Colorful spring containers celebrate the start of the gardening season and creating them is fun and easy if you know which plants to choose. Look for these great gems to create a new spring container or refresh an existing pot.
Who isn't captivated with the lush blooms of the peony? We still get excited when peonies begin arriving! Alex LaVilla, our perennials buyer, has a few planting and care tips to help you be sure your peony is as happy and productive as it can be.
Early-blooming plants help brighten the gray, rainy days and remind us that warmer days are on the way. Here are a few of our favorites for the period we call “early spring” (February-late March). Some even bloom earlier in winter and well into April!
No matter whether this is your first-ever vegetable garden or just the first time planting this year, if you take a little time to prepare before you plant, everything will go more smoothly and you’ll be more successful. Here are a few simple things to consider when starting a vegetable garden this spring.
One of the first activities I want to do outside in early spring is to plant my early spring vegetable garden. There’s nothing like the smooth, clean surface of prepped garden beds, the soil still pristine and just waiting to nurture rows of bright green spring vegetables, carefully planted in perfect rows. It’s like a fresh school notebook - full of promise. But what to plant? Here are a few of my favorite vegetables to plant in spring, with tips on when and how to plant them.
plant protection and pest control
Fruit tree netting is something I had never used or considered using until this year. I had experimented with nylon apple maggot barriers before with moderate success, but their application is quite laborious and time-intensive. Now that I have tried tree netting I will never go back. Here’s how to use netting to protect your fruit.
Companion planting is the practice of growing certain crops near each other and keeping others separated so that they all thrive. Companion planting can help attract pollinators and beneficial insects, repel pests, and even help you use your space more wisely! Even armed with the "why" of companion planting, it can be difficult to know where to start, so here are some guidelines you can use in your own home garden.
Flowers add both beauty and functionality to your garden. They provide interesting colors, scents, and textures to the landscape and allow you to create beautiful homegrown bouquets all summer long. But flower power doesn’t stop there! Flowering plants attract pollinators and beneficial insects that help your fruits and vegetables develop robust harvests, and they increase the ecological biodiversity of your neighborhood.
