Why should you grow plants for pollinators? For starters, bees, butterflies and hummingbirds are colorful and interesting visitors to any garden. And without these pollinators and the plants that support them, there literally wouldn’t be gardens. Unfortunately, many of these winged jewels are in trouble. The populations of many species of butterflies, hummingbirds and bees are being threatened by shrinking natural habitats that provide them food and shelter. According to Kylee Baumle, author of The Monarch: Saving Our Most-Loved Butterfly, gardeners have a crucial role to play in pollinator health. Growing pollinator plants and creating pollinator gardens is vitally important in maintaining populations of bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. What Does a Pollinator Garden Look Like? At first glance, a pollinator garden might look like a typical flower garden. It’s dominated by perennial plants that flower in a rainbow of colors. But a pollinator garden contains a … [Read more...] about Plants for Pollinators
5 Ways to Bring the Outdoors Indoors
How can you bring the outdoors indoors? How can you make nature a bigger part of your indoor decor? It’s not as difficult as you think. If you’re a big fan of nature, then you already know there’s something soothing about being outside. But being outdoors all the time just isn’t practical, such as when the weather is bad or you have a list of chores to do inside the house. That’s when being able to bring the outdoors indoors is wonderful. If you want to feel at one with nature without leaving your house, here’s how to get started. Tip 1 to Bring the Outdoors Indoors: Put Some Plants Inside the House Some people buy artificial plants for around the house but keep the real plants outside. But clearly, that’s old-school decorating. Houseplants are a booming trend. (Photos courtesy of Pexels) So, it’s time to bring some real plants inside. After all, plants are not only beautiful to look at, they can also purify the air, increase oxygen within the … [Read more...] about 5 Ways to Bring the Outdoors Indoors
Best Cordless Electric Tillers
Cordless electric tillers and cultivators combine impressive digging power with eco-friendly benefits. The electric motor of a cordless electric tiller is quiet, energy efficient, and it starts immediately. Plus, an electric tiller or cultivator will never run out of gas. Garden tillers and cultivators make it easier to prepare a garden plot for planting. Because let’s face it, turning soil over with a shovel can be back-breaking work. Most people DO NOT say tilling the soil by hand is one of their favorite gardening chores. That’s why the power tiller was invented. A motorized power tool that breaks up the dirt prior to planting is a terrific labor-saving device. It’s no surprise the power tiller has become one of the most popular garden tools. Gasoline-powered tillers have been around for decades. They became even more popular in the 1980s with the introduction of the Mantis mini-tiller. But it wasn’t until the 21st century that electric tillers and cultivators became … [Read more...] about Best Cordless Electric Tillers
How to Harvest and Store Seeds
One of the easiest ways for gardeners to save money is to harvest and store seeds from their gardens. It’s easy. It’s fun. And harvesting and storing seeds is a tradition that goes back for many centuries. Fall and early winter is when you harvest and store seeds. For many gardeners, it’s the final activity of the garden season. Harvesting and storing seeds is a bittersweet way to say goodbye to one gardening season and look forward to the next one. You’ll be in good company when you start planting your stored seeds at the dawning of a new spring! How to Properly Harvest Seeds Harvesting your seeds is easy. You can get it done in these three steps: 1. Let the Plants Go to Seed Simply let a plant’s flowers go to seed. Think of a flower as a seed factory—because that’s exactly what it is. Leave the spent flowers on the plant so it can set seeds. Then, let the seeds dry on the plants. Don’t pluck them off before they are completely dry. And resist the temptation to … [Read more...] about How to Harvest and Store Seeds
Grow Your Best Garden Ever
Would you like to grow your best garden ever? Well, great gardens don’t just happen. They certainly do not magically appear in your yard. So, the sooner you plan and start your best garden ever, the sooner it will begin to manifest in your yard. A great garden is typically the result of careful planning. Most extraordinary gardens are created over a period of years using the garden plan. Add a few happy accidents that happen along the way, and you have the recipe for a special horticultural wonder that will be the envy of the neighborhood. Don’t Be Afraid of Small Failures Talk to experienced gardeners and garden experts, and most will freely admit to buying plants that did not survive in their gardens. Karen Park Jennings, the former president of Park Seed, once told me, “I’ve learned a lot by killing plants.” That’s part of being a gardener. Some gardeners will even admit that some of their favorite plants arrived as volunteers in their garden. One of the healthiest … [Read more...] about Grow Your Best Garden Ever
