and fungi that carry the word 'Ghost' (or something equally spooky!) right in their name. Plus, Colin brought either a trick or a treat from his garden and things get heated...

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We took a journey to the sky, exploring a gardening method that's been guiding humans for centuries: Moon Gardening. It turns out the moon doesn’t just control the tides; for gardeners, it might also control what you plant and when!

Shout out to Jennifer for sending us this question:

"This was my first year gardening and I've got the bug! I've started planning my garden for next year and read some things about planting by moon cycle...

October is here, and while we love the changing leaves and pumpkin spice everything, it’s also Mental Health Awareness Month. For ages, we’ve felt better just being around our plants, whether we’re weeding the garden or admiring a thriving Pothos in the kitchen. But is it real, or is it just wishful thinking from a bunch of plant-obsessed people? We dove into a fascinating article from the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) that sci...

Did you know that the City of Calgary has an Online Tree Map?! Seriously, this map is a game-changer for anyone who loves local greenery and is curious about what trees are in their neighbourhood. Whether you're planning your next walk or just curious about the billion-dollar canopy over your head, you absolutely have to check this out. Listen to the episode to hear our reactions. then go explore the map yourself!

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