Outdoors Gardening

Chrysanthemums, a.k.a. mums are a wonderful, vibrant choice for a fall garden. Many gardeners love them because they are strong, hardy plants who thrive even when slightly neglected.

If your goal is to beautify your yard, there are certain things you cannot forget about. Sticking to a maintenance program will help and you should also consider de-cluttering your yard to give it a fresh look. Don’t forget about cultivating a new lawn because that can make a huge difference.

Named for Russian Princess Anna Pavlovna, Royal Empress Trees are kind of a miracle. They grow at a rate unmatched by any other tree and don’t care a lick what kind of soil they’re in. Some classify them as exotic invasive plants. Others are awed by their unique beauty and grand presence. I’ll let you decide.

If you love gardening but live somewhere with cold temperatures for most of the year, you have learned over time that your options are limited. Many flowers, shrubs, and fruit trees that thrive in many climates simply don’t survive in some places with short growing seasons. The same is true for vegetables. But if you live somewhere with a short growing season, you will be happy to learn there are several vegetables that you can still harvest successfully.

When improving your outdoor space, trees are an especially important feature. In addition to being a prominent focal point, trees can provide shade and beauty when chosen for an appropriate space. With a large canopy and unique foliage, could the tipu tree be a great fit for your landscape? We will explore the pros and cons of tipu trees to help you decide.

Throughout their lives, trees will continue to grow. They’ll increase in width, add growth rings to their trunks, always put out new branches and sprout leaves. However, when it comes to height, trees grow more slowly with age, so how long does it take a tree to grow?

When cultivating and caring for your garden, it can sometimes seem overwhelming. Every flower, every plant you choose needs different things to thrive. Shade, sun, soil, and how frequently you water are all things to consider when creating a backyard oasis. Perennials are a great way to fill your garden with color and beauty.

You can tell your compost is ready when it shrinks and becomes brittle. However, parts of the compost pile may not be done, such as sticks. That said, you can tell the majority of your compost is finished when it’s brittle and smells quite earthy.

When using a gas lawnmower, you become accustomed to the loud revving the engine makes. However, what happens if you notice a sound that isn’t supposed to be there? In some cases, you might hear a loud, clanking sound while mowing. If you do, it could indicate one of a few different problems.

Boxwoods have been around in gardens for centuries, going all the way back to the mid-1600s in America. It makes sense that these popular shrubs would withstand the test of time since they have so many good points. They’re versatile, feeling right at home outside, inside, in the ground, or in a container, deer-resistant, and easy to maintain.

A drought is a nightmare for homeowners and communities, especially when they aren’t prepared. Droughts can disrupt the ecosystem, harm animals, and kill your garden and lawn that you worked hard to grow. Understandably, many homeowners struggle with how to prepare for a drought.

One thing no one ever tells you is that mowing the lawn has a learning curve. It’s not only learning about how to add fuel to your mower or how to turn. It’s also a matter of learning how to adjust your deck wheels and how to tell if you’re mowing properly.

Mosquitoes are attracted to light, and they also love water. A glistening water feature in full sun, like a bird bath, is a mosquito's paradise. It has many of the ideal conditions for these pests to lay their eggs, so a bird bath will quickly attract them.

With the appropriate care, roses can easily be the crowning glory of any garden. But as most gardeners will tell you, coaxing a rose bush to full bloom is a delicate task. And getting a rose bush to thrive year-round is another matter, whether you have knockout, climbing, or hybrid tea roses. But if you respect the process, caring for your rose bush can be as rewarding as it is demanding.

The secret to growing a healthy and vibrant rose bush lies in understanding your plant’s needs. For starters, all plants require regular watering, fertilizing, and pruning. Since rose bushes bloom in the summer, the more intensive pruning will usually occur in the spring. For summer pruning, you will only need to lightly “deadhead,” remove dead wood, and form the bush.

To prune roses in the summer, first find a healthy shoot that has already bloomed. Identify the five-leaf cluster, which tells us where the cane is thick enough to support another stem. With your pruning shears, cut just above the five-leaf cluster, keeping it intact. Although rose varieties differ, you can expect your rose bush to be in full bloom 3-4 weeks after a light summer pruning.

Squirrels are cute critters that can be surprisingly determined. When that determination is focused on tearing up your flower pots, it can feel like a nightmare. Squirrels can seriously damage your potted flowers to the point where the life of the flower may hang in the balance.

After several hot summers and significant changes in water levels in many areas, water usage has become a critical consideration for many homeowners. This is especially true for those who have gardens and lawns in drought-prone areas. There is not a whole lot one individual can do to increase the water levels in an entire region. There are, however, a lot of different ways you can create a stunning and thriving garden with very little water.

One way to ensure you pick healthy flowers without hurting the plant you are trimming from is to choose the right time of day. Try to pick flowers in the early morning, but before you water the garden for the day. This is when plants are fully hydrated, and the weather is typically cooler. Plants are strong, healthy, and happy at this time. Therefore, taking a few stems won’t hurt them as much at all.

