Gardening has many different aspects, such as light, water, soil, fertilizer, compost, hardiness zones, design, tools and equipment, its many terms, starting a garden, and seasonal practices. Don’t worry if this sounds like a lot because most of it is easy to learn and implement. We’ll help you along the way as you explore these areas to start or better your garden. As you do, let us know what else we can do or how your journey is going. We’d love to hear from you!
Deciding whether annual, perennial, or biennial plants are better for your garden can be challenging. So, let me help by explaining what to compare, why you should compare these plants, and what to do when you’re done!
A seed is the beginning and the end of your plant’s life cycle. So, seed saving may be for you if you like bringing things full circle. Seed saving is also very practical since you’ll be stocking up for your garden next year.
Ashes (specifically untreated wood ashes) contain some compounds that may benefit plant growth. Still, there are a few important steps I suggest before you take your ashes into your garden.
Gardeners commonly receive advice to use ashes to fertilize their gardens. Maybe you’ve gotten the same advice or heard about large-scale agricultural operations using them. But are ashes good for your garden?
Hawai’i’s plant hardiness zones range from 9a to 13a. Most of its land area falls into hardiness zone 11. Hawai’i has a range of climate conditions, even including a polar region (and microclimates as well). However, you can enjoy year-round gardening in much of Hawai’i, with relatively mild weather and few extremes.
Manufacturers market landscape fabric (or weed barrier) as a long-term solution to reduce or prevent weed growth in your garden. Who wouldn’t want that? Unfortunately, for those of us who have installed landscape fabric before, we soon come to regret it. It doesn’t perform well long-term, and it usually ends up causing more problems than…
Manufacturers market landscape fabric (or weed barrier) as a great solution to reduce or even prevent weed growth in your garden in the long term. And who wouldn’t love to avoid pulling weeds? Unfortunately, if you haven’t had the “pleasure” of using landscape fabric before, you won’t know the regret that comes with it.
As a professional garden consultant, I have had many clients ask me about landscape fabric. In short, it’s a material manufacturers allege prevents weeds in your garden. And what gardener doesn’t want that? Unfortunately, landscape fabric doesn’t live up to those expectations. In fact, it creates more problems than it solves in the long run.
Leaf mold is not the same as moldy leaves. The former is an excellent conditioner for garden soil and will add vital elements to it. The latter is likely some kind of plant disease. Leaf mold is essentially fungus decomposing leaves. Whereas any number of microscopic bacteria may break down the leaves in your compost…
You can use dead leaves as mulch in your garden to protect your plants from hot and cold temperatures and add nutrients to the soil. Also, by gathering leaves, shredding them with a lawn mower, and applying them to your garden, you prevent leaves from ending up in landfills and save money.
USDA hardiness zones are based on average low winter temperatures recorded for each region over time. Knowing this information is a useful starting point for a successful garden.
For years, I considered dead leaves littering my lawn a nuisance. Cleaning up dead leaves, loading them in huge plastic bags, and disposing of them was a staple of my fall. Little did I know, I was wasting an amazing free resource for my garden.
For the longest time, I believed I could only have a blooming garden in spring and summer, but I was wrong. Many flowers bloom in the fall. So, what are the best fall flowers for your garden?
I love spending time in my garden, and I’m often disappointed when all the fun is over at the end of summer. But it doesn’t have to be! A fall garden has many benefits, but just what are they?
A fall garden is an exciting garden type that has lots of benefits for those who create one. However, does that mean a fall garden is worth it?
