I hated the thought that I would have to wait the whole winter without knowing whether the health of my trees had been compromised by the attack. When our little Alaskan house was being built, I begged the builder to tell the land-clearers not to cut down any trees they didn’t have to remove. But they clearly didn’t care about a young woman’s request to keep the forest as intact as possible, and razed almost the entire lot....

Read on to learn about some of our favorites. Cucumbers are one of these veggies that really is best eaten right off the vine. So what should you do if you have an abundance? Fortunately, there are several easy and delicious ways to store cucumbers for later. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

Luckily, I’ve got everything from cucumbers in my veggie patch to cannas in my border, and thanks to this one simple method, they’ve never looked better. I live in a neighborhood of neatniks. Walking down my street, I always admire the beautifully tidy garden beds, replete with ornamental gravel or earthy bark, healthy plants springing forth and flourishing year after year. From borders to vegetable gardens, my neighbors never seemed to suffer the problems that I did....

Easy to cultivate, they’re also productive and deliver high yields of fruit. Biting into a juicy pear picked from your own tree is a pleasure that shouldn’t be missed! A wonderful addition to the garden or landscape, pear trees provide delicious fall fruit as well as multiple seasons of ornamental interest. They offer sensational clouds of fragrant spring blossoms, fruit-laden branches in summer, pretty fall foliage in shades of burgundy, orange, red, and yellow, and a charming winter silhouette....

The most striking specimens have been pruned carefully to preserve their natural shape while enhancing their appearance. A healthy Japanese maple is a sight to behold. They’re some of the most frequently photographed trees in the world and the really striking ones draw people to gardens across the globe. Their elegant, organic forms are instantly recognizable, whether weeping or upright. But most Japanese maples don’t just produce those stunning shapes on their own....

So go ahead, plan some of your very own! Myosotis sylvatica Like tiny pieces of bright blue sky dropped into your garden, forget-me-nots are one of the few true-blue flowers available to gardeners. These plants are steeped in history and symbolism, and are easy beauties to grow. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

You can check out the basics of growing big, healthy, and beautiful petunias in our growing guide. Petunias are vibrant annuals with soft, delicate flowers. They smell heavenly, and we’re not the only ones who think so. Animals and insects consider these plants to be a tasty delicacy. Insects might also try and use your petunias as a new home to lay eggs. So how do you prevent an infestation and protect your beautiful flowers?...

Birds can become a serious annual problem once they know where accessible fruit is, and can cause significant yield losses. You’ve waited all season to stain your fingers purple with delicious homegrown blueberry juice. A flock of hungry birds descends, and before you can get your hands on just one of those hard earned, mouth watering berries, your bushes are stripped clean. You can’t blame them for loving the fruit, but you don’t have to share your blueberries....

But there are a few steps that will keep your harvest from rotting before you can carve or cook with them. Most people who are worried about “storing pumpkin” are looking only for ways to store the portion of puree that’s left in a can of pie filling after doing their baking for Thanksgiving. But when you grow your own Cucurbita pepo, C. moschata, or C. maximum, being able to save the bounty to use at Halloween or throughout the winter is a luxury....

Our guide to cover cropping discusses how to use the technique in the home garden. Cover crops are fast-growing plants that we sow densely to cover fallow soil. Cover cropping is a common farming practice, with applications for smaller scale plots and raised beds where flowers, fruits, herbs, and vegetables grow as well. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

Ordinarily, clematis foliage is green and lush, but a plant signals distress when the leaves turn yellow. The Clematis genus contains about 300 species of flowering bushy and climbing perennials that are suited to cultivation in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 9. They prefer organically rich, well-drained soil and full sun to part shade locations. Bloom times vary by species. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

Thankfully, this needn’t be a long-term issue. By deadheading Strelitzia flowers, you can save your birds of paradise from sporting sorry-looking blossoms, while stimulating additional botanical benefits. There’s nothing quite like the blooms of a Strelitzia. Shaped like vibrantly-colored birds in flight, the flowers on a bird of paradise plant are uniquely gorgeous, transforming your patio or landscape into a tropical utopia. But all good things must come to an end, and there will be a time in every Strelitzia flower’s life when it starts to fade and then die....

Read on to learn all you need to know to grow and care for dracaena indoors. Dracaena spp. Do you love the look of lush greenery indoors, but you’re not ready to commit to anything that requires a lot of maintenance? Dracaena houseplants are ideal for busy, absentminded gardeners. They are so easy to take care of, and they are likely to withstand occasional neglect. With many different species available in varying sizes and colors, you can find the perfect option for any space....

It’s a pretty hardy plant, especially if you do your part to keep it healthy – you can learn more about that in our guide to growing Swiss chard. Swiss chard is exceptionally beautiful on top of being delicious, which makes it doubly frustrating when the leaves turn up with unsightly holes or yellowing leaves. When pests attack, you need to take swift action not only to avoid damage to that picture-perfect foliage, but to prevent an infestation from taking your plants out entirely....

Tan-colored butternuts are a winter variety with a characteristic hard and inedible rind that covers vivid, saffron-colored flesh with a rich, nutty flavor and lovely, buttery texture when cooked. Cucurbita moschata Delicious and nutritious, butternut squash is a vining annual with a free, sprawling habit that’s fairly easy for the home gardener to cultivate. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

If you’ve ever grown these pretty plants, you know exactly what I mean. They’re perfectly happy in a pot or in the ground just doing their thing. Whether you prune them or not, they’ll keep on blooming. There is a lot to love about nasturtiums. One of my favorite things is that you can pretty much plant them and forget them. With little input from me, they’ll bloom and bloom all season long....

The peony, Paeonia spp., is a sun-loving perennial with varieties that produce pink, purple, red, white, and yellow flowers. Its climate preference is for USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 8. Some brides plan spring weddings, risking the whims of the weather to ensure their bouquets and table settings dazzle guests with masses of ravishing, silky-soft peony blooms. I’ve met a gardener who lives well inside a no-frost climate who is so determined to grow swathes of these elegant flowers, she takes drastic steps....

Pomegranates grown in soil that is lacking may not produce the best quality fruit either. They may be small or bland in flavor, or they may ripen poorly. Some plants are heavy feeders, relying on the application of fertilizers every year to grow and produce fruit. Pomegranates, however, are not included in that category. They’re able to grow in soil that is low in organic material, and can tolerate some salt, sand, and drought-like conditions....

In this article you’ll learn everything you need to know to cultivate your own lush and lovely caladiums. Caladium spp. Caladiums are ornamental plants with striking foliage in variegated combinations of green, pink, red, and white. They are the only species in the Caladium genus, one of many aroids, or plants in the large Arum (Araceae) family that includes calla lilies, peace lilies, philodendrons, and taro. Native to tropical and subtropical regions of Central and South America, they grow in the sun-dappled shade and moist earth beneath the canopies created by high-branched trees....

These easy-care plants require little attention outside of an annual cleanup, and look sensational as single specimens or as a backdrop or focal point in mixed planters. Ornamental grasses add unique color, motion, and texture throughout the garden, and these low-maintenance plants are also well-suited to container growth. Cultivation in planters and pots is a smart way to enjoy their graceful, swaying motion in small spaces, and to easily manage the spread of fast-growing types that can potentially take over the garden....