Gardenig in county Garden. Tips & Guides

Today we’re visiting with Rachel, a gardener and artist living in Elgin, Illinois (Zone 5b). She moved in 2022 to 1.5 acres and is in the process of designing and planting a fabulous front garden. She’s also diving into forest restoration for the back half-acre—making it beautiful for wildlife and her kiddos.

A few weeks ago, frequent GPOD contributor Cherry Ong took us along on her visit to Bellevue Botanical Garden in Bellevue, Washington (GPOD on the Road: Bellevue Botanical Garden) but she sent too many photos to share that day, so we’re going back today to see some more of the beautiful images of this inspiring public garden.

Several times a year a visitor to our garden is shocked to find a rogue steak knife pierced downward in one of the beds, as if it were an escapee from our kitchen knife block. I’m always quick to tell them that it’s indeed where I meant to place it, and that I haven’t found any tool as great as a serrated knife when it comes to removing grass or root systems. It’s perfect for edging small areas or pulling up entire sheets of grass; all I have to do is start on one side and pull up as I carefully saw back and forth. It can be a cheap purchase from a thrift store—or in my case, the way I finally convinced my husband that we needed a new set of kitchen knives.

Today we’re in Portland, Oregon, visiting with Zeah.

Moss campion plant (Silene acaulis) is a rock garden plant native to the Arctic tundra and high mountains of Europe and North America. In the U.S., it is confined to the Western mountains and New England, particularly Maine and New Hampshire. Its mat-forming, evergreen foliage is found tucked away in elevations too high for trees to grow, with harsh winters and short summers. While it cannot survive in the shade, it prefers moist soil.

Here are key autumn garden tips plus 7 top suggestions of plants to plant now.

We’re in Holland, Michigan, today visiting Terri Holden’s beautiful garden.

Arianne gardens in a small city lot in chilly Minneapolis (Zone 4B) and fills her space with an abundance of beautiful flowers. Even more impressively, she grows many of her plants herself from seed.

Arianne is letting us into her beautiful garden today.

As the seasons start to change, now is the perfect time to take a trip to your nearest garden. Enjoy a long walk and catch the very last of late summer, while watching leaves turn amber and gold. Make sure to use your 2-for-1 Gardens card on your visit to ensure you’re making savings on your day out.

Fall is a beautiful time to explore Bedrock Gardens in Lee, New Hampshire, one of New England’s newest public gardens. The 30-acre property was historically a farm and more recently the home garden of artist Jill Nooney and her husband, Bob Munger. Over the course of three decades the couple built trails, garden rooms, water features, and structures that provide visitors with a unique and immersive woodland adventure. With sculptural elements and installations sited throughout the landscape, there are surprises at every turn.  

Ever watched a praying mantis silently stalk its prey, blending seamlessly into its environment like a ninja in the wild? These insects are masters of disguise, acrobats of the insect world, and each species carries its own set of jaw-dropping traits. You might be surprised to learn that there are hundreds of different types, each with its own unique behaviors, hunting tactics, and stunning coloration. Get ready to venture into the captivating realm ofDifferent Types of Praying Mantises—where mystery, beauty, and predation coalesce into one incredible insect world.

Today we’re in Raleigh, North Carolina, visiting with John Matthews.

On the hunt for the ultimate garden centre or service in the UK? It's not just about jazzing up your garden – it's all about crafting your very own green paradise! 

Those stubborn cracks and gaps in your garden pathway, walls, or rocky outcrops look really bad with dirt and muck accumulating in them. What if we told you that these challenging spaces are actually opportunities for a unique garden aesthetic? Prepare to unlock a new dimension in gardening as we reveal the perfect Plants for Cracks and Crevices to turn these so-called ‘problem areas’ into miniature gardens brimming with charm and character!

John Pyle | Design: Better Homes & Gardens

Imagine transforming a common item into a powerful ally against stubborn plant diseases, soil pathogens, and even unwanted weeds. Ready to discover how you can wield bleach as your secret gardening weapon? Keep reading to discover some amazing Bleach Uses in the Garden and elevate your green thumb game to a whole new level.

The title of this article may sound absurd to you, and if you’re offended–you may declare that we’re posting rubbish content these days. You can even suggest us to change our Editor (We got a new editor recently). But believe it or not, human urine can be of great use in the garden.

If you look up garden ruins or follies in the dictionary, you will be told that they are ‘costly ornamental buildings with no practical purpose.’

