Garden ideass

Fall lawn care secrets for healthy  Take advantage of the cool fall weather to fertilize, control weeds, and improve the health and appearance of your yard. A little work now will pave the way for a lush, green carpet when temperatures warm up again in the spring. Try these fall lawn care ideas to ensure a healthy lawn next year. 1. Adjust your mowing height If you raise the height of the mower in the summer to reduce heat stress on your lawn, return the mower deck to its normal height in the fall (about 3 inches is ideal for most grasses). Mowing your lawn a little shorter in the fall helps prevent the grass from sinking under leaves and snow. However, avoid cutting the grass too short. Tightly mowed turf has fewer roots and allows weeds to gain a foothold. 2. Water your grass a lot If a summer drought persists into the fall, consider watering your lawn twice deeply before the onset of frost. Fall lawn care, which includes several inches of deep soaking, helps transit...

Top Tomato Cages  If you want to harvest large quantities of tomatoes , investing in a good tomato cage (or half a dozen or so) is a necessary first step. Although you don't need a cage to grow tomatoes, they help keep the plants healthy and increase your chances of a bountiful harvest. Plus, they hold your plants so they don't take over your entire gardening. "One of the best reasons to cage your tomatoes is because they keep the fruit off the ground and prevent disease and pests," says Gary Spoonmore, co-creator of ParkSeed's From Seed to Spoon app. "A cage can provide the necessary support and prevent plants from breaking or being knocked over." 1. Happy Trees Heavy Duty Tomato Cages Our top overall pick is the Happy Trees Large Heavy Duty Tomato Cage. This heavy-duty cage is extra sturdy and works well for all tomato varieties, including large tomato plants and heavy crops of fruit. It's made in the USA from thick-gauge galvanized st...

Flowering shrubs for hedges Cover your yard with flowering hedges instead of fences to add color, texture and fragrance to your backyard space. Check out these top picks for flowering shrubs that you can use to create fast-growing privacy hedges. 1. Azalea Grown for their showy spring flowers, azaleas (Rhododendron spp.) light up the landscape with their trumpet-shaped blooms in a wide range of colors. Some, like the encore azalea (pictured here), bloom on new wood throughout summer and fall. Most azaleas are deciduous and have smaller leaves than true rhododendrons. 2. Beautyberry Although American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) bears small pinkish-white flowers along its stem in late summer, the fruit that follows is what makes this shrub so spectacular. This native plant's flowers develop into bright purple berries in the fall. In zone 6, beautyberry may die back in winter, but will sprout from the base in spring. 3. Beautybush True to its name, beauty bush (Col...

Grow Milkweed Growing Tips Every school child learns about milkweed because this plant is an essential food for monarch butterfly caterpillars. There are actually several species of milkweed (Asclepias spp.), all of which are native to North America. They make beautiful, low-maintenance additions to most gardens and landscapes, where they attract a variety of pollinators with their flowers. Milk juice for defense Milkweed plants have developed two attractive defense mechanisms to deter predators. The main source of defense gives the plant its common name - milky white latex. The sticky sap and all parts of the plant contain large amounts of a compound toxic to all vertebrates. Monarch butterfly larvae have the ability to store this deadly compound in their bodies and are also toxic to vertebrates. This is what gives monarchs their characteristic foul taste, which repels predators. A second defense of these plants is the sticky nature of the sap. Milkweed plants keep their ...

 10 Sustainable Gardening Tips to Make Your Yard More Eco-Friendly When you grow in a green way, you will have less waste, use fewer chemicals, and overall, you may have lower costs. This can add huge benefits to the planet as well. So, what is sustainable gardening? There is no official definition, but the idea is to reduce the impact humans have on the Earth. Adopting sustainable practices at home includes avoiding polluting chemicals, conserving natural resources, and minimizing waste as much as possible. If you want to start gardening more sustainably, you don't have to make big changes right away; Even something as simple as using natural weed killers instead of chemicals can help the environment. These sustainable gardening ideas can help contribute to a happier, healthier planet. 1. Practice organic gardening Going organic is an important part of sustainable gardening. Using fewer chemicals in your garden is more ecological and cost-effective. If you're growi...

Ants on cucumbers: why it happens & prevention Do your garden cucumbers have ants? They enjoy your vegetables hard for various reasons. In this article, horticulturist and former organic farmer Sarah Hyde explores why ants are attracted to cucumbers, what to do if you notice them, and how to keep them from getting around your cucumbers! You're out in your garden, enjoying a beautiful day when you notice an unusual amount of ants on your cucumber plants. What are they doing there? Why are they only on your cucumbers? Is there something particularly attractive about this popular garden vegetable that is so attractive to ants? There is a short answer and a long answer to this question. In this article, you will learn all the details of the long and short versions! But it all depends on what attracts ants to your cucumbers and how to prevent them in the first place. Interested in learning more? Let's continue to think about why ants love cucumbers in your garden and...

 Inspirational garden decorating  Garden design goes beyond plants. Try some of these garden decor ideas for an original outdoor space. Report exterior artwork This backyard patio is part of the garden. Trees, shrubs, and potted plants immerse the sitting area in nature. Garden decor sticks to an inspired color scheme with beautiful floral art pieces. Shades of green and blue in the decor help tie the garden and outdoor seating area together. Give priority to the seat If you're going to spend the summer working in the garden, it's important to have a way to enjoy it. One way is to make seating a priority in your landscaping. It can be a swing, a hammock, or an outdoor dining area, as long as there is somewhere to lounge and enjoy the garden view. The wooden garden swing pictured here is perfect for sitting and enjoying the blooming flowers. An outdoor cushion adds comfort and color. Tomato home garden Tips 👇 Tomato Home Garden 1 Tomato Home Garden 2 To...

 Small Space Vegetable Garden Tips Growing a garden is a great way to produce healthy vegetables, herbs, and fruits that you can enjoy at home with your favorite fresh foods. While spacious outdoor gardens have big harvests, you don't need a huge garden bed to grow healthy vegetables in a small space. With the right containers, soil, watering schedule, and sunlight, you can grow your favorite delicious vegetables in a small footprint. Ways to use a small space You don't need a large area to set up a vegetable garden. Small sunny spots in your yard, patio, or balcony can all be successful. Developing heirloom seeds and new hybrids offer great options for colorful innovative vegetables, varieties from around the world, and miniature plants. Choosing the right location and the best varieties of your favorite plants will help maximize your harvest. In addition to providing the right growing conditions, it is also helpful to consider using a fence. If you think deer love...

Types of Roses to Grow Roses provide our gardens with beautiful colors, fragrances, and more. But with so many varieties of roses to choose from, figuring out which ones to grow can be a challenge. First, ask yourself what is important to you in a rose. Among the ranking, characteristics are ease of care, fragrance, continuous flowering, and wildlife value. Then consider your garden conditions. Any rose will thrive if you have a location with full sun (six hours or more), rich soil, and mild winters. If not then don't worry. Some of the most beautiful and fragrant roses prefer shade, sand, marsh, and cool winters. This simple guide will help you find the right type of rose that checks every box on your list. Different types of roses One of the best ways to zero in on the type of roses you want to grow is to consider the classifications of the modern, old garden, and wild roses used by rose experts. Wild roses are as wild and unique as nature has created them. Modern and...