Featured Articles

  • It’s Just Business | Letter from the Editor

    I love pollinators, but not for the reasons you might think. Sure, there is the whole help-plants-set-seed-natural-process-healthy-environment thing, and that is great. But I love pollinators because they are all…

  • What's New With Coneflowers?

    I think many gardeners oscillate between loving and hating coneflowers—I know I do. It’s a phenomenon I’ve observed for nearly 20 years. I was there at the turn of the…

  • New Kids on the Coneflower Corner

    While perhaps not brand-new, these coneflowers were new to our trials in 2019. They all show great promise with just one year under observation. 1. ‘Julia’ is another lovely coneflower…

  • A Hole in Every Host Plant

    Many gardeners want immaculate foliage, but to us perfect foliage means there aren’t enough caterpillars munching leaves to produce the diaphanous moths and bright-colored butterflies that we want. Many folks…

  • Plants That Shine in the Shade

    Throughout my horticultural life, I have gardened almost exclusively in the shade. While the cool, shady areas have provided me with the opportunity to grow some of my favorite genera,…

  • Garden Design That Doesn't Limit Your Color Palette

    Textural interest and shades of green may be the rage in sophisticated gardens, but I still crave the excitement of floral Techni­color. My personal garden challenge is to work in…

  • Clutter-Busting Tips for Storage and Work Spaces

    In my garden, a storage shed and greenhouse are the backstage spaces that keep the garden show going. These work spaces help me find the things I need, when I…

  • 5 Great New Tomato Varieties

    I’m someone who’s generally averse to change. If I find a certain brand of jeans that fit just right, I stick with them. Same goes for moisturizer and my New…

  • A Sugary-Sweet Shrub That Stays in Bounds

    Spireas have generally lost favor over the last 20 years, due in part to their sometimes invasive nature in certain areas of the country. For this reason, they have often…

  • A Beautiful Result of Crossing Two Amazing Plants

    It’s rare when I get to say that a brand-new, never-been-seen-before plant has hit the market. But here it is, ‘Lilac Falls’ hybrid betony—a unique, exciting, and beautiful option to…

  • Being a Gardener: All That Jazz

    One night my partner put on some Thelonious Monk for dinner music. Now I like dinner and I like music, but some forms of jazz at dinner jangle my digestion.…

  • Pollinators' Favorite Nectar Plants

    The first spring in the pollinator garden we planted more than two thousand plugs and were itchy to see results. But not much insect activity happened at first. Plants were…

  • Regional Picks: Variegated Plants for Shade—Southern Plains

    See regional picks for variegated plants for shade, and read the article by Andy Brand for even more ideas. "While the cool, shady areas have provided me with the opportunity…

  • Regional Picks: Variegated Plants for Shade—California

    See regional picks for variegated plants for shade, and read the article by Andy Brand for even more ideas. “While the cool, shady areas have provided me with the opportunity…

  • Regional Picks: Variegated Plants for Shade—Northwest

    See regional picks for variegated plants for shade, and read the article by Andy Brand for even more ideas. “While the cool, shady areas have provided me with the opportunity…

  • Regional Picks: Variegated Plants for Shade—Northeast

    See regional picks for variegated plants for shade, and read the article by Andy Brand for even more ideas. “While the cool, shady areas have provided me with the opportunity…

  • Regional Picks: Variegated Plants for Shade—Mid-Atlantic

    See regional picks for variegated plants for shade, and read the article by Andy Brand for even more ideas. “While the cool, shady areas have provided me with the opportunity…

  • Regional Picks: Variegated Plants for Shade—Midwest

    See regional picks for variegated plants for shade, and read the article by Andy Brand for even more ideas. “While the cool, shady areas have provided me with the opportunity…

  • Regional Picks: Variegated Plants for Shade—South

    See regional picks for variegated plants for shade, and read the article by Andy Brand for even more ideas. “While the cool, shady areas have provided me with the opportunity…

  • Tree MD

    Just like human health, the health of trees can be affected by a range of factors and some can be more apparent than others. The most common causes of ill…

  • Tomato Timing Checklist

    It can be taxing to figure out when to plant, prune, and harvest tomatoes. Plant your seeds too late and you'll never harvest any fruit. Or forget to harden-off your…

    Articles

  • What’s Wrong With My Coneflower?

    Several diseases and pests affect coneflowers. While your coneflowers may never get any of them, it can be troubling if they do. Powdery mildew This disease typically occurs in overly…

  • How to Treat Needle Drop on Evergreen Conifers

    This is a symptom that can signal anything from a severe tree problem to no problem at all. 1. What it looks like All the needles on a conifer begin…

  • Treat Winter Injury to Your Trees

    Winter injury is among the most common tree problems experienced in colder areas of the country. 1. What it looks like Winter injury actually includes several different plant problems that…

  • Yellow Leaves on Red Maples and Pin Oaks—What Does It Mean?

    These popular landscape trees generally start declining within one to two years of planting. 1. What it looks like Leaves turn yellow, but the veins remain green. 2. How to…

  • simple container garden design

    Container Garden Design Using Just Three Plants

    It’s easy to get carried away with container design, adding plants until the pot overflows. But simple designs can be stunning too, so the FG editors asked five designers to…

  • Designing a Stylish Pollinator Garden

    A few years ago, in an effort to try to help dwindling butterfly and bee populations, my partner Mikel and I plowed up an acre of invasive bittersweet on the…

  • Can All Houseplants Go Outside in Summer?

    A whole lot of bonding has happened, and you’ve forged a closeness akin to family with your houseplants this year. But when summer arrived, you needed to turn your attention…

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