Gardening Maintenance

Our gardening maintenance tips can help you keep your home cost efficient, safe & cozy.

Fertilizer_iStock_184300332

Filed under:

Fall Fertilizing: Essential Tips to Make Your Yard Grow

Read this guide to learn why autumn is the best time of year to fertilize your yard.
Play

Building Garden Beds with Local Girl Scouts

Landscape contractor Jenn Nawada and carpenter Nathan Gilbert help a troop of Girl Scouts restore their raised bed gardens with fresh wood, some replanting, and Tom Silva’s one-of-a-kind planter.
Frogs in Your Yard, How To, Remove, Home

How to Get Rid of Frogs in Your Yard

Frogs can be an adorable addition to your yard or garden—or they can be a headache. As a homeowner, you’ll have to decide if you want to keep frogs away or not. Here are some tips on what to do if frogs are hopping around your property. 
S21 E17, Kevin O'Connor, Jenn Nawada, and Lee Gilliam discuss outdoor tool maintenance
Play

Simple Guide To Outdoor Tool Maintenance

Identify the most helpful outdoor tools and learn how to maintain them year-round with help from This Old House's landscaping experts.
iStock_1172622649

Is it OK to Reuse Potting Soil? Here’s What You Should Know

Potting soil can get expensive if you need to change it year after year, but is it possible to reuse it? This guide will show you how to prolong the life of this essential growing medium for container gardening.
ornamental grass in a backyard

How To Care for Ornamental Grass

Wondering how to care for ornamental grasses? This guide covers expert care tips, how to find the right type for your climate, and more.
Landscaping_Colleen_McQuaid_P1060790_crop

End-of-Summer Yard and Garden Cleanup Tips

Give your lawn and garden the care they need by removing debris, dividing crowded perennials, and adding mulch—so plants can come back stronger.
mulch_1923_SF
Play

All About Mulch: Types, Benefits, and Application Tips

Discover everything you need to know about mulch, from the different types available to the benefits it offers your garden.
Garden_iStock_1414023501

Epsom Salt in the Garden: Benefits, Uses, and Precautions

Does Epsom salt really help your plants? Explore the potential benefits, risks, and how to use Epsom salt in your garden effectively.
Toolkit_WindowBox_crop

How to Keep Window Box Arrangements Fresh Throughout Winter

Help keep your outdoor winter arrangements in great shape with these pointers from This Old House landscape contractor Jenn Nawada.
Checklist_iStock_1135327368_crop

Pro Tips to Get Your House Ready for Warmer Weather

Spring is here, so it’s time to prime the house and garden for the warm-weather months ahead. Read on for tips on how to get everything ready for the summer.
Colleen_McQuaid_P1250698
Play

How To Clean Up and Expand a Garden

An overgrown garden can look disheveled and unkempt. Here's how to transform yours into a beautiful outdoor oasis.
0920_Toolkit_iStock_175225864_copy

How to Get Squirrel-Proof Bulb Plantings 

Few sights can make your heart sink like watching the spring-flowering bulbs you just planted become food for four-legged foragers. Read these tips to keep squirrels from eating your freshly planted bulbs.
AdobeStock_358432023.0

A Guide to Nellie Stevens Holly

Nellie Stevens holly is an adaptable shrub that can survive under a wide range of conditions, from sun to shade, acidic soil to alkaline soil, and water to no water. Read this guide to learn how you can grow and maintain this evergreen, low-maintenance shrub.
A person spreading mulch between two plants.

Everything You Need to Know to Choose the Right Mulch

Mulch is a an often overlooked but useful garden tool. Use our guide to navigate the options and find the best topdressing for your plant bed.
AdobeStock_352763355.0

A Guide to Honeycrisp Apple Trees

Growing a Honeycrisp apple tree is the perfect challenge for a seasoned gardener located in colder states. In this guide, we’ll explain everything you need to know about the tree, from growing conditions to ongoing maintenance.
A Christmas tree in front of a fireplace.

Christmas Tree Maintenance: How To Keep up With Your Tree

Learn some of the most effective tips for keeping your Christmas tree happy and healthy all season long with our tree maintenance guide.
Pine_Needles_iStock_973493196

Should I Mulch with Pine Needles?

Read to learn the pros and cons of using pine needles as mulch.
remove_overgrown_foundation_shrubs
Play

How to Remove Overgrown Foundation Shrubs

Ask This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook helps a homeowner remove foundation shrubs that have overtaken the front of her house
summer_blooming_xl

Caring for Summer-Blooming Bulbs

Bulbs are pretty easygoing, but here you'll learn tips to help maximize blooms and increase odds that they'll naturalize into more plants.
A person using clippers to prune a tree.

Early-Spring Pruning Primer: A Guide to Seasonal Foliage

Read how to prune plants, flowers and other specimens in the late winter or early spring for healthy thicker foliage later on.
roger_pruning_shrubs
Play

Ask Roger: How to Prune Shrubs

This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook shows the right way to prune shrubs
purple corn grown from saving seeds

How To Save Seeds and Easily Regrow Your Favorite Plants

Learning how to save seeds enhances your gardening experience and contributes to biodiversity. Read our step-by-step guide to learn how.
garden_hand_tools
Play

All About Garden Hand Tools

This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook shares tips for using his four favorite gardening tools—five if you count his hands
save_seeds_xl

Save Seeds for Repeat Success With Healthy Plants

Take the guesswork out of rekindling this season's stunning garden by hanging onto seeds now
rain_gardens_xl

Learn the Best Ways to Deal with Storm Water

These landscape drainage solutions prevent puddling and flooding and look good too.