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8 Steps for Starting a Perfect Flower Bed

A perfect flower bed adds a lot of appeal to your yard. It takes some effort to get one established, but once you see the results, you’ll know the effort was well worth it.

When it comes to setting up your garden space, flower beds deserve most of the praise. The right bed of blooms draws attention to the entire garden and adds a cheery pop of color to your growing space.

However, establishing the perfect flower bed doesn’t happen by chance. It takes time and attention to correctly set one up, but doing it right will reward you for years to come.

Here’s what you need to know to establish and enjoy perfect garden beds in your growing space.

How to Establish a Perfect Flower Bed

It’s a multi-step process to establish great flower beds. Follow these eight tips to get started.

1. Choose the Right Location

Where you place your flower bed is an important consideration. Take time to stroll throughout your yard to consider possible growing spaces. In each potential spot, pay attention to the available light, proximity to buildings, and water sources. Will the bed look isolated in the space, or will it complement the rest of your landscaping?

Ideally, you want a spot that’s easy to access so you are motivated to maintain it, with enough sun exposure to support bloom formation for the flowers you plant. For most varieties, that’s at least six hours of sunlight a day.

2. Create a Plan

Planting a flower bed without a plan is a recipe for doing the same work twice. So, take the time to do it correctly the first time by planning precisely what you want to plant.

Get a notebook and draw out the bed, placing each potential plant within it. Do you want the bed to have a symmetrical layout, or would you prefer a more random assortment? Will there be any garden sculptures or other focal points within it?

One common beginning-gardener mistake is committing to more than you can maintain. This first year, start with a smaller garden bed. It’s always possible to expand it for future growing seasons.

Here are two primary considerations when planning out the bed: ensure there are new blooms all season long, and plan coordinating colors.

When it comes to choosing flower varieties, blooming time should be a top consideration. Ideally, you want a variety of species that will give the bed color from one end of the growing season to another.

This might mean a mix of perennials interspersed with spring bulbs and heat-loving annuals that thrive at the height of summer. Research what grows well in your growing zone when making your choices.

It’s also best to consider the heights of different varieties to plan to put the tallest plants near the back.

Even the most well-planned flower bed can look bad if the colors clash. Try to stick to a smaller color palette to ensure everything coordinates. Take time to ensure that the flower bed fits in with the larger landscape rather than sticking out in unattractive ways.

3. Prep Existing Beds

If you’re not starting from scratch but instead want to rehab an existing flower bed, it’s time to do some work to get it back in shape. First, dig up and remove any dead or unwanted plant material. You can add most of it to a compost pile, but be sure to throw away anything that looks diseased or shows insect damage.

Trim around any perennials and gently roughen up the soil throughout the bed. Add a thin layer of organic material like compost to the bed.

4. Thoroughly Strip Sod for a New Bed

When the plan is to build a brand-new garden bed, your first step needs to be stripping off the existing sod. Sod cutters are perfect for larger spaces, but you can get by with a regular spade for a small bed. Strive to pull up at least an inch and a half of soil and roots (four centimeters) to ensure you don’t leave any behind to resprout.

5. Pay Attention to Soil Quality

Once the sod has been removed from the new growing space, it’s time to amend the soil to prep it for planting. Digging through the ground with a tiller or even a hand spade will turn it over and aerate it while dislodging weedy roots you missed with the first pass. Go down up to 12 inches (30 cm) when the soil is hard and compact.

If you’re prepping the bed in the fall, you can conduct a soil test to determine what amendments are necessary for growth in the spring. Otherwise, a generous serving of organic material such as compost, aged manure, or decayed leaves will get things on track. Avoid extra-fine compost, as it usually breaks down too quickly. Chunky amendments tend to be best.

6. Add a Border

Part of what keeps a flower bed appealing is that it’s well-defined in a larger landscape. In order to create a sense of separate space (and prevent encroaching weeds), it’s best to establish a border around the bed.

Garden supply stores offer many options for border materials. You can also create a rustic look with stones, small stumps, or other natural materials.

7. Choose Complementary Mulch

Permanent flower beds will look nice longer and support healthier plants when you apply mulch. Wood chips tend to work best because they suppress weed growth, keep moisture in the soil, and break down into dirt over time. You can also use shredded leaves or pea gravel in certain climates.

Keep the mulch to 2-4 inches (5-10 cm) to ensure the roots don’t become suffocated or oversaturated. Natural mulches will break down and need to be replaced every few years.

8. Stay on Top of Weeding

The fastest way to make a flower bed look drab is to let it become overrun with weeds. So, take time every week to get in the bed and hand pull any weeds that get established. A few minutes of work will keep the bed looking perfect and save you hours in the long run.

Establishing a perfect garden bed takes some initial prep work, but the results speak for themselves. Get planning now, and your yard will look gorgeous for years to come!

How to Plant a Tree

Tree planting is easy, but there is a right and a wrong way to do it. Keep these tips in mind for successful plantings.

There is a popular saying about planting trees: The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. Planting a tree today is an investment in the future. Mature trees are the heroes of any landscape: They add shade, lend character, and beautify a landscape. But they take a long time to mature. Tree planting is easy, but there is definitely a right and a wrong way to do it. Keep reading for eight easy-to-follow steps on how to plant a tree so that your planting project is successful.

1. Find the right planting location

The first step in tree planting is finding the right place for your tree. Make sure there are no utility wires overhead, and no underground utilities below — especially sewer or gas lines — close to your planting area. For shading your home, find a spot between 15 and 20 feet from the house. Smaller ornamental trees can be planted less than 15 feet, but large trees need to be at least 20 feet away.

2. Choose a tree species

A little research will go a long way when it comes to choosing the right type of tree for your yard. A few factors to take into consideration:

Soil type. Heavy, clay soil doesn’t drain as well as looser, sandy soil. Some trees will suffer without good drainage, and others do just fine with “wet feet.”
Distance from home. The closer your planting location is to the house, the smaller a tree you should plant. Use the mature height/width dimensions when calculating.
Tree features and maintenance requirements. Do you want beautiful autumn foliage or a stunning floral display in spring? How much clean-up is acceptable? Trees that shed a lot of leaves or messy fruit can be a lot of work in fall or summer. Find a tree that fits with your wants and needs.
Budget. Sapling trees come in many different price points and configurations. Balled and burlapped trees are heavier and more expensive, but will reach maturity the fastest. Bare root trees are lighter and less expensive, but are usually dormant and must be planted in winter or early spring. Container trees can be a good value, but need a little extra care if rootbound.

