Kim Toscano

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Gardeners will most likely need to lime their lawn at some point. Lime is a soil amendment used to increase the soil’s pH, making it less acidic. When soil pH is too low, many lawn grass species cannot make use of nutrients in the soil, including those added through fertilizer. Liming your lawn enhances nutrient availability, which promotes healthy root and leaf growth. However, not all lawns require liming. Get to know the species of grass in your lawn as well soil characteristics to determine if your lawn needs liming.

Winter in the South can be hard on plants. Fluctuating temperatures, sporadic freezes, and winter winds all take their toll on the garden. Some plants need a little extra protection to make it through cold snaps. Don’t wait until the weatherman predicts a freeze. Learn how to keep plants warm in winter and take steps now to prepare your garden.

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Not all plants sleep through the winter months. Cool season annuals thrive when the temperature drops. Annuals are inexpensive, providing an easy way to add months of color to the garden. As summer blooms fade, give your garden a face lift with these cool season annuals for winter gardens.

The Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) is a low maintenance houseplant and a popular holiday gift beloved for its stunning blooms. Christmas cacti naturally flower following the rainy season in their native habitat, but we can trick our indoor plants to bloom by altering their growing environment. By adjusting temperatures and limiting the amount of light your Christmas cactus receives, you can encourage plants to bloom. And once you know how to make a Christmas cactus bloom, you can coax it into flowering at different times of the year.

It’s easy to feel helpless in the face of unprecedented drought, water restrictions, and soaring temperatures—but we gardeners are not powerless. With careful planning we can create beautiful, drought-resilient gardens that thrive no matter what the weather may bring. And by applying water-conservation techniques in our backyards, we not only lessen our dependency on supplemental water but also help to preserve and protect natural waterways downstream.  

Autumn does not mark the end of the growing season, there are still plenty of blooms to keep your garden looking fabulous. And fall is a great time to plant perennials. Stop by your local garden center—you are likely to find fall-blooming perennials overlooked during spring shopping. Trees and shrubs tend to steal the spotlight in autumn as their foliage takes on radiant hues, but there is still plenty of color to be found in the flower garden. In fact, perennials that bloom in the fall can augment autumn leaves, drawing the color down to eye level. All those warm foliage colors provide the perfect backdrop for autumns blooms. Picture purple asters blooming against the jewel-toned foliage of stewartia. Or golden sunflowers set against a blaze of fiery sumac. With these fabulous perennials that bloom in the fall, you can find the perfect blooms to pair throughout the autumn garden.

We have all heard the saying “Fall is for Planting,” but this adage does not hold true for all plants. Autumn is an excellent time to establish many trees, shrubs, and perennials, thanks to cooler temperatures and more frequent rains. These conditions put less stress on plants as they establish their root systems. Yet despite these advantages, not all plants benefit from fall planting. As the autumn weather draws you back into the garden it’s important to consider which plants you should never plant in fall.

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Border plants play an essential role in unifying gardens. They are used to delineate space and accentuate the lines of a landscape, including planting beds and pathways. Border plants bridge the gap between the floor plane of a garden and its plantings, creating a more finished look. The best border flowers for your garden include annuals and perennials that complement their surroundings while guiding the eye through the landscape.

We’ve assembled the best year-round plants for pots to keep your porch and patio looking their best no matter the season. Broadleaf and needled evergreens seamlessly carry containers from one season to the next, while flowering shrubs and perennials add pops of color throughout the year–including winter! And blooms are not the only source of color. From vibrant purple foliage to radiant variegation, these pot-sized beauties shine in a range of hues. Pot up a bold specimen or layer several varieties together for gorgeous containers all year long.

Fences might make good neighbors, but they render a boring view. When it comes to creating privacy, why not go green? Plants are perfect for space-making in the landscape, whether you want to establish a solid wall of separation or create a more subtle sense of seclusion. And unlike fences, plants have a soft touch in the landscape, adding texture and color to your garden rooms. The best plants for privacy include a mix of shrubs, vines, and tall grasses that complement your garden aesthetics while screening views.

Eucalyptus is a versatile plant in the home and garden. Houseplant enthusiasts adore the fragrance it brings to the home. In the landscape, eucalyptus makes a striking accent with gorgeous foliage and colorful bark. Eucalyptus plants are easy to care for and can be grown in containers, maintained as a shrub, or allowed to mature into a tree. They are often trained as a standard.