Just Try It! – Gardening Tips from the All-America Selections Judges

• Spend the time. Learn by doing. Make mistakes.  Take chances.   ~Teresa Bunn
• Grow what you enjoy. That may seem simplistic but I have many conversations with home gardeners about their frustrations and failures and not so much about their success. Gardening should be rewarding. I understand that many love the challenge of growing difficult crops, just don’t let it overwhelm you when they fail. ~Dennis Ferlito
• I would encourage gardeners to be curious and try new things. There are so many creative ways to grow and to build a garden that is perfect for you, no matter the size or kind. Don’t be afraid to experiment with new methods, crops, or varieties, because you may discover a new favorite! ~Kristen Noble
• Research and read! If you live in Georgia, don’t try to create an English Garden, lol. Learn your zone and climate and what things do well in your area, otherwise you set yourself up for failure and can get discouraged. ~Jenny Kuhn
• Start Small. Anyone can easily become overwhelmed by the amount of work and dedication needed for home gardening. ~Cody Whynot
• Choose easy to grow, hardy plants, start small, get your hands dirty, and watch them throughout the season.  The best fertilizer is a gardener’s shadow. ~Jesse Dahl
• You don’t need to try as hard as you think. If you start with good soil preparation and a little bit of feed, you will be successful. You don’t need to be a helicopter parent. Just put them in a situation where they can thrive, and they will pretty much do all the work themselves. Sure, you may want to stake or cage some of the more unruly indeterminate beasties out there, but even if you don’t, they will still produce for you. ~Samuel J. Schmitz
• Don’t be afraid. The most experienced gardeners strike out too, but they keep trying. Gardening is as much about the experience as the end result. ~Owen Vanstone

Choose Plants for Their Fragrance!

• When selecting plants for a fragrance garden, you’ll find spectacularly scented shrubs, perennials, bulbs, annuals, and—of course—herbs. Before you begin shopping, take a moment to plan your garden, choosing fragrant plants that bloom at different times throughout the year for a succession of scent through the seasons. You’ll enjoy sweet scents all season long with a little planning.
• When choosing plants for a fragrance garden, remember that while fragrant flowers add sweet scent to a garden, the foliage of many plants provides fabulous fragrance, too. Run your fingers through a rosemary hedge, crush a citronella leaf, rub the leaves of a mint plant, or even walk on creeping thyme and relish a boost of aromatherapy.
• Add fragrant plants where you can enjoy them as you walk by or sit to relax: gracing a garden path, welcoming guests near your front door, filling a patio pot, hanging in a window box on the balcony, or adorning your favorite garden nook, where you like to escape with a good book. You’ll love the frequent burst of fragrance.

Don’t Fear from Garden Failures, Learn From Them

• I think fear keeps people from trying to garden. Start small and don’t be afraid to try something new.  It can be ever so rewarding when you succeed. ~Barbara Park
• So when asked this, I always refer to Miss Frizzle from the PBS show The Magic School Bus… “Take Chances, Make Mistakes, Get Messy!” A good gardener has made many mistakes, killed many plants, and still keeps at it. ~Jessica Cloninger
• Keep trying if you do not succeed the first time because gardening is a great mental relaxation and a very rewarding experience. ~James E. Klett
• Don’t give up if a plant doesn’t do well. Oftentimes people blame themselves when it could be something outside their control. Plants get sick like people (as this year has shown). ~Dr. Mark Yelanich
• Experiment and never give up.  There is so much to learn in this great big horticulture world. ~Pam Bennett
• My mantra is ‘plants want to live!’, so I believe in experimenting. You’ll soon realize how easy it is to be successful. I recently had a call from someone who had been told that she should get rid of a velvetleaf plant. But she was fascinated by it, so I told her to keep it and appreciate its furry leaves and watch the development of the ‘button’ shaped seed pods. knew she would find it ugly at some point and then she’d be willing to toss it, but I thought that she shouldn’t stress about someone else’s opinion. ~C. Diane Anderson
• Just keep trying! As a professional, I’ve killed more plants than you will ever even grow! It’s always disheartening when something goes wrong, but it’s an excellent opportunity to learn. After kicking myself (and then blaming everything from the greenhouse to the pH levels in our water), I try to search out the solutions to prevent the issue in the future. It’s also ok to be realistic about gardening. I am an excellent horticulturist who can grow an incredible range of plants, but I cannot make an orchid rebloom on purpose. I accept that I refuse to internalize it,  so now, when it’s done blooming, it goes into the compost!~ Jessie Liebenguth

