Featured Articles

  • perennials for fall color

    Perennials for Fall Color

    People flock to fall color hot spots every year to experience the best the season has to offer. The deciduous trees that grow across North America rarely disappoint. Year after…

  • a garden that embraces shade

    Learning to Embrace Shade in the Garden

    When you have lived at a property for nearly 50 years, you are bound to see your landscape go through some changes. Linda Skyler is no stranger to this reality,…

  • variegated shrub

    A Variegated Shrub With a Long Season of Interest

    I vividly remember my first encounter with Japanese summersweet (Clethra barbinervis, Zones 5–8). The local arboretum had a few large mature specimens that I stumbled across when they were starting…

  • native bulb

    A Native Bulb With a Stunning Spring Show

    It sometimes seems that all bulbs come from either the Netherlands or somewhere around Greece or Turkey. But North America is home to some stunning bulbs as well. Camassia is…

  • Pee Wee Oakleadf Hyrangea

    Shrubs for Small Spaces in the South

    Mark Weathington, director of the JC Raulston Arboretum at NC State University in Raleigh, North Carolina, discusses several small shrub varieties that provide big interest in a petite package as…

  • Shrubs for Small Spaces in the Northern Plains

    Mark Weathington, director of the JC Raulston Arboretum at NC State University in Raleigh, North Carolina, discusses several small shrub varieties that provide big interest in a petite package as…

  • Regent Saskatoon Serviceberry

    Shrubs for Small Spaces in the Midwest

    Mark Weathington, director of the JC Raulston Arboretum at NC State University in Raleigh, North Carolina, discusses several small shrub varieties that provide big interest in a petite package as…

  • Shrubs for Small Spaces in the Northwest

    Mark Weathington, director of the JC Raulston Arboretum at NC State University in Raleigh, North Carolina, discusses several small shrub varieties that provide big interest in a petite package as…

  • This Garden Knife Gets Better With Age

    The first tool I bought as a novice gardener was a carbon-steel hori hori, or Japanese digging knife, just like the one from Hardwick & Sons. Practically indestructible, mine (pictured)…

  • A Garden Cart You Can Count On

    A Garden Cart You Can Count On

    I have used both the midsize and large garden carts from Carts Vermont for years and have been extremely impressed by their durability and usefulness. You can pile these carts…

  • neem in the garden

    What to Know About Using Neem in the Garden

    Neem is often brought up in any discussion of garden pests and diseases, but is it all good? Learn more about using neem in the garden here.

  • fg 202 cover

    In Defense of Modernism | Letter from the Editor

    My home and garden are just about the furthest thing from modern you can get. I live in a quintessential Cape Cod–style house, and the swirling landscape around it is…

  • Protect Your Arms from Garden Injuries with Kevlar Sleeves

    Dealing with cuts and scratches in the garden was a daily occurrence that I accepted decades ago. It comes with the territory, right? Well, not since I discovered these amazing…

  • 5 Tips for a Better Garden

    5 Tips for a Better Garden

    Winning Tip: Gardening is entertaining too I discovered a new use for an old entertainment center—a raised garden bed. As you can see from the photo, I laid the entertainment…

  • Ferns thrive in indirect light, like that from a north-facing window. However, they are sensitive to drafts and shouldn’t be near a cold window in the winter.

    How to Care for Houseplant Ferns

    Ferns have an interesting reputation as indoor plants. They are prized for their beauty and elegance, but they also have a lingering (and not completely deserved) reputation as tricky plants…

  • modern garden design

    Modern Garden Design Ideas

    As gardeners, we love, trust, and believe in plants—often to a fault. We don’t easily relinquish funds or space for hardscape. The thrill of buying and finding a spot for…

  • It works on many levels. “The Ruins” is impressive from afar. But once you get close enough to notice the delicate interplay of forms, textures, and colors among the plants and hardscape, you understand that this is more than just a cool water feature.

    Make the Garden an Experience

    We have all had them: instances in a garden when we just stop. And the words that jump to the front of our minds include “wow,” or “yes,” or “oh…

  • Shrubs for Small Spaces in the Southern Plains

    Shrubs for Small Spaces in the Southern Plains

    Mark Weathington, director of the JC Raulston Arboretum at NC State University in Raleigh, North Carolina, discusses several small shrub varieties that provide big interest in a petite package as…

  • compact shrubs

    Compact Shrubs That Provide Color, Interest, and Excitement to the Landscape

    Today's landscapes tend to be small. Even where space is available, many gardeners tend to have other interests and obligations that leave them with less time to cultivate a large…

  • shrubs for small spaces

    Shrubs for Small Spaces in Your Region

    Small plants can still make a big impact. In this collection, find small but mighty shrubs that are perfect for your region.

  • How to Grow and Care for Ninebark Shrubs

    How to Grow and Care for Ninebark Shrubs

    A low-maintenance native shrub, ninebark grows best in full sun to light shade. Although it prefers evenly moist, well-drained soil, it is adaptable to rocky and clay soils and is…

  • Sweet Cherry Tea™

    Brand-New Ninebark Shrubs Showing Promise

    The compact ninebarks intrigue me—their reduced sizes and refined habits are made for small urban gardens like mine. And they challenge the notion that ninebarks are all coarse or tangled shrubs.…

  • The Best Ninebark Shrubs for the Garden

    The Best Ninebark Shrubs for the Garden

    Common ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius) is one of those shrubs that I learned about in college and then forgot about until sometime around the Millennium, when purple-leaved Diabolo® transformed a humble…

    Articles

  • ground cover with color

    A Ground Cover With Color All Year Long

    At the mention of ground covers, most gardeners immediately think of periwinkle (Vinca minor*, Zones 4–8), Japanese pachysandra (Pachysandra procumbens, Zones 5–9), or lilyturf (Liriope muscari and cvs., Zones 5–9).…

  • Shrubs for Small Spaces in California

    Shrubs for Small Spaces in California

    Mark Weathington, director of the JC Raulston Arboretum at NC State University in Raleigh, North Carolina, discusses several small shrub varieties that provide big interest in a petite package as…

  • Hummingbird Summersweet

    Shrubs for Small Spaces in the Northeast

    Mark Weathington, director of the JC Raulston Arboretum at NC State University in Raleigh, North Carolina, discusses several small shrub varieties that provide big interest in a petite package as…

  • conifers in containers

    How to Grow Conifers in Containers

    The sculptural qualities and year-round presence of evergreen conifers make them valuable assets in a garden. Planting conifers in containers is useful because they can be easily moved, combined with…

  • invasive plants

    How to Get Rid of Invasive Plants

    Invasive plants are more than just weeds. Beyond the garden they can cause serious economic and environmental damage, and sometimes even harm to human health. Invasive nonnative species typically tolerate…

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