GARDENING

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15 Companion Plants for Peppers—Plus 5 to Keep at a Distance—for the Healthiest Harvest
Companion planting—the practice of growing compatible plants near each other—can benefit the pepper plants in your ga...
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15 Natural Pest-Control Strategies for Your Yard and Garden
Sharing the planet with insects is a fact of life, especially when pleasant weather arrives. By late spring, all kind...
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Can a Robot Weed Your Garden? I Tested the Tertill Weeding Robot to Find Out
Many gardeners start with vegetables. They are easy to grow and reward the grower with rapid development, attractive ...
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How to Grow Bell Peppers Practically Anywhere
Bell peppers are members of the nightshade (Solanaceae) family, along with tomatoes and potatoes, and are native to C...
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How to Grow Tomatoes in Your Home Garden—No Matter Where You Live
Tomatoes are the most popular vegetable in the world, so it’s not surprising that they’re one of the most frequently ...
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The Best Native Plants to Grow in Soggy Gardens (by Region)
Poorly draining gardens can be a headache for even the most seasoned growers. Not only are these spaces muddy messes,...
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How to Grow Snapdragons for an Easy Curb Appeal Boost
Snapdragon is a popular plant that is a versatile addition to any garden. It’s a breeze to start from seed, and its u...
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Why Every Plant Parent Needs This Popular Plug-In Fly Trap
If you’re wondering what fly traps have to do with houseplants, consider yourself lucky. Since collecting a borderlin...
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How to Grow Beets for a Superfood Supply in Your Own Backyard
As Michigan State University notes, “Beets are not one of the more popular vegetables. ” At least they didn’t use to ...
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How to Use Straw Mulch for Vegetable Gardening
Starting a vegetable garden can be a rewarding prospect for any homeowner. In addition to having fresh veggies on the...
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How to Attract Frogs and Toads to Your Yard—and Why You Should
Frogs and toads may not have the same allure as bees and other pollinators, but they can be just as useful in gardens...
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Is My Plant Dead or Dormant?
As the days get longer with spring’s imminent arrival, gardeners look for indications that their beloved plants are b...
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7 Tips for Growing Big Plants Indoors
Big houseplants make a bold statement, adding drama and creating a vibrant, living focal point in any room. In additi...
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How to Get Lawn Care Customers: Simple Ways to Turn a Budding Business Into a Lucrative One
Starting a lawn care business requires a business plan, a well-thought-out budget, and the right equipment. But lawn ...
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The 5 Best Spots in Your Home for Plant Starts
If you want a vibrant and thriving garden this spring and summer, you can’t wait until the weather warms up to get th...
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Are You Using the Wrong Kind of Water on Your Houseplants?
Most gardeners know about the Goldilocks rule of watering plants: not too much, not too little, just the right amount...
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15 Companion Plants for Cucumbers—and 5 to Keep Away—for the Best Harvest
If an abundant harvest is the goal, companion planting is the secret weapon any gardener can use. Companion planting ...
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How to Grow a Landscaping Business: 13 Steps to Cultivate a Successful Landscaping Company
A career in the landscaping industry can be stable and lucrative for those who enjoy physical work and being outdoors...
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What Licenses Are Needed to Start a Landscaping Business? A State-by-State Breakdown
Q: I’m thinking about starting a professional landscaping business, but I’m not sure what I need to do in terms of li...
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How Much Does It Cost to Start a Landscaping Business?
Highlights The average cost to start a landscaping business can fall between $5,000 and $8,000. The main factors th...
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How to Get Rid of Clover Mites—and Why You Should Never Squish Them
Clover mites don’t bite, carry diseases, or destroy food stores like some other pests do, but these tiny red critters...
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How to Get Landscaping Jobs and Cultivate Experience
The best landscaping companies are out there in your neighborhood, maybe even right now, working hard to beautify yar...
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Ready to Turn Your Love for Lawns and Gardens Into a Career? Here's How to Start a Landscaping Business
Whether someone has been working in the landscaping industry for years or has just completed one of the best online l...
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How to Become a Landscaper and Turn Your Green Thumb Into a Blossoming Career
A landscaping career can be ideal for anyone who loves the great outdoors, working with plants, and staying active. F...
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15 Companion Plants for Potatoes (and 5 to Avoid) for Better Yield
Plants that grow well together can help each other thrive. The symbiotic relationship that occurs when companion-plan...
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Cost of Sod vs. Seed: 7 Factors to Consider When Budgeting for a New Lawn
When creating a lush and green lawn, one of the first choices a homeowner will need to make is whether to use sod or ...
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What Is Soil Blocking and Is It Worth It for Home Gardeners?
Soil blocking is a gardening technique that uses cubes of potting mix to start plants at home. Many people use small ...
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How to Use Eggshells for Plants (in the Garden or in Pots)
If you are into recycling and have learned the most environmentally friendly ways to dispose of your plastics and alu...
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How to Grow Peonies to Achieve the Ultimate Cottage Garden at Home
Popular for their lushly opulent late spring or early summer cut flowers, low-maintenance peony plants aren’t difficu...
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How to Make a Terrarium in 5 Simple Steps
If you lack a nature scene outside your windows, try making your own miniature version inside other panes. Although t...
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20 Seriously Surprising Uses for Ziploc Bags
It’s been nearly 60 years since the invention of the Ziploc plastic storage bag, and our freezers, fridges, and even ...
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14 Fast-Growing Fruit Trees to Jump-Start Your Edible Landscape
Fresh fruit is a great source of nutrients, fiber, vitamins, antioxidants, and flavor. Eating it can lead to better h...
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20 Uses for Coffee Filters You Have to See to Believe
We rely on coffee filters to deliver our daily cup (or cups!) of joe, but straining coffee grounds from your morning ...
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20 Easy Backyard Updates You Can Do in a Day
There’s no need to spend hundreds of dollars and commit to several weekends of backbreaking work to improve the look ...
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How to Grow Celery for a Continuous Harvest All Season Long
Celery is a healthy vegetable chock-full of antioxidants, fiber, and nutrients that reduce inflammation, lower blood ...
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How to Keep Birds Off of Your Porch (Without Harming Them)
Birds sleeping on porches carry symbolic meanings of peace, protection, and good fortune—harmony with nature and tran...
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6 Places You Should Never Put a Plant Indoors—2 Will Surprise You
Whether your home is practically a greenhouse all year long or you only have a few indoor plants, helping them grow a...
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Here's Why I Just Poured Dish Soap Into My Toilet (Hint: It Has Nothing to Do With Cleaning)
Dishwashing liquid is a surprisingly versatile product, and its effectiveness lies in a potent formula that incorpora...
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Sunday Is Giving Away Free Seeds—Find Out How To Get Yours And Get A Head Start On Spring Planting
Sunday has a great deal to get you thinking about your lawn and garden: for a limited time, new customers who choose ...
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13 Stunning Palm Plants That Are Easy to Grow Indoors
As Tovah Martin notes in Once Upon a Windowsill, “When the Victorians first laid eyes on palms in the great public ga...
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This Cast Iron Plant Care Routine Is About as Easy as It Gets
As Tovah Martin notes in The Indestructible Houseplant, easy-to-grow aspidistras—aka cast iron plant—were so popular ...
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These Are the Best Houseplants for Your South-Facing Windows
Houseplants provide many benefits, from improving indoor air quality to boosting mood and morale. When selecting plan...
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What Is a Pergola? The Pros and Cons of the Popular Outdoor Feature
Unlike an arch-topped arbor or a gazebo (a stand-alone structure with a solid roof), a pergola is an outdoor structur...
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How to Grow Dragon Fruit at Home
Like the mythical creature for which it is named, dragon fruit often has green scales on the outside and red flesh on...
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How to Be Your Own Landscape Designer
From privacy hedges and shade trees to retaining walls and patios, landscaping can enhance the functionality and aest...
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How to Grow Mint (and Keep It Under Control) In Your Home Garden
Much loved for their refreshing scent and flavor, mint plants are vigorous and far from picky herbs, and are hardy in...
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Edimentals and 7 Other Garden Trends We're Excited to Try in 2024
Forget the same old, same old. No matter what type of garden you have—vegetable, ornamental or a mix of both—there ar...
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16 Best Surprising Uses for Household Items in 2023
The year 2023 has been busy for the Bob Vila team, and several of the articles we shared with our readers focused on ...
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How to Grow Rhubarb
One of the largest perennial vegetables you can grow at home, tart rhubarb is usually treated as a fruit. When combin...
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7 Ways to Recycle Your Tree After Christmas
Once the holidays are behind us (and our tolerance for Christmas tree needles on our floors is at an annual low), man...
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Add Interest to Your Home Landscape With This Guide to Growing Foxglove
Stately foxglove hails from 15th century Europe, when the Anglo-Saxons named it “digitus,” Latin for finger-like, and...
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How to Make a Fake Christmas Tree Look Good—For Less
It’s hard to compete with the charm of a natural Christmas tree, but many opt for fake trees as a more practical alte...
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13 Types of Holly Plants All DIY Landscapers Should Know
Holly bushes—which can usually be identified by their stiff, spiny foliage and red, yellow, or black berries—require ...
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We Tested 300+ Products in 2023, and These Were Our Favorites
The Bob Vila team tests products all year long, from robotic pool cleaners and portable generators to power drills an...
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11 Outdoor Living Products That We Tested and Loved in 2023
When the weather permits—and even when it occasionally doesn't—we like to get outside, and we bet you do, too. That's...
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The 12 Best Lawn & Garden Products of 2023, According to Our Tests
Yardwork, gardening, washing cars, and watching birds: There’s just as much to get done outside the house as inside. ...
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16 Houseplants That Are Safe for Cats
If you adore both houseplants and cats, keep in mind that the former could be dangerous to the latter. Dr. Renee Schm...
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15 Tropical Plants You Can Grow Indoors (If It’s Too Cold Outside)
Although tropical indoor plants won’t tolerate northern winters outdoors, they can enliven the coldest months indoors...
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This Is the Best Time to Start Seeds Indoors for a Thriving Spring Garden
Q: If I want to have a garden next spring, I need to know when to start seeds indoors. Is there a planting calendar f...
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How to Prune Roses of All Types
According to Clemson Cooperative Extension, rose bush pruning “keeps the plant healthy,” ”promotes new growth,” and “...
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Testing the HeyAbby Grow Box: Is It Worth It for 1 Plant?
Most hydroponic growing systems feature multiple pod stations to grow several plants simultaneously. However, for gro...
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This Earthquake Wood Chipper Offers Unbeatable Power, Tested and Reviewed
Wood chippers convert bulky yard waste into a form that makes excellent mulch, composts readily, or is easily bagged ...
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10 Vegetables to Plant in Winter, No Matter Where You Live
When choosing vegetables to grow or plant in winter, keep in mind that, although you can harvest some vegetables duri...
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11 Red Shrubs That Add Interest to Home Landscapes
The color red, often associated with love, glory, and power, grabs attention. So red shrubs are a must-have when you ...
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8 Ways to Use Milkweed in Your Home Landscape—and Why You Should ASAP
From prairie grasslands to woodland edges to wetlands and river banks, more than a hundred species of milkweed grow a...
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Generac Generators and Frigidaire Cooktops: 30 Recalls You Need to Know for Fall 2023
Staying on top of product recalls is essential for consumers to ensure that our families stay safe. The Consumer Prod...
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How to Propagate Pothos Plants: 3 Foolproof Methods, According to Experts
Among the easiest houseplants to grow, pothos (Epipremnum aurum) is a vigorous viner that throws out heart-shaped, gr...
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16 Colorful Shrubs for a Standout Winter Garden
It’s fairly easy to have a beautiful landscape in spring and summer, but you’re really showing your green thumb if co...
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The Fascinating History Behind Lawn “Gazing Balls”
These reflective spheres we use as lawn ornaments are known by many other monikers, including mirror balls, yard glob...
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The 14 Best Terrarium Plants for Miniature Indoor Gardens
Derived from 19th-century glass Wardian cases that were once lashed to the decks of ships to keep plants alive on lon...
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Beyond Poinsettias: 23 Houseplants That Bloom in Winter
Winter is a long season of brown lawns, bare trees, and frost-covered shrubs, which is precisely why it's the perfect...
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We Tested the North Spore Mushroom Kit To See if We Could Grow Mushrooms At Home
At-home mushroom growing kits typically include a substrate—such as a log, sawdust, or a block of wood and compost—th...
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One Tool to Do It All: Truly Garden Hori Hori Knife Review
Gardeners who find themselves spending an inordinate amount of time chasing down the right tool for a variety of jobs...
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What Is “Bottom Watering,” Anyway?
Q: I’ve seen one of my garden friends bottom-watering plants such as her African violets. Why does she feel that it i...
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Tree Eyes and Bloody Bark: Creepy Tree Features and What They Mean
Trees are magnificent beings. They provide cooling shade, can have majestic limbs that sway in the breeze, attract wi...
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Inch Plant Care 101: How to Grow Spiderwort Indoors
Also known as spiderwort, the inch plant thrives indoors and is easy to propagate. One reason for its popularity is t...
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This Is the Best Mulch for Flower Beds
There are many different types of mulch available to homeowners, and each has its best use cases. For example, some m...
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Sci-Fi in the Garden: How to Transform Your Garden to Reflect the “Hortifuturism” Trend
According to the Garden Media 2024 Garden Trends report, the future of horticulture is bold, forward, and bright on m...
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The Best Electric Composters of 2023
Electric composters make composting simpler, faster, and more efficient. Composting is an excellent way to prevent fo...
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How to Attract Crows to Your Yard: 11 Methods That Work
Crows are often considered among the most intelligent bird species in the world, due in part to having the largest br...
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19 Fall Gardening Practices That Will Protect and Enrich Your Soil in Winter
Throughout the growing season, garden plants work together with microbes to break down and use organic matter within ...
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19 of the Best Indoor Hanging Plants
The best indoor hanging plants produce floods of attractive foliage while tolerating typical household conditions. Un...
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Save over $100 on Our Favorite AeroGarden During Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days!
 With the colder weather upon us, it's time to bring the garden indoors. The AeroGarden Harvest's compact size and us...
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The Great Debate: Is It Safe to Use Rain Barrel Water in Your Vegetable Garden?
Increasing wildfires around the world and documented severe drought—even in unexpected spots like Hawaii and the Sout...
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7 Invasive Species That Are Migrating With Climate Change
From noxious weeds to invading insects, species are considered invasive when they are introduced to an area and they ...
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How to Use Wood Ash in the Garden
Are ashes good for plants when applied to garden soil? The answer depends on the “disposition” of the soil—whether it...
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Curious About What Bird Species Are in Your Backyard? This App Has the Answers
You don’t have to be a seasoned ornithologist to appreciate the wonders of birdwatching anymore. As technology advanc...
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How Much Does Fall Cleanup Cost?
Highlights The typical cost for fall yard cleanup ranges from $191 to $573, with a national average cost of $367. T...
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30 Low-Maintenance Plants for Your Easiest Garden Ever
The secret to a garden that practically takes care of itself? Choose plants for your plot wisely, and you’ll be repai...
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Add Color to Your Landscape by Planting These 13 Purple Shrubs
The color purple has long been associated with power and prominence, as “born to the purple” means born into royalty....
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35 Plants That Are Toxic to Cats and Dogs
When we buy plant seeds and starters, we almost always take note of the light and soil requirements, but how often do...
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How to Grow Spinach
When planning how to grow spinach in your garden, keep in mind that this leafy, nutrient-rich vegetable matures quick...
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What Is Cover Cropping and How to Use It in Your Home Garden
Soil isn’t meant to be uncovered. While sprawling fields of empty, tilled earth waiting for seed might seem like the ...
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14 Nifty Neem Oil Uses for the Home and Garden
Neem oil comes from the seeds of the neem tree (Azadirachta indica), a fast-growing member of the mahogany family nat...
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10 Brilliant Alternative Uses for a Concrete Mixer
Have you ever seen a concrete mixer in someone’s yard and wondered, “Why would anyone actually own one of those?” Or,...
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How to Grow Peanuts
No, peanuts don’t grow on trees, nor are there peanut bushes. Once called goober peas, peanuts are actually annual le...
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How to Grow Elderberry
Known nowadays for their immunity-enhancing properties and high levels of antioxidants, elderberries have long been a...
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15 Things to Plant Now for Your Fall Vegetable Garden
Most people tend to think of fall as the end of the gardening season: It’s when you pull all the spent crops, clean u...
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What to Plant in September to Make the Most of Your Growing Season
Though we may think of spring as the time to sow seeds, fall is an ideal time for planting. An array of cool-season v...
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How to Grow Squash
As all the old jokes about country people not locking their doors except during zucchini season imply, growing squash...
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Testing the FCMP Outdoor Dual-Chamber Composter: Does It Live Up to the Hype?
Composting is an excellent way to reduce the amount of food waste in landfills and put it to good use in the garden i...
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Vego Garden Raised Beds Proved Worth the Investment in Our Tests
Raised bed gardens are more popular than ever, but for years I thought it was just a fad that would eventually dwindl...
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The Best Lawn Care Companies in Atlanta, Georgia of 2023
Many homeowners feel a sense of pride in having their own patch of grass—but if their neighbor's pristine lawn has th...
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30 Plants That'll Bring Color to Your Yard This Fall
As summer wanes, so do the blooms on our favorite flowers, leaving us grasping for the last vestiges of natural color...
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9 Garden Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs That Keep Well in the Freezer
Maybe you have too many zucchini and want to save some for later. Perhaps the sweet corn this season tasted so good y...
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The 3 Most Important Attractions in Every Successful Pollinator Garden
Pollinators are the keystones of healthy ecosystems. According to the USDA, at least 75 percent of the world’s flower...
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4 Ways Wildfire Smoke Can Affect Your Plants and Homegrown Food Supply
Millions of Americans all over the country, from the East Coast and Midwest to the mountain states and even the Pacif...
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3 Good Reasons to Let Ladybugs Live in Your Garden
Ladybugs are known for far more than just their cute shape, size, and color pattern. These winged insects may just be...
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13 Bulbs to Plant in Fall for Spring Crops and Color
Just when you think gardening season is winding down, fear not. A favorite fall task might be to plant bulbs in fall ...
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20 Backyard Birds to Know and How to Attract Them to Your Property
Birds are important pollinators, but there are additional benefits of inviting them to your yard. Some backyard bird ...
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How to Grow Artichokes
Growing artichokes at home can be tricky, but not because they’re difficult to grow. Instead, it’s because most requi...
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Important Things to Know About Tapestry Lawns
The days of relying on perfectly manicured turfgrass lawns as a status symbol are on their way out. Instead, many hom...
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13 Natural and Effective Ways to Kill Weeds
Although not all of these methods will work all of the time, weed management should always begin with the most eco-fr...
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15 Tips for Planning a Successful Raised Garden
Nothing’s tastier than tomatoes picked fresh off the vine, but maintaining a vegetable garden can be hard work, and n...
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How to Use Coffee Grounds in the Garden
When considering how to use coffee grounds in the garden, keep in mind that they don’t acidify soil, contrary to popu...
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The 12 Best Climbing Roses for Your Garden Trellis, Arbor, or Pergola
Climbing roses serve a functional purpose while adding color, texture, and beauty to a landscape. Most types of rose ...
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19 Ideas for Better Backyard Privacy
While front yards can be great for gathering with neighbors and catching up on the latest community news, backyards a...
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10 Popular Landscaping Plants You Should Get Rid of ASAP
They’re beautiful. They’re available at nurseries and big-box stores. But they’re invasive plants, and they really sh...
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20 Garden Lighting Ideas to Add Interest to Your Landscape
The plants, flowers, and produce in your garden beds and boxes look glorious in daylight, but once the sun sets, they...
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The Pros and Cons of Homemade Weed Killers
Are weeds getting in the way and preventing flowers and vegetables in your garden from thriving? Besides being a nuis...
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7 Plants That Don't Require Pruning
Many shrubs and plants require regular pruning to keep them looking their best. Pruning removes dead or diseased bran...
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This One Mistake Can Destroy Your Container Gardening Plans
Container gardening is the way to go if you yearn for a garden but don’t have the space. Whether you want to grow blo...
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Are Those Weeds Trying to Tell You Something About Your Soil?
Discovering dandelions, clover, crabgrass, lamb’s-quarters, and other weeds growing on your lawn or garden is frustra...
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10 of the Weirdest Gardening Myths—and if They're True or False
Gardening is an age-old practice and is therefore filled with ancient wisdom and mythical legends. Whether you're a s...
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AeroGarden Harvest Review: See My Growing Results!
I’ve always had a negative opinion about hydroponic gardening. To me, hydroponically grown produce tasted bland and r...
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What to Plant in August to Keep Your Garden Growing Through Fall
Do you think it’s too late in the year to get into the garden? Actually, August is a great time to pick up your garde...
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Solved! The Great Debate on Using Electroculture to Boost Plant Health
Q: I’m interested in learning new techniques to make my garden thrive without chemicals. Other gardeners have mention...
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15 Secret Ingredients to Make Your Garden Grow
Commercial fertilizer puts vital nutrients back into the soil, but it can be harsh on plants and the surrounding envi...
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The Dos and Don'ts of Planting Ground Cover
Not all areas of your yard are conducive to a grassy lawn, and that’s where ground cover comes in. Defined as a group...
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Everything You Need to Start a Raised Bed Garden
Though gardening is a fulfilling, enjoyable hobby, growing plants in the ground isn’t right for every home gardener. ...
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20 Pretty Plants That Will Make Your Garden Smell Great
The fragrance of a flower can transport you back in time to a beloved aunt’s cottage garden, or perhaps remind you of...
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20 Plants That Thrive Even When Temperatures Rise
Extreme weather was in the news again recently when the average worldwide temperature hit new highs, day after day. I...
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The Fascinating History of the Pink Flamingo Lawn Ornament
American lawns are dying. This decline has nothing to do with widespread drought, greenhouse gasses, pollution, or ou...
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15 Low-Maintenance Evergreen Shrubs You Never Need to Trim
Actually, there aren’t any shrubs that really require trimming. They get by without it in the wild, after all. As Ala...
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After Wildfire Smoke Subsides, Clean These 12 Things Around the House ASAP
As wildfires continue to wreak havoc across the continent, including the recent devastating wildfires in Canada, the ...
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Extra Garden Veggies? Find a Fresh Food Donation Site in Your Area
Each year, tons of uneaten food goes to waste, while millions of households in the United States experience food inse...
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11 Pro Tips for Strategically Planting Trees on Your Property
There are numerous benefits to planting trees in a yard. Trees help fight climate change, purify the air, improve the...
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The Dos and Don'ts of Deadheading Flowers
If you take the time to plant and cultivate flowers, you want them to thrive as best they can. Deadheading doesn’t co...
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How to Prune Hydrangeas in 3 Simple Steps
The question of when to prune hydrangeas depends on the types you have. Those that flower in early summer on old wood...
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12 Types of Shovels Every Homeowner Should Know
Shovels are designed for digging, scooping, pushing, and tossing, though not every shovel is equally suited to each o...
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8 Backyard Glamping Ideas
‘Fess up: the first time you heard the term “glamping,” did you laugh—or scoff? You’d be forgiven for thinking that t...
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10 Reasons Why Gardening Is Good for You, According to Science
Gardening has been part of human life for millennia. While our ancestors relied on cultivating the earth for food and...
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What Is Meadowscaping and Can Your Neighbors Handle It?
America’s love affair with the lawn is fading. For generations, the manicured emerald patches that graced front yards...
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How Much Does Sod Cost to Install?
Highlights It typically costs between $1,072 and $2,978 to install sod in a yard, though the national average cost i...
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How to Grow Daylilies
Even though daylilies (Hemerocallis spp. ) technically aren’t lilies, they resemble lilies in the shape of their flow...
