Advice for 18 common veggies ..read more

'Fanfare Showtime' is a new blanketflower that's great for the pollinator garden. Nectar-rich, pinwheel-like flowers attract bees and butterflies to this long-blooming perennial blanketflower throughout the growing season. The plant itself maintains a tidy size and shape that’s suitable for beds, borders and pots. Related: "Zinnias Will Attract Butterflies and Bees" A ring of yellow-and-coral tubes surround a rusty red disc on each composite flower of Fanfare Showtime blanketflower. Common name: ‘Fanfare Showtime’ blanketflower Botanical name: Gaillardia xgrandiflora ‘Fanfare Showtime’ Exposur ..read more

No matter your soil's pH, Let's Dance Sky View hydrangea is well worth growing for its reliable and prolonged flowering. In some regions, its big, rounded blooms will be shades of blue; in others, shades of pink. But all of Sky View's colors are lovely, and the plant's tidy habit make it easy to fit into the garden or keep in a large container.  I grow Sky View hydrangea both ways: planted in my shade garden's ground, which offers blue-inducing acidic soil; and in a large container filled with general-purpose potting mix, in which the flowers are pink. This hydrangea blooms from both old ..read more

We’re all familiar with the physical benefits of gardening. Actions like squatting down to plant seedlings in the ground or bending over to tie tomato branches to vertical supports provide opportunities for stretching and gentle exercise. Hauling and spreading compost or digging holes to plant fruit trees offer more vigorous activity. Tending our gardens in the sunlight allows our bodies to manufacture the vitamin D we need to reduce inflammation and maintain healthy bones. Tending plants by hand helps build a sense of resiliency and pride, and when we focus on such tasks, worriful thoughts ar ..read more

Double Martini sedum, or stonecrop, doesn’t bloom until late in the growing season, but it supplies plenty of earlier visual interest with its contrasting maroon stems and olive-green fleshy leaves. A lover of dry soil, this hardy succulent plant works well massed on slopes or dotted within a xeric garden or a parking strip, where its short stature is an asset. Double Martini stonecrop, or sedum, adds color with its bright stems, matte foliage and pink autumn flowers. Common name: Double Martini stonecrop Botanical name: Hylotelephium telephium ‘TNSEDDM’ Exposure: Full sun Flowers: From late s ..read more

Three main tasks ensure a bumper crop of juicy tomatoes: watering, fertilizing and tying up the plants as they grow.  Watering is particularly important, because drought-stressed plants are prone to blossom-end rot, which results in leathery, brown patches on the bottoms of the fruits. Container-grown tomatoes are most at risk of blossom-end rot because they can dry out so quickly. Related: More about blossom-end rot Aim to keep the soil lightly moist, watering when the top inch feels dry. You can water by hand (I like to use a long-handled watering wand) or set up soaker hoses to delive ..read more

No plant is 100-percent deer resistant, but deer generally avoid plants with certain features, like fragrant or fuzzy foliage. Of course, your local deer population will have its own preferences, but here are some perennials that I've grown with little to no problems in my Wisconsin garden: BLEEDING HEARTS Bleeding hearts (Lamprocapnos spectabilis; USDA Zones 3–9) may be old-fashioned, but they're a great choice if you have deer problems. The common bleeding heart is beautiful, although it goes dormant in summer, so it will need companions that can fill the gap. Related: “Companions for Bleed ..read more

Once I was driving to Home Depot to buy a toilet seat. I was feeling fat and kind of depressed, because I had just broken a toilet seat. But soon enough I turned my mental state around. Talked myself up, saying, “Hey, you can lose weight. Just a few small changes, and you’ll be looking good and feeling better.” Buying in, I was soon smiling and rocking out to some music. But then, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted something. What? Sure enough. They were building a new Krispy Kreme! Thank you, Lord! Practically in my back yard! Time to make it rain! One step forward. Two steps back. This i ..read more

Dry shade can feel like a gardener's nightmare. After all, you don't have enough sunlight for plentiful blooms, and the dry soil makes it hard for plants to get a toehold. Happily, though, there are some perennials that can succeed in dry shade. Ground covers are typically the easiest perennials to grow in the toughest of these spots, but you can expand your palette if the site offers a little moisture and sunlight. Spotted Deadnettles Spotted deadnettle (Lamium maculatum; USDA Zones 3–9) is a beautiful ground cover that offers eye-catching foliage and colorful, bee-friendly blooms even in ful ..read more

Spicy Devil ninebark is a great drought-resistant structural shrub that lends interest spring through fall. Its disease-resistant leaves provide vibrant color spring through fall and its pinkish white flowers are a draw for pollinators. Smaller than older ninebark cultivars, Spicy Devil is sized right for a spot near first-floor windows or among flowering perennials. It can also be planted in multiples for an informal, four-foot-tall deciduous hedge.  Spicy Devil ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius) has small, refined leaves that emerge brilliant yellow-orange in spring and mature to a redd ..read more