Mulching Ideas, Tips & Guides

Perfecting your garden is a process of trial and error. And sometimes, when you’re in the thick of it, it’s nice to call in an expert for some sage advice or words of encouragement.

Green leaves are the energy engines that fuel our gardens. Without them there would be no flowers, no sugars for summer tomatoes, and no cooling or oxygenating the air while growing the mighty trees that give landscapes a sense of time and permanence. A gardener’s admiration of leaves can quickly fade, however, when faced with brown leaves blanketing everything from azaleas to annuals, and patios to pools. Leaves are suddenly a problem, something to manage—in other words, work.

Do you have small black flies living in your house plant compost? Or hovering around your house plants? These are fungus gnats, also known as house plant flies and sciarid flies. They’re mostly harmless – adult gnats cause little or no harm to plants, but they can become a nuisance in the home. Their tiny worm-like larvae live in the top 5-8cm of compost, where they feed on algae, fungi and plant roots. Healthy house plants usually tolerate this minor root damage, but the larvae can harm seedlings or weak plants.

Veronicastrum (Veronicastrum virginicum) is a hardy, herbaceous perennial that has been in garden cultivation for hundreds of years but has only gained popularity in the last couple of decades, thanks to a revival of naturalistic planting styles. Its vertical branching stems are excellent for architectural impact in sunny borders, and its long tapering blooms, made up of many tiny flowers, are a magnet for insects.

If you've just embraced the beauty and magic of starting a homegrown garden, then you know there's lots to learn… and mistakes to make. From overwatering to underwatering, not planting the right companion plants, failing to remove weeds or pesky pests, anything and everything is bound to happen when you start your own garden.

When it comes to accomplishing a home project, it can be tempting to call a pro—and in many cases, it’s a must.

Extremely high temperatures during a heatwave can place many plants under so much stress that they may or may not recover. The stress also leaves them vulnerable to plant diseases and pests.

How to Encourage Chrysanthemums to Bloom Abundantly

There is no way to sugarcoat the challenges many of us in the Mid-Atlantic region have faced this summer. The inconsistency of rainfall and the extreme high temperatures have greatly impacted our efforts to garden successfully. Even with valiant efforts to apply supplemental irrigation, I have witnessed a wide range of plant material showing signs of drought stress that I have rarely witnessed in my 15-plus years of gardening in this region. To say it is cause for concern would be an understatement. As a result, in the last few months I have been repeatedly asked how we can prepare our beloved gardens to reduce heat and moisture stress for future growing seasons. One answer to this conundrum is to add organic matter to the soil in the form of compost.

Early autumn is a great time to enjoy the colour and beauty of late-flowering perennials, such as dahlias and asters, while also planning ahead for winter and spring. Borderline hardy plants benefit from protection in preparation for colder weather and tender potted plants like pelargoniums will need to be brought under cover if early frosts are forecast. Many spring-flowering bulbs can be planted over the next few weeks, and bare-root shrubs and trees ordered, ready to be planted in the garden from November onwards.

With fall just around the corner, it's easy to forget about your garden you've been tending to all summer long. And while you may be thinking it's not even worth it to keep your garden thriving for the fall, it's actually easier than you may think!

Acers are beautiful ornamental trees that come in an array of colours and sizes. To properly care for your Acer, there are some common issues that can arise such as leaf scorch, fungal diseases, and pests. Here are our guides for combatting these Acer issues.

When gardening and landscaping, having the right tools can make all the difference. For moving mulch, compost, plants, or clippings efficiently from one area to another, you need a great wheelbarrow. After all, owning one of thebest wheelbarrowshelps make it possible to grow beautiful flowers or delicious edibles! With so many options to choose from, we know that selecting the best wheelbarrow can be overwhelming. That’s why we put together a list of our favorite wheelbarrows, ones we still love after years of use and that we know will help make your time spent in the garden easier and more efficient. Our Top Picks: Our Favorite Wheelbarrow: True Temper Wheelbarrow – $219.99 at Amazon What Other Gardeners

While home gardeners are often plagued with too much sunshine during the dog days of summer, downpours are another thing to be concerned about.

The plants recommended in this article are very heat tolerant, but even the best-adapted plants need a little extra care when extreme heat strikes. Since heat can stress plants, and stress can lead to further problems, reducing that stress is paramount. Here are some ways to keep plants thriving through very high temperatures.

It’s unsettling when an earwig scuttles across your floor with its fearsome-looking pinchers. But spotting one doesn’t mean you necessarily a huge problem. “Earwigs typically are occasional invaders,” says Faith Oi, PhD, entomologist and extension professor at theUniversity of Florida. “If you see one in your home, it’s lost and wandering around looking for food or shelter. They’re not normally found in large numbers indoors.”