3. Dig a hole

The dimensions of the hole you dig are important. Ideally, the hole should be broad but shallow, with sides that slope like a bowl. A general rule is to dig a hole only as deep as the root ball, but at least two to three times wider. With containerized trees, you can dig a hole three to four times wider than the container. If you are planting a bare root tree, use the existing roots as a guide for depth and then dig much wider than you think is necessary.

4. Place the tree

When moving a tree with a root ball, lift and carry it from the roots, instead of using the trunk as a handle, which can pull the root ball away from the trunk. For burlapped trees, place the wrapped root ball into the hole and then remove all of the material containing the roots. For containerized trees, if the roots have formed the shape of the container, use a utility knife to cut them. Cut an X across the base and then make several vertical cuts around the circumference of the root ball. For bare root trees, spread the roots out and have one person hold the tree in place while another fills in soil around the roots until it stands on its own.

5. Fill in the hole

The most important part of this step is making sure that the root flare — where the tree gets wider at the base — is just above the soil, not below. Planting a tree too deep will set it up for failure. Add soil to the hole carefully, packing soil first around the root ball (starting with the base) to stabilize it. Check from every angle to ensure that the tree is straight before filling the hole in completely — it’s easiest to straighten it out now, not later. Eliminate air pockets by filling the soil in firmly, and tamping the soil down lightly with the flat of a shovel or the bottom of your boot.

6. Create a basin, water the tree, and add mulch

As you fill in the last of the hole, make a slight depression around the tree, with the outer edge of the hole forming a lip. Water the tree heavily, allowing the water to fill the basin and then to drain completely. Once the tree is well watered-in, add a layer of mulch several inches deep, taking care that it is not touching the trunk.

7. Add support or protection, if needed

Newly planted saplings sometimes need a little extra support. If the planting location is exposed to high winds, it may be necessary to stake it to keep it perfectly straight and stable. Using three stakes and special webbing or rubber tubing designed not to damage the bark is optimal. Staking should be removed after the first year in the ground.

In areas with a lot of deer or rabbits, you may want to consider installing a plastic or metal mesh cage to protect the young tree. Hungry wildlife can destroy a newly-planted tree overnight, especially in the winter when their normal food supply isn’t available.

8. Water regularly

When the weather is dry, water your tree at least once every 7 to 10 days. The soil around it should be moist but not soggy. Do not fertilize the tree for the first year, but feel free to top off the planting area with a couple inches of compost in the spring.

If you follow all of these steps faithfully, you should be able to watch your baby tree grow steadily. Once a sapling takes off, you’ll be amazed at how quickly they grow. Plant trees today and you will be grateful later. A beautiful mature tree will enrich the landscape for a lifetime or longer.

How to Grow Cool-Season Vegetables

Growing cool-season vegetables in the fall or spring is a satisfying way to maximize your gardening season and enjoy fresh produce throughout the year. Here’s a handy guide for success this spring.

Are you itching to start gardening again, despite the cold weather? Consider growing cool-season vegetables. These hardy varieties can withstand frosts and freezes, ensuring you have the opportunity to enjoy fresh produce early in the growing season.

Your growing strategy needs to change slightly compared to summer to master cool-season vegetables. Success depends on choosing the right varieties and watching the weather so you can plant at the best opportunity.

Here’s how to get started.

What is a Cool-Season Vegetable?

Cool-season vegetables are varieties that will tolerate colder weather. They can be planted early in the spring, long before the soil has warmed enough for tomatoes, peppers, and other garden staples.

Most will mature while the weather is cold, meaning that they tend to be the first produce you can pull from the garden. In fact, hot temperatures often cause these crops to “bolt” by going to seed and becoming too bitter to eat.

Your growing zone will have the most significant impact on what cool-season vegetables will thrive in your garden. Determine which zone you are in by using an online lookup tool, and research the average first and last frost dates for your location.

Most cool-season crops can be planted outdoors once the soil and air temperature stay consistently above 40 degrees F (4 degrees C). In comparison, warm-season vegetables like tomatoes and eggplants need temperatures above 70 degrees F (21 degrees C) to thrive.

Cold-Hardy vs. Semi-Hardy Vegetables

Cool-season vegetables are split into two categories: cold-hardy and semi-hardy.

Cold-hardy vegetables handle extreme temperatures the best. Seeds germinate well in cool soil, and young plants can withstand a heavy frost. You can direct-seed or transplant them up to three weeks before the last frost date of spring for a reasonable chance of success.

Examples include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, collards, kale, leeks, onions, spinach, and kohlrabi.

Semi-hardy vegetables are slightly more delicate. They can withstand light frosts but don’t do well in sustained temperatures below 40 to 50 degrees F (4-10 degrees C). You can sow them up to two weeks before the average last frost date, but waiting a little longer may lead to bigger harvests.

Examples include beets, carrots, lettuce, Chinese cabbage, cauliflower, parsley, and peas.

Can You Plant Cool-Season Vegetables in the Fall?

It’s also possible to plant many cool-season crops in the fall. Many — such as spinach, lettuce greens, and radishes — require short growing seasons. This means you can plant them in late summer to harvest before winter.

Late-summer gardening also gives you the advantage of harvesting your produce after most insects have died or entered winter dormancy. You may need to deal with them while things are sprouting, but few will be left as winter approaches. The same principle applies to weeds — most will slow down or stop growing by harvest time.

Note that the growth rates of fall crops will be the opposite of those grown in the spring. You’ll start with fast growth that will slow down exponentially as the days get shorter and the temperatures drop.

Make sure you read seed packets carefully before fall planting to ensure there are enough days left in your growing season for the plant to reach maturity. After all, there’s nothing worse than a cold snap killing your snap peas before you can harvest them.

Tips for Success with Cool-Season Crops

Here are some final tips for growing cool-season crops successfully.

Measure the Soil Temperature Before Planting

When it comes to early spring planting, outdoor temperatures can be deceiving.

