Yellow is the color the eye finds first. It reads as warmth and light, and in the garden it pulls attention across a lawn or down a path faster than any other hue. That visibility is exactly why construction crews paint heavy equipment yellow: a machine that stands out against soil, gravel, and sky is […]
Tree peonies (Paeonia suffruticosa) are deciduous shrubs that flower in mid to late spring, carrying large, fragrant blooms for about a week to 10 days. Unlike herbaceous peonies that die back to the ground each winter, these shrubs keep a woody frame year-round, so the plant contributes structure to the border even after the flowers
Online garden planners help you design a layout, choose what to grow, and map out watering before you dig a single bed. You specify the size, shape, and terrain of your space, add boundaries like fences or walls, plan sprinkler placement, and set plants, trees, and shrubs where they will get the right sun and
Mexican bird of paradise (Caesalpinia mexicana) is a vibrant perennial shrub with feathery green leaves and bright yellow flowers that open from spring through summer. It belongs to the pea family (Fabaceae), reaches 10 to 15 feet tall and about 15 feet wide, and shrugs off heat and drought better than most flowering plants. The
Crabgrass (Digitaria) is a coarse, warm-season annual grass that spreads from seed and takes over well-maintained lawns and flower beds. A single plant can produce tens of thousands of seeds, and every seed that lands in a bare patch of soil becomes a candidate for next spring. The control calendar starts before you see a
Weigela bushes are deciduous shrubs from Asia that earn their place in a border with dense foliage and a heavy spring bloom of trumpet-shaped flowers in pink, red, or white. They grow quickly, reach 6 to 10 feet tall and 9 to 12 feet wide at maturity, and pull in hummingbirds and butterflies from early
Golden alexander (Zizia aurea) is a native wildflower that opens some of the earliest yellow flowers in an eastern North American garden. It belongs to the carrot family and looks like a refined version of Queen Anne’s lace, with serrated green leaves, sturdy stems, and flat-topped clusters of small yellow blooms in May and June.
Autumn does not have to empty the porch of color. A well-planted container garden carries the season from the first cool nights to the last leaf drop, and the plants that do the job are easier to manage than most gardeners expect. The display starts with a plan: match pot sizes, plant heights, and bloom
Pulling weeds feels complete the moment the plant leaves the soil, but the job is not done until the pulled weeds leave the garden. Left on the soil surface, many weeds re-root within days, others finish setting seed, and the whole pile gives pests a place to hide while it steals moisture and nutrients from
Sago palm is a low-growing plant with long green fronds, and despite the common name it is not a true palm at all. It belongs to the cycad family and is more closely related to conifers than to palm trees, which explains its slow, deliberate growth and its long lifespan. Native to warm parts of
