Garden Gate

Pretty, but don’t touch I first became aware of wild parsnip when I was trout fishing with my son several years ago. The gorgeous streams we had visited for years were suddenly lined with drifts of tall yellow-umbel flowers. They were pretty scattere

Elsie Freeman started dreaming of the garden she would one day grow while she was still an undergraduate at Smith College. Not just any garden, mind you, but specifically an English-style garden inspired by the writings of Gertrude Jekyll, the patron

They all vary greatly in size, but you might encounter them at any stage of maturity. So it’s important to recognize the leaves and stems, not just the flowers and height. Take a look. To complicate things, these four similar-looking weeds grow in t

Nothing compares to the sight of a mass of poppies bursting into bloom in early summer; their crepe paperlike petals glowing in the sunlight are stunning. From the classic single red-orange ‘Legion of Honor’ corn poppy at left to lush doubles, such a

Imagine the taste of a juicy, ripe strawberry—so much better when you’ve grown it yourself. And you can—here’s how: First, pick which type of strawberry best suits your needs; the table at left explains the differences. Find a spot with at least 8 ho

Dreaming up your perfect garden is easy—bringing it all together without busting your budget is the hard part. But building a garden on a shoestring doesn’t mean you can’t have a beautiful and unique space, either. With some creativity, patience and

More and more folks want to grow herbs and vegetables in their own backyards. Unfortunately, many aspiring green-thumbs are challenged by limited outdoor spaces. But a small yard doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice growing fresh vegetables. It just me

Since the vegetables in these beds are planted closely together, you will have fewer weeds to deal with. That’s because the higher density of plantings shade out most of the weeds. Once the plants are well-established, your watering chores should be

When Japanese beetles infest your garden and skeletonize all your roses, you know exactly what is happening: You can see the insects, and the damage is clearly caused by the beetles. But what do you do when the symptoms are not so cut and dried? Mayb

Pruning can be complicated. But Steven Bradley makes it simple by showing you exactly how to prune 50 different popular garden shrubs and trees. Each plant gets its own page with key information about the pruning tools, timing and technique, as well

The first time I spotted a doublefile viburnum in full bloom, I had to do a double take. Even though it was springtime in Missouri, here was a good-sized shrub smothered with flat sprays of pure white flowers that looked like its branches were covere

Knowing a little bit about your favorite butterflies will help ensure you’re doing all you can to bring them in. Ever see one you didn’t recognize? Identification can be a bit of a challenge because some butterfly species mimic others to fool predato

Abed or border that looks beautiful and offers lots of flowers butterflies love can be part of any sunny spot in your yard. Since they enjoy flowers as much as gardeners do, you probably already have plenty of plants that they visit every year. But i