Garden Gate3 min read
Small Backyard Makeover
Mary Ann Fordyce’s small Seattle garden had a big problem—a newly built three-story condo looming over the backyard. The spots where she used to relax with a book and gather with friends were now on full display, with nothing to block the view from u
Garden Gate6 min read
The BUZZ About Bee Lawns
It’s no secret that bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects need our help. Garden enthusiasts have been rolling up their sleeves planting pollinator gardens and weaving native plants into their landscapes to throw these crucial critters a lif
Garden Gate1 min read
Finishing Touches
“We need joy as we need air. We need love as we need water. We need each other as we need the earth we share.” — Maya Angelou ■
Garden Gate1 min read
Garden Gate Online
GardenGateMagazine.com Add easy-to-grow daylilies to your garden for color all summer. Our comprehensive guide shows exactly how and when to deadhead 50+ perennials. Let us introduce you to several of our favorites! Learn the right way to plant bar
Garden Gate2 min read
Shade Dazzlers!
Searching for plants to fill a few shady spots in your yard? Look no further. Here are 8 plants with a variety of flowers, size, shape and hardiness—there’s something for everyone! Perennial; white flowers in summer, cup-shaped, blue-green leaves; pa
Garden Gate1 min read
Garden Gate
EXECUTIVE EDITOR Kristin Beane Sullivan EXECUTIVE ART DIRECTOR Eric Flynn SENIOR EDITOR Sherri RibbeyTEST GARDEN MANAGER/ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jennifer HowellASSOCIATE EDITOR Marisa ReyesDIGITAL MEDIA MANAGER Katie MeyerASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR Carri
Garden Gate3 min read
Staking Solutions
When flowers are flopping and stems are leaning, stakes come to the rescue. These simple garden tools come in a range of styles and materials, from commercial products you can buy at the garden center to DIY projects made from leftovers in the garage
Garden Gate4 min read
Q & A
Q How do I prune my autumn sage? And how can I prevent unwanted seedlings? Donnie Woods, CA A Most cultivars of autumn sage (Salvia greggii) grow 2 to 4 feet tall and can become rather gangly specimens. This woody perennial probably doesn’t die ba
Garden Gate2 min read
New & Improved Lawn Mower
Over the first two and a half decades that we were homeowners, my husband and I only owned two lawn mowers. Both were hand-me-downs. At our first home, we inherited an old lawn mower from neighbors who had just purchased a new one. While it technical
Garden Gate5 min read
Great Plants Weigela
Considered one of the easiest shrubs to grow, weigela doesn’t disappoint! It can grow in clay soil, it’s deer resistant, and hummingbirds love its bright tubular flowers. This versatile shrub is a gem. PLANT WEIGELA ANYWHERE Although older weigelas c
Garden Gate2 min read
From The Editor
Early on, my husband and I struck a deal. He would handle snow removal and I’d mow the lawn. This seemed like a good idea in November. In May I discovered that using a push mower on our lumpy lawn wasn’t as easy as zooming over the yard on the rider
Garden Gate5 min read
Focus on Flowers
A couple years after her family moved into their New Jersey home, Heather Thomas was anxious to get a garden started. She dreamed of transforming the sideyard previously dedicated to a kids’ play space into a garden destination where perennial border
Garden Gate4 min read
Mint The Essential Cocktail Garden Herb
Grow this essential herb and join in on the fun of planting a cocktail garden this year! Whether you’re muddling it into a mojito or using it to infuse a simple syrup, mint’s versatility knows no bounds. As a bonus, it’s easy to care for and those pe
Garden Gate3 min read
5 Ways to Use a Fallen Tree in Your Garden
When you lose a tree, you’re often left with a stump or bulky logs that can be tough and expensive to remove. These tree remains can take several years to rot away, depending on the species and the weather. Sure, you could always hire someone to grin
Garden Gate2 min read
Add A Touch Of The Tropics
Bletilla striata Blooms Small, orchidlike pink-purple flowers from mid- to late spring Light Part shadeSoil Moist, well-drained Pests None serious Size 12 to 18 in. tall, 6 to 12 in. wideCold hardy USDA zones 5 to 9 Looking for an exotic addition to
Garden Gate10 min read
Butterfly Host Plants
