
By late summer, many perennial borders start to feel tired. The rush of spring has faded, temperatures are high, and even good gardens can start to flatten visually. That’s exactly when Hibiscus ‘Midnight Marvel’ comes alive. This hardy hibiscus stopped us in our tracks the first season we grew it in our coastal Maine garden. […]
A more natural approach to spring planters using forced bulbs, clipped branches, moss, and garden materials. Spring containers are fleeting things. Tulips bloom, temperatures shift, and within a few weeks the whole arrangement is ready to come apart again. That short lifespan is exactly why I like them. Unlike summer containers — which often need […]
When I built the cobblestone path leading to the patio, I had a very specific idea in mind. The stones themselves were beautiful, but what I was really designing was the space between them. I imagined creeping plants softening the joints, releasing fragrance underfoot, creating graphic patterns of foliage against stone. I even left out […]

Stop thinking of mulch as just bark or wood chips, and strike from your brain any suggestion of mulching with rubber crumbles other synthetic trash. Restore your soil by mulching your plants with compost or cut grass and learn how to grow your soil so that in turn, it will grow your plants.
Some of the vegetables that deliver the greatest return in a home garden are also the easiest to grow. That may feel counterintuitive, but it makes a certain kind of sense once you start paying attention to space, speed, and repeat harvests. Years ago, The Cheap Vegetable Gardener crunched the numbers by comparing two things: […]
Living in a cold, snowy Zone 5 (more recently zone 6) climate, figs never crossed my mind as something I could grow at home. That is, until a couple of years ago, when I noticed a fig tree growing alongside the road not far from my house. Unprotected. Unassisted. Thriving. I was genuinely shocked. Since […]