GARDENING
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One of the pleasures of spring is taking stock in your garden: Which perennials are ready to be doubled (or even trip...
Shopping at the grocery store, one can usually find only eight or ten varieties of apples. That selection represents ...
Late spring is the time to sit back and admire those azaleas as they bloom; azaleas add a veritable explosion of colo...
With the sun shining, the birds chirping, the temperatures rising, and the days getting longer, this is the season to...
Lightweight and low-maintenance, these budget-friendly planters match the look and style of much more expensive options.
If you’re like a lot of people, you have a stack of old pots in your garage or shed just waiting for the next time yo...
Butterflies are mesmerizing creatures with more to offer than beauty alone. Because they are nectar eaters, they are ...
Mix and match these new-to-market annuals to ensure an unforgettable garden this year.
Why put your plants in a boring pot, when you can make your own unique planter with materials you may already have on hand?
Every Spring the veggie gardens get a redo. I wasn't too excited for it this year because my allergies have been serious...
If you live on a property with a lawn or garden, you should be aware of Master Gardeners. In 1972, the first Master G...
If you love to cook, then you know the value of fresh herbs. Modern transportation and preservation methods make all ...
If you get a thrill out of watching your garden grow, you might want to get a jump on the season by starting from see...
Add excitement to your flower beds this spring by planting standout varieties from 2013's crop of new perennials.
Getting your yard ready for spring? The right equipment can mean the difference between a beautiful garden and a barren wasteland.
From Southern roots, azaleas have grown into a countrywide favorite, prized for their beautiful blooms in so many colors.
Azaleas are getting ready to set gardens on fire. The fluorescent shades of this plant's hallmark blooms tend to make...
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...
The time to dream about your spring planting has passed. Now is the time to get going in the garden. So here are five...
Ready for spring to arrive? So is your garden. The ground may still be cold, but longer days have already begun to co...
It couldn't be easier to go out and buy seeds from the local nursery or the nearest home improvement store. A large s...
Improve your home’s indoor air quality—and your overall mood—with an easy-to-grow houseplant.
Composting’s a great idea: it helps your garden thrive and keeps valuable organic waste out of landfills. But once yo...
As winter draws to a close, things are getting a bit stuffy in our house. Like many energy-conscious consumers, we’ve...
There’s nothing quite as fresh as food that you grow in your own backyard. You may think your soil is too poor for a ...
Though Punxsutawney Phil has barely gotten back into his den, you’re already itching to start spring planting! Unfort...
Bonsai—caring for and nourishing miniature shrubs and trees in pots—has long been a way for hobbyists to reduce stres...
During the cold, dark days of January and February, my mind turns to sunny, bright red tomatoes—for this is the time ...
During the dull days of winter, I long to get out into the garden to harvest something for my dinner table. Having ha...
Over the winter, when your outdoor garden has little to boast about, the greenery inside your home lifts spirits and ...
The amaryllis is usually thought of as a one-off winter bulb that makes for a great holiday accent. But with very lit...
As your home decor becomes festive inside, it’s nice to see a little of that color scheme reflected outside as well. ...
Nothing's more heartening in the depths of winter than leafing through a bulb catalog or shopping for next season’s g...
We've rounded up time-tested standbys and the coolest new products destined to delight the gardener in your family.
Finding your garden lacking when it comes to fall color? Our favorite fall bushes will not only add a bright spot of ...
It’s the season to be planting bulbs. Many gardeners get fixated on the old standards—tulips and daffodils. Yes, ther...
Ornamental grasses bring more than just bulk to your garden—they add various textures, movement, and color, and they ...
Always looking ahead, it’s time to plant spring-blooming bulbs. All they require is a bright, sunny location and a li...
Now is the perfect time to get garlic into the ground. The cloves get a head start on the growing season so that by l...
October is a great month to look over your property and determine which perennials are in need of dividing. Splitting...
Autumn leaves are a gift to your garden that literally just falls out of the trees. Instead of getting rid of them al...
All those piles of raked leaves and mown grass don’t do much good in your local landfill. If you garden, you can cut ...
Now that the temperature has dropped, it’s the time to replace those fading summer blooms with plants that thrive in ...
Fall is a great time to upgrade your landscaping. Plants, trees, and shrubs are slowing down from the hot summer and ...
Plant any of these jolly perennials now for a bright and sunny bloom come spring!
I’m a beginning gardener. I have lots of ideas but little experience. The basic landscaping package that came with ou...
These hardy chyrsanthemums will survive even the most forgetful gardener's care.
Boldly colored mums on porches or planted in garden beds are wonderful harbingers of fall, going hand in hand with th...
The end of the summer is just days away but instead of celebrating the season, the last bright blooms are starting to...
Since moving to the 'burbs, I’ve been slowly trying to convert on this fantasy I have of backyard sustainability. I p...
When summer blooms fade, usher in a new color show with one or more of these unique fall varieties.
Composting is one thing... how you manage it is another. Here are ten compost bins to help you turn scraps into gardener's gold.
The best gardeners know that compost is better than fertilizer, when it comes to providing a nutrient-rich growing en...
Since moving from the city to the 'burbs, I’ve gotten reacquainted with one of my weekly teenage chores (for which I ...
Most people react to deer, groundhogs, and rabbits with a smile acknowledging their adorableness. But gardeners know ...
It’s the time of year when garden pests become especially irritating. Your ripening harvest might be snacked on by ap...
Boxwood hedges might look formal, but they are a workhorse in the garden. The evergreens can define areas and be the ...
Irrigating your yard can really be wasteful and expensive; clean water is a precious commodity, and not just in deser...
Whether you’re a city dweller, rural resident, or citizen of suburbia, container gardening is a convenient way to get...
