Holes in houseplant leaves are less common indoors than in the garden, where plants face more pests and diseases, but they do occur. The cause is usually one of four things: a fungal infection, a chewing or sap-feeding pest, physical damage, or the plant’s natural growth pattern. Acting quickly matters, because a small hole can […]
Rock salt is inexpensive, effective, and the most commonly used ice and snow melting product, which is why road crews spread millions of tons of it every winter. The same salt that keeps streets drivable damages the plants that line them. Sodium and chloride wash into the soil, block nutrient uptake, and dry out foliage,
Few gardening projects deliver as much food from as little space as a bucket garden. When the patio, balcony, or side yard offers nothing but concrete, a row of plastic buckets turns those square feet into a productive plot for vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Five-gallon buckets are cheap, portable, and deep enough for tomatoes, peppers,
Every fall, homeowners face the same question: after a season of pruning, do shrubs need extra winter protection? A horticulture professor at Oklahoma State University gives a direct answer: pruning does not change winter protection needs. Shrubs suited to the USDA Hardiness Zone where they are planted usually need no extra care, whether they were
Heated indoor air can be much drier than outdoor air, and houseplants feel the difference within days. In cold regions, furnaces and radiators run for months, dropping relative humidity far below the levels plants evolved with. The same cold weather that makes winter equipment maintenance a priority for machinery and vehicles outside also creates the
Wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei), also called Fortune’s spindle or climbing euonymus, is a broadleaf evergreen that grows as a shrub, a groundcover, or a vine trained up walls and fences. Gardeners plant it for dense foliage that holds color through winter, and green-and-gold cultivars such as Emerald ’n’ Gold are the most requested. Deer usually pass
Gardeners who have grown vegetables for six decades tend to converge on the same handful of practices: feed the soil, read the fertilizer label, plant at the right time, and water deeply. None of it is complicated, but each step compounds. A bed prepared properly in spring keeps producing into fall, while a rushed planting
Spring flowering bulbs earn their reputation by being almost zero-maintenance. You plant them in fall, and they come up, bloom, and disappear on schedule for years. What most gardeners miss is that the patch quietly multiplies underground, and that growth is an opportunity. Dividing the bulbs every few years gives you a second bed, a
Most homeowners see a garden as a collection of plants. A professional sees a sequence of decisions: where each plant sits, how much room it has, what the soil is doing below the surface, and whether the care routine matches the calendar. Ten minutes of walking a yard with a landscaper reveals details you pass
Making your own garden stepping stones is inexpensive and surprisingly easy. A weekend of work can produce a set of custom stones that adds a personal, decorative feature to a yard for a fraction of the cost of a contractor-built walkway. With concrete, a mold, and basic tools, you can create custom DIY stepping stones