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14 Ways to Help Your Garden Survive a Heat Wave
It’s no secret that heat waves are becoming more common around the globe. Summer 2022 saw fires throughout Europe (in...
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9 Important Things to Know About Moss Lawns
Tired of mowing the grass week after week? Perhaps it’s time to consider a moss lawn. Common in Japanese gardens, mos...
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This Ponytail Palm Care Guide Will Start You Off on the Right Foot
Despite its moniker, the ponytail palm—named for the bouncy spray of leaves atop its “head”—actually doesn’t belong a...
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Last-Minute Prime Day Deals: Up to 32% Off EGO Power Tools and Mowers
It's the last call on Amazon Prime Day's unbeatable deals on Ego tools and mowers! From now until midnight, 12 am PT ...
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Amazon Secretly Put Plants in the Prime Day 2023 Sale
Prime Day is a great time to snag a discount on Amazon-branded devices, tools, and tech—and boy, have we seen some gr...
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Prime Day Final Hours: Our Favorite AeroGarden Is 70% Off
The AeroGarden Harvest makes homegrown fresh herbs readily available on the kitchen counter. Its compact size and use...
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20 Perennials to Plant in the Fall for Beautiful Spring Flowers
Perennial plants can live for years, even decades, adding beauty to your garden with very little care. Flowering pere...
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The One Drawback of Backyard Vegetable Plots Most New Gardeners Overlook
There’s nothing better than harvesting fresh, vine-ripened vegetables you’ve painstakingly cultivated in your own bac...
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How to Get Rid of Invasive Bamboo
Clumping bamboos such as Fargesias don’t pose a problem, as they stay pretty much in place. It is the running invasiv...
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How to Grow Green Beans
Among the easiest garden vegetables to grow, green beans—also known as string or snap beans—usually mature 50 to 70 d...
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How to Grow Canna Lilies
Definitely not the wallflower type, the canna lily plant grows big and bold. Brightly colored foliage often accompani...
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8 Mistakes You're Making With Your Tomatoes—and How to Fix Them
Tomato plants can make a wonderful addition to a backyard garden. They are relatively easy to grow and can yield a ni...
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PopUp Garden Review: Perfect for Gardeners with Limited Outdoor Space
As someone who has dealt with lower-back issues for more than a decade, doing traditional gardening is nearly physica...
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20 Types of Dracaena Plants for Striking Indoor Decor
Dracaena encompasses a variety of tropical plants from Asia, Africa, and Australia that are favored around the world ...
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Nature’s Serenade: My Experience With the Smart Solar Bird Bath Fountain
For 3 weeks, I put seven of the best solar bird bath fountains to the test, and while there were many good ones, one ...
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9 Tips for Maintaining a Nontraditional Lawn
There’s nothing like the smell of freshly cut grass to make you think of warm summer days. But our obsession with per...
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How to Grow Gardenias
Often considered the temperamental diva of the plant world, the gardenia plant can thrive outdoors in Southern states...
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How Much Does It Cost to Reseed a Lawn?
Highlights The typical cost range to reseed a lawn is $436 to $1,689, with homeowners across the country paying an a...
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The Best Gardening Hats of 2023
Gardening is our way of connecting with nature, growing healthy produce, and cultivating beautiful landscapes. Howeve...
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The Best Lawn Fertilizers for Spring of 2023
All lawns require nutrients to grow and thrive, but often there isn’t enough occurring naturally in the soil. The bes...
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The Best Gardening Stools of 2023
Gardeners have to balance their passion for growing beautiful flowers and tasty veggies with the physical toll that r...
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The Best Gardening Aprons of 2023
Whether you have a green thumb or are a beginning gardener just trying your hand at growing your own food or flowers,...
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12 of the Most Common Garden Pests—Including 8 of the Most Destructive Bugs
Beautiful buds, glossy leaves, and healthy robust vegetable plants are the pride of any gardener. But what do you do ...
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15 Types of Boxwood Shrubs Every DIY Landscaper Should Know
Most types of boxwood shrubs are cultivars of either Buxus sempervirens, also known as common or American boxwood, or...
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Solved! Why Do We Need Bees?
Q: I recently moved and am ready to start focusing on my garden. A friend told me that I should plant flowers that at...
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12 Plants With Year-Round Pollinator Appeal
Pollinators—bees, butterflies, bats, birds, wasps, moths, beetles, flies, and other insects and mammals—are essential...
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What Is the Cost of Landscaping Rocks and River Stones?
Highlights The cost of landscaping rocks typically ranges from $460 to $1,000, with homeowners paying a national ave...
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How Much Does It Cost to Level a Yard?
Highlights It typically costs between $1,006 and $3,237 to level a yard, with a national average cost of $2,122. Th...
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11 Curb Appeal Trends for 2023
Investing in your home's exterior is always a good idea, whether you’re hoping to impress prospective homebuyers or s...
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The Best Amazon Deals on Lawn and Garden Tools We've Seen—Up to 57% Off
After kicking off summer with Memorial Day weekend celebrations, it's time to unpack all of your gardening tools, pla...
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Don't Plant These 8 Vegetables in Containers
Container gardening provides city dwellers with limited space an avenue for growing their favorite fruits and vegetab...
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Solved! Does Mulch Attract Termites?
Q: I want to use wood mulch in the flower beds in front of my home to suppress weeds, but I’ve heard that it might lu...
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17 Planter Box Plans You Can DIY This Weekend
If you want to dress up your porch, deck, or garden with some greenery, consider taking a DIY approach with outdoor p...
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Does The Gardyn Hydroponic System Live Up to Its Promise to Grow Plants Without Soil?
Imagine being able to pick produce from a 1,500-square-foot garden, but all in just 2 square feet without leaving you...
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14 of the Most Dangerous Plants in America
Some “dangerous” plants are obviously sinister, popping up and invading an entire landscape, even choking out native ...
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17 Deer-Resistant Plants, Flowers, and Shrubs
It takes a lot of time, effort, and money into making your backyard beautiful, so it’s understandably devastating whe...
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The Government Paid Me to Remove My Lawn—Here’s What Happened
Despite an unusually wet winter, the southwestern United States is still facing a water crisis. Consecutive years of ...
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15 Best Memorial Day Deals to Shop at Lowe's Right Now
Memorial Day weekend is only finally here! Lowe's deals have been picking up steam all month for the long weekend sal...
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How to Grow Kale
Is kale good for you? The answer is a resounding yes! Kale often is reputed to have more vitamins and minerals than a...
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The Invincible Yard: 25 Ideas for Lazy Landscaping
Some people love the backbreaking business of taking care of their lawn and garden. Then there’s the rest of us: We’d...
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15 Vegetables That Grow in Shade
Unfortunately, most vegetables don’t have it made in the shade. The popular types that produce large fruits above-gro...
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The Best Memorial Day Lawn and Garden Deals to Shop at Lowe's
Memorial Day weekend is finally here! The long and restful weekend marks the unofficial start of summer and is full o...
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The Best Garden Kneelers of 2023
If you love to garden but struggle with knee pain and joint aches while working on hard ground, a garden kneeler can ...
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How to Grow Hops
Learning how to grow hops isn’t difficult. In fact, it’s a little too easy—one of the only plants that grows faster t...
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9 Brilliant Ways to Put Your Garden on Autopilot
Some people love gardens but hate gardening, and that’s totally OK. There, we said it. We know some plant lovers who ...
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Can You Really Save Time and Water With a Hose Timer? I Tested One to Find Out!
As a homeowner and avid gardener, I am always looking for ways to save time and ensure my plants and lawn receive ade...
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Taming a Garden Hose: My Experience With the Liberty Garden Hose Reel
If you're a gardener or just someone who loves spending time outside, you know how important garden hoses are. They'r...
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Solved! Why Is My Grass Turning Yellow?
Q: I’ve been watering and mowing my lawn regularly, but I still see patches of dead grass. Why is my grass turning ye...
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Bob Vila’s Definitive Lawn Care Calendar
Compliment a neighbor’s lovely green lawn, and they’ll beam with pride, but what they might not tell you is how much ...
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Goodbye, Scratched Arms: I Tested & Reviewed These Popular Gardening Sleeves
Get ready to turn your gardening game up a notch! While gardening is a fantastic way to connect with nature and grow ...
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This Stihl Battery Trimmer Weighs Less and Works Harder Than Your String Trimmer
Battery-powered lawn and garden tools have come a long way over the past couple of decades. Engineers worked on the p...
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Longer Allergy Season: How to Manage the Extended Exposure
 About 81 million Americans suffer from seasonal allergies each year, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation ...
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15 Brilliant Paracord Uses for the Home and Garden
Paracord takes its name from a contraction of “parachute cord. ” First used as suspension lines for parachutes during...
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How to Design an Ever-Blooming Perennial Garden
There’s nothing quite like a flower garden to bring beauty and joy to an outdoor space. For vibrant blooms that stay ...
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10 Types of Beetles Every Homeowner Should Know
Do you have beetles invading your home or garden? If so, it's time to learn more about these bugs that look like cock...
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14 Things You Should Never Clean With a Pressure Washer
Pressure washers are invaluable tools for removing graffiti, dirt, and other stuck-on debris from surfaces, but there...
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The Best DIY Lawn-Care Programs and Subscription Services of 2024
Ask the average homeowner if they want a healthy green lawn and they’ll likely say yes. But mere desire for a prize-w...
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The 12 Best Trees for Front-Yard Landscaping
Trees form the architecture of residential landscapes, adding beauty along with several practical benefits. The best ...
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21 Vertical Garden Ideas for Those Short on Space
Short on space but still want to enjoy the beauty of plants and flowers? Vertical growing is a great solution. Whethe...
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23 Surprising Hydrogen Peroxide Uses Everyone Should Know
As you might remember from chemistry class, hydrogen peroxide is water with an extra oxygen atom, hence the chemical ...
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How to Get Free Flowers for Mother's Day at Lowe's
Lowe's is always finding new ways to connect with its customers. Their upcoming Mother's Day flower giveaway is just ...
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25 Easy-Care Plants That Survive With or Without You
The satisfaction a seasoned gardener enjoys is the result of patience, time, and experience: trial and error, taking ...
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Our 8 Favorite Online Garden Stores for Seeds, Plants, Supplies, and More
​Gardening continues to rise in popularity, and with that increase in interest, shopping for garden supplies has evol...
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How to Grow Jalapeños
Jalapeños are among the most popular peppers, especially in U. S. gardens and kitchens and extensively throughout Mex...
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How Much Does Sprinkler Repair Cost?
Highlights The typical cost to repair a lawn sprinkler system ranges from $132 to $406, and the national average cos...
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12 Gardening Mistakes That Are Killing Your Plants
Gardening is more than a hobby. Growing plants can produce fresh food for a family, increase the sales price of a hom...
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How to Get to the Root Cause of Bare Spots in a Lawn and Fix Ugly, Patchy Grass
Q: I’ve been trying to improve the look of my lawn, but I’ve been noticing more and more bare spots and areas of patc...
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How Much Does Hydroseeding Cost?
Highlights Hydroseeding a lawn has a typical price range of $500 to $4,000 and a national average cost of $1,000. T...
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Stock Up on Lawn and Garden Deals Up to 50% Off at Lowe's SpringFest
Signs it's time to get back in the garden: The sun is shining, temperatures are warming up, and Lowe's SpringFest is ...
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15 Plants to Grow for a Pest-Proof Yard
The great outdoors is sometimes decidedly less than great—when insects swarm, for example, or when your carefully ten...
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8 Tips for High-Altitude Gardening
Mountain living sure has its perks. Cleaner air, fewer people, and a stunning natural landscape make living in a high...
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12 Houseplants That Collect the Most Dust—and Why That's a Good Thing
It’s easy to assume that your indoor air is clean and safe. However, when sunlight hits a certain angle, you can see ...
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How Much Does Yard Cleanup Cost?
Highlights Yard cleaning has a typical cost range of $190 to $1,000 and a national average cost of $360. Several fa...
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11 Types of Asian Greens and How to Grow Them
Enjoy a convenient supply of iron, calcium, and vitamins A, C, and K by growing Asian greens in your garden. Most typ...
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How to Grow Calla Lilies
Due to calla lily meaning “magnificent beauty” in the language of flowers, as well as its associations with purity an...
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What Is a Pocket Garden and How Can I Make One?
A pocket garden is any small garden that makes use of what previously were considered unusable spaces. You can place ...
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No Sunlight, No Problem: This Grow Light Keeps My Plants Alive in Any Room of the House
Insufficient light is one of the worst stressors for indoor plants. Poor plant lighting can cause stems to stretch or...
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10 Ways to Grow Organic on a Shoestring
In 2021, produce accounted for 40 percent of organic food sales in the United States. Growing an edible garden organi...
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Try These 5 Simple Steps to Bring Your Overwintered Patio Plants Back to Life
Winter hibernation isn’t just for bears. Nonhardy plants can hibernate—or overwinter—in sheltered places until spring...
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8 Pruning Mistakes to Avoid in Your Plant Care Routine
A good sign of a healthy plant is growth, but keeping a plant healthy often requires pruning or trimming. Although bo...
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See What Happened when I Used Espoma Organic Indoor Plant Fertilizer on My Houseplants for a Month
The most important difference between strong, healthy houseplants and weak, sickly ones is the care they receive. All...
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How to Grow Saffron—and Save a Bundle Over Buying the Spice
If you find yourself reaching for saffron in your spice rack, you’re not alone. This delicate, coveted spice is prize...
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11 Surprising Places to Get Free Gardening Supplies and Save Money
Spring is finally on the way. Spring offers warmer weather and more opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. It is the pe...
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Stiltgrass: The New Invasive Weed That's Set on Taking Over Your Garden
Presumed to have been introduced to the U. S. as porcelain packing material from overseas shipping, Japanese stiltgra...
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7 Reasons to Love Earthworms—and How to Attract More to Your Garden
Gardeners are thrilled to discover worms when they work the soil in their planting beds because of the critical role ...
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This $10 Tool Turned Me Into a Green Thumb—Seriously!
Tending to my indoor garden gives me a sense of purpose and pride. Like children and pets, my houseplants have names ...
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14 Wise Ways to Weatherproof Your Garden
Can your garden handle Mother Nature’s ever-changing weather systems? Between the seasonal shifts and abnormal weathe...
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How to Till a Garden Without a Tiller: 10 Solutions That Work
How much time and effort do you spend on your garden’s foundation? The soil is your plants’ nutrient source, and it c...
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9 Types of Ticks to Watch Out for This Year—and Which Ones Can Cause You the Most Harm
Finding a tick stuck on us or our pet is alarming since the tick could be carrying the pathogens that cause illnesses...
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How to Till a Garden the Right Way
Plants need sunlight, water, and key nutrients to grow. They get two of these from the soil, which is why having a he...
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How Much Does Landscape Design Cost?
Highlights The typical cost range to hire a professional landscape designer is between $1,944 and $7,213, with a nat...
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How to Grow Morning Glories (and Keep Them Under Control)
With heart-shaped leaves and funnel-shaped blooms, the vining morning glories called Ipomoeas only need something on ...
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20 Flowers That Attract Bees to Your Garden
With recent declines in both native and non-native bee populations caused by colony collapse disorder, climate change...
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How to Grow a Moon Garden at Home
Spending time in the sun might be synonymous with gardening for many, but there’s plenty of beauty to be found during...
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20 Totally Free Ways to Start a Garden This Year
There are many benefits to gardening, including spending time outdoors, the satisfaction of growing plants from seed,...
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Solved! This Is the Best Time to Water Plants
Q: It seems like my neighbors water at all hours of the day, and I’ve heard conflicting information on what time of d...
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25 Lush Patio Plants for Your Outdoor Seating Area
As warm weather rolls around, there’s nothing quite like lounging in the fresh air surrounded by luscious greenery. W...
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How to Grow a Three Sisters Garden at Home
A Three Sisters garden follows the Native American tradition of planting corn, pole beans, and squash closely togethe...
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Edge Your Beds: 12 Easy Ideas for Landscape Borders
Though showy blooms and verdant bushes do most of the heavy lifting of adding pizzazz to your garden, sometimes your ...
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11 Zen Garden Ideas to Bring Peace and Relaxation to Your Outdoor Space
We owe a debt of gratitude to the centuries-old culture of Japan. Consider the complementary concepts of wabi-sabi an...
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Determinate vs. Indeterminate Tomatoes: What’s the Difference?
Gardeners often have trouble remembering determinate vs. indeterminate tomato differences, but it’s an important dist...
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Beyond Grow and Mow: 11 Things You Didn't Know Your Landscaper Could Do
Winter can be a difficult time for landscaping, especially in colder climates. Many of us assume that during this per...
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6 Birds That Get Their Coloring From the Food They Eat and What to Feed Them
It’s said we are what we eat. For some birds, what they eat colors their appearance. Most birds with red, orange, or ...
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Weeding Without Chemicals: Red Dragon Mini Weed Torch Tested & Reviewed
One of my favorite weed-control tools that lawn care articles often ignore is fire. Both mature weeds and weed seeds ...
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How to Grow Creeping Jenny
The yellow or chartreuse cultivars of creeping Jenny, such as ‘Aurea’ and ‘Goldilocks’ types, have become popular as ...
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12 Best Flowers for Starting from Seed
Long before spring arrives, gardeners begin dreaming of gardens filled with an abundance of beautiful flowers. If you...
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Sunday Lawn Care vs. TruGreen: Which Lawn Care Service Should You Choose in 2023?
Achieving a healthy and lush green lawn is many a homeowner’s dream, but for some, it’s not so easy to keep it that w...
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How to Hire the Best Garden Soil Delivery Service Near You
It’s a common sight at home improvement stores on spring weekends: dozens of flat carts lined up at checkout piled hi...
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8 Ways to Clean Your Garden Tools for Spring Growing Season
Spring is nearly here, and it’s time to get your tools ready for this year’s gardening season. Before you start plant...
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How to Grow Raspberries
Packed with vitamins and flavor, raspberries are growing in popularity in home and restaurant dishes. Since lusciousl...
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The 25 Best Plants for Hanging Baskets
A plush hanging basket bursting with colorful blooms says “curb appeal” like perhaps nothing else. These suspended co...
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Ego Power+ 21-Inch Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Review: Is It Worth It?
Self-propelled lawn mowers can be a smart, labor-saving choice for those who maintain small to medium-size lawns. A s...
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How to Grow Hydrangeas
Hydrangeas are among garden favorites—whether because of their large, showy flowers or the fact that they bloom summe...
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This Age-Old Winter Gardening Hack Will Save You Time (and Money!) Come Spring
Modern winter sowing, which uses repurposed milk jugs and other plastic containers, was popularized by Trudi Davidoff...
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Bob Vila’s 10 “Must Do” Projects for March
With the change from winter to spring comes a new flurry of activity: The warm weather will undoubtedly draw the fami...
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How to Build an Indoor Planter That Looks Built In
As homeowners search for ways to incorporate nature, gardening, and the benefits of biophilia into their interior spa...
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8 Types of Tomatoes All Home Gardeners Should Know
Tomatoes are one of the most popular food plants grown in home gardens in the U. S. and around the world, and there a...
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Boost Your Home Security by Adding These Thorny Plants to Your Landscape
Thorny plants, many of which actually “make their points” to discourage animals from eating their foliage, may provid...
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15 Genius Coconut Oil Uses for Maintaining Your Home and Garden
Coconut oil consumption in the U. S. has increased by about 40 percent over the past 20 years. Though many of the mos...
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How to Lower Soil pH for a Thriving Lawn and Healthy Plants
When trying to achieve a lush lawn or a thriving flower bed, there’s more to the task than watering at the right time...
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RSI Maze Two-Stage Compost Tumbler: Is it Worth It?
In hands-on testing of five of the best compost tumblers on the market, the RSI Maze 65-Gallon Compost Tumbler topped...
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Bob Vila’s 10 “Must Do” Projects for February
Though it’s the shortest month of the year, there’s still plenty to be done in February, including organizing the con...
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The 14 Best Shrubs for the Front of the House
Shrubs are the foundation plants that enhance a home’s curb appeal and personality. Carefully select the best shrubs ...
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How to Grow Corn
If summer was a flavor, it would be the taste of homegrown corn on the cob next to a rack of ribs. Sure, you could pi...
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11 Disease-Resistant Apple Tree Varieties
With more than 7,500 varieties of apples from which to choose, there’s more than one way to “keep the doctor away. ” ...
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How to Be Your Own Florist
Learning how to be your own florist will save you money and provide a creative outlet for your “budding” talent. Arra...
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Solved! Why Are Trees Painted White?
Q: Driving home from work the other day, I noticed several trees on my street painted white. Why paint tree trunks wh...
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The Best Low-Maintenance Ground Cover Plants for Your Property
Whether you do it yourself or pay a landscaper, maintaining a vibrant garden and lush lawn requires time, effort, and...
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10 Things Every New Gardener Needs to Know
Over the past few years, seed companies and nurseries nationwide have experienced huge spikes in sales due, in large ...
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How to Grow a Cut Flower Garden at Home
Vibrant blossoms in flower beds are a delight that many gardeners want to bring inside to enjoy—but some might hesita...
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How to Grow Salvia
Salvia, also known as sage, is a member of the mint family that produces tall, brightly colored spikes of tubular-sha...
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The Best Lawn and Garden Products Tested in 2022
Home maintenance means more than keeping up with indoor projects. For matters of curb appeal and changing seasons, ha...
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A Bob Vila Pest-rospective of the Year's Worst Bugs
As has been the trend over the past few years, 2022 was anything but normal. Beyond family drama, illness, and politi...
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Easter Cactus Care: How to Get Your Holiday Succulent to Flower Each Year
The waxy, colorful blooms of the Easter cactus appear in local garden centers and grocery stores in March and April, ...
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The 25 Best Types of Peppers for Novice Gardeners to Grow
In their native territory of tropical America (including Central and South America and Mexico), peppers are a perenni...
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How to Grow Agave
Agave americana is called the American century plant because grumbling gardeners once thought it took that long to fl...
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What Is Bone Meal and How Can I Use It in My Garden?
Bone meal is sometimes sold as a livestock feed additive or a supplement for people. However, in the gardening world,...
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This Shamrock Plant Care Routine Will Reward You With Summer Blooms Indoors
Often sold around Saint Patrick’s Day, shamrock plants (Oxalis spp. ) have leaves composed of three to four leaflets ...
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The 22 Most Useful Home Products Bob Vila Readers Bought in 2022
Every year product experts at Bob Vila do thousands of hours of hands-on testing and online research. We carry out in...
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How to Turn Snow Into Useful Water Reserves
Millions of people in the United States depend on the melting of mountain snowpack for hydropower, irrigation, and dr...
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23 Annual Flowers That Add a Pop of Personality to Any Home Landscape
By definition, annual flowering plants live for only one growing season, but they provide glorious color throughout m...
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The Surprising Garden Gift on Your Christmas Tree
When I was a nursery manager, I spent each year buying and selling plants, tools, patio furniture, and supplies, and ...
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What Is Blood Meal and How Can I Use It in My Garden?
As gardeners explore options to improve the health of their soil and plants, some may wonder, “What is blood meal, an...
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17 Types of Wildflowers Every Home Gardener Should Know
Are all types of wildflowers native plants? According to Iowa State University, there’s a distinct difference between...
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11 Christmas Plants That Will Enliven Your Holiday Decor
Christmas is a time of traditions, nostalgia, gatherings of family and friends, decorating, gifts, and good times. Wi...
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Powdery Mildew: How to Prevent and Treat This Common Plant Problem
Powdery mildew on plants is most common during spring or autumn when nights may become significantly cooler and more ...
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How to Heat a Greenhouse
A greenhouse allows gardeners to grow vegetables year-round, keep tropical plants in bloom, or start seedlings early ...
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How to Grow Calibrachoa
There’s no such thing as the perfect plant, but calibrachoa (aka million bells) might be one of the closest things to...