Your region might go through a heat wave that warms the air without making much impact on soil temperatures. Go only by how it feels outside, and you might plant your seeds in soil too cold for them to germinate in.

It’s better to use a soil thermometer (available in most garden shops) to gauge the temperature before putting seeds or seedlings in the ground. In a pinch, you can use any thermometer that goes down to freezing.

Keep Your Expectations Realistic

Late- or early-season planting is always a risk. You might accidentally put seeds in soil so cold they never sprout, or deal with an unexpected heat wave that makes everything bolt prematurely. You’ll do better mentally if you accept that there are risks with every growing season and understand that you probably won’t harvest everything you plant.

Monitor the Weather for Heat Waves

One of the worst fates to befall cool-season crops is unseasonably warm weather. Consider harvesting your greens and other vulnerable crops early if a heat wave is in the forecast, so you don’t lose your harvest to bolting.

Utilize Weather Protection

The weather tends to be most unpredictable in the spring and fall. Keep supplies on hand to protect cool-season crops from wind, rain, and other conditions. You can also utilize low tunnels covered in greenhouse plastic or floating row cover to keep plants safe from the elements and a few degrees warmer than the outside temperatures.

Stagger Your Plantings

There’s no way to predict ahead of time how your cool-season crops will do. You can improve your chance of having successful harvests by staggering plantings by a week or more.

This way, if cold weather or a heat wave kills off one generation of vegetables, you’ll have some planted of the same variety that may have been large or small enough to survive.

Grow Cool-Season Crops for a Longer Harvest Season

Growing cool-season vegetables is a lesson in patience, but the results can be well worth the effort. Take time to set up a planting strategy, and you may be enjoying fresh garden produce when everyone else is relying on the grocery store.

How to Attract More Birds to Your Garden in Late Winter

Winter birds are a delight in the garden, and with the proper prep work, you can ensure your space offers them a sanctuary to thrive until spring. Here’s how to get started.

Nothing adds more visual interest to a drab winter backyard than a flock of birds. Gardeners love attracting these feathered friends to their growing space at any time of year, but birds benefit the most from some attention in the winter.

While many bird populations migrate to warmer weather in the spring, others stay up in one location year-round and simply tough out bad weather. But, as food and shelter are often in short supply over the colder months, taking time to make them accessible will go a long way toward helping birds thrive until spring.

Here’s how to turn your garden into a winter paradise for birds to ensure they prioritize your yard as a pit stop during their migration process.

How are Birds Beneficial to the Garden?

Attracting birds to your garden is about more than having something to watch from the window. They offer real benefits for your growing space by keeping pest populations in check and eating weed seeds before they can germinate. Keep birds content in your yard, and there’s less reason to use toxic pesticides or herbicides.

Birds also improve biodiversity by creating habitat space for other animals by eating and expelling fruit seeds that grow into new trees and shrubs.

Eight Ways to Attract Birds to Your Garden

Putting out a bird feeder doesn’t go far enough for attracting winter birds to your garden. Follow these eight tips to ensure they want to spend time in your yard.

1. Think in Layers

When arranging your yard for the benefit of birds, it’s best to think in terms of layers. Birds love to flit between different heights for their food and shelter, so fill your space with tiers of plants. Think tall trees with brushy understory and vines or groundcover below. Your goal should be to mimic the diversity of nature. The greater the mix of vegetation, the more bird varieties you can attract.

2. Plant Shrubs to Attract Birds

Evergreen shrubs are a favorite winter shelter for birds. They offer protection from windy, wet weather and give them a space to hide from predators. If looking to attract birds, make sure you don’t prune your shrubs heavily before winter. This ensures they maintain many nooks and crannies for the birds to tuck themselves into.

3. Keep Berries Available

Consider planting flowering shrubs that produce late-season berries to ensure the birds have a winter food supply. It’s best to seek out varieties that hold onto their fruit over the winter. In fact, many berry varieties don’t become tasty for birds until they’ve gotten sweet from going through several freeze and thaw phases.

Popular backyard varieties include red chokeberry, blueberry viburnum, winterberry holly, bayberry, dogwood, crabapples, beautyberry, sumac, elderberry, and others. Native roses also work well, as they develop fleshy red fruit (the rose “hips”) for birds in the winter.

4. Plant Plenty of Seed- and Nut-Producing Trees

Birds require a lot of calories to sustain themselves through winter. Help them out with a yard filled with seeds and nuts. Think beyond the birdfeeder by planting evergreens, junipers, firs, or hemlocks throughout.

Each will produce a bounty of nutrient-rich pinecones that make for stellar winter snacks for grosbeaks, woodpeckers, chickadees, and more. The birds will enjoy nestling among the pine needles for wind protection against winter storms.

Birds will also appreciate it if your space contains a variety of nut-producing deciduous trees like oaks, walnuts, hickories, and hazelnuts for an additional food source.

5. Grow Grasses

This fall, skip the lawnmower and let the grasses in your yard go to seed. These seed heads provide an excellent food source for birds and are easy to snack on. (You can mow them back again in the spring.) Many bird species also make ground nests and will appreciate the coverage of grasses to keep them out of plain sight.

Consider planting native grasses throughout your landscape for greater ecological benefits. Varieties to consider include switchgrass, hair grass, and both big and little bluestem. These grasses also provide habitat space for insects, another favorite food source for winter birds.

6. Offer (Clean) Shelter and Birdseed

One of the easiest ways to provide for backyard birds this winter is by putting out birdseed and birdhouses for them. Make sure you thoroughly wash any birdhouse on your property before winter to ensure that it doesn’t spread pests and diseases to the birds that use them.

Different varieties will go after different seed types, but it’s generally good to fill the feeders with an assortment of black oil sunflower seeds, peanuts, and white millet. You can also buy blocks of suet, which contain fat with seeds and fruit mixed in.

Note: Stay consistent with keeping the feeders filled. Birds are creatures of habit, and they will soon start depending on your feeder as a food source and may become in trouble if the food runs out. Make sure you stock it up before leaving on a trip to ensure the birds won’t suffer in your absence.

