Tall Cactuses Bring Drama to Southwestern Gardens

Cactuses are often used in landscape design to create dramatic interest. They have unique shapes, from the globular barrel cactuses to the flat paddled prickly pear species and the tall, upright columnar cactuse

Aruncus Dioicus Is a Stately Plant for Shady, Moist Garden Spots

Goat’s beard (Aruncus dioicus), also called bride’s feathers, is a large, shade-tolerant native perennial with bold white flower heads that open in late spring or early summer. This native plant’s foliage textur

Enjoy Your Summer Garden — Heres What to Do in July

Its hot outside, and in the midst of planning your Fourth of July barbecue and prepping the pool for months of heavy use, remember that your plants are also waiting for a cool summer drink. Water, prune, feed an

Plant These Fall-Flowering Natives in Early Summer for Pollinator Love

We all should be dreaming about fall, no matter the season, because that’s when our pollinator populations are at their largest and most hungry. Remember, flower season doesn’t end in August but goes deep into O

Edible Gardening Essentials: Watering Tips Worth Soaking Up

Watering is essential for any landscape, but it’s at the top of the to-do list if you’re growing an edible garden. Most edibles require regular watering. If you live where summer rainstorms are common, Mother Na

This Tiny, Gentle Bee Keeps Busy

Small sweat bees are a large genus of bees (Lasioglossum) that are active throughout the growing season. Many species in this genus are very small and often go unnoticed while they are visiting flowers. Like swe

Myoporum Parvifolium a Lush Green Alternative to the Lawn

The bright green foliage of low-growing Myoporum parvifolium creates splashes of green throughout the landscape. Often used as a substitute for the traditional lawn, myoporum requires less water and a fraction o

7 Stunning Plant Combinations for Low-Water Gardens

Deciding which companion plants to select for a grouping often comes down to personal taste and preferences, but knowing a few design principles will help ensure a successful design and plants that thrive togeth

Calico Aster Is a Shade-Loving Pollinator Nirvana

Calico aster (Symphyotrichum lateriflorum) is an incredible plant that supports a lot of wildlife and adds a unique design element to native-plant landscapes. This fall-flowering perennial is one among many that

7 Ways to Rethink the Shrub

Shrubs are ubiquitous throughout our landscapes, many times making up a significant bulk of greenery in the garden. Often used as low-maintenance and long-term plantings around a home’s foundation or as a low wa

10 Small-Scale Agaves Just Right for Containers

There are more than 200 species of agave, ranging in size from 6 inches to more than 12 feet wide. Due to their modest size and compact root systems, smaller agave species make an excellent choice for growing in

Maximize Harvests With Square-Foot Gardening

Want to maximize your edible-garden yields? Many vegetable gardeners are thinking inside the box and planting square-foot gardens. Different from traditional garden rows, this design system makes it easy to enjo

Bigtooth Maple, the West’s Native Sugar Maple

Bigtooth maple (Acer grandidentatum) is a sugar maple for the inland West. It provides summer shade with a stately rounded crown, has spectacular long-lasting fall color, and provides excellent habitat for songb

10 Essential Shrubs for Mid-Atlantic Gardens

The mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. has a rich diversity of native plants appropriate for use in the residential landscape. In fact, some of the stalwarts of the landscape industry are native to this region. Th

12 Storybook Cottage Gardens

No other type of landscape can enchant quite like a cottage garden. Charming mixes of flowers, edibles, perennials, shrubs, annuals, espaliered fruit trees, evergreens and more give these gardens a wide variety

Help Monarchs and Other Butterflies by Planting Common Milkweed

Monarch butterflies rely on a continuous supply of fresh milkweed leaves as they migrate northward from their overwintering grounds in Mexico — or California — each spring. As more and more citizens have become

8 Essential Native Shade Trees for the U.S. Southeast

The Southeast region of the United States has a hot, humid climate with blistering summers and mild winters. Large shade trees provide some relief with a cooling effect during the long, hot months. Their beauty

8 Native Flowers to Brighten Shady Garden Spots

We might think of the shady areas in our gardens as voids or black holes where little grows, but that’s far from the truth. There’s no reason to give up and plant only hostas or astilbes when our native flora ca

Flame Acanthus Attracts Butterflies and Hummingbirds All Summer Long

Drought-tolerant landscapes glow with bright green foliage and splashes of orange wherever flame acanthus (Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii) grows. Its nectar-rich blossoms draw butterflies and hummingbird

Yes, You Can Grow a Plant In That

I bought my first home during planting season. The interior was as cookie cutter as the hurricane-proof concrete block was cold, and the whole place desperately needed some greenery to bring it to life. So I spe