Soil Ideas, Tips & Guides

The time to act is now for the upcoming autumn! The stage is ripe to set your garden up for a colorful, sweet-scented, bloom-filled cold season. We give you a selection of pansy varieties that you should plant in the coming days of fall, as they are champions at handling frost, snow, and many things winter!

Your soil may not need it, your plants may not want it, and it's possible to use it incorrectly. But when properly applied, wood ash can be good for plants. This guide explains how to add wood ash to your garden for optimal plant growth.

From minimalism to sci-fi fandom, this plant’s symmetrical, coin-like foliage, slender stems, and glossy, lush green hues satisfy all sleek decor needs.

Venus fly traps (also called Venus flytraps or just a flytrap) are among the coolest plants you can grow. In their native habitat, Venus fly traps live for years. Unfortunately, they are often short-lived plants in cultivation, but this is only because most people don’t care for them properly. In this article, you’ll learn all the essential basics of Venus fly trap care. Varieties of Venus fly traps There is only one species of Venus fly trap, Dionaea muscipula, and it is native to a small

Perhaps your lush summer blossoms have begun wilting, and you dread a barren garden as winter approaches! However, with our list of the best flowers to plant in September, you’ll have a garden teeming with deep, warm blooms—some as early as fall and some through spring!

Looking for something unusual to grow in the garden? Look no further than chocolate cosmos, a tuberous perennial with velvety blooms and a decadent fragrance. With showy wine-red blossoms that perfume the garden with the distinctive aromas of chocolate and vanilla from mid-summer through fall, chocolate cosmos entices butterflies and curious gardeners alike. The blooms make fragrant cutting for the vase and plants perform beautifully in containers, where their scent can be enjoyed on patios and balconies. Bring the beauty and aroma of chocolate cosmos to your own garden by learning how to grow and care for these unique bloomers.

Some shade is essential in warmer zones, but even in the North, Virginia persicaria (P. virginiana) appreciates afternoon shade and wind protection.

Rock gardens are an attractive way of displaying a variety of small plants including alpines, dwarf shrubs and low-growing perennials. They can be adapted to suit any space – an alpine trough, old stone wall or sunny border can all be used to create a form of rock garden. One of the first rock gardens was built at the Chelsea Physic Garden in London in the late 1770s, and they became a popular feature in Victorian and Edwardian gardens, providing a way to display alpine plants from around the world.

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.

Given how pricey they are in the market, growing this fruit may seem challenging! But with attention to a few details, it’s fairly easy and super rewarding! Homegrown fresh blueberries are a delight, especially when you have endless buckets to relish. Follow these tricks to double your blueberry harvest in containers or your garden!

Dead and forgotten? Far from it! These perennials have a life cycle that barely lasts a few years. Most of them bloom in the first few years of planting itself—and then they perish! So, what’s the point in growing such short-lived specimens? Won’t it mean more work? You have the questions, and we have the answers!

Spinach is a cool weather favorite, with leaves that sprout up and grow rapidly in both spring and fall. It has a relatively short growing season, but its yield is impressive—if it has the right companion plants by its side to help it thrive.

You've likely heard that burying banana peels in your garden is a good way to add important nutrients to the soil to grow healthy plants. Banana peels do contain nutrients, but not as many as you may think. Plus, it's not as simple as placing them in the soil and skipping fertilizer or compost.

How to Identify and Manage Willow Galls

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As you test out new varieties of storage vegetables for your home garden, you’ll benefit from learning when to harvest acorn squash. These winter squashes get their name from their acorn shape. They’re close cousins to Hubbard, pumpkins, buttercup, kabocha, delicata, spaghetti squash, and butternut squash. Here, I offer advice for growing acorn squash, indicators of squash maturity, how and when to harvest acorn squash, and all-important storage tips. Harvesting acorn squash is a straightforward task. Winter squash of all kinds are harvested and eaten as mature fruit, when the s

Do African Violets bloom all year round? You can make them! Here are a few tips and tricks to coax your flowers to appear throughout the year, lighting up your home even on the gloomiest days!

You may include rosemary in your herb garden each year, or tuck it into your containers as an ornamental, but do you know how to harvest rosemary to get the best flavor? The chemical compounds that give the rosemary plant its signature aroma are at peak levels during certain points in the plant’s life cycle. Whether you want just a few fresh rosemary sprigs or you plan to dry and store rosemary for long-term use, learn how to properly harvest this fragrant herb. Why grow rosemary Avid cooks routinely use rosemary to flavor everything from soups and stews to salads and sauces. Since rosemar

You don’t need a big backyard or orchard to enjoy the fruits (or vegetables) of your gardening labor! For an abundant fall and winter harvest, you just need pots and some empty space open to the sun, like a balcony, patio, or rooftop!

