Gardeners Ideas, Tips & Guides

Evergreen trees can positively enrich your garden’s appearance thanks to their ability to look amazing all year round. Moreover, evergreens offer much-needed shelter for birds and other animals in the cold winter months. They also come in a variety of sizes to suit your preferences. The smaller ones work great for gardens with limited space, while the larger trees are excellent for screening.

Expert gardeners may have spent more than half a century developing their skills but you are never to old to start, nor are you too old to learn easier and simpler ways to enjoy your gardening. Bending and kneeling may get a bit harder as you age but there are ways to overcome mobility restrictions like padded kneelers with good handles.

Flush with cash reserves and a conservative spending policy, poor gardeners and horticultural workers should be able to feel some comfort. In a recent mailing I was solicited to donate £25, £50 or £100 in addition to supporting the (expensive) product catalogue. This request wont germinate and bear fruit with me until they are more down to earth and do more for the horticultural workers and families.

Georg Arends was a German nurseryman who bred many perennial plants. His business was successful until the second world war and has been regenerated to be one of the oldest in Europe. It still remains within the Arends family.

Gardeners are keen on offspring in the garden when they come from their own propagation. That may not always be the case with grandchildren except in controlled circumstance. Grandma saw a youngster eating a slug and rather than be critical asked ‘what does that taste like?’ After a pause the kid replied ‘worms’.

THE FROGBOYS CAN’T BELIEVE IT, EITHER: Another warm-weather season is drawing to a close, and with it the “everybody into the pool” mindset that pretty much sums it up around here will be traded for something involving snowsuits, not swimsuits. Everywhere I look this week, there’s a frogboy on the edge of the colder reality ahead.

I HAVE NEVER had a pair of boots that wasn’t hunter green or just plain black, but the madcap, cotton-lined, waterproof boots from Oregon-based Jessica Swift (top left of top photo) made me smile—and $5 from each pair sold will go to helping Charity: Water, a non-profit bringing clean drinking water to developing nations. The boots’ creator runs a new one-woman, crowd-funded business, and inside each boot is as brightly patterned as outside—plus Jessica has added a positive message like “this is the moment—your moment” to the lining, too.  Not sure what my dairy-farming neighbors will think if I show up in these babies at the Post Office or General Store, but maybe I’ll take a walk on the wild side and find out. Happy feet, anyone?gold standard: hose of my dreamsEVERYONE WHO VISITS the garden on Open Days wants one: a super-lightweight, drinking-water-safe, beautifully colored hose (many hues to choose from, including olive and cranberry, shown above, and purple and more). No more dragging around heavy, kinked-up traditional hoses for me the last few years, since I found the made-in-America ones from Water Right Inc., an Oregon-based family business.stocking-

I SAY THANK YOU to the University of Chicago Press for investing in “Weeds of North America” (above) by Richard Dickinson and France Royer. The Canadian authors have created a massive work (800 pages paperbound) covering 500 of the continent’s pest plants, including aquatics. Key ID tips include not just flower and foliage photos, but also images of seeds and seedlings.This serious reference volume illuminates other reasons to consider the plants as pests, beyond the space they steal from natives. Such traits include toxicity to livestock (like milk thistle) or transmitting a disease to a valuable crop (like barberry does w

George Coombs managed the Trial Gardens at Mt. Cuba Center native plant garden and research facility in Delaware. In past conversations, George–who in 2019 was promoted to Mt. Cuba’s Director of Horticulture–has helped me make our way through the daunting selections of Heuchera, Monarda, and Baptisia. George and the trial garden team spent three years evaluating 94 different sun-loving selections of Phlox for eye and butterfly appeal and mildew resistance, plus 43 shade-garden choices, too.  Read along as you listen to the February 26, 2018 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe to all future editions on iTunes or Stitcher (and browse my archive of podcasts here).phlox q&a with george coombsQ. Whenever one of your reports arrives I feel very lucky to

SOMETIMES IT’S THE PLANT WE BOUGHT (as in “wrong plant, wrong place,” above); other times the cause of our gardener’s lament-bordering-on-shame is a little trickier, more the stuff you’d have to sort out by the 50-minute hour, on the couch. Over the years Andre Jordan, my doodling friend, has reminded me of more than just a few of my horticulturally induced regrets, including these:

What special innovation in technique, exceptional plants, or flair with color or design did each of those 40 hand down to the rest of us? Matthew Biggs’s book is loaded with their garden wisdoms, and also with the charming tale of each luminary and how they got to the garden in the first place.Matthew, who trained at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is the author of various earlier books including “The Complete Book of Vegetables,” and is a regular presenter on BBC Radio 4’s “Gardene

I’M UP TO MY NECK in “stuff,” which means my filter for any purchases these days—whether for myself or for holiday gifting, even—is all about their utility factor. Does the item in question really do something for me, and do it really well? The things on my 2017 holiday-shopping list meet that mandate.

