Talk about a show of color mixing man-made art with nature - the beautiful Chihuly Garden in Seattle is a wonder to behold! What a treat we have today with our visit to Chihuly. It is the latest in our series of Featured Gardens, where we highlight public, private and backyard gardens from all over …
Making homemade bird seed is a great way to feed birds a nutritious and much needed wintertime meal. All while saving a lot of hard-earned cash in the process! If you love feeding birds, you know how expensive it can be to buy good quality bird seed blend. Although there are low cost bird seed …
Looking for a few ways to add a bit more interest to your home's landscape in the winter? Wintertime can be a bleak time for flowerbeds, gardens and the home landscape. Most of the trees have lost their leaves. And there isn't a flowering bloom to be found in sight. But just because mother nature …
With a simple cold frame, you can extend your growing season well into late fall. And, as an added bonus, begin growing crops earlier in the spring as well. In fact, depending on where you live, you might just be able to grow fresh vegetables all winter long. But perhaps best of all, it doesn't …
DanWalt Gardens is aptly referred to as one of Billings best kept secrets. And after touring the garden and grounds, it's easy to see why! Located on the southeast side of Billings, Montana, the garden grows on land that was once part of a 10 acre vegetable farm. It also happens to sit squarely in …
You might be surprised at just how beneficial attracting bats to your backyard and garden can be. To many homeowners, bats are far from a welcome creature. Maybe it was an unwelcome visit inside of their house. Or perhaps a memory or two of bat flitting about in an old horror movie. Whatever the cause …
Can ornamental grasses be cut back in the fall? Or, should they be cut back in the spring? That seems to be the question homeowners ask each year as their grasses begin to die off as the chill of late autumn arrives. After all, fall is the perfect time to cut back and divide most …
Tucked away on the southwest corner of 27th & Capitol Parkway in Lincoln, Nebraska is Sunken Gardens. And is it ever a treasure of a garden to behold! Overseen by the city of Lincoln, and powered by an amazing volunteer effort, the garden offers one of the most impressive displays of annual flowers around. And …
When it comes to gardening with a green thumb, keeping a garden journal can be a big part of the success! Garden journals are so much more than just a few thoughts about plants scribbled on a notepad. They can be a record of garden failures and successes, weather and pest issues, and of what …
Planting a few dwarf pear trees is a great way to add perennial fruit to your landscape. Especially when space is a big concern! Pears are one of the easiest and hardiest of fruit tree to plant. And one of the most productive. But for many fruit trees, it can sometimes be tough finding enough …
So just exactly how do honey bees survive winter? Do they hibernate? Do they migrate to warmer climates? Honey bees are indeed a truly fascinating insect. Not only are they responsible for pollinating a large majority of the food, they also lead an incredibly complex and amazing life within their hives. Especially when it comes …
One of the best ways to ripen late season fruit and vegetables is with a simple DIY harvest rack. And creating one at home couldn't be easier! Harvest racks are perfect for ripening tomatoes, peppers, and fruits such as peaches, cherries and plums. And they are also great for curing everything from garlic to potatoes …
When it comes to planting fruit trees, there is no better time than fall for putting them in the ground! Although fruit trees can be planted at any point throughout a growing season, autumn provides numerous advantages versus spring and summer. Why Fall Is The Time To Plant Fruit Trees A fall planting allows just …
When it comes to controlling webworms from damaging the foliage on your trees and shrubs, it all about early detection and intervention. Webworms are the foliage-eating pest responsible for creating the silky, web-like nests often found in trees and shrubs. Although they are rarely fatal to healthy trees, they do create a lot of unsightly …
Gardening with chickens might just be one of the best partnerships that could ever exist for both the home gardener, and the chickens! Raising chickens and having productive gardens and flowerbeds go hand in hand. In fact, it is one of the finest examples of pure sustainability and permaculture you will ever find. The chickens …
When it comes to making great compost and having a great compost pile, it all boils down to what materials you put into your compost pile. And more importantly, which ones you don't! Although everything eventually decomposes, some materials simply aren't a good choice for backyard compost bins. Many can slow the decomposition process down, …
So just how can you stop grasshoppers from devouring your vegetable plants, flowers and perennials? An invasion of grasshoppers can spell serious problems for a home garden and landscape. The voracious plant-eaters can quickly decimate crops, perennials and annual flowers. But with a few home remedies, and the help of a few predatory friends, they …
When it comes to getting hardy, bed-planted mums to bloom this fall, it's all about providing them with a little summertime TLC. Each and every fall, millions upon millions of mums are sold as potted and container plants. And with good reason - their gorgeous colorful blooms are the perfect compliment to any autumn display. …
When it comes to how to best harvest a garden, when and how you pick your produce makes a huge difference. And not just for how much plants will produce, but for how long they will stay in production as well! With the exception of determinate vegetable plants that bear their fruit all at once …
Summer is here, and that means it is time to harvest, cure and store the garlic that was planted last fall. And, that means its also time to select the best bulbs from the harvest to plant again this fall! Hardneck garlic is a wonderfully simple and delicious crop to grow in the home garden. …
When it comes to attracting butterflies, bees and even hummingbirds, nothing works quite like growing butterfly bushes! In fact, they have become a go-to plant in recent years for those looking to create their own backyard butterfly gardens. These deciduous shrubs become overloaded with butterflies as their massive, nectar-filled blooms appear in early summer. And …
