No-Fuss Perennials: Tough, Reliable Plants for Any Garden

Daylilies are especially tolerant of exposed, sunny sites. While many perennials are easy to grow, some are exceptionally dependable and trouble-free. All plants on this list tolerate a wide range of soil and weather co

Weed Control Strategies for a Cleaner Garden

Techniques for Keeping Weeds at Bay Pathways: Keep vegetable garden walkways weed-free with roll-out Pro Weed Mat. Bed edges: The garden always looks better with a crisp edge. Use roll-out edging—recycled rubber or coc

Don't Forget to Feed Your Plants: The Key to Vigorous Growth

Theres No Better Way to Ensure Vigorous, Productive, Healthy Plants With regular feeding, pots and planters like this Hayrack Hanging Basket will thrive. A National Gardening Association poll revealed most gardeners don

The Complete Guide to Growing Perennials

Perennials are the backbone of nearly every flower garden. Unlike annuals, herbaceous perennials die to the ground each season and regrow from the same roots next year. Gardeners love them for easy care, dependability,

Keep Holiday Evergreens Fresh All Season

When buying evergreens for decorating, choose bright green branches with minimal needle loss when handled. Cutting your own is best, but many garden centers offer fresh greens that last weeks. Keep Them Cool Good Evergr

Success with Spring Bulbs: Expert Tips for a Spectacular Display

Daffodils are especially nice when planted in masses. Don’t be skimpy. Dutch bulb growers are masters of seductive photography—close-ups with glistening dew, perfectly timed color-coordinated splendor, acres of red tuli

Debunking the Top 5 Watering Myths for a Healthier Garden

After 20+ years gardening and writing, I still learn new things about backyard plants, insects, and critters—gardening is never boring. My background includes landscaping, organic farming, plant pathology research, and

Most Garden Bugs Are Good Bugs: Meet Your Beneficial Insects

Over 95% of Garden Visitors Are Beneficial or Harmless After 20+ years gardening and writing, I still discover new things about backyard plants, insects, and critters—gardening is never boring. My experience spans lands

Overwintering Tender Tropical Plants: Three Proven Methods

With blooms like this, it’s easy to make time and space for saving a brugmansia. Bougainvillea, jasmine, mandevilla, banana, agapanthus, taro—today’s garden centers offer a thrilling palette of tropicals for gardens, de

Turn Fall Leaves into Garden Gold with a Leaf Shredder

Powerful Electric Leaf Shredders Make It Easy After 20+ years of gardening and writing, I still learn something new every season—plants, insects, critters. Gardening is never boring. My background includes landscaping,

Growing Tuberous Begonias: Shade-Loving Stars for Containers and Beds

This upright begonia lights up shade with large blooms. Staking keeps these fragile beauties upright. The begonia tuber that produced the flowers above. Of over 1,000 begonia species, tuberous begonias are the most stu

Design a Spring Bulb Garden for Eight Weeks of Continuous Bloom

Choose Bulbs to Create a Long-Lasting Spring Display Fall is the time to plant for a spring spectacle. Invest a couple of hours on a crisp autumn afternoon, and you’ll enjoy a succession of blooms from late March into Ma

Why Your Lilacs Won’t Bloom—and How to Fix It

Lilacs are usually reliable bloomers, but sometimes they refuse to flower. Here are the most common reasons and solutions: Insufficient sunlight. Lilacs need at least six hours of direct sun daily. Excess nitrogen. Law

Success with Roses: A Complete Guide to Selection and Care

Few flowers rival the rose for fragrance, history, and sheer variety. With over 2,000 cultivars—thanks to the rose’s ready cross-breeding—gardeners can choose from antique classics and modern hybrids bred worldwide. The

Choosing the Perfect Greenhouse for Your Backyard

How to Select a Greenhouse Structure That Fits Your Space and Goals Function is the single most important factor when deciding on the type and size of greenhouse that will work for you. Most gardeners dream of owning a

A Garden in Your Hand: The Joy and Art of Saving Seeds

Saving Seeds Is One of Gardenings Best-Kept Secrets. When Else in Life Can You Get Something for Nothing? Ive gardened and written about it for 20+ years, yet always learn new things about plants, insects, critters in m

Controlling Lily Leaf Beetles: Organic Methods to Protect Your Lilies

In my Gardeners Supply tenure, Ive been staff horticulturist, retail nursery supervisor, product information specialist. For a natural teacher, avid gardener, and plant geek, this work is a perfect fit. Twenty-five year

Planting My Bountiful, Beautiful Backyard Cutting Garden

Greedy for fragrance, romance and color, I may have gone overboard. Debra Prinzing Photo: Mary Grace Long Debra Prinzing is a Seattle- and Los Angeles-based outdoor living expert writing and lecturing on gardens and ho

Creating Privacy in the Garden: Fences, Hedges, and Living Screens

This dense-weave fence provides plenty of privacy and blends well with any garden setting. Nothing creates a private outdoor room like a fence. If you dont want a wood fence, consider semi-permanent bamboo, willow, or

Using Weed Fabric: Keep Garden Pathways Weed-Free and Sweepable

Weed-Blocking Cloth Keeps Garden Pathways Looking Sharp As a founding employee of Gardeners Supply, I wore many hats over the years. Now I run Johnnie Brook Creative. My Richmond, VT gardens include a large vegetable gar