Wildflower gardens come in many shapes and sizes, from lush meadows to tidy flower beds. In addition to beautiful, bright colors, wildflowers offer many benefits, such as attracting pollinators and providing wildlife habitat. Native wildflowers also tend to require less care than many other garden plants, as they are well adapted to your soil and …
Serena Manickam
We could all use more peace in our lives, and a beautifully designed garden, however simple, can provide a calm space for rest and meditation. Turn your backyard – or a quiet corner of it – into a relaxing retreat with these zen garden ideas for a calming outdoor space. What is a zen garden? …
Whether you live in southern Florida or get buried in the snow every winter, you may dream of having a tropical oasis in your backyard. Of course, this will be easier to implement if you live further south, but even those of us in areas that experience freezing temperatures can bring a bit of the …
It sometimes seems like all of the most beautiful plants require full sun, especially if all you have is shade. Before you despair over your tree-filled yard, though, take a moment to admire that leafy canopy, the textured trunks supporting it, and most importantly, the blank canvas of soil beneath it all. Envision a lovely …
What’s that smell? If you catch a whiff of something putrid in the garden and notice some funky fungi growing up out of the mulch, you might have stinkhorn mushrooms. But although they look weird and smell terrible, stinkhorn mushrooms might not be bad to have around. What Is a Stinkhorn Mushroom? Stinkhorn mushrooms range …
I love growing root crops. The foliage only provides hints at what is happening in the soil as you tend to the plants throughout the season, leaving the harvest a surprise. I have laughed out loud in the garden upon unearthing a sweet potato the size of my face. Of course, this can lead to …
“Help, my plant is covered in a white, powdery fungus! What do I do?” First, don’t panic. While powdery mildew may not look pretty, it rarely causes significant damage except in cases of severe infection. In fact, you may not need to do anything at all. Read on to learn whether your situation is a …
Last year, I bought a few broccoli starts at a local greenhouse on a whim, excited to add another of my favorite vegetables to the garden. My excitement soon turned to disappointment, however, when something(s) began devouring the little plants. Each day, new holes appeared in the foliage, and entire leaves disappeared almost overnight. I …
I recently planted a bed of fall broccoli, collards, and kale, carefully covering the young transplants with row cover to keep out cabbage worms. But when I removed the cover to water the plants a day or two later, a few leaves and even an entire kale plant had been cut clean through the stems. …
Sometimes a striking weed will capture our interest, and instead of yanking it out by the roots, we decide to let it grow for the sake of beauty or to see what it becomes. I do this with wild violets, valuing their delicate purple blossoms in spring as well as their medicinal and culinary uses. …