Savvy Gardening

Drying herbs and flowers to make gifts from the garden

In the spring and summer, as some of my herbs and flowers grow lush and full, I snip a little sprig here, a few blooms there, and I bring them inside. I don’t like anything going to waste, but there’s no way I can work oregano or mint into every meal while it’s in season. So I save them to dry for when I do need them. I’ll brew some for tea and toss pinches of this or that into a soup or stew. However, this past summer, I also had something else in mind when I was drying herbs and flowers from the garden: gifts.

The best gardening tools you didn’t know you needed

Written by Niki Jabbour

Every gardener has go-to tools they use to make gardening easier. Over the years I’ve tried a LOT of garden tools and gear. Some worked great, others did not. The ones I’m sharing are the tools that I’ve come to rely on to make both my garden and myself more productive. I call them the best gardening tools you didn’t know you needed.

Dwarf evergreen trees: 15 exceptional choices for the yard and garden

Written by Jessica Walliser

If you’re looking for dwarf evergreen trees that stay naturally short-statured, have no maintenance requirements beyond watering, and stay green all winter long, you’ve come to the right place! While finding all of these traits in a single tree might seem too good to be true, it isn’t. In fact, there are lots of dwarf evergreen trees that offer all of these benefits and more to small-space gardeners. They’re also great choices for anyone who doesn’t want to spend their weekends pruning overgrown plants. Before I introduce you to 15 of my favorite dwarf evergreen trees, let’s take a look at some of the perks these plants provide.
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Growing great basil

Written by Niki Jabbour

Basil is among the most popular of the culinary herbs, prized for its complex clove-like flavor that is both sweet and peppery. I grow many types of basil, in both garden beds and containers, but for ease of cultivation and flavor, it’s hard to beat sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum). Growing basil is easy when you give it plenty of sun and well-drained soil. And, there’s no better way to elevate your summer salads and pastas than with handfuls of fresh, chopped basil.

Deer-resistant bulbs for spring color in the garden

Written by Jessica Walliser

It can be challenging to grow a beautiful, color-filled garden when you live where there’s a large population of deer. While fencing your yard or religiously spraying deer deterrents are effective ways to keep the herd from decimating your garden, there is another way. For many gardeners, the most important step in gardening with deer is to include as many deer-resistant plants as possible. When it comes to spring-blooming bulbs, this is not just important — it’s essential. Deer are especially hungry in the spring, and their palates seem to be far less discerning. In this article, I’ll share six of my favorite deer-resistant bulbs. They’ll add a pop of color to your spring garden, without losing their heads to a browsing Bambi.
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Unique vegetables to grow in your garden: 4 Fun & Easy Options

Written by Niki Jabbour

Our vegetable garden is a flavorful mixture of traditional crops like carrots, tomatoes, and beans with unusual vegetables like snake gourds, cucamelons, and burr gherkins. I’m always encouraging gardeners to try something new in their veggie patch as there are so many unique vegetables to grow in raised beds, in-ground gardens, and containers.

In my new digital series, Get Growing with Niki Jabbour, we celebrate all types of food gardening and hope to get you growing no matter where you live or how much growing space you have. In our premiere episode, we focus on some of the fun and unique vegetables I grow in my garden.