plant: echinacea

If you have a garden, chances are you have wildlife. So why do you need to “create” a wildlife garden, you might be wondering? Gardening for wildlife is more than just having plants; it’s thoughtful touches that help the local animals. Benefits of Wildlife in the Garden A garden with a diverse population of insects, birds, and even small mammals indicates healthy soil and a good ecosystem. If you can draw birds into your garden, they can help keep the pesky bug population in control....

Oh, summer. How I love you. It’s mid-July, and the breeze here in the mountains feels like a warm hug. Most folks are busy harvesting courgettes the size of baguettes and, no doubt, cursing their once-again runaway mint. I’m standing in my garden with a fresh cup of (yes, mint) tea and a question: What do I want to eat in the fall? Because while summer is in full swing, this is actually the secret season to sow again....

These days, many of us have chosen to live a more mindful life. We try to use less plastic when possible, buy things made with renewable materials, and choose locally grown food. We might even start a veggie garden (yay!). A garden with edibles is a must, but we also want our yards to look great with ornamentals. We can live a “greener” life and have a beautiful landscape by bringing native plants into the garden....

Spring is right around the corner and you’ve been planning your new herb garden. You know where it will be and you’ve got it all laid out in your Planter app. You decide to check out your local garden center for some more inspiration. You see a beautiful witch hazel named ‘Jelena’ that would look good in your garden. Then you see another one named ‘Rubra’. ‘Jelena’ is labeled as Hamamelis x intermedia and ‘Rubra’ is labeled Hamamelis japonica....

Have you ever wanted to know more about herbs but weren’t sure where to start? Maybe you’re thinking you have to be enrolled at a school of wizardry to learn. Or maybe you have to be a medieval monk to have an apothecary garden. Not at all! The interest in herbalism is growing quickly. Many countries around the world use plants as a form of complementary medicine. There’s no better time than now to start your herbal garden....

So begins our series of various garden plans to inspire you! Today, we’re focusing on an assortment plants that we can use for tea. Whether it’s the fruit, leaves, root, flower, or even the seeds themselves, there’s incredible range in the kind of plants that can be used for a wonderful cup of tea! We’ll be focusing on some of the more common plants in this Growing Guide. Harvesting Some plants may taste better dried or fresh, so experiment!...

Many types of plants depend on pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds to pollinate their flowers so they can produce fruit and seeds. To get the best harvests possible, there are steps we can take as gardeners to encourage more pollinators to visit our garden. Why are pollinators important in the garden? To understand why pollinators are important in the garden, we first need to understand which plants rely on them....