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Backyard Tornado

\"HE WHO SEARCHES FOR SPRING WITH HIS KNEES IN THE MUD FINDS IT, IN ABUNDANCE.\" - ALDO LEOPOLD

Front-of-the-Border "Wow!" Power

When it comes to easy-care plants that bring a lot of punch to the border, 'Ivory Queen' Turkestan onion should be near the top of your shopping list.

GARDEN ESSENTIALS

MAKE GARDENING EASIER THIS YEAR

Elevate an Evergreen Hedge

Although an evergreen hedge looks suitable all year on its own, it's perfectly poised to become something even greater: a backdrop to a garden where flower after flower will unfurl with such drama, you just might find yourself stepping outside and offering your applause.

One Garden, Two Worlds

In this colorful and welcoming garden, sunny, flower-filled front borders transition to a shady backyard hideaway.

on edge

Four garden pros share their go-to edging techniques.

DIANTHUS

Add fragrance, vivid color and timeless charm with this reliable, cold-hardy perennial.

2025's Best New Plants!

Are you ready to start planning for next year's garden? A few new plants might be just what you need to bring those dreams to reality.

Solve Garden Problems With Ground Covers

Are you tired of coaxing turfgrass to grow in difficult spots? In her book Groundcover Revolution, Kathy Jentz says that ground covers can be the solution to these struggles.

The Romance of Spring

With the arrival of spring, emerging perennials fill the garden with soft texture, restoring life to the harsh, often barren landscape of winter.

Spinach - Learn the secrets to growing this tasty green in spring and fall.

If you're one of those gardeners who can't wait to get started in spring and hates to throw in the trowel in fall, spinach is the perfect shoulder season crop. This mild, earthy-flavored green comes in many varieties, ranging from crinkly-leafed savoys to slightly textured semi-savoys and the flat, smooth-leafed types. Colors can be dark green, light green and even red-veined. Here's how to get the most of it every year.

Why Bulb Depth Matters - Dig deep enough to ensure your plants stand tall and live the longest

When you're planting bulbs, it's tempting to just dig a hole as deep as your trowel will reach easily, nestle the bulb in, cover it up and move on. But the fact is, each type of bulb will flower best and thrive at a different depth.A good rule of thumb is to plant a bulb two to three times its height. One reason planting depth is important is because it helps to keep the bulbs protected from fluctuations in temperature that happen closer to the surface.

GARDEN ESSENTIALS

FALL GARDEN CLEANUP TOOLS

Saving Seeds

Saving flower seeds is a great way to get more plants with almost no investment. It's easy to do. Here's how to save seeds from some of your favorite annuals as the growing season winds down.

Cucumber Trellis Flop

I watched cucumber trellis growers online for several seasons with envy. What a brilliant way to save space in raised garden beds and make it look fancy! Finally, I was sold and decided to try it in my garden.

9 Tough Perennials for Clay Soil

Whether you garden in the nutrient-poor red clay of the Southeast, the calcium combined-with-clay caliche of the West or something in between, the common denominator is that clay soil is difficult to grow in. Why? Tiny particles of clay hold tightly together, slowing drainage and limiting the amount of oxygen that can reach plant roots. You've seen the resultsanemic-looking or rotting plants.

Garden Fences

Discover the perfect blend of functionality, style, and materials for your ideal fence.

A GARDEN OF STORIES

Learn plant and project tips from a couple who's been gardening here for nearly 50 years.

Switchgrass

Adaptable switchgrass goes with the flow.

Establish a Monarch Waystation

Did you know that a single monarch butterfly can migrate up to 3,000 miles? That's a lot of ground to cover! This amazing insect makes a fascinating journey, unlike any other butterfly.

Birds & The Bees (and Bunnies)

Although I wouldn’t call my raised garden beds romantic, the rabbits in my neighborhood sure like to use them in spring for their bunny rendezvous and subsequent nests.

5 Ways to Stake Tomatoes

While it might feel early to be thinking about tomatoes, it’s never too early to start planning your next garden, especially if your tomato plants tend to look wild and overgrown by the time you remember to offer them a cage for support.

Destination Gardens

Don’t miss out on these four botanical treasures!

Bee Balm

Butterflies and pollinating insects can't resist this bold summer perennial.

2024's Best New Plants!

Instead of ringing in the new year with champagne and balloons, why not treat yourself to a few new plants that you can enjoy through the growing season? There are a lot of interesting introductions to get excited about this year.

6 Pro Garden Design Secrets

Starting a garden can feel overwhelming. And sometimes it’s hard to know if you’ll like something until you’ve seen it. By then, you’ve spent enough hours, hard work and money that it’s tough to make a change.

Dreaming of Summer

Unless you are lucky enough to live where it’s warm year round, when winter starts to drag on, it may feel as if the garden is awash in dreary, monochromatic browns and grays. Time to close your eyes and dream of summer—a colorful season when foliage is vibrant, fl owers are blooming and pollinators are active. If you need a bit of summer inspiration, here are three colorful low-maintenance combos that will also attract wildlife. Who wouldn’t dream of that?

Native Bees Find Winter Shelter in Surprising Places

As the buzz of busy bees gave way to the rustle of fallen leaves in my autumn garden, the last of the bumblebee stragglers hit up fading mountain mint blooms. Day by day, fewer sparkly green sweat bees and dwarf carpenter bees nectared on the asters, eventually vanishing along with the fluffy field thistle seeds.

Reader Tips

GREAT IDEAS FROM SMART GARDENERS

GARDEN ESSENTIALS

TOOLS THAT MAKE FALL GARDEN WORK EASIER