Choosing the Best Fall Blooming Shrubs to Grow The best outdoor fall-blooming shrubs are those that add multi-season color and interest to beds and borders. Alongside low-maintenance evergreen shrubs that provide low key color, autumn blooming bushes include those that flower late into the season, produce particularly attractive fall foliage, or yield interesting or colorful seed pods. A plant’s ability to support pollinators and other local species may also come into play if you are focused on creating a thriving backyard ecosystem....

Growing A Water Wise Garden If your notion of xeriscaping involves sparse desert backyards with a few large cacti as focal points, you need to get a larger idea of what water wise gardening looks like. Think brilliant color, a wide variety of plants and even a lush lawn. Properly planned, a water-wise landscape is as attractive as a garden can be. While plant selection is an important part of building a water wise landscape, you aren’t limited to succulents....

Watering your houseplants properly is one of the key factors to success when it comes to growing plants indoors. We all know it is possible to kill our plants with kindness where watering is concerned. Knowing how often to water indoor plants and how much is an essential part of basic houseplant care. Here’s what you need to know about watering houseplants lightly enough to give them what they need, without giving them too much love....

1. Blood sugar If you’ve ever asked, “how are tomatoes good for you,” you will be pleased to learn this red fruit can reduce the risk for diabetes. Medical data indicates one in ten adults in the U.S. have diabetes with another 38% exhibiting signs of prediabetes. The good news is that a healthy lifestyle helps control blood sugar levels and can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes....

What does Biodiversity Mean? Biodiversity, short for biological diversity, refers to the vast variety of life forms found on earth and the natural interactions among them. As evolution and extinction occur, biodiversity changes over time since these dramatic processes affect not just one species, but the entirety of life. Biodiversity is often divided into three parts: ecosystem, genetic and species diversity. Despite the fact that these parts seem divided, none can exist without the others....

Long-flowering perennials are particularly prized features for front yards – especially those that have a welcoming fragrance. ‘Flowering bushes and shrubs provide a vibrant and inviting atmosphere for your front yard,” says Kelly Funk, president of Jackson & Perkins. “They serve as the perfect elements to boost curb appeal, with a lush green backdrop that sets the stage for bursts of colorful flowers. Consider incorporating these versatile plants in different ways to suit your property....

When starting a rose garden, one of the issues you are likely to face is pests. Several types of pests target roses – and some are more serious than others. This list of the most common rose pests will help you identify the culprit and use the most natural solution to combat it. Avoiding chemical pesticides is one of the things expert rose growers always do to grow the best flowers....

Whether you want to grow easy-care patio plants that won’t require much attention, cultivate vegetables in containers, or create a beautiful landscaping scheme around the patio, all this is possible with a small space. If your goal is to make your patio feel larger, then clever design tricks can help to maximize the available space – from built-in seating to movable planters. Or, get closer to nature and design an immersive experience with a green wall or planted privacy screen....

Taste is subjective – so if you have already managed to design your dream garden, then don’t worry about it looking outdated. However, allowing your garden design to evolve is about more than just following changing fashions. ‘For everything, there is a season; and the time is upon us to rethink how and why we garden,’ says Chuck Pavlich, director of new product development at Terra Nova Nurseries. ‘Just like with anything in our lives, we should avoid being stuck in a rut and embrace change....

Cool-Season vs. Warm-Season Ornamental Grass As the name suggests, cool-season grass varieties do better when the temperature is between 60 to 75 degrees F. (15.5-24 C.). They begin growing early in the spring and enter a second growth period in the fall. Unless they are provided with supplemental water during the summer, these types of ornamental grasses typically go dormant midseason and turn brown. Warm-season grasses like it hot and thrive in temperatures in the 80 to 95 degree F....

Cheap Paver Patio Ideas Why not keep expenses in check and still create a beautiful space? Inexpensive paver patio ideas require few tools and just a little bit of knowledge. First, you need a level space and then you must decide how large the area will be so you can acquire the necessary materials. Found or repurposed materials are great DIY cheap patio paver ideas. Be prepared to install the patio yourself since this will save a lot of money against professional installer fees....

How Are Community Gardens Sustainable? The connection between community gardens and sustainability works both ways. While participants might actively work toward sustainable gardening practices, simply having community gardens leads directly and indirectly to greater sustainability. Studies from Australia and the United Kingdom show that areas with community gardens are more sustainable overall. One of the environmental benefits is greater biodiversity in the neighborhood. Community gardens also contribute to sustainability by changing the attitudes and perspectives of residents....

7 Best Dwarf Tomato Plants If you’ve been skipping home-grown tomatoes due to lack of space, there are many dwarf tomato varieties available that just might fit in your garden or in a container on your balcony. Micro tomatoes are small enough to grow indoors! You can buy dwarf tomato seeds if you like to start from scratch. Just check your local nurseries and garden centers or buy them online from reputable seed companies....

We know that for small shops and local businesses, connecting with customers is your biggest challenge — the ones you know and especially those you have yet to meet. GKH: Shop empowers home and garden brands – including independent garden centers, small businesses, and startups – by connecting them to the widest, most engaged gardening audience online. Gardening warriors come to our site because they have a passion for gardening and a strong interest in discovering the best plants, products, and home and garden guidance....

20-20-20 fertilizer Fertilizer that has equal parts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. The 20-20-20 numbers mean that per pound (0.5 kg.) of fertilizer, there would be 20% of each nutrient. fertilizer A mixture of nutrients and minerals that is added to soil to improve the quality of the soil in order to promote plant growth. filament A part of a flower. The stalk found in the stamen of a flower which has the anther (pollen) at the top....

pantry plant food Using materials commonly found in your house to make a fertilizer. parasitic plant A plant that gets it nutrients taking them from another plant, normally by attaching itself to the host plant. part shade plant Plants that need 4-6 hours of sunlight in order to grow properly. part sun plant Plants that need 4-6 hours of sunlight in order to grow properly. pea straw A mulch that is made up of dried pea vines....

Is it possible to keep growing food after the growing season, and well into winter? It most certainly is possible. Choosing the right plants that tolerate indoor light is a start, but you should also consider the plant’s mature size. Corn grown indoors is not really a reality, but herbs, greens, green onions, and many more plants will develop beautifully. Dwarf and Super-dwarf varieties will often make the best options for larger plants....

How to Attract Bees Keeping a tidy garden may actually backfire for bees. This is because it removes items and sites that are usually used by the insects. Only honeybees form hives, while 70% of bees nest in the ground and 30% use cracks and crevices as their bee home. There are over 20,000 bee species found in the world. This diversity encompasses some of the most important insects for agriculture, wild plants, and home gardens....

There are many clever inexpensive raised garden bed ideas. However, working out how to fill a raised garden bed cheaply – or for free – requires some forethought. Even a small raised bed needs a lot of fill material. While you can purchase bags of soil at big box stores and nurseries, the large amount required means this is rarely the most economical solution. Cheap soil for raised beds may be sourced in a variety of ways....

What You Need to Start a Garden Before you start seeking out free or budget supplies, make a list. Of course, the first thing you need is space. This can be your yard, a community space set aside for a garden, or containers on a balcony or patio. For the latter, you’ll need to start with pots and potting soil. Regardless of garden type, you’ll need these basic elements to get started:...