How to Attract Ladybugs to Your Garden

One problem I have is seeing a potential project in just about anything and everything--I'm a self proclaimed crafting hoarder and I'm trying to be better about what I keep so as not to drive Rob completely bonkers. Something that I have a ton of that I know can be used in so many ways is a bin of wine bottles. Whether we've popped open a bottle for dinner with friends or my many friends keeping theirs for me, I've collected them over the years and have actually gotten rid of a lot of them when trying to purge the basement. However, I still have several and thought I'd finally do something with them.

The gardens at Great Dixter.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Attracting and keeping frogs and toads in

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 are a fan of beautiful herbs, we have a detailed list of the Best Types of Sage to Grow in Your Garden for you!

For the time-rich and cash-poor, gardening is the perfect hobby. And although at this time of year it’s tempting to go and splurge at the garden centre, most gardeners would argue that exercising caution and restraint will help you spend your money more wisely, and end up with a better garden. It’s a cliche, but as with most cliches, has a lot of truth; with gardening, the more effort you put in, the more you get out.

Rosa ‘Boscobel’ in a walled garden in east London

There’s an undeniable charm to a yard filled with overarching trees, trellises smothered in flowering vines, and elegant evergreen shrubs.Given the choice, most of us would opt for a ya

When we talk about native plants, we’re often referring to landscaping, but what about growing your own edible native plant garden? Native plants have adapted to where you live, after all, and unlike, say, your usual tomatoes and strawberries, native edibles have new flavors and scents to try. Meanwhile, planting edible native plants helps to forge a connection between the way we live now, and the way communities in the West have existed for thousands of years. “Just growing these plants is a way to tap into the continuum of time,” says Evan Meyer, the executive director of the Theodore Payne Foundation. “By growing edible plants, your garden can become a much more meaningful place.”   

We’ve all been there, the premature demise of our cilantro bolting into bitterness and a head full of seeds after an unexpected heat spike. But what if we started thinking about these “failures” as new flavor opportunities? One gardener’s flop is another’s feast after all. I’m talking seed-turned-spice drawer—yes, that downed cilantro is now your own hefty supply of gourmet coriander. 

Bees, the cute winged insects that make sure to keep the pollination alive, are the most important part of our ecosystem. Unfortunately, the honey bee colonies are decreasing alarmingly, which can have an adverse effect on our climate. So, how about playing your little part and learning the ways to Attract Bees to Your Garden!

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