The idea that an old, clapped-out garden can have beauty is sometimes lost on enthusiastic homeowners, keen to sweep everything away and make their mark. Yet increasingly for garden thinkers as well as designers, extant topography and remnants have value. Using what…
Soap may be older than you and I, but it’s one of today’s best-kept secrets. It’s more natural, affordable, and longer lasting than that perfumed shower gel in your bathroom. So ditch the gel, and let me tell you how to use…
Golden Alexander, Zizia aurea Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea) is a native North American perennial wildflower known for its yellow, firework-like blooms that bloom in mid-spring—and, more importantly, for being the host plant for the black swallowtail butterfly. The butterfly lays eggs…
I can tell when spring is in full force in many different ways. The longer days! The warmer weather! The beautiful flowers! The birdsong! The social media posts asking what is this bright red bug eating my lilies? It’s not the…
Cliff Maids, Lewisia cotyledon Meet my new plant crush, Lewisia. Interestingly, it wasn’t love at first sight. I’d glazed over this evergreen perennial at garden stores probably a million times because it wasn’t flowering, and my thoughts were always, I have…
“Most folks go into the big box store and just pick seed based on the amount of sunlight that they have,” says Wolfin, but Kentucky Bluegrass, which is the standard turf grass, requires a lot of management and inputs. “There are grass…
Dating back to 280 million years ago, cycads lived in the Mesozoic Era. With a tropical, palm-like look, their stiff leaves and stout trunk add a bold structure and intrigue to a modern or tropical garden. Be aware that all parts of…
Wouldn’t be great if you didn’t have to use pesticides to keep bugs from eating your plants? How awesome would it be if you could just plant plants to take care of some of the most common pests? Guess what? You can!…
“Someone once said that’‘gardening is straddling creativity and labor,’ ” says Janet Mavec of Janet Mavec Jewelry . “I think that’s so accurate. I love the juxtaposition of those two things.” For more than 25 years, Janet and…
When you’re first starting out, all the necessary supplies you need for making cold process soap can feel overwhelming. What items do you absolutely need from that recipe? What items are optional? Here are all the soap making supplies I use for…