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Can You Find Crystals in Your Backyard?
What do singers Adele and Lizzo, quarterback Tom Brady, actors Uma Thurman and Spencer Pratt, pop diva Madonna, and P...
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How to Grow Microgreens at Home
When it comes to young vegetables, microgreens are “the next size up from sprouts,” according to North Carolina Unive...
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Plant Food vs. Fertilizer: What’s the Difference?
Is plant food the same as fertilizer? In short, no. While both contribute to a plant’s overall health and growth, the...
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14 Houseplants That Grow in Water, So You Can Ditch the Dirt
When it comes to living the life aquatic, houseplants may not come to mind, but there are plenty of indoor plants tha...
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Our Favorite AeroGarden Is 52% Off for Cyber Monday—And Makes a Great Gift
If you've ever wished you had a better time keeping plants alive, now is your chance to change your luck. AeroGarden'...
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Solved! Can You Reuse Potting Soil?
Q: I have a few planters that still have potting soil from last year. Can you reuse potting soil? Does potting soil g...
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This Guide to Christmas Cactus Care Encourages Festive Blooms Year After Year
As detailed in Christmas Cactus Vs. Thanksgiving Cactus, both of these holiday plants can fall under the category of ...
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The Fascinating History of Garden Gnomes—and Why You Should Buy One
Garden gnomes not only make a wonderful, whimsical addition to any property, but they also happen to play a significa...
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How to Grow Purple Heart Plants
With their striking purple leaves and gorgeous flowers, purple heart plants are a beautiful addition to any ornamenta...
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How to Grow Gerbera Daisies
Although not actually a daisy, gerbera does belong to the same plant family as daisies, but it more closely resembles...
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10 Outdoor Living Trends Expected to Be Big in 2023
Choose Your Favorite TrendWith every new year comes fresh ideas. Ever since the pandemic, homeowners have focused on ...
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Master Umbrella Plant Care for a Cheerful Indoor Tree, Rain or Shine
Umbrella plants are known for their whorls of glossy leaves. When they hang downward, the leaves resemble umbrellas o...
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The 37 Best Gifts Under $50, Handpicked by the Bob Vila Team for the Holidays
No matter the time of year, it’s easy for those of us who love DIY and home decor to spend way more time than we shou...
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This Guide to Pitcher Plant Care Can Help Keep Bugs at Bay Naturally
Pitcher plants are carnivorous, which eliminates their need for plant food. Tropical pitcher plants (Nepenthes spp. )...
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6 Indoor Plants That Don't Need Drainage
Caring for houseplants can require some work, which turns off some people even if they crave the beauty and endless b...
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This Guide to Thanksgiving Cactus Care Will Liven Up Your Tablescapes Year After Year
Alongside garden mums and poinsettias, the Thanksgiving cactus starts to make its appearance in flower shops and plan...
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12 Fun Facts You Never Knew About Cardinals
Cardinals are vibrant red birds that are found throughout the eastern United States, as far west as Arizona. Their la...
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Solved! Do Fake Plants Really Provide the Same Health Benefits as Living Plants?
Q: Taking care of real plants can be hard work, so I’m considering artificial plants instead. But will I lose the hea...
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Can Hydrangeas Grow in Pots?
Can hydrangeas grow in pots? Many of these shrubs (some called snowball bushes for their spherical heads of blooms th...
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How to Get Rid of Cabbage Worms
Cabbage worms can pose a real threat to cruciferous vegetables in the garden. These velvety green caterpillars nibble...
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How to Grow a Eucalyptus Plant Indoors
If you’ve ever dabbled in aromatherapy—or if you’re a koala bear—you’re probably familiar with the fragrant leaves of...
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How to Grow Boxwood Shrubs
Boxwood shrubs are dense evergreens that don’t feel like typical evergreens. This slow-growing perennial features lea...
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12 Types of Bird Feeders Every Backyard Birder Should Know
If you appreciate the vibrant colors and lovely birdsong winged visitors bring to your yard, the best way to attract ...
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How to Get Rid of Grasshoppers Naturally
Whether you just spotted a grasshopper inside the house or have noticed a recent uptick in grasshopper damage in your...
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12 Ways to Predict the Weather by Watching Nature in Your Backyard
Did you know your own backyard can serve as a home weather station? Yes, you can try to predict the temperature, prec...
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15 Flowers That Attract Butterflies
Watching butterflies flit around the yard is one of life’s simple pleasures. Butterflies are not only calming to watc...
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The Most Eco-Friendly Christmas Tree of All? A Living One
Every holiday season, the debate over cut or artificial Christmas trees resurfaces. Both options have their pros and ...
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Venus Flytrap Care 101: How to Grow This Carnivorous Plant Indoors
It’s almost impossible to not be fascinated by a plant that gets most of its nutrients by actively luring and trappin...
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Follow This Guide to Ivy Plant Care to Grow Colorful, Contained Vines Indoors
From Greek myths to English ballads, the ivy plant has long held a prominent place in popular culture. Like the beaut...
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Plant Propagation 101: Easy Techniques for Beginners
Seasoned gardeners talk about propagating plants a lot, but what is propagation exactly? Although the term may sound ...
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10 Variegated Houseplants That Pack the Most Visual Interest
Cultivating houseplants can be a rewarding hobby. Plants have proven health benefits, including air purification, str...
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2022’s Fall Foliage Map: When Peak Fall Colors Will Reach You
Many areas of the country had some strange weather this year. Forest fires, unexpected cold snaps, the late arrival o...
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12 Snake-Repellent Plants That Can Help Pest-Proof Your Garden
For anyone who's ever spotted a snake or snake nests in their yard, the feeling can be a bit unnerving. Though snakes...
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Maidenhair Fern Care: How to Master This Humidity-Loving Houseplant
Among the frilliest of outdoor ferns, the maidenhair also can be the most formidable to grow indoors. Don’t blame thi...
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The Best Birdseed
Few hobbies are as rewarding as feeding wild birds and watching them become frequent visitors to the backyard. Songbi...
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Christmas vs. Thanksgiving vs. Easter Cactus: What’s the Difference Between These Holiday Houseplants?
Created in 1850 from a cross between Schlumbergera truncata and Schlumbergera russelliana, the true Christmas cactus ...
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The Worst Invasive Insects in Every State—and How to Deal With Them
There are many insects that can dine on your garden, lay waste to the structural integrity of your home, or even pose...
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The Best Railing Planters
An easy way to add greenery to an outdoor space is with a railing planter. They can house colorful flowers, herbs, or...
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What Is Permaculture and How Can I Use It in My Home Garden?
Q: I have been hearing a lot about permaculture lately. How can I implement permaculture principles in my own garden?...
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How to Grow Wisteria
Wisteria, with its grape-like clusters of usually purple blooms, often is identified with the South. However, hardy w...
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7 Contaminants That May Be Lurking in Your Soil and How to Find Them
Read any gardening book and you’ll be advised to test your soil. Whether you use a simple over-the-counter DIY kit fr...
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How to Grow Coleus
There’s a reason that coleus plants have been popular since the 19th century—after all, how often are ornamental plan...
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18 Types of Butterflies All Home Gardeners Should Know
Butterflies signal summer, often reminding us of carefree childhood days. They’re beautiful and perhaps a bit mystica...
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How to Attract Bluebirds to Your Backyard: 12 Tips That Work
True to their timeless depictions in popular media like “Snow White,” bluebirds are sweet, gentle, and vivid. Their c...
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How to Grow Azaleas
Did you know that azaleas actually are rhododendrons? As "The Plant Book," edited by Susan Page and Margaret Olds, no...
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9 Reasons Why Fall Is for Planting
To the casual observer, spring may seem like the perfect time to start a garden or make over a landscape. Temperature...
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Is a Lomi Composter the Easiest Way to Turn Food Scraps Into Soil? We Tested It to Find Out
As our culture wrestles with complex issues such as waste disposal, pollution, and sustainability, business-minded in...
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Frost Coming Your Way? What to Do With Veggies in the Garden
While some people welcome the cooling that accompanies autumn, gardeners know they have work to do before the coming ...
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What Equipment Do I Need to Can My Garden's Bounty?
Perhaps the best part of growing your own food is gathering the fruits of your labor. However, as the season progress...
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The Best Fertilizers for Plumerias
Plumerias, also called frangipani, are small tropical trees. They’re native to tropical America but are popular world...
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The Best Dethatching Rakes
Over time, dead grass clippings can accumulate between the green leafy blades of grass and the soil, creating a layer...
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The Best Retractable Garden Hose Reels
Anyone who has ever used a garden hose may know the struggle of winding it up when it’s time to store it. Although th...
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The Best Fertilizers for Palm Trees
Palm trees are notorious for the tropical touch they add to a landscape. Though easy to maintain once established, th...
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Cricket vs. Grasshopper: Which Noisy Pest Is Invading Your Home or Garden?
Crickets and grasshoppers are commonly confused with one another. While the two insects are both members of the Ortho...
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Weathering Water Restrictions: How to Save Your Landscape From the Effects of Drought
The U. S Geological Survey defines drought as a “period of drier-than-normal conditions that results in water-related...
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11 Decoy Plants Guaranteed to Trick Garden Pests
Decoy plants are plants used to keep pests away from prized vegetables by luring hungry insects to their own leaves a...
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Earn Your Stripes as an Indoor Gardener by Mastering This Zebra Plant Care Routine
Although zebra plants (Aphelandra squarrosa) have a reputation for being among the hardest-to-please houseplants, the...
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Closing Down Your Summer Garden: 5 Tips to Make the Most of This Transition Time
What’s happening in your garden as summer shifts to fall? Whether you’re calling it quits for the year, or you’re try...
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How to Grow Sweet Potatoes
For gardeners who are looking to grow their own food, sweet potatoes can be a satisfying crop. They look pretty in th...
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TruGreen Offers Almost Every Lawn Service a Homeowner Would Need—Except for One We Can't Ignore
A brown and crunchy lawn that’s full of weeds is a real downer, but many homeowners don’t want to spend their spare t...
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The Best Rakes for Pine Needles
A standard rake will suffice for raking up autumn leaves, but collecting pine needles that have gathered on the groun...
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Bob Vila’s 10 “Must Do” Projects for September
This month is a transitional one, one in which you’ll be winding down the garden but also making preparations for hun...
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How to Grow Brussels Sprouts
If tomatoes are the heroes of the summer garden, then brussels sprouts are the kings of cool-season crops. Not only d...
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Solved! The Great Debate on Using Salt to Kill Weeds
Q: I want an environmentally friendly garden and yard, but weeds keep popping up. I’ve heard of others using salt as ...
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How to Grow Broccoli
The phrase “eat your veggies” might bring back memories of overcooked greens, but fresh broccoli from your vegetable ...
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How to Clean a Bird Bath the Right Way
If you want your yard to be a welcoming place for birds, there are a few things you should do, including make your wi...
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Attract More Hummingbirds to Your Yard by Avoiding These 10 Common Mistakes
Finding the right ways to attract hummingbirds to your yard can provide you with hours of joyful entertainment, as th...
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How to Grow Bee Balm
The bee balm plant is an endemic North American native. This flowering perennial will not only return year after year...
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15 Perennial Herbs to Grow for Years of Fresh Flavor, Pest Control, and Cleaning Supplies
Looking for ways to keep your garden low maintenance while also enjoying a multitude of beauty, culinary, and medicin...
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How to Grow Petunias
Petunias may just be the teacher’s pets of the plant world. They work hard at blooming and almost always look good. T...
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How to Grow Marigolds
Marigold care is easy, since the plants thrive almost anywhere they have sun and well-draining soil. They are often g...
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10 Perfectly Good Pond Plants You Should Be Buying at Your Local Nursery
Backyard water features enhance the beauty and tranquility of a landscape, making a yard more visually interesting an...
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Quackgrass vs. Crabgrass: Which Notorious Weed Is Invading Your Lawn?
Are you arguing with your neighbors about which type of weedy grass is taking over your lawns? In the quackgrass vs. ...
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The Best Seed Starting Trays
While it’s possible to purchase either seedlings or mature plants at a nursery, for many gardeners, it’s more rewardi...
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Why You Should Care That the Monarch Butterfly Population Is Dwindling
For the first time, the monarch butterfly has entered the endangered species list due to its dwindling numbers. With ...
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What Is Banana Water and Is it Actually Good for Plants?
Q: I recently saw a viral video recommending that gardeners make banana water for plants. Is banana water an effectiv...
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The Best Fertilizers for Apple Trees
Most apple varieties mature in autumn when the temperatures start to moderate, and the bright greens of spring and su...
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How Much Does a Greenhouse Cost?
Typical Range: $500 to $35,000 National Average: $9,573Greenhouses are enclosed structures, usually built in a bac...
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The Best Weed Killers for Flower Beds
Weeds spread rapidly across gardens, choking out desirable plants, sucking nutrients from the soil, and blocking the ...
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How to Grow Lemongrass
If Thai dishes are your to-die-for food, read on for tips on how to grow lemongrass, an essential ingredient in Asian...
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How to Grow Butterfly Bush
Butterfly bushes (Buddleia davidii) are prized for their showy cones of tiny fragrant flowers, which attract butterfl...
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How to Grow Asparagus
If walking through the farmers’ market gives you garden envy, then you know the joy and satisfaction of growing your ...
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Late Bloomers: 25 Summer Flowers to Keep Color in Your Garden
The glory of midsummer flowers is celebrated in poetry and song, but there are plenty of late-summer flowers that can...
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How to Get Rid of Cucumber Beetles
If your vining vegetables are crawling with striped or spotted beetles, chances are that they aren’t ladybugs but the...
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How to Grow Lantana
Popular for its ability to produce clusters of long-lasting flowers year-round in frost-free zones, lantana also can ...
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4 Things to Know About Gardening Late in the Season
So, you missed the boat on starting your vegetable garden back in spring. Is it too late to plant a garden now that w...
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Water Restrictions Are Expanding—What That Means for Your Home and Garden
As wildfires rage, droughts persist, and heat waves impact much of the country, water restrictions are becoming more ...
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The Best Vole Repellents
Voles—also known as meadow mice—are small rodents that tunnel underground and can wreak havoc in yards and gardens if...
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The Best Weed Killers for Bermuda Grass of 2023
Some turfgrass types wilt at the first sign of temperatures higher than 100 degrees Fahrenheit, drought, or salty sea...
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Flower Power: 10 Surprising Facts About Sunflowers
Loved by people and pollinators alike, sunflowers are tall annual beauties that can grow to immense heights. Some spe...
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How to Grow Zinnias
When it comes to pops of color in the garden bed, few flowers rival a hardy zinnia. Zinnias grow in a variety of colo...
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The Best Online Gardening Classes of 2023
Gardening can be an extremely satisfying hobby. From growing vegetables for the dinner table to cultivating a cutting...
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How to Grow Carrots
Bugs Bunny was onto something, always munching on carrots. These root vegetables aren’t just tasty—they’re good for y...
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How to Grow Geraniums
If the sight of a bright red geranium in a pot on the porch gives you a nostalgic feeling, you’re not alone. This har...
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Gopher vs. Groundhog: Which Burrowing Critter Is Invading Your Lawn and Garden?
You might be wondering what animal is digging holes in your yard, or perhaps you even caught a glimpse of the animal ...
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The Best Prime Day 2022 Deals on Home Goods from Sustainable Brands
Whether you’re looking for household essentials or gardening gear, there’s likely a sale on it right now, thanks to A...
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How to Grow Citronella Plant Outdoors
The supposedly mosquito-repellent citronella plant contains only a tiny amount of citronella. The citronella used in ...
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We Tried the WORX Aerocart: Is the Multipurpose Cart Worth It?
Like all gardeners and DIY landscapers, I often find it necessary to move heavy items and materials, such as bags of ...
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The Best Mushroom-Growing Kits
Mushroom-growing kits contain everything one needs to grow their own mushrooms at home. Growing kits include differen...
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Yes, You Can Over Fertilize Your Lawn—and Here’s How to Fix It
Fertilizers are formulated primarily with nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus, three nutrients that work together to ...
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What Is Companion Planting and How to Use It in Your Home Garden
If some of your plants appear to dislike each other even more than your in-laws do, proceed as you would in either ca...
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18 Shrubs That Thrive in Full Sun
Because plants derive their energy from sunlight, most flowering shrubs like lots of it. Of course, that often depend...
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Bob Vila’s “Must Do” Projects for July
July’s longer days and warmer weather mean there's plenty of good reason to be outside, and no shortage of tasks to t...
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How to Grow Dahlia
From 2-inch pom-pom dahlias to the 10- to 15-inch dinnerplate dahlia, this tuber covers the range of bloom size, flow...
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The Best John Deere Lawn Tractors of 2023
Pushing a lawn mower can be great exercise, but not everyone wants to spend every Saturday morning mowing a large yar...
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7 Important Things to Know About Growing Herbs Outdoors
Growing herbs outdoors is much easier than growing them indoors since the outdoors is their natural milieu. Outdoor h...
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How to Keep Your Garden Happy While You Are on Vacation
There are few things as satisfying as watching your garden change through the growing season and enjoying the literal...
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11 Important Things to Know About Clover Lawns
America’s biodiverse meadows of days gone were slowly converted to French- and English-style monoculture lawns featur...
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The Best Greenhouse Heaters
A greenhouse heater makes it possible to create suitable plant and vegetable growing temperatures year-round. Greenho...
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The Best Place to Hang Bird Feeders for Safety and Optimal Viewing
Birdwatching is a lovely way to experience wildlife in a safe, captivating way. It is also a relaxing and gratifying ...
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23 Types of Hummingbirds All Backyard Birdwatchers Should Know
How many species of hummingbirds are there? More than 330 hummingbird species live in the Western Hemisphere. A coupl...
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How to Grow Hibiscus
Known for big bold flowers that lend even hardy varieties a tropical look, hibiscus comes in a wide variety of specie...
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This Guide to Bromeliad Care Covers Epiphytic and Terrestrial Varieties
The bromeliad plant family is a large one. Although the Spanish moss native to parts of the Southern U. S. is conside...
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7 Brilliant Ways to Attract Fireflies to Your Yard
Fireflies, which are actually a type of beetle, are unique creatures. Also called lightning bugs, these insects are m...
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29 Corner Garden Ideas to Fill Out Every Nook and Cranny of Your Yard
The corners of your yard don’t have to be wasted space. With the right ideas, you can turn those corners into gorgeou...
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12 Lucky Plants Worth Bringing Into Your Home
Is there such a thing as lucky plants? Because people tend to identify luck with money, many so-called lucky indoor p...
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Ugly Yard 911: 9 Ways to Make Over (or Hide) the Worst Parts of Your Property
Curb appeal matters when you’re selling your house, but it can also be a point of pride. The same is true of the cond...
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How to Attract Birds to Feeders: 13 Simple Strategies That Work
It’s fun and relaxing to watch a diverse assortment of birds flit in and out of your yard, and it’s gratifying to kno...
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11 Things You Didn’t Know You Can Grow in an AeroGarden
Horticulturalists and brown thumbs alike love the ease with which their AeroGardens grow tomatoes and salad greens in...
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20 Outdoor Plants You Can Propagate From Cuttings
Since most annuals and perennials can be more easily propagated by seed, this list of plants to grow from cuttings mo...
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How to Grow Milkweed
While most pollinators can survive on a variety of plants, monarch caterpillars rely exclusively on milkweed. The pla...
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How to Grow Watermelon for the Perfect Summer Treat
Growing a watermelon plant can be challenging since it requires plenty of space and heat in which to spread out and b...
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How to Grow Cucumbers
Cucumbers have been grown for more than 3,000 years, and this low-calorie relative of watermelon, pumpkin, and squash...
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How to Grow Peas
Chances are the phrase “eat your peas” sounds familiar. But if the only thing that comes to mind are the mushy, canne...
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Why You Should Hand-Pollinate Some of Your Veggies This Year—and How to Do It
With bee populations declining dramatically due to loss of habitat—a 45 percent loss in managed honeybee colonies fro...
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3 Reasons You Should Always Plant Marigolds in Your Garden
Annual flowers are sometimes more trouble than they're worth. Since the plants are going to die at the end of the sea...
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The Best Composting Services
Recycling aluminum and plastics is standard practice for many households, but food scrap bins on the kitchen counter ...
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The Best Commercial Zero-Turn Mowers
For lawn-care professionals, commercial zero-turn mowers are essential pieces of heavy-duty equipment that can cut gr...
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The Best Liquid Lawn Fertilizers
Every summer across the nation, homeowners vie for their neighborhood's lushest lawn, but it's no simple task. It req...
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Testing the Top 10 Hori Hori Knives To Find the Ultimate Garden Tool
 Originating in Japan, the hori hori knife is a multipurpose gardening tool used for digging, cutting, and weeding. A...
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Solved! Does Fertilizer Go Bad?
Q: I buy new fertilizer every spring simply because I don’t know if what’s left over from the previous year still wor...
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Monochromatic Gardens: The Best Flowers To Plant, Whatever Your Favorite Hue
When it comes to gardening, sometimes mixing and matching a rainbow of colors in a single bed can create a busy, unfo...
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10 Smart Solutions for Keeping Animals Out of the Garden Without Harming Them
If your garden is your pride and joy, it can be exceedingly frustrating when animals nibble on your plants or dig aro...
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Soil Testing 101: What All DIY Landscapers Should Know
Healthy soil is key to growing a vigorous lawn. Good soil also reduces runoff, erosion, and leaching of surplus ferti...
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11 Flowering Trees Every DIY Landscaper Should Know
If you wish to decorate your landscape with small flowering trees, you’ll likely want to choose at least one or two v...
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28 Flower Bed Ideas Perfect for Big or Small Yards
Flower beds can completely transform an outdoor space when used correctly. Putting careful thought into how your flow...
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7 Signs You’re Overwatering Your Plants—and How to Fix It
In "The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual," Barbara Pleasant notes that “overwatering is the leading cause of house...
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10 Endangered Plants You Can Help Save at Home
North America is home to many native plants, but some species’ populations have dwindled because of environmental fac...
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How to Clean Bird Feeders to Keep Your Feathered Friends Safe
Bird feeders can attract birds of all kinds to your home and feed them in cold seasons, when they may otherwise have ...
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Have a Green Thumb? These Side Hustles Could Make You Big Money
The gig economy is here to stay. If you’re looking to make some extra money outside of your full-time employment, why...
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3 Surefire Ways to Attract Dragonflies to Your Yard for Natural Mosquito Control
Dragonflies and damselflies are known for their colorful appearances—but they aren't just pretty to look at. They're ...
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10 Sustainable Gardening Trends to Try in 2022
Gardening is an excellent way to spend time outside, grow your own food, and even reduce your environmental impact. I...
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12 Climbing Vegetables That Are Perfect for Compact Gardens
Many home gardeners might dream of having acres of growing space, but there’s a lot you can do with just a few square...
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Plants That Repel Mosquitoes: 18 Picks for a Bug-Free Backyard
Mosquitoes are a total buzzkill when it comes to outdoor activities. While numerous sprays, bracelets, candles, bug z...
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How to Prune Lilacs
When considering how to prune lilacs, keep in mind that those shrubs reportedly flower better on newer wood, so you c...
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The Best Bee Removal Services of 2023
Seeing bees in the garden is glorious; it means your plants will be pollinated to produce flowers and fruit. However,...
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The Best Fertilizers for Zoysia Grass
Native to Asia, zoysia is a warm-season turf grass that’s commonly grown in the southern part of the U. S. , where su...
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How to Inspect Houseplants So You Don’t Bring Home an Unhealthy or Infested Specimen
Whether you’re buying your first plant baby or nursing a houseplant obsession, bringing home a beautiful new housepla...
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The 20 Best Lilac Varieties to Grow in Your Yard
Among the most nostalgia-inducing flowers, lilac trees still grow near where many abandoned farmhouses once stood. Th...
