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Plants Always Win

Plants Always Win

De : Sean Patchett and Erin Alladin
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 A podcast where two Ontario gardeners dive down plant-fact rabbit-holes, answer audience questions, interview intriguing guests, and compete to bring you the most interesting stories and information. We care about ecologically sound gardening, strong human communities, and up-to-date science.Copyright 2025 Plants Always Win Science
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  • Ep. 43. Rosemary vs. Lavender

    Ep. 43. Rosemary vs. Lavender
    Feb 10 2026
    In this versus episode, we bring you two of the nicest-smelling and slowest-growing plants in the garden. Sean gets us started with rosemary, which is known to science as Salvia rosemarinus (though some botanists may be surprised to hear that!). We learn how to grow this Mediterranean plant and how to help it handle a northern winter, even if that means bringing it indoors. One option, of course, is to take softwood or hardwood cuttings and root them for next year, and Sean gives us a crash course in doing that before moving on to the fascinating research being done on rosemary and cognition. In the second half, Erin narrows down the many species and cultivars of lavender to just two: Lavandula angustifolia, often called English Lavender or “true lavender,” and Lavandula X Intermedia, a hybrid you may see marketed as “lavandin.” One is good to eat, and the other is great for toiletries. How do you know which is which? Erin has the intel. Just don’t ask her to talk about French lavender. You might be in for a plant rant. You’re also in for some fun facts about growing lavender at home, becoming a commercial lavender grower in Ontario, and what historical humans and modern scientists think it’s good for. We wrap up with a busted myth: what does lavender have to do with King Tut? It’s not what you think! Who won the plant face-off? You decide! Email us, tag us on social media, or pipe up in our friendly Discord server to let us know who you thought made their plant the most interesting. Will YOU be growing lavender or rosemary this year? The Ontario Garden Events Calendar It’s live! Check it out at https://plantsalwayswin.com/events/ Comments? Feedback? Want your garden question to be featured in a future Q&A segment? Email us, reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon. Discord: https://discord.gg/K6wF9dY4JaBluesky: @plantsalwayswin.comTikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcastYouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcastWebsite: www.plantsalwayswin.com CreditsWebsite Design and Illustration by Sophia Alladin Intro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-plays License code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PH Citations Rosemary Plant ProfileRosmarinus officinalis L. (n.d.). USDA Plants Database. https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ROOF Rosemary. (n.d.). Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved February 8, 2026, from https://www.britannica.com/plant/rosemary Rosemary and cognitionKamdar, D. (2025). Rosemary has been linked to better memory, lower anxiety and even protection from Alzheimer’s. The Conversation. https://doi.org/10.64628/ab.fu4jyy3mx Banerjee, P., Wang, Y., Carnevale, L. N., Patel, P., Raspur, C. K., Tran, N., Zhang, X., Natarajan, R., Roberts, A. J., Baran, P. S., & Lipton, S. A. (2025). DIACCA, a Pro-Drug for carnosic acid that activates the NRF2 transcriptional pathway, shows efficacy in the 5xFAD transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. Antioxidants, 14(3), 293. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox14030293 Herbs that can boost your mood and memory. (2026, June 2). Northumbria University. https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/about-us/news-events/news/2016/04/herbs-that-can-boost-your-mood-and-memory/ Studying Hinoki cypress oil and relaxationIkei, H., Song, C., & Miyazaki, Y. (2015). Physiological effect of olfactory stimulation by Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) leaf oil. Journal of PHYSIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, 34(1), 44. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40101-015-0082-2 Etymology of lavenderLavender – Etymology, Origin & Meaning. (n.d.). Etymonline. https://www.etymonline.com/word/lavender Growing lavender in OntarioGrowing lavender in Ontario: an introduction for prospective growers. (2023, February 22). ontario.ca. https://www.ontario.ca/page/growing-lavender-ontario-introduction-prospective-growers What people historically thought lavender was good for, and what scientists think todayCivilyte, A., Karanikola, K., & Kramer, A. (2025). From antiquity to modern hygiene: the archaeological and medicinal legacy of lavender as a promising antimicrobial agent. PubMed, 20, Doc21. https://doi.org/10.3205/dgkh000550 Medicinal uses and side effects of lavenderLavender: Overview, uses, side effects, precautions, interactions, dosing and reviews. (n.d.). https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-838/lavender#dosing Lavender: Usefulness and safety. (n.d.). National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/lavender The Ontario Lavender AssociationOntario Lavender Association. (n.d.). Lavender Ontario. Lavender Ontario. https://lavenderontario.org/ History, taxonomy, and production of lavenderMcCoy, J.-A., PhD. (2022). Lavender: History, Taxonomy, and Production (J. Davis, Ed.). NC State Extension. https://newcropsorganics.ces.ncsu.edu/herb/lavender-history-taxonomy-and-production/ Timestamps 00:17 Introduction01:00 What’s Growing On? Erin at the Landscape Ontario ...
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    1 h et 11 min
  • Ep. 42 Landscape Design Fails

    Ep. 42 Landscape Design Fails
    Jan 20 2026

    As the 2026 growing season waves tantalizingly on the far horizon, we’d like to help you prepare for a disaster-free garden. To do that, we’re sharing a few key landscape design principles…along with a whole heap of stories about landscape design fails.

