Niagara College

It was kind of crazy.

Coming out of Niagara College as part of their practicum program, they generally try to set the students up with a harvest term where you're, you know, working and learning in a different facility under, say, the guidance of a winemaker.

My opportunity was a little different.

I was asked to cover for a maternity leave for the winemaker.

It just gave me pause in my life and just to think about my work-life balance a little bit and maybe if a change was in order.

So in my late 30s or mid 30s, I decided to go back to school and did a PGM program here in Niagara College.

which was kind of my way to get into the golf industry.

And at that point, I think if you asked me what I would be wanting to do, it was probably more in the vendor side of the business in terms of sales.

Paul is here with ideas on how to give them a new life in your garden.

Paul Zammit is a professor of horticulture and environmental studies at Niagara College.

He's ready to answer all your questions.

The number is 1-888-817-8995.

I'm a Barrie, Ontario boy.

Um, but um, I s- like grew up through Southern Ontario, and where I went to school was Niagara College in Welland back, and graduated in 2002.

I'm from Niagara Falls.

I know it very well.

And then I moved to Ottawa when I finally kind of, um, hit a roadblock there, and one of my friends encouraged me to move to Ottawa, and this is where I've settled and this is where I've made my home base.

Oh, wow.

So to go back for a second, so I, I, I'm assuming it was Andrew Stevenson was one of your professors at Niagara College.

He sure was.

The question is, do you qualify under the student exception? Under Ontario's Municipal Elections Act, students who are Canadian citizens and at least 18 years old may be eligible to vote in two municipalities if they live in one to attend an educational institution and intend to return to their permanent home in the other.

For students attending Brock University or Niagara College, this means they may be eligible to vote both in the municipality where they live while attending school and in the municipality they consider home when they are away from school.

Well, just in case, how to register as a student voter and what identification to provide.

In case this applies to you, contact the municipal clerk in each municipality where you wish to vote and ask how to be added to its voters list under the student exception.

But I was talking to one of our other co-workers, Chris Waterton.

Shout out, Chris Waterton, Niagara College grad, very knowledgeable in the world of brewing scientists and food science.

Um, we were kind of talking about, again, we were talking about pressure fermentation.

Now he said a lot of home brewers have always loved this, you know, pressure fermentation is, is what we need.

if flowers in the spring and yes many of our magnolias extremely winter hardy many know the pinks and there's some new yellow selections out there beautiful large often short-lived flowers in the spring and then we get that kind of grayish foliage on them in terms of them sometimes blooming a second time we do see that with some spring blooming plants including lilacs magnolia Even wisteria vine, when we go through an intense period of heat, sometimes we get a secondary flush of blooms, not as heavy as the first one, but we do see that happening.

And we saw that this year on some lilacs, some dwarf lilacs, as well as wisteria here on the Niagara College campus.

In terms of pruning, the only thing i would suggest to you sometimes less is better than than heavy pruning but i personally like to prune them in very very late winter early spring or after they fully leaf out but what comes important is just it's a maintenance pruning it's check out the form anything that's crossing over that's rubbing against those become future problematic areas don't feel that you need to go through and do a lot of thinning unless you see some sign from the plant and it's declining often the more we cut, the more we invite pathogens and pests to get in.

So just be a little bit careful there.

It was fun.

Thank you.

That's Paul Zammit, a professor of horticulture and environmental studies at Niagara College, Ontario Today's regular gardening expert.

I'd like to say thanks again to Paul and to Alberta writer Tyler Dawson, who joined us in the first half hour of the show.

Let's see what else we have here.

There's going to be cheers, a craft beverage and food festival on Friday, October 16th at 3 p.m. in Niagara College.

Daniel Patterson Campus at 135 Taylor Road.

Doors open Niagara Falls.