A sunny afternoon isn’t the only time you can enjoy your garden. Underneath the light of the moon, a whole other kind of magic opens up: nocturnal flowers awaken, moths visit blossoms, leaves shine in the silver light, and an owl calls from a distance. While you may not have thought much about what your garden looks like at night, it’s possible to cultivate a special kind of beauty that’s best enjoyed beneath the moon. Here’s how!   What Makes a Moon Garden? If you’ve ever spent a night camping in the forest, you know how nighttime opens up a whole other natural world. Fireflies flash in ..read more

An abundance of insects is a natural sign of a healthy and biodiverse garden. Sometimes, however, these garden guests can quickly become pests, damaging our plants and ruining our crops. It’s every gardener’s job to keep an eye out for potential nuisances and manage them before they become a major problem and spread to other landscapes. To help you with this essential task, here’s a guide to common plant pests you’ll find and how to deal with them!   What Are the Most Common Plant Pests in Illinois?   Slugs  Slugs can damage plants before you even realize they’re there. However ..read more

Bees are getting a lot of buzz in gardening circles lately, and for good reason: essential for pollination, bees do more work for us than we sometimes realize. Learning the facts about bees can help us better understand the amazing varieties of native species that help us out and how we can help them thrive in our gardens, neighborhoods, and beyond!    Why Are Bees Important? Look at the world of plants outside your window: every tree, shrub, and blade of grass you see started as a flower of some kind. Some of those flowers were pollinated by the wind, but the vast majority were poll ..read more

Northern cardinals, yellow warblers, and cedar waxwings—imagine if you could attract these birds and others to your garden year-round. While bird feeders and nest boxes help, there is so much more you can do to make your landscape a haven for the winged ones. With these strategies, bird songs can be a part of your garden every season and positively regenerate bird habitat in your local bioregion.      How to Make a Bird-Friendly Landscape in Your Garden Life attracts life and is the underlying principle for encouraging birds to visit your garden. To put it differently, the ..read more

Eco-friendly gardening is more than just a buzzword; it’s a practical landscaping approach that brings earth-friendly living and superior all-around gardening techniques to your outdoor space. With sustainable methods, you can reduce your workload, save money, minimize your footprint, and regenerate the health and abundance of your whole garden space! Here are 14 easy ways you can weave sustainable gardening practices into your normal routine to achieve a more eco-friendly landscape:   What is a Sustainable Garden?  Simply put, a sustainable garden helps the earth instead of damaging ..read more

Lilacs are timeless symbols of spring, and the fragrant shrubs are a welcome addition to any garden. With an infinite variety of colors, shapes, and sizes, lilacs bring sweet scents and vibrant colors to any outdoor space. In this blog post, we will explore the beauty of lilacs and show you how to grow them confidently. We will also share tips for adding fragrant and colorful shrubs to your home. So, if you are ready to experience the beauty of lilacs, read on!     Lilacs- Infinite Variety and Aroma Lilacs are one of the most beloved blooming shrubs, providing a delightful aroma and ..read more

“Looking to give your outdoor space a fresh and colorful look? Annuals are the perfect way to do it! This blog post is all about amazing annual planters that will take your porch pots and patio planters to the next level. We will cover everything from growing confidently with these beautiful blooms to creating colorful cottage core scenes with these amazing annuals. Additionally, we will give you tips and tricks on designing your dream garden with bold and brilliant annuals. Get ready to create a garden you’ll love with these amazing annual planters!” Grow Confidently With Amazing Annual ..read more

An edible orchard is one of the easiest things to plant and one of the greatest long-term gifts you can give to you and your garden. Plant a few trees, and you can enjoy hundreds of pounds of fruit for years to come. If you’re wondering what to plant or how to begin, here’s a guide to help you get in the ground!   How Do You Start an Edible Orchard in Chicago? The first step to starting a backyard orchard is to see where you can plant new fruit trees. Most fruit trees need about 6-8 hours of sunlight per day, so if you don’t have enough light, you might be better off planting berries, whi ..read more

As the garden wakes up in the spring, many annuals are already in bloom and ready to provide flowers for bare spots in the garden. Like paint for the landscape artist, we can use them to bring color and fragrance wherever we choose. Whether in containers, between perennials, or in a mass together, these springtime annuals are a gift for any garden!    Spring Annuals for a Chicagoland Garden    Pansy One of the queens of the cool season, pansies are hardy spring annuals that bring bright personality into your beds. They’re famous for their heart-shaped, multi-colored blooms ..read more

Every year, the springtime reveals new flowers, butterflies, leaves, and–if you have a canine companion–more than a few dog urine patches. Even if you are dog-free, you may still find a couple of brown spots in your front yard here and there from a passing pooch. However, fear not; with a little knowledge and some grass seed, you can often easily repair this damage and return your lawn to its former glory! Here’s how to get started:     What is a Dog Urine Patch?  Like all mammals, the water that dogs drink has to go somewhere, and our lawns are often the most convenient re ..read more