Mulching Ideas, Tips & Guides

Deutzias are easy to grow, hardy deciduous shrubs that make beautiful displays of massed pink or white flowers in early to mid-summer. Numerous small five-petalled cup or saucer shaped flowers are borne profusely in clusters or racemes along twiggy arching branches, contrasting with mid-green toothed-edged leaves.

Jasmines are evergreen or deciduous climbers with twining stems. They can be summer or winter flowering, with flowers that are white, yellow and occasionally red and pink.

As winter begins to focus in our rear-view mirror, you’ll start to see your garden change. If you have tender summer-flowering plants in your garden, it's time to start thinking about whether to lift and store them or protect them from the harsh clutches of winter.

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Mushrooms in the garden can be an unsettling sight, indicating changes in the soil and in growing conditions generally. While growing mushrooms is becoming more popular as a home interest, fungi can be unpleasant in gardens when they arrive out of nowhere. These unplanned garden guests can also be toxic, so you’ll want to remove them if you have curious children or pets.

Mahonias are woody evergreen shrubs and the best of them flower in winter. In the past, they were regarded as something to shove in the shady corner or, even more insultingly, as car park plants. But now – thanks to the demand for architectural foliage – they are having their moment in the sun... or, rather, their moment in light shade, which is where they prefer to be.

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.

For anyone looking to tackle big home renovation projects in 2024, now is the perfect time to pin down the details. Start by making your own list and checking it twice—noting which rooms or areas need a refresh, what your budget entails, and what style options toe the line between on-trend and timeless.

These ingenious Aluminum Foil Uses in the Garden make it a superhero! It’s not just for wrapping sandwiches; it’s like a multitasking wizard for your plants. Here is how you can use aluminum foil in your garden to grow seeds, ward off pests, and so much more.

When the festivities of Christmas come to an end, the question of What to Do with Dead Christmas Tree may arise. Instead of discarding it without a second thought, here are practical ideas to give your tree a meaningful afterlife.

Leave the leaves is the new gardening mantra.

If you hate raking your yard during the fall, you might be in luck. The appropriately named «Leave the Leaves» initiative says it’s better to avoid touching the leaves in your yard, instead leaving them to decompose naturally over the winter.

Peonies are a cherished addition to the home landscape. Long-lived and dependable, peony plants are prized for their gorgeous blooms and seasonal beauty. Despite their ease of growth, however, they need some special attention. This is especially true as temperatures begin to cool. How to care for them in the fall depends greatly upon the type of peony.

You may have noticed that the Rocky Mountain region—especially if you moved here from either coast or the South—is notably lacking in broadleaf evergreens. That is because these evergreens are more prone to burn from both winter sun and wind—as well as to suffer winter water loss—than deciduous woody plants or needled evergreens. As a result, gardeners in our region must select and site such woody plants more thoughtfully than gardeners in other regions. Of course, what we call “Rocky Mountain” is really more like two regions: one that reliably retains winter snow cover, and one that does not. The three broadleaf evergreen natives described here, however, do well in a variety of gardens and exposures.

With the flurry of the holidays bearing down upon us, now is the perfect time to make a list of winter garden tasks to accomplish over the coming months. I find that if I wait until the longest, dreariest part of the year is upon me, I lose sight of what needs doing to get the garden properly poised for the “on-season.” At this point, the garden may look like a sodden mess from the window. When there is a dry day and the sun is peeking through the clouds, it’s the perfect opportunity to rush outside and check some tasks off your winter to-do list. One of the most exciting things about spring is that it happens one day at a time, so if you are in the garden in the “off-season” you’ll get to see it unfolding. Here are some fall and winter garden tasks to do this month and throughout the three phases of winter.

Flowering cherry trees make a magnificent display of cherry blossom during spring when the branches are wreathed in pink or white flowers. Weeping types of cherry tree are ideal for small spaces as both the height and spread are limited, and so they make lovely specimen trees to grow in a lawn, a courtyard, or a border. Those which form an ‘umbrella’ of weeping branches are popular with small children to use as a natural playhouse. Flowering cherries belong to the large genus Prunus, and are deciduous. While flowers are their key ornamental feature, young leaves are often attractively bronzed in colour, then in autumn develop colourful tints before falling.

Do you want to support wildlife in your garden – but you don’t want a ‘wild’ looking garden? You’d like beautiful borders and gorgeous pots? Even, perhaps, a short neat lawn?

The mums in my garden have been deliberately planted because of the colorful, cheery blooms they unveil in late summer and early fall. Even though they signify an end to summer, I love that they stick around through the up-and-down weather of autumn. All of my plants have come from planting the potted mums I bought for fall arrangements and then dug into the garden before winter. In this article, I’m going to talk about when to cut back mums during the growing season and whether you should prune them after the blooms fade in fall or wait until spring.

Fall is a great time for garden chores. This is the time to clean up before winter, protect vulnerable plants, and wind down the growing season. This isn’t the right time for all tasks, though. Know what to do with your garden in the fall and what not to do — for instance, what plants should not be cut back in the fall — to best prepare it for next year.

