Chat with our gardeners on Tuesday, May 25 at 12:30 p.m.

Join our award-winning live chat with expert gardeners. Also, listen to the call-in show with Ontario Today's Ed Lawrence. Call in by dialling 1-888-817-8995 on Monday.

It's just the most impressive collection of gardening expertise ever assembled. Your weeds don't stand a chance. 

Join Ontario Today's live call-in with Ed Lawrence or be a part of the live chat online. Upload your photos and videos. Share the stories of your best and worst gardening adventures. Post your questions on this page or tweet to @CBCHamilton or send an email to hamilton@cbc.ca. In 2020, our team answered hundreds of questions from gardeners in need. Post in our comment section below. On the CBC News app or Twitter? View it here.

You'll need to refresh the page to see the questions and answers.

Meet the gardeners

Our rotating group of online panelists includes Jon Peter, curator and manager of plant documentation at the Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG), Alex Henderson, curator of collections at the RBG, Hamilton and Toronto-area Master Gardeners Claudette Sims, Tena Van Andel, Tina Cesaroni, Donna Parker, Patty King, Liza Drozdov and Janet Mackey. 

Jon Peter

Jon L. Peter has diplomas in horticulture from the University of Guelph and the Niagara Parks Commission School of Horticulture. Jon worked at some of the finest botanical institutions in North America, including the Arnold Arboretum, The Morton Arboretum & the New York Botanical Garden. Jon is Curator & Manager of Plant Documentation at the Royal Botanical Gardens.

Claudette Sims

Claudette Sims, a retired educator, has been a member of Halton Region Master Gardeners since 2005 and is currently the Past President of Master Gardeners of Ontario. She is passionate about gardening and loves to attract and observe wildlife in her garden. Over the years, she's gained a better appreciation of the role and beauty of native plants in our gardens.

Donna Parker

Donna Parker has worked at a nursery with woody plants and had her own garden design and consultation business. She volunteers on the gardening hotlines at the Royal Botanical Gardens and for Halton Master Gardeners. Donna loves the challenge of designing and creating beauty among the wonderful old trees in her garden.   

Tena van Andel

Tena van Andel has volunteered with the Toronto Master Gardeners and the Master Gardeners of Ontario since 2003. She writes and lectures on everything and anything gardening. Her latest adventures include rewilding a 19th century Northern Ontario farm and teaching a functional fitness class just for gardeners.

Tina Cesaroni

Tina Cesaroni is a Toronto Master Gardener. She studied horticulture and garden design while living in England.  Native plants are of special interest. Blurring the line between ecology and horticulture, she loves to recommend easy to grow native plants that are perfect for the birds, bees and insects of any urban garden.

Alex Henderson

Alex Henderson has studied horticulture, curatorial practices for botanic gardens, plant sciences and museological studies in the United Kingdom, Sweden and the United States. He worked at Royal Botanic Garden's Kew, in the UK before becoming Curator of Living collections at Royal Botanical Gardens. He is Chair of the Plant Collections Professional section for the American Public Gardens Association. 

Patty King

Patty King has been a Master Gardener since 2007. She faces the challenges of a large garden, and battles with invasive plants, weeds, and animals daily. Trees and native plants are held close to her heart. Patty still writes a blog on her garden and has another on the history of women and gardens.

Liza Drozdov

Liza Drozdov is a Master Gardener, whose garden is designed with flowers, fragrance and wildlife in mind. She's the author of the thriller Blood Relative, first book in the Niagara Noir series. You can follow her on Twitter too.

Janet Mackey

Janet is most at home on a trail, but now her trails are at home where she loves exploring and designing with plants. She studied Landscape Design, and volunteered with local conservation associations to restore habitat. Janet has been a member of Master Gardeners of Ontario since 2015.

​Did you know?

Master Gardeners in Ontario are experienced gardeners who have studied horticulture extensively and continue to upgrade their skills yearly through technical training. Master Gardeners start out as master gardeners in training until they complete the educational and volunteer component of the mandate. Master gardeners and master gardeners in training provide free garden advice to the public by participating in volunteer activities such as garden advice clinics, answering questions via email and now in online chats!

Need more help? Ask an expert

• Email questions to hamilton@cbc.ca

• Visit the Master Gardeners of Ontario website

• Visit the Master Gardener Facebook page

• Email Halton Master Gardeners at haltonmastergardeners@gmail.com
• Call the RBG gardening hotline at 905-527-1158 ext 226 or email grow@rbg.ca.