Growing a bonsai tree is an ancient art that requires some skill and patience. While this process takes time, many find the art of bonsai a relaxing and even mediation task. Its reward is in the work and in the beautiful miniature giant that this work slowly shapes. If you are interested in creating your own bonsai tree, one of the first questions you are likely to ask yourself is “how long does it take to grow a bonsai tree?” 

The best way to make money gardening is to propagate your plants and sell cuttings. Gardening has become more popular in the last 4-5 years, and people love to obtain rare plants. Monsteras and philodendrons are especially popular right now, and they are big sellers.

There are tons of different types of bonsai trees. Just about any tree can be altered into a bonsai form. Therefore, there is not a universal growing condition that bonsais enjoy. There are, however, a few challenges to growing bonsai indoors.

Troy-Bilt mowers are excellent machines. There are times when you may have to do a bit of maintenance, though. Changing the spark plug, air filter, oil, and gasoline are essential to the running of your Troy-Bilt. However, you also need to know how to adjust your belt on the mower.

When it rains heavily, it’s normal to see mushrooms pop up in mulch and outcroppings of rocks in the forest. It can look like you’re ready to get faeries visiting, right? Cute as it is to see in the forest, it’s not exactly cute in your yard. This is especially true if you have pets that could eat those potentially-toxic mushrooms. So, how do you get rid of these faerie rings in your yard?

One of the most popular, resilient, and fastest-growing hedge plants is the English laurel. What makes English laurel such a popular choice is its size and growth rate. This plant can tower over your head, and grow three feet in a single year. This makes it ideal for those who want privacy fast.

If you own a sprinkler system, you’re already likely aware that it must be turned off during the winter. Leaving it on could potentially cause damage to the piping caused by freezing water. Shutting down the system will preserve and protect it for ideal performance next season.

If your yard doesn’t naturally grow grass, you may have to turn to grass seed to revitalize your property. Having healthy grass around your property will increase your home’s value and make your space seem more inviting, too. However, like most things in this world, it comes with a cost.

One great perk of growing your favorite vegetables in pots is that you can always place them in the perfect sunlight conditions. As time passes, shadows change and so does the angle of the sun. If you have your vegetables in pots and containers, you can shift them seasonally to ensure they are always getting the appropriate amount of light.

Creeping Charlie can kill other plants in your yard once it spreads far enough. This creeping plant features a toxin that can suppress and kill other plants. The toxin is also harmful to livestock, such as cows and horses.

Leveling a yard is a process that is crucial to the aesthetics of your landscaping. Leveling your yard can save you from damage and foundation repairs. How much will you pay to level a yard you may ask? Let’s take a close look at the costs of the operation.

One of the best places to find cheap or free materials is by searching online marketplaces. Places like Facebook and Craigslist are wonderful resources for those looking for dirt-cheap or even free garden containers.

Are you having issues with starting up your riding mower? When you go to start it, does it crank over but not completely startup? Thankfully, riding mowers aren’t very complicated pieces of equipment, and the owner can quickly resolve most issues. This will help save you money and time on bringing it into a shop. However, if this happens to you, what do you do?

Blooming in shades of pink, purple, lilac, and white, vibrant wisteria vines and trees are beautiful flowering plants that are perfect for the nostalgic gardener. Their heavy, dangling clusters of flowers and twisted branches fill garden landscapes with fragrance and color. Wisteria grows up to an astounding 12 feet in a single growing season, making it very quick and easy to train the vine up a pergola or arbor.

Spider mites can wreak havoc on plants and even kill them. They can quickly turn your idyllic garden into a nightmare that is hard to recover from. Many homeowners struggle with how to get rid of spider mites.

There’s always some confusion when it comes to the cayenne pepper. What is it? Is cayenne a pepper or a spice? And when is the best time to pick cayenne pepper? We shirk away from the unknown, and especially from the spicy unknown. But in reality, we use cayenne pepper every day to flavor our favorite dishes. That pizza you’re enjoying? You can thank cayenne pepper for that fiery tang. 

There is something of a misconception that all mower attachments are the same. The fact of the matter is that there is a huge array of attachments that can be used with tractors, skid-steers, excavators, and wheel loaders. All of which are designed to work optimally in certain situations.

A greenhouses gives homeowners the chance to nurture plants and let them thrive year-round. The prospect of building a greenhouse is enough to get any green-thumbed homeowner excited. So, how much does it cost to build a greenhouse?

Lawn care is often more complicated than many people realize. There are many invasive plants that look similar to desirable plants that you’d actually want in your lawn. For instance, St. Augustine grass and crabgrass look almost the same, but they are two very different plants.

Everyone wants a lawn that looks beautiful. It instantly increases the curb appeal. A well-manicured lawn guarantees that you’re not the only yard on the block that looks bad. While no one wants their house to be an eyesore, there is a learning curve to maintaining your grass seed while you attempt to eliminate bald spots on your lawn.

