Garden Design

As gardeners look forward to the joys of spring, we often turn to pruning to satisfy our green thumbs. Knowing when and how to prune clematis (Clematis spp. and cvs., Zones 4–11) is often shrouded in confusion. However, arming yourself with a few basic principles will make the decision-making process much easier. Clematis are divided

Today we’re back to Keith in chilly Zone 3 in Canada. Today I would like to share photos of the latest evolution in my garden that I didn’t have room for in my earlier post (Keith’s Zone 3 Garden) and some other random photos of annuals and perennials. This area was probably the most eye-catching

Do you make a spring shopping list for your garden? I do, although the way I develop that list has changed over the years. Now, instead of writing, say, “‘Blue Tasmania’ Colorado spruce” on my list, I’ll instead jot down something like “dwarf blue conifer approx. 3×3.” I made this tactical switch after years of

If you’re the type of person who likes to learn about plant pests in your free time, odds are you have already heard or read about a group of organisms known as nematodes. Many nematodes are beneficial and used as biological control agents of specific pest organisms in agriculture. Others, however, are problematic parasites of

Course Schedule   Class One Newer Plants Showing Promise: Up-and-coming nativars and low-care ornamentals New plants are what make every gardener’s heart skip a beat. But a lot of the time, a new plant requires a ridiculous amount of care and resources to look decent, if it doesn’t die within the first year. Richard Hawke of

The deserts and mountains of the West seem to get all the attention, but between the deserts and mountains is a vast landscape that most people just drive through on their way to somewhere else. The sagebrush steppe is a dry, grassy plain that takes up much of Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Oregon, and Washington.

Green plants? Well of course! What else would our topic be for a St. Patrick’s Day episode? Today we’re talking about plants that are stunners despite being “just green.” Turns out that these selections of perennials, annuals, trees, and shrubs are some of the most textural and eye-catching plants you can grow. And, we’ll remind

Today’s photos are from Joan Ganley. My garden in January is always a cold and snowy place. Looking out on the snowy landscape, I make notes of where I might improve my winter interest. In the backyard this currently includes ‘Miss Kim’ lilacs (Syringa pubescens ‘Miss Kim’, Zones 3–8), spruce (Picea, Zones 2–7), crabapples (Malus),

A few weeks ago, Hugh Locke shared some beautiful close-up views of flowers from his garden in Montrose, New York (Close-ups in Hugh’s Garden). Today we’re going to enjoy more of those images. By zooming way in, he makes you see flowers in a different way, which might just inspire you to take a closer

Today we’re in Ilion, New York, visiting with Lee. We’ve been to Lee’s garden before (Lee’s Backyard Escape), and it is great to be back to see more of it. Here in the Mohawk Valley in central New York, we are over the winter hump and a month away from those early plants pushing up

We’re visiting with Carla Z. Mudry in Malvern, Pennsylvania today: Early spring seems to have arrived. This year she came to see us in late February. To me this is yet another example of climate change. We need to strive towards a better planet. Daffodils are popping up all over. Witch hazels are blooming. The

Today we’re visiting with MJ McCabe. We purchased this property in Northford, Connecticut, about 40 years ago. It was a former apple orchard. Gradually, the ancient apple trees started to decline, and we were left with a fairly blank canvas that needed to be rethought. We pruned and cared for a few of the apple

How do you begin the process of designing or refining your own gardens, especially when there are so many things that you need to take into consideration? In this class, award-winning UK garden designer Annie Guilfoyle will guide you through the elements that make for a successful design and show you how to develop a

Lots of gardeners deal with at least one area of their property that never seems to dry out. As horticulturist Joseph Henderson explains in his article Plants for Soggy Spots, lots of plants flounder in these kinds of conditions: “Without a steady supply of air, waterlogged roots begin to gasp and eventually rot, killing the

Today we’re in Margot Navarre’s garden in Washington State, where snowdrops are doing their annual late winter–early spring display. These classic bulbs bloom earlier than just about anything else. Moreover, they are easy to grow and resistant to damage by deer, squirrels, and most other pests. The most common of the 20 species of snowdrops

My name is Dodie. I’ve been gardening in northern Alabama for 15 years. Our urban property is in a historic neighborhood in Decatur. It had a wonderful backbone of plantings created by owners of the home in the mid-80s. We moved to lovely Zone 7b in 2008 from Zone 9 (Houston area), and I have

We’re visiting with Kevin Kelly today. Today I am taking you on a brief review of my garden in 2022. As I am planning for a new growing season, it was nice to look over a few photos and see what I liked and what I would like to enhance in the upcoming growing season.

