update: why won't this plant die? (also known as, weeds i planted that will outlive me)

I am often asked to recommend plants for problematic garden areas during my call-in radio program or after public-speaking engagements. As a result, over the years I have developed a list of my top picks for sunny and shady gardens depending on whether the soil is dense, heavy, and clay-based, or lean, sandy, and quick-draining. Fortunately, I have experience gardening with both soil types, and so I know that each presents its own challenges and opportunities. Here are a few options for perennials, trees, and shrubs that can survive and even thrive in the trickiest soil conditions.

Plants have unique natural abilities to emit different chemical substances. With them they repel or attract specific insects. Flowers bring a pretty sight and a pleasant fragrance for us. However, for pests they often pose a life threat. That’s why such plants can perfectly serve as a replacement for the synthetic insecticides, as long as you know how to use this to your advantage.

In 2016 we saw the rise of many trends that we believe changed gardening for the better. A year characterised by an almost nostalgic longing for a rustic appearance, it pushed aside the colossal and over-the-top gardens in favour of more practical, cosy, and colour-rich spaces.

Introducing plants into your home or office can create a more positive energy flow. Certain plants have the ability to purify the air, while others provide a sense of well-being, peace, and even stress relief. Eliminating negative energy is an important step in regaining health and happiness. These plants will promote positive energy that will benefit you and those around you!

As someone both blessed and cursed with a keen sense of smell, I sometimes wonder what it would be like to lose it. To never again inhale, for example, the sweetness of a rose. To be forced to go without the spicy, spring perfume of witch-hazel, or the fresh-earth scent of newly dug potatoes, or the sharp, vegetal tang of tomato plants softly baking in a hot glasshouse in high summer.

Have you ever heard that planting a small garden is like writing a short story instead of a novel? Well, I hadn’t either—until Los Angeles designer Adam Sirak said it—and I think it’s brilliant. “Some people might think they can’t have an amazing garden or that it’s not worth the trouble because they don’t have a big space,” Sirak says. “But a small space only means you have to take all your ideas and distill them down to a concentrated big idea.” He adds that, as with a short story, there’s no room for filler, and each choice must be thought of in relationship to the whole. “In this way, a small space can be a very exciting puzzle to put together,” he says.  

The tropical rain forests of South America hold a treasure when it comes to plants that are beautiful, exotic, and can make for great houseplants. Have a look at the most amazing South American Indoor Plants you can grow!

While gardening, people often stick to the classic, tried-and-true plants we all know and love. But, with endless available options, all of us are missing out on some blooms in bright yellow and purple hues that would add character and charm to our landscapes. 

Visit DIY Show Off to see how to create this brilliant coffee table centerpiece using chicken and a few other supplies.

Here are Plants that Look Like Aliens! Check out the peculiar appearances of these extraordinary plants, resembling aliens from distant galaxies, in this amazing article on alien like plants.

If you are good at seed propagation, you can start these Indoor Plants that Grow from Seeds in your home.

Are you looking at plants in your garden and wondering why they aren’t flowering?