Some trees take pruning well in winter, and others recover fastest when cut in spring. One season is consistently bad for nearly every tree: early fall. Pruning just before winter leaves trees more vulnerable to frost damage, cuts into the energy they are storing for dormancy, and can reduce fruiting and flowering the following year. […]
Walk through any farmstand in September and the pumpkin display looks like a single crop, but it is really dozens of distinct varieties. Seed catalogs list more than 100 pumpkins, and they divide into carving types, pie pumpkins, ornamental miniatures, and competition giants. Not all pumpkins are orange, and some taste better than others. Choosing
Arizona cypress (Cupressus arizonica) is an evergreen conifer native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It adds 1 to 2 feet of height per year, tops out between 40 and 50 feet, and needs little water once its roots are established, which makes it a dependable choice for xeriscapes, windbreaks, and erosion control.
Camel crickets, also known as cave crickets or spider crickets, startle homeowners because of their humped bodies, long antennae, and oversized hind legs. They are harmless to humans and pets, but a group of them sheltering for the winter becomes a real nuisance. They do not chirp like field crickets, and they can jump several
String of bananas (Curio radicans) is a trailing succulent that grows fast and asks for very little. Its glossy, banana-shaped leaves hang from tendrils that reach 2 to 3 feet long, which makes it a natural fit for shelves, planters, and hanging baskets beside a bright window. The care routine follows the same pattern as
Shrubs earn their place in a landscape by providing privacy, shade, erosion control, and food and shelter for wildlife, but they only hold their shape when cut back on a schedule. Most shrubs need annual pruning to stay healthy and keep a tidy size, and timing decides whether the plant flowers well or spends the
A plain terracotta pot costs a few dollars, but the same pot covered in a hand-painted pattern becomes a one-of-a-kind piece for a porch, windowsill, or shelf. Painted pot projects sit at the easy end of the DIY spectrum: the surface is small, mistakes are cheap to fix, and the finished object gets used every
Red hot pokers (Kniphofia) are herbaceous perennials grown for tall flower spikes in bright red, orange, and yellow that open through spring and summer, with each spike lasting up to 18 days. Gardeners also know them as torch lilies, though they are not true lilies and do not belong to the Liliaceae family. The word
Container gardening fits a full garden into a pot. You need a container, potting soil, and plants, and the whole setup can come together in an hour or two. That simplicity makes it the easiest way to grow flowers, herbs, or vegetables on a front step, a balcony, or a windowsill. Because the pots move,
Red is the color gardeners reach for when they want warmth, brightness, and a visual anchor in the landscape. From tulips in early spring to chrysanthemums in late fall, red-flowering plants exist for every season and nearly every growing zone. Some are species that bloom naturally in red, while others are cultivars selected from plants