Join us as we take a deep dive into the complex and sometimes controversial gardening topic of sustainability. This on-demand lecture series features four separate classes related to the overall theme. Each highly engaging session is modeled after a college course and is taught by a leading expert in the field. With each class you’ll receive not only in-depth instruction but also informative handouts to help you understand and visualize the concepts being discussed. Each class is offered on-demand, so you can view it at your leisure.

Have you just whipped up a delicious pumpkin pie, and now you’re left with a mound of pumpkin peels? Before you toss them into the compost or trash, hold on a minute! What if we told you that those discarded peels can actually work wonders in your garden? From enriching soil to warding off pests, pumpkin peels offer a treasure trove of benefits you’ve probably never imagined. Intrigued? Keep scrolling to unlock the secret potential of Pumpkin Peel Uses in Garden!

Friend of the GPOD Cherry Ong is taking us along today to visit Bellevue Botanical Garden in Bellevue, Washington.

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If you're after a completely free-to-enter garden to relax in and explore this summer, then Manchester's Ordsall Hall has it all — a gorgeous garden, a historic hall, and a lovely allotment. Everything at Ordsall is free to explore, making it a must-visit this season.  Want to find out more? Our team took a tour this summer to show you what Salford's oldest building has to offer.  The Gardens Ordsall Hall has lush sprawling grass to the front of the property… But to the back? This is where you can find their impressive time capsule garden.  The rear garden is designed in a traditional Tudor style knot, similar to what would have been grown back then. Rose bushes stand out among carefully pruned hedging. Lavender covers the flower beds.

Come for a visit to the South Carolina Botanical Gardens to see what’s in bloom!

Nasturtium flowers are loved for their colorful blooms and unique foliage. A valuable asset in both flower and vegetable gardens, nasturtiums are a tried-and-true companion plant. Though many growers first become interested in nasturtium’s edibility, they’re often delighted to find that it may also help to repel many common garden pests. This is believed to be the result of certain aromatic chemicals that are released from the plant throughout the growing season.

Do harmony and balance in an environment design bring the occupants peace and prosperity? The answer is yes according to the ancient Chinese art of Feng Shui. Using Feng Shui principles means arranging objects and space in your living space in a way that will accomplish these goals.

Wendy is sharing her beautiful garden with us today. We’ve visited her stunning garden before (Beauty From Wendy’s Garden).

If you're after a completely free-to-enter garden to relax in and explore this summer, then Manchester's Ordsall Hall has it all — a gorgeous garden, a historic hall, and a lovely allotment. Everything at Ordsall is free to explore, making it a must-visit this season.  Want to find out more? Our team took a tour this summer to show you what Salford's oldest building has to offer.  The Gardens Ordsall Hall has lush sprawling grass to the front of the property… But to the back? This is where you can find their impressive time capsule garden.  The rear garden is designed in a traditional Tudor style knot, similar to what would have been grown back then. Rose bushes stand out among carefully pruned hedging.

Prairie dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum) lines the roadside edge of our Piedmont Prairie Exhibit at the South Carolina Botanical Garden. This plant is towering over the grasses and other prairie plants at about 10 feet tall. At this time of year, mid to late August, it is in full flower. The spray of yellow flowerheads at the head of the bare, tall stems is stunning against the blue summer sky. Each composite flower is about 2 – 2 ½ inches across, and each plant will flower for about a month. Today, when I left work, the flowers were covered in eastern swallowtail butterflies dancing in the breeze. Other pollinators are also attracted to the blooms, which are held high above the competing vegetation. Long-tongued bees, many small bees, hoverflies, and hummingbirds are all regular visitors. Goldfinches and probably other small birds and mammals are attracted to the seeds.

After a summer of volatile weather, gardens up and down the country blossomed and bloomed — often with weeds more than plants.

Evening is the best time to relax after a routine day’s work. Besides relaxing in the garden, you can do productive and interesting tasks that will result in a beautiful place to relish a great cup of coffee. So, if you are thinking about What to do in  Garden in the Evening, have a look at the following innovative pointers below!

Subscribers to BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine can collect one free Gardeners’ World Guide, choosing fromGrow Your Own, Gardening For Wildlife and Your Happy House Plants, each worth £7.99, at the BBC Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair, on Friday-Sunday, 1-3 September 2023, at Audley End House and Gardens, Essex.

Today we’re visiting Paula Brown’s beautiful garden in Ottawa, Ontario.

Even if annual plants are not quite your thing, I think you may find Osteospernum purple sun hard to resist.

In Jade Pearls and Alien Eyeballs I talk about the journeys plants have made with us – crisscrossing the globe and leaving Earth entirely for missions in space.