Garden Design

My name is Pam Zimmerman, and I garden in State College, Pennsylvania (Zone 5b). I’ve been gardening at this home since 2006. I have shade in the front of the house and sun in the back gardens. I’m challenged by black walnut trees along the back of my property and deer roaming through my backyard.

For centuries, gardeners have been observing how various plants can be impacted by their vegetative neighbors. In the vegetable garden, our great-great-grandparents passed on their discoveries that tomatoes and basil get on together a lot better than, say, onions and beans. And so experiential wisdom has been passed through the generations. With new chemicals and

One of the most challenging microclimates in Mountain West gardens also happens to be one of the most common, particularly in mature, treed landscapes—dry shade. Most plants adapted to grow in the shade of trees originate from portions of the world with more precipitation. In drier regions—like much of the Intermountain West—this creates a challenge:

Does anyone else feel behind in the garden chores department? I swear that just yesterday I was looking down the items left on my spring to-do list and thought, “How is this possible? There’s still so much left to do.” I’ve finished all my pruning, dividing, relocating, and removals. But there are still clumps of

Hi, this is Joseph in Indiana. I moved into my house about a year and a half ago, and the yard was a completely taken over by masses of invasive weeds: honeysuckle and knotweed. So I cleared all that out, and now that they are gone, I’m finding all kinds of treasures. Sometime since the

Steve, who lives in the heart of Los Angeles in Southern California, shared some beauties of this garden with us recently (Steve’s Southern California Garden), and today we’re back to enjoy more of the beauties from this diverse garden. Container plantings lined up on the deck include lots of succulents and beautiful foliage. The foliage

Spring is when the native wildflowers in the woods really show off. I love this time of year, when I can go out to look for all my favorites in natural areas. Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis, Zones 3–8) is so pretty. I just wish the flowers lasted longer! Closer look at the bloodroot flowers Hepatica (Hepatica

Hello GPOD! My name is Kelly Hansen, and I live in Delmar, New York, right outside of Albany, which is in Zone 5b. I started “planting” in our yard 25 years ago knowing absolutely nothing about plants and gardening. YouTube hadn’t been invented, and I literally did not even know how to correctly water a

The inward spiral of rosette-forming plants always seems to draw us in. From Romanesco broccoli to golden barrel cactus (Echinocactus grusonii, Zones 9–12), many plants grow with mathematical precision that reveals itself in stunning architectural forms. Echeverias (Echeveria spp. and cvs., Zones 9–11) are perhaps the queens of this structural arrangement. Their allure is irresistible,

I was lucky enough to visit the Gibbs Gardens many years ago before they were fully open to the public. I was immediately struck by the meticulous maintenance the gardens received. That first visit was in high summer, and I remember being completely taken by the water lily garden. This garden is still one of

Cherry Ong is taking us along to a see early spring bloomers at VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver, British Columbia, on a perfectly sunny spring day. Now that is a happy clump of crocus. I think it might be Crocus ancyrensis ‘Golden Bunch’ (Zones 4–8), but I’m not sure. Big drifts of crocuses, mostly Crocus

We’ve visited Lee’s garden in the Mohawk Valley in central New York before (Back to the Mohawk Valley), but today Lee is taking us to see it in a different way. I went through some of my files with the thought of finding some of the more close-up pictures of various blooms. Even though the

They may not be the prime focus of a floral arrangement, but filler flowers can be just as important as the stars of the show in a bouquet’s overall design. They are usually not as breathtaking, dramatic, or show-stopping as the flowers taking center stage, but a spray or two of fillers tucked into a

My name is Charlona, and I garden in Houston. I love all kinds of flowers and try to garden for as many pollinators and their caterpillars as possible. I was looking at some of my photos and started noticing all the amazing different shapes of the flowers. So I thought I would share with GPOD

Today’s photos are from Steve in Southern California. You featured my garden some years back (A Drought-Tolerant California Garden), and I thought your visitors might like to see some updates from around the garden, especially this year, with all of the weather everyone keeps hearing about in Southern California. I live right in the heart

Few things are certain when it comes to gardening: A sun-loving plant will do poorly in shade. An agave won’t survive a Minnesota winter. Deer will eat your hostas. Here is another one: Water improves a garden. I’m not talking about giving your plants a drink (although that is true). I’m referring to ponds and

Today we’re back in Sheldon, Iowa, visiting the beautiful garden Kathy Schreurs has created with her husband around their 130-year-old house. When we reworked a side yard this past year, a blue pot showed up as an accidental focal point (although it’s barely visible in this photo at the end of our rainbow of annuals).