I get alot of questions from folks who want to improve their garden soil with compost, but aren’t sure which kind of ...
With their large flower heads, variable habits, and beautiful (changeable) color, here are ten of our favorite Hydrangeas.
To control garden pests without using toxic chemicals, work with nature, not against it. LISTENListen to BOB VILA ON ...
I’m a novice gardener. We moved to Southern Delaware after living 20 years in New York City. I struggled there to kee...
Native to Japan where hydrangeas are beloved not just for their full, lush blooms, but also for the tea made from the...
Since moving from a small NYC apartment a little over a year ago, we have been slowly acquiring all of the suburban h...
That old adage, “what goes around comes around” is especially true in your garden. LISTENListen to BOB VILA ON GARDEN...
You can read all you want about gardening, but a garden journal is the best tool for making sure you remember what wo...
Encouraging birds and bats to visit your yard is a great way to keep BUGS down without spraying. LISTENListen to BOB ...
Transform ordinary clay flower pots into decorative show pieces with paint, stencils, and a little DIY.
Planting a vegetable garden doesn't have to be complicated and can even be a wonderful learning adventure for the whole family.
For the soil- and drainage-poor gardener, a raised garden bed offers the opportunity to perfect your environment and ...
A DIY favorite for bringing the outdoors in, terrariums are simple to make and effortless to enjoy.
Roses need special care to reach their full potential. Follow these guidelines to get the most our of your summer blooms.
Air plants—or tillandsias—are one of my favorite indoor plants. I bought my first little pup about a year ago and sin...
From Knock Outs to ramblers, here are eleven rose varieties certain to add color, beauty, and fragrance to your yard and garden this summer.
There’s really nothing better than a vine-ripened tomato plucked from the plant in your vegetable garden and still wa...
I don't know why this date seems like a late one to be celebrating the arrival of spring—perhaps it is because of the...
A little garden design and planning before you spend any money or pull on the gloves can give you a better garden eve...
Often requiring less water than grass, ground covers are a smart—and beautiful—way to enhance any garden or landscape.
A great solution to those patchy parts of your landscape, 'ground cover' is a general term for perennials that are kn...
Here are seven of the most eye-catching new annuals on the market to fill in your summer garden.
While there’s no need to dismiss those hardworking favorites with which you fill your garden year in and year out, he...
With the last frost imminent in most parts of the country, you can begin working on your garden today. Instead of buy...
These easy houseplants will enhance your decor and purify the air in your dwelling.
Far from a one-time treat, forced amaryllis bulbs in a pot with their big trumpet flowers are one of the bright spots...
“Don’t stop gardening just because it’s winter,” says Cindy Baker, Manager of Grounds at the Chicago Botanic Garden. ...
Find out how to compost like a pro to keep your soil healthy and your garden flourishing.
Build a cold frame to protect your less established plantings in early spring and fall.
Laying mulch before the winter gives your soil a head start for the next growing season. It also protects delicate pl...
For gardeners in areas where the weather has cooled, it’s time to plant bulbs for spring tulips and daffodils. Bulbs ...
If you have a summer home, you know that referring to it as a "retreat" or "get-away" doesn't relinquish you of the r...
Bamboo provides a quick-growing evergreen screen and adds glorious character with delicate leaves and substantial culms or canes, but research and commitment are ...
Landscaping architects Rick and Nancy Lamb present their ideas to Bob for converting the landscape and creating urban spaces.
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.
Bob visits the Burpee trial gardens in Ambler, PA, to review the current and future catalog of plants and flowers.
Bob meets with landscape architects Rick and Nancy Lamb to assess the back yard. Arborist Charley Cummings trims some Hemlock trees.
Bob takes a break from putting his own landscape in order to tour the elaborate gardens at the Naumkeag historic house in Stockbridge, MA.
Backyard landscaping has progressed with the completion of stone work, new plantings, weed control, and the installation of artificial grass.
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...
Ken Micklow and Trent Culleny talk with Bob about native, storm-resistant gardening. Then Carm DiBella shows Bob an environmentally friendly termite protection s...
Bob does a walkthrough of the finished Punta Gorda home. He discusses sustainable gardening, water conservation and low-maintenance plants. Then he joins Leslie...
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...
Bob discusses the home's landscaping and hardscaping with general contractor Kevin Kalman and landscaper Josh Gavin.
Bob and general contractor Sam Daniel discuss the landscaping of the Virginia governor's mansion.
Landscape contractor Janet Cox explains her approach to the plantings for Roxbury development homes.
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.
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,...
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...
Bob tours the Sherwin-Williams paint manufacturing plant in Winter Haven, FL to see how paint is made.
Landscape designer Ruth Foster explains her choices for the foundation plantings and her cost-saving measures.
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...
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...
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...
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...
Bob, Martha and the homeowner, Diana, discuss the greenhouse and the decor before Bob reveals a special suprise.
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...
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.
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".
Landscape designer Ruth Foster explains a few techniques for promoting drainage and keeping weeds under control, respectively. She also discusses the plants she h...
As tiling begins on the bathroom floor and in the shower, Bob takes a field trip to the factory where the tiles being used in the project house were made.
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.
Bob discusses the addition of a swimming pool with the project architect.
Bob visits Joanne, a landscape designer, at a local nursery to find plants for the project house's outdoor space.
Remodeling of the cracker cottage is complete. Bob tours the home, starting with the exterior and the landscape.
Bob discusses landscaping with specialist Susan Hofer. Topics include sod, a gravel driveway, brickwork, fences, and perennials.
Bob tours the Georgia-Pacific drywall plant in Marcus Hook, PA with Monty Palmowski.
Bob goes outside to observe a tree being planted and to see the little garden beyond the entryway landscaped.
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...
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...