I had to shut up and turn the mic over to Ken, an award-winning garden author and photographer of more books than I can count or apparently write myself. And he began (jokingly) like this:Ken: “Hello and welcome to ‘A Way to Garden. I’m your visiting host, Ken Druse. I’m the author of, as someone said, soon to be 20 books on gardening, and our guest, our special guest today is someone who is familiar to all listeners to the radio show and the podcast and visitors to Margaret

I’M UP TO MY NECK in “stuff,” which means my filter for any purchases these days—whether for myself or for holiday gifting, even—is all about their utility factor. I’m the kind of person who gives my favorite mousetrap as a stocking stuffer, even. (Not always a crowd-pleaser at first but once they use it…converts!) My test: Does the item really do something for me, and do it really well? The things on my 2018 list meet that mandate.

For this easy wind chime DIY, the supplies will come from your kitchen: a teapot, small plate, serving and a few teaspoons. For the directions, click here. Also, check out these wind chime ideas.

Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could make liquid fertilizer from vegetable and fruit scraps? Well, now you can. This DIY organic fertilizer recipe will teach you how to do it.

Give an outdoor learning experience to your kids with this practical chalkboard idea. Gather your materials and follow this tutorial.

Privacy is highly valued when it comes to our homes. Regardless of whether you reside next to a busy road or in a terraced townhouse, privacy hedges can be highly beneficial for the garden. Hedges are an excellent option for achieving privacy while also providing a favourable environment for wildlife.

These Container Gardening Arrangements can make your entryway, patio, balcony, rooftop, and backyard stand out dramatically! Check out these arrangements that we have put together, keeping in mind their low-maintenance nature!

Have you always eyed those expensive tall planters that will flank your front door? Well, this DIY shows you how to get the same look with plain terra cotta pots stacked to achieve a compact structure that is sure to add character to your home.

There can be times for any gardener when everything can just seem depressing, frustrating, and simply too much work. But gardening is so amazing and can give us (and the environment) so much—it is important not to let our negative feelings get in the way of a good thing. 

Starting a new herb garden can be a wonderful introduction to growing your own food. It is great for novice cooks and culinary masterminds alike since it can provide easy access to a range of fresh herbs throughout the summer and potentially all year round. 

How many times as a gardener have you come across ideas that have become so entrenched that they are difficult to argue against? 

The GardenAdvice sunflower competition is an event that invites participants under 16 years old to submit their best drawings, paintings, or photographs of sunflowers for a chance to win the competition.

Does your mom love flowers and plants? We've put together a Mother's day gift guide with some great garden-related gift ideas we think she'll love! From pretty to practical, this list has you covered. Scroll on to find unique gifts and special offers from a few of our favorite companies.Create a wishlist to sendWant to create a wishlist to send with garden gifts you might like? Click the checkbox next to each item below in the gift guide you might like

Indulge in new plants for the garden and discover recently launched tools, kit and botanically influenced home accessories.

Anything grown in a pot can give your house a little bit of greenery. But can you imagine the beauty a greenhouse and the best greenhouse plants can add to your homestead?

Explore the world of DIY container water gardens and bring nature’s serenity into your home. With these creative ideas, you can transform everyday containers into peaceful aquatic oases, perfect for growing water-loving plants.

With the help of these Really Clever Window Herb Garden Ideas for City Gardeners, you will be able to grow organic supplies for your kitchen, that too in a tiny space, for fresh and flavorful taste in cuisines!

For this recycled garden marker idea, you’ll need can lids, forks, and a few other items. Check out the instructions here!

When it comes to gardening, there are many ideas that you can try! Keeping that in mind, we bring you some really amazing DIY Picture Frame Ideas For Gardeners, which is going to add a lot of appeal to your yard!

Select a strong basket that can handle your weight. Choose the one with low height, so that you and your kids can easily step onto it.

Empty a 1/2 gallon milk jug and clean it properly. Make sure to choose a jug that has a handle and a plastic lid.

Morning glories are the radish of the flowering vine family, easy to grow and fast, to boot.Most of the types of common morning glory, or Ipomoea p

Growingherbs is easy but making sure they have the best taste, thrive well, and maintain the rich flavor can be tricky. To help you, we bring you the best kept Herb Growing Secrets Only Experienced Gardeners Know!

Watch this YouTube video tutorial to learn how to make these awesome strawberry planters out of kitty litter buckets!

If you think revamping your porch will be a hefty deal, you’re getting it wrong. Here are some Cheap Patio Ideas for Budget Gardeners you must check out!