Attract Hummingbirds and Bees With These Beautiful Summer Flowers

Landscapes sustain us by giving us food to eat, air to breathe and space to live in — let’s repay the favor. When choosing what we plant, it’s important to respect our natural landscapes and the wildlife they s

Tufted Evening Primrose Shines at Night

Tufted evening primrose (Oenothera caespitosa) is a night bloomer, producing large white flowers that start to open in late afternoon and on into the night. The fragrant blossoms appear to glow in the dark whil

Delight in Summers Garden Glories — Heres What to Do in June

Anticipation for the summer gardening season peaks in June. Seeds have been sown, edibles started and watering schedules adjusted. Gardeners across the U.S. are now enjoying their spring efforts and making sure

Plant Black Cherry Trees for the Birds and Bees

Black cherry (Prunus serotina) is a common deciduous tree in Midwestern and Eastern forests, but it’s unusual. Most of the deciduous trees in these North American woodlands are wind-pollinated, producing separat

The 8 Tools That Help Bring the Farm to Your Table

Vegetable gardeners need surprisingly few tools. This is especially true if you’re growing in raised beds or containers, which are perfectly designed for working with gloved hands. However, there are times when

Cactus and Succulent Containers Are Ideal for Hot, Sunny Spots

Many landscapes have a spot where the sun beats down nearly all day. Couple that with the reflected heat that often accompanies that sunlight, and it is easy to understand why traditional container plants like

10 Reasons to Love a Tiny Garden

Gardens on a grand scale can be gorgeous, to be sure, but they are not without their drawbacks. They can be pricey to install and labor-intensive to maintain, and they need huge amounts of water to stay green. A

Stop Fighting the Patchy Lawn!

I’ve met with more than one client while standing on a struggling lawn. “I keep trying,” they tell me, “but the grass won’t grow.” I tell them that maybe this means there’s another option, something even better

Hummingbird Sage Lures Wildlife With Its Sweet, Fruity Fragrance

Hummingbird sage (Salvia spathacea) forms a fragrant carpet in the shadier spots of California gardens. The magenta blooms of this herbaceous perennial ground cover appear from late winter into fall, attracting

Got a Hot, Humid Landscape? Add Tropical Flair With Air Plants

Air plants are unique, because they occupy an ecological niche in the treetops of the forest. Because of this special place in the ecosystem, they provide habitat and food to beneficial insects, which then becom

Heuchera Richardsonii Flourishes in Sunny, Dry Spots

Most cultivated Heuchera species do not tolerate full sun and dry conditions. Richardson’s alumroot (Heuchera richardsonii), a Central U.S. native, thrives in full sun and dry sites. This perennial has subtle cr

Unusual Totem Pole Cactus Is a Standout in Southwest Gardens

The unusual lumpy shape of totem pole cactus is attention-grabbing. Instead of the upright ribs typical of most cactus species, this variation of senita cactus resembles a melted candle, with randomly spaced bul

13 North American Backyard Birds to Know

If you’ve ever wondered what that bird was you saw flitting about your sunflowers or how you can draw more hummingbirds to your backyard, look no further. Here are the 13 birds native to the U.S. and beyond that

Cornus Rugosa, an Understated, Elegant Native Dogwood

Roundleaf dogwood (Cornus rugosa) is a large shrub or small tree that occurs in woodland understories and on partially shaded slopes in well-drained soil. This shade-tolerant eastern woodland native plant can be

Keep Track of Your Vegetable Garden With Plant Markers

Vegetable gardeners plant a lot of seeds. It can be challenging to keep track of them all, especially if you’re planting weekly successions of crops. That’s where plant markers come in. Labeling is an easily ove

Agastache Rupestris, a Heat-Loving Hummingbird Magnet

Spikes of sunset-colored flowers on 2-foot-tall stalks over narrow, silvery leaves that smell of licorice give this perennial an outsized garden presence. The tubular flowers produce copious quantities of nectar

10 Drought-Tolerant Shrubs That Thrive in Full Sun and Reflected Heat

For gardeners in areas with mild winters and hot summers, you probably have an area in the landscape where full sun beats down and reflects heat off walls, streets and even sidewalks. It’s not surprising that mo

Vitex Agnus-Castus Fills Gardens With Fragrant Blooms and Foliage

Chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus) has many characteristics that make it a popular choice in California and the Southwest, and in southeastern regions of the U.S. that experience hot summers; these include fragran

Attract Pollinators for a Productive Edible Garden

If you’ve ever had poor results growing squash or apples, there’s a good chance that inadequate pollination was the culprit. Pollinators play an essential role in all gardens, especially those that grow food. A

3 Ways to Revel in Summer Garden Sweetness

It’s finally here. Every morning, before sunrise, the tree canopy ripples in birdcalls. Dew speckles grasses and flowers, each plant cascading in sparkles as the sun crests the fence. A red admiral butterfly dan