Featured Articles

  • A Tiny Treasure That’s Perfect for Any Small Spot

    If you’re looking for the perfect front-of-the-border plant, look no further than ‘Little Angel’. This small rounded plant makes a tidy mound of green-and-white splashed foliage that sets the ideal…

  • 3 Things That Don’t Work (Reliably) as Deer Repellent

    Are deer munching your favorite plants? Desperate gardeners sometimes resort to desperate measures to ensure that beloved flowers don't become breakfast for local grazers, but there are some tactics that…

  • Expert Tips for a Late-Summer Show

    If you want to add excitement to your autumn garden, easygoing annuals and over-the-top tropicals can be the key to a wow-worthy late season. Horticulturist Tim Erdmann from Longwood Gardens…

  • Answers to 5 Common Bulb Planting Questions

    Storing, planting, and caring for bulbs can be a bit tricky. We have answered some of the most common questions about planting bulbs so that you can ensure a spectacular…

  • When Nothing Is Really Something

    I have been accused of hating beautyberry. Looking at the amazing varieties in Andra Windorf Nus’s article (Beautyberry: Fall’s Most Fantastic Shrub), one might be hard-pressed to defend such an…

  • How to Be Safe With Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis)

    Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis), a soil-dwelling bacterium, produces proteins that are toxic to certain immature insects. Several types of Bt-based insecticides have been approved for use in organic gardening and farming,…

  • Regional Picks: Short Plants – South

    See regional picks for short plants, and read the article by Steve Aitken for even more ideas. “As I began amassing countless short varieties, only some of which worked in…

  • Regional Picks: Short Plants – Northeast

    See regional picks for short plants, and read the article by Steve Aitken for even more ideas. “As I began amassing countless short varieties, only some of which worked in…

  • Regional Picks: Short Plants – Northern Plains

    See regional picks for short plants, and read the article by Steve Aitken for even more ideas. “As I began amassing countless short varieties, only some of which worked in…

  • Regional Picks: Short Plants – Northwest

    See regional picks for short plants, and read the article by Steve Aitken for even more ideas. “As I began amassing countless short varieties, only some of which worked in…

  • Regional Picks: Short Plants – Southern California

    See regional picks for short plants, and read the article by Steve Aitken for even more ideas. “As I began amassing countless short varieties, only some of which worked in…

  • Regional Picks: Short Plants – Southern Plains

    See regional picks for short plants, and read the article by Steve Aitken for even more ideas. “As I began amassing countless short varieties, only some of which worked in…

  • 3 Ways to Use Short Plants

    When it comes to creating cohesion and a sense of harmony in your garden design, bigger is not necessarily better. While short plants can serve a variety of functions in…

  • It Looks Like a Tropical, But It's Hardy as Heck

    When we read about climbers, we always hear that clematis is the “Queen of Vines.” Well, this new passion flower might just be worthy of stealing that crown. Some gardeners…

  • Design for a Late-Summer Show

    Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, has a truly spectacular trial garden. For the past several years, this space has served as a design laboratory where the garden staff can…

  • How to Prune Beautyberries

    Four-season shrubs are like gold to a gardener. A plant that blooms gorgeously in spring, has wonderful summer foliage followed by fall color, and then displays great bark and structure…

  • Extraordinary Spring Bulbs to Plant in Fall

    The fall planting of bulbs for springtime may be a garden’s most hopeful investment. If you’ve been growing plants for fun for any length of time, odds are you’ve been…

  • Regional Picks: Short Plants—Midwest

    See regional picks for short plants, and read the article by Steve Aitken for even more ideas. “As I began amassing countless short varieties, only some of which worked in…

    Articles

  • Fall Is for Flowers

    When you think of spring, you think of flowers. Summer is also for flowers. Fall? Everyone is all about the foliage. Colorful leaves are a highlight of the season, along…

  • ‘Issai’ Asian beautyberry

    Beautyberry: Fall’s Most Fantastic Shrub

    At a glance Callicarpa spp. and cvs. Zones: 5–9 Size: 4 to 6 feet tall and wide (unless otherwise noted) Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; evenly moist, average soil…

  • How to Manage Pests Sustainably With IPM

    Integrated pest management (IPM) may sound complicated, like something only professionals can do. But this commonsense approach to maintaining garden health is actually something we all can work into our…

  • A Small Tree With Four-Season Impact

    Have you ever experienced PSFM? It stands for “post-spring flower melancholy.” It occurs after nature has given her best color seemingly all at once and then it’s over. Wouldn’t it…

  • Deer-Resistant Combinations

    One of my greatest challenges as a designer and deer-plagued gardener is unpredictability. There are no rules. No guarantees. Just guidelines. I’ve watched deer devour thorny shrubs and trample fragrant…

  • 10 Small Plants to Grow Now

    The front garden where my property hits the road had enough of a slope to make mowing the grass a little iffy. Like any good gardener, I thought, “Why grow…

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