How to Get Creative with Garden Paths in Your Yard

If you are unfamiliar with the term, «bolting» is the name given to the phenomenon when plants rush prematurely to flower and set seed. Bolting is, in essence, the process of plants hurrying to enter the reproductive phase of their growth. 

Americans are rethinking their relationship to lawns. While traditional turfgrasses do serve many purposes in the landscape, such as erosion control and mitigating solar heat, they are not always the best solution. They require vast amounts of time and resources to maintain while supporting little ecological diversity. In the face of increasing drought and water restrictions, the time has come to consider grass alternatives.   Whether you are wanting to attract more pollinators to your landscape or are looking to replace struggling turfgrass in the shade, there is a grass alternative to meet your needs. Consider the function you want your lawn area to serve when selecting plants. Lawns are traditionally used to stabilize soil and provide a surface for playing, walking, or gathering. In landscape design, lawns create cohesion, providing an open framework around which gardens are laid. From flowering perennials to native turf species, there are grass alternatives to meet each of these needs. Often, the best solution is a mosaic of several low-growing plants.

Shady areas can be challenging to grow in, but filling low-light areas with shade ground cover plants is a great low-maintenance option for gardeners. Thankfully there are a surprising number of options when it comes to shade-loving ground covers. In this article, I’ll introduce you to my favorites, along with sharing some quick tidbits of info on establishing these ground-hugging plants.

I love adding creative or whimsical elements to my yard and gardens. One super easy way to do that is with a tipped or spilled planter. There are all sorts of examples on the web, but I’m going to show you step-by-step how it’s done.

Sometimes a person’s path in life is determined early, even if a few detours should pop up along the way.

Marianne Willburn, a longtime garden writer who gardens in Virginia, is a contributing editor to the collaborative blog called Garden Rant. And she’s also author of the 2021 book “Tropical Plants and How to Love Them” (affiliate link). She offered guidance on which of these tempting tropicals at the garden center to indulge in for the combination of visual and culinary enjoyment, like ‘Snowdrift’ turmeric in her garden, above.Plus: Enter to win a copy of the book by commenting in the box at the bottom of the page.Read along as you listen to the March 27, 2023 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe to all future editions on Apple Podcasts (iTunes) or Spotify or Stitcher (and browse my archive of podcasts here)

A garden or yard of the house is always incomplete without a fence; anyone would agree with that fact. But building a commercial fence is extremely expensive and could probably affect your budget, especially if you are looking to build it in a particular way, theme or even as a complement to the design of the house.

Spending time outdoors is an essential crucial part of a healthy lifestyle, one that eases the mind and delights the senses. And when it comes to your own backyard, the entire idea of a floating deck comes as a solution to how you can organize a small corner outside that will complete your backyard design whilst serving as an entertaining, relaxing space, the ideal vision for a summer night spent with friends and family. The simple structure of a floating deck confers an airy fresh vibe to your yard and offers all the necessary space you desire to organize an outdoors dinning area or a pallet lounge zone with little trouble. You can even take the idea further and build the deck around a majestic tree without it being connected to your actual house or terrace or, why not, around a round pool or Jacuzzi with the sole purpose of ultimate relaxation.

This post is sponsored by Overstock.

By Alexa Erickson

By Marilyn Syarto

We may not think much about the trees outside our homes, but if we heed the words of FDR, who famously said, “Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people,” it’s time we should. After all, urban forests—the ecosystems that make up our communities, including the trees planted on our residential properties, in parks, and along streets—are vital to our health and the health of the environment.