7. Have Water Accessible

You may not think of it, but birds often struggle to find enough clean water in winter weather. Ponds can freeze over, and people tend to stop filling their birdbaths as soon as temperatures drop. Instead, consider investing in a portable de-icer for your bird bath and keep it filled in the winter. You’ll be amazed how many bird varieties this simple step will attract to your yard.

8. Keep Things Wild

Tempting as it may be to tidy up your garden at the end of the fall, winter birds will prefer the space left a little rougher around the edges. Leave old garden plants in place, especially those with flowers or seed heads. An abundance of wild creatures will appreciate the extra food and habitat space.

Start Attracting Birds to Your Yard Today!

Winter birds are a delight in the garden. They add a pop of color to otherwise dreary landscapes and serve as a reminder that better weather is coming again. Follow these tips to attract them to your growing space, and you’ll enjoy their cheerful presence all season long.

Find Out How and When to Fertilize Your Houseplants

Adding fertilizer to indoor plants will give them nutrients to help start the growing season off right. However, too much too soon can cause more problems than going without any fertilizer at all. Here’s how to fertilize for the best results.

Once the weather begins to warm again, it’s time to transition back into gardening season. Even indoor plants are affected by the change of seasons, and the start of spring comes with special care requirements for houseplants.

Fertilizer is critical for keeping houseplants healthy. Unlike outdoor plants, houseplants are limited to the nutrients provided in the pot they live in. Restricted space means that the nutrients within potting soil quickly get depleted and need to be replaced with fertilizer.

Here’s what you need to know about fertilizing your indoor plants to give them the best head start this spring.

What’s in Houseplant Fertilizer?

Most houseplant fertilizers contain a blend of macro and micronutrients your plants need to thrive. These include nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (labeled as N-P-K), along with dozens of minor nutrients like calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium, and more.

The ratio between these three macronutrients will vary based on what the fertilizer is formulated for. Some blends will prioritize leaf development while others improve bud and flower formation, so choose the formulas best-suited to your plants — you may need to keep several on hand.

Types of Houseplant Fertilizer

In most cases, houseplant fertilizers come in three forms. Each has its advantages, so choose which style makes the most sense for your plants.

Liquid Houseplant Fertilizer: These fertilizers are easy to apply and come with a reduced risk of fertilizer burn. This means you can use them frequently without paying close attention to the dosage. However, they tend to soak into the soil quickly and potentially get out of reach of plant roots, which makes them less potent than other fertilizers.

Granular Houseplant Fertilizer: This fertilizer type typically comes into two styles: loose, granular pellets or compressed “spikes.” You will either sprinkle them on the soil surface or press them down into it for closer contact with plant roots. Both styles make for easy measuring so you can add precise amounts to each pot.

Slow-Release Houseplant Fertilizers: Also known as timed-release fertilizers, this type of fertilizer comes as a liquid encapsulated in a coating designed to dissolve over a long period. This lets you fertilize once and let your plants reap the benefits for weeks or even months to come. One drawback is they tend to be made from synthetic ingredients that aren’t eco-friendly.

When to Fertilize Your Houseplants

Tempting as it might be to give your houseplants some extra love during the winter, it’s a mistake to feed them fertilizer during the colder months. Colder weather and shorter days cause many varieties to go dormant (even indoors), which means they are putting all their energy into maintenance rather than growing.

Adding fertilizer during this time may break the dormancy and lead to pale, weak growth that hurts the plant more than helps it. For this reason, it’s best to give plants a break from fertilizer throughout the winter.

But, as the days get longer and the weather begins to warm again, it’s time to start a fertilization routine again.

Exception: Plants grown under grow lights year-round can be fertilized throughout the winter because they won’t experience seasonal changes in lighting or temperature.

In many growing regions, you can plan to start fertilizing houseplants about eight weeks before the last expected frost date. This gives the plants enough time to slowly ramp up production before warmer weather returns.

You’ll know that houseplants are ready for fertilizer as soon as you see signs of active growth. It’s best to think of this supplemental nutrition as a reward for growing, not as a method for stimulating it to start.

General Tips for Applying Fertilizer to Houseplants

Make sure you introduce the fertilizer slowly to not overwhelm the plants. Too much too quickly will cause more harm than skipping it altogether. So, for the first few doses, consider diluting the fertilizer to half or even a quarter of its strength. You can gradually increase the concentration over the following weeks.

Likewise, it’s best to skip fertilizing for a few weeks after repotting indoor plants. The roots will already be stressed from the shock of transplanting, so they need some time to readjust before receiving a boost of nutrients that stimulates growth.

Finally, before applying any fertilizer, make sure you read the label carefully. Failing to follow instructions will leave your plants in worse shape than if you skipped fertilizing altogether. Research what type of fertilizer is best for your specific houseplants, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for application.

Three Other Ways to Take Care of Houseplants Before Spring

Adding fertilizer is only part of the process of helping indoor plants acclimate to breaking dormancy in the spring. Here are other steps to give them a restart for the warmer weather.

Dust and Wipe the Leaves

Houseplants can become incredibly dirty in the winter, thanks to all the time spent indoors with furnaces spreading dust through the air. Too much grime on the leaves can interfere with photosynthesis, so give the leaves the occasional wipe down with a wet rag or Q-tip to keep them clean.

This is also an excellent time to seek out signs of pests like spider mites, aphids, and mealybugs. Wipe any insects away and treat infected plants immediately with insecticidal soap to prevent infestations from spreading.

Trim and Prune

Winter dormancy makes for an ideal time to trim up indoor plants. Use pruning shears or your fingers to gently remove all dead or damaged leaves, and prune back the plant to your preferred shape. Remove any discarded plant material so it doesn’t rot in the pot and encourage mold growth or insect infestations.

Consider Repotting

Use the end of winter as an opportunity to repot houseplants that need more growing space. Make sure the pot you choose is clean and allows for drainage, and aim to disturb the roots as little as possible during the transfer process.

Fertilizer is essential for houseplants to thrive. Time your applications with the seasons, and your plants will look their best all year long.

Nice and Light: Keep Houseplants Healthy With Perfect Lighting

Getting the lighting requirements right for indoor plants is no easy task. Here’s how to tell whether yours need more or less time in the sunshine — and what to do about it.