Tulips are a lavish spring gift that any gardener can give to themself and to their neighborhood with just a little advance planning. Whether your tulip bulbs are pre-ordered as early as possible in summer through your favorite supplier, or purchased last-minute from the garden center just before the ground freezes, getting them into the

I just scrolled again through Keith’s Zone 3 photos (Return to Keith’s Zone 3 Garden) of his garden full of hot-colored annuals and perennials. So vibrant! Hmmm . . . For a moment I dreamed about taking on a new color palette in the upcoming growing season, but realistically, I know I’ll revert to the

Seasonal changes offer gardeners opportunities to transform their planters and spaces multiple times a year. The effect can be monumental. Great summer containers full of color and drama can be swapped out when autumn arrives for a cool-season mix of hardy plants that look good straight through to spring. An entire housefront can be altered

Cherry Ong often shares her travels to other gardens in our GPOD on the Road feature, but today we’re in her beautiful home garden in British Columbia, looking at the flowers of late winter and early spring. Helleborus argutifolius ‘Silver Lace’ (Zones 6–8) is a hellebore that doesn’t have the bright colors of some of

Today we’re checking in with Sue in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where spring has arrived. It is just the beginning of all the blooms, but after the cold and gray and brown of winter, I’m excited to see color in my front garden. Sabrina, my cat, insists on being in most of my garden photos. The leveling

If you’re searching for gardening gift ideas for Mother’s Day, look no further! A mother who loves to garden would appreciate any of these thoughtful gifts. After all, no mom really wants a new vacuum. Tell her you know what she truly likes by getting her something to start the 2023 gardening season off right.

Cherry Ong is taking us back to the conservatory at Centennial Park in the Toronto area. Today we’re on a visit to the arid house, which is full of plants from around the world that are adapted to dry and desert environments. Arid doesn’t mean boring or empty. This conservatory is full of a huge

This is Joe in northern Indiana. I’m a confident gardener outside, but I often struggle with houseplants. They are, however, a pretty essential aspect of getting through our long, cold, snowy winters, so I’ve been trying more, and have had some successes I’m happy with. Rabbit’s foot fern (Davallia fejeensis) has been an easy-to-grow star

My name is Joan Ganley, and I live and garden in Calgary, Alberta (Zone 4). But today I would like to share pictures taken during a trip to Ireland in May 2016. While visiting family in Dublin, I had the opportunity to visit The National Botanic Gardens of Ireland. Founded in 1795, the gardens cover

Today’s photos are from Vince in Sussex, United Kingdom. Just before COVID, I started the Instagram account @small_magical_gardens. The account has always been a hobby and faceless, as it’s about gardens and not me. It is not for personal gain. Drawing on my previous horticultural experience, I have a passion for sharing practical, realistically attainable

My name is Courtney Gorman, and I live in Buffalo, New York. I have been a gardener for almost 20 years now. My love of gardening comes from my mother. She was a huge gardener. We would do several garden walks throughout the summer months almost every weekend. It amazes me what people can do

Often the key to keeping roses happy, healthy, and looking their best is proper pruning. This is done using specific techniques and timing, depending on the type of rose you have. The following is a simplified way to approach rose maintenance that won’t take a blueprint or countless hours to accomplish. Deadhead spent flowers on

Growing herbs from seed is an incredibly rewarding and inexpensive way to savor homegrown flavor fresh from your garden at your table. Getting the seeds to sprout is generally the easiest step. There are a few other essential steps, however, to successfully nurture seedlings into mature and useful plants. This includes providing adequate light and