Cold-Hardy Fruit and Nuts, Gardens for Native Pollinators

How to Grow Figs. Live online class. June 23, 2025. Find out more.
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Cold-Hardy Fruit and Nuts

In the first part of the show, we chat with veteran fruit growers Allyson Levy and Scott Serrano, founders of Hortus Arboretum and Botanical Gardens.

Their focus is cold-hardy fruit and nuts with good disease resistance and minimal pest problems — plants suited to home gardens and landscapes.

They tell us about:

• Medlar
• Mulberry
• Himalayan Chocolate Berry
• Honeyberry (a.k.a. Haskap)
• Hazelnut

Their new book is Cold-Hardy Fruits and Nuts: 50 Easy-to-Grow Plants for the Organic Home Garden or Landscape.

Creating Habitat for Native Pollinators

In the second part of the show we talk about native bees and how we can support them in our gardens, with bumblebee researcher Sheila Colla and native plant expert Lorraine Johnson.

They tell us about:

• Gardening as a way to support native bee species
• How honeybees can impact native bee populations
• The disappearance of the rusty patched bumblebee in Ontario

Their new book is A Garden for the Rusty-Patched Bumblebee: Creating Habitat for Native Pollinators.

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