You put a lot of energy into maintaining the lawn. So, you probably don’t want weeds where your garden should be. But can you put weed killer on wet grass, or will that cause a problem? And how do you keep weeds off of your lawn otherwise?

Millennials are known for their love of avocado toast as well as their love of gardening. It comes as no surprise, then, that many of us are now looking at growing our own avocado trees in hopes of getting a steady influx of avocados for breakfast. Of course, this is only doable in the warmer regions of the United States, and even then, it can take a while for avocado trees to bear fruit.

Growing vegetables in a garden is a simple way to get fresh veggies. Growing certain things is a relatively easy endeavor, too. Even still, there are certain things that can impact things like tomatoes and even cucumber plants.

Many tenants will do anything to make their rental properties meet their aesthetic and feel like home. For many people, this includes planting a vibrant garden in the yard. So, are you allowed to plant a garden at a rental property?

Since your home’s lawn will require different amounts of water for different times of the year, it is vital that your sprinkler system is programmed accordingly. It should also be adjusted as needed about once a month.

Tropical plants aren’t naturally meant to grow indoors, and that creates some hurdles. Luckily, it’s easier than ever to grow tropical houseplants with modern grow lights and potting mixes. A few simple tricks can ensure optimal growth for your indoor tropical plants, such as:

Like most homeowners, you would do anything to have your lawn look as luscious and green as possible. You have likely tried everything from aeration and fertilizer to high-end sprinkler systems, perhaps with disappointing results. Lime is a popular way to encourage healthy lawn growth. Many homeowners have asked themselves the question: does my yard need lime?

Snapdragons provide a vibrant splash of color to any garden, blooming beautifully in the spring and fall. These bright blooms come in almost every color imaginable, and when cared for properly, can last a long time.  

If you’ve spent a lot of time cultivating a beautiful garden, you don’t want pesky invaders taking over your space. Invasive species like the Virginia creeper steal resources from other plants in the area. This can easily lead to a dead garden.

There are many types of grass, some of which grow better in certain areas. If you find yourself in the middle of choosing between, centipede grass, and St Augustine grass.

Usually, when mowing your lawn, the biggest problem you have to worry about is the heat and how long it will take to cut the grass. However, sometimes, you might run into more problems. Since lawnmowers are relatively complex machines, they can wear down over time. If you notice that your mower is shutting off or losing power while cutting, it could be a sign of some potentially serious issues.

Snake plants are a type of succulent, which makes them rather easygoing and low maintenance, especially when compared to other plants. This makes them a great choice for people who like plants but don’t necessarily have a green thumb.

Picture it: you buy a new home or a plot of land, and it’s time to make your own. Adding a beautiful paver patio or walkway is the perfect addition to any yard or garden. There are several different ways to get the job done. 

It’s summertime and that means dragging your trusty lawnmower out of the shed and of course, it won’t start. When it does start, it only does once and never again. Typical!

Choosing between sod and grasses is not only aesthetic but also often about function and climate. One grass may be better looking while another may be better suited for the environment that you live in. Two common tropical types of grass are Bermuda and Zoysia, but what’s the difference between them, and which is better?

Whether you’re growing palm trees in your yard or a small palm plant inside your home, you likely selected them to enjoy their magnificent, lush green fronds. When palm trees flourish they are reminiscent of paradise and island getaways but have you noticed the leaves of your palm tree turning yellow?

Incorporating wood chips into your garden can be beneficial by increasing nutrients in the soil over time. Wood chip garden mulch is organic, so it slowly breaks down, typically between three to six months. However, if you want to compost your wood chips quickly, you will need to add nitrogen to the mix.

You’re all set to mow your lawn, but when you come out to your riding lawnmower, you notice that the key is missing. Or worse, you try the key, and it breaks off in the ignition switch. You need to cut the grass ASAP, so you can’t afford to wait for a replacement part. What do you do? Fortunately, you can start your lawnmower with a screwdriver.

Having a nice-looking lawn comes with its own set of responsibilities and maintenance. When choosing between Bermuda and fescue grass, there are a few things to consider. We are going to show the differences between the two, and which might be the right one for your lawn.

We’ve all seen a bare patch of land where grass once grew, but now only contains a sad mound of dirt. Terrible, isn’t it? If you’re like many homeowners, you want to avoid that ever being your lawn. Sometimes, though, things happen. Then, you need to take care of that issue ASAP, and that’s where a hidden technique called hydroseeding comes into play.

Kohler produces a wide array of outdoor lawn care tools, primarily trimmers and lawnmowers. In a crowded lawncare market, Kohler is one of the most recognizable and trusted names on the market. But that doesn’t mean their products are immune to issues.

Edging out a flower bed used to mean digging the outline with a garden spade. Fortunately, this task is much less tedious and significantly more accurate with the emergence of power edgers.

Roses are the oldest flower ever recorded with archaeologists finding a rose fossil from 35 million years ago. In fact, the oldest living rose is more than a thousand years old! There are over two thousand types of roses from short ground cover to large rose bushes and heirloom to wild. That makes answering the question of when roses bloom a difficult one.