Basic Garden Planning: Layout and Design for Beginners Looking out into an empty backyard can be absolutely horrible as well as exciting. It is a blank canvas of possibilities, a mute promise of future beauty. Where, therefore, do you start to leave the first impression? The reality of a patch of grass, a tangle of weeds, or a muddy building …
Are you gazing at a stretch of barren ground where you want for a rich, green lawn or a patchwork, depressed-looking yard? I see it all the time—that irritating discrepancy between the dusty, barren reality outside your window and the lovely grass you find in magazines. Getting that ideal carpet of green seems to be a long, enigmatic process reserved …
(even if you have never gardened before) Have you ever stood in the produce section staring at a depressed-looking tomato and wondered, “I wish I could just grow my own”? Perhaps you live in a house with a small patio, an apartment with a sunny balcony, or you have attempted conventional gardening only to be disappointed by bad soil and …
Picture this: you’re standing in your backyard, coffee in hand, surveying that perpetually soggy patch near the downspout where nothing seems to grow except weeds and your mounting frustration. Not new; sound familiar. The good news is yes, you really can grow beautiful grass in moist locations using the correct grass seed kinds! This will brighten your morning! Over fifteen …
Spend a time visualizing your patio, balcony, or small sunny area by front door. Imagine then a lovely tree standing there. Imagine its graceful branches reaching for the heavens, its leaves rustling in the breeze to offer your own place shade, structure, and a little bit of living enchantment. I’m thrilled to tell you you’re wrong if you’ve ever believed …
A summer garden offers a particular type of charm. Warm dirt on your hands, the hum of contented bees, and the promise of fresh, sun-ripened cuisine all appeal. To be honest, though, patience is not usually the strongest characteristic of a gardener. Have you ever sown a seed and discovered yourself checking on it every single day, wanting it would …
Having a big lawn causes a certain kind of sticker shock. It occurs in the home improvement store’s fertilizing section. You stand there staring at your shopping cart, mentally calculating how many of those 5,000-square-foot bags you will need to cover half-acre, acre, or more. With each bag you toss on the pile, the idea of a rich, green, barefoot-worthy …
You accomplished exactly what was needed. You bought the lovely pot, the elegant bag of soil, the ideal small plant from the nursery. You gave it a water bath. You found it to be great. And now it’s yellow, limp, and seems to be quite truly unhappy. Every gardener, including this one, is too well familiar with this sinking sensation. …
Oh, the charming conundrum! Whether you’re a seasoned master trying to expand your green kingdom or you’re just dipping your toes into the amazing world of gardening, you have probably asked the basic question that dictates your whole growing path: raised bed vs. in-ground? It’s like deciding between a sleek, modern design and a classic farmhouse kitchen; both are great, …
Every beautiful garden begins as a dream. You see what I mean, not exactly? Tubs of luscious red tomatoes, armloads of vivid zinnias, and crisp, sweet lettuce just ready to be harvested. Then you turn to face outside. That dream can seem far off when one stands before a difficult patch of grass or a twisted forest of weeds. Every …
Many of us have a growing, silent call in our fast-paced, digital world—a yearning to connect with something genuine, to slow down, and to use our own hands to produce something beautiful and physical. You could have had a momentary thought—that there is a simpler, more grounded way to live—while browsing gorgeous garden pictures online or strolling past a neighbor’s …
That small tug toward the ground, a silent message implying that tending to life brings delight. You see beautiful gardens online, you admire a neighbor’s blooming flower pots, and you think to yourself, “I’d love to do that.” But then comes the big, overwhelming question: “But where do I even begin?” You’re faced with a confusing world of options—vegetables, flowers, …
Ever planted a lovely, spreading tomato plant in a large ceramic pot, only to find in the thick of a July hot that transferring it into the shade is a job fit for a professional weightlifter? Each of us has visited there. I can’t tell you how many times I have done that back-straining shuffle around my patio, worrying I …
Without a single patch of grass, picture walking out onto your balcony to cut fresh basil for supper or savoring morning coffee amid brilliant blooms. I’m here to tell you it’s well within your reach, even if that seems like a gardener’s fantasy. Indeed, practically anywhere you might design a beautiful and useful garden with containers. From years of tending …
Every owner of a plant is familiar with the sensation—that everyday doubt as you stand over your lovely potted plant and ask, “Is the soil too wet? Is it rather dry? Does it require nourishment?” This uncertainty is really natural. From my years assisting gardeners of all kinds, I can tell you that, with container gardening, watering and fertilizing are …