Cultivating curiosity and confidence
Back in May, I crossed the pond, as they say, and spent my first full day in London at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. This yearly gardening extravaganza was on my must-do list for a long time. I actually had to write an article about it for a magazine I worked at around 2009 based on someone else’s trip and photos. This year it was my turn and I came home brimming with ideas and inspiration.
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There are many benefits to growing herbs in containers. For me, it’s all about access. I love having fresh herbs growing in pots just outside my kitchen door. That way, when I’m in the middle of making dinner and realize I forgot to harvest a handful of basil or parsley, it’s only a few steps away. As well, different herbs have different moisture needs and growing them in pots is an easy way to control soil moisture. Of course, growing herbs in containers will also keep aggressive spreaders, like mint and lemon balm, under control and away from garden beds. Here are seven of the best herbs for container gardening.
Even the healthiest gardens sometimes fall victim to plant diseases. While giving your plants plenty of room to grow and caring for them properly can help cut down on disease prevalence, there are times when a gardener will need to step in with a product control. To help prevent and manage plant diseases in the garden, we’ve compiled a list of the best products for the job.
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Let me get right to the point; you don’t need a big garden to grow more food. Even small space gardeners can boost yield by thinking creatively in the garden. To help you up your garden game, we’ve teamed up with Lee Valley, the go-to store for American and Canadian gardeners, to show you three creative ways to grow more food.
The word “mulch” brings lots of thoughts to a gardener’s mind. Wheelbarrows, shovels, dust-covered arms, backaches, and calluses are just a few of the things the word conjures in my mind. Few people think about a ripe, red tomato, a perfect rose blossom, or a gorgeous hydrangea when they think about mulch. But, truth be told, without mulch, all of those beautiful things are far harder to come by. Despite its practical purpose and humble appearance — not to mention how much work it is to spread — mulch is absolutely essential to a healthy, productive garden. Let’s get digging into mulches and learn the whys and hows of this important gardening task.
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All of us at Savvy Gardening enjoy putting together multiple container gardens each year. Some are full of veggies or berries, some show off interesting flower and foliage combos, and others feature both edibles and ornamentals—or, as we like to call them, garden BFFs. However, once our containers are planted up, we cannot let our green thumbs rest beside our bay laurels. In order for your plants to thrive throughout the hot summer months, you do need to schedule in some container garden maintenance.
READ MORE » about Container garden maintenance tips: Help your plants thrive all summer long
