Garden Design

Hi, this is Joseph in Indiana. I moved into my house about a year and a half ago, and the yard was a completely taken over by masses of invasive weeds: honeysuckle and knotweed. So I cleared all that out, and now that they are gone, I’m finding all kinds of treasures. Sometime since the

Steve, who lives in the heart of Los Angeles in Southern California, shared some beauties of this garden with us recently (Steve’s Southern California Garden), and today we’re back to enjoy more of the beauties from this diverse garden. Container plantings lined up on the deck include lots of succulents and beautiful foliage. The foliage

Spring is when the native wildflowers in the woods really show off. I love this time of year, when I can go out to look for all my favorites in natural areas. Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis, Zones 3–8) is so pretty. I just wish the flowers lasted longer! Closer look at the bloodroot flowers Hepatica (Hepatica

Hello GPOD! My name is Kelly Hansen, and I live in Delmar, New York, right outside of Albany, which is in Zone 5b. I started “planting” in our yard 25 years ago knowing absolutely nothing about plants and gardening. YouTube hadn’t been invented, and I literally did not even know how to correctly water a

I was lucky enough to visit the Gibbs Gardens many years ago before they were fully open to the public. I was immediately struck by the meticulous maintenance the gardens received. That first visit was in high summer, and I remember being completely taken by the water lily garden. This garden is still one of

They may not be the prime focus of a floral arrangement, but filler flowers can be just as important as the stars of the show in a bouquet’s overall design. They are usually not as breathtaking, dramatic, or show-stopping as the flowers taking center stage, but a spray or two of fillers tucked into a

Cherry Ong is taking us along to a see early spring bloomers at VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver, British Columbia, on a perfectly sunny spring day. Now that is a happy clump of crocus. I think it might be Crocus ancyrensis ‘Golden Bunch’ (Zones 4–8), but I’m not sure. Big drifts of crocuses, mostly Crocus

We’ve visited Lee’s garden in the Mohawk Valley in central New York before (Back to the Mohawk Valley), but today Lee is taking us to see it in a different way. I went through some of my files with the thought of finding some of the more close-up pictures of various blooms. Even though the

We’re visiting with frequent GPOD contributor Carla Z. Mudry in Malvern, Pennsylvannia today. Daffodils are now everywhere! It is so worth it to plant different kinds of daffodils not only for color and cultivar but for time in the blooming season. I have early spring, midspring, and late spring. However, given the totally weird weather

Seasonal changes offer gardeners opportunities to transform their planters and spaces multiple times a year. The effect can be monumental. Great summer containers full of color and drama can be swapped out when autumn arrives for a cool-season mix of hardy plants that look good straight through to spring. An entire housefront can be altered

Today’s photos are from Steve in Southern California. You featured my garden some years back (A Drought-Tolerant California Garden), and I thought your visitors might like to see some updates from around the garden, especially this year, with all of the weather everyone keeps hearing about in Southern California. I live right in the heart

Today we’re back in Sheldon, Iowa, visiting the beautiful garden Kathy Schreurs has created with her husband around their 130-year-old house. When we reworked a side yard this past year, a blue pot showed up as an accidental focal point (although it’s barely visible in this photo at the end of our rainbow of annuals).

Tulips are a lavish spring gift that any gardener can give to themself and to their neighborhood with just a little advance planning. Whether your tulip bulbs are pre-ordered as early as possible in summer through your favorite supplier, or purchased last-minute from the garden center just before the ground freezes, getting them into the

I just scrolled again through Keith’s Zone 3 photos (Return to Keith’s Zone 3 Garden) of his garden full of hot-colored annuals and perennials. So vibrant! Hmmm . . . For a moment I dreamed about taking on a new color palette in the upcoming growing season, but realistically, I know I’ll revert to the

Few things are certain when it comes to gardening: A sun-loving plant will do poorly in shade. An agave won’t survive a Minnesota winter. Deer will eat your hostas. Here is another one: Water improves a garden. I’m not talking about giving your plants a drink (although that is true). I’m referring to ponds and

Cherry Ong often shares her travels to other gardens in our GPOD on the Road feature, but today we’re in her beautiful home garden in British Columbia, looking at the flowers of late winter and early spring. Helleborus argutifolius ‘Silver Lace’ (Zones 6–8) is a hellebore that doesn’t have the bright colors of some of

Today we’re checking in with Sue in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where spring has arrived. It is just the beginning of all the blooms, but after the cold and gray and brown of winter, I’m excited to see color in my front garden. Sabrina, my cat, insists on being in most of my garden photos. The leveling

If you’re searching for gardening gift ideas for Mother’s Day, look no further! A mother who loves to garden would appreciate any of these thoughtful gifts. After all, no mom really wants a new vacuum. Tell her you know what she truly likes by getting her something to start the 2023 gardening season off right.

Cherry Ong is taking us back to the conservatory at Centennial Park in the Toronto area. Today we’re on a visit to the arid house, which is full of plants from around the world that are adapted to dry and desert environments. Arid doesn’t mean boring or empty. This conservatory is full of a huge

This is Joe in northern Indiana. I’m a confident gardener outside, but I often struggle with houseplants. They are, however, a pretty essential aspect of getting through our long, cold, snowy winters, so I’ve been trying more, and have had some successes I’m happy with. Rabbit’s foot fern (Davallia fejeensis) has been an easy-to-grow star