Garden Design

I am fascinated with deodar cedar (Cedrus deodara, Zones 6b–8). It is perhaps one of the most graceful of all evergreens we can grow. Deodar cedar is hardy to 6b and is one of the four known true cedars. Deodar cedar’s native range This tree can be found growing in the cool, moist slopes of

If it’s fall and you live in USDA Hardiness Zones 8 and above, you should be planting your sweet pea seeds. Sweet peas are climbing annual plants that bear clusters of extraordinarily fragrant, almost butterfly-like blooms in spring and early summer. The gorgeous, fluttery flowers come in a wide range of vibrant colors, including white,

Tradescantias (Tradescantia spp. and cvs., Zones 4–12) are easy-care houseplants with cascading, colorful foliage. Apart from the ubiquitous zebra tradescantia (T. zebrina, Zones 8–12), which is beloved for its purple-and-silver leaves, there are dozens of species and varieties of tradescantia that are perfect for growing as houseplants, many with spectacular variegation. And under ideal conditions,

If you fell in love with Stacie Crooks’ border in the article Designing a Beautiful Back Border from Issue #208 of Fine Gardening Magazine, you are not alone—so did we. The way that she has hidden the fence with a carefully curated plant palette is absolutely stunning. Want to know which plants she used? Here

In the article 3 Steps to Get a Garden that Fills In Fast (Fine Gardening issue #208), garden designer Adam Woodruff took readers through the steps he used to get a landscape that looked 10 years old in just three quick years. Adam used a matrix approach when selecting the plants that would fill his

Having grown up in New England, and living there now, I consider myself pretty spoiled in fall. After all, tourists literally flock to my section of North America every autumn to take in the sight of the native forests turning brilliant colors. We even have a term for these folks: leaf peepers. As I write

Wow, just wow. This tree will stop you in your tracks. ‘Lady Sunshine’ is a rare but dazzling variegated dove tree that makes a great woody plant specimen if you have a space where it can spread its wings. In late spring and early summer, an abundance of attractive white “handkerchief” flowers (bracts) appear. The

Today’s photos are from Lee Ann McAlpine, who is looking at her Ohio garden this year and determining what worked and what didn’t. My husband and I moved to our 90-year-old house two years ago. I’m having lots of fun restoring the garden and learning what works best in my semi-wooded backyard. I thought I’d

If you’ve ever had a beloved plant with a foliage malady, you may know firsthand the sadness of seeing that cherished garden gem slowly decline and die. Among the suspects for this unfortunate demise could be one of many fungi in the genus Pestalotiopsis, plant pathogens that are troublesome under certain conditions. Usually this fatal

We’re visiting with Virginia Sherry today. A lifelong gardener, I am the founder of the nonprofit Native Plant Society of Staten Island (in 2019). As summer draws to a close, I treasure what is still blooming in my landscape. Most but not all of the species are native to eastern North America. Many people dismiss

Today we’re in Youngstown, Ohio, visiting the Fellows Riverside Gardens, a beautiful spot that is gorgeous, extensive, and completely free to all visitors thanks to a dedicated group of donors, staff, and volunteers. There are impressive formal garden plantings, with geometric stonework, perfectly clipped hedges, and exuberantly colorful annuals, all guiding the eye on to

On a north-facing hillside in Norwich, Vermont, is an unexpectedly gorgeous and sophisticated landscape—the home garden of designer Bill Noble and his husband, Jim Tatum. This unique landscape was built and tended over the past three decades with the assistance of horticulturist Susan Howard. The garden itself is mostly hidden from the road behind a

For many people, the mention of hardy sedums initially brings to mind classic Autumn Joy sedum (Sedum ‘Herbstfreude’, syn. S. ‘Autumn Joy’, Zones 3–9) with its soothing green, fleshy foliage on upright stems topped with pinkish bronze flowers. But once you jump down the sedum rabbit hole, there appears to be no end to the

We’ve been in Carla Zambelli’s garden in Malvern, Pennsylvania, before (see High Spring in Carla’s Garden), and today she’s sharing how it looks in September. September is here. It has been a crazy summer, one full of excessive heat and drought. It has tested both me and my garden, and I believe it’s a portent

If you haven’t noticed, Americans are good at jumping the gun on fall. By early August my neighbor has already set out her “It’s Fall Y’all” porch sign. The end of summer, and even early fall, is hot in the Southeast—perhaps even too hot for a pumpkin spice latté. But when September rolls around, we

My name is Paul Brothe, and I live and garden in Newburgh, New York. (See a previous visit to this garden.) In 2020, I cleared an overgrown part of my yard to establish a woodland garden. I removed invasive plants, chiefly Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), and branches and fallen trees that had accumulated over many

It’s almost fall, and that means garden maintenance. Leaf cleanup, digging, dividing, spreading mulch, and one task we often forget—record keeping. There’s much to be done to get the garden ready for its winter slumber. That’s where having some specific garden tools for fall can be a big help. Below, you’ll find insider information on

This summer, friend of the GPOD Cherry Ong had a chance to visit the Allan Gardens Conservatory in Toronto. These are some shots from the tropical and arid houses. This conservatory isn’t just a collection of exotic plants, but they are arranged together as a beautiful garden. Here, members of the bromeliad family show off

What’s not to love about sedums? They’re drought-tolerant, they attract pollinators, and they flower later in the season when not much else is going on in the garden. But they also have their drawbacks—namely a proclivity to splay open (we’re looking at you Autumn Joy) and look rather awful in some cases. But rest assured

Today we’re visiting with Katie Verdieck in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Katie is a landscape designer, and she specializes in creating beautiful containers. They’re great inspiration for every gardener because no matter how big or small your garden space is, you have room for another container! This lovely container is focused almost entirely on shades of