Check out all our blog posts on Outdoor gardening.
A backyard lotus pot looks peaceful until your cat decides the floating leaves are a new snack bar. I have seen curious cats paw at water, chew a leaf edge, and investigate every new bloom in a sunny patio container. The good news is that lotus plants are generally considered non-toxic to cats. Still, that … Read more >>
A jade plant can look perfectly fine one week, then suddenly seem darker, heavier, and a little less cheerful the next. I have seen this happen with jade plants on bright kitchen windowsills, covered patios, and sunny decks in Zones 9–11. The leaves shift from a soft medium green to a rich, deep green, and … Read more >>
A few years back, I brought home a full, feathery areca palm to soften the corner beside my kitchen window. It looked perfect until I caught my cat batting at the lower fronds and my rabbit sniffing the fallen leaf tips. That is the moment every pet-owning plant lover knows well: the plant looks lovely, … Read more >>
I still remember the first cucumber patch I planted in cool, heavy spring soil. The vines sat there for weeks, looking healthy enough but refusing to grow. Once the weather finally warmed up, weeds exploded around them, and every cucumber seemed to hide under damp leaves. Growing cucumbers on black plastic changed that routine in … Read more >>
A plant that looked almost unchanged last Monday can suddenly tower over its neighbors by Friday. I see it every summer in my backyard vegetable patch, especially when the cucumbers hit warm weather, and the tomatoes finally settle into their raised bed. But growth is rarely steady. A basil plant may add an inch in … Read more >>
After a summer rain, I always stop beside my backyard lotus tub for a minute. The big, round lotus leaves do not stay wet like hostas, squash, or the herbs in my container garden. Instead, raindrops sit on top like tiny glass marbles, then roll away at the lightest breeze. That dramatic water-shedding trick is … Read more >>
A dry July week can make a backyard garden feel like a thirsty child. I have stood beside a drooping perennial bed, watched the soil pull away from the edges of containers, and wished I had saved the perfectly usable water that went down the bathroom drain that morning. That is where bathroom water reuse … Read more >>
A small autoflowering plant can look ready to harvest before you have even decided whether you want seeds. I have had this happen in a sunny backyard bed, where one fast-finishing plant was covered in mature flowers while the rest of the garden still needed weekly feeding and watering. Saving seed from autoflowers takes a … Read more >>
I remember the first time I tried growing a lotus (an aquatic perennial known for its round leaves and showy blooms), I made a huge mess dragging heavy pots of muddy clay soil across my patio. My neighbor watched me struggle and asked why I didn’t just skip the soil altogether. That question sent me … Read more >>
I still remember the first summer I grew a lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) in a half-barrel on my patio here in zone 7. The leaves shot up beautifully, tall and round like little green umbrellas, but week after week, no flower buds ever showed up. I kept waiting, convinced it just needed “more time.” Turns out, … Read more >>
