July/August 2022

Garden Gate

The Illustrated Guide to Home Gardening and Design

Garden Gate2 min read
From The Editor
You know what takes a lot of patience? Photographing hummingbirds. Most of the time I end up with a blurry bird or it zips out of the frame just as I take the photo. Can you relate? A huge buffet of plants they love definitely increases your chances
Garden Gate1 min read
Garden Gate US
EXECUTIVE EDITOR Kristin Beane Sullivan EXECUTIVE ART DIRECTOR Eric Flynn SENIOR EDITOR Sherri Ribbey TEST GARDEN MANAGER/ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jennifer Howell ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR Carrie Topp SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Katie Meyer SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER & VI
Garden Gate2 min read
Reader Tips
Last summer, Louise and her friends had success hosting a joint garden-themed yard sale. Each friend set up her own booth and took care of her own transactions. The items for sale were exclusively garden-related—books, plants, pots, yard art, landsca
Garden Gate1 min read
Garden Gate Online
These stars keep your garden colorful despite summer’s stresses! GardenGateMagazine.com/articles/plant-guide/ Add some personality to your garden with one of our popular projects, such as the sand-cast birdbath. These step-by-step videos make it
Garden Gate1 min read
The Wild Side
Mycorrhizae are a type of beneficial fungi that attach to the root systems of almost all plants and foster a positive relationship with the garden: They receive their energy from the plants, and in return the fungi break down nutrients in the soil. T
Garden Gate1 min read
Think You Have A Smart Garden Tip?
SUBMIT YOUR TIPS & IMAGES ONLINE: Garden Gate Magazine.com/share OR MAIL TO: Garden Gate Tips, 2143 Grand Ave., Des Moines, IA 50312 Please include your name, address and daytime phone number in case we have questions. ■
Garden Gate3 min readGardening
A Cut Above the Rest
Traditional cutting gardens are often simple beds with rows of different bloomers to have as many flowers as possible to cut for bouquets, not necessarily planted with aesthetics in mind. That may not gel with how you want your garden to look. But yo
Garden Gate3 min read
Herbal Helpers
Imagine taking a deep breath in a gorgeous herb garden on a sunny day. Now imagine that you could bottle that fresh air and somehow use it to scent and sanitize your home. It is possible! Just ask Stephanie Rose. Stephanie uses all-natural, handmade
Garden Gate2 min readArchitecture
Good To Know
Save money and get more plants by direct-sowing seeds for easy-growing annuals like these cosmos and zinnias. Intersperse wiry ‘Buenos Aires’ verbena amongst dense-growing Fireworks globe amaranth and let the flowers mingle together on their long,
Garden Gate1 min read
Natural Reed Diffusers
Stephanie likes using essential oils to impart a more gentle aroma to her home, but she was disappointed by the chemical-smelling, short-lived reed diffusers sold at stores. So she began making her own. • Essential oil(s) of your choice• A thin “carr
Garden Gate1 min read
Lavender Dryer Bags
Stephanie notes that the small muslin bags she uses are often sold as “bouquet garni bags” for soaking herbs in soups and stews. They measure roughly 3 x 4 inches. If you enjoy sewing, you can make your own bags out of cotton fabric. • Dried lavender
Garden Gate2 min read
Put Your Herbs to Work
Along with sage, lavender is one of Stephanie’s favorite herbs to work with. Here are some of her tips for growing these useful plants. LAVENDER TIPS Stephanie says that lavender can be a bit tricky to grow. It helps to first understand that this pl
Garden Gate9 min readArchitecture
Garden Gate TOP PICKS
We all love those pop-star flowers: The peonies in spring, lilies in summer, garden mums in fall. Their showy blooms never fail to excite, and we wait with anticipation for the next year when they burst onto the scene in all their glory. But just as
Garden Gate1 min readChemistry
Orange & Sage All-Purpose Cleaner
This recipe combines the powerful cleaning ability of vinegar with the delicious scents of orange rinds and fresh garden sage. The orange peels also “contain citric acid, which helps the acidic vinegar dissolve greases and other grime,” Stephanie add
Garden Gate1 min readArchitecture
Coneflower
There’s so much to love about coneflowers! You can count on long-blooming, low-maintenance plants that aren’t bothered by cold winter temperatures or heat and humidity in summer. And coneflowers are great for attracting wildlife, but deer usually lea
Garden Gate3 min read
Great Coneflower Companions
Native to sunny open prairies and lightly shaded savannahs, from northern Texas to Canada east of the Rockies, purple coneflower is right at home rubbing elbows with perennials of all types. Its long bloom time makes it attractive in a mass planting,
Garden Gate3 min read
Growing Great Coneflowers
Coneflowers grow and flower best in full sun to part shade, and most can survive winters as far north as USDA zone 3. Well-drained soil is great, but this is a plant that tolerates a wide variety of conditions, from moderate clay to rocky soil. About
Garden Gate5 min readArchitecture
The Right Coneflower for Your Garden
Even though coneflowers are generally considered easy to grow, some fare better than others in each region. Here’s a selection of regional coneflower trial results to help you find the best ones for your garden. Kismet® White Echinaceahybrid (in pho
Garden Gate8 min read
Troubleshoot Your Veggie Garden
There’s no such thing as a trouble-free vegetable garden. In my own plot, I deal with deer, rabbits, imported cabbage worms, powdery mildew and slugs. So many slugs! Yet, don’t despair. Experience has taught me that a few simple steps can reduce the
Garden Gate1 min read
Coneflower Challenges
Seeing the chlorotic, or yellow, foliage with curled edges and stunted stems plus distorted blooms with green spoon-shaped petals of aster yellows is enough to put dread in the heart of any gardener. Ohio State University’s Joe Boggs says it won’t ki