Growing plants indoors can be a tricky proposition. Different varieties have unique requirements, especially when it comes to water and lighting needs. Understanding how to help each plant thrive within your indoor space comes down to knowing how to meet these needs.

Here’s a guide for how to care for light-sensitive plants in your home.

What is a Light-Sensitive Plant?

It’s a mistake to assume that all plants need as much light as possible. In truth, many varieties thrive with limited exposure.

Many tropical plants, which tend to make excellent houseplants, evolved in dark, shady spots under leafy canopies. Too much light will make them stressed and lead to stunted growth and leaf damage.

A few popular light-sensitive houseplants include devil’s ivy, creeping fig, elephant’s ear, weeping fig, Chinese money plant, and rattlesnake plant, among many others.

These low-light-loving plants do well in dark corners of your home. They thrive next to north-facing windows or even in spaces with minimal natural light altogether. Learn which plants can handle these conditions, and you can fill even dark corners of your space with plant life.

Eight Signs Your Plants Need More Light

Not all plants thrive in low-light conditions. Here are the signs your plant might be better off in a different location.

1. Sparse or Leggy Growth

You’ll know your plant is struggling to get enough light when you start to see long stems with lots of space between the leaves. Plants that look thin and straggly are reaching for as much light as possible, leading to this stretched-out appearance. Provide them with more, and you’ll soon see thicker, lusher growth.

2. No New Growth

Does your plant seem to be dormant? Is it going months on end with minimal changes? A lack of new growth might signify it’s not getting the light necessary for photosynthesis and is instead putting its limited energy toward maintenance.

Note that it’s normal for plants to enter dormancy in the winter — even when kept indoors. The problem occurs when this lack of new growth lasts for more than a few months.

3. Leaning Toward the Light Source

Are your houseplants starting to grow in particular directions? If you find their new leaves and stems are also angled toward the light source, this might be a sign that it’s a little too scarce. Rotating the plant every time you water can help even out this angled growth, and so can moving the pot to a brighter spot.

4. Producing Small Leaves

When an indoor plant seems only capable of producing small, stunted leaves, you may want to reevaluate its light exposure. Minimal growth is a sign the plant isn’t getting enough energy to put out new, full-sized foliage and instead is committing to the bare minimum to survive.

5. Browning Leaves & Tips

One clear sign that plants aren’t getting enough light is the development of browning leaves and tips. However, leaves can become discolored for various reasons, including overwatering (or underwatering!), nutrient deficiencies, pest damage, and more.

Consider ruling out these other factors one at a time, so you don’t inadvertently stress the plant by making too many changes at once.

6. Soil Stays Wet for Weeks

If you feel like you never need to water your indoor plants, this may be a sign that lighting might not be adequate. Potting soil dries out because the plant’s roots draw it out and use it to stimulate new growth. Too much water sitting in the pot can signify that the plant isn’t in a growth phase.

Move the plant to a location with more light, and you will likely notice that the potting soil dries much faster than before.

Note: Keep in mind that getting watering right for indoor plants is a balancing act. Water too often, and the plant will deal with “wet feet” that leave it susceptible to rot and mold problems. Make sure you research the specific watering requirements for each variety to ensure you can meet their needs.

7. The Plant Was Brought Indoors for the Winter

If your growing zone deals with freezing winter weather, then it’s common to bring potted plants indoors once the weather starts to turn. The shift from being outdoors to sitting on a windowsill can be stressful for plants accustomed to unlimited natural light.

You can ease this transition by bringing plants indoors gradually — a few hours a day for a week or two — so they have time to acclimate to the change in lighting.

8. Leaves are Developing Dull Colors

If you have houseplants known for their vibrant leaves that seem to be turning dull, a lack of light may be to blame. When healthy, variegated houseplants will have a mix of colors throughout their leaves. However, too little light will make the leaves “revert” to green without those prized pops of color.

That’s because green leaves are the most efficient for photosynthesizing, and a plant starved of light will do everything possible to maximize the opportunity to capture it. Improve the plant’s access to light, and its bright colors should soon return.

Four Signs Plants Need Less Light

Sometimes, indoor plants experience the opposite problems and struggle because of too much light exposure. Here are the most common signs that your plant would do better in lower light conditions:

How to Improve Lighting Conditions for Indoor Plants

Here’s the good news: It’s a simple fix to improve the lighting conditions for your indoor plants. Whether they require more or less of it, a few small changes can ensure they stay at their healthiest. These tips are designed for increasing light exposure.

Move Them Closer to a Window: Most indoor plants do best when placed a few feet from a sunny window so they can utilize the natural light. Make sure the space isn’t drafty, so the plants don’t deal with temperature extremes.
Keep Them in South-Facing Rooms: Southern-oriented rooms receive the best lighting for most houseplants. In contrast, north-facing rooms receive the weakest light, especially in winter.
Use a Grow Light: Sometimes, it’s best to supplement the natural lighting in your home with specialized grow lights. Prop one over your potted plants, and you can break them out of dormancy. Make sure you set the light on a timer to ensure the plants receive time in the dark as well.

Dealing with light-sensitive plants isn’t difficult, but it does require some attention. If you follow the suggestions outlined here, it should ensure you’re giving your plants the right conditions to thrive.

How to Plan, Design, and Build a Zen Garden

First built by Buddhist monks for tranquility, elements of peaceful Zen gardens can be replicated in your home or yard.

Perhaps you’ve seen a desktop Zen garden, complete with a tiny rake used to etch patterns into a tray of sand. These miniature Zen gardens are a portable replica of the life-sized versions. Originating in Japan, Zen gardens were first built by Buddhist monks as tranquil outdoor spaces for meditation.

Purists will insist that a true karesansui, or Zen garden, must be a dry, minimalistic landscape that contains gravel, rock, sand, and wood elements. Plants in a traditional Zen garden are few and far between, and bright colors are not typical. These natural elements are often accompanied by human-made features such as bridges, fences, screens, sculptures, and lanterns.

However, contemporary interpretations of Zen gardens are more flexible, with gardeners using the traditional elements to complement their own individual styles and tastes. This can include water features, lush plantings, and other deviations from the rigid minimalist style of the original Zen gardens. In the following, you can learn more about how to design and create a Zen garden, as well as the tools and supplies you need for a Zen garden landscape.

