Starting a garden can feel overwhelming. There are things to buy, seeds to plant, things to keep watered and alive. Isn’t it easier to buy cucumbers at the grocery store? Not necessarily. When done right, access to fresh produce right in your backyard (or patio) is easier and cheaper than you think. There’s no need…
There’s something timeless about an old oak tree. Maybe it’s the swing that hangs from one of its branches, the cool shade it casts on summer afternoons, or the way it’s quietly witnessed years of backyard memories. But when it comes to landscaping beneath one, things get tricky. You might picture a lush, green lawn…
Perfect for a sunny garden, irises produce beautiful, stunning flowers from the late spring into the summer, depending on the type of iris you chose. But what plants should you plant nearby, so your garden isn’t just full of irises? Finding unique companion plants for these flowers is easy when pairing them with other plants…
What if, instead of being the source of a groan-inducing, time-consuming chore (mowing), your lawn became a food source? Imagine ditching the mower for fresh fruits, veggies, nuts, and even eggs. There are many reasons to grow food, not lawns, and the transition from grass to greens can be relatively simple. No matter how big…
Most beginner gardeners walk into a big box store, grab whatever fruit tree looks promising on the label, bring it home with high hopes, and watch it struggle for years without producing a single piece of fruit. It is one of the most expensive and demoralizing mistakes in home gardening, and it happens to millions…
You’ve probably been growing the wrong vegetables. Not wrong in the sense that they fail, but wrong in the sense that they cost almost nothing at the store and take up the most room in your garden. If your goal is to actually lower your grocery bill, the plants that belong in your beds this…
The most romantic garden in the world is also one of the most forgiving, and if you start this month, you could be cutting armloads of roses and foxgloves by next summer. Cottage gardens have enchanted homeowners for centuries because they follow one irresistible rule: more is always more. If you have been putting off…
If you have ever visited a gardener whose borders look effortlessly full, whose plants come back bigger and better every year, and whose yard seems to run itself, there is a good chance their secret isn’t a complicated routine. It’s a plant list of a quiet, hard-won roster of perennials that most people walk right…
What do you need to make your home look like it belongs in a glossy real estate listing? Marble fountains? A hedge maze? Often, a few wise landscaping choices, some structural, some simple, can completely change how your house is perceived from the curb. Landscaping can make your place feel intentional, polished, and pulled together…