Ground Ideas, Tips & Guides

If you spend a lot of time out in the garden it's smart to have the skills to identify the different types of bees—plus wasps and other insects that mimic bees—that you're most likely to encounter.

Chances are, you’ve got mixed conditions in your garden. One area might be in full sun, while another spot a bit farther away is in full shade. Even beds that have the same exposure on paper may have larger plants that shade out the ground below. This presents a challenge for developing a cohesive look within a landscape. As gardeners, we’ve been taught that repetition is one of the tenets of good garden design. But how can one repeat groupings of a plant throughout a border that stretches from bright light to dappled shade? The answer is by utilizing plants that are highly adaptable and will thrive in both sun and shade. In today’s episode we’re singing the praises of these flexible species. They are invaluable assets to the landscape and, as a bonus, will hold their own when the light conditions of a garden inevitably change over time.    

If you love something, make it flat—that’s how the saying goes, right? When it comes to flat croissants, at least, that’s definitely the case. We all know (and love) the classic flaky croissant, but bakeries and home chefs have taken the pastry to new heights (or lows?) by flattening it and frying it to make it even crispier.

Anthony Masterson

We design gardens in northwestern Connecticut’s Litchfield Hills, and many of our clients’ properties have sections that are rocky and steep. Embracing the unique contours of each site, we have built rock gardens, terraces, and plantings that flow downhill. We see each hillside as an opportunity to put together a satisfying plant palette that is easy to maintain and beautiful to behold. A bonus with slopes is that they provide good drainage by their very nature.

Which common bird made its nest underneath this cucumber plant?

Cucumbers are among the most popular crops for home gardeners. They’re easy to grow and just a handful of vines can provide enough cucumbers for fresh eating from mid-summer through late fall. But proper cucumber plant spacing can mean the difference between healthy, productive plants and disease ridden, low yielding ones. Let’s take a look at how far apart to plant cucumbers based on your growing technique and the method you use to plant them. Why properly spacing cucumber plants matters Before we dive into the details on proper plant spacing for cucumbers, let’s take a

Want to show a little love to your local bees with an easy-care lawn? You don’t have to keep bees to create an environment that helps them thrive. Bee lawns are a great way to improve the look and care of your yard while also helping bees.

If you don't have a green thumb, are in an environment that’s hard on plants, or are just tired of gardening, you might want to look into a garden that isn’t alive at all. Rock gardens are trending (especially in hot, desert planting zones) as a way to design your garden with little or no greenery required. 

If you buy your garden border plants from the people who grow them, you’ll benefit from their expert advice and knowledge.

Shangri-La Paris

Bridgerton is coming to Chelsea this month, as Netflix makes its debut at the flower show, with a garden themed around its popular TV show. First time Chelsea designer Holly Johnston has created a garden based on the personal journey of the show’s main character, Penelope Featherington. The Bridgerton Garden is part of the Sanctuary Gardens area at the show.

Harvesting lettuce is not always like snipping off the entire plant the moment you see the leaves plump and full. To make sure you let the plant stay to provide you more leaves, there’s an art to cutting its leaves and this is where we come to help you!

Ground cover plants are low-growing plants that spread easily to cover areas where nothing much wants to grow.

Q: I am trying to grow a herb garden in a raised corner bed of my garden, where rhubarb is already going well every year. However, my neighbour’s cat has decided this is his litter tray and try as I might I can’t deter him and his friends from dropping in. I have used catsaway gel pellets and plastic water bottles to no avail. It is killing all my herbs and I really don’t want to grow edibles in this space currently. Any advice would be much appreciated. FD, Dublin

Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) are among the most popular herbs for home gardeners to grow. They are easy to plant and care for, and since they are a hardy perennial, they return to the garden year after year. The fragrant and flavorful leaves of the chive plant are delicious to people, but the deer and rabbits leave them alone. To add yet another benefit, chive flowers are a favorite nectar source for many of the pollinators who also help pollinate other edible crops. Learning how to harvest chives for use in the kitchen is key to enjoying this easy-to-grow herb. Let’s take a look at several different ways to harvest chives for both fresh use and for preservation. The best time to harvest chives Before we get to the information on how to harvest chives, it’s important to understand

The Reform Club

There are many plants that look like mushrooms, but are actually not. We’ve got info on all of these mushroom look-alikes and how you can identify them.

After summer's scorching heat, autumn's cooler temps signal it's time to plant spring-blooming bulbs. They may not offer instant gratification, but with minimal effort, fall-planted bulbs will provide vibrant post-winter blooms well worth the wait. 

People are generally not sure what agave is? Most consider it a desert succulent, some take it as a cactus, and others have absolutely no clue about it! Well, let’s take a wrap off this mystery!

Thinning seedlings is the best way to promote better growth and allowing the healthier and fitter ones to survive. Lets learn about this art in detail below!

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From how much sunlight it needs, to when to water the growing medium, here are some essential purple heart plant care tips that will keep it in the best shape!

Georgia has many different red mushrooms, growing on the ground or trees and having all kinds of shapes and sizes. We’ll help you distinguish these properly.

Q: My garden is suffering very badly from snail and slug damage this spring after all the wet weather. Are there any plants that they don’t like to eat that you could recommend?

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If you're dealing with an awkwardly shaped room in your home and are coming up short on how to best arrange furniture within the space, professional interior designers are here to help.

Martha Stewart is the queen of many things: cooking, baking, decorating, aging with style, being best friends with Snoop Dogg, and, of course, gardening. She has written books on gardening and consistently notes that April is a great month for getting to work on your vegetable garden.

An effective approach to weed removal begins with accurately detecting and identifying various types of unwanted plants in your garden. From dandelions to thistles, each weed requires a specific approach. Take the time to familiarise yourself with the characteristics of weeds growing in your area. This enables you to apply targeted strategies and prevent them from further spreading.

Matthew Horwood / Getty Images

Wondering what to harvest in April? There’s a fair few things to gather this month, from fresh veggies to forced fruits. Here are just a couple of examples to harvest now or very soon!

Can You Grow Star Jasmine as a Hedge?

It’s often said that making a garden teaches all kinds of valuable life lessons, from the importance of patience and the virtue of persistence, to a recognition of the fleeting nature of time and the bittersweet beauty and resilience of the natural world.

Etsy just released a brand new report for shoppers—this year, it’s the brand’s first time highlighting spring and summer design trends (though they've already taken a peek into holiday aesthetics and predicted 2024 design trends).

5 Reasons Your Clematis May Fail to Bloom

A couple of years ago I had an exhausting spring planting season. I started everything from pansies to parsley from seed, and for weeks all I did was run from one windowsill to another with a watering can.I worried constantly about damping off disease. After I put the seedlings outside to harden off, I brought them back in again on stormy nights. Finally, when the last little peat pot was safely stowed in the ground, I resolved never to buy another seed packet again.