My name is Keith Irvine. I am 70 years old, and I am guessing that I started my first garden somewhere between the ages of 6 and 10. I grew up on a farm about three hours south of where we currently live. That first garden was about an 8-foot by 8-foot plot that I

Today’s post is from Tim Covington, who likes gardening with a tropical flare—even though he gardens in chilly upstate New York. My obsession with palm trees and tropicals came from gardening failures. When I first started gardening, I went the “normal” English garden route. But it seemed the more I paid for the plants the

The mild days of winter offer gardeners an opportunity to tend to tasks that are best done when the landscape is dormant. One of those tasks is the rejuvenation or renovation pruning of shrubs. This type of work is not for the timid, as it is rather aggressive. The purpose of this task is to

Growing spring greens is an easy, satisfying project that takes very little time and very little garden space—you can even grow greens in containers! Homegrown spring greens will be fresher than any you can find at the grocery store or farmer’s market, and you can try varieties that aren’t commonly available, like ‘Red Streaked’ arugula,

Today we’re revisiting John Blair’s beautiful garden in Michigan. I thought Garden Photo of the Day might enjoy seeing some updates on the progress of my pollinator gardens since my previous submissions (John’s Butterfly Garden in Michigan and More From John’s Butterfly and Hummingbird Garden in Michigan). After filling all available sunny space in my

I’m Libby Breitenbaugh, and I garden in Zone 8a in Irmo, South Carolina. I’m sharing a few photos from summer 2022. I have been gardening for over 30 years. I previously shared photos of the butterfly garden I started in 2016 (Libby’s Butterfly Garden in South Carolina). When I began gardening for wildlife, my butterfly

Today we’re in Brewster, New York, visiting Dede Lifgren’s beautiful sunroom. We’ve visited Dede’s outdoor garden before (An Artist’s Garden), but here is what is happening inside. Several years ago we enclosed part of our porch to make a sunroom. We overwinter our favorite tropical and tender perennials there and now get to enjoy them

We’re returning to Mel’s gorgeous New York State garden today. I sent in a GPOD entry in March 2022: Mel’s Rustic Cabin Garden. This submission focused on the summer garden, and I decided it would be fun to share some more photos of my garden during my favorite time of the year—autumn. All of these

My name is Lee and I reside in Ilion, New York, which is right in the center of the state in the Mohawk Valley. I have been in my home for 43 years now, having made the move with my family when I was 24. I have created an escape in my backyard for all

When I bought my house, it was clear that the previous owners had once fallen in love with the promise of weed-controlling, high-coverage ground covers. It worked a little too well. By the time I took ownership, the lawn, edge of the woods, and flower beds were overrun with periwinkle (Vinca minor, Zones 4–9), creeping

I was recently out in Seattle for the flower and garden show. While there, I got to catch up with our Northwest regional reporter, Susan Calhoun. We talked about a bunch of different things, but my favorite part was hearing about what was happening in her Pacific Coast garden right at that very moment. She

Today’s photos are from Ruth Barker. I love all flowers and plants, and I love to try new introductions with my existing plantings. I prefer to have lots of pollinators. I also prefer a more natural and wild look. I live in Ohio, Zone 6a. This year I will be planting dahlias. I have planted

Today Barbara Owen is sharing some photos with us. People may be tired of winter and looking for photos of spring, but even when a blanket of snow is covering the sleeping garden, there is still a lot to see. With our climate becoming more unpredictable, sometimes the snow surprises us too early and the