“I've always wanted to be outside and I feel happiest when I am in nature," says Alfie Nickerson of Burnt Fen Flowers. «Growing things from seed was always my favourite part, realising what can come from something so small.» It seems he's not alone in this yearning, with a recent study indicating that more than 70 per cent of 18 to 35-year-olds are interested in gardening, and 83% of young people describing gardening as ‘cool.’ Far from the stereotype of being a hobby for the retired generation, millennials and Gen Zs are now heading outdoors come rain or shine, large homestead or urban balcony. With a reputation for being firmly on their phones and indoors, what's caused this sudden shift in a generation?

Watering your plants has benefits that far outweigh basic hydration. Linda Vater, expert for Southern Living Plant Collection says it’s an essential factor in the life of a plant, aiding in photosynthesis, structural support, nutrient transport, disease prevention, and even temperature regulation. But give it too much water and you might find your plant is less than thriving. Here Vater, along with Laura Root, horticulturist for Jackson & Perkins, and Justin Hancock, horticulturist for Costa Farms share everything you need to know about how to avoid overwatering, plus how to set yourself back on the right course if your plant has been overindulging in H2O.

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.

“Uncontrollable changes in a garden are inevitable and wonderful opportunities,” says Donald Pell, a landscape designer in Chester County, Pennsylvania. To prove this is true, Donald and his associates created an incredible series ofnaturalistic gardens around their studio. This landscape has become an invaluable laboratory where Donald and his team learn from failures and from the many years of watching this landscape design evolve. “Establishing a garden based on an initial plan (perhaps one even scribbled on paper) is a great place to start, but as plants, the setting, conditions, our knowledge, and our tastes change, so should our designs,” Donald says.

Why’s everyone so obsessed with growing lavender? It’s a super plant—that’s why! It barely needs frequent watering, thrives in all types of soil, is edible, and is full of healing goodness. And it has so many varieties with such distinct scents and blooms that it would be a crime not to grow it. Let’s help you pick the most fragrant lavender varieties for your home!

Hydrocorns, also known as hydro pellets or clay pebbles, are an excellent medium used in gardening and hydroponics. These small, lightweight pellets are made from expanded clay, which is fired at high temperatures to create a porous and highly absorbent structure. The result is a versatile growing medium that retains moisture while allowing excess water to drain away effectively. Hydrocorns are often used in both indoor and outdoor gardens, making them a popular choice among gardeners and hydroponic enthusiasts alike.

This fragrant herb softens all the wilderness in any garden with its delicate blooms and leaves and offers many practical benefits. We suggest you grow this wildflower as a garden border for several reasons! Let’s find out.

August and September are the peak months when droughts can take place, which can cause some panic for gardeners. And while this is totally understandable, there are ways to keep your garden cool and watered even during the hottest and driest times of the year, so don't go into panic mode yet.

A good fence can enhance the look of your garden while also providing a secure boundary and an opportunity to grow more plants. A fence that’s installed properly and then well-cared for will last for many years, and is therefore a good investment. However, you may be put off by the initial cost of new fence panels and look for cheaper alternatives. What’s more, traditional wooden fence panels require regular staining or painting if they are to last as long as possible, and are prone to wind damage. Many gardeners are looking for cheaper, more durable options that require far less ongoing maintenance.

Weeds, also known as plants out of place, are part of gardening. Tiny plants crop up in areas where you least expect them or alongside other plants, where they compete for the same resources. Some weeds are easy to remove while others require more time and effort. If you have an organic garden or want to minimize using herbicides and chemicals in your garden, you likely spend ample time pulling weeds. And you may wonder if pouring boiling water is an effective option to kill weeds naturally.

I’ve designed, installed, and continue to manage two meadow lawns to date. Through these gardens, as well as my own study in nature and research in references, I’ve learned a lot about what makes an effective meadow garden over the last few years.

An apple a day keeps the gardener happy and busy, but does it grow in Texas? Yes—but not all varieties! Some apple trees are well-suited to thrive in the Lone Star State’s subtropical to temperate conditions. Let’s find out the best ones for your Texan homestead!

If your Crassula ovatais losing its charm and you haven’t got a clue why, then this article has your back! We investigate things that might be killing this hardy succulent and what you should stop doing immediately.

How to Grow and Care for Weigela Shrubs Weigela spp.

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Have you ever wondered how often you should water your vegetable garden? Watering may seem straightforward, but there are some important considerations to think about before you get out your watering can or the garden hose. The way you water your plants is essential for them to grow and thrive. “Just like the sun, water is a key component to having a successful veggie garden,” says Nicole Shah, gardener and co-founder of Garden Girls, a garden design company in Houston, Texas.