Whether you’re just getting started on your spring and summer garden or you’ve been planting and pruning all winter, some gardening advice is always welcome. It often feels like the tricks, tips, and hacks for helping your plants thrive are endless—and for every great piece of advice, there are some really bad suggestions out there, too.
With this in mind, we turned to the experts to find out some tried-and-true growing tricks they swear by. Here’s what they had to say.
If you’ve ever heard of the concept of ‘companion planting,’ then Nikhil Arora, co-founder of the organic plant product company Back to the Roots, says you’re on the right track.
For those unfamiliar, Arora explains that companion planting is the act of grouping mutually beneficial plants together so they can assist one another in growing.
“One of the most effective gardening tips is companion planting,” Arora says. “For instance, planting marigolds around tomato plants can help deter pests, while planting beans alongside corn can improve soil fertility by fixing nitrogen."
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Even if you’re going for a trendier, wildflower meadow aesthetic this season, Katie Tamony, CMO and trend spotter for gardening brand Monrovia, says pruning is an absolute necessity—but for some reason, it’s something people often find scary.
“Pruning results in thicker, denser growth in spring and more blooms, plus a healthier overall plant,” Tamony says. “It’s something I learned from watching our craftsmen do it often at our nurseries. Don’t be afraid to prune! Especially with your perennials and shrubs—give everything in your
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With garden openings over for 2024, my ramblings around the garden involve a combination of “this is gorgeous!”, “aren’t we fortunate?”, “thank goodness that’s over” and “how can I improve this?”. Already thoughts have turned to potential ‘tweaks’, nothing major, and ways to improve things I don’t feel have really worked – perhaps I will write a post on them in due course…
For the first time in decades I heard a cuckoo just the other day, its pealing “Wuck-Koo” ringing out so loudly nearby that I felt a quick, sharp jolt of joy at being so closely in its presence. Once a common sound, the distinctive call of this fleeting seasonal migrant from tropical Africa is traditionally believed to signal the arrival of spring. But as is true of so many other once-common species of birds, its numbers, which are down by an estimated 27 per cent since the early 1970s, have been in slow but steady decline for decades.
In January I visited the world’s largest horticultural show in Essen, Germany, and came away with some great take-aways, but I was especially impressed with the significant trend of pruning, training and grafting certain plants into new and unusual forms.
When it comes to cleaning and organizing methods, I find the ones I use the most are the ones that give some loose structure to get you started, but then easily segue into a bigger cleaning and organizing session.
NOBODY WANTS to get the IRS notice in the mail that they’re being audited, heaven forbid. But when it comes to gardens, Rodney Eason believes that the occasional audit is a very positive process, and encourages us to perform one on our own landscape.
When one thinks about a production garden designed to yield copious amounts of vegetables and flowers, it’s not often one with perfectly manicured rows overflowing with color and paired with thoughtfully organized spaces for gathering. Practicality and function are usually the focus, not a dedication to stunning surroundings. This is where the team behind Oakland-based Pine House Edible Gardens stands out with their impeccable layout and design philosophies, showcasing the ability to implement important functional garden systems with incredible style.
There is a certain day in the calendar year, a date that marks the dividing line between its two halves, whose significance as an important horticultural turning point is not lost on experienced gardeners. Known as the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere it was yesterday, June 21st, the longest day and shortest night of the year, when the North Pole was at its greatest tilt towards the sun.
Happy Monday GPODers! Today we’re visiting Heidi’s beautiful garden in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Her yard ranges from full sun to part shade, and (from the looks of these pictures) she has absolutely filled every corner possible with sensational blooms. A feast for the senses, a kaleidoscope of color can be found from annuals and perennials.
Aesthetics and style trend have taken over our interiors, and we love that trends are spreading into our outdoor spaces, too. This year, as organic decor and biophilic design continue to dominate our home decor feeds, a similar gardening trend is growing—literally.
There are so many great gardening hacks out there. From using eggshells as fertilizer to creatively sourcing free plants, we all know you can create a stunning outdoor space with plenty of things you can't buy at your standard garden center.