Garden Gate

All gardens have moments, or even seasons, of triumph and despair. For me, triumph (or maybe just hope?) is in May: The peonies, irises and alliums are blooming, there’s usually plenty of rain and I’ve recently completed all of the spring cleanup. Ev

The Illustrated Guide to Home Gardening and Design® EXECUTIVE EDITOR Kristin Beane Sullivan EXECUTIVE ART DIRECTOR Eric Flynn SENIOR EDITOR Sherri Ribbey TEST GARDEN MANAGER/ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jennifer Howell ASSOCIATE EDITOR Marisa Reyes DIGITAL MEDIA

Chrysobothris femorata Flatheaded appletree borer adults are ½ inch long with gray-brown wings and green bodies. They lay small, flat eggs in the summer within cracks in the tree bark. Then, the pale wormlike larvae, which have noticeably large segm

A beautiful stone mosaic can be a work of art for your garden. Tuck one into a seating area, make it the focal point of a path…the possibilities are endless! We decided a large circle mosaic would make the perfect start to a shady sideyard path at ou

While large tulips with unusual flowers or colorful patterns look great in bouquets, they don’t always come back every year. The types known as “species tulips” are your best bet for perennializing and may even spread if they’re growing in ideal cond

These two fungal diseases are common on many plants. Here are three things you can do to prevent them (and any other fungal problem): 1. Don’t crowd plants. Instead, space them out so air can circulate. 2. Water at soil level with drip irrigation or

I used to think that radishes were the perfect early spring vegetable. Then I learned that you can also grow them in fall and have been growing them for several months a year ever since. Because they’re so fast growing (seedlings typically emerge 3 t

“Think about how you will use your yard,” suggests landscape architect Frank Fitzgerald, “then develop your garden rooms around those uses.” You’ve seen Frank’s welcoming front yard garden room, the sideyard room and backyard dining room. Want to fin

Give your back a break with this all-in-one rake and scoop. Spread the hinged clamshells out flat to rake leaves, then use the two handles to fold them together, pick up debris and drop it into a wheelbarrow or yard waste bag. Gardener’s Supply, gard

Lamium amplexicaule Late winter or early spring is when you’ll spot this non-native annual weed. Several square stems grow from the base and reach 4 to 16 inches tall or more in rich soil. Leaves are opposite, coarsely toothed and rounded. Near the

Q I moved to a new home in the summer and found a bunch of these odd roots as I was digging a new garden bed. Any idea what they might be? Eva Rossi, IL A You’ve discovered a bed of Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica). This native spring epheme

My neighborhood is filled with enormous old trees. The gorgeous 100-year-old walnuts, sycamores and maples are a big part of why we chose to live here. There is no better time to drive into our neighborhood than mid-October when the leaves are brilli

Don’t forget to provide butterflies with nectar-rich flowers in the fall. Here are some of their favorite late-season perennials! Gardengatemagazine.com/articles/flowers-plants/ Ornamental grasses are at peak prettiness in fall. See several conta