    No garden is truly no-maintenance, but while ordinary weeding and pruning is one thing, fighting endlessly against the effects of a bad design decision is something else entirely. We’re talking about hardscaping installed in the wrong spot, poorly selected plants, ever-spreading invasive species…The list goes on. Sean shares some zingers from his history of managing client landscapes, and Erin gets vulnerable with some stories of her own past mistakes. Tune in to find out what not to do…and to journey with our hosts through the steps you should take when designing a garden or landscape of your own.

    Check out our new website!

    Check out our web designer’s portfolio!

    Comments? Feedback? Want your garden question to be featured in a future Q&A segment?

    Email us, reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon.

    Discord: https://discord.gg/K6wF9dY4Ja
    Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com
    TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
    YouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
    Website: www.plantsalwayswin.com

    Credits

    Website Design and Illustration by Sophia Alladin

    Intro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-plays

    License code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PH

    Timestamps

    00:15 Introduction
    00:55 What’s Growing On? The End of Erin’s Winter Garden
    04:27 What’s Growing On? Sean’s Winter Observations
    07:56 Water Break
    09:05 Myth Busting: The Low-Maintenance Garden
    12:34 Landscape Design Step 1: Dream and Observe
    15:44 Landscape Pre-Design: Know Your Needs
    17:21 Designing for Accessibility and Maintenance
    19:07 Considering Microclimates
    20:16 Landscape Design Step 2: Hardscaping
    22:25 Artificial Turf Legislation Fail
    27:14 Decisions about Paths
    28:00 Myth Busting: Permanence in Landscapes
    29:36 Landscape Design Step 3: Plant Selection
    31:00 Sean’s False Sorbaria sorbifolia Stories
    34:36 Erin’s Invasive-Plants-in-Woodland-Garden Story
    40:04 Landscape Design Step 4: Plan for Changes over Seasons and Years
    46:32 Retaining Wall Fail
    50:00 Maintenance Nightmare: Nothing But Stairs
    54:30 Compromise and Education are Important
    57:09 Staghorn Sumacs Always Win
    58:55 Outro and Contact Us
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    1 h
  • Ep. 41 Thoughtful Foraging with Gabrielle Cerberville

    Ep. 41 Thoughtful Foraging with Gabrielle Cerberville
    Dec 19 2025

    If you’re looking to build a relationship with the land that feeds you, you can start by embracing the wisdom of the Internet’s Mushroom Auntie.

    Gabrielle Cerberville, a.k.a. your new Mushroom Auntie, a.k.a. The Chaotic Forager, has spent her academic life collecting degrees in music. If you catch her in the forest, however, she’s more likely to be collecting mushrooms and plants for cooking and preservation. She’s known online as a mycologist and foraging educator, and—more recently—as the author of the book Gathered: On Foraging, Feasting, and the Seasonal Life – An Illustrated Adventure in Wild Food, Self-Discovery, and Honoring Earth. Part memoir, part field guide, part cook book, and part guided nature meditation, Gathered is 100% an invitation to connect more deeply and authentically with the earth. This week, Gabrielle joins Erin and Sean to discuss its writing, the deeply collaborative process of its editing and fact-checking, and the interconnectedness of nature, food, politics, and community.

    Find Gabrielle online at:

    ChaoticForager.com

    Instagram: www.instagram.com/chaoticforager

    TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@chaoticforager

    YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC0LqNI92KujRLCj-247ve3w

    Facebook: www.facebook.com/chaoticforager

    Purchase a copy of Gathered: www.harpercollins.com/products/gathered-gabrielle-cerberville?variant=43429934661666

    Comments? Feedback? Want your garden question to be featured in a future Q&A segment?

    Email us, reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon.

    Discord: https://discord.gg/K6wF9dY4Ja
    Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com
    TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
    YouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcast
    Website: www.plantsalwayswin.com

    Citations

    Can you forage on Crown land in Canada?

    Using wood from Crown land for personal use. (2025, May 26). ontario.ca. https://www.ontario.ca/page/using-wood-crown-land-personal-use

    Credits

    Website Design and Illustration by Sophia Alladin

    Intro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-plays

    License code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PH

    Timestamps

    00:14 Introduction
    01:10 Gabrielle Cerberville, Your Internet Mushroom Auntie
    03:20 The Chaotic Forager and ADHD
    05:16 The Myth of Being a Self-Taught Forager
    08:29 Community Sufficiency, Not Self-Sufficiency
    11:55 Gabrielle’s Music Education
    14:35 Marrying Music and Foraging: The Deep Ecology Project
    19:01 How Gabrielle Develops Recipes with Foraged Foods
    21:40 Foraging and Seasonality
    23:30 The Honourable Harvest
    26:37 Building a Relationship with the Land
    31:04 Foraging on Public Land (Food Is Political)
    40:48 The Process Behind Gathered
    48:51 Gabrielle’s Shout-Outs
    53:45 Outro and Contact Us
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    56 min
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