Jordan Taylor and George Tsioutsioulas, Hosts Jordan Taylor Jordan loves to travel the globe in search of unique experiences. She's lived in five different countries, including the Cayman Islands where a large part of her broadcasting career unfolded. Since returning to Canada in 2001, Jordan has hosted television specials and appeared in numerous commercials. She's always been up for a challenge and this show hasn't disappointed her expectations. She's been able to try new opportunities that she may not have been able to try on other gigs. Hosting this show is a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it. Lucky for the show, they have Jordan! George Tsioutsioulas George is no stranger to television. For several years, he hobnobbed with the rich and famous while producing and hosting an entertainment segment called 'Nite Life' at Omni Television in Toronto - a gig that's a far cry from the manual labor he does on The Gardening Gamble today! Perhaps that's why he says co-hosting The Gardening Gamble is an experience he'll never forget But then again, George says that he's always up for new challenges and believes that one should fill their life with as many interesting experiences as possible. That philosophy isn't excluded from his personal life either; because when he's not working, you'll find him traveling. Some of his favourite destinations include Hong Kong, Denmark, Cuba and Venezuela. Being of Greek descent, Greece holds a special place in his heart, and he tries to visit friends and family there often.

For more information about hiring our landscape pros or booking our talent for appearances, please contact the publicist at JV Productions Inc. by calling (416) 907-3252 ext. 222.

Lorne Hogan - Carpenter This part-time actor/full time carpenter has owned and operated Canadian Classic Contracting for over 6 years. Lorne says he enjoys working on the Gardening Gamble because it gives him the opportunity to combine his love of hands-on work with meeting new people - especially beautiful women! New to us during our second season, Lorne has proved to be a fun and energetic addition to the crew. Reflecting on his contracting business, Lorne reminds us to choose a job you like, and you'll never work a day in your life! He says the Gardening Gamble fits the definition of what a "fun job" should be.

Chris Pinkerton - Carpenter Chris Pinkerton has owned and operated his contracting company “Overall Renovations” for 20 years. Married with 2 beautiful children, Kai & Carly, Chris enjoys being able to turn a client’s renovation dream into reality. He loves to use his hands as well as play with power tools and says the Gardening Gamble allows him the opportunity to explore the creative side of carpentry.

John-Mark Bouwmeister – Cedarock Landscaping Inc. / Greener Senses As a child, John was often found playing in the dirt or damning up local creeks to create waterfalls. With many great generations of gardeners ahead of him, John has his work cut out. “I really enjoy working in the landscape industry”, “I think I may have more kilometres on my wheelbarrow that I do on my truck.” John currently owns and operates Cedarock Landscaping and Greener Senses magazine.

Beth Edney – CLD – Designs By the Yard Inc. Beth is a Certified Landscape Designer. She has been running her own landscape design firm, Designs By the Yard Inc., for over ten years. She is an active member of Landscape Ontario. Her work has been featured on HGTV, W – The Woman’s Network and in numerous publications such as: Chatelaine, Reader’s Digest, the Toronto Star and the Toronto Sun. Beth’s background education is in art and architecture, as well as landscape architecture. Her gardens are always unique as she tries to reflect the homeowner’s personality and lifestyle in her designs.

Edgar Friars – Horticulturist Horticulturist Edgar Friars started gardening as a toddler, landscaping his own parent's property in New Brunswick. Today, Edgar produces and often hosts Mark Cullen's Garden show on radio, and has produced several Earth Alive series on Rogers, and was an Assistant Manager for Weall and Cullen for almost ten years. As a Canadian Certified Horticulture Technician, and assisted by his team at Upper Canada College , Edgar always brings his own flair to the landscape industry.

Ken And Linda Parker — Sweet Grass Gardens Ken and Linda Parker are co-owners of Sweet Grass Gardens, North America's first native-owned and operated Native plant nursery. Retail operations are located on Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation in Ontario, Canada. The Aboriginal couple have spent the past decade diligently working to restore, preserve and maintain pre-European plant species indigenous to North America. Their mission - "to preserve the history of North America and its First Nation people by encouraging the rediscovery and respect for our traditional Mother Earth". Their philosophy and gardening approach is simple - let the site dictate the plant material. Selecting the appropriate plant material for the space and hardiness zone will reduce plant stress, minimize watering, encourage a chemical free, natural garden for wildlife to enjoy.

Rena Hans, Camilla House Rena Hans manages and designs for a Home and Garden wholesale company called Camilla House - a leader in garden furnishings. The company designs and manufactures a range of Home and Garden furniture and accessories that are carried across North America. It is a Canadian company with showrooms in Toronto, Atlanta, New York and High Point. Rena manages the product development and marketing arm of the company and is instrumental in choosing and sourcing out new products from various suppliers in Vietnam, China, Indonesia, Philippines and India. Traveling twice a year to various shows in Europe and the Far East exposes Rena to upcoming trends in the market--and she tries to incorporate these trends in the designs that she does on The Gardening Gamble.

Michael Didulka, Didulka, Young & Associates With two decades of experience in the landscape profession, Toronto born Michael Didulka is the principal of Didulka, Young & Associates, an innovative, multi-disciplined landscaping firm, offering creative planning and design services to commercial, industrial and residential clientele. "I'm committed to marrying architecture with the environment in the creation of designs, which are functional and aesthetically pleasing", says Michael. Presently Michael is an Associate Member of the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects (OALA), and a graduate of Ryerson University's Landscape Architecture Program. In his spare time Michael can be found in front of his computer or drafting table, creating landscaping plans for family, friends and television.

Chris Chung, CMC Contracting Christopher Chung, owner and operator of CMC Contracting, graduated from Concordia University, LAC and Film Studies. His interest in Asian culture, aesthetics and philosophy influences his designs, from the minimalism of Zen Buddhism to the rustic Japanese Tea Garden. His approach to landscaping is characterized by a unique combination of art, meditative activity and cultural experience. In creating a harmonious environment, one can be physically and spiritually connected to the world around us.

Cathy Merklinger, PAYDIRT Designs Cathy Merklinger is a “designing” lady with a fine arts background from Waterloo University. She first pursued designing as a florist for Weall & Cullen Nurseries for 10 years. Her love of plants lead her to head back to school and earn her Certificate of Landscape Design from Ryerson Polytechnic University. She worked for several years as a Landscape Designer with Sheridan Nurseries before venturing out on her own. Her design company PAYDIRT Designs specializes in creating elegant, functional, “sanctuaries” for urban homeowners. When Cathy is not gardening or designing, she enjoys jazz music, traveling, playing tennis, hiking, kayaking, dance, swimming, or reading. A husband, 2 teenage daughters, a dog, a cat, fish and a hamster keep her spare time filled with laughter and fun !!