McCarty, Mulch & Stone on pros and cons of mulch, stone or river rock in your landscape. Did you know that our ancestors are a great source of landscaping solutions? In the history of farming and gardening, over the last several thousand years, your ancestors found a use for rock and stone. They placed it around their gardens to minimize weed growth, and to keep rodents and small animals away from their gardens. Their innovation would later become one of the most popular ways to decorate–and optimize–landscapes everywhere. Have you been debating using mulch, stone, or river rock for y ..read more

Susan Appleget Hurst for Better Homes & Gardens on safely eliminating weeds from your yard. Keep unwanted plants in check without harming your furry (and non-furry) family members. Weeds are inevitable in the yard and garden. Unfortunately, many of the chemicals marketed to combat them can be harmful to the health of your pets if they are not used carefully. Even so-called environmentally friendly or natural herbicides are capable of injury if used improperly. This is especially a concern if you have a dog that likes to dig and roll in lawns and gardens. But our furry friends can ..read more

Megan Hughes for Better Homes & Gardens on how to use garden lime to help your plants. If you’ve got acidic soil, this inexpensive crushed rock product is your friend. Here’s what you need to know to make the most of it. In an ideal world, all soil would be perfect for growing every kind of plant. But garden soil often needs to be adjusted, depending on what you want to grow, and garden lime is a common amendment that can give your plants a boost. However, lime isn’t something to mix into your soil on a whim or based on the promises on the package at the garde ..read more

McCarty Mulch & Stone on late winter landscaping tips. Keep Up With Your Late Winter Landscape With snow still falling and temperatures still dropping, gardening is probably the last thing on your mind (unless you consider salting the driveway landscaping). With winter ending in late March, though, there are just under two months until spring. In that time, you can do some important winter landscaping that’ll make this the best year yet for your yard. Prune in February If the snow is holding off a bit, gardening professionals recommend pruning certain plants in February. Because ..read more

Jamie McIntosh for The Spruce on selecting ornamental grasses. Gardeners who want to block a neighbor’s yard or screen a patio without building a structure should consider planting perennial ornamental grasses. Unlike evergreen trees and shrubs, ornamental grasses grow very quickly, usually reaching their mature size in two seasons. Their fast growth rate makes them ideal for privacy hedges because new plants can rapidly fill in any gaps. Moreover, ornamental grasses can be an economical way to achieve privacy on your property. Here are 10 types of ornamental grass that will add ..read more

Megan Hughes for Better Homes & Gardens on tips to protect hydrangeas in the winter. Don’t let freezing weather ruin next year’s flowers. A hydrangea in full bloom is a colorful sight to celebrate. But did you know that some types of hydrangeas actually produce their flower buds during the growing season prior to bloom? The young, tender buds form in late summer and then must hang on through whatever winter weather comes their way. If cold winds, subzero temperatures, and freeze-and-thaw cycles damage those buds, you can forget about seeing any hydrangea flowers the fol ..read more

McCarty Mulch & Stone on stone recommendations for the driveway. Replacing your driveway can be complicated. But you’re determined, thrifty, and know what you want. Stone driveways are affordable, efficient, quick to install, and easy to maintain. But with all the different types of rock to use on the driveway of your dream build, choosing the right one isn’t easy. Here’s a quick guide on choosing the best stone to use for your driveway. Back to Basics First, let’s talk about how to pick which stone is for you. Most driveways use a blend of several different sizes of stone. This ..read more

Kristin Guy for Better Homes & Gardens on a good way to start your seeds off indoors. Skip all the plastic pots with this simple technique. Plus, you’ll get healthier plants. Starting seeds indoors can be an inexpensive and efficient way to fill your garden with plants. However, seed-starting trays and pots require a lot of space, add unnecessary costs, and ultimately end up breaking after one season, clogging landfills with unnecessary plastic. But there is a way to grow plants from seed more sustainably. You can skip the pots and single-use plastic completely with soi ..read more

Deb Wiley and Vivika Neveln for Better Homes & Gardens on growing herbs indoors. Always have fresh herbal flavors in reach when you grow these aromatic plants in your kitchen. Few plants can turn everyday cooking into gourmet fare like freshly harvested herbs. These versatile aromatic plants also have the power to soothe our moods, help with healing, and even make your home (and you) smell wonderful. It’s easy and inexpensive to grow these useful, beautiful plants yourself, even indoors. Like any group of plants, herbs have varying needs, but most aren’t too demanding a ..read more

Today is the best day according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac to plant above ground crops. In New England you’ll probably have to wait until April. Five Next Best Days These are the next five best days to plant aboveground crops, based on the Moon’s sign. February 2, 2022 February 3, 2022 March 2, 2022 March 3, 2022 April 7, 2022 ..read more