Gardening Planning

Prepare for your next gardening project by discovering our planning ideas & tips.

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Understanding the Plant Hardiness Zone Map Update

In this video, landscape contractor Jenn Nawada shares the recent updates to the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone map.
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How to Grow Pumpkins

Follow these steps and strategies to learn how to grow pumpkins in your garden for a beautiful, bountiful harvest.
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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.
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Understanding the Types of Soil in Your Garden

If you want your plants to prosper, start by getting to know your native soil. Then follow our tips for making it as fertile as can be.
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7 Easiest Herbs to Grow Indoors

Whether for cooking or decor, growing indoor herbs is easy and rewarding. Read this guide to learn about the seven best herbs to grow indoors and the conditions and requirements for each.
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How Much Does Mulch Cost?

Are you planning on refreshing your flowerbeds with a new layer of mulch? Or have you added a new raised bed full of veggies that need some moisture retention? Read on to discover everything from figuring out the volume and how much you can expect to pay to calculating how much mulch you’ll need.
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Expert Tips on Planting a Fall Garden

Cooler temperatures make gardening a more pleasant experience. So start now to enjoy healthy, delicious homegrown vegetables throughout autumn. These tips on timing, sowing, and growing will help.
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13 Fragrant Plants to Include in Your Garden

Enhance the fragrance factor of your outdoor space with these irresistibly sweet-smelling flowers, herbs, and shrubs.
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These Plants Will Keep Rabbits Out Of Your Garden

Harvesting your garden is the bountiful payoff for all of that hard work. But if the area you live in is home to many greenery-munching rabbits, you may want to rethink what you’ve planted. Here are some common plants and flowers that repel rabbits, almost guaranteeing you’ll have one less pest to deal with this year.
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Should You Use Sulfur in the Garden?

Sulfur is a powerful nutrient that all plants need to grow and thrive. From determining if your garden lacks this critical element to how to augment it successfully, here’s everything you need to know about adding sulfur to your garden.
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Houseplants for Different Areas of the House

This Old House landscape expert Jenn Nawada takes us to a local greenhouse to discuss how to choose houseplants for any room.
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All About Holly Bushes

Landscape contractor Jenn Nawada explains how to identify and care for holly plants and incorporate them into a landscape.
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Best Vegetables to Grow in a Fall Garden

A fall garden is a fantastic way to extend your growing season. Here are the best vegetables to grow no matter what your zone.
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All About Hydroponics

The basics of hydroponics explained—plus the pros and cons of gardening without soil.
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All About Ornamental Grasses

Ask This Old House landscape contractor Jenn Nawada discusses a variety of ornamental grasses, how to care for them, and how to incorporate them into a landscape design.
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All About Arborvitaes

Ask This Old House landscape contractor Jenn Nawada explains some of the basics of selecting and caring for a couple different species of arborvitae.
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How to Choose Plants for Hot Climates

Roger Cook, landscape contractor, visits a large nursery in Fayetteville, NC, to see which plants will work well for landscaping in warmer, southern climates.
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Everything‌ ‌You‌ ‌Need‌ ‌to‌ ‌Know‌ ‌About‌ ‌Tri-Color‌ Dappled‌ ‌Willow‌ ‌Trees

Tri-color dappled willow trees are stunning, with gracefully arched branches and new growth that shifts from a lustrous pale pink to whitish-green.
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A Complete Guide to Hass Avocado Trees

Hass avocado trees yield delicious, creamy, nutty fruit and account for 80% of the avocados eaten worldwide.
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Everything You Need to Know About Emerald Green Arborvitae Trees

Emerald Green Arborvitae are hardy, resilient trees that can stand up to drought, insects, and extreme temperatures—all while making excellent accent trees, foundation plants, or privacy screens.
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A Guide to Brown Turkey Fig Trees

If you want to plant a low-maintenance fruit tree, consider the Brown Turkey fig. In this guide, we’ll explore what a Brown Turkey fig tree looks like, how to plant one, and what diseases threaten its ability to survive.
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How to Grow Everbearing Strawberry Plants

If you’re looking for your next home gardening project, consider purchasing an everbearing strawberry plant. In this guide, we’ll explore the appearance, planting process, and maintenance tips for this plant.
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A Guide to Frost-Proof Peach Trees

Get fresh peaches without the hassle of frost and peach leaf curl with a frost proof peach tree. In this guide, we discuss what the tree looks like, how to grow it, and what diseases and wildlife can affect it.
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Everything You Need to Know About Meyer Lemon Trees

Meyer lemon trees combine the best of lemons and mandarin oranges into one hybrid, fruit-bearing tree.
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Everything You Need to Know About Thuja Green Giant Trees

Thuja Green Giant trees are sturdy and adaptable evergreens, with lush green leaves year-round and impressive annual growth.
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Impatiens Walleriana Make a Colorful Comeback

Impatiens walleriana virtually disappeared from garden centers in recent years due to downy mildew disease. Luckily, this popular annual is back and available to grow this spring.
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Create Your Best Yard Yet

Getting ahead of your yard work is the difference between enjoying the seasonal rituals of planting, weeding, and deadheading—and falling behind and making the whole thing feel like drudgery. Read this guide to learn what you can do to create your ideal yard.
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How to Plant an Indoor Garden

Ask This Old House landscape contractor Jenn Nawada installs a unique kind of indoor garden for a homeowner who wants to grow vegetables year round.
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Creating a Better Yard

Fix up the outside on every side of the house.
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How to Plant a Victorian Garden

Ask This Old House landscape designer Jenn Nawada helps a homeowner add some curb appeal using Victorian plants to match the design of his house
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How to Plan for Spring Bulbs

Ask This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook and landscape designer Jenn Nawada share some tips for planting spring bulbs
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Beautiful Deer-Resistant Plants

A dozen garden stunners you’ll love but those four-legged foragers won’t
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Top 20 Best New Home Products | Lawn and Garden

Whether you’ve got a tiny patch of green or all-out acreage, make the most of it with the next installment in our guide to the year’s best new products