Right Plant, Right Place

• • It means selecting the right place and habitat for your plants. Be sure to plant sun-loving plants in the sun and shade-loving plants in the shade. This is often overlooked and is vitally important to the success of your garden.  ~Sarah Barbour
  • Always look and plant AAS winners to grow in your garden, they are trialed to perform for you. Do not be afraid to try something new gardening is never a failure, it is a grand experiment. ~Patty Buskirk
  • Make sure the plant you have is in the right location for growing. ~Shelly Prescott
  • Keep trying! No one is successful all of the time and half of the fun of gardening is trying new plants and ideas and seeing what works. ~Penny Merritt-Price

How to Water Your Plants, Answers from the Experts

• I have learned that the less you fuss over a plant, the better it typically does. When the plant wilts, it’s probably telling you that it needs water. If it’s not wilting, it doesn’t need water. If you are watering something in a container, pick the container up to feel how much water you’re putting in the pot; don’t trust your eyes. ~Rose Oberholtzer
• Learn proper watering methods & how to use them to encourage a vigorous root system better able to handle stress. It seems simple, but watering methods can be oversimplified & overlooked. ~Kelley Dunn
• Make sure you really take into consideration the amount of water your plant needs with the amount of water you intend/will to provide it. ~David Czarnecki

Garden Design and Curb Appeal

Planting flowering shrubs not only adds curb appeal, but your vases will benefit, too! Choose multi-purpose shrubs that make great cutting flowers, like hydrangeas, lilacs, or viburnum. Adding layers like taller trees or shrubs in the back and shorter ones in front add interest and depth to the front of your home. Adding seasonal color like annuals and perennials add that pop of color that also adds to the appeal.

Your last frost date is important to know. This plant zone finder from Burpee will help you determine that date. Some plants can be planted before that date; others have to wait until after. Ready your package or label directions for more detail.

Raised bed gardens are a perfect solution for vegetable gardeners battling with poor soil issues. Where poor soil conditions arise, raised bed gardens allow vegetables to get the nutrients they need to produce succulent, rich flavors.

The first step in raised vegetable garden planning is picking a location. Make sure you pick a spot that gets at least 6 hours of consecutive sunlight a day. You will want to pick a flat, level area with easy access to water. Here is more helpful how-to’s on raised bed gardening.

With a set of grow lights, you can grow many plants indoors, including houseplants, orchids and some fruit and vegetable crops. Grow lights are ideal for seed starting because they help ensure stocky, green seedlings. A wintertime harvest of herbs and salad greens can also be grown under lights. By reading this article from Gardeners Supply about how plants use light and about the fixture options, you can select an indoor lighting system that is right for the plants you want to grow. Our blog on growing indoors can give additional information to help you be successful.

There are a surprising number of plants that grow well in the Shade. Try some of these favorites from American Meadows for perennials that perform in shade. Here is a list of 14 annuals for the shade from Better Homes & Gardens. This blog on Understanding Shade: How to Create the Ultimate Shade Garden has been one of our most popular blogs on the topic.

This is one of the most common questions we get asked! Let’s start with this overview from Gardener’s Supply on four tips for planting for pollinators followed by a lengthy plant list.

Here is a webinar we did on Planting for Bees.

And this webinar was all about Creating a Hummingbird Haven in your garden.

This app from Territorial Seed and this one from Park Seed are no-brainers when it comes to planning your garden!

For most gardeners, assembling a bouquet of flowers is a great pleasure. Walking through the garden selecting blooms, we get to appreciate the plants in a new way, while slowly putting together a beautiful and completely unique bouquet. Start by reading this overview from Gardener’s Supply. Then try this blog listing 6 Steps to a Cutting Garden from NGB’s members or this on Fabulous Flowers for Your Cutting Garden.

