Gardening How To & DIY
Improve the value of your home by discovering our gardening step-by-step tips & ideas.
How to Plant a Butterfly Garden
Attracting butterflies with This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook
How to Prune and Replace Foundation Plants
This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook shows how to improve curb appeal with a new planting bed
How to Choose and Use Shovels and Other Digging Tools
Hole-digging advice with This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook
Troubleshooting Your Vegetable Garden
We gathered common problems experienced by gardeners around the country and offered up some savvy solutions
How to Propagate Plants from Cuttings
Reproducing plants with This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook and plant propagator Jack Alexander
How to Plant a Raised Garden Bed
This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook shows how to properly plant an elevated garden
How to Build a Wheelchair Accessible Raised Garden Bed
In this video, This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook builds a wheelchair accessible raised garden.
How to Choose and Plant Ground Cover
This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook shares tips for selecting, planting and growing low-maintenance ground cover.
How to Choose the Right Mulch
Use this guide to navigate the options for the best topdressing around your plant bed
How to Start Plant and Vegetable Seeds
From tiny sprouts a glorious garden grows. Here's how to cultivate your own—from seed
How to Keep a Lawn and Garden Beds Separate
This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook shows how to establish borders around grassy areas using steel edging
How to Make a Concrete Planter
Grab some concrete-countertop mix and build plywood forms to create striking landscape ornaments.
Pro Tips and Plans for the Perfect Container Garden
Use containers to create a glorious garden anywhere. Tips courtesy of TOH landscape contractor Roger Cook
Avoid Invasives: Plant This, Not That
27 trouble-free alternatives to popular shrubs that have earned the "invasive" label
From Blah Lawn to Backyard Rose Garden Paradise
On the way to swapping turf for cottage-style plantings, this self-taught gardener discovered a passion for her new pastime
Garden Beauty on a Budget
A resourceful couple with a "more is more" philosophy and a talent for thrift carves a hardscrabble lot into a series of exuberantly romantic gardens
How to Age a Terracotta Pot
Make your container garden look well-established with old terracotta pots.
Add Healthy Herbs to Your Garden
Give your greenery and healthy diet a boost by planting these healthy herbs in your garden
Creating a Secret Garden
Colorful plantings, winding pathways, and plenty of green screens transform an urban lot that's exposed to passersby on three sides into a private oasis
A Coleus Garden Adds Color to Any Corner
The old-time favorite is better than ever, with more varieties to energize shady beds, potted plantings, and even sunny borders. Learn how to care for and grow coleus plants.
8 Essential Elements for Planning a Cottage Garden
Now's the time to sketch out your plan for beautiful results in the spring. Here's how to get started
Best Plants for a Cottage Garden
Carry your home's cottage style through the garden with these flower options
How to Build a Spigot-Handle Garden Tool Rack
Organize your garden gear with this fun and functional tool rack made from old wood molding, flea-market spring clips, and brightly colored outdoor spigot handles
DIY Privacy Planter Box With Privacy Screen
Use cedar and stock lumber to build a tall privacy planter box to spruce up and screen your backyard.
Gardening Tips From a Pro, Q&A Style
A popular TV expert offers gardening tips and tricks based on a lifetime of digging, planting, caring for, and feeding his own garden.
Grow an Edible Flower Bouquet
Many colorful blooms that already fill your garden can help fill your plate too
How to Build a Raised Herb Garden Planter
Four deck posts and a few boards are all you need to create this practical and compact raised herb garden planter.
Everything You Need to Know About Pruning and Dividing Plants
Here's our best pro advice to help you snip back and multiply your garden staples with confidence.
Grow a Lush Shade Garden With Hostas
These leafy perennials are showy, shade tolerant, and a cinch to grow—and new varieties offer a wider-than-ever range of leaf color, size, and texture. Read on to learn how to pick and plant them to create a sensational landscape
How to Build a Rain Garden to Filter Run-Off
Create a rich plant basin to collect and filter storm-water runoff from gutters
How to Make and Use Compost Tea
TOH landscape contractor Roger Cook shows how to get a beautiful, maintenance-free lawn using a natural liquid fertilizer
How to Get Late-Summer Color in Your Garden
A strategic mix of annuals and perennials yields a brilliant garden when the heat is really on