Planting a garden in a shady yard can be a frustrating experience. As we walk through a nursery or garden center looking for shade-loving plants, many of the showy flowers we gravitate toward require a sunny location. But there are plenty of beautiful flowers for shade, too! Shady yards often get a bad reputation, but…
An aromatic perennial herb in the mint family, culinary sage (Salvia officinalis) makes an excellent companion plant in both the herb and vegetable garden. It deters several common garden pests, and its lovely flowers attract pollinators and other beneficial insects. Sage gets along better with some plants than others, though, so keep reading to learn…
While all lavender is edible, you probably don’t want to throw just any lavender buds into your cookies — they might come out of the oven tasting like soap! Of course, everyone will have a different favorite lavender variety to cook with, and some may even have varying preferences based on the type of recipe…
While grass lawns certainly have their place, such as play spaces for children and pets, they also require upkeep that drains our time and negatively affects the natural environment. How many hours and gallons of gas are spent mowing unused spaces? These low-traffic sections of the yard can be replaced with grass alternatives for lawns…
My attempts at growing brassicas, or members of the cabbage family, have been all but thwarted by pests like cabbage loopers, cabbageworms, and harlequin beetles. And when the ravaged plants have finally had time to recover and begin producing, they bolt instead, because the summer heat has set in. While any of a slew of…
If you’re at all familiar with companion planting, you have likely heard that carrots love tomatoes. But why is that? And what other plants do carrots love? Keep reading to learn the answers to these questions in our list of the best companion plants for carrots. Because not all plants get along well together, this…
Peppers are packed with vitamins, antioxidants, flavor, and, depending on the variety, heat. But they can be difficult to grow in the vegetable garden. One excellent way to help pepper plants along is to grow companion plants alongside them. Some will provide benefits to the peppers, while others will receive benefits from the peppers. Not…
Landscaping around trees can be a difficult task, and cedar trees come with their own set of challenges. These dense evergreens cast thick shade and significantly reduce the amount of rain that reaches the ground directly beneath their canopy. Plus, their fallen, decomposing leaves increase the acidity of the soil. The trick, then, is to…
I often find that I feel most connected to God when I am outside, completely engrossed in the wonders of creation. Since our passion (gardening) is so closely tied to the earth, I imagine most gardeners have a similar experience. While simply resting or meditating in the garden can be a spiritual practice in itself,…