SUN Ideas, Tips & Guides

Many varieties of fruit trees produce bountiful harvests even when grown on decks and balconies. Pick your favorite fruit tree for your patio from this list and get a supermarket-like yield with healthier, better taste.

Happy Friday GPODers, and welcome to our second installment of GPOD Vignettes! In case you missed it, check out our first installment of this series here: GPOD Vignette #1.

Vines and climbers do wonders in sprucing up dull walls, empty fences, bare pathways, and barren entrances. Hence, we’ve curated a selection of plants that produce beautiful blooms and the sweetest scents while climbing up. Check out our list of the best fragrant vines for your garden!

No matter what you’re growing, companion planting matters. From hydrangeas to hostas, roses to radicchio, setting your plants up for success starts with finding the appropriate garden fellows. While you might think sturdy broccoli is fine to go it alone, even this hardy veggie can benefit from some well-selected friends. Here two experts share the best plants for growing alongside broccoli, plus a few that are best to avoid.

Tips for Growing Cast-Iron Plants (Aspidistra) Outdoors

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Not all plants need fertile, moist, rich soil to grow in. There’s a whole world of flora that has adapted and thrives in dry, arid climes with sandy, rocky, gritty soils that barely hold any water. Perfect for xeriscapes and busy gardeners alike, check out these plants that prefer dry soil!

You can give your plant the best soil, container, fertilizer, and water to a tee, but without enough daylight, it will stubbornly wilt and perish, even if it’s a tolerant pothos or spider plant. You obviously can’t force the sun to shine on demand! So, here are the things you should do when growing plants in low light.

Many annuals and perennials need plenty of sunlight to thrive. Whether you have sunny areas in your front, side, or backyard or a porch, patio, or balcony and want to add more plants that will come back year after year, there are plenty of sun loving perennials to choose from. Many full-sun perennials provide important food sources for bees, butterflies, birds, bats, and moths. While you're enjoying the colorful hues and curious and cool looking blossoms, you'll also get a pollinator show with their frequent visits.

The best way to enjoy roses is up close and personal so you may fully relish their intricate patterns, fragrance, and brilliant hues, especially in smaller spaces or when you want to try something unique. Here are some straightforward tips for growing roses in hanging baskets and ensuring long-lasting blooms.

Dianthus are easy-to-grow flowers that come in an array of colors including pure white, creamy white, wine red, and various shades of pink. With their spicy clove-like scent, dianthus are a lovely addition to borders, beds, containers, andcutting gardens.Pollinators love them, too!

As we enter the dog days of summer, many of us are buzzing about with trips to the beach, firing up the old grill, and celebrating our country’s independence. In between our attempts to pack as much into the warmer months of the year as we can, consider growing a plant that symbolizes the peak of the season like no other, the sunflower (Helianthusannuus, annual). Though considered in some circles a somewhat pedestrian plant that befits only the beginner gardener, there are many reasons why growing sunflowers are a boon to your garden. Learn all about how and why to grow annual sunflowers below.

Mention bougainvillea to almost anyone, and their first images may be of sun-drenched stucco walls festooned in the neon colors of the tropics. From beachside to desert to lush tropics, their exotic vibe proclaims, “I love warm weather!” In the relatively small Nyctaginaceae family, Bougainvillea is likely the best-known member, with Mirabilis (four-o’clock) and Abronia (sand verbena) being runners up. With bougainvilleas, the color is provided by papery bracts that enclose a small white bloom that is the true flower. Flowering occurs in cycles: as a burst of new growth matures, a bloom cycle begins, repeating many times over the course of a long, hot season. Learn the basics of growing bougainvillea here.

Shade gardens are some of the most beautiful and rewarding gardens you can create. No one can resist the cool welcome that dappled areas of the landscape offer in the heat of summer. The boisterous flowering in the sunny portions of the garden is wonderful, but when the temps soar and the eyes need relief from the glare of the sun, to the shade garden we go! Many of us, though, only have shade thanks to a covered porch or roofed entry. In these spots, visitors can experience the same cool, lush feeling they might out in the landscape, but it hits them as they enter our homes with shady garden containers. Taking some of the best aspects of a shade garden in the ground and displaying them in pots is a chance to highlight some stars that don’t always get the proper attention. The following suggestions will survive in a pot for years in the PNW and can be replanted into the ground when you are ready for a change.

Herbs are super-easy to grow in garden beds orcontainers, and nothing tastes better than fresh herbs snipped from your garden for all your homecooked favorites. But while you may always plant annual herbs, such asbasil, dill, and cilantro, you’re missing out if you’re not growing perennial herbs. Perennial herbs come back year after year, making them a smart investment in your garden. Many also have beautiful flowers that pollinators love.

If you’ve ever seen a weeping cherry tree in bloom or sat beneath the branches of a stately weeping willow, you know how lovely this distinctive growth habit can be. With branches that cascade from the trunk like water down a mountainside, weeping trees are coveted treasures in gardens and yards everywhere. Whether they’re flowering, evergreen, or deciduous, planting a weeping tree in your landscape adds an eye-catching focal point to the design. Types of weeping trees There are many types of weeping trees, but for the most part, weeping is not a common plant trait. Weeping

Savvy gardeners know that deadheading spent blooms keeps annuals and many perennial plants looking their best week after week. But not all plants require deadheading. Some plants continue to bloom their hearts out with little to no pruning, while others are self-cleaning, meaning spent flowers drop off naturally by means of wind, rain, or plant growth. These plants keep on blooming even when you don’t remove the old flowers. If you’re looking to save time in the garden, consider growing plants that don’t require deadheading to stay in bloom.