Design Principles

There are seven guiding principles that give structure to Zen gardens. Before you gather tools and supplies, you need a design. By using these concepts, you can create an authentic-feeling Zen landscape.

1. Allusion (Yugen)

Zen gardens use subtlety and symbolism. Boulders may be used to represent mountains, while artfully raked gravel can resemble ripples in water.

2. Asymmetry (Fukinsei)

It is easy to create balance through symmetry, but in the Zen garden, balance is achieved through careful composition. Incorporate plants, structures, and elements that offset one another for a balanced feeling.

3. Naturalness (Shizen)

This doesn’t mean that you can’t use manufactured items, but rather that they should feel harmonious, not forced. Plastic elements or artificially colored mulch are not a good fit for a traditional Zen garden, but if your design is more whimsical and uses bright color, then you can likely bend the rules a bit.

4. Understatement (Shibui)

A prominent Zen concept is that beauty should be subtle and simple, not fussy or flashy. The design focus is on elegance and minimalism. Use elements that add shapes and textures elegantly, none overpowering the others.

5. Simplicity (Kanso)

The notion of simplicity demands an uncluttered design with a physical clarity that encourages the mind to become clear. As you sketch a design, ask yourself if each element you add is necessary, and take away any element that isn’t.

6. Surprise (Datsuzoku)

The most playful of the design principles, this one encourages a space that feels like an escape from the ordinary. Don’t be afraid to add something unexpected. A sōzu, or pivoting water fountain feature, is a perfect example.

7. Tranquility (Seijaku)

When you step into a Zen garden, you are supposed to immediately feel a sense of active calm. Design for a soothing stillness and solitude, but use visually engaging elements to keep a viewer alert and observant.

Planning

Before you begin your design, identify the area where you will build your Zen garden. A flat location, even a tucked-away corner, is a good place to begin. Once you have chosen a space, measure it carefully and create a sketch of it to scale. Look at other Zen gardens for inspiration, and draw out a design for your garden installation.

Remember that Zen gardens use plants sparingly. Choose plants for their color, texture, and seasonal interest, avoiding any species that shed leaves heavily. Evergreen plants will keep your garden tidy. Many Zen gardens are enclosed, and if you prefer a well-defined boundary or cozy privacy, you may want to incorporate screens into your design.

Water can provide a tranquil place for meditation or gathering. A stone basin offers a rustic look, while a koi pond can bring movement and life into the garden. In dry Zen gardens, water is alluded to using sand, rock and other features.

Tools to Design and Build a Zen Garden

Designing

You will first need to measure the space where you plan to install your Zen garden. Using graph paper to get the scale properly, draw out the dimensions of the space. Once you have the parameters clearly defined, use tracing paper to sketch out all of the elements that you want to include.

Building

When your design is finalized, you must prepare the space. Using a shovel and rake, level the ground, removing roots, debris, and rocks. Then cover the ground carefully with heavy-duty landscape fabric, overlapping the edges at least six inches. Next, mark out the locations of each plant, stone, and feature with the spray paint. Using scissors and a shovel, cut holes in the fabric for plants and dig holes, removing the soil as you go. You may wish to partially bury large rocks.

Supplies for Creating and Maintaining a Zen Garden

Creating

Once the plants, rocks, and other features are installed, cover the surface of the fabric with several inches of gravel, spreading it with the flat side of a garden rake.

Maintaining

Even with very few plans, a Zen garden still needs to be maintained. You should rake and remove leaves as plants drop them to avoid leaves breaking down into the gravel, which looks untidy and encourages weed growth. Periodically pruning back plants as they grow will help to maintain balance and keep your garden harmonious.

Using a Zen garden rake, you can rake patterns into the surface of the gravel covering the surface of your garden as often as you like. For many, the act of daily raking is a form of meditation in itself as well as a creative outlet.

It doesn’t matter if you choose to create a strictly traditional Zen garden or incorporate your own tastes and preferences into the style. Building and maintaining a Zen garden will help you connect to tranquility, natural beauty, and the joy of simple design.

Best Landscaping Ideas to Create Privacy in Your Yard

Seven ways to make your yard a beautifully secluded and private retreat.

Privacy is what allows your yard to become a secluded and relaxing retreat for you and your family. But while privacy is a wonderful end result, how you go about achieving it can vary greatly.

Let’s explore seven of the best landscaping ideas to create privacy in your yard. These tips will help you plan a private paradise that’s perfect for your outdoor space.

Top 7 Privacy Landscaping Ideas

Creating privacy is all about achieving two goals: blocking any unwanted sightlines into your property, and minimizing any unwanted noises. Each of the following seven landscaping ideas will help you with both of those goals.

Read on to learn the details of what makes each of those ideas a worthy option for anyone who wants more privacy in their yard.

1. Grow Evergreen Hedges

There are few methods of making privacy more impressive than a mature evergreen hedge. Such hedges can take years to reach their ideal forms, but when they do, they will be well worth the wait. The appeal of this classic landscape privacy element comes in many shapes and sizes.

A tall evergreen hedge screens out unwanted views throughout the year. Often, the foliage they use to create that visual barrier will add attractive colors and textures to your garden. Those evergreen leaves and needles typically respond well to shearing and shaping, too.

2. Set Up Lattice Panels

At times, the goal of a privacy element is to block out surrounding views entirely. In other instances, the means by which you create privacy can be a bit more subtle. Using lattice panels is one way to add some privacy without being too heavy-handed.

The criss-cross pattern of wood that makes up a lattice panel is enough to give a definitive shape to your space and obscure outsiders’ views. Meanwhile, the gaps between the wood allow light and air to filter through easily.

What makes this privacy look more intriguing is when you add climbing plants to your lattice structures. Not only will these species add more privacy by filling in the gaps in your lattice, they will also add flowers, leaves, and other ornamental features.

3. Make Use of Landforms

One way of creating privacy that many people ignore involves making use of landforms. To use this tactic, begin by studying the existing terrain of your property.

There is a chance you may have some existing berms or other mounded features that could already serve as a form of privacy. Situating your outdoor living spaces near those features is one way to take advantage of that natural privacy.

