Inspiration

Trend Alert: “Gemini Hair” Flowers…and Plants?!

August 30, 2023Flower Gardening

According to recent Pinterest search terms, "Gemini Hair" is a VERY hot topic! Glamour magazine says "Gemini Hair is the Two-Tone Dye Job Taking Over in 2023." What is "Gemini Hair"? It is a colorful, astrology-inspired look that has hair dyed in two different, contrasting colors. One color can be one's natural color with a...

11 reasons to grow Spirea in your garden

11 Reasons Why You Should Grow Spirea in Your Garden

August 17, 2023Backyard Habitat, How-to, Planting Tips

It’s the Little Black Dress of the garden: a perfect, adaptable, easy statement-maker that looks great in all settings. And like the LBD, spirea adapts beautifully to every occasion--formal or casual, on its own or accessorized. You’ll love how this multi-purpose plant makes garden design a breeze. Plus, with nearly 100 unique spirea species, you’ll...

5 Reasons to Grow Broccoli in Your Garden

July 25, 2023Plant Care & Maintenance, Planting, Planting Tips, Recipes, Vegetables

…Plus, How to Grow, Harvest, and Cook It, Too. Green Comet Broccoli Jacaranda Broccoli Purple Sprouting Broccoli Did you know that a vegetable can be both a superfood—and a scandal? Poor broccoli found itself embroiled in a presidential controversy when former President George H. W. Bush reportedly banned it from Air Force One, due to...

Garden Journaling with Phenology Facts

June 22, 2023Garden Planning & Design, How-to

Anyone in close sympathy with flower and tree and shrub and has a general acquaintance with Nature’s moods could tell the time of year without any reference to a calendar” Gertrude Jekyll, Home, and Garden, Magazine 1900 Let nature be your guide. Where do you find good gardening models, resources, and information on how to...

11 Heat-Tolerant Plants That Will Make Your Garden Gorgeous

June 14, 2023Garden Planning & Design, Perennials, Planting Tips

Baby, it’s hot outside! So hot, in fact, that we’re breaking records. No matter how much you’ve longed for warm days after shivering all winter long, our new climate reality may make you appreciate winter’s chill. Scorching summers and dangerous droughts might make you despair, wondering how you’ll beat the heat and ever grow a...

What’s the Buzz? How to Understand—and Boost—Pollination in Your Garden for a Great Harvest - National Garden Bureau

What’s the Buzz? Boost Pollination in Your Garden for a Great Harvest

June 7, 2023Backyard Habitat, Garden Planning & Design, Planning and Design, Pollinator Gardening

Birds do it. Bees do it. So do bats, ants, moths, and beetles. Even wind and water get in the game. If you thought we were talking about “The Talk”—you know, that uncomfortable birds-and-bees, cringy parent/child chat, you’d be almost correct…because pollination is about S-E-X. Plant sex, that is. But don’t worry: this PG version...

5 Fabulous Reasons to Grow a Diverse Garden

June 1, 2023Backyard Habitat, Garden Planning & Design

Why do you grow a garden? Do you love creating beautiful, homegrown bouquets to enjoy on your kitchen table? Do you savor the delicious flavor of sun-warmed tomatoes in a BLT? Do you enjoy watching hummingbirds flit through the flowers? Or maybe you eagerly await the first, brilliant bloom of daffodils after a long, gray...

Create your own staycation in your own backyard

5 Tips to Create Your Own Tropical Oasis for a Relaxing Staycation

May 25, 2023Garden Planning & Design

Vacations soothe the soul. Leaving the stress of work behind for a week of rest and relaxation makes everyone more productive. But do you know that vacations can improve your health? In a June 2019 study published in Psychology and Health, researchers found that vacations lead to reduced blood pressure and increased energy levels. In...

The Best New Big Leaf Hydrangeas for Your Garden

May 18, 2023Garden Planning & Design, Planning and Design, Planting Tips

Are you disappointed with the flowers you are getting – or not getting – from your big leaf (macrophylla) hydrangeas? Do you think it might be time to get some of the newer, better versions? But there are so many these days. How can a gardener cut through the hype and make the right choice?...

The Ultimate Guide to Water-Wise Gardening

May 16, 2023Backyard Habitat, How-to, Planning and Design, Pollinator Gardening

The importance of making water-wise choices has become very apparent with the spread of climate change. It is becoming more difficult to grow certain crops, maintain landscapes, and enjoy various recreational activities as water availability wavers and heat threatens popular crop growing. Across the country, people continue to make garden choices that can help conserve...