Simple ways to save money while you garden
Imagine walking into your garden and discovering that the rich, dark soil you’ve spent years improving suddenly looks like someone dumped coffee grounds across your flower beds. The texture is loose, crumbly, and strangely granular, almost like dry taco meat. You might assume your compost is breaking down beautifully, but that unusual soil could actually…
That backyard makeover you’ve been planning might seem like a harmless weekend project, but what if it ends with a warning from code enforcement—or a demand to tear everything down? Homeowners often assume that because they own their property, they can build a shed, install a fence, or create a backyard fire pit without asking…
It starts with a few innocent-looking green shoots poking through your lawn near the property line. Within weeks, those shoots become tall bamboo stalks, and before long, they’re appearing in your flower beds, beside your fence, and dangerously close to your landscaping. The frustrating part is that you never planted bamboo in the first place—your…
Every fall, the same frustrating scene plays out in neighborhoods across America. Your neighbor has a beautiful, towering oak tree, but somehow you’re the one spending every weekend raking up its leaves. You didn’t plant the tree, you don’t own it, and you certainly didn’t volunteer to become its personal cleanup crew. So, can you…
That $20 tree sitting outside the garden center might look like the perfect bargain for your yard. It’s small enough to fit in your trunk, promises beautiful shade, and seems like an inexpensive way to improve your landscaping. But plant it in the wrong spot, and that innocent-looking sapling could eventually contribute to cracked pavement,…
That strawberry patch that produced baskets of sweet berries all summer could be in trouble when freezing weather arrives. While strawberry plants are surprisingly cold-hardy, their shallow roots and vulnerable crowns can suffer serious damage during harsh winter conditions. Even worse, some of the most common gardening mistakes, including applying mulch too early, can actually…
Imagine spending $150 at your local garden center on colorful flowers, carefully planting them along your front walkway, and receiving a letter from your homeowners association demanding that you remove them. You own the house, you pay the mortgage, and the flowers are growing on your property. How can someone else possibly have the authority…
That pile of dead leaves and dried flower stems might look like a weekend cleanup project, but it could also be home to hundreds of tiny creatures helping keep your garden healthy. Before you reach for the rake, leaf blower, or pruning shears, it’s worth understanding what you might accidentally be throwing away. Many beneficial…
Before you cut every dead flower stalk down to the ground this fall, consider what’s hiding inside those dried stems. Some of the plants you were planning to throw away could become valuable nesting sites for native bees, including species that help pollinate your flowers, vegetables, and fruit trees. Many gardeners focus on planting flowers…