You would’ve planted spinach, not hydrangeas, if you wanted leafy greens to take over in your backyard. Stop apologizing to the neighbors for your (absent) landscaping (skills). Instead, let me explain how to transform your stubborn bushes into the showstoppers they’re meant to be! 1. Pruning Like a Blindfolded Barber Are your hydrangeas, too, victims…
Your peonies are ready to pollen love and settle down. The only challenge right now is picking a partner that shares a thirst for life and a love of well-drained spots. Hint: Why choose? Plant the entire fellowship. Honestly, the more the merrier. Nothing Puny About Peony A thriving garden bed is one where all…
An ecosystem upgrade tucked into a delicate white border. A honey-scented recruitment center for hardworking beneficial insects. A perfumed living mulch that quietly pulls more weight than most decorative garden extras. That’s Sweet Alyssum, the pretty companion plant I seriously underestimated! The Tiny Flower Doing Big Work in Your Garden Its small stature hides a…
Don’t assume the bulb ship sailed in October. One year I found a forgotten a bag of forgotten tulips and, on a mild February day, I planted them anyway… right into a slushy trench. Neighbors laughed. I laughed. Then April arrived, and my yard looked like a Dutch postcard while their plots stayed brown. Hah!…
February is usually when I start losing my mind looking at the gray sky every day, so I treat my indoor seed trays like a survival kit. It’s my favorite way to get a jump on spring without spending a small fortune at the garden center in May. And honestly, I just like knowing exactly…
Winter can drag on, but early spring doesn’t wait for perfect weather. The first warm-ish days bring bees and other pollinators out looking for food, and early bloomers help fill that gap. If you’ve ever wondered why it’s worth planting early bloomers, this is the reason. And if you’re not sure which ones to choose,…