A fireplace burns all winter and leaves behind a growing pile of ash. The bucket can go to the curb, or it can go to work in the garden: wood ash carries potassium, calcium, and other nutrients that plants use, and its gritty texture deters slugs and snails. Gardeners who plan a productive herb garden […]
January is the month when the year ahead gets decided. Construction firms finalize leadership and hiring plans before spring work ramps up, and gardeners make the same kind of calls: which crops to grow, which seeds to order, and which spaces will hold them. The ground may be frozen, but the calendar is not waiting.
The bucket of gray water left after mopping looks like a free watering can, and pouring it on thirsty plants is tempting. Whether it is safe comes down to one question: what went into the bucket? Mop water free of soaps, detergents, and other additives is generally fine for most plants, while water that carried
A dieffenbachia with yellow leaves is not failing, it is communicating. The plant is low maintenance and forgiving, but its big patterned foliage is a reliable gauge of the conditions around it, and a yellow leaf is usually the first sign that one of those conditions is off. Yellow is also the color humans use
Garden color does not have to end with the first hard frost. A well-chosen shrub keeps the yard interesting through December, January, and February, when flowering plants have long since gone dormant. In cold climates the options shift from blooms to berries, bark, and evergreen foliage, and the best performers are chosen for winter interest
Plants with silver leaves are attractive on their own, and they turn stunning when used as a backdrop for colorful flowers. The pale foliage reflects light, brightens shady corners of the garden, and offers contrast next to classic green leaves. Silver-leaved plants are staples of moon gardens, where pale leaves and white flowers catch the
A pool skimmer works like a gutter at the waterline. It skims the surface, captures floating debris such as leaves, flower petals, dirt, twigs, dead insects, and sunscreen oil while the material is still on top of the water, and stops it from sinking to the bottom, where it decomposes and feeds algae. Skimming is
Lettuce is a cool-weather crop that most gardeners plant in early spring, but many varieties do just as well in autumn and early winter gardens. With a little protection, fall-planted lettuce provides fresh greens for the table nearly all year long. The fall window takes advantage of cooling soil and shorter days. The same conditions
Cold winters do not have to mean a colorless garden. Dozens of annuals, perennials, bulbs, and shrubs flower while the rest of the landscape sits in brown and gray, and the trick is choosing plants matched to your hardiness zone and getting them in the ground at the right time. The cold-hardy fall flowers guide
Houseplant pests such as aphids, spider mites, scale, and fungus gnats usually arrive on new plants or in fresh potting soil, but the species you choose determines how much trouble they can cause. Some plants produce natural compounds that deter insects, while others stay pest-free because their growing needs keep soil dry and air moving.