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Let’s face it: Mulching isn’t a glamorous job. It’s dusty, dirty, and can be downright backbreaking. But despite all the effort involved in the task, mulching your vegetable garden properly at the start of the growing season pays big dividends as the weeks progress. With a 2- to 3-inch-thick layer of mulch in place, trips to the shed for a hoe, cultivator, or hand weeder become few and far between; the hose stays coiled on its reel; veggie roots remain insulated from temperature extremes; and soil-borne fungal spores stay far away from plant leaves. There’s no doubt that the benefits of mulch are many, but the truth is that not all mulches perform the same.

Some horticulturists might have trouble choosing a favorite evergreen tree. Not me. If you ask, I won’t hesitate to tell you the evergreen tree I adore above all others is the weeping Alaskan cedar. Botanically known most commonly as Chamaecyparis nootkatensis (or occasionally by its newer genus, Xanthocyparis), this tree is a winner in every sense of the word. I’d like to tell you more about the weeping Alaskan cedar in hopes that you’ll fall in love with it, too. What is a weeping Alaskan cedar? One look at this beautiful tree and it’s easy to see why so many people adore it. The texture of

First impressions matter, and that's why having a welcoming, well-designed landscape is a priority for many homeowners. But, trying to keep up with extravagant setups and perfectly manicured lawns can feel impossible, both in terms of time and money.

You've worked hard to create a garden that's expecting a bountiful harvest, but you've also worked hard to go on a much needed vacation. The last thing you want to happen is to come home to dead plants and a garden that's long past reviving, so how do you ensure your plants stay healthy and thriving while you're away? We spoke to an expert for their professional take on the things you should do to your garden before going on vacation so you come home to happy, healthy plants.

These brownish-yellow protective layers of rice grains are a natural, toxin-free help in your garden. Our guide will help you uncover their uses and make the most of them.

Q: Our 25-year-old Aloha rose has failed to bloom again this season. It used to be in full bloom throughout the month of June. Can you recommend any treatment to restore it to its former glory? A Forsyth

Tomatoes are a favorite crop for many home gardeners, and even beginner gardeners can have success when growing their very first tomato plant. But if you really want to improve your tomato-growing skills and see bigger and better yields than ever before, I’m going to let you in on a few “trade secrets”. As a former organic market farmer, I’ve had lots of experience growing thousands of tomato plants over the years. As a result, I’ve put together a list of 12 tomato growing secrets to use in your home garden for healthier plants, bigger yields, and less work. 12 Tomato Growing Secrets While some of these tomato growing secrets involve tomato planting tips and soil health, others are foc

There’s nothing like the clean lines of freshly cut grass. But, what if we told you skipping your final step of bagging those grass clippings can actually help you grow lusher, thicker grass—and at no additional cost to you? Allowing your mower to leave behind grass clippings can have a variety of benefits for your lawn.

One of the most satisfying gardening jobs is laying mulch for the first time. When done well, it creates an instantly defined, crisp appearance to your garden beds, and can make any landscaped area look polished and beautiful. 

Temperatures are expected to be higher than ever this summer, with record-breaking heatwaves already hitting the Southwest United States. You might be prepared with ways to beat the heat, but what about your garden? 

With hot temperatures rising across the country this year, this summer is the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. These insects look for hot and humid conditions—and they’re likely to find these conditions in more places than usual this year.

Garlic is one of my favorite vegetables to grow. I love that I get two harvests from the bulbs I plant in the fall. The first harvest, because I plant hardneck garlic, is the long, loopy garlic scape. Then a few weeks later, I pull the garlic bulbs to dry and store through the fall and winter. In this article, I’m going to share tips on trimming the scapes, as well as when to harvest garlic. I usually spread my garlic crop out over a couple of my raised beds. If I still need space, I’ll pop a few extra here and there i

Using leaf mulch in the garden is one of the best ways to build soil, reduce weeds, retain moisture, and insulate plants. Plus, you can turn mulched leaves into leaf mold which saves money on buying compost and other soil amendments. In this article I’ll show you three easy ways to make leaf mulch and how to put it to work in your garden. What is leaf mulch? Leaf mulch is a layer of leaves applied to the soil surface around plants. It’s made from fallen leaves, whic

If you’re looking for recycled garden ideas, then this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show had them on almost every garden.

How to Identify and Manage 9 Pansy Pests

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For years I’ve heard the same refrain: You can’t have a good-looking garden that is also eco-friendly. It seems that many folks think native plants are too wild looking and that taking a lighter approach to garden cleanup or care will lead to a messy, unkempt landscape. I argue that there are small steps everyone can take to encourage greater biodiversity in their space, all while keeping it attractive.

Late spring is the perfect time to give your borders a little attention, in order to keep them in good shape throughout summer. At this time, there’s still room between plants to negotiate a way through, so you can access plants at the back of the border before everything grows and knits together.

ICYMI, sustainability is in this year, and unsustainable gardening practices are out. Not only are sustainable gardening practices more eco-friendly, but they are also more affordable and result in a low-maintenance and ecologically balanced landscape.