Latest Gardening News
If your soil's no good or you don't have any, grow your garden plants in straw bales
If you’d like to install a raised bed but don’t have the resources to build one, you can achieve the same effect by growing your plants in straw bales. It’s also a great option for those with poor soil or who don’t have a patch of dirt to call their own. Typically used as...
How to turn a supermarket bouquet into a lusher, more personalized flower arrangement
If your heart is telling you to give someone a luxurious bouquet of flowers, but your wallet is telling you to shop at the supermarket, fear not: With a bit of imagination and creativity, you can transform a simple, low-cost bouquet into a stunning floral arrangement. Jennifer...
Making cut flowers last well beyond Mother's Day
There’s nothing quite like receiving a fresh bouquet of cut flowers. They can cheer up a room, bring a bit of nature indoors and, if you’re lucky, release a heavenly fragrance. But nothing kills that vibe quicker than stinky, slimy, wilted flowers poking out of a vase full of...
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
NEW YORK (AP) — The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage. Lopez went for silver leaves in a second-skin goddess gown and Zendaya...
Flowers aren't the only way to add color to a garden. How to paint with foliage
When we want to add color to the garden, most of us set our sights on flowers. But many leaf-forward plants can outlast and even outcompete those with colorful blossoms. For starters, foliage plants don’t wax and wane or have a limited bloom time. In addition, many can brighten up...
Book Review: Novelist Amy Tan shares love of the natural world in 'The Backyard Bird Chronicles'
Birdwatching has become a cherished pastime for many since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, when people stuck at home for months looked out their windows for entertainment and immersed themselves into the natural world, many of them for the first time. Best-selling novelist Amy...
The problem with leaf blowers, and what you can do instead
When I was a kid, I used to help my mother clear leaves the old-fashioned way — with a rake. These days, I don’t see many rakes in my neighborhood. It seems everyone has a leaf blower or a landscaper who uses one, often at ungodly hours, which disrupts humans as well as...
'Foodscaping' slips vegetables in among the flowers for visual appeal in the garden
I recently started my seeds – tomatoes, cucuzza squash, climbing zucchini, golden beets, Florida cranberries, nasturtiums, zinnias, edelweiss, various herbs and Roma beans. They barely fit on my kitchen counter, which becomes a transient nursery every spring. Come planting time,...
The garden's waking up again. Spring chores to tackle first
As trees, shrubs, perennials and insects enter a new phase of life in our gardens, we, too, emerge from a type of dormancy in spring, a pause from yard work. Well, buckle up, buttercups. It’s showtime. First, inspect and assess the garden for safety. Have any tree...
How to care for a potted lily and other gift plants
If you celebrated Easter last weekend, you might be reading this beside a cellophane- or foil-covered pot of lilies, hydrangeas, hyacinths or daffodils. Typically, spring gift plants like these are enjoyed until their flowers fade, and then are thrown away like stale Peeps. But, if...