Zucchini is the squash of summer. This green, mild vegetable often leaves people with a plentiful harvest that has them trying everything from zucchini bread to zucchini panzanella before they end up offering zucchini to any neighbor or friend that will take it.

Tomato plants are heat-loving plants that need 6 to 8 hours of sunlight a day but don't like scorching heat any more than the rest of us. When daytime temperatures soar into the 90s and hover in the 70s or warmer at night, tomato plants may keep blooming, but the flowers will fail to pollinate and then fall off. During extended periods of extreme heat, tomato plants can suffer severe stress and go into survival mode, putting all their energy into surviving rather than producing fruit. Even heat-tolerant varieties will slow down production in extreme heat.

One of the best things about being in the plant business for over 40 years has been trying out new and rediscovered plants. Every year I like to grow the latest perennials and annuals, testing them to see if they’re worth ordering again the following year. The herb garden—though it seems a pretty staid and quiet sanctuary—has actually had its share of exciting new plants too. Visions of sauces and meats, drinks, and pastries flavored with delicious herbs tended by my own hands are all the inspiration I need to try something for the first time. Additionally, these plants add color, texture, and scent to my containers and gardens. In many cases, I’ve been pleasantly surprised to find that these improved options are actually better looking and/or tasting than the familiar staple. The following are some of my favorite herb varieties. Some are new—and some have simply flown under the radar for far too long.

It’s summertime! And while this means long, warm, and sunny days, it can also mean more sun exposure for our skin. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, the most common cancer in the United States and worldwide is skin cancer. However, this does not mean we should forgo our favorite summer activities altogether. By following some simple tips, we can protect ourselves and stay safe in the sun.

Outdoor gatherings are the reason for the season. From backyard barbecues to garden parties, the best part of summer is spending time outside.

People put a lot of effort into creating a functional, comfortable home, with every room set up for their particular needs. An outdoor living room is the perfect space to lounge and entertain, which is why it's essential to curate a space that you and your family love.

KatarzynaBialasiewicz / Getty Images

Photosynthesis is one of life’s most quintessential recipes. Plants combine sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to produce oxygen, along with nutrients the organisms need to grow.

The botanical realm is quite pliable like that. Take, for instance, these plants—complete shapeshifters! From spicing up a dull entrance in a standard pot to emerging as behemoths in your backyard, here are plants that can be trained as vines, shrubs, or trees!

When decorating an outdoor space, there are plenty of ways to transform it from an empty patch of grass to your dream oasis. If you're struggling with where to start, why not look to your zodiac sign for some ideas on how to make the space your own?

Fruits often take center stage thanks to how quickly they appease our taste buds. But what about food for our eyes? It’s simple: grow these fruits with beautiful foliage, and you’ll get two things: a delicious homegrown harvest and a display of decorative leaves.

Want to grow perennials that have a long blooming period in your garden? Long-lasting perennials add color, height, and texture to the landscape. And equally important, many perennials provide important food sources for beneficial insects and pollinators, such as bees, butterflies, and birds. Perennials can take some time to get established in the garden and the first year, they're typically focused on growing roots. They grow faster in the second and third year and you can enjoy them each year.

19 of the Best Companion Plants to Grow with Lavender

Planting fast-growing evergreen shrubs in your landscape is an easy way to create a privacy screen, reduce noise, and add beauty to your space. Evergreens provide year-long foliage so you don't have to worry about losing leaves in the late fall and winter seasons. Plus, many evergreen shrubs are native to the Southern region and provide food and habitat for bees and birds. Consider these expert recommendations for fast-growing evergreen shrubs to grow in your yard.

There's perhaps no vegetable more humble than the potato. This starchy spud grows quietly underground but, once you've dug up your harvest, you're treated to everything from sides dishes like perfectly crisp homemade french fries to scalloped potatoes to recipes from breakfast to dinner. Potatoes are the versatile workhorse of the kitchen and, depending on the variety you plant, your harvest season could last several months.

Want your backyard to be a personalized fruit market? Then, prune your favorite established fruit plant, gather its cuttings, and start multiplying.

From kitchen gardens to edible landscapes, rosemary pairs beautifully with a wide range of plants. Many of the same herbs and vegetables that mingle with rosemary in the pot, like peppers and oregano, also work well as garden neighbors. Rosemary companion plants also include ornamental species. With upright and spreading forms available, rosemary can be used in a variety of garden settings, from containers to rock gardens. The soft blue flowers attract pollinators and other beneficial insects while complementing ornamental grasses and perennials.

Growing vines is a fun way to add foliage and colorful flowers to archways, fences, posts, and trellises in your yard. Vines add depth, dimension, and texture to a landscape and create a visually appealing space. Choosing fast-growing vines means enjoying the beauty of the season quickly and often longer, whether it's the pretty leaves, blooms, or both. Plus, many vines attract important pollinators, such as butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. Garden experts recommend their favorite vines to grow that will quickly transform your garden.

In a sunny garden, creating shady spots can be a great way to enjoy being outside on hot, sunny days. Not only does shade provide a break from the summer sun but it also lowers temperatures, which can bring comfort when it’s blisteringly hot. Whether you want somewhere to sit, relax, read, eat or entertain, there are lots of great shade options to suit almost every garden style and your budget.