Simple ways to save money while you garden
Poison ivy may look like just another annoying weed once it comes out of the ground, but there is one thing it absolutely should not become: firewood. Burning poison ivy can send urushiol, the oily compound that causes its infamous rash, into the smoke and straight into the air around anyone nearby. That turns a…
Black residue on leaves beneath a tree can look like someone dusted the garden with fireplace ash. The culprit often has a much more interesting story: sap-sucking insects feed high in the canopy, leave behind sticky honeydew, and sooty mold grows on that sugary mess as it falls onto lower leaves. Aphids and soft scale…
Composting diseased plants sounds wonderfully efficient: the tomato plant gets sick, the garden removes it, and the compost pile turns the whole mess into something useful. Unfortunately, the compost pile does not automatically know which microbes are helpful and which ones came along for the ride. If the pile never reaches adequate temperatures throughout the…
That awkward corner of the yard does not need to remain the place where forgotten pots, a hose, and one suspiciously rusty shovel go to retire. With the right perennial edibles, even a small, overlooked patch can become a dependable source of food that returns year after year with far less replanting than an annual…
Giant hogweed looks like the sort of enormous, dramatic plant that belongs in a fantasy garden, but getting too close can turn a pleasant walk or weekend yard project into a medical problem. Its clear, watery sap contains compounds that can make skin extremely sensitive to ultraviolet light, leading to painful burns and blisters after…
A packet of seeds can look like a tiny promise in an envelope, especially when the listing shows a rose with rainbow petals, a sunflower shaped like a teddy bear, or a flower that appears to glow from the inside. The problem starts when that gorgeous picture has more to do with artificial intelligence than…
Spring bulbs bring a little seasonal magic to the garden, but getting them into the ground involves more than digging a hole and dropping them in. If compost sits nearby, it can look like an obvious helper, especially when the soil looks tired, compacted, or generally unimpressed with its gardening assignment. The good news is…
A fire-safe garden does not require turning the yard into a gravel parking lot or sending every beloved shrub to the chipper. Smart landscaping can reduce wildfire risk while keeping flowers, greenery, shade, privacy, and plenty of garden personality. The trick involves changing how plants sit, how much dead material they carry, and how close…
Can an HOA really tell a homeowner to rip out a garden and put grass back? In Maryland, the answer gets surprisingly interesting, especially after Janet and Jeff Crouch fought their HOA over a yard filled with native plants, flowers, trees, and habitat instead of a conventional carpet of turf. Their dispute helped spark a…