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The Best Gardening Services
Having a beautiful outdoor space is not just for looks—studies have shown that plants can provide big health benefits...
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6 Types of Berries That Are Easy to Grow in Containers
Who doesn’t love a small-space edible garden? Plucking and eating fresh berries right off the plant makes for a conve...
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The 13 Most Popular Kids Gardening Tools You Can Buy on Amazon
Encouraging children to spend more time outside helps them get away from screens and learn about nature and the world...
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The Best Solar Bird Bath Fountains Tested in 2023
Solar bird bath fountains harness the power of the sun to create an inviting, bubbly watering hole for birds. These f...
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Bob Vila's 10 "Must Do" Projects for May
May is a month worth celebrating. As the days become warmer and sunnier, seasonal to-dos both inside and outside the ...
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The Best Weed Killers for Gravel of 2023
Pulling an errant dandelion here and there isn't a big deal, but when multiple weeds appear, they can quickly multipl...
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11 Fragrant Plants for Creating the Ultimate Aromatherapy Garden
You can enjoy the benefits of aromatherapy year-round by planting a garden that enhances your mood, relieves stress, ...
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3 Good Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Kill Clover in Your Yard
Many folks consider the perfect lawn to be beautifully manicured turf without a weed in sight, but what about clover?...
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The Best Wood for Raised Garden Beds
Installing a raised garden bed is a great way to improve the appearance of the yard and take on a new hobby growing f...
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How to Dry Flowers: 5 Easy DIY Methods
Dried flowers provide colorful, long-lasting, low-maintenance floral arrangements without the need for watering. Beca...
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12 Heroic Facts About Hummingbirds That'll Make You Want to See More in Your Backyard
A hummingbird hovering to sip from a flower or hummingbird feeder is an incredible sight, and it’s only natural to wi...
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8 Planting Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Garden Before it Even Gets Going
Many gardening errors can be blamed on impatience, as we often endeavor to make our plants bear fruit (or flowers) as...
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15 Essentials for Beginner Plant Parents: What Every New Plant Owner Needs
If you’re new to taking care of houseplants, it’s easy (and normal) to feel very overwhelmed. Sure, you know that pla...
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Follow This Guide to Hoya Plant Care to Achieve Elusive, Starry Blooms
Hoya plant care is easy, since the vining succulent tolerates low light and intermittent watering with equanimity, un...
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Peat Moss vs. Coco Coir: What’s the Difference Between These Go-To Gardening Supplies?
Peat moss has long been a primary ingredient in seed starting and potting mixes, as well as a popular amendment to ga...
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Want a Bountiful Summer Garden? Do These 3 Quick Things to Your Soil This Weekend
It happens to all of us: In no time flat, winter has slipped away and it’s suddenly time to get spring vegetables and...
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You’re Probably Planting Trees Wrong—Here’s How to Do It Responsibly This Arbor Day
The first Arbor Day was celebrated in Nebraska on April 10, 1872. More than 1 million trees were planted in the state...
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Side Yard Upgrade: 14 Ideas for Transforming This Forgotten Outdoor Space
Style on the SideSide yards often are narrow and more utilitarian in nature (think faucets and hoses, garbage or recy...
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The Best Fertilizer for Pumpkins
Pumpkins have a long growing season and need plenty of space to ramble, but paired with the right pumpkin fertilizers...
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This Guide to Alocasia Care Grows Stunning Elephant Ear Houseplants
The genus Alocasia contains at least 80 species of tuberous, herbaceous perennials that originate from South Asian tr...
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This Guide to Anthurium Care Will Yield Lush Green Foliage With Eye-Catching Tailflowers
Also called “flamingo plant” or “red peace lily” for its usually pink or red spathes, Anthurium actually means “tailf...
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Here’s Why You Should Always Plant Tomato Seedlings Sideways
Tomatoes have long been one of the most popular vegetables for home gardeners to grow. They don’t take up much space,...
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How to Grow Jasmine Plant Indoors
Not just a Disney princess, jasmine is also one of the world’s favorite fragrances. The white flowers used to scent p...
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This Guide to Peperomia Care Covers Both Vining and Upright Varieties
The peperomia plant derives its name from its resemblance to Piper nigrum, the vine from which peppercorns are harves...
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12 Ways to Rewild Your Suburban Plot
Rethink Your Definition of a Beautiful YardIt’s time to leave manicured, neat, and tidy lawns in the past and get bac...
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9 Products to Help You Corral Your Garden Veggies
Close your eyes and imagine the unparalleled sweetness of a homegrown tomato. Now picture that plump, juicy tomato ou...
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10 Ways Gardening May Be Making You Sick—and How to Protect Yourself
A Michigan State University article notes that “moderate-intensity level activity” such as gardening practiced for 2½...
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7 Signs Your Plants Need a Grow Light
Plants grown indoors typically don’t receive as much light as those that spend their lives outdoors. Many houseplants...
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12 Bulbs to Plant in the Spring for Showstopping Summer Blooms
Add drama to flower beds and patio containers with colorful summer flowering bulbs. Depending on your planting zone, ...
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The 12 Biggest Landscaping Trends for 2022
Like decorating styles, landscaping trends come and go. Some of this year’s top trends sprang from our evolving desir...
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30 Gorgeous Plants That Attract Hummingbirds to Your Garden
Although more than 300 known species of hummingbird grace gardens around the world, only about a dozen species routin...
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25 Shade-Loving Plants for Where the Sun Don't Shine
No, not every plant wants all sunshine, all the time. Many lovely, low-maintenance options exist for those miscellane...
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Pruning Tomato Plants: 6 Mistakes Most First-Time Growers Make
Tomatoes are America’s favorite garden “vegetable” to grow. Botanically a fruit, the tomato was classified as a veget...
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Try Scents to Send Pests Packing From Your Garden
As a gardener, you know how frustrating it is to put hours into your plot only to see it ravaged by pests. Every gard...
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What Is Guerrilla Gardening and Is it Legal?
Both urban and suburban areas are filled with unused lots and neglected plots of land. Some plant lovers looking to a...
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8 Essential Tools and Materials for Starting Seeds Indoors
Many gardeners skip seed starting in favor of purchasing plants, often assuming the tools necessary for indoor sowing...
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10 Women-Owned Home and Garden Brands We Love
Women-owned businesses growing and thriving in the home and garden industries are always worth celebrating. When wome...
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Growing Seasons are Getting Longer—What That Means for Your Home Landscape
The changes are subtle, but there’s no doubt that growing seasons are getting longer in most parts of the world. Acco...
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The Best Outdoor Faucets
Whether washing the car, watering the lawn, or giving the potted plants on the back patio a much-needed drink, an out...
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The Best Fertilizer for Watermelon Plants
Growing watermelons can be a challenge, but with the right fertilizer, proper conditions, and care, gardeners can enj...
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Bob Vila’s “Must Do” Projects for April
Spring is here, and with it comes a bouquet of seasonal responsibilities. It’s time to clean and repair outdoor eleme...
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The 10 Best Amazon Deals on Gardening and Lawn Care Products Right Now
Whether you love to garden or simply appreciate a perfectly manicured lawn, you'll want to stock up on a few outdoor ...
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The Best Trenching Shovels
An all-purpose shovel will surely come in handy for all sorts of digging projects, but having the best trenching shov...
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12 Perennial Vegetables to Plant for Years of Fresh Produce
What are perennial vegetables? They are edible plants that come back every year without you having to sow them more t...
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The 8 Worst Houseplants for People with Allergies
Although some houseplants reportedly help clean the air, others can trigger allergy symptoms by adding extra baggage—...
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This Organic Gardening Supply Is Stirring Up Controversy—Should You Stop Using It?
Peat moss has been a top growing medium, especially for starting seeds, since the 1960s. Compressed pellets of peat m...
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The Best Sprinkler Valves
Despite the variety of options available, sprinkler valves serve one very simple purpose: They regulate water flow. S...
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This Purple Houseplant Is the First New Genus to Be Introduced in Decades—And You Can Get it Now
Houseplant varieties change constantly, to the delight of indoor plant enthusiasts. Plant breeders are continuously l...
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What Does Root Rot Look Like in Houseplants?
Q: I’ve heard that root rot is the primary cause of houseplant deaths. My plant is wilting, but I can’t tell if that’...
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First and Last Frost Dates: What All Home Gardeners Should Know
We know intuitively that climate affects gardening. Palm trees that thrive in Florida won’t survive in a suburban Chi...
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15 Superfoods That Are Easy to Grow Yourself
What Is a Superfood?The term “superfood” refers to nutrient-dense, natural foods that studies have found to promote b...
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11 Black Americans Who Have Changed the Way We Garden
Commercial farms, public landscapes, community gardens, and backyard planting plots enhance our lives with bounty and...
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12 Rabbit-Resistant Plants for Your Home Landscape
If your garden has shown excessive rabbit damage in recent years, it might be because the critters are growing in num...
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How to Keep Bees Away From Hummingbird Feeders Without Harming Them
There’s an abundance of information available about how to attract hummingbirds to your yard and feeders, but informa...
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The Best Landscaping Companies of 2023
From finding the perfect plants to keeping the lawn lush, landscaping companies offer various services to help any ou...
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What Kind of Gardener Are You?
Fess Up, Garden Fanatic!You’ve been puttering aimlessly in the potting shed with your hat and gloves on, kicking desp...
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Grow This, Not That: 12 Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants
Invasive plant species often are ornamental plants that were introduced from other regions into ecosystems where they...
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3 Mistakes to Avoid When Seed Shopping This Year
It's the most wonderful time of the year! For gardeners, that is. The seed catalogs have been arriving for weeks now,...
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10 Tips for Creating a Woodland Garden at Home
Despite its dark reputation in fairy tales, the woods can be a relaxing place, especially when you create your own sm...
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Gardening in Place: How to Grow a Bountiful Harvest When You Have Limited Mobility
Every summer in backyards across the country gardeners are busy planting, watering, and coaxing seedlings into health...
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The Best Grow Tents of 2023
Grow tents can be a must for hydroponic gardening, which is increasing in popularity thanks to the flexibility it off...
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10 Surefire Ways to Attract Cardinals to Your Backyard
During cold, dreary winters in northern climes, many people are thrilled to spot a bright red cardinal in their yard....
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Air Plant Care 101
Air plants are ideal houseplants for beginners or anyone who doesn't want to get their hands dirty because they don't...
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The 7 Best Etsy Stores for Houseplants
Shopping online for houseplants combines two of my favorite things: growing my plant collection and not leaving my co...
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The Best Fertilizers for Succulents
Succulents have become increasingly popular as houseplants, and they make a great low-maintenance option for beginner...
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The Best Fertilizers for Gardenias
Those who live in temperate climates—typically where winter temps don’t drop below 10 degrees Fahrenheit—may be inter...
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The Best Fertilizers for Corn
Also known as maize, mielie, or sweet corn, corn (Zea mays subsp) has been domesticated for 10,000 years, and today i...
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The Best Lawn Care Services of 2023
A lush green lawn is a thing of beauty, but the reality is all that beauty takes work. Mowing, fertilizing, aerating,...
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This Is the Best Time to Plant Roses for Stellar Summer Blooms
Q: I’m planning to set out some rose bushes this year, but I’m unsure about when to do so. What is the difference bet...
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The Best Fertilizers for Cucumbers
It's a favorite summer pastime for many—grab a salt shaker, pick a ripe cucumber, and eat it right there in the backy...
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The Best Houseplants for Every Shade of Green Thumb
Although we talk of green thumbs as if some fortunate people were born with them, gardening skills are acquired throu...
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12 Raised Garden Bed Plans for Building Your Ideal Plot
Elevating a garden solves numerous problems. Raised beds warm up faster in spring for an earlier start to the gardeni...
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What Is Leaf Mold and How to Use It in Your Home Landscape
Q: I have several large oak trees that cover my yard in leaves every fall. I’m trying to reduce the cost of disposal ...
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How to Grow Lemon Trees Indoors
In various cultures, lemon trees symbolize the goodness of life: love, light, and happiness, to name a few. They make...
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How to Grow Your Own Food
Think you need a green thumb and a backyard to grow your own food? Think again. It’s possible, no matter your grasp o...
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This Futuristic Home Appliance Is an Indoor Gardening Must-Have
The LG tiiun has been unveiled as the manufacturer’s latest home appliance, and it may impress subsistence gardeners ...
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This Is the Best Time to Plant Tomatoes
Q: The home I recently moved into has plenty of outdoor space for growing tomatoes—my favorite ingredient to cook wit...
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11 Types of Edible Berry Bushes You Should Plant This Spring
All too often, we think of landscaping in purely decorative terms. At most, we may consider what will sustain the bir...
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How to Grow a Banana Plant Indoors
Banana plants are native to Asia, Africa, and Australia, but they are grown in 135 countries around the world for the...
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7 Crucial Things to Know About the Kratky Method of Gardening
Hydroponics offers some advantages for plants that grow well in water. It seems counterintuitive, but hydroponics act...
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The Best Fertilizer for Strawberries
Using the right fertilizer for strawberries encourages healthier plants, which means plentiful harvests and delicious...
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The Best Grass Seed for Florida
While grass dies out over the winter in most parts of the country, in Florida’s tropical and subtropical climate, hom...
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The Best Soil for Herbs
Whether for cooking, creating aromatic blends, or mixing natural medicines, herbs—the leafy plant parts typically har...
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The Best Fertilizer for Blueberries
Homegrown blueberries make a tasty addition to pies, muffins, and other baked goods, and they’re delicious right off ...
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The Best Soil for Avocado Trees
A popular childhood experiment involves learning how to grow an avocado seed over a jar of water. Within a few weeks,...
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The Best Soil for Jade Plants
The jade plant, Crassula ovata, is often referred to as a money plant because it’s believed to bring prosperity to an...
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The Best Soil for Blueberries of 2023
Blueberry plants (Vaccinium spp. ) can be grown in most parts of the United States, and depending on the variety, the...
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The Best Soil for Strawberries of 2023
Few fruits are quite as delectable—and desirable—as strawberries. Fortunately, these summertime favorites are relativ...
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String of Pearls Care
True to its genus name, Curio, the string of pearls plant is novel and bizarre indeed, with draping foliage resemblin...
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The Best Soil for Tomatoes of 2023
With more than a thousand varieties in a wide range of sizes, shapes, and colors, it's no wonder tomatoes are among t...
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How to Increase Humidity for Your Houseplants, Even During the Driest Days of Winter
Q: I’ve heard that many houseplants are rainforest species that prefer high humidity. Can you give me some pointers o...
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The Best Herbs to Grow Indoors
Inside, the temperature is warm, and there’s virtually no risk of frost. Still, although growing indoors typically pr...
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How to Grow Rosemary Indoors
There’s no need to be a pro gardener to enjoy the benefits of fresh herbs. Anyone can learn how to grow rosemary and ...
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The Best Soil for Aloe Vera
The aloe vera plant, a member of the Aloe genus, is cultivated for use in many products, such as lotions and cosmetic...
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The Best Soil for Pothos Plants
The pothos (Epipremnum aureum) is available in a variety of cultivars, including golden pothos, marble queen, and Sha...
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The Best Soil for Fiddle Leaf Figs
The fast-growing and exotic fiddle leaf fig (Ficus lyrata) is one of the more common houseplants to grow in a large s...
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12 Gardening and DIY Camps and Workshops for Adults
Taking up a new hobby like gardening or woodworking ought to be an exciting challenge, but it can be tough to know wh...
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The Best Fertilizers for Indoor Plants Tested in 2023
Plants get nearly all the sustenance they need from water and sunlight, but since houseplants live in containers, the...
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14 Potting Bench Plans for Building an Outdoor Garden Prep Space
A potting bench provides a spacious work area to simplify gardening tasks such as repotting plants or transplanting s...
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How to Sharpen Loppers—and Why You Should
Unlike garden shears, which are similar to scissors in design, loppers are designed for use with both hands, which al...
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How to Grow Lavender Indoors
Pollinators such as bees and butterflies appreciate lavender in the landscape because it is a rich source of nutritio...
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23 Philodendron Varieties Perfect for Filling Out Your Houseplant Collection
Philodendron means “tree-loving,” due to the fact that the vining types of this plant “embrace” tree trunks in South ...
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The Best Soil for Orchids
They start appearing in stores before the winter holidays and stick around through Valentine’s Day: beautiful orchids...
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How to Grow Lettuce Indoors for Fresh Salad Greens Year Round
When considering how to grow lettuce indoors, keep in mind that there are a variety of ways to do so. We will discuss...
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Indoor Olive Tree Care: Meet the Houseplant That Loves a Good South-Facing Window
Thanks to its Mediterranean heritage, the indoor olive tree tolerates dry air and dry soil, making it easy to care fo...
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AeroGardens Are Up to $150 Off on Amazon Right Now for Black Friday
Beginner gardeners, rejoice: The easy-to-use LED and hydroponic planters from AeroGarden are all on sale for Black Fr...
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How to Grow Cilantro Indoors for Fresh Herbs Year Round
Anyone with a greenish thumb and a taste for fresh herbs should try their hand at growing cilantro. The entire plant—...
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Vermiculite vs. Perlite: Which is Best for Your Potted Plants?
When it comes down to vermiculite vs. perlite, the names may prejudice you in favor of the second contender. Perlite,...
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Master Goldfish Plant Care for 'Schools' of Bright Blooms Year After Year
There are plenty of goldfish plants in the sea, er, market. The two related genus types that most often go by that na...
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The Best Fertilizer for Potatoes
Growing potatoes is typically reserved for experienced gardeners because this tuber crop tends to be a bit finicky in...
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Perk Up Your Green Thumb With This Guide to Coffee Plant Care
Yes, coffee really does grow on trees—actually on evergreen shrubs with large glossy leaves. One of those could conce...
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The Best Soil for Snake Plants
The snake plant is sometimes recommended as the perfect plant for gardeners with “brown thumbs” because it’s tough to...
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The Best Wasp Traps of 2023
While wasps can be a helpful insect to have in the yard—eliminating grubs and other pests that can feast on your land...
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The Best Gardening Subscription Boxes for Green Thumbs and Beginners
Whether you've got a proven green thumb or want to take your first steps toward becoming a home gardener, subscribing...
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This Pineapple Plant Care Routine Is as Easy as Propagating Fresh Produce
Where do pineapples come from? Granted, most fruits grow on trees or bushes, but there is no such thing as a pineappl...
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Garden Lime: How to Use it Effectively in Your Home Landscape
The first step to growing a beautiful, healthy garden is to improve the garden soil. Fertilizer provides necessary pl...
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Avocado Plant Care 101
Avocado plant care can be tricky since the “alligator pear” grows leggy fast without bright light, but it also can bu...
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The Best Deer Feeders
Deer feeders allow hunters as well as those who enjoy photographing or watching deer to attract these beautiful, wild...
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Baby's Tears Plant Care: Meet the Crawling Ground Cover You Can Grow Indoors
With leaves so tiny that it resembles a luxuriant moss, baby’s tears plant (Soleirolia soleirolii), carpets the groun...
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The Best Shade Flowers for Your Low-Light Garden
One of the rules that most gardeners learn quickly is that it takes sunshine to make flowers. While this is pretty mu...
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14 Fragrant Indoor Plants That'll Make Your Home Smell Amazing
As colder weather closes in, gardens wither and windows stay shut but that doesn’t mean your home is doomed to smell ...
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The Best Flower Subscriptions
Fresh flowers not only boost your mood, they also can make a universally appealing gift for your loved ones. For thos...
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45 Backyard Landscaping Ideas for Creating the Ultimate Outdoor Living Space
Incentivize yourself to spend more time enjoying your yard and garden. Fresh air, natural light, and the right backya...
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Master Easy Kalanchoe Plant Care for a Blaze of Colorful Blooms Year After Year
Succulents are all the rage with low-care houseplant advocates. While it’s true that cacti and their allies survive l...
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14 Old-Fashioned Flowers That Still Look Great in Today’s Home Gardens
Throughout history, flowers have been pretty much universally cherished. There are so many reasons to love flowers. T...
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The Best Bird Feeders, Tested and Reviewed
It’s only natural for people to watch birds with fascination, affection, and a touch of envy at their ability to fly ...
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The Best Plant Subscription Boxes, Tested and Reviewed
Because the gardening craze has taken off and connecting with nature has become a trendy priority in home styling, pl...
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Toro UltraPlus Leaf Vacuum Review: Does it Work?
Most of the year it’s not difficult to maintain a neat yard, but fall leaf season presents a challenge. Even those wh...
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How to Get Rid of Carnivorous Hammerhead Worms (Hint: You Definitely Shouldn’t Cut Them Into Pieces)
Thanks to the half-moon shape of their heads, hammerhead worms are known by many names, including hammerhead flatworm...
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This Guide to Nerve Plant Care will Yield Flashy Foliage for Your Living Decor Collection
Nerve plant is one of those bright little gems that grabs your attention as you stroll through the garden center. Thi...
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Annuals vs. Perennials: 8 Important Considerations Every Home Gardener Should Know
Flowering plants have many similarities like light and moisture needs and soil requirements. But some significant dif...
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What Is "Bright, Indirect Light," Anyway?
Q: When I read light requirements on plant tags, I see that many houseplants are said to prefer "bright, indirect lig...
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Master Indoor Bird of Paradise Plant Care and Your Green Thumb Will Soar
Bird of paradise care actually isn’t difficult, provided you have a sufficiently sunny window in which to place your ...
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Is the Agri-Fab 44-Inch Lawn Sweeper Worth the Cost? I Put It to the Test, and Here’s What I Learned
Anyone who appreciates a well-groomed lawn may want to consider adding a lawn sweeper to their stable of equipment. T...
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This Polka Dot Plant Care Routine is Perfect for Spotty Green Thumbs
As its name implies, the polka dot plant is liberally spattered with white, pink, or red beauty spots. It also goes b...
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12 DIY Greenhouse Plans for Gardeners on a Budget 
Greenhouses, sometimes referred to as glasshouses, hothouses, or conservatories, create a sanctuary where temperature...
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I Set Up an Obstacle Course for the Gorilla Carts GOR4PS Garden Dump Cart: Here's How It Performed
When you have a job to do around the yard or garden, chances are you’ll need a wheelbarrow or some kind of garden car...
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Does the Aterod Expandable Garden Hose Live Up to Its Reputation? Find Out What Happened in Our Hands-On Testing
For decades, gardeners and horticultural hobbyists have dragged around heavy hoses, fighting their inevitable kinks a...
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The Best Plant Misters
Regular watering with a good plant mister is one of the best ways to keep houseplants happy and healthy. Standard wat...
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This Aloe Vera Plant Care Routine Is Practically Foolproof
Aloe barbadensis miller, better known simply as aloe or aloe vera, is a succulent that originated in the Arabian peni...
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25 Types of Succulents That Make Great Houseplants
A succulent is a type of plant that stores water in its leaves or stem. Succulents come in a wide variety of shapes, ...
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Croton Plant Care: Mastering This Demanding Specimen Indoors
The croton also is called Joseph’s coat, and few other foliage houseplants can match the paintbox variety of bright h...
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10 Cool Products from Gardener's Supply Company to Buy for Your Favorite Green Thumb
Shop Online and Save Time for GardeningGardening is a time-consuming hobby. Don’t waste this precious commodity by dr...
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This Yucca Plant Care Routine will Yield Tall Canes with Minimal Effort
When you need a houseplant with height to add to indoor plant groupings, a spineless yucca plant may be just the thin...
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How To Get Rid of Scale on Plants
Scale on your indoor plants can appear seemingly out of nowhere, but these little insects can come from several sourc...
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10 Plants You Can Winter Indoors
Use these overwintering strategies to save cold-tender landscape plants so they can flourish again next year.
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10 Types of Moths Every Homeowner Should Know
Moths present something of a mystery. Unlike their lepidopteran kin the butterfly, most moths are nocturnal. We typic...