We do! NGB Member PDSI wrote this blog on Fall Gardening with Boxwoods which gives some great inspiration for using boxwood in fall containers and as hedges.

We are so glad you asked! We have this blog about Embracing Decay with a Stunning Stumpery Garden that will give not only an explanation but provides several inspiring ideas you can implement in your own spaces.

An indeterminate tomato will continue to grow vegetatively (leaves and stems) all season long, and they will also flower and produce fruit all season long. Indeterminate tomatoes typically perform best when grown in the ground rather than a container, and can get quite large/tall.

Determinate tomatoes, on the other hand, will grow vegetatively to a certain point and then produce a flush of flowers, which then form fruits. Most determinate tomatoes tend to have a bush habit and can grow well in a container or in the ground. They also tend to produce a large amount of fruit over a relatively short time period (approximately 3-5 weeks depending on variety and growing conditions).

There is a third type called semi-determinate which is bushy, like a determinate, but will set and ripen fruit over a longer period of time. The 2020 AAS Award Winner ‘Celano’ is a semi-determinate. The best way to grow determinate or semi-determinate plants is to place a cage around the tomato while still small and not prune.

They might survive if you keep the young plants warm with a cloche or other protective cover. Tomatoes are not frost-hardy and will die if exposed to 32 degrees F without protection. It depends on what sort of temps you are experiencing. Tomatoes can tolerate the 40s and even high 30s F but don’t necessarily “enjoy” being grown in those temps.

It is important to harden off any tender plants before placing them in the garden by exposing them gradually to the harsh outdoor conditions. Put young plants outside where they will receive morning sun but be protected from wind, and move them inside at night. Continue this for about a week, and then begin to leave them outside on nights when the temperature does not drop below 50 degrees F. After a week or two, the plants should be ready to transplant.

Remove the lower leaves off of the stem and bury the stem about 2/3rds deep. The portion of the stem that is buried will form roots, which will allow more water and nutrient uptake, making the plant stronger and sturdier.

Tomatoes are one of the easiest garden plants to grow. They need as much direct sunlight as possible to produce the highest yield. Native to the tropics, tomatoes require warm temperatures for good growth, so wait until the nighttime air has warmed to about 55 degrees F before transplanting them. Planting tomatoes too soon will only slow them down.

Here is a handy guide for planting tomatoes in containers.

A very common Gardeners FAQ! Continue watering regularly for about two weeks until the plants are established. Throughout the growing season remember to water the plants deeply during dry periods for as long as they are setting fruit. Established tomato plants need at least one inch of precipitation per week.

There are several varieties that are touted to perform well in the heat but another option is to plant early and choose an early maturing variety that will get ripe fruit before the summer heat. Often times, tomato growers in Florida will plant in late winter for a spring harvest.

There are lots of different ways to support your tomato. The first thing to check is whether the variety is determinate (more bush-type) or indeterminate (more of a vining, larger plant). If you get a thick stake and put it in the ground near the base of the tomato stem, you could tie up the plant along the stake as it continues to grow. Using fencing to support the plant is another option but there are also lots of attractive supports available from retailers. Another option is called the Florida Weave and works well if you are growing a number of tomato plants in a row.

Blossom end rot on tomatoes typically occurs when there is uneven watering, which can oftentimes be out of our control depending on the amount of precipitation. My recommendation is to evenly water as best as you can. Roma tomatoes tend to show the most amount of blossom end rot and cherry tomatoes tend to show the least amount.

Tomatoes need phosphorus, nitrogen, potash, and minor elements. Starting your plants off with an ample shovelful or two of compost will go a long way toward making sure the soil will provide for their needs. It will also aid the soil in holding onto moisture, which will prevent problems such as blossom-end rot. Many gardeners also add a synthetic or organic fertilizer. Some types, such as water-soluble granules or fish emulsion, can be applied when watering. There are also granular forms that can be mixed with the soil before planting or used as a side dressing, and time-release fertilizers, which can be added to the soil at planting time.