Garden Gate2 min read
Design Your Garden for Hummingbirds
Whether you already have a garden or are starting from scratch, there are plenty of things you can do to make it more appealing to hummingbirds. DRAW THEM IN As these tiny birds zip through your neighborhood, big blocks of bright color are easiest t
Garden Gate1 min read
Botanical Names
Bleeding heart Lamprocapnos spectabilis Canna Canna hybrid Cape fuchsia Phygelius spp. and hybrids Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis Eastern redbud Cercis canadensis Gladiola Gladiolus hybrids Nasturtium Tropaeolum majus Mealycup sage Salvia farinac
Garden Gate1 min read
Meet The Birds
Depending on where you live, you’ll find different hummingbird species visiting your garden. Here are four of the most common and where they spend their summers. Black-chinned hummingbird Archilochus alexandri Rufous hummingbird Selasphorus r
Garden Gate1 min read
Grow A Garden For Hummingbirds
It’s always a thrill when a hummingbird whizzes by while you’re working in the garden. These determined little birds are quick to check out any colorful spot—it might be something to eat! With a heart rate of 600 times per minute and flying an averag
Garden Gate3 min read
Create a Hummingbird Habitat
Even more exciting than having the occasional hummingbird stop by to feed on the flowers in your garden is creating a haven where they’ll find shelter to live and raise their young. FOOD Feeders are a great supplement for times when there’s a pause
Garden Gate1 min read
Feeder Success
Beth has tried a lot of feeders over the years and has found that those with feeding ports above the liquid work best. The food is too far for the proboscis of insects, such as bees and wasps, to reach but just fine for the long tongue of a hummingbi
Garden Gate1 min readArchitecture
Early-Blooming Hummingbird Plants
To get your hummingbird buffet off to a good start, choose spring- and early summer-blooming beauties like the ones in the gallery at right. They’re all well-known favorites and easy to care for so you’re sure to have beautiful borders to enjoy as yo
Garden Gate1 min readArchitecture
Summer-Blooming Hummingbird Plants
Warm weather and plenty of sun mean lots of flowers growing in the garden. Mix and match these later bloomers with earlier flowers for a garden that hummingbirds can’t resist. Sherri loves watching for the ruby-throated hummingbirds that always show
Garden Gate5 min read
The Complete Package
Linda Grosz didn’t garden much during the 20 years she lived in Los Angeles, but a move back to her native Wisconsin changed all that. While researching ideas for a Midwest landscape, Linda saw a photo of a colorful wildflower meadow, and something j
Garden Gate4 min readArchitecture
Surround Your Sidewalk With Color
Take back some precious real estate in your yard and make a garden out of the space around your sidewalk. Notoriously, this area is a challenging spot to garden in—added heat from the concrete, full sun conditions and a location far away from a hose
Garden Gate3 min read
Q&A
What are these bumps on my tree’s leaves? Ellyne Obermiller, IL These mystery bumps are nipple galls. Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) trees are often infested by a tiny insect called a psyllid. In spring, winged adults lay eggs on the underside
Garden Gate4 min readArchitecture
5 No-Pull Weed Strategies
In the midst of summer, sometimes it’s all a gardener can do to stay ahead of the weeds. But keeping your garden weed-free doesn’t always have to be back-breaking work. Try these “no pull” methods. A neat layer of mulch keeps weed seeds in the dark s
Garden Gate1 min readArchitecture
Weed Watch
What it looks like You won’t spot this annual weed in the spring: It needs summer heat to grow. Wiry blooming stems hold 3- to 8-inch-tall, fingerlike wispy clusters. Repeated mowing will keep it short, but even at less than an inch tall it can produ
Garden Gate2 min read
Garden Essentials
Identify your plants with these botanical garden-worthy labels that will last for years. Available in multiple sizes and colors, they are made from recycled plastic and biomass (organic byproducts like corn cobs) here in the United States. There is e
Garden Gate1 min read
Gardengatestore.com
If you’re a horticultural history buff, check out the first few issues of Horticulture magazine, including the inaugural issue from December 3, 1904. Step back in time to view gardening practices of the day, advertisements for products, and vintage g
Garden Gate1 min read
SunBelievable ™ Brown Eyed Girl sunflower
Blooms 4-in. flowers have bright yellow petals with a mahogany ring around a brown center from late spring until frost Light Full sun Soil Moist, well-drained Pests Powdery mildew, rabbits Size 24 to 32 in. tall, 30 to 40 in. wide Cold hardy USD
Garden Gate1 min readArchitecture
Pot of Sunshine
A cobalt blue ceramic container is the perfect color to set off Brown Eyed Girl’s yellow flowers. Start with a 2-gallon or larger nursery pot of sunflowers and a similar-sized crape myrtle for a mature look right away. Fill in with rich-colored coleu
Garden Gate2 min read
A Summer Full of Pint-Sized Sunflowers
You won’t believe the number of flowers on a single SunBelievable Brown Eyed Girl sunflower. Catalog information will tell you it can have as many as a thousand blooms in one season! I haven’t counted the ones I’ve grown, but this little charmer sure
Garden Gate5 min read
Designing With Containers
Much of the fun of gardening in containers is that a pot’s portability makes it a cinch to search and find just the right spot for each one. No matter where you live, containers can add panache to hum-drum situations, create color and pattern against
Garden Gate2 min read
Peter Piper Protects His Peppers
Idon’t know what it is about the raised beds in my urban backyard, but I tell you what—I can grow peppers. It could be that peppers are relatively easy veggies to grow and I’m not the amazing gardener I pretend to be, but maybe just let me have this

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