In the fall, I saddle up my white steed, which happens to be a 2007 hatchback, toss in several plastic trash bags and a short-handled rake, and become the Leaf Ranger. I drive through subdivisions and neighborhoods in search of fallen leaves, determined to retrieve them so I can recycle them into my garden and landscape. Unlike the Lone Ranger who rode with Tonto, I have no faithful companion by my side. I don’t have any room. It’s just me and as many bags of leaves that I can fit into my car without hampering my ability to drive.

Fall is a great time of year to think ahead to a new plot, and sheet mulching can get you started on that vision. Though it can be done at any time of the year, autumn is ideal because the area will have a chance to break down over the winter. I’ve used this technique to create a garden in my backyard after digging up invasive plants, to establish pathways between raised beds, and to keep weeds out of a new area on my front lawn for galvanized raise beds. The process of sheet mulching enables you to put yard waste, like lawn clippings, fallen leaves, and wood chips, to good use. And by spring, you should have a diggable area, ready for plants.

The idea of keeping at least some of a garden natural and relatively uncultivated is growing in popularity. Even in traditionally well-manicured suburban enclaves, the concept is taking root.

Terrariums are an attractive way to display house plants and bring more greenery into your home.  They’re a great way to experiment with plants and a fun creative project if you love indoor gardening. There’s a wide range of terrariums available to buy ready made, but you can make your own using any clear glass jar or bowl you have available. Whether you’re making one for your own home or to give away as a gift, a terrarium can be made any time and will look good all year round. Closed terrariums can be fiddly to set up, so if you’re a beginner, try starting with an open terrarium as these are easier to plant and need less aftercare.

Glass gem corn is a stunning heirloom variety that can be grown for both ornamental and practical purposes. These tiny gemstone-like corns are not only edible, but you can also use them in crafts, and if you have kids, this is the perfect crop to involve them in gardening.

Are you wondering how to mulch with straw? Using an organic mulch in the garden is an easy way to reduce weeds and how often you need to water. Plus, straw is inexpensive, widely available, and enriches the soil as it breaks down. However it’s important to make sure you’re using the right amount of straw and applying it at the best time. Below I cover all the basics of how to mulch with straw and offer tips to ensure your success. Read on to learn how to put straw mulch to work in your garden.

In the autumn months it’s glorious to see the leaves turn from green through to golden brown but once they start to fall and cover our gardens, it’s a different matter. While those that settle on bare ground in the veg patch and in beds can be left to rot down to act as a mulch, piles of leaves on lawns, borders, paths and patios are best cleared away to prevent them becoming a hotbed for pests and diseases or creating a dangerously slippery surface once the wet weather arrives.

A lawn mower may be one of the first purchases we make when getting a garden of our own, but that doesn’t mean finding a good quality one is easy. There are so many models and brands on the market to choose from, including corded electric and petrol, but as their range increases and prices fall, cordless, battery-powered models are an increasingly popular option.

Choosing the best lawn mower can be a tricky task, with so many models on the market and such a wide range of brands. There are five main types of mower available at hugely varying prices and all with different features that need to be considered.

Moss, lichen and algae can often be found growing on the branches of established trees, shrubs and hedges, especially in rural areas of the country with high rainfall. In particular, neglected, overgrown hedges where the branches have become overcrowded and/or those that are lacking in vigour as a result of old age or poor growing conditions can be prone to mossy growth. The good news is, however, while it may look unsightly, it’s not actually doing any damage.

Oak Tree Leaves Identification, Benefits, and Uses – Learn to distinguish the subtle nuances of oak leaves, unlocking the door to a world of botanical wonders.

You may have encountered mushrooms in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but have you ever stumbled upon Mushrooms that Look Like a Penis—yes! They exist! Prepare to be amazed as we delve into the fascinating world of phallic-shaped fungi, discovering their unique appearances in detail!

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Do you have potted plants outdoors and live in areas where the temperature may drop below 32 degrees F (0 C)? If so, those plants will need extra winter protection to survive the freezing temperatures and desiccating winds.

Good things in life take time. Most of us recognize the truth in this statement, especially when it comes to our gardens. Not only are the best designs often those refined with incremental changes over years, but the juiciest, most umami-rich tomatoes are often those that develop slowly in the garden. The same is true for one of the quirkiest edible crops I grow, which takes a full nine months from planting to harvest: garlic (Allium sativum). It’s worth the wait, even if just to see how it grows. Growing garlic in the Rocky Mountains isn’t much different from growing it in other places, but certain varieties do better here. Learn more below.

Last year, the United States Department of Agriculture announced a $70 million investment into a Clemson-South Carolina State partnership “to increase the acreage and number of farmers using cover crops, prescribed grazing, reduced tillage, and other conservation practices that will not only reduce greenhouse gases but also improve water quality, biodiversity, and increase the productivity and well-being of our greater farming and foresting communities across the state.” The partnership and initial investment have evolved into Climate-Smart Grown in SC (CSGSC), a program incentivizing South Carolina farmers to implement selected climate-smart production practices. This program is a big deal, but a lot is going on, so it may have been lost in the shuffle for many of us.

No Dig Gardening – a method that not only saves your back from the strenuous task of tilling but also enhances your soil’s fertility, reduces the need for constant watering, and practically eliminates the persistent problem of weeds—all while being environmentally friendly! Scroll down to discover the art and science of this game-changing technique!