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Dumb Cane Care: Meet the Easy-Growing Houseplant with Full, Flattering Foliage
Consumption of dumb cane leaves can cause swelling of the tongue and throat, which conceivably could cause suffocatio...
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6 Types of Maple Trees You Might Find on Your Property (Including One You Definitely Don't Want)
There is nothing else in the world quite like maple trees. We use maple sap to sweeten our pancakes, and maple wood s...
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12 Types of Squash All Home Gardeners Should Know
Gardeners know that you always either have too much squash or not enough. There’s simply no in-between. And having to...
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Upgrade Your Winter Garden with These 9 Colorful Perennials
Add a pop of color to your winter landscape—and feed hungry birds in the process—by planting these stunning shrubs and trees.
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This Arrowhead Plant Care Routine Yields Vibrant, Easy-Growing Foliage
If you like to browse plants online or in stores, you are sure to come across an arrowhead plant. This easy-care plan...
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How to Hang Plants From the Ceiling
Hanging plants add appeal to a front porch or covered patio, and they can even liven up indoor spaces that may lack t...
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Air Layering Makes Propagating Your Favorite Plants a Cinch—Here’s How
Old houseplants often drop all their lower leaves, resulting in an unbalanced top-heavy look. Or they may simply have...
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How To Clean Terra-Cotta Pots 
Literally meaning “baked earth,” terra-cotta is a reddish-brown unglazed clay that’s often used to create pots and pl...
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15 Dish Garden Plants for Unique Arrangements
These great-looking, easy-care plants can create a pretty paradise in virtually any container.
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10 Dish Garden Ideas to Bring Life to Your Indoor and Outdoor Spaces
Create a miniature ecosystem by planting an entire garden in one shallow vessel.
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Boston Fern Care: Mastering the Finicky Fronds of This Popular Houseplant
Back in 1894, a Cambridge, Massachusetts florist noticed that one of the couple hundred sword ferns he’d received in ...
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Calathea Care 101
The calathea family comprises more than 300 cultivars, dozens of which are highly sought after as houseplants. Many c...
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The Best Weed Barriers of 2023
Weeds are an unattractive nuisance in any garden. To keep these pesky plants at bay, consider installing a weed barri...
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How To Dry Peppers for a Kick of Spice All Year Long
Drying is the oldest and most common method of food preservation around the world. Any type of pepper—spicy or sweet—...
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10 Trees That Tolerate Low Light Indoors
You aren’t necessarily out of your tree if you believe you can grow trees indoors without sunlight. You just need to pick the right ones.
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Solved! Why Is My Arborvitae Turning Brown?
Q: What can I do about my arborvitae turning brown? Is that caused by the water, the weather, or some weird disease?A...
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What’s the Difference? Hornet vs. Wasp
From a young age, most children are taught to shy away from contact with hornets or wasps. Certainly, it’s wise advic...
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How to Dry Mushrooms
Mushrooms are a low-calorie source of fiber, protein, and antioxidants. They impart a lovely, earthy flavor to soups,...
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Edible Flowers: 15 Beautiful Blooms That Are Also Delicious
Grow your culinary skills with these pretty—and pretty tasty—ingredients straight from the garden.
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The 32 Best Gifts for Gardeners and Green Thumbs, Editor Approved
If you’re not familiar with the world of gardening, finding a gift for a gardener or a friend or family member with a...
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10 Climbing Plants That Are Easy to Keep Under Control
Check out these attractive, noninvasive climbing vines.
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You Don't Need Good Fortune (or a Green Thumb) to Master Lucky Bamboo Care
Lucky bamboo gets its name from a belief that the plant brings luck to those who receive it as a gift. And it makes a...
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The Best Pruning Saws, Tested and Reviewed
Trees and shrubs can boost curb appeal—but not if they’re overgrown or blocking windows. Keeping a landscape tidy req...
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7 Types of Plant Covers All Home Gardeners Should Know
As the gardening season begins to wind down and first frost dates creep closer, it’s time to think about protecting y...
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Monstera Plant Care 101
While there are 48 known species of Monstera, only a handful are grown as houseplants, and the most common is Monster...
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10 Pothos Varieties for Your Easy-Care Houseplant Collection
Add color and style to your collection with these low-maintenance, high-impact foliage plants.
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Prayer Plant Care: Mastering This Ornamental Beauty With High-Maintenance Needs
The common name “prayer plant” covers a wide variety of tropical plants, though it’s most often used to refer to thos...
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Staghorn Fern Care: Mastering This Exotic, Easy-to-Grow Conversation Piece
Nothing wakes up a room quite like a beautiful staghorn fern plaque. These unique foliage plants can anchor an air pl...
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This Pilea Care Routine will Yield (Many) a Healthy, Happy Houseplant
Also known as the Chinese money plant, friendship plant, or missionary plant, pilea is a perfect houseplant for begin...
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Solved! How to Keep Squirrels Away From Pumpkins
Q: Every year, we decorate our front porch and walkway with carved jack-o’-lanterns. Last year, squirrels invaded and...
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This Peace Lily Care Routine Is so Low Maintenance, You Don’t Need a Green Thumb
Perhaps due to “rest in peace” connotations, the peace lily has become popular as a gift to the bereaved. Although no...
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Philodendron Care 101
Philodendrons are among the most popular choices for houseplants due to their attractive foliage and easy care. The p...
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15 Snake Plant Varieties for Low-Maintenance Living Decor
Any of these snake plant varieties could be the easiest indoor plant you’ve ever grown.
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Snake Plant Care 101
Snake plant care is minimal, consisting mostly of infrequent watering, so this succulent is one of the easiest-growin...
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11 Florals That Will Give Your Garden an English Cottage Feel
The contrast of sculptured shrubs with meandering pathways and beds overflowing with color creates an alluring image, and these English garden flowers can make a ...
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How to Create Indoor Decor From Your Outdoor Garden
Your garden is the perfect source for botanical decor. Not only does it provide you with edible bounty, colorful foli...
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The Best Outdoor Water Fountains
Their eye-catching appearance and the soothing sound of trickling water make outdoor water fountains a welcome additi...
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The Best Potting Benches of 2023
Starting seeds in flats and transplanting seedlings can be messy. Very few gardeners have their own greenhouse comple...
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Fiddle Leaf Fig Care
The deep green, glossy, dinner-plate-sized leaves of the fiddle leaf fig have made it a popular house plant. Combined...
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African Violet Care: Meet the Low-Maintenance Houseplant That Blooms Year-Round
It’s hard not to love the fuzzy foliage of many African violets, plus the cheerful flowers. They thrive in average ho...
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The Best Container Plants for Full Sun
If you can’t contain yourself when it comes to container gardens, here are a few surefire sun-loving plants with which to fill them all.
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This Money Tree Care Routine is Ideal for Newbie Plant Parents
Popularized by feng shui practitioners who believe it will bring positivity and good fortune, the money plant is a su...
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I Tested an Affordable Melnor Sprinkler—Did it Water My Lawn Efficiently?
On a hot summer day, lawn sprinklers are a common sight, dispersing water for grass to stay healthy and for children ...
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ZZ Plant Care
Zamioculcas zamiifolia plants are most often called ZZ plants, but they go by other names as well, such as Zanzibar g...
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9 Ways to Keep Your Outdoor Plants Safe During Storms
Flowers, bushes, and shrubs turn a plain yard into a thing of beauty, but storms with torrential rains and whipping w...
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This Orchid Care Routine Will Keep Beautiful Blooms Coming
Orchids have a reputation. Their presence in a room promotes a sense of calm and adds an exotic touch to the decor. H...
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Rubber Plant Care: Mastering This Trendy Indoor Tree
Ficus elastica, better known as the rubber plant, gets its name from the latex it produces that once was used to make...
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Pothos Plant Care
Originating in forests of Southeast Asia, pothos is a popular houseplant that's super easy to grow, and tolerates a w...
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This is the Right Way to Store Tomatoes
Q: Our tomato garden is doing really well this summer, and we’ll have far more than we can eat at once. Short of cann...
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How To: Propagate Rosemary
Rosemary makes a delicious (and beautiful) addition to any herb garden. However, it’s known for being difficult to gr...
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10 Stepping Stone Designs to Elevate Your Garden Pathway
Pull your garden together with the help of one of these stepping stone designs.
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11 Garden Fence Ideas That Will Complement Any Landscape
If you are still on the fence about whether to purchase a garden fence, consider a few of the styles pictured here.
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When to Plant Tulip Bulbs for Successful Spring Blooms
Q: I love how tulips look in gardens, but don’t know when to plant them or how long they take to grow. I’d appreciate...
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When to Pick Tomatoes for the Best-Tasting Homegrown Produce
Q: I’m new to gardening, and my tomato plants are doing pretty well. What’s your best advice about when to pick tomat...
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How to Get Rid of Fungus Gnats: 4 Remedies That Work
Do tiny insects fly up into your face every time you water your houseplants? Then you’ll want to know how to get rid ...
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The Best Garden Hoses for Yard Maintenance
You probably already have a garden hose for watering the grass and potted patio plants and washing down the sidewalk....
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How To: Get Rid of Thrips
Many garden pests are easy to spot, but thrips often evade detection until they’ve completely taken over. This is due...
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Japanese Knotweed: How To Get Rid of The "Godzilla" Weed That's a Threat To Your Plants
Japanese knotweed, a perennial plant known for its unrelenting growth, difficult eradication and its nickname (the "G...
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8 Plants That Repel Ants
If ants, ants, and even more ants are making you rant, try a new slant with the following eight plants.
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How Much Is a Yard of Mulch?
Highlights The typical cost of mulch per yard is between $30 and $150, with a national average of $75. Factors affe...
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15 Plants That Attract Dragonflies
Beckon these fanciful flyers to your outdoor space for major mosquito control.
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How To: Grow Pumpkins
Charles Schulz’s Linus believed a pumpkin patch must be sincere, but it actually need only be sunny and well watered ...
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How To: Change Hydrangea Color
Hydrangeas are one of the only types of flowers that can change color. The change in hue happens in response to the a...
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Types of Gourds All DIYers Should Know
Like squash, gourds are part of the Cucurbitaceae family, which also comprises cucumbers and pumpkins. With so many d...
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How To: Split Hostas for More (Free!) Landscaping Foliage
Hostas are a common sight in gardens and landscaping across North America. They’re low-maintenance and fine with part...
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5 Good Reasons Not to Mow the Lawn This Weekend
The summer lawn-mowing ritual has been part of our culture for the better part of two centuries. In the old days, our...
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How To: Grow Basil Year-Round
Basil is a culinary herb that flavors various cuisines around the world. Though its native environment is tropical, g...
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10 Rain Garden Plants That Can Help Reduce Runoff
Does excess rainwater cause problems for your landscape? Corral it to make a right-as-rain garden for pollinators.
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10 Fall Flowers That Are Hardy in Cold Weather
Are you in search of autumn blooms that don’t need to come in from the cold? Try these tenacious 10.
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How To: Get Rid of Armyworms
An armyworm infestation can wreak havoc on your yard. These caterpillars have a reputation as destructive garden pest...
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The Best Rabbit Repellents of 2023
Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail may be awfully cute, but they also wreak havoc on the garden, nibbling away at vegetabl...
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13 Beautiful DIY Flower Pot Ideas for Your Porch or Garden
Outdoor spaces offer ample room for creativity. Transform your garden from average to amazing with flower pot ideas that range from practical to surprising.
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13 Kitchen Leftovers That are Good for Your Plants
Cut down on waste by putting kitchen scraps to good use in your garden. Here are 13 ways to give kitchen leftovers new life.
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Solved! What Your Plants' Yellow Leaves Mean, and How to Fix Them
Q: I purchased my first houseplant a few months ago, and things were going great. But recently its leaves have starte...
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8 Themed Gardens to Inspire You This Summer
Here's how to turn a traditional garden plot into an oasis that’s full of your favorite colors and flavors.
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Solved! What are Biennial Plants?
Q: While shopping at my local garden center last weekend, I came across some biennial plants. I'm familiar with annua...
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Solved! When to Prune Roses
Q: Last year, we moved into a home with some beautiful rose bushes on the property, but I know very little about how ...
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10 In-Season Gardening Chores You Should Be Doing Every Week
These essential tasks will keep your garden growing strong and healthy all season.
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Ragweed vs. Goldenrod: A Case of Mistaken Identities
Aaaaachooo!Allergic rhinitis, or hay fever, is a condition that can hinder your enjoyment of outdoor activities. Char...
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How Soil Amendments Can Improve Your Garden
Maybe you’ve heard about soil amendments and have wondered what the term might mean for your garden. If you want to h...
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7 Common Tree Diseases and How to Treat Them Before it's Too Late
Like people, trees can succumb to various diseases. But since trees don’t cry out in pain, they can’t tell humans whe...
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The Dos and Don'ts of DIY Potting Soil
The soil in which you grow flowers and food is an essential part of the garden’s success. If you need just a small am...
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8 Pretty Plants That Stink!
Are you sensitive to unpleasant scents? If so, you might want to avoid the following plants with odors that are not universally beloved.
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How to Get Rid of Whiteflies on Plants
The first sign of a budding whitefly infestation might be a host of tiny white flying insects rising from a plant whe...
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9 Famous Gardens to Inspire Your Next Project
Take a virtual stroll through some of the most mesmerizing gardens in the world, and take notes.
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What’s the Difference? Carpenter Bee vs. Bumblebee
They’re both somewhat fuzzy, they are both very buzzy, and they are both members of the Apidae family, which includes...
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This is the Ultimate IKEA Hack for Plant Parents
Residents of small apartments or houses may have little extra space for plants. However, some IKEA customers have bee...
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How Much Does Landscaping Cost?
Highlights The typical range for landscaping costs is $1,277 to $5,856, with most homeowners paying a national avera...
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How Much Does Lawn Care Cost?
Highlights Lawn care typically costs between $48 and $206, with a national average of $124. The main cost factors i...
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How Much Does a Lawn Sprinkler System Cost?
Highlights The typical cost range to install a lawn sprinkler system is between $1,679 and $3,541, with a national a...
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10 Ways to Make Your Garden More Bee-Friendly
Create a welcoming environment for bees and other pollinators by following these helpful tips.
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7 Things to Know About Hugelkultur Gardening
There’s something magical, even miraculous, about shepherding tiny seeds through the process of germination and growt...
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How To: Plant a Food Forest for Foraging at Home
Food forests, also known as forest gardens, are a type of sustainable agriculture that has been used for hundreds—if ...
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Solved! What is a Rain Chain?
Q: I want to replace my unattractive downspouts with something just as functional, only created for beauty—both visua...
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7 Types of Pine Trees That are Great for Home Landscapes
Easily recognized by their needle-type foliage, cone-bearing pine trees are evergreen, making them desirable in the h...
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10 Tall Plants for an Interesting Landscape
For a garden that stands head and shoulders above the rest, try these “high profile” species for instant curb appeal.
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7 Important Things to Know About Your Squirrel Feeder
When it comes to daring hijinks, astounding feats of agility, and sheer persistence, it’s hard to beat your average b...
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11 Important Things to Know About Grow Bag Gardening
Sewn from lightweight fabrics such as polypropylene or burlap, grow bags are soft, breathable versions of your favori...
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10 Brilliant Balcony Garden Ideas
Urban gardeners, rejoice! These unique and creative gardening ideas are designed to fit even the tiniest balcony.
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10 Types of Bees All Homeowners Should Know
You might be surprised to learn there are more than 20,000 types of bees in existence, and a whopping 4,000 of those ...
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How Much Does Lawn Aeration Cost?
Highlights The typical cost to aerate lawns is $100 to $350, with a national average cost of $140. Lawn size and sl...
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Solved! The Great Debate on What to Do with Grass Clippings
Q: We just moved into our house, and want to take care of things the right way. I’ve gotten lots of recommendations a...
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8 Botanical-Themed Reddit Threads All Plant Parents Should Know About
These online communities dedicated to plants will have any garden enthusiast digging for more.
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Solved! When is the Best Time to Trim Trees for Proper Maintenance?
Q: I have several trees on my property that are looking a little overgrown and could use some shaping, but I don't wa...
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The Best Fertilizers for Hibiscus Plants
Hibiscus plants look gorgeous at the garden center. The lush, glossy green leaves provide a perfect background for vi...
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3 Surprisingly Good Reasons to Let Dandelions Grow in Your Yard
Most people turn their noses up at the swaths of yellow puffs that show up in the early springtime. To many, dandelio...
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9 Handy Household Uses for Diatomaceous Earth
This naturally-occurring, affordable powder has a plethora of practical, eco-friendly uses.
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Solved! How to Read Fertilizer Numbers
Q: I went to the local nursery to pick up plant food for my garden, and noticed that every fertilizer has three numbe...
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How Much Mulch Do I Need?
Q: I am planning a few landscaping updates, including a new flower bed around the mailbox and a perennial border on o...
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The Best Watering Wands Tested in 2023
Regular watering is a must for a garden to flourish, and the right watering wand can make the process easier and more...
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8 Stinging Caterpillars All Home Gardeners Should Be Aware Of
Most caterpillars are harmless, but there are a few that require caution. These caterpillars have stings and pokes you’d rather avoid.
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The Best Soil Test Kits Tested in 2023
Plants need light, oxygen, water, and a growing medium that meets their nutritional needs. Commercial and natural fer...
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The Surprising Benefit of Opossums All Homeowners Should Know About
The opossum needs a new publicist. This nocturnal animal—America’s only marsupial—is much maligned, but why? Is it th...
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USDA Releases Plant Hardiness Zones Map Update for 2023
Sometimes called “growing zones” or “gardening zones,” hardiness zones refer to a map developed by the USDA that sepa...
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9 Things to Know About Using Pine Straw Mulch in Your Yard
In some areas of the country, the choice between mulching with pine needles and wood mulch is a tough one. Since the ...
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What Does Poison Ivy Look Like?
Q: I’m not sure if the plants growing in my yard are poison ivy or something else. What does poison ivy look like, an...
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The Dos and Don'ts of Foundation Planting
Foundation planting—placing plants near and along the edges of a home’s walls and foundation—helps blur the line betw...
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10 Tips for Turning Your Yawn of a Yard into an Incredible Edible Landscape
Try your hand at foodscaping with these helpful tips and tricks.
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Solved! What is a Perennial?
Q: I recently moved into a new house and want to start a garden. When browsing plants at my local nursery, I noticed ...
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The Best Hose-End Sprayers Tested in 2023
We understand that when it comes to fertilizing a yard, maintaining a row of shrubbery, tending to a flower bed, or n...
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Solved! Does Vinegar Kill Weeds?
Q: I have always used premixed weed killers to keep the weeds out of my garden and patio. Recently I’ve read some rep...
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The Best Black Mulch for Your Landscaping Needs
Whether you’re growing a vegetable garden or prize roses, adding mulch around the base of plants can be an attractive...
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The Best Grub Killers of 2023
The white grubs that damage lawns are the larval life stage of several beetle species. Japanese beetles, June bugs, m...
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6 Incredible Things to Know About Hummingbird Nests
While every bird’s nest is proof of nature’s amazing artistry, there’s something almost magical about hummingbird nes...
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Solved! When to Plant Hostas
Q: I'm looking to upgrade my landscape soon, and easy-care hostas are right up my alley. But I don't want to mistaken...
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How to Protect Honeybees During Swarm Season
Discovering a swarm of bees in your yard can, understandably, be disconcerting. A swarm is made up of hundreds—or eve...
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The Best Lightweight Garden Hoses
Regular watering helps ensure your grass, flowers, and other plants grow strong. With a lightweight garden hose, you ...
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10 Plants That Grow Better with Companions
Some things just work better together.
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The Best Seed Starting Mixes of 2023
When the weather warms, gardeners often head outdoors to sow quick-sprout vegetables, such as cucumbers, squash, and ...
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13 Ideas for a Vegetable Garden With Serious Curb Appeal
Let vegetables, fruit, and herbs take center stage by planting them in your front yard.
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11 Plants You Should Never Start Indoors
Save room under your grow lights for plants that need a head start. These veggie, herb, and flower seeds do much better when they’re sown outdoors.
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How To: Grow Grapes
Grapevines are versatile and beautiful plants to grow in a home garden. Their plentiful vines produce crisp grapes fo...
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The Best Soils for Monstera
Sometimes called the “Swiss cheese plant,” due to the holes in its leaves, Monstera deliciosa is a popular house plan...
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The Best Nest Boxes for Your Chicken Coop
Whether you have an egg farm, hobby farm, or a couple of backyard chickens, your hens need a place to lay their eggs....
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The Best Fertilizers for Bermuda Grass
Drought tolerant and not picky about the soil in which it grows, Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon)makes a great lawn. ...
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The Best Greenhouse Plastic of 2023
Abundant light is essential for healthy plant growth. While some greenhouse gardeners are fortunate enough to have gr...
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8 Important Things Your Garden is Trying to Tell You
If your flower and vegetable beds appear as blighted as the Garden of Eden after the serpent slithered through, perhaps those plots are trying to send you an urge...
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The Best Fertilizers for St. Augustine Grass of 2023
A favorite in warm coastal regions due to its ability to tolerate salt, high humidity, and toasty temperatures, St. A...
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The Best Lawn Ornaments
Lawn ornaments provide a tasteful and affordable means of decorating your yard, without having to plant elaborate hed...
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Why You Should Take Down Your Backyard Bird Feeder—at Least for Now
Songbirds usually herald in spring with their colors and, of course, their songs. However, this year fewer songbirds ...
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How Much Are Sod Prices?
Highlights The typical range for sod prices is $150 to $450 per pallet, with most homeowners paying a national avera...
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What a Hotter-Than-Average Summer Means for Your Garden This Year
The Weather Channel recently released their outlook for summer 2021, and it looks like some regions across the U. S. ...
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How to Harden Off Plants and Seedlings
If you started this year’s garden plants from seed indoors under grow lights, you’ll need to give some thought to how...
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Solved! When to Apply Pre-Emergent to Prevent a Weedy Lawn and Garden
Q: When should I apply pre-emergent weed control?A: Knowing when to apply pre-emergent herbicide can mean the differe...
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Set Up Your Garden for Success by Ordering Online from These Seed Companies
Heirloom, heritage, organic, open-pollinated: there’s a whole world of exciting, exotic seeds out there, just waiting to be tucked gently into your garden soil—an...
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The Most Stylish Outdoor Decor, According to a Design Pro
Say goodbye to gnomes, flamingos, and mushroom statues once and for all—here’s how to add some upscale decor to your outdoor space.
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The Best Fertilizers for Hydrangeas of 2023
A perennial favorite in the landscape, hydrangea is hardy in a wide range of growing zones and is a relatively easy k...
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Could a Ban on Ornamental Grasses Aid Water Conservation?
The Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) hopes to reduce the region’s water consumption by 15 percent by replacing ...
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The Best Bird Feeders for Cardinals of 2023
Cardinals are frequent visitors to bird feeders, but they have their preferences. Having the right bird feeder and fo...
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3 Container Garden Combos for Attracting Pollinators
Although bees come to mind first as the preeminent pollen movers and shakers, butterflies and hummingbirds also do th...
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The 2024 Cicada Co-Emergence: What You Need to Know
Headlines abound about the 2024 periodical cicada emergence. It is true that the 13-year Brood XIX, the largest named...
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15 Beautiful and Functional Trellis Ideas for Climbing Plants
From creating living artwork within the home to adding privacy with vines on the patio, the options for displaying climbing plants with a trellis are plentiful.
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The Best Concrete Garden Statues for Your Outdoor Spaces
For thousands of years, people from various parts of the world have used statuary to add focal points to gardens. In ...
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The Best Seedling Heat Mats of 2023
For many gardeners, browsing through plants in a garden center is a favorite spring pastime, but some folks can be pu...
