15 Native Flowers That Attract Butterflies

There’s nothing in the world like following a butterfly around a flower patch. They flit and dive as wind-carried floral scents call them in, and then they balance on a bloom, methodically seeking out nectar. Bu

5 Things to Know About Weeding and Mulching Your Native Garden

Weeding is a constant task in every garden. Having unwanted plants sprout up is actually a sign of a healthy soil ecosystem. You want your garden teeming with life, and often the very inventions used to forever

12 Tips to Help You Start an Edible Garden

You’ve dreamed of turning your lawn into a lush food-producing oasis. Perhaps you’ve had visions of stepping onto your patio before dinner to snip fresh chives and basil onto your plate. The good news is that al

12 Edibles Perfect to Plant in Late Summer

A gardener’s work is never done. Even though August is the high point for the summer vegetable garden, with ripe tomatoes and peppers, freshly picked corn and never-ending zucchini rewarding you for your hard wo

Ruellia Humilis Thrives in Rock Gardens and Along Boulevards

Fringeleaf wild petunia (Ruellia humilis) is a U.S. native perennial found in dry sites in prairies, at the edge of woodlands and in old fields. With its short, compact stature, it can be planted along a sidewal

10 Top Native Plants for the Rocky Mountain Region

Native plants bring the distinct terroir, the flavor or sense of place, to landscapes and gardens. Natives also provide habitat for butterflies, native bees, songbirds and the other wildlife, large and small, wh

Native Wildflowers for the August Transition Into Fall

For many gardens, August is a transition time between the height of summer blooms and the last show of fall flowers. For too many, July is the last month of significant blooms, but it doesn’t have to be that way

Zenobia Pulverulenta Brightens Shady Southeastern Gardens

Dusty zenobia (Zenobia pulverulenta) is a small Southeast native shrub with several appealing traits: fragrant flowers, reddish twigs, bluish leaves and great autumn color. It has a graceful form with open branc

10 Native Ground Covers for Southwestern Landscapes

Ground covers add beauty to the garden at ground level and keep the surrounding area cool, as they help prevent the ground from heating up during hot summers. The low-growing Southwestern favorites below attract

Hydrangea Arborescens Illuminates Garden Borders and Paths

Wild hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens) and its cultivars are landscape staples that grace gardens across the U.S. and around the world. With their mounding habits and long-lasting flowers, it’s easy to see why.

Rudbeckia Laciniata Enlivens Late-Season Shady and Sunny Sites

Yellow is a top color for attracting pollinators, which is probably why it’s so often seen in wild landscapes. Yellow-flowering cutleaf coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata), a pollinator attractor and butterfly host

5 Things to Know About Watering Your Native Garden

How you water your native landscape is critical to your garden’s success. Plants native to your area evolved in your local conditions and often require less water than their nonnative counterparts, depending on

Hartweg’s Sundrops Blankets Southwestern Landscapes in Yellow

This relatively fuss-free Southwestern native adds beauty to the landscape over a long bloom season. With its gently mounded growth habit, it adds contrasting texture to spiky agave and cactuses, while its yello

Panicum Virgatum, a Prairie Beauty Many Gardeners Can Enjoy

When Katharine Lee Bates wrote “for amber waves of grain” in her lyrics to “America the Beautiful,” she was referring to fields of wheat. But anyone who has watched prairie grasses ripple in the wind knows the b

The Secret Formula for Grouping Plants in a Pot

I thought I was pretty clever when I came up with a successful formula for a plant combination in a pot. I’d make my plant selections using an “uppy,” a “downy” and a “bulky.” The uppy for height. The downy to

11 Favorite Edibles for Your Spring Vegetable Garden

There’s no need to wait until summer to start enjoying produce from your garden. Many favorite vegetables grow best when the days are a bit shorter and the weather is a little cooler. You don’t even need to wait

A Beginner’s Guide to Growing Succulents

Succulents are one of the most popular plant groups in contemporary gardens, and it’s not hard to see why. They’re easy to grow, tough, drought-tolerant and child’s play to propagate. And succulents are the per

8 Surefire Vegetables and Herbs for Beginning Urban Gardeners

For gardeners, poring over the pages of a seed catalog can be a feast for the eyes. Whether it’s heirloom crookneck squash or ‘Green Zebra’ tomatoes, the seed varieties available to home gardeners rival any farm

6 Things to Know Before You Start Growing Your Own Food

Imagine walking out your kitchen door and picking huge leaves off kale plants so tall that they look like mini palm trees. Zucchini and tomatoes pile up on your countertops, and fresh-picked chives, often so exp

Is a Rainwater Cistern Right for You?

Rainwater harvesting does two great things at once: It reduces the amount of stormwater runoff sent downstream and simultaneously reduces your potable water demand. Essentially, you collect rainwater from an imp