Butterflies are beautiful and fascinating creatures with scales on their wings and “taste buds” on their feet. But populations have been declining, partly due to habitat loss. The good news is that gardeners can help! If you grow the host plants that
Garden Gate1 min read
Weed Watch
What it looks like Imported to North America in the late 1800s, this woody shrub was originally intended as a rootstock for slow-rooting ornamental roses. But it quickly escaped cultivation. Plants produce clusters of small, fragrant pale pink to whi
Garden Gate3 min read
Sensational Summer Containers
Perched on a balcony or nestled in a cozy patio corner, container gardens transform outdoor living areas into lush getaways. Whether it’s a tropical-themed container with towering palms and vivid underplantings, a colorful mix of coleus and trailing
Garden Gate5 min read
Create Curb Appeal in Challenging Clay Soil
FACILITATE THE FLOW Slope beds down 6 inches for every 10 feet away from the foundation wall so water is diverted into the planting or lawn. If water collects in any spots or won’t dry out at all, get a professional to install a drainage system. LEAV
Garden Gate3 min read
Reader Tips
Dianna Salsbury, WA When getting up and down in her garden became challenging, Dianna discovered a helpful hack: A sturdy metal garden fork stuck into the ground near her. If she begins to feel unsteady as she weeds or needs help standing up, she ju
Garden Gate6 min read
2024 Reader Container Challenge
Containers are a gardener’s best friend. They can bring a pop of color to the deck, add some foliage texture and height along a shady path or brighten the front entry. There are loads of possibilities! But all that potential can be a bit overwhelming
Garden Gate3 min read
Which Colorful An Nual Is Right For You?
Petunias have been growing in gardens for nearly 200 years. With generations of breeding, they now bloom in almost any color and on mounded, trailing or spreading forms. It’s easy to see why petunias dominate the bedding plant world. WHERE THEY WORK
Garden Gate3 min read
Plants On The Move
Whether you’re moving a plant across the yard, across town or across the country, relocating trees, shrubs and perennials can be stressful for them. When the plant is a treasured heirloom peony or an expensive hellebore, you want to do your best to s
Garden Gate4 min read
Rhubarb
Wouldn’t you love a plant in your vegetable garden that you didn’t have to start every year? Get a rhubarb patch going, and you’ll have plenty of this tasty fruit every spring and summer for pies, jams, sauces and syrups. As a bonus, the plants are b
Garden Gate7 min read
What’s Your Gardening Style?
Maybe you’ve never quite put your finger on why you choose the plants and designs that you do. This quiz will help you define your preferences, quirks and motivations. Take it to see how your approach aligns with these four global garden styles. That
Garden Gate3 min read
Welcome Spring With Cool-Weather Containers
Winter is fading away and spring annual and perennial flowers are starting to pop up in garden centers in full bloom. Even if the ground is still frozen in your beds and borders, you can start planting containers to scratch that gardening itch you’ve
Garden Gate1 min read
From The Editor
As much as I look forward to getting back into my garden every spring, sometimes the to-do list (even if self imposed) can be overwhelming. I used to plant, divide, prune, weed and edge from sunup to sundown. These days I just don’t have that kind of
Garden Gate3 min read
Which Cottage Garden Spike Is Right For You?
When you dream of the perfect flower border, are bright blue delphinium spikes at the top of your list? You’re not alone. But good looks aren’t the only thing these 3- to 6-foot-tall perennials have to offer. The blue, purple, pink, red or white late
Garden Gate6 min read
7 Plants I Always Start From Seed
Seeds can be started many ways: outdoors directly in the ground, indoors under lights or in a greenhouse, and even in the refrigerator in a paper towel. I use all of these methods. The needs of the plant and how it germinates best determine the way I
Garden Gate7 min read
Speedwell
It’s easy to give ho-hum plantings an exciting new look when you add speedwell to the mix. Long spikes of purple, lavender, blue, pink or white last for several weeks starting in late spring or early summer. SPEEDWELL LOVE Bees and butterflies are fr
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