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How to: Make a Rain Chain
Rain chains bring a little bit of charm to the landscape and can function as beautiful alternatives to traditional gu...
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The Best Hydroponic Systems for Growing Veggies Indoors Year-Round
Hydroponics—the practice of growing plants in water rather than soil—is popular because it offers a way to produce a ...
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7 Important Things to Know About Your Hummingbird Feeder
If you live in the eastern half of the United States, ruby-throated hummingbirds may be paying you a visit this sprin...
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You’re Probably Harvesting Your Herbs Wrong—Here’s How to Do it Correctly for Maximum Yield
Culinary herbs are some of the easiest and most rewarding plants to grow in the garden. They tolerate a wide range of...
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How to Get Rid of Earwigs
It’s almost impossible to imagine what Earth looked like 208 million years ago. For one thing, humans weren’t even a ...
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5 Clever Reasons to Plant a Tree on Your Property
Though trees certainly add natural beauty to any outdoor space, there are a variety of practical advantages to having...
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The Best Hedge Shears Tested in 2023
Hedge shears—also referred to as manual hedge trimmers—are a critical part of every amateur horticulturist’s arsenal....
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Lowe’s Is Giving Away Free Garden Kits All Month Long—How to Snag One for Your Household
Signs of spring inspire society to start a new chapter. Around the home, a blooming garden is a telltale sign the sea...
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The Best Slug Killers
Slugs are great for cleaning up dead garden debris and providing nitrogen-rich fertilizer that can help a garden thri...
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10 Home Staging Tips for Your Outdoor Spaces
When preparing a home for sale, ensuring that the exterior is as tip-top as the interior can mean a big payoff for sellers. Here are a few easy ways to pep up pat...
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The Best Carpenter Bee Traps of 2023
Carpenter bees are relatively peaceful insects that aid in vegetation pollination and rarely attack humans. This is m...
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The Best Bow Rakes for Your Lawn and Garden
A bow rake, also known simply as a garden rake, differs from a leaf rake in that it has thicker, shorter tines spaced...
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How to Grow Strawberries
Straw polls verify that America’s favorite berry is—appropriately enough—the strawberry. However, gardeners learning ...
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The Best Electric Tillers of 2023
Healthy and loose soil is an unquestionable necessity in any garden. Unfortunately, transforming hard, compacted soil...
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How to Grow Ginger at Home
Ginger rhizomes, more commonly known as ginger roots, come from the flowering plant Zingiber officinale. Because it’s...
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The Best Pond Pumps of 2023
Moving water is enchanting. A backyard pond or water garden can help create a calming atmosphere and adds visual valu...
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The Best Terrariums to Create a Beautiful Indoor Garden
Terrariums are similar to aquariums, but instead of hosting fish and other aquatic life, terrariums contain plants. A...
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The Best Oriole Feeders
Among the brightest songbirds around, orioles are found in all the states east of the Great Plains, and by mid-spring...
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The Best Gas String Trimmers of 2023
Grass and weeds can grow up the side of the shed, encroach on the garden, and climb the fence, but with a gas string ...
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The Best Pre-Emergent Herbicides of 2023
Stopping weeds early—before they can emerge from the soil—is the goal when applying a pre-emergent herbicide. A pre-e...
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The Best Cordless Grass Shears Tested in 2023
Grass shears are a handy landscaping tool for trimming areas that a lawn mower can’t reach. For increased versatility...
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The Best Stand-Up Weeders of 2023
Weeds and other invasive plants can wreak havoc on a yard or garden, but many people are understandably wary about tr...
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The Best Solar Post Cap Lights
Even a small deck or yard can make warm weather much more enjoyable because you can move meals outside, sit under the...
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9 Ways to Rid Your Garden of Japanese Beetles
Japanese beetles might be harmless to humans but that doesn’t mean you want them around. This invasive insect feeds o...
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Starting Seeds Indoors: 8 Critical Mistakes Most New Gardeners Make
Give your garden a good start by avoiding these rookie blunders.
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The Best Solar Flagpole Lights
The American Flag Code states that the flag should be displayed only from sunrise to sunset unless it is properly ill...
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The Best Weed Eater Heads to Repair Your Tool
Weed eater heads see a lot of abuse. Spinning at thousands of RPMs, bumping against the pavement, and plunging deep i...
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The Best Dandelion Killers of 2023
A favorite of children for their delicate seeds that take flight with a soft puff of breath, dandelions are among the...
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Vole vs. Mole: How to Tell Which Pest is Tunneling Through Your Yard and Garden
Here’s a riddle: What’s nearly blind, eats insects, and can be found in both your backyard and the local arcade? If y...
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The Best Gas Hedge Trimmers for Maintaining Your Landscape
Hedges and bushes are assets to any home’s landscaping, providing much-needed privacy around patios and along propert...
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5 Small Home Improvements That Can Help Cultivate a Green Thumb
When the gardening bug bites, it doesn’t easily let go. Sometimes it starts with houseplants, others begin with veggi...
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Spotted Lanternfly Eggs Are Hatching Soon—Here’s What You Should Do
First detected in the United States in 2014, the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) has made its way from Pennsy...
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The Best Dethatchers of 2023
To have a lush, green lawn of which you can be proud can often take a lot of hard work and attention to detail. If yo...
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The Best Squirrel-Proof Bird Feeders Tested in 2023
Bird feeders provide entertainment for bird-watchers and other nature enthusiasts, but unwanted guests such as squirr...
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The Best Brush Killers of 2023
Depending on which area of the country you call home, a variety of brushwood species could be spreading along your fe...
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The Best Citrus Fertilizers
Like other fruit trees, citrus trees thrive when they have the nutrients they need to develop healthy root systems, s...
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Burpee’s New ‘Armageddon’ Pepper is Only for the Bravest of Vegetable Gardeners
Advertised as the first habanero to attain 1. 3 million Scoville heat units, the British-begotten ‘Armageddon’ actual...
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7 Fertilizer Mistakes Most Home Gardeners Make
These innocent missteps may be working against you. Feed your garden the right way and watch it thrive.
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The Best Organic Weed Killers of 2023
Despite attentive gardening practices, unwanted weeds muscle in—fast! Weeks spent coddling flowers and vegetables so ...
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How to Pick the Best Topsoil Delivery Service After Searching ‘Topsoil Delivery Near Me’
Whether you are an active gardener or a planting newbie, it is crucial to understand that topsoil helps plants grow. ...
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What Are Assassin Bugs, and Do I Want Them in My Garden?
The insect realm is rife with creepy-crawlies, be they smelly stink bugs, sneaky weevils, or simply slimy cockroaches...
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The Best Hose Timers Tested in 2023
A hose timer is a simple device that connects directly between a hose and a water spigot. The hose timer’s position a...
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The Best Soil for Roses
From miniature blooms to hybrid tea varieties, roses are beautiful plants that can brighten up any home or office wit...
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10 Ways Your Backyard Garden Can Combat Climate Change
Whether you have multiple acres, a postage stamp-sized yard, or a container garden, planting your own victory garden can benefit the environment.
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How To: Grow Mushrooms at Home
Nothing compares to the flavor of vegetables you’ve grown yourself. Unlike most vegetables, mushrooms actually grow w...
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7 Things to Know When Growing a Wildflower Garden
Picture it—an oasis of wildflowers dotted with blooms of various shapes and sizes. Bees and butterflies are buzzing a...
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How to Make Hummingbird Food
Like tiny flying jewels, hummingbirds are a treat to observe zipping, perching, or sipping in your garden. There are ...
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The Best Pots for Aloe Plants
Aloe plants are a helpful succulent to keep around the house, not only for their beauty but also for their well-known...
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The Best Bird Baths Tested in 2023
Birds need a safe source of water to survive and thrive in any habitat. Installing a high-quality bird bath can be a ...
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The Best Garden Hose Splitters
There are a plethora of uses for garden hoses. Watering plants, washing the car, irrigation, cleaning the driveway or...
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The Best Rooting Hormones of 2023
Gardeners use multiple methods for growing new plants, including starting them from seeds, bulbs, and rhizomes. Howev...
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The Best Fertilizer for Peppers and Veggies
Few things are as satisfying as growing vegetables and picking them at their ripest, healthiest, and tastiest. As veg...
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The Best AeroGarden to Bring Your Garden Indoors
Not everyone who wants a garden can grow one. Apartment dwellers without access to outdoor space might feel limited t...
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The Best Sprinkler Pumps of 2023
Sprinkler systems are a great way to keep the lawn green and flowers healthy, but when a pond, lake, or well is the p...
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The Best Heated Bird Bath for Cold Weather
When temperatures drop and water freezes, birds can have a tough time finding a place to drink, preen, and bathe. Bir...
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The Best Garden Fence to Add Style to Your Yard—and Keep Critters Out
Garden fencing can be both practical and ornamental, serving to contain flowers and plants or adding a decorative ele...
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15 Gorgeous Rock Garden Ideas for Your Landscape
When it comes time to create a backyard that’s both beautiful and practical, you can’t do much better than sourcing materials from Mother Nature. Incorporating el...
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Cultivator vs. Tiller: Which is Best for Your Soil?
Tiller or cultivator? Gardeners often use the two words as if they mean the same thing, but they are actually differe...
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The Best Soils for Growing Vegetables
The most common spot for growing vegetables is outdoors during warm weather, where the plants can soak up long days o...
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How To: Grow Onions
When you’re learning how to grow onions, keep in mind that they can be started from seed, purchased seedlings, or set...
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5 Tips for Soundproofing Your Outdoor Spaces
If you live near a busy street or highway, hear barking dogs frequently, or have neighbors who enjoy partying late at...
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12 DIY Vegetable Garden Ideas
Grow your own fresh herbs and vegetables—no matter the size of your outdoor space—with one of these DIY vegetable garden ideas.
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The Best Indoor Bug Zappers
No one likes sharing their home with bugs, so when flies, moths, and other winged pests make their way inside, you wa...
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The Best Indoor Succulents For Fuss-Free Greenery
Succulents are low-maintenance plants that can live indoors or even outdoors in the right conditions. Attractive, ver...
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The Best Organic Fertilizers of 2023
All plants need nourishment. Lawn grass and houseplants typically need a little help to grow their best. That’s where...
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Burpee Says Immunity Gardens Will Be Big This Spring—Here’s How to Create One in Your Backyard
As the dreary winter months near their final leg, looking ahead to the vibrancy of spring offers hope for a fresh sta...
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This One Crop Could Give You Your Best Vegetable Garden Yet
Peanuts are more than a delicious and filling snack. They're also a valuable cover crop that can help your vegetable ...
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The Best Patio Chairs of 2023
Regardless of the season, there are few things more refreshing and relaxing than enjoying the outdoor space of your b...
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How to Cultivate the Perfect Soil for Your Vegetable Garden
Although the idiom "common as dirt" is often used as an insult, good dirt isn't so common and remains essential to th...
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The Best Sprinkler Heads
Watering the lawn and garden is easier when you replace the handheld sprayer with one or more sprinkler heads that ta...
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The Best Weed Torches Tested in 2023
Weed management is rarely at the top of anyone’s list of desirable to-dos. Bending over and pulling weeds is a lot of...
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The Best Oscillating Sprinklers of 2023
Most lawns need 1 to 2 inches of water per week to thrive. While rainfall can provide that needed water, it’s likely ...
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What Is the No-Dig Gardening Method, and Why You Should Try it This Spring
Of all the reasons that gardeners give for pursuing their hobby, digging rarely makes the list. Spending time in natu...
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The Best Grow Bags
Gardening in grow bags is an excellent solution for would-be green thumbs who don’t have enough garden space or who r...
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The Best Grass Shears, Tested and Reviewed
After careful mowing, the lawn looks nearly perfect. Yet some grassy areas might require spot trimming or edging to a...
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The Best Garden Trowels
According to research, gardening can help you stay in shape both mentally and physically. Gardening involves exercise...
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The Best Planters
Decorating a space with greenery adds color and life to the room it inhabits. Plants improve indoor air quality, have...
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The Best Self-Watering Planters for Low-Maintenance Gardens
Self-watering planters offer a convenient way to have an indoor garden with little maintenance. If you’re a plant-lov...
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The One Rule of (Green) Thumb When Decorating With Houseplants
Location, location, location is as important for houseplants as it is for real estate. Plants should be placed in spo...
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The Best Indoor Gardens for Flowers and Herbs, Tested
Indoor gardens are fun additions to virtually any space, and they’re especially well suited to those who love cooking...
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14 of the Fastest-Growing Houseplants for a Nearly Instant Indoor Garden
Do you want your houseplants to grow like a house afire? Try a few of these old reliables known for flourishing fast.
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The Best Garden Hoes Tested in 2023
The sharp blade of a garden hoe is an indispensable gardening tool for slicing through weed roots and breaking up hea...
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The Best Soil Moisture Meters Tested in 2023
Water is vital to thriving plant life—plants would shrivel up and die without it—but ensuring that you provide the ri...
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The Best pH Meters for Home and Garden Use
Whether you’re an amateur gardener, a flower enthusiast, or you’ve got a yard full of fruits and veggies, a pH meter ...
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The Best Rain Gauges, Tested and Reviewed
Initially used by weather stations and now by gardeners, farmers, and weather enthusiasts alike, rain gauges collect ...
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The Best Garden Sets for Kids
Educational and inspirational, garden sets for children can nurture a love of nature. There are a variety of garden s...
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The Best Gardening and Plant Identification Apps for Your Smartphone
Whether you simply want to identify the flowers growing in your backyard or you have big plans to become a pro mushroom forager, downloading a few key apps will p...
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The Best Humidifiers for Plants of 2023
Indoor plants offer an aesthetic appeal, plus they can remove allergens from the air and oxygenate the space. The key...
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The Best LED Grow Lights Tested in 2023
For those who are attempting to cultivate houseplants, start plants from seed, or grow vegetables indoors, natural li...
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3 Good Reasons to Dust Your Houseplants—and How to Do It
With so many of us spending so much time in our homes these days, we’re eager to infuse our spaces with a little natu...
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The Best Garden Forks
Though you may be like some gardeners who love to hoard gadgets, it is possible to achieve most gardening goals with ...
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The Best Gardening Shoes
Those who love gardening have likely muddied if not totally ruined a decent pair of shoes while pursuing it. That’s w...
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11 Head-Turning Houseplants You Won’t Believe Are Real
Yes, Virginia, there are plants that resemble baseballs, bottlebrushes, and Buddhas, among other unlikely subjects. Most of them aren’t difficult to grow, either.
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The Best Plant Food
Plant food is formulated with key nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Whether your plants are in r...
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The Best Mulch
If you haven’t been using mulch in your garden, you’re seriously missing out on the benefits of this horticultural se...
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11 Indoor Gardening Projects Absolutely Anyone Can Do
You don’t need a degree in horticulture to pull off these easy indoor gardening projects.
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The Best Soil for Raised Beds of 2023
For plants, soil provides another vital element. It doesn’t just deliver nutrients to hungry fruits, vegetables, and ...
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The Best Outdoor Thermometers Tested and Reviewed
While a peek outside or a glance at a smartphone’s weather app provides all the weather information many people want,...
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The Best Soils for Succulents of 2023
Succulents are low-maintenance plants that are perfect for many brown-thumbed gardeners. Since they generally require...
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The Best Gardening Books
Gardeners always want to know more about their favorite hobby. Whether looking for a new garden hose or the right kin...
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Keep Your Green Thumb Going This Winter With a Garden Tower
There’s something therapeutic about watching food flourish in the comfort of your home.
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7 Instagrammers Whose Houseplants Have a Cult Following
It’s weird to think of plants as a trend. They’ve been here all along, offering clean air and lending a hand in natur...
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The Best Deer Repellents
Foraging deer can cause major damage to home gardens. These adorable woodland critters can ravage your yard by munchi...
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The Best Smart Sprinkler Controllers of 2023
If you have an inground sprinkler system and don't have a smart controller, your sprinklers could end up watering at ...
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The Best Compost Tumblers Tested in 2023
Composting has numerous benefits. In addition to recycling kitchen and garden waste into a helpful soil amendment, co...
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The Best Pitchforks
Digging into tough, compacted soil can be challenging work. Over time, fallen rain, heavy snow, and footsteps from pe...
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The Best Patio Furniture
A well-planned outdoor setup can provide extended living space perfect for dining, lounging, and entertaining. There ...
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40 Tasks All Homeowners Should Finish Before the First Frost
From closing down the deck and garden to making sure your heating system is working, there’s plenty to be done in the autumn months. Which tasks will you take on ...
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The Best Rose Fertilizers for Healthy and Vibrant Rose Plants
Like humans, roses require a healthy diet of nutrients to grow and perform well. However, just as popping too many vi...
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12 Fall Landscaping Mistakes to Know and Avoid
Whether you have a green thumb when it comes to your home garden, or you can hardly tell the difference between a rose and a weed, you should know that there are ...
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10 Garden Plants That Will Feed Backyard Birds in Fall and Winter
Populate your garden with plants that will nourish hungry sparrows and robins all winter long.
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The Best Trees to Plant for Fall Foliage
There's no need to travel for leaf peeping in the fall if you plant any of these trees in your yard.
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The Best Zero Turn Mowers
A zero turn mower is designed for easy maneuvering by using lever control mechanics to turn the mower on a zero-degre...
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9 Reasons You Should Mulch Your Garden Every Fall
An easy and effective way to winterize your garden, mulching is also key to saving time, money, and energy when spring arrives.
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The 6 Best Robot Lawn Mowers for Automated Maintenance, Tested
Improvements in rechargeable battery tech and intelligent software have dramatically changed the way we live. Smart t...
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14 Plants, Shrubs, and Trees That Can Help You Sell Your House
In real estate, first impressions are everything. And nothing increases your property value and wows buyers quite like a well-manicured front lawn.
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The Best Potting Soil Mixes of 2023
Unlike soil amendments that mix into natural garden soil for gardening, potting soil is an all-in-one mixture for con...
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39 Plants You’ll Love If You Hate Fall Yard Work
When autumn arrives, the last thing you want to do is put down the rake and start pruning, deadheading, and transplanting finicky perennials. These low-maintenanc...
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The Best Garden Carts Tested in 2023
A garden cart is a wagon with two or more wheels used to tote garden tools or materials, such as earth, stones, and p...
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How to Find the Right Plants for Your Fall Garden
Transitioning to fall doesn’t mean that the garden no longer deserves your attention. Here’s how to find the perfect plants for your fall landscape.
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The 7 Wood Chippers That Cut Best in Our Tests
A wood chipper cuts twigs, limbs, branches, and other solid yard material into small pieces. These chips may provide ...
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10 Low-Maintenance Houseplants to Keep Indoor Air Fresh
Can houseplants clean the air inside your home? Learn about the research behind this health benefit and see the low-maintenance plants that will give your home a ...
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The Best Knee Pads
Anyone who has ever knelt on a hard surface will likely know the sheer discomfort and the extreme awkwardness of mane...
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The Best Mosquito Repellents
To help prevent mosquito bites and repel these irritating insects you need an effective repellent. The best mosquito ...
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The Best Brush Cutters of 2023
Brush cutters easily grind through tall, overgrown fields; up steep hillsides; and into deep ditches where regular la...
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The 15 Best Plants for Rock Gardens
Rock gardens add interest to a plain, flat yard, and require much less water and upkeep than typical landscaping. Ready to rock out? Here's what to grow.
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The Best Shovels, Tested and Reviewed
The smell of freshly turned earth, the weight of a sturdy shovel, and the view of healthy bedding plants just waiting...
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14 Landscaping Features That Can Hurt Your Home Value
First impressions are important when it comes to selling your home. Consider how your property’s landscape might affect your selling potential.
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Garden Sprinklers for Every Yard: Our 15 Favorites
We purchase garden sprinklers to give our lawns and plants the water they need. Why not spring for a sprinkler that is nice to look at, customizable, or does doub...
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These 11 Plants May Help Keep Your House Cool
Instead of cranking up the AC, let indoor plants offer an environmentally friendly alternative for beating the heat. Adding a touch of green to your decor may hel...
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The Best Hose Reels Tested in 2023
The bushes are pruned, the lawn is mowed, and the planting beds are weeded. The yard and garden look great—except for...
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The Dos and Don'ts of Sprinkler Repair and Maintenance
Quality sprinkler systems are easy, water-efficient means to keep your yard green and lush. Their programmable and sc...
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Solved! Where Hummingbirds Live All Year Long
Q: My garden is abuzz with hummingbirds every summer, yet  I rarely see hummingbirds feeding or nesting in my yard du...
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The Best Hummingbird Feeders Tested in 2023
Hummingbirds add a fun, sometimes comical element to a landscape with their high-speed aerial acrobatics. And because...
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10 Fast-Growing Plants for (Almost) Instant Curb Appeal
Bright flowers and colorful foliage are the easiest ways to amp up your curb appeal. If you're in a rush to get things growing, try one of these fast-blooming var...
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The Best Fertilizer Spreaders, Tested and Reviewed
Whether seeding a new lawn, feeding an existing garden, or treating a yard for bug infestations, a fertilizer spreade...
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The Best Expandable Hoses Tested in 2023
Expandable hoses are self-draining kink- and twist-resistant alternatives to standard garden hoses. They weigh far le...
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Solved! When Is the Best Time of Year for Spraying Fruit Trees?
Q: The fruit on several fruit trees in my garden grows poorly and the leaves look bad. I probably need to spray the t...
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The Best Fertilizers for Tomatoes of 2023
Sweet, juicy, homegrown tomatoes are the epitome of backyard garden produce, and they don’t happen by accident. It ta...
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Solved! Is it Illegal to Collect Rainwater?
Q: We just moved across the country, and it’s pretty dry out here. I’d love to collect rainwater for my garden but I’...
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The Best Insecticides for Vegetable Gardens
Insects are part of a healthy garden ecosystem. Bees and other pollinating insects ensure a plentiful harvest from he...
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Solved! Do Seeds Expire?
Q: Do seeds expire? I have many flower and vegetable seed packets dating back several years and don’t know if I shoul...
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Homemade Honey: How to Keep Bees in Your Own Backyard
There’s been a lot of buzz around backyard beekeeping recently. Here’s must-know info and helpful tips to help you enjoy this sweet pursuit!
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The Best Snake Repellents of 2023
Some people handle sudden and unexpected encounters with serpents surprisingly well, while others—not so much. Most h...
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Solved! How to Overcome 11 Common Tomato Plant Problems
I have grown a vegetable garden for the past four years, and I just can’t figure out tomatoes. I get spots on the tom...
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14 Best Plants for Under Trees
Gardening on the dark side is a cinch when you start with the right plants. These perennials, annuals, shrubs, and trees grow best in the shade.
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The Best Automatic Plant Waterers for Your Container Garden
Because their growing medium can dry out quickly, container plants require frequent watering to remain healthy, espec...
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The Fastest-Growing Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs for Impatient Gardeners
Vegetable gardens don’t happen overnight! But there’s plenty of tasty produce you can plant now, or even later in the season, that will deliver faster than any to...
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10 Things I Wish I’d Known Before Starting a Garden
As the saying goes, “Hindsight is 20/20.” And while it often implies an arduous experience from which you’ve learned a tough but valuable lesson, the expression i...
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10 Houseplants That Thrive Where Others Die
If you have a history of killing houseplants, don’t give up! We have the right plant for you.
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The Best Drip Irrigation Systems of 2023
Keeping up with watering your garden can be a challenge. Vacations, busy schedules, and changing weather conditions c...
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The Best Crabgrass Killers
Crabgrass gets its name from how it grows—low to the ground with stems that radiate out from the center of the grass ...
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The Best Rototillers
Few gardeners are blessed with the loose, loamy soil plants love. For those who must break through heavy clay soil or...
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12 Ways to Be a Good Neighbor—to Your Backyard Wildlife
Put out the welcome mat for beautiful backyard critters with these tips for making your property a haven for birds, pollinating insects, and other wildlife.
