10 Perennials I Regret Planting – And What I Grow Instead
I’ll be honest with you: I’ve planted every single thing on this list. A couple of them I planted twice, which tells you I’m either an incurable optimist or a …
7 Orchid Potting Mistakes That Slowly Suffocate the Roots
I killed my first orchid with kindness. At least, that’s what I told myself. I had brought home one of those perfect grocery store orchids with glossy leaves and elegant …
10 Houseplants That Hate a Blazing Sunny Window
You finally found the “perfect” spot. A big sunny window. Light pouring in all afternoon. The kind of place that practically begs for a few leafy green houseplants. Surely more …
7 Pruning Mistakes That Can Ruin Next Year’s Flowers
Confession time: for three springs in a row, I blamed my sad, flowerless hydrangeas on the weather, the soil, and possibly the squirrels. The real problem? Me. I had been …
9 Hanging Basket Mistakes That Ruin Summer Blooms
There’s something about a lush, overflowing hanging basket that just makes a front porch look finished. Like you’ve got it together. Like you’re the kind of person who remembers to …
10 Garden Myths People Still Follow (And Some Could Be Hurting Your Plants)
I’ll be honest: I believed several of these garden “rules” for years. They sounded helpful, they were passed down by other gardeners, and some even seemed like common sense. But …
10 Plants You Should Never Deadhead
I’ll be honest with you. For the longest time, I assumed deadheading was just something you did. Full stop. Snip the spent blooms, tidy things up, encourage more flowers. Seemed …
10 Texas Trees You Should Never Plant Too Close to Your House
I’ll admit it… I used to think, “It’s just a tree. How much trouble can it really cause?” Turns out… quite a bit. In Texas especially, the wrong tree planted …
10 Native Texas Plants That May Help Keep Mosquitoes Away
I’ll be honest with you. For years I’ve been side-eyeing those citronella candles at the garden center, thinking there had to be a better way. Something that actually belongs in …
10 Florida Trees You Should Never Plant Too Close to Your House
Thinking about planting a tree near your house? It sounds like a great idea. A little shade, a little privacy, maybe even a boost in curb appeal. I’ve been there …
10 Fruits You Can Grow In Texas Gardens
Think you can’t grow fruit in Texas? Think again. With the right choices, Texas is actually one of the best places in the country to grow your own fruit. From …
10 Heat-Tolerant Perennials for Texas Scorching Summers
When the Texas thermometer starts climbing past 100°F, most garden plants wave their white flag in surrender. But there’s a special league of perennials that don’t just survive our brutal …
Using Stones for Drainage Holes? (Pros and Cons)
We all want our container plants to thrive, and nothing is more frustrating than watching a beloved plant slowly decline from soggy, waterlogged soil. So when someone tells us to …
March Hydrangea Tasks: Prepare For BIG Blooms!
Hydrangeas are one of those plants that seem to steal the show in almost any garden. Those big, billowy blooms and lush green leaves make them hard to ignore. I …
How to Fertilize Holiday Cactus: A Month-by-Month Guide
Because your Holiday cactus deserves better than guesswork. I’ll be honest with you. For years, my Christmas cactus sat on the same windowsill, looking perfectly fine – not spectacular, not …
8 Plants I’ll Never Grow Again After 40 Years of Gardening
I’ll say it plainly: I’ve made some spectacular mistakes in this garden of mine. After four decades of digging, planting, pruning, and occasionally talking to my roses (don’t judge), I’ve …
12 Plants & Trees With Aggressive Roots That Can Damage Your Home
I planted a weeping willow about 15 feet from my house years ago because it looked so graceful. My plumber still hasn’t forgiven me. Planting a tree feels simple at …
10 Signs Your Orchid Is Begging for Help (And What To Do About It)
If you’ve ever looked at your orchid and thought, “Something is off, but I can’t quite tell what,” I want to reassure you. Orchids are very good at communicating when …
12 Common Orchid Problems (With Simple Fixes That Actually Work)
If you’ve ever stood in front of your orchid wondering, “What did I do wrong?” – trust me, you’re not alone. I’ve been growing orchids for years, and I’ll be …
20 Things You Should Never Do When Caring For an Orchid
If you’ve ever bought an orchid that looked absolutely perfect at the store, thick green leaves, tall flower spikes, blooms everywhere, only to struggle a few months later, I want …