If you have the means, you could also have a berm created to add more privacy to your yard. In either case, mounds of earth are also one of the most effective ways to muffle unpleasant sounds like traffic noise.

4. Use a Classic Fence

The privacy-making idea that we are all perhaps most familiar with is fencing. For good reason, too: Fences are usually fast and easy to build.

That expedience means that you can add privacy to your yard very quickly. While it can take several years for a hedge to fully fill in, you can add a new fence to your property in just a few weeks. Fences come in many different sizes, materials, and style options.

5. Build a Garden Wall

A stately garden wall is another fantastic way to add some privacy to your yard while also making an eye-catching statement. When your wall consists of well-crafted masonry, it’ll add charm to your garden like few other privacy elements can.

Building a wall is a serious construction endeavor, especially one that is tall enough to give you privacy. For that reason, you should always seek out a team of professionals to build your wall correctly. Finding a well-qualified mason is the most promising way to ensure your wall is not only aesthetically pleasing but also safe and sufficiently reinforced.

6. Hang a Canopy

There are some scenarios in which you may need privacy as a way to block views from above. This is most common in urban gardens, where tall surrounding buildings make it easy for outsiders to look down onto your space.

If you find yourself in need of this variety of privacy, you should think about hanging a canopy. Privacy is not the only advantage a canopy affords.

An overhead canopy does a lot to increase the coziness of an outdoor area. They also look great when they move with the wind. They can also offer some protection from the elements, too.

7. Plant a Green Wall

While perhaps not as common as other options on this list, green walls are a privacy option with a lot going for them. A well-built green wall acts as a visual screen while also giving you additional growing space for your plants.

Planting a green wall is a somewhat unconventional approach. But it is a great choice for those who enjoy completing a DIY garden project. By increasing the number of plants you can grow in your garden, green walls also do their part to be as environmentally friendly as possible.

Go Get Private!

Now that you know more about the seven best landscaping ideas for privacy, there is nothing stopping you from creating an element of privacy in your yard. Mix and match from the list above, and start to make the secluded retreat you’ve always dreamed of having.

How to Decorate Your House Like a Fairytale With Flowers

Flowers can be used to make a fairytale-style room more dynamic and natural. The choice of flowers — including the size, shape, and color, as well as the container used — make flowers an adaptable element to any type of storybook-themed room.

If you have ever wanted to bring the magic of your favorite story into reality, decorating your home in fairytale style is a fantastic way to do so. While there are many ways to incorporate fairytale-style decor, it almost always encompasses some aspects of the natural world. For an extra special touch, consider adding flowers as an accent or even a main focal point of your fairytale-style room.

What is Fairytale-Style Decor?

Before getting into the details of how to decorate your room with flowers to look like it’s straight out of a fairytale, it will be helpful to explore exactly what the elements of fairytale style are. Of course, fairytales themselves span a variety of locations and settings, so you will want to determine what type is most appealing to you and your own style. Choose a specific story, if possible, to guide your choices.

You’ll also want to make sure that the decor fits the purpose of the room. The possibilities span a wide range of decoration: it could be an ornate castle with many detailed embellishments, or maybe it resembles a rustic cabin where magical creatures could appear at any moment. Enchanted forests play a part in many tales, but you could also adapt this style to an ocean or sky setting, for example.

While many people consider fairytale style to be most suitable for a child’s room, the possibilities for using these elements don’t stop there. By carefully choosing the theme and execution, you could use fairytale style to great effect throughout your home. Smaller spaces like a powder room are a great option for whimsical decorating, since their compact size means that only a few key elements are needed to set the ambiance.

Fairytale style is generally described as being cozy, whimsical, and a bit unexpected. It invokes a feeling that anything could happen in this space. Surprising and playful details take the space from ordinary to extraordinary.

Flowers for a Fairytale-Style Interior

If you are looking to use flowers in your fairytale-style room, you may be aiming for style that brings to mind a cozy cottage in the woods or perhaps a formal garden. In many fairytales, the natural world, including plants and flowers, are not just background but a key element of the story.

Regardless of what type of fairytale you use to inspire your room, there is a variety of flower or plant that will complement it. Don’t be afraid to experiment and see what works best in your space.

Choosing Colors When You Decorate with Flowers

When choosing flowers to use in a fairytale-style room, the important elements to keep in mind are color, size, and care.

Flower colors should complement (but not necessarily match) the rest of the decor in the room. Choose warm colors like pink, yellow, and orange to bring a cheerful, uplifting accent to the room. Cooler colors like purple and burgundy are suitable for an interior that invokes moody or mysterious fairytales.

White and very pale pastel flowers bring a sense of innocence and purity. Purple flowers are suitable for a castle or princess theme, as purple is the color most closely associated with royalty. Red flowers, especially roses, bring to mind romantic love.

The size of the flowers you choose will also be important in creating the desired effect. Flowers that are too small will be overlooked in favor of more conspicuous items in the room, while too many large flowers might be overwhelming. In general, it is a good idea to choose just a few main focal points (flowers or other elements) to showcase, and then the other pieces in the room harmonize and support those main pieces.

Finally, consider how much care and attention you are willing to provide for your flower decorations. If you use real flowers, they will need to have their water refilled and changed periodically, and will need to be replaced as they die. On the other hand, real flowers can add scent to a room and truly bring the outdoors inside.

Artificial flowers, on the other hand, require no maintenance other than the occasional dusting. They can be placed anywhere in the room, and you don’t need to worry about providing them with water. High-quality artificial flowers may be more expensive to purchase than real flowers, but they will be the more economical choice over time since they don’t need to be replaced. They may have a bad reputation for looking cheap or tacky, but there have been significant advances in the production of artificial flowers and they can sometimes be quite difficult to distinguish from the real thing.

The choice of real or artificial flowers comes down to personal preference and style. There’s also nothing to say you can’t combine both in the same room or even the same arrangement.

Where to Put Flowers in Your Fairytale-Style Room

Typically people think of flowers being placed on a table as a centerpiece or accent, but that is just a starting point. For a fairytale-style room, you can exercise a lot of creativity and where and how to use flowers.

