Latest posts
10 Best Flowers to Plant in Spring for a Spectacular Summer
April is when I realize which of my spring planting decisions from March were right and which ones I should have made differently. The pansies I put in too late. The sweet peas I started on time that are already climbing. The zinnias I have not sown yet that need to go in this weekend.…
12 Perennials That Bloom From Spring to Fall for Season-Long Color
My front border has had something flowering in it every week from late May through October for the past four years. I planted it once. I divide things occasionally. I deadhead when I remember. That is the complete maintenance record. Perennials that bloom from spring to fall are the plants that change a garden from…
12 Spring Bulbs to Plant in Fall for Spectacular Color
I planted a hundred tulip bulbs one October afternoon — about forty minutes of work — and forgot about them entirely. The following April the border I had planted them in looked like a photograph from a garden magazine. I had done nothing in between. That is the specific magic of spring bulbs to plant…
7 Drawer Planter Ideas That Turn Old Drawers Into Garden Features
I found a broken chest of drawers beside a skip three years ago. Kept four drawers. The rest went for firewood. One drawer became a herb garden beside the back door. One became a wall-mounted succulent display. Two are stacked at angles in the corner of the patio with trailing Lobelia cascading down between them.…
7 Spring Decorating Ideas That Cost Almost Nothing
I bought a $6 bunch of tulips on a Monday in March and put them in a glass on the kitchen windowsill. By Tuesday morning I had opened all the blinds in the house, swapped the dark throw on the sofa for a cream one, and moved three houseplants from the bedroom to the living…
7 Small Backyard Pond Ideas That Bring Water to Any Garden
I added a container pond to a patio three summers ago. Half barrel, one miniature water lily, a small solar pump. Cost about $70 including the plants. The first evening I sat beside it I realized I had been listening to traffic noise for two years and only noticed it had gone when the water…
7 Cement Patio Ideas for Small Backyards That Actually Work
The most common outdoor surface in the US is also the most overlooked. A plain grey cement patio sits in millions of backyards doing exactly what it was poured to do — provide a flat surface — and nothing more. I have seen the same slab transformed twice. First with a coat of warm terracotta…
How To Turn Old Junk Into Garden Decor
I kept a broken enamel colander for two years because I could not throw it away. Too cracked to use. Too interesting to skip. It became a planter for trailing nasturtiums on my back fence the summer I finally got around to drilling three drainage holes in the base. That colander has been photographed more…
12 Dog-Friendly Backyard Ideas For Active Pets
Most backyards are designed entirely for human use and then adapted for dogs as an afterthought. A dog bed in a corner. A corner of lawn designated as the bathroom area. Plants that may or may not be toxic to dogs. Fencing that a determined dog can find gaps in within a week. A backyard…
12 Mini Garden Ideas for Any Windowsill or Balcony
My most visited plant arrangement is a glass terrarium on my desk that cost $23 to build. Three succulents, a layer of white sand, two smooth river stones, a piece of driftwood. People who have never shown any interest in plants stop and look at it for thirty seconds without being asked. That is what…
