BBG's Laura Powell answers your summer gardening questions. Read Ask a Gardener: How Do I Improve My Soil Without Fertilizer?
Plants & Gardens Blog
Ecological Gardening
-
Ask a Gardener: How Do I Improve My Soil Without Fertilizer?
-
A More Accessible, Sustainable Certificate in Horticulture
Students signing up for Certificate in Horticulture classes this fall will access a revised curriculum. Read A More Accessible, Sustainable Certificate in Horticulture
-
Autumn Leaves: Should You Collect Them or Leave Them in Place?
Leaving fallen leaves in place is often the best choice, ecologically and horticulturally. How do you decide when to let leaves be and when to remove them? Read Autumn Leaves: Should You Collect Them or Leave Them in Place?
-
Make Your Garden a Haven for Insect Diversity
Create a habitat for pollinators as well as the amazing array of less beloved, but still important, insects out there. Read Make Your Garden a Haven for Insect Diversity
-
Want to Feed Birds? Leave Your Perennials Standing
Leaving native perennials uncut through the winter season can help support a wide range of birds and insects. Read Want to Feed Birds? Leave Your Perennials Standing
-
Use a Cold Frame to Grow Vegetables in Early Spring or Late Fall
A cold frame is like a bottomless, mini-greenhouse that you place on your garden plot in the fall to protect vegetables after the frost date. Learn how to make and use one. Read Use a Cold Frame to Grow Vegetables in Early Spring or Late Fall
-
Bluestar: A Native Perennial with Spring Flowers and Fall Color
A member of the Amsonia genus, bluestar looks lovely year round. Plant it in border, container, or rain garden. Butterflies and hummingbirds love it. Read Bluestar: A Native Perennial with Spring Flowers and Fall Color
-
Make a Butterfly Habitat in a Window Box
If you provide warmth (a sunny spot), shelter (shrubs and trees), and nectar (masses of flowers from spring to fall), butterflies will feed and maybe even lay eggs there. Read Make a Butterfly Habitat in a Window Box
-
How to Grow Self-Sowing Annuals
Self-sowing annuals plant themselves, which makes them an appealing, sustainable choice for gardeners who don't mind a few surprises. Read How to Grow Self-Sowing Annuals
-
Make a Simple, Subirrigated, Self-Watering Planter Out of a Milk Carton
So-called "self-watering" planters are all over the marketplace and can be very expensive, but simple, effective DIY versions can be made cheaply using common household supplies and upcycled food containers. Read Make a Simple, Subirrigated, Self-Watering Planter Out of a Milk Carton