One option would be to use a terrarium or cloche to create a miniature scene, with tiny flowers like baby’s breath or primrose. This would be a lovely place to include some figurines: animals, fairies, or whatever fits your theme.

Moving away from containers, a garland framing a door or window with flowers and foliage could make your room feel like an enchanted forest. Pinning artificial flowers all over a wall creates a magical ambiance, or you could use a series of small vases if you prefer using fresh flowers.

In a bedroom, flowers could be used to decorate a headboard or intertwined with a canopy. A curtain could be accentuated or even replaced with strings of flowers hanging from the curtain rod. Once again, the possibilities are only limited by your imagination, as flowers can make an impact anywhere they are placed.

Selecting Containers for Fairytale-Style Flowers

Finally, don’t underestimate the containers you choose to display flowers in your home. Even if the flowers inside change, you are likely to use the same containers over and over, so choose those that are adaptable and fit your theme.

Of course vases and pots are typical, but you can be creative with container options. Almost anything that holds water can be used to display flowers, so look to old teapots, unique jars, vintage dishes, or whatever other item accentuates the fairytale style you’ve chosen.

With the above tips in mind, you should be able to choose the right flowers to complement your fairytale-style interior theme. Regardless of whether your fairytale room is dramatic and moody, light and cheerful, or simply magical, flowers can be used to great effect as a main decorative element.

A Guide to the New York Botanical Garden Orchid Show

The Orchid Show has been an attraction at the New York Botanical Garden since 2002 and offers dazzling creations of pop art and more made entirely of orchids. After a hiatus in 2021, the Orchid Show is back and better than ever!

The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) is the largest botanic garden within a U.S. city. Regardless of when you visit, there’s usually a special exhibit or show happening. Since 2002, the NYBG has been putting on a popular Orchid Show that has awed everyone who sees it. While the NYBG did not have the full exhibition in 2021 due to COVID-19, the Orchid Show is back for the 2022 season.

Running from the end of February through the beginning of May, the Orchid Show offers a stunning display of various orchid varieties and colors in beautiful and sometimes surreal arrangements made almost entirely of flowers. Each year, the NYBG brings a renowned florist to design the exhibits based around a central theme. The 2022 theme is Kaleidoscope, and previous years’ themes included Singapore at Night, Thailand, Orchid Delirium, and much more.

Why Orchids?

You’ve probably seen orchids pop up in stores as the weather gets warmer. Often associated with spring, these beautiful flowers are one of the largest families of flower plants in the world and can be found natively in almost every continent, except Antarctica. Thanks to its general hardiness and diversity in color, shape, and size, more than 100,000 orchid hybrids and cultivars have been produced by horticulturists.

The variety in orchids make them a perfect plant for floral arrangements. While most orchids tend to have similar shapes, the variety of patterns, colors, and more make them wonderful additions to most gardens. The living sculptures created during the Orchid Show display the multi-color diversity of these flowers while also highlighting each flower so that its silhouette stands out against other orchids.

Although orchids might be one of the largest families of flower plants, there are many varieties that are rare and in danger of extinction. The Orchid Show is not only meant to delight the senses, but also to drum up interest in the flower and help fund continuing research into these extraordinary plants. Currently, there are more than 28,000 different species of orchids, with scientists finding more every year. The NYBG has more than 2,000 different types in their permanent collection from regions around the world.

What is the Orchid Show?

As the name suggests, it’s an exhibit focused solely on orchids. Held every year in the Enid A. Haupt Observatory, the show brings on talented floral designers to create living sculptures centered around a common theme. The show utilizes the NYBG’s already-existing orchid collection and brings in thousands of other species to round out the experience.

While each year’s show offers a different experience, you can expect to be dazzled by an array of colors, scents, and sculptures. Each designer brings a different vision to the show with some being more traditional and others offering more abstract exhibits. While the 2020 exhibit was cut short and the 2021 show was pared down to just an Orchid Spotlight, the 2022 show is expected to be one of the most popular shows yet.

Jeff Leatham, the designer for the 2020 Kaleidoscope show that was cut short, brings back the theme, but has reinvented it to be even more exciting and interesting. It will feature towers of orange, yellow, and green with fields of white and purple overhead as well as a kaleidoscopic tunnel of lights. Leatham’s hope with his exhibit is that “visitors will appreciate the beauty of orchids and see the NYBG’s conservatory in exciting new ways.”

Things to Do at the Orchid Show

The Enid A. Haupt Conservatory is around 55,000 square feet, with the 2022 Kaleidoscope Orchid Show taking up around 30,000 square feet. You can spend hours enjoying the beauty of the sculptures and flowers during the show, but the conservatory itself has 11 distinct pavilions with each housing groups of plants from different environments such as deserts, the tropics, and more. During the Orchid Show, orchids are incorporated into these existing collections.

Besides enjoying the beautiful orchid displays during the day, there are also Orchid Evenings at night for adults. During these events you can enjoy some music, have some drinks, and snack on light bites. The NYBG teams up with renowned musicians and local choreographers for a fun and exciting night. It’s a great way to experience the Orchid Show in a different light and is a fun idea for date night. As you might expect, Orchid Evenings tend to be very popular, so it’s a good idea to reserve your seat well in advance.

If you want more family-friendly activities, the NYBG offers programming that will help you care for orchids on your own. You can take either the orchid basics Q&A or orchid care demonstrations. These demonstrations happen on the weekends, making it perfect for a family outing. If you’re a photographer, you’re in luck as the garden offers two hours on a specific date only for photographers to take pictures. It’s the only time you’re allowed to bring a tripod to the exhibit, so take advantage of it!

Of course, once you’re “finished” with the Orchid Show, you have the rest of the garden to discover. The NYBG is one of the largest in the United States and has its own small train system so you can travel around the grounds easier. If you visit in March or April, you’ll be able to experience the garden in bloom for the spring!

Check out the Orchid Show at the NYBG

The Orchid Show is one of the most anticipated events for New York City residents every year. You don’t have to be a plant lover to enjoy the beauty of these amazing living sculptures. Due to its popularity, you should reserve your tickets in advance as you might not be able to get into the exhibit if you wait until the last minute. The NYBG is located in the Bronx, and you can get to the gardens by the Metro North Harlem line from Grand Central Station or via bus or subway.