Put down the bows and the gift wrap because there’s a new, prettier and more eco-friendly way to wrap your presents. Fresh greenery is the perfect gift accessory, and I’d like to see more of it! Here are some of the best…
Using cinnamon for plants as an antifungal is an old wives’ tale I’ve heard about for years. Like magic fairy dust, gardeners sprinkle cinnamon in their potting soil to help their seedlings. I wanted to know just how much truth there was…
It’s time to deck the halls and turn your home into a cozy winter wonderland. Rather than pull out the dusty, plastic garland that sheds or shell out the big bucks for a custom-made garland, try making your own cedar garland. Here’s…
As a kid I couldn’t wait for the Sears Christmas catalog. My siblings and I would pore over that thing for hours. It was our go-to source for compiling our Christmas list my parents allegedly mailed to the North Pole.
Since then, my…
Talking to plants is a completely normal thing gardeners do. We can’t help but comment on how cute their new leaf is or say how nasty those aphids are for feasting on them. But can talking to your plants help them grow?…
It’s amazing how scents whisk you away to another world: a memory or place recognizable by how it smells. Even during those days that I haven’t had my oven working overtime, it’s nice to fill my house with the welcoming aromas of…
This is part of a series with Perfect Earth Project , a nonprofit dedicated to toxic-free, nature-based gardening.
For two decades, The Battery has been a model for public parks and sustainable horticulture in New York City and beyond, proving that…
Fall is upon us and, naturally, thoughts turn to shutting down the garden for winter and planning next year’s plantings. Thing is, as savvy gardeners know, autumn can be a wonderful time to plant perennials, shrubs, and trees. Why?
Above: This is a…
The spring sunshine in Cape Town has a brittle quality, where periods of intense clarity are suddenly muted by bursts of rain. Moments later the sky clears, Table Mountain reappears from the shrouding clouds, and the world sparkles. At Jaftha’s Flower Farm…
I may be biased when it comes to ferns because I grew up with hippie parents in wooded Mill Valley, CA, during the 70s. In our house, ferns hung from the kitchen ceiling and occupied every corner; outside, ferns mingled with redwood…