Savvy Gardening

Narrow trees for small gardens and tight spaces

by Jessica Walliser

Let’s face it. Most gardeners aren’t working with an endless amount of space. We have small yards and gardens and a limited amount of time to dedicate to taking care of our outdoor spaces. Small-space gardening is a must for many of us in today’s fast-paced, urban world. All too often big trees are planted in small gardens and yards where they quickly outgrow the space and have to be drastically pruned or removed altogether. Today, I’d like to tell you about some absolutely amazing narrow trees for small gardens. These columnar trees are also perfect for tight spaces, such as the area between your home and driveway, along a fence line, or when planted in a row, they’ll even serve as a privacy shield against nearby neighbors. Continue Reading
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Elevated raised bed gardening: The easiest way to grow!

by Jessica Walliser

If you’re looking for an easier way to garden, elevated raised bed gardening may just be your new best friend. With this technique, you can harvest oodles of fruits and veggies, armloads of flowers, and endless bunches of herbs with minimal effort. It’s seriously easy to garden in elevated raised beds! To help us share the joys of this super-simple method of growing, we’ve teamed up with Gardener’s Supply Company, a Vermont-based, employee-owned company that manufactures beautiful raised planter boxes and lots of other tools to make gardening both fun and trouble-free. Continue Reading
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Pint-sized picks and ideas for a miniature plant garden

by Tara Nolan

It was an enchanting hosta garden that got me thinking about the possibilities of displaying miniature outdoor plants. Tiny hostas were displayed both in the ground, with other shade plants, while others were planted together in pots, rocks and tree stump crevices, and in hypertufa planters. Now creating some type of miniature plant garden is on my radar and I’m excited to source my plants.

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Selecting low-maintenance roses for the garden

by Tara Nolan

While they may have endured a high-maintenance reputation in the past, roses have been enjoying a renaissance, of sorts. Modern varieties feature attractive qualities for busy, modern gardeners, such as hardiness in cooler climates, drought resistance, self-cleaning (meaning no deadheading required!), and greater disease resistance. Selecting low-maintenance roses for an established or new perennial garden, or even for a hedge, will add vibrant color and interest to the chosen space—without any fuss.

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Edible Garden Design Ideas

by Niki Jabbour

Years ago, vegetable gardens were tucked away in backyards where their long rows and practical plantings could be hidden from the neighbors. Today, food gardens are a point of pride for many gardeners and are placed wherever there is enough sun to grow healthy vegetables, herbs, and fruits. Garden design has also changed, with many growing their edibles entirely in containers, vertically on walls, or in raised beds. To help you grow a productive and beautiful kitchen garden, we’ve collected some of our favorite edible garden design ideas.

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Container gardening tip list: Advice to help you succeed

by Jessica Walliser

Growing plants in containers isn’t necessarily as easy as it looks. While plunking a plant into a pot seems pretty simple, making sure that plant thrives can sometimes be a complicated affair. What kind of soil is best for the plant? How much water does it require? Where’s the best place to put the pot after it’s planted? Does the plant need to be fed? If so, how often? To simplify all of the tasks involved in growing in containers, we’ve compiled this container gardening tip list that runs from the start of the season all the way to the end, giving you all the advice you need to grow a successful container garden wherever you live. Continue Reading
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