No matter what kind of fertilizer you use always follow the directions on the label. Do not over-fertilize because this will cause lush plants with little fruit set. It’s best to select a fertilizer that contains more phosphorus (P) than nitrogen (N) or potassium (K). Phosphorus promotes flowering and fruit set.

Often when tomatoes have a lot of blooms and no tomatoes it is due to the weather. When temperatures rise above 85 to 90 degrees F (depending on humidity) during the day and 75 degrees F at night, pollen will become unviable.

Humidity can also come into play. In extreme humid times, pollen may become so sticky that it does not fall. On the other end of the spectrum, if it is very dry, pollen may become so dry that it does not stick to the female part of the flower.

Tomatoes have perfect flowers, meaning each flower has both male and female parts and the plants can self-pollinate so pollinators are not needed for pollination.

For best results, select a tomato variety with a compact or determinate habit—compact cherry tomatoes are particularly good for container culture. The container needs to be deep, at least a foot, with drainage holes on the bottom.

Use a sterile growing mix, keep the plants evenly watered, and place them so that they receive as much direct sunlight as possible. Feed plants regularly with a water-soluble fertilizer, keeping in mind that nutrients will leach out of the pots faster than garden soil.

During periods of hot weather, full-grown plants may need to be watered daily.

Here is a guide to compact varieties to grow in containers. 

For the best tomato flavor, allow the fruit to fully ripen on the plant. Wait until it is deep red, yellow, or whatever final color the tomato is to be because once it is removed from the vine, the supply of sugars is cut off. To harvest, gently twist the fruit so that the stem separates from the vine. Tomatoes are best kept at room temperature and will store on a kitchen counter for several days. At the end of the season when frost is predicted, green tomatoes can be harvested and placed on a windowsill or counter. Most will gradually turn red and have some degree of tomato flavor. Placing unripe tomatoes in a paper bag will hasten the ripening process.

My first choice for a canning tomato would be a determinate Roma type. Determinate tomatoes produce a large amount of ripe fruit in a relatively short window of time so you would have more tomatoes to can at one time. Roma’s also are less watery, which I prefer for canning. Determinate Romas are also great for salsa.

Tomatoes provide abundant vitamins and minerals. One cup of cherry tomatoes will provide 25% of daily recommended Vitamin A, 32% of Vitamin C, and a substantial amount of Vitamin K and potassium. Tomatoes are also an excellent source of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that has been linked to a reduced risk of cancers. For the best tasting, most nutritious tomatoes, grow your own and eat them fresh from your own Victory Garden 2.0.

It’s sometimes hard to figure out exactly which harmful or beneficial pests are on your plants. Videos are a great tool so we are linking to several videos from Johnny’s Selected Seeds that will help you determine exactly what’s “bugging” your garden!

Identifying the problem is the first step in finding a way to reduce — or even eradicate — the damage caused by garden foes. We recommend going to your county’s extension office for answers. They are your best source and know your local growing conditions. This is a common Gardeners FAQ so don’t worry, there is an answer!

They may look harmless, but slugs and snails can cause a surprising amount of damage in a garden. Longfield Gardens provides a good guide on how to control these damaging garden visitors.

Deer can be a headache for gardeners. Many of the plants we love growing are plants deer love eating. There are a number of ways to protect your garden but since deer behavior varies by location, finding the strategies that work best in your garden usually requires some trial and error. Read these tips from Longfield Gardens to see what might work in your garden.

A good guideline is 1″ a week but read more details here. 

The Perennial Planting and Care Guide from Van Bloem will help determine how much and when to water your perennials.

Our local expert, the Morton Arboretum,  has a great guide on their website.

Mulches are an important element in your garden’s success. Here’s a guide from Gardener’s Supply to choosing the right mulch for your garden.

Pruning is a perfect chore for late-winter and early spring because most trees and shrubs are dormant. What’s more, it’s the time of year when there are few gardening tasks on your list. What to prune? With a few simple guidelines from Gardener’s Supply, even a beginner can prune ornamental shrubs successfully.

