The Surprising Ingredients Every Good Garden Should Have

I think good garden design is 50 percent planning and 50 percent luck. I know that may fly in the face of many in the garden design profession, but gardens change over time; they evolve and morph right alongside

How to Find the Right Native Plants for Your Yard

There’s certainly been a welcome groundswell of support for native plants among gardeners, landscapers and even nurseries. The benefits of going native are many: lower maintenance when properly sited, an increas

Be a Butterfly Savior — Garden for the Monarchs

I had a 10-gallon aquarium sitting on our dining room table in 2011. I’d browsed Craigslist to find a rearing tank for monarchs. When I met with the seller in a McDonald’s parking lot, I discovered she was about

Keep Your Cool in the Garden — Here’s What to Do in August

There is much to be done and enjoyed in the August garden. Butterflies abound, while the magenta, burgundy and orange hues of late-summer bloomers foreshadow fall colors. Give your containers and summer edibles

How to Design a Garden for Native Bees

Most people are aware of the honeybee crisis, but honeybees aren’t the only ones in trouble. Other pollinators are also in decline. Since becoming aware of the honeybee crisis, researchers have put more emphasis

10 Tips for Beginning Gardeners

The rewards of gardening are great — fresh air, exercise, beauty and relaxation, to name a few. But designing and planting your very first garden can feel like an overwhelming task. Luckily, gardens are surprisi

Carrots: Health Benefits

Carrots offer even more health benefits than the Vitamin A you might know about. Plus they’re inexpensive, always available, and easy to grow. Here are some of the ways that carrots are good for

The Earliest Spring of our Lives

Spring will be off to a very early start in 2016, thanks to leap day weirdness! Have you noticed that the equinox used be on the 21st? This year, spring begins March 19 or 20, depending on your time z

Garden Planning for Beginners

Photo by Thinkstock Contemplating your first vegetable garden? How hard can it be? Just stick a few seeds in the ground and stand back, right? If only it were that easy! Here are 10 gardening planning 

Winter Sowing Vegetables

Celeste Longacre Ever tried sowed seeds outside in the hard winter ground? My friend, Jackie Caserta told me about this new idea and it sounded pretty easy so I decided to give it a try. Granted, this

Make your own potting mixes cheap easy container gardens

Photo by Thinkstock Container gardens are on my mind, as the winter chill is easing. I like to grow a few pots of various vegetables and flowers before the usual frost-free date here, May 15, to get a jump on summer

Beautiful Orchid Pictures and Growing Tips

Robin Sweetser Ready for a tropical interlude? Luckily, I only had to go as far as our state’s Orchid Society’s Annual Show to share some of the most beautiful orchid pictures for you—and picked up some orchid

10 Easiest Vegetables to Grow From Seed

Photo by Thinkstock Grow a tasty vegetable garden this year! Here are the 10 easiest vegetab

Growing Onions From Seed Indoors

Seed starting has begun at our house and the first vegetables we start from seed indoors are the onions and shallots.Sure, we could just buy onion sets and plant those but there is not a wide choice of varietie

Pulses Recipes: Cooking With Beans, Peas, Lentils, Chickpeas

Here are 12 delicious recipes using pulses—lentils, peas, beans, and other dried legumes. What are Puls

Phenology Natures Signs of Spring

Robin Sweetser For centuries, farmers took their cues for planting times from observing what

When to Plant Peas

“Plant peas as soon as the ground can be worked” is a popular saying in the gardening world. Unfortunately,

Kale: Can’t get into it? Try a massage

Margaret Boyles I knew I hadn’t failed childrearing entirely the night my young daughter wal

10 Tips for Starting Seeds

Succeed with seeds! Here are 10 tips for starting your seeds indoors. The Hindi word for seed is ” bi

How to Keep Birds Out of the Garden

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Birds are a welcome addition to the garden, but if the crow