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The Best Pots for Succulents
Succulents store water in their leaves, making them drought-friendly and low-maintenance houseplants for those who wo...
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20 Ways to Garden Without a Backyard
Limited yard space doesn't mean you have to miss out on the joys of gardening. Here are 20 creative ways to garden indoors.
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9 Signs You Have a Pest Problem in the Garden
Decode the clues that sneaky garden gremlins leave behind and banish the little buggers with these pro tips.
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13 Plants You Never Knew Were Weeds
Sometimes the difference between a cultivated plant and a weed is hard to distinguish.
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12 Landscaping Mistakes that Pros Have Made and Learned From
Let the hard lessons learned by some of the country’s top professional landscapers help you grow your own personal paradise.
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The Best Compact Greenhouses of 2023
Extend your vegetable harvest into fall or get a jump on spring planting with a compact home greenhouse. The protecti...
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10 Biggest Vegetable Gardening Mistakes
Trial-and-error is an integral part of the learning process when it comes to any hobby, including gardening. But some errors are so egregious that it’s best to av...
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The Best Landscape Fabrics for Weed-Free Gardening
Whether we like it or not, weeds are part of every landscape, competing with your trees, shrubs, and flowers for vita...
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The 15 Best Flowers for Rookie Gardeners
Try these colorful, tough-as-nails stalwarts to boost your garden confidence and green up those thumbs.
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12 Little-Known Tricks to Make This Year's Vegetable Garden a Success
Whether you're cultivating a small collection of potted herbs on your balcony or you're planning an epic victory garden, we've got tried and true tips from expert...
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The Best Pruning Shears Tested in 2023
Keeping a garden and landscape in top shape requires care and maintenance, including regular pruning. Whether you nee...
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25 No-Effort Plants for a Foolproof Landscape
Check out these fuss-free flowers and shrubs for a gorgeous landscape with minimal work.
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The Best Watering Cans
Whether your green thumb involves caring for houseplants or young seedlings that prefer not to be drowned by a blast ...
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The Best Hose Nozzles Tested in 2023
Using your thumb to direct the flow on an open-ended garden hose is hardly an effective way to water plants. A good h...
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These 10 Flowering Plants Boast the Biggest Blooms
Bigger is better with these massive flowers that you can grow at home.
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12 Fast-Growing Vegetables for Your Home Garden
Harvest an abundance of fresh produce from your backyard garden less than 60 days after planting these fast-growing vegetables.
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The Best Garden Fertilizers of 2023
Garden plants need nutrients to grow and remain healthy. Adequate soil fertility is as important to plants as a healt...
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12 Secrets for a Successful Indoor Garden
Nothing tastes better than freshly picked herbs, vegetables, and fruit, but you don’t need a large yard or the perfec...
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10 Ergonomic Tools that Make Gardening Nearly Painless
Gardening can sometimes leave you feeling achy and sore. But don’t despair, because there are many ergonomic gardening tools available to help take the pain out o...
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The Best Leaf Rakes Tested in 2023
We’ve researched more than 30 leaf rakes to compile the following group for testing. As opposed to “hard” rakes used ...
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8 Top Tips for How to Use Compost
Composting is great for your garden and the environment. Instead of dumping vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, grass c...
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The 9 Best Raised Garden Beds for Growing Plants, Tested
Raised-bed gardening is a popular option for many backyards. It allows users to put a garden practically anywhere, ev...
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9 Mistakes You’re Making That Are Damaging Your Soil
Whether you have loose, nutrient-dense soil or something more like modeling clay, the way you treat it could be making it worse.
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The Best Weeding Tools Tested in 2023
Though herbicides control weeds, these chemicals can pose serious health risks to humans and wildlife. Manual weeding...
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15 Ways Landscaping Can Save You Money
Don't assume a nice landscape has to break the bank. In fact, a smart landscape design plan can offset other home maintenance costs. See the best landscaping idea...
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Why Planting a Victory Garden This Year Is More Important Than Ever
Occasionally, an idea comes along that is so great it lives on from generation to generation. The victory garden is o...
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How To: Grow Fresh Produce from Your Leftover Groceries
Don't toss your scraps into the trash. Learn how you can grow fresh produce from your leftovers and cuttings.
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5 Things to Know About Succession Planting
If you’d love a steady supply of fresh vegetables, the tried-and-true farming practice of succession planting could f...
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10 Things to Know Before Dethatching a Lawn
Of all the plants, trees, and shrubs in your landscape, the lawn is the most demanding feature, requiring constant ma...
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The Best Weed Killers of 2023
Whether they crop up on your lawn, in a flower bed, in gravel areas, or between cracks in paved pathways, weeds are t...
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10 Tools Every Lazy Gardener Needs
Have a beautiful yard and garden without having to break a sweat. Add these garden tools to your arsenal for easy gardening.
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The Best Compost Bins Tested in 2023
Compost is like a multivitamin for your soil. Made of thoroughly decayed organic material used as a fertilizer, it en...
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What’s the Difference? Garden Soil vs. Potting Soil
If you’re planning a new garden, you should start with good soil. After all, soil is the medium of life for plants, p...
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The Best Soaker Hoses Tested in 2023
When it comes to plants, two things are essential: sunlight and water. Whether you have a raised vegetable garden or ...
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The Best Leaf Vacuums Tested in 2023
Though broadly related to leaf blowers, leaf vacuums operate in the opposite direction. While leaf blowers disperse l...
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6 Beneficial Garden Critters You Can Buy Online
Your garden inevitably attracts unwelcome visitors like aphids and tomato-loving caterpillars that can destroy your hard work practically overnight. But not all g...
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The Best Bug Zappers Tested in 2023
You’re all set to laze on a lounge chair, tend to your flower garden, or enjoy a backyard cookout with your friends, ...
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The Best Work Gloves of 2023, Tested and Reviewed
A good pair of work gloves can help DIYers get tough jobs done without suffering through painful reminders of the day...
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The Best Lawn Sprinklers Tested in 2023
One of the keys to a healthy lawn and garden is having a reliable sprinkler that effectively waters all the various s...
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8 Ways Your Garden Can Save America's Most Beautiful Butterfly from Extinction
The monarch needs our help, and we can be the ones who provide it.
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The Best Hanging Planters for Indoors and Out
Plants are an affordable way to add a pop of color and style to update indoor and outdoor rooms. In particular, hangi...
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The Dos and Don’ts of Mulching the Garden
 Mulch is any material laid over the surface of the soil to retain moisture, suppress weeds, regulate temperature, an...
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6 Things to Know Before Spraying Insecticide
The much-anticipated arrival of spring also brings a plethora of insects. Some, like ladybugs and honeybees, are bene...
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Here’s How Building a Cold Frame Can Extend Your Gardening Season
A cold frame is one of the most valuable accessories for the northern or mountain gardener. With a cold frame, garden...
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The Best Wheelbarrows for Zipping Around the Yard
If you spend a good amount of time gardening or landscaping, a dependable and capable wheelbarrow can help lessen you...
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The Best Gardening Tools
From perennial flower beds to privacy hedges, backyard landscapes require regular upkeep. Opt for dedicated gardening...
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9 Ways to Keep Backyard Birds Healthy and Well Fed This Winter
Backyard bird watching in the winter is a popular pastime, providing a lovely dose of nature during what can be the h...
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25 Ways to Enjoy Your Garden This Winter
The cold weather may curb your enthusiasm for the outdoors, but there is still plenty of pleasure to be taken from tending the landscape, even after your favorite...
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10 Landscaping Must-Dos to Help Your Plants Survive the Winter
Winter has a way of wreaking havoc on the landscape, leaving in its wake heaved plants and wind-torn trees and shrubs. This year, don't just sit back and wait to ...
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Count On These 25 Indoor Plants for Easy Color Year-Round
Adding houseplants to a space is like putting out the welcome mat. They infuse a home with life, bringing character and interest to every room they inhabit. Some ...
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Solved! When—and How—to Repot a Plant
Q: When should I repot a plant? And how do I ensure success?A: Plants don’t stay little for long, especially if they ...
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20 Bold and Beautiful Flowers That Bloom in Fall
Bright colors and big blooms don't end in summer. In fact, nothing says fall quite like these 20 ubiquitous autumn blossoms.
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The Do's and Don'ts of Cleaning Up Leaves
This unavoidable fall chore can be best tackled with a dose of knowledge and an ounce of preparedness.
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The Unkillable Garden: 15 Veggies and Herbs That Will Thrive in Your Space
Plagued with a black thumb? Do you fear that the produce section at your local grocery store is as close to fresh as you’ll ever get? Take heart. Whether you have...
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The Best Gardening Gloves, Tested and Reviewed
Behind every beautiful, bountiful garden is a great deal of dirty work. Fortunately, a pair of rugged, reliable glove...
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These Are the Most Popular Houseplants in America
With everything there are trends—and in the world of houseplants, it is no different. As social media facilitates community conversation among home gardeners, it ...
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Garden Hose Repair: 4 Fast (and Frugal) Fixes
When intact, your garden hose is a trusty tool for hydrating your lawn, rinsing debris from your deck, and just about...
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The 15 Worst Invasive Plants in America
Many of the most invasive plant species thriving in the United States came from elsewhere—mostly Europe and Asia. While they are often beautiful, these plants spr...
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20 Tips for Keeping All Critters Out of Your Yard and Garden
An enjoyable afternoon spent working in the garden, a lovely evening relaxing in the yard: the exterior of your home provides plenty of opportunities to recharge ...
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9 Types of Mulch to Keep Your Landscape Lush
Mulch may not be a miracle cure for all that ails your garden, but according to professional gardeners and arborists,...
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25 Ways to Beautify Your Yard Without Planting a Thing
You can bring color, charm, and personality to your yard without planting a single flower. Check out these 25 gardening-free ways to make your property more beaut...
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The Dos and Don'ts of Cleaning Patio Furniture
Keep your outdoor oasis in top shape this season with these patio furniture cleaning tips.
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13 Exotic Ideas to Transform a Basic Backyard
Don’t bother booking that summer vacation in the tropics, because with a few well-chosen touches, you can enjoy a verdant oasis right in your own backyard. In fac...
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10 Things the Landscaper Won’t Tell You for Free
You may trust their expertise, but even the best landscapers won’t tell you everything up front. Here are 10 pieces of insider info your landscaper may reveal onl...
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The Best Things You Can Do for Your Lawn and Garden in Under a Minute
Americans spend about 70 hours a year on lawn and garden care, ensuring that their lawn is lush and weed-free and their flower bed is brimming with color. But eve...
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How to Get Rid of Creeping Charlie
Creeping Charlie or Glechoma hederacea, also commonly known as ground ivy, is an insidious weed that is both resilien...
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The 9 Easiest Plants You Can Buy on Amazon
Gardening is meant to be a relaxing activity that connects you with nature as you beautify your yard—yet crowded nurseries and finicky flowers can make the hobby ...
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8 Reasons Not to Use Pesticides in Your Yard and Garden
The advent of modern pesticides has meant that even home gardeners can achieve pristine landscaping and gorgeous, green lawns with chemical management. But using ...
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10 Creative Ways to Care for Your Yard
Maintaining a manicured yard requires effort, patience, and the right tools. If you’re responsible for the landscaping chores at your house then you should alread...
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These Bugs Are Your Garden's Biggest Threat This Spring
Spring has sprung, and your garden is about to burst into bloom. But wait! What are those holes in your rose leaves? For a happy, healthy garden, keep an eye out ...
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12 Tips for Homeowners Who Want to Spend Less Time Mowing
Everyone wants to enjoy a beautiful lawn in the summertime, but almost no one loves mowing it. Cut down on the time you spend mowing your grass with some of these...
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50 Plants That Thrive in Any Yard
With a pinch of effort and almost no upkeep, you can have the lush, beautiful garden of your dreams. The secret is to choose plant varieties that enjoy a little h...
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20 Ways to Enjoy the Colors of the Year in Your Garden
Each year the design world eagerly awaits the announcement of the Colors of the Year by top paint brands. This year's crop of colors encompasses brilliant blues, ...
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12 Ways to Wake Up Your Yard for Spring
Outdoors and in, take care of a few simple tasks now to bring your house out of winter hibernation!
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20 Flowering Houseplants That Will Add Beauty to Your Home
Leafy green houseplants are wonderful (and many of them require little care), but why not expand your indoor gardening skills by adding a few flowering houseplant...
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11 Things You Didn't Know That Houseplants Love
You don’t need to be an expert to know the basic necessities houseplants need in order to grow. But aside from sunlight, water, and good soil, houseplants love a ...
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15 Things to Do in the Yard Before the First Frost
As summer scurries away, cooler temps and autumn leaves aren't far behind. Move these temperature-sensitive yard chores to the top of this month's to-do list to k...
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This DIY Project Provides the Ultimate Finishing Touch for Your Curb Appeal
This content has been brought to you by Quikrete. Its facts and opinions are those of BobVila. com. Lawn and garden e...
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10 Sun-Loving Plants That Thrive in Summer
We've gathered a bountiful bouquet of flowering plants that can survive a full day in the sun and still serve up a slew of show-stopping blooms.
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10 Tips for Pulling Weeds and Keeping Them Out of Your Yard
Ask any group of gardeners about their least favorite task, and you’re bound to hear a chorus of “Weeding!” Rampant w...
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11 Living Fences That Look Better Than Chain Link
Natural fences constructed of shrubbery, trees, or flowering bushes are attractive and environmentally friendly havens for songbirds, butterflies, and other desir...
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14 Ways to Make Your Small Yard Seem Big
Even a small yard can feel spacious if you design it the right way. Read on for our favorite ways to make your small yard look bigger.
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34 Amazing Plants That Are Native to North America
From azalea to English ivy, many common garden plants traveled here from overseas, from countries like Japan or Britain. Yet a handful of landscaping standouts or...
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14 Symptoms of an Unhappy Houseplant (and How You Can Treat Them)
Despite our best efforts, our potted plants sometimes flounder. Knowing how to identify and treat houseplants' most common afflictions can help you revive them in...
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Makeover an Ordinary Outdoor Space with a Wall-Mounted Trellis
It's not news: You don’t need to have a huge backyard to enjoy greenery. The key is to embrace your vertical space, a...
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15 Fascinating Flowers That Bloom Only at Night
You'll want to stay up late to glimpse these fragrant beauties.
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The Dos and Don'ts of Buying Plants Online
Visiting the local nursery is an annual rite of passage for avid gardeners and plant lovers who bask in the rows of s...
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14 Long-Lasting Flowers for Your Yard
Flowering trees and shrubs deliver vibrant color to the yard, but most varieties bloom for only weeks at a time. If you want extended curb appeal, these 14 long-l...
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12 Backyard Greenhouses You Can Assemble All By Yourself
A die-hard gardener’s ultimate dream is having a greenhouse in the backyard. If this is your dream, it’s not as far away as you might think. You don’t necessarily...
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The Best Things You Can Do for Your Garden Soil
A beautiful garden requires a solid foundation, but achieving healthy, nutrient-dense soil takes time and effort. Here are 10 smart practices for making your gard...
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14 Cheap DIYs for a Better Backyard
Most homeowners are eager to improve their outdoor living space, but professional landscaping services and patio furniture cost a pretty penny these days. Don’t g...
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All You Need to Know About Keyhole Gardening
Keyhole gardens, so named because they’re shaped like an old-fashioned skeleton-key lock, were developed to help folk...
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Solved! Does Using Epsom Salts in the Garden Actually Help?
Q: I have heard that Epsom salt can do everything from jumpstarting tomatoes to fertilizing garden shrubs. How do I k...
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How to Get Rid of June Bugs
Despite their name, June bugs (Phyllophaga spp. ) are active in adult form in May as well as June. Though the way the...
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9 of the Best Shrubs for Any Garden
A lush landscape is the dream of many a homeowner. But if you don’t live in an established neighborhood, you don't get to reap the benefits of mature plantings. Y...
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The Perfect DIY Plant Stand for Any Empty Corner
‘Tis the season to celebrate your green thumb! If you enjoy afternoons tending colorful blooms, then you understand h...
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All You Need to Know About Loamy Soil
While you may be concerned with watering or fertilizing during the growing season, are you giving your soil considera...
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20 Plants That Are Perfect for Window Boxes
Want to wow passersby and amp up your curb appeal without a lot of time and effort on your part? Plant some of these blooms and greens in a window box to brighten...
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20 Places You Need to See If You Love Plants
The term "tourist attraction" usually evokes visions of long lines, inflated prices, and man-made marvels. But for those who prefer to walk on the wild side, some...
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10 Times You Can Get Nature to Do Your Yard Work for You
Do you ever dream of a beautiful backyard that takes care of itself, leaving you free to simply lounge in a hammock? Well, a completely self-sufficient garden may...
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The Biggest Outdoor Design Trends of 2018—So Far
A yard is more than grass that you have to mow, it's an extension of your living space. Homeowners who commit time and money toward landscaping their yard not onl...
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DIY Hydroponics 101: All You Need to Know About Growing Plants Without Soil
If you’ve ever taken a stem cutting from a plant and stuck it in a glass of water to grow roots, you’ve taken advanta...
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8 Exotic Houseplants You’ve Never Heard Of
Houseplants bring natural vitality to any interior space, and thanks to modern technology, uncommon varieties from around the world are available to anyone willin...
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7 Houseplants with Secret Health Benefits
Nature is restorative: A walk in the woods or on the beach can do wonders for your mental and physical well-being. Even the tiniest dose of greenery—in the form o...
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Solved! 8 Flowers Sure to Bloom in Winter
Q: I’m dreading the coming winter months because my yard always looks so bare and brown when all the summer blooming ...
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All You Need to Know About Compost Tea
Even greenhorn green thumbs know that applying compost to soil helps plants fight erosion, pests, and disease. But we...
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How to Make Your Own Fertilizer for Plants
If you want lush healthy houseplants and garden growth but aren’t thrilled about paying for costly commercial foods w...
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Bug Off: Your Guide to Dealing with Houseplant Pests
You've got a green thumb, huh? Well, that's a start. But it takes more than experience to prevent critters from infes...
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11 Reasons Your Houseplants Are Dying
Houseplants bring lush color and texture to the interior of your home—unless they’re yellowed, shriveled, or covered with fungus. Here are 11 reasons your housepl...
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How to Protect Plants From Frost
Unexpected early fall and late spring frosts—periods when outside temperatures go below freezing (32 degrees Fahrenhe...
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The Dos and Don'ts of Watering Plants
Whether you're a green thumb or not, you probably already know that all plants need water to thrive—after all, that b...
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All You Need to Know About Indoor Composting
Composting is an affordable way to nab food for your plants while reducing waste in your home or apartment and in loc...
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How to Get Rid of Squash Bugs—and Keep Them out of Your Garden for Good
Squash bugs take root on the undersides of leaves or near the crown of the plant, where they’ll lay clusters of oval-...
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All You Need to Know About Starting Seeds Indoors
If you’re itching to get your garden going, don’t wait until the weather outdoors is agreeable—get a jump on the grow...
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How to Get Rid of Mealybugs on Indoor and Outdoor Plants
Your beautiful garden and indoor potted greenery are equally vulnerable to mealybugs, tiny yet destructive pests that...
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How to Get Rid of Aphids
Are your garden plants stunted, shriveled, yellowing, or curling at the leaves, despite your best efforts to keep the...
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How To: Kill Ivy
Characterized by its showy, star-shaped foliage, English ivy (Hedera helix) might seem a fine choice for landscaping ...
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How to Build a Rain Garden—and Why You Should
A rain garden is an excavated depression surrounded on one or more sides by an earthen berm (a mound of earth) for wa...
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15 Things to Know Before Laying Landscape Fabric in Your Yard
For those who lead active lives, spending a few weekend hours pulling or digging weeds out of a garden, flower bed, o...
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These Popular Plants Might Actually Be Bad for Your Garden
Invasive plants are a special breed. It's not that they’re aggressive, crowding out their neighbors; nor are they weeds, which are just plants that are growing in...
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9 Clever Landscaping Hacks for Your Best-Ever Yard
A well-maintained yard lends major curb appeal to your home, but creating a picture-perfect lawn and garden is no easy feat. If your yard could use a little refre...
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Do These 8 Things and Never Pay for Plants Again
Gardening can be an expensive habit. But if you know where to look and whom to ask, you may be able to populate your landscape with free plants, shrubs, and trees...
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15 Affordable Landscaping Projects You Can DIY in a Day
Always a day late and a dollar short of achieving the landscape of your dreams? You don't have to spend a fortune to create a charming outdoor space. Discover som...
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12 Big Ideas for Small Backyards
There’s a common misconception that for a garden to flourish it has to be given lots of land and room to breathe. In reality, a small space can provide the founda...
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6 Surefire Ways to Attract Hummingbirds to Your Yard
With iridescent wings that catch the light as they flit between flowers, hummingbirds have earned their nickname of “...
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10 Foolproof Flowers Anyone Can Grow
Vibrant and colorful flowers elevate any yard. But caring for blooms can seem like intimating endeavor for a beginner gardener, a busy homeowner, or anyone withou...
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13 Creative Designs for Easy DIY Planters
From vertically sprouting succulent gardens to converted colanders that bloom with living greens, these unconventional homemade planter projects require only a ca...
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DIY Lite: A Space-Saving Solution for Any Indoor Garden
While houseplants look simply lovely on a window ledge, the space available there can be fairly limiting—you might fi...
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How To: Make and Use Your Own Deer Repellent
Deer are delightful romping through the forest but can wreak havoc in a garden, decimating vegetables, fruit trees, l...
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Bad Neighbors: 11 Plant Pairs Never to Grow Side by Side
As many a green thumb knows, there are certain plants you should never grow together. Some plants hog all the sunlight, others zap nutrients from the soil, and st...
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How To: Get Rid of Rabbits
While children love big-eared Bugs Bunny chomping on a carrot, gardeners can identify closely with his cartoon nemesi...
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All You Need to Know About Insecticidal Soap
Are aphids gnawing on the heirloom roses? Are spider mites munching on the tomato plants? If garden pests are bugging...
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10 Ways to Buy Your Garden on the Internet
It's one of the joys of spring and summer: stopping by the local nursery to pick out plants for your landscaping or backyard vegetable garden. Wonderful as it is ...
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All You Need to Know About Begonia Care
Prized for their prolific blooms in a rainbow of colors—from creamy white and soft pink to shades of deep rose and cr...
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8 Plants Never to Grow Indoors
A healthy houseplant can bring vibrant color and fresh fragrance to any room. But some indoor greenery collects dust or releases pollen, both of which can trigger...
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Here’s What Your Favorite Houseplants Look Like in the Wild
Truth be told, all houseplants were wild at some point in time, until humans decided to bring them indoors to grow for food or medicinal purposes—and for their be...
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How To: Get Rid of Spider Mites
Tiny, sap-sucking arachnids known as spider mites can be a problem any time of year, not only in your garden but plag...
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The 13 Creepiest Houseplants You've Ever Seen
Looking to give your trick-or-treaters and Halloween guests the fright of their lives this year? Put away your jack-o'-lanterns and set these scary houseplants on...
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All You Need to Know About Soil Types
Every gardener wants to grow the best-tasting tomatoes, the brightest zinnias, and the healthiest shrubs, but no one ...
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10 Tiny Gardens You Can Grow on Your Windowsill
Starting your own garden doesn't have to be daunting. Start as small as you like with a windowsill garden. These space-saving planters are just right for a modest...
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10 Ways Your Backyard Can Hurt You
No one likes weeds. They invade our garden beds, siphoning soil nutrients and water away from flowers and shrubs. But which ones can do you real harm? Read on for...
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14 of the Best Plants for Your Drought-Tolerant Garden
Water conservation is at the forefront of gardeners’ minds in many parts of the country. Luckily, there are a wide variety of drought-tolerant plants that thrive ...