When and how you fertilize vegetable plants can make a huge difference in both the health of your plants, and the size of the harvest. Vegetable plants need a steady supply of nutrients to grow and produce. Whether grown in a traditional backyard garden setting, or in raised beds or rows, plants can quickly devour …
When it comes to adding an explosion of color to the landscape, its hard to beat growing marigolds. From giant blooming "puff-ball" styles to dainty miniatures, and everything in between, there are well over 50 varieties of marigolds available. And with their high tolerance to both sunlight, drought and heat, it's easy to see why …
When it comes to delicious easy-grow crops for the garden - it is hard to beat growing turnips from seed! Turnips are a great addition to any garden plan. This ultra-nutritious crop has been grown around the world for thousands of years. And, it continues to be a popular garden crop today as well. Turnips …
Springtime is the perfect time to divide and transplant hostas. Not only will it help to keep these beautiful perennials healthy and well-shaped, it's also a great way to add additional plants to your landscape. And all for free! The best part of all? It's easy and quick to do! How To Divide And Transplant …
Planting hanging baskets and containers at home is the perfect way to create gorgeous flowering displays that best fit your home and landscape. And, a great way to save on the budget too! Let's face it, purchasing ready-made baskets and planters can be pricey. And often, selections are limited to just a few boring choices. …
Planting and growing Rhododendrons is an excellent way to add color, texture and beauty to your landscape. Rhododendrons almost always keep their over-sized foliage throughout the entire winter season. That alone makes them great for keeping a bit of color in beds long after most plants have shed their leaves for winter. But where Rhododendrons …
There is nothing quite like growing heirloom sweet corn in the garden. It is one of the best ways to experience the true taste of summer freshness. The sugary sweet taste of a just-picked ear of heirloom sweet corn is almost too good to be true. Especially when compared to the ears of corn found …
When it comes to adding incredible flavor to homemade dishes, growing a kitchen herb garden is a must. Fresh herbs are key ingredients in a near endless list of culinary favorites. From adding zing to pork, beef, poultry and fish, or seasoning vegetables, pasta and more, life without herbs would be tasteless indeed. And there …
When it comes to growing hydrangeas in the landscape, a few simple tips can go a long way to gorgeous blooming success. Hydrangeas are well known for their large, mophead-style blooms. Available in a wide variety of brilliant colors, their beauty is simply stunning. But what makes Hydrangeas even more special is they can be …
There is no need to wait until summer - get your garden season off to an early start this year by growing a few cool-weather spring vegetable crops! Many vegetables actually grow better in the cooler temperatures of spring. In fact, they thrive in it. Some crops can be planted as early as 4 to …
Looking for an all-natural away to repel insects? Then growing a few herbs in your garden patio or porch just might be the answer. Nothing can spoil a beautiful day or an evening outdoors like a few pesky mosquitoes. Or for that matter, flies, gnats and even ticks! But believe it or not, many herbs have …
Growing strawberries is great way to add lasting flavor to your landscape. Spring is coming, and that means strawberry season is just around the corner! Nothing can beat the taste of fresh strawberries, homemade strawberry pie, or delicious strawberry jam. Or for that matter, anything strawberry! And you might be surprised at just how easy …
Believe it or not, wintertime is a perfect time for ornamental grass care! Not only is it easy to do, cutting back in the winter lets you get a head start before the onslaught of spring landscaping and garden chores hit hard. By mid-winter, ornamental grasses have gone completely dormant. And with the snow, wind, …
When growing heirloom tomatoes, gardeners need to prepare themselves for a bit of an explosion. As in an explosion of flavor! Heirloom tomatoes have taken the vegetable gardening world by storm over the last decade. Old-time varieties, once phased out in favor of more "standardized" commercial tomatoes, are now being rediscovered and grown again. Growing …
When it comes to creating Christmas memories and magic, it's hard to top a visit to a Christmas Tree farm! Christmas tree farms are an iconic part of Christmas traditions that exist so many families. The smell of fresh-cut pine. A roaring campfire to warm the hands. Maybe even enjoying a mug of hot chocolate, …
Growing Cranberries - how this well-known "holiday" super-fruit makes it to the dinner table. Cranberries have long been a traditional part of many Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. Families all seem to have their own way to enjoy them, whether it's in the form of cranberry sauce, cranberry relish, or a dish of fresh whole-cooked cranberries. …
A living Christmas tree is an excellent way to celebrate the holiday season and add lasting beauty to your landscape. For many, decorating the house for Christmas all starts with selecting the perfect tree. Many folks still love the tradition of heading out into the woods to find and cut down their special tree. Others …
As winter approaches, it's time to protect perennials, roses and other small bushes from the impending cold weather. Snow, ice, and fluctuating freezing and thawing temperatures can take a toll on plants. Without proper protection, many can become heavily damaged, or freeze out all-together. But with a little care now, hydrangea, rose bushes, lilies, hosta plants …
A homemade root cellar is the perfect way to successfully store fresh fruits and vegetables. Before modern-era refrigerators and freezers became commonplace, it was the only way to keep food on the table through the long winter months. But as more and more people are getting back to growing their own produce, root cellars are …
How to extend your growing season with a Hoophouse. When the weather turns cold, many gardeners think it's time to pack it in until warm weather returns. Although its true that a hard frost or freeze can stop vegetable plants in their tracks, a hoophouse can protect plants and extend the growing season well beyond …
A Photo Tour of Cheekwood Gardens and Estate - Nashville, Tennessee One of our favorite passions at This Is My Garden is to share in the beauty and stories of wonderful private and public gardens from all over. Whether it's a roof-top garden in the middle of a big city, a rural backyard home garden, …