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What’s It All About? This coffee-table book, published by Gibbs Smith, isn’t so much a how-to but rather an exploration of what’s possible. The Pacific Northwest is one of Mother’s Nature’s verdant playgrounds. While the deserts highlight her talent for architectural simplicity, and she lets her full range of colors show in the tropical rainforests, it’s in the temperate rainforest landscapes of Oregon, northern California, Washington, and British Columbia where it seems like she gave herself permission to have fun with every shade of green imaginable....

So I planted grass instead. When I moved into my little Alaskan house almost two years ago, it was newly built and knee-deep in a muddy, mostly barren yard. The first thing I did that spring was plant eleven trees – including three apple trees that have survived moose attacks, subzero temperatures, and high winds. I wanted to sow a field of wildflowers to go with the trees, but the mixed seed bag I bought at the nursery to test out in my flower beds produced blooms that just didn’t look wild enough for me....

One superfood packed with omega-3 fatty acids is the chia seed. People purchase chia seeds to add protein to their favorite meals, or for use as an egg replacement in vegan diets. Chia sprouts are common in the kitchen as well. Thankfully, chia seeds come from the chia plant, which is easy to care for once it takes off! Table of Contents Whether you eat chia seeds or not, growing chia plants will bring all sorts of health benefits to your garden as well....

Many gardeners store large quantities of grass seed in the shed or garage, to reseed any bare spot in the lawn. But what about their expiry date? Let’s find out does grass seeds go bad or remain workable for a long time to come! Check out our article on growing ornamental grass here! Do Grass Seeds Expire? Grass seeds are sold with an expiry date stamped on the bag and can go bad with time....

1. Planting Succulent The above infographic provides you the information about planting succulents successfully, either indoor or outdoor. 2. Best Succulents for Home We found this infographic here. Also, check out these easy Indoor Succulents. Also Read: DIY Vertical Bamboo Planter to Grow Succulents 3. Propagating Succulents Check out this infographic to learn to propagate succulents easily from the parent plant! 4. Compendium of Succulents Here’s the visual representation of the succulent family which will help you to choose the best for your garden!...

Carrot Planting Time Carrots are a cool-weather crop and can be grown in almost every climate (USDA Zones 3-11). You can start sowing seeds 2-3 weeks before the last frost date and continue doing this throughout the growing season until about 8 weeks before the scheduled average first frost date. If you live in a hot climate (USDA Zones 9b-11), wait until the weather cools down and grow carrots after the summer: In fall and winter....

What is a grub worm? No matter what you call them, grub worms aren’t actually worms at all. They are the larval life-stage of several different species of beetles in the scarab family. They are a creamy-white color with a rusty orange head and six legs at the front of their body. Grubs are C-shaped and their bodies appear slick and shiny. While most people think all lawn grubs are the larvae of Japanese beetles, there are actually several species of beetles that are called grub worms in their larval stage....

Harvesting aloe vera is easier than you might think, and doesn’t take much time. In this post, I’ll show you exactly when and how to do it step by step. Learning how to harvest aloe vera at home is a great way to utilize all of its benefits. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll know exactly when and where to cut it. It’s not difficult, but it’s important to know how to do it the right way so you don’t end up killing your plant....

By Crissy Villa We love our dogs, but they can also be quite a handful when it comes to gardening with them around. Dogs love to dig and don’t really care if they’re digging up your prized Petunias or trampling on your herbs when they have the zoomies. As frustrating as it may seem, we certainly can’t give up one for the other. Having a pet-friendly herb garden provides plenty of benefits for both dogs and humans....

Last week a reader asked me “How does a rain barrel work?”. That is an excellent question, and one I often wondered before I bought my first rain barrel. I figure other people would wonder the same thing, so I decided to answer the question in a blog post. But first, let’s talk about the purpose of a rain barrel. What Do Rain Barrels Do? A rain barrel is used for rainwater harvesting, and is a container that captures and stores rainwater....

Succulents are unique, beautiful, and best of all, they’re easy to care for! In this complete guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about how to grow them indoors or outside, and keep them thriving for years to come. People often ask me what my favorite type of plant is. You just have to take one look at my houseplant collection (and even my garden outside), and you’ll see that the answer is quite obvious....

In this article, you will learn all you need to grow and care for the alpine aster. Aster alpinus The alpine aster, Aster alpinus, is a short-lived cold weather perennial in the very large Asteraceae family that includes daisies, dahlias, and sunflowers. This herbaceous ornamental species is unique for having an early bloom time, low profile, and single blossom per stem. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

Shrubs are available in a range of sizes and shapes with a clean, contained profile that requires little maintenance. Rhododendron spp. Beloved for their delightfully bright and long-lasting flowers, azalea shrubs make a dazzling statement in the spring garden. But there are also varieties that flower in early summer and early fall. So, with a bit of planning, and a large enough garden, you can enjoy those delicious blooms for up to eight months!...

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need a big garden to cultivate maize. Learn How to Grow Baby Corns at Home in Pots and harvest it fresh for your family without a big yard! Learn how to grow popcorn microgreens at home here What are Baby Corns? Baby corns are immature maize grains that you can harvest from the plant while they are small and tender. They are not different from the regular corn, just immature ones....

Simultaneously hardy and delicate, I often saw it growing in the grasslands near my home, and began cultivating it myself in my wildflower garden. Gypsophila spp. One busy Valentine’s day at my high school co-op job in the local flower shop, someone ordered a bouquet of so many roses I could barely wrap my fingers around the stems as I assembled it. Imagine fifty deep red roses surrounded by dark green leatherleaf ferns....

Plant lettuces with companion marigolds, the super flower of pest deterrents. It’s hard to beat the taste of a crisp green salad made with ingredients fresh from the garden. Easy to grow, lettuce and mixed greens ask little of the gardener, but deliver delicious flavors and nutrients for our enjoyment and good health. Known as cool-weather crops, they thrive in the warm days and cool evenings of spring, and in the late summer/early autumn season as well....

Lifting and storing is a simple process, but there are a few important steps to ensure you have healthy, vibrant tubers for spring planting. When you start growing dahlias, it’s impossible not to fall in love with their remarkable flowers. These tender perennials are easy to cultivate, and they put on a fantastic display of glorious blooms from early summer until they are felled by a hard frost. And after cold weather settles in, it’s time to dig up and remove the tubers for winter storage, to plant out again in spring....

Houseplants Are you thinking of propagating your Monstera to create some additional plants for yourself or other houseplant loving friends? Monstera propagation is fairly straight forward, and even novice gardeners can propagate them with success. In this article, gardening expert and houseplant enthusiast Madison Moulton explains how to propagate monstera plants in five simple steps! By Madison Moulton Last updated: November 24, 2022 | 9 min read If you’re an avid houseplant collector or even a newbie in the indoor gardening world, you will certainly recognize a Monstera when you see one....

When it comes to propagating these living Christmas trees, you have a few options. I’m going to provide detailed instructions for three of these methods here. Norfolk Island pine trees have a strong association with the Christmas holiday season – but these conifers are houseplants that keep giving all year long! And when you propagate your own, they give even more! We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

Choosing hummingbird flowers for your garden A great place to start when choosing hummingbird flowers is to look for red tubular blooms. This is because a hummingbird’s retinas cause them to see more red and yellow tones. However, according to the National Audubon Society, the quality of the flowers is what really matters. So while red and yellow flowers can attract these magical little birds to your garden, once there, they’re not picky when there is a variety of other nectar-rich blooms to offer lots of sustenance....