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How to Get Rid of Ladybugs
A healthy outdoor ladybug population is a good thing. Gardeners appreciate their voracious appetite for the destructi...
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How to Make Weed Killer: 6 Methods That are Both Natural and Effective
You work hard on your garden, so the last thing you want is gnarly weeds littering your lawn or popping up smack dab ...
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7 Times to Throw Garbage in Your Garden
There’s something extra satisfying about making do with what you have and using only as much as you need—about striving to be self-sustaining. This impulse is par...
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How To: Get Rid of Caterpillars
A love of gardening often goes hand in hand with a hatred toward the pests that pervade the fruits of your labor, bot...
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DIY Lite: A Beginner's Guide to Building a Wooden Planter Box
Some lucky homeowners with enough property for a large plot of land to be dedicated garden space; for the rest of us,...
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How To: Propagate Succulents
Want to juice up your space, indoors and out, without spending a bundle? Think succulents! From the rosettes of Echev...
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How To: Make Mulch from Scratch
Treating your trees, garden, and landscaping beds to mulch helps retain soil moisture, suppress weeds, and arm plants...
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20 Tiny Backyards We Love
From woodland wonderlands to no-mow lawns, these 20 small backyard ideas showcase the countless fun and functional possibilities that lie on your home turf—no mat...
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The Dos and Don'ts of Pruning a Bush
Shrubs play a vital role in the landscape, serving as decorative borders, living fences, and foundation plantings tha...
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11 Age-Old Gardening Tips to Ignore Completely
Ask any gardener for advice, and you’re sure to get an earful! Every one of them swears by a venerable collection of tips and tricks. But some of those ideas may ...
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9 Bright and Colorful Houseplants You Can't Kill
There are many benefits to decorating your home with bright and colorful potted plants, the most obvious being that they bring in the beauty of the outdoors even ...
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9 Tricks for Fast and Easy Fall Yard Cleanup
No one enjoys sacrificing a weekend to raking, weeding, and winterizing, but fall yard cleanup is a necessary evil. It's important to clear debris away from your ...
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10 Things to Do Now for a Better Garden Next Year
By the time colder weather rolls in, most people are ready to call it quits in the garden. But before you hang up your trowel for the winter, there are several th...
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How To: Get Rid of Slugs
Even the smallest slugs play a big role in the ecosystem, feeding on decomposing matter and in turn providing protein...
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Quick Tip: This Simple Trick Helps Plants Water Themselves
There are lots of household chores to take care of before going on a vacation: board the dog, clean the fridge, empty...
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10 Good Uses for Charcoal Briquettes That Have Nothing to Do With Grilling
Like sunscreen and insect repellent, charcoal is a summer staple you don't want to be without. Come the weekend, when...
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7 Weirdly Effective Ways to Weed
There's nothing more frustrating than seeing weeds flourish in your garden while the veggies and flowers languish. Even worse is seeing weeds pop up in those hard...
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15 Plants Never to Grow in Your Yard
Many plants are beautiful, but not all are beneficial in a garden. Some of the most eye-catching cultivars can be invasive, poisonous, or attractive to unwelcome ...
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Pro Tips: 5 Ways to Bring Songbirds to Your Backyard
Birds eat bugs, propagate seeds, and bring your garden to life with color, movement, and song. Yet, “the greatest joy...
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Keep, Don't Kill: 9 Weeds to Welcome
One man's weed is another man's best friend. That's certainly true for many of the weeds that are found in backyards around the country. While some gardeners labo...
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19 "Zero Dollar" Garden Hacks
Walk into any garden center and you'll find gadgets and gizmos for nearly any outdoor malady. But did you know the remedy for many backyard problems might be shel...
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8 Top Tools for Taming Your Landscape
Yard maintenance doesn't have to be so hard. Gone are the days of struggling under the weight of unwieldy loppers or blistering hands with poor work gloves. The B...
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Organize Your Garden Gear with 11 Crucial Buys
Easy access to essential tools makes gardening more of a pleasure than a chore. And when these pieces are simple to store, you’re likely to take better care of th...
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7 Herbs That Clean House
If you’re a cook—or just a person who likes to eat—you already know how herbs can make any dish taste better. But you may not know that herbs can also work outsid...
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Weekend Projects: 5 Designs for a DIY Rain Barrel
These days, it would be hard to ignore the need for water conservation. Due to drought conditions, California now enf...
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9 Lessons Learned from Tiny Backyards
It’s a basic human desire to own a little plot of land. But what if your plot is really, really little? With some clever planning and a few spatial and visual tri...
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DIY Lite: Make an Herb Garden from Kitchen Recyclables
As you welcome spring, bring a pop of the season into the house with a newly handmade vertical garden. This space-con...
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7 Smart Ways to Save Water in the Yard
Essential for everything from bathing to eating, and from cleaning your house to maintaining your garden, clean water is one resource that is hard to go a day wit...
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How To: Get Rid of Squirrels
Don't let the bushy tails fool you. They may be cute and and bright-eyed, but if left unchecked, squirrels can do an ...
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6 Ways to Keep Cut Flowers Fresh Longer
Science says flowers make us happy, and who can argue with that? Multiple research studies, including a seminal study...
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10 Totally Unexpected Things to Remake as Planters
Houseplants aren't particularly picky about the containers they reside in—so long as their roots have enough space and water can drain properly, they're set to be...
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DIY Wine Cork Planters
By her own admission, Linda from It All Started With Paint isn't what you'd call a green thumb. But tiny low-maintena...
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Liven Up Your Winter Porch with 8 Cold-Loving Plants
A spot of color and life on your front porch can ease the winter doldrums. So dust off your gardening gear and pot up a couple cold hardy containers. Plants in co...
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How to Help Your Houseplants Survive the Winter
Though houseplants are kept indoors, they are still affected by changes in temperature and season. Learn how tweaks to your care routine can help your indoor plan...
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12 Tiny Gardens You Can Grow on a Tabletop
Terrariums are trending big-time, and it’s not hard to see why. Requiring very little work, these self-sufficient planters make a beautiful addition to any tablet...
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Winterize Your Lawn and Garden in 7 Steps
You may practically live in your yard all summer long, but once the cool weather sets in, it's time to pack it in and get busy winterizing your lawn to protect it...
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How To: Remove Poison Ivy from Your Yard
Homeowners know too well that not all greenery contributes to the beauty of a garden. Weeds, for instance, are a chie...
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Today's Homeowners Rediscover the Benefits of a Root Cellar
Until fruits and vegetables were available year-round at the grocery store, the root cellar played a vital role in da...
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The 12-Inch Farm: 12 Foods You Can Easily Grow in Containers
Whether you're gardening on your balcony or adding a few more pots to your sprawling edible landscape, there's nothing better than "shopping" for meal ingredients...
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10 Rooftop Gardens That Bring Gardening to New Heights
Gardening is a way to connect with the earth, and this connection becomes even more striking in a rooftop garden, where the earth sits closer to the sky. Rooftop ...
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DIY Hand Planters
There are lots of DIY concrete planters out there, but not many are in the shape of a pair of hands. We were so struc...
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How To: Grow Potatoes
If you've never tasted homegrown potatoes, prepare to be amazed. A hundred days or so after planting—more or less, de...
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10 Common Garden Problems—and How to Fix Them
Summer is what gardeners dream of all winter—warm weather, flourishing flowers, and a bountiful harvest that's carried straight from the veggie patch to the dinne...
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No More Mowing: 10 Grass-Free Alternatives to a Traditional Lawn
Many of us have a love-hate relationship with our lawns. Although we enjoy the cool carpet of green grass to lie on and play on in summer, no one wants to spend h...
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How To: Keep Deer Out of Your Garden
Though deer look innocent, home gardeners know they can be a menace to plants and trees. Gardeners also know that bar...
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10 Easy-to-Grow Vegetables for Beginning Gardeners
If you’ve always wanted to grow a vegetable garden, but have been too afraid to try, start by planting veggies that are almost guaranteed to succeed. Maintaining ...
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How To Test Soil pH
Soil matters. To the plants you wish to grow in your garden, nothing is as important as what's in or missing from the...
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11 Creatively Stylish Ways to Display Succulents
If you don’t have a green thumb, then succulents might just be the plant for you. Succulents are a family of fleshy plants, including aloe vera and cacti, known f...
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Growing Up: 14 Inventive DIY Vertical Gardens
Spring is in the air and it’s time to get growing! Whether you’re working within the confines of an apartment balcony, a modest backyard, or an expansive ranch, a...
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New & Notable: 10 Gadgets to Tech Out Your Garden
If you want to put your best gardening foot forward this spring, it is important to take your first steps in the right direction. Decisions you make in early spri...
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Project Guide: Front Yard Landscaping
Your front yard, regardless of its size, plays an important role in your home's overall curb appeal. Your landscaping...
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How To: Grow Moss
There are two main types of mosses—acrocarpous and pleurocarpous. The former grows vertically and resembles strands o...
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Weekend Projects: 5 Simple Ways to Set Up a Compost Bin
Compost: It's what eventually becomes of all decomposing organic material. Essentially, it's dirt—but it's not just a...
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Early Bloomers: 7 Spring Flowers Bringing Color NOW to a Yard Near You!
Nothing heralds the coming of spring like perennial flowers. Their reliable return each season is one of the reasons gardeners love to plant bulbs; put in the gro...
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Rhododendrons: Keeping It Green All Winter Long
Bursting with vibrant blooms in the spring and retaining their leaves through the colder months, rhododendrons are the perfect "evergreen" for your winter landscape.
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Lasagna Gardening: It's Only a Little Like It Sounds
Mulching has its rewards: Not only does it give you richer and more nutritious soil, but it can also suppress weeds, ...
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Botanical Tulips: Jewels of the Garden
With their dainty proportions and showy blooms, botanical tulips are sure to bring surprising beauty and interest to your spring garden.
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Plant More, Spend Less: Shop Nurseries Off-Season
Browsing the local nursery, you may find yourself wanting to bring home half the store: There are so many beautiful a...
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How To: Weed Your Garden
Even late into the season, the summer can seem like one prolonged fight against garden weeds. The bad news? There's n...
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10 Pretty Plants You Didn't Know Were Poisonous
Not every pretty plant has a pleasant disposition. Here are 10 of the most common venomous plants to keep out of your garden!
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Everywhere Ferns: Choosing the Right Variety for Your Garden
With a history dating back 300 million years, ferns have proven their staying power. Today, their frilled fronds and ...
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How to Save Seeds
Many veteran gardeners make a habit of saving seeds. While it is simple enough for most beginners to do, it’s also an...
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How to Plant a Bush or Shrub
Planting bushes and shrubs can add depth and diversity to your landscape. You can use them to add splashes of color t...
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Why Every Gardener Needs a Worm Bin
Anyone with a garden knows that fertilizer and enriched soil can be expensive. But did you know there is a source of ...
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Ripe for the Picking: 10 Full-Bodied, Full-Flavored Heirloom Tomatoes
Nothing says summer like juicy tomatoes—particularly heirloom varieties—fresh from the garden. Here are 10 top varieties sure to tempt your taste buds.
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So, You Want to... Plant an Herb Spiral Garden
Sustainable agriculture is all the rage, even at home. Looking for an easy way to participate? Try building an herb s...
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6 Pro Tips for Successful Container Gardening
When she's not sharing her knowledge of container gardening as a guide on About. com or photographing New England gar...
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Managing 3 Common Problems Faced by Roses
The rewards of roses are not easily earned. These universally prized flowers behave temperamentally whenever they are...
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Ultimate Lawn Care Guide: 12 Steps to a Prize-Winning Yard
A green lawn is the coveted prize of every homeowner. Nothing feels better than walking through the cool grass in your bare feet during summer. Though we love our...
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Double Digging Boosts Soil Health in Your Garden
Quality, nutrient-rich aerated soil is the foundation of a good garden. Sure, the "no dig" gardening method has its a...
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Ditch the Hose with a Drip Irrigation System
Tired of standing next to your planting beds, garden hose in hand? Concerned about getting too much water where you d...
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10 Not-to-Be-Missed Sunflower Blooms
Nothing better symbolizes summer than a robust sunflower's bright yellow face, often so high you could easily mistake it for the sun itself.
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Drought-Tolerant Landscaping: Top Tips for a Hardy, Low-Maintenance Yard
The typical U. S. household can use 40 to 60 gallons a day on average just to water lawns and gardens. About half tha...
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Growing a Bamboo Garden
Clumping and Running BambooBamboo is a member of the grass family, with more than 200 species available in the U. S. ...
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Pro Tips: Square Foot Gardening
Compact, efficient and easy to maintain, Mel Bartholomew's Square Foot Gardening offers new and experienced gardeners a smart, space-saving backyard alternative.
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All Garden Hoses Are Not Created Equal
Let's talk garden hoses. Every home needs at least one, whether to water the lawn, wash the car, or run the Slip 'n S...
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3 Special Geraniums to Seek Out for Your Garden
With a reputation for hardiness, geraniums can be found in literally hundreds of varieties, many that boast impressiv...
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Heirloom Apples: Growing a Slice of History
Shopping at the grocery store, one can usually find only eight or ten varieties of apples. That selection represents ...
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10 Faux Planters with Genuine Style
Lightweight and low-maintenance, these budget-friendly planters match the look and style of much more expensive options.
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Flowering Climbers: 8 Cures for the Common Garden
Grow your garden from ordinary to extraordinary with flowering vines that add a beautiful new level of interest to your landscape.
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10 Great Ways to Grow Your Walls Green
Add life—literally!—to an interior space with a visually stunning vertical wall garden.
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How To: Make a Butterfly Garden
Butterflies are mesmerizing creatures with more to offer than beauty alone. Because they are nectar eaters, they are ...
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So, Who Are Master Gardeners and What Can They Do for You?
If you live on a property with a lawn or garden, you should be aware of Master Gardeners. In 1972, the first Master G...
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How to Dry Herbs
If you want to keep a little bit of your summer garden with you all year long, you can do so by drying herbs and stor...
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How To: Make a Deck Rail Planter
Last year, I was dying to have some deck rail planters to grow spinach and lettuce in, but I couldn’t find any that w...
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Breathe Easier at Home with Indoor Plants
As winter draws to a close, things are getting a bit stuffy in our house. Like many energy-conscious consumers, we’ve...
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Bonsai for Beginners
Bonsai—caring for and nourishing miniature shrubs and trees in pots—has long been a way for hobbyists to reduce stres...
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Starting Tomatoes from Seed
During the cold, dark days of January and February, my mind turns to sunny, bright red tomatoes—for this is the time ...
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Amaryllis, Year After Year
The amaryllis is usually thought of as a one-off winter bulb that makes for a great holiday accent. But with very lit...
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How and When to Plant Garlic for Best Results
While you can try planting the leftover cloves from last night’s spaghetti, most of the time store-bought garlic has ...
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9 Daffodils to Cheer Up Your Garden
Plant any of these jolly perennials now for a bright and sunny bloom come spring!
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How to Plant and Care for Daffodils in Your Garden
I’m a beginning gardener. I have lots of ideas but little experience. The basic landscaping package that came with ou...
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Fall Mums: How to Care for Autumn’s Hardy, Colorful Blooms
Boldly colored fall mums on porches or planted in garden beds are wonderful harbingers of fall, going hand in hand wi...
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How to Dry Hydrangeas for Stunning Tabletop Displays
The end of the summer is just days away but instead of celebrating the season, the last bright blooms are starting to...
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How To: Plant an Apple Tree
Since moving to the 'burbs, I’ve been slowly trying to convert on this fantasy I have of backyard sustainability. I p...
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Composting 101: How to Put Kitchen and Yard Waste to Work in Your Garden
The best gardeners know the simple truth about compost: It’s better than fertilizer when it comes to providing a nutr...
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Zen and the Art of Weed Whacking
Since moving from the city to the 'burbs, I’ve gotten reacquainted with one of my weekly teenage chores (for which I ...
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Boxwoods: Maintaining Structure in Your Garden
Boxwood hedges might look formal, but they are a workhorse in the garden. The evergreens can define areas and be the ...
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Plant These 12 Hydrangeas for a Showstopping Garden
With their large flower heads, variable habits, and beautiful, (changeable) color, hydrangeas are a boon to almost any garden. Here are 12 of our favorite species...
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So, What Is Your Local Extension Office, Anyway?
I’m a novice gardener. We moved to Southern Delaware after living 20 years in New York City. I struggled there to kee...
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In Search of the Ultimate Garden Hose Storage
Since moving from a small NYC apartment a little over a year ago, we have been slowly acquiring all of the suburban h...
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Garden Hose Storage: 11 Stylish Solutions for Hanging (or Hiding) Your Hose
Looking for a way to remedy kinks and knots in your garden hose? Consider one of these 11 decorative hose-management solutions.
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How To: Plant a Vegetable Garden
One of the joys of summer dining is fresh, local produce. Nothing tastes better than a tomato or cucumber just off th...
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How To: Care for Roses
Like most stars, roses are divas. When left to their own devices, they get tangled and produce only when they feel li...
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Roses: 11 Sensational Varieties to Consider
From Knock Outs to ramblers, here are eleven rose varieties certain to add color, beauty, and fragrance to your yard and garden this summer.
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Top Tips for Growing Tomatoes
There’s really nothing better than a vine-ripened tomato plucked from the plant in your vegetable garden and still wa...
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Save Money with an Irrigation Well
The development where we chose to build our house is about 2 miles from the beach. We can ride our bikes to the state...
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How To: Mulch Your Flower Beds
Laying mulch before the winter gives your soil a head start for the next growing season. It also protects delicate pl...
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How to Plant Bulbs in Fall
When nighttime temperatures are consistently around 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and soil temperatures are around 55 degree...
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Revising the Landscaping Plan
Bob talks with landscape architect Rick Lamb about revisions to the plan. Bob points out the redesigned parking area and the plan for magically melting the snow.
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Touring the Burpee Trial Gardens
Bob visits the Burpee trial gardens in Ambler, PA, to review the current and future catalog of plants and flowers.
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Reviewing the Landscaping Plans
Landscaping architects Rick and Nancy Lamb present their ideas to Bob for converting the landscape and creating urban spaces.
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Beginning the Landscaping
Bob meets with landscape architects Rick and Nancy Lamb to assess the back yard. Arborist Charley Cummings trims some Hemlock trees.
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Touring the Naumkeag Historic House Gardens
Bob takes a break from putting his own landscape in order to tour the elaborate gardens at the Naumkeag historic house in Stockbridge, MA.
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Hardscaping, Selecting Plants, Installing Artificial Grass in the Backyard, and Preventing Weed Growth
Backyard landscaping has progressed with the completion of stone work, new plantings, weed control, and the installation of artificial grass.
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A Sustainable Yard and Landscape
Bob does a walkthrough of the finished Punta Gorda home. He discusses sustainable gardening, water conservation and low-maintenance plants. Then he joins Leslie...
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Custom Bamboo Garden
Kalo joins Bob to create a Zen bamboo garden.
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Natural Fertilizers and Non-Toxic Pesticides
Angela Polo and Ken Micklow shows Bob dwarf planting ideas and install a raised vegetable garden which requires soil enhancement, Craig Harmer shows Bob natural p...
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Sustainable Planting for Florida Landscape
Ken Micklow and Trent Culleny talk with Bob about native, storm-resistant gardening. Then Carm DiBella shows Bob an environmentally friendly termite protection s...
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Building Planter Boxes
Bob Ryley is in the garage workshop building a planter box for the sunroom.
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Working With Unilock Tumbled Concrete Pavers
Bob joins Brian Kallmeyer (from Unilock) to talk about concrete pavers. Unlike natural stone, these pavers are made in a mold, so they are easy to work with. In t...
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Discussing the Home's Landscaping and Hardscaping
Bob discusses the home's landscaping and hardscaping with general contractor Kevin Kalman and landscaper Josh Gavin.
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Reviewing the Landscape Design
Bob and general contractor Sam Daniel discuss the landscaping of the Virginia governor's mansion.
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Planting Trees and Shrubs in the Front Yard
Landscape contractor Janet Cox explains her approach to the plantings for Roxbury development homes.
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Tour of the Restored Victorian Front Porch and Garden
Bob takes a last look at the restored porch, its second-floor balustrade, polished-brass door fixtures, and the newly planted rose garden and boxwood bushes.
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Project Update on the Patio and Kitchen
Bob meets with contractor Ed Weller for a project update. The patio is well underway and the landscaping is beginning. A stone grill has been started and, inside,...
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Discussing the Zen Garden Design
Bob meets with Donald Young for a tour of the home's Zen garden. Donald discusses the plant choices and lighting requirements in a garden of this size. Slate tile...
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Tour of the Sherwin-Williams Paint Manufacturing Plant
Bob tours the Sherwin-Williams paint manufacturing plant in Winter Haven, FL to see how paint is made.
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Budget Landscaping
Landscape designer Ruth Foster explains her choices for the foundation plantings and her cost-saving measures.
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Installing the Greenhouse Windows
Contractor Bob Ryley shows off the greenhouse's motorized windows. At the touch of a button, or via a thermostat, the windows open and close. Bob helps Ryley asse...
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Landscaping for Energy Efficiency
Landscape designer Ruth Foster explains her selection of plant material and flowering shrubs for the backyard and directs the planting of a Sephora Japonica shade...
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Tour of the Completed Greenhouse
Bob and contractor Bob Ryley tour the spectacular finished greenhouse and, in addition to the greenhouse, a vestibule to the house has been created, solving the h...
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Plant Shopping With Martha Stewart
When shopping for plants at Haskell's Nursery, the homeowner gets some professional help from Martha Stewart, who transforms the greenhouse into an elegant settin...
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Discussing the Greenhouse
Bob, Martha and the homeowner, Diana, discuss the greenhouse and the decor before Bob reveals a special suprise.
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Smart-House Wiring and Waterproofing the Stairway Planter
Bob talks about the "Smart House" system that will be installed in the house with the electrician, Pete Tim. Meanwhile, hot-mopped tar is used to waterproof the s...
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Planting Palm Trees in the Courtyard
Bob and the landscaper discuss planting five fully grown Queen Palm trees in the courtyard, partly in order to hide unsightly features of a neighbor's home.
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Touring the Courtyard and Meeting Pamela Anderson
Bob tours the tiled courtyard, with its Queen Palms and fountain. And there is a surprise visit from Pamela Anderson, a cast member of "Home Improvement".
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Landscaping Plans
Landscape designer Ruth Foster explains a few techniques for promoting drainage and keeping weeds under control, respectively. She also discusses the plants she h...
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Altering Landscape Plans
With Bob having decided to alter the landscape design, shrubs are transplanted and perennials are planted. Plus, sodding goes down to create a grass lawn.
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Discussing Swimming Pool Design
Bob discusses the addition of a swimming pool with the project architect.
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Plans and Preparations for Landscaping
Bob visits Joanne, a landscape designer, at a local nursery to find plants for the project house's outdoor space.
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Landscape Tour of the Cracker Cottage
Remodeling of the cracker cottage is complete. Bob tours the home, starting with the exterior and the landscape.
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Discussing the Landscaping
Bob discusses landscaping with specialist Susan Hofer. Topics include sod, a gravel driveway, brickwork, fences, and perennials.
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Landscaping the Front Garden
Gardener John Rasthenis landscapes the front garden.
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Landscaping the Coach House
Bob goes outside to observe a tree being planted and to see the little garden beyond the entryway landscaped.
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Landscape Design on a Sloping Bank
A sloping bank descends from deck level to the yard. Landscape designer Ruth Foster explains her choice of plantings for this garden: It will be green, with junip...
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Planting Bulbs and Seeding the Lawn
Bob meets with landscape designer Ruth Foster, who explains the correct method of planting bulbs. For turf, Foster suggests a relaxed approach, with perennial rye...
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Regulating the Refrigerator Temperature More clips
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