Fertilizing your garden replaces soil nutrients and amends deficient soil. Temperature, aeration, moisture, and acidity are also very important, but if your soil lacks the nutrients that your plants need to grow, none of those things will matter. Read this fertilizer primer from Park Seed to get started in the right direction.

We have to lead you to Pinterest for a multitude of ideas for low-maintenance gardens!

Here are step-by-step instructions for planting barefoot and potted perennial plants from American Meadows.

This complete guide from Gardener’s Supply will walk you through everythign you need to know about growing and planting annuals.

Planting bulbs can seem daunting until you realize how simple it can be! Here’s a great video on how to plant tulips from Longfield Gardens. For the second most popular spring bulb, watch this video on how to plant daffodils. Tip: Use colorful golf tees to mark where you’ve planted bulbs. When you add perennials, annuals, or more bulbs to the bed while the bulbs are dormant, you’ll avoid harming the existing bulbs when you dig.

Beginning gardener or not, Gardener’s Supply has thorough how-to directions. 

A tree or shrub can be a big investment for your property. We recommend following the advice of your local extension office (affiliated with land grant universities) for the best advice for your climate. 

Different perennials will have a different needs but Burpee has a very good overall guide for dividing perennials. 

We have just the thing for you! In honor of the Year of the Crocus, we have this blog on that exact subject of growing and harvest saffron.

This is a common problem for new seed starters if they don’t have enough light for new seedlings. This How to Start Seeds guide from Gardener’s Supply will give you all the tips to succeed.

Starting your own garden plants from seed is a great idea for so many reasons. In general, you need to plant in damp, lightweight seed starting mix then keep it moist but not too wet and provide light. Read this germination guide from EZ From Seed to get started in the right direction.

It all begins with adding in organic matter like compost (see next tip below), aged manure or leaf mold. Let’s turn to the National Gardening Association for more detailed how-to’s. 

Composting…what a small word for a big topic! To begin, set up an outdoor area in a partly sunny spot and layer “brown” materials (leaves, twigs, dead plants, shredded cardboard, etc.) with nitrogen-rich “green” materials (grass, fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, etc.) We’ve gathered many helpful articles on our Pinterest board to help guide you to success.

Lighting is always helpful when starting seeds indoors. Too little light and your plants will “stretch” to get more light. But what type of light and how much do you need? NGB Member Johnny’s Selected Seeds has this Grow Light Guide.

As late summer approaches, it is time to look ahead to crisp, cool autumn days. Planting a fall vegetable garden allows you to extend your harvest season, battle fewer pests, and enjoy crops like kale and carrots that actually taste sweeter when kissed by cool autumn weather. Read our great tips for a fall garden here. 

Almost any annual, vegetable or perennial, or even flowering shrubs, can be grown in containers. However, any larger varieties should be avoided unless you have an extra, extra large container, like 36″ A few key things to keep in mind are to go with a larger container than you think you need because then you won’t have to water quite as often but still, containers need more water than in-ground plantings. And for perennials or small shrubs, you’ll have to go one zone higher in order to get them to survive cold winters. For example, if you are in zone 6, you’ll need perennials or shrubs that survive to zone 5 if you wish to overwinter them in their containers.

For more information and inspiration, go to the NGB Inspirations blog and search for containers. Or, go to the NGB “Combo Ideas” page for combinations that have been chosen by our expert NGB members.

Yes, they certainly can! For one, container plants are mobile and can be moved to protected areas at the beginning and end of (or right in the middle of the heat of the summer) each season when extreme temperatures hit.  This guide from Botanical Interests explains exactly how that can be done.

Don’t be afraid to just jump in! One easy way to start is by buying a premade combination container from your favorite garden retailer. Many offer them now just for new gardeners like yourself. An unexpected source for how-to’s, but it makes sense: Apartment Therapy has this curb appeal container guide. And selecting a container is just as important as selecting your plants. This blog on container selections from NGB members is a great place to start. Lastly, make sure you water as container plants require more frequent watering than in-ground plantings. So just try it and see what happens. You can learn a lot by experimentation. 

That really depends on what you’re growing. Let’s start with an article about fertilizer basics. From there, it is again a trial and error process to see what works for your specific container, your location, the weather and what you are growing.