"Ed Lawrence is my favourite radio gardener. He has a way of making you feel confident that you can recover from your worst mistakes - if you just listen to his calm, knowledgeable advise!"
Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson
Former Governor General of Canada

Retired head gardener to six Canadian Governors General and Prime Ministers, more than two decades as phone-in “gardening guru” for CBC Radio’s “Ontario Today”, Ed Lawrence has provided practical, down-to-earth advice that has become the final word in gardening for more than half a million loyal listeners and fans. Now for the first time in print, Ed’s encyclopedic knowledge of the gardening world, including the many uses of his famous “40-parts water to 1-part soap” solution, are yours.

Gardening Expert Ed Lawrence Applauds Ontario Government’s Cosmetic Pesticide Ban
April 22, 2008
Ottawa

Ed Lawrence, author, retired chief horticulturalist at Rideau Hall and popular gardening expert, this morning declared his support for the Ontario Government’s decision to ban the use of harmful pesticides for cosmetic purposes in this province.

“I sincerely applaud Premier Dalton McGuinty and the Ontario government for their decision to protect the health and safety of the people, and particularly the children, of this province through this cosmetic pesticide ban. These dangerous poisons and chemicals are not essential to good gardening and never have been and the sooner people stop using them, the better it will be for both the ecology and our own health. All it takes are a few good, simple horticultural practices and some common, harmless household products like soap and water to maintain a healthy, attractive lawn and garden. This ban is great news the environment – its great news for all of us!” said Mr. Lawrence speaking from his home in Almonte this morning.

As the former chief horticultural expert at Rideau Hall, author of the best-selling book “Gardening Grief and Glory” and popular media gardening guru, Ed Lawrence has gained a solid reputation as the elder statesman of environmentally-responsible gardening. His simple, practical, and effective solutions to gardening problems and pests have consistently avoided the use of dangerous poisons and commercial pesticides. Soap and water, dormant oils, integrated pest management (ie. good bugs eating bad bugs), even the use of beer in small bowls to eliminate slugs from your garden are among the benign remedies that Ed has used and promoted over his many years as both a media gardening celebrity and in the greenhouses and gardens of the Governor General.

“The most respected gardeners I know tend to avoid the use of harmful pesticides like the plague. And the joy of it is, you don’t have to be a horticultural specialist to make plants grow well and stay healthy without dangerous pesticides. To anyone who sees this ban as the death knell of their showcase garden, I’d say “don’t worry”. There are simple, benign alternatives to these poisons and they do work. You’ll be amazed!”