Expert advice for deer-resistant, pet-safe, and pollinator-friendly gardens. Science-backed picks for every USDA zone.
An outdoor thermometer and hygrometer pair tells you air temperature and relative humidity so cold frames, greenhouses, and covered beds are easier to manage. For most hobby greenhouses and cold frame...
A cordless string trimmer cuts grass and weeds along fences, beds, and hardscape edges where a mower deck cannot reach. For most suburban lawns, a 20V to 40V or equivalent battery trimmer with a 12 to...
Drain and store garden hoses before hard freezes so trapped water does not split the hose or crack a connected faucet. For most yards, a wall-mount or portable hose reel that lets you drain while you ...
A garden wheelbarrow with a pneumatic air-filled tire rolls softer over roots, gravel, and lawn than a hard plastic wheel, so hauling mulch, soil, and leaf bags takes less force. For most home gardens...
A squirrel baffle is a cone, cylinder, or dome that blocks squirrels from climbing a bird feeder pole or sliding down a hanger, so seed stays available for birds. For most pole feeders, a stovepipe-st...
A garden kneeler and seat is a folding bench with a padded side for kneeling and a reverse side for sitting, so cleanup work is easier on knees and lower back. For most beds and borders, a steel-frame...
An adjustable-tine leaf rake lets you widen for open lawn and narrow for beds without swapping tools. For most yards, a steel or poly rake with a head that expands roughly 15 to 30 inches covers lawn ...
A leaf vacuum mulcher turns dry leaves into a bag of shreds you can dump into compost or spread as thin mulch, instead of raking every lawn strip twice. For most suburban yards, a corded or cordless b...
Christmas cactus sets flower buds when it gets about six weeks of long nights, 12 to 14 hours of uninterrupted darkness, or cool nights around 50 to 55°F. Give it either signal starting in late Septem...
For steady winter salads from a cold frame, sow spinach and cold-hardy lettuce about 6 to 8 weeks before your first hard frost, so plants reach full leaf size before days drop below about 10 hours of ...
The best window to buy poinsettias is late November into the first days of December, within a week or two of a store's fresh delivery. Plants bought then have had the least time under dim store lights...
Florist cyclamen keeps flowering for two to three months indoors when it sits in a cool, bright spot, about 50 to 65°F by day and 40 to 50°F at night, and is watered from below so the tuber and crown ...
In Zones 3 to 6, empty terracotta and glazed ceramic pots, brush them clean, let them dry for a few days, and store them in a garage, shed, or basement before nights start dropping into the low 20s °F...
To protect young trees from buck rub, put a physical barrier around the trunk from late August through December: a 4 to 5 foot tall cylinder of welded wire or hardware cloth held off the bark by 6 to ...
A broadfork loosens garden soil 10 to 12 inches deep without turning it over, and fall is the best time to use one. Work beds when the soil is moist but not sticky, typically late September through ea...
If you are going to cut storm-downed limbs yourself, wear chainsaw chaps, a forestry helmet with a face shield and hearing protection, safety glasses, saw-rated gloves, and sturdy boots, and limit the...
Fall grub control in cool-season lawns works only if you confirm grubs first and use a curative product while they are still feeding near the surface, roughly late August through mid October. Cut a fe...
Mulch strawberry beds in Zones 3 to 6 after the plants have been through two or three nights in the low 20s °F and the soil surface has started to freeze, usually in early to mid November. Cover the w...
To winterize a backyard pond in Zones 3 to 6, net it before leaves drop, clean out the muck by late October, stop feeding fish once the water stays below 50°F, and keep one hole open in the ice all wi...
In Zones 5 and 6, bigleaf hydrangeas Hydrangea macrophylla flower on buds that formed in late summer, so the job is to keep those buds alive until spring. After the leaves drop and the plant goes dorm...
Autumn Ferns for Shaded Fall Porches For a shady porch in fall, plant autumn fern Dryopteris erythrosora. It is hardy in Zones 5 to 9, its new fronds open coppery red before turning glossy green, and ...
Dusty Miller and Silver Foliage for Cool Containers Dusty miller is the most dependable silver plant for fall and early winter containers. It shrugs off light frost, keeps its felted white leaves down...
Tabletop Succulent Centerpieces for Indoor Gatherings A living succulent centerpiece is easiest built 1 to 2 weeks before the gathering in a shallow bowl, 3 to 5 inches deep, with a drainage hole and ...
Herb Bowls for Kitchen Windows in Cool Months The herbs that do best in a kitchen window from October through March are parsley, chives, thyme, oregano, and mint, with rosemary as a slower bonus. Plan...
Eucalyptus Bundles and Fresh Greenery Care Fresh eucalyptus and most cut greenery last 2 to 3 weeks indoors if you recut the stems at an angle, stand them in clean, cool water with flower food, change...
Cornucopia Planter Ideas with Kale and Mums A living cornucopia planter is a wicker horn basket lined with plastic and coir, planted with 4-inch or 6-inch mums and ornamental kale at the open end, and...
Branch and Berry Arrangements for Fall and Winter The longest-lasting fall and winter arrangements use bare or berried branches: red or yellow twig dogwood, curly willow, birch, winterberry, rose hips...
Bay Laurel and Rosemary Topiaries Indoors Bay laurel and rosemary topiaries survive indoor months when they get the brightest, coolest window in the house, about 45 to 65°F, and careful, even watering...
Quick answer: Fall is the best time to control perennial broadleaf weeds such as dandelion, clover and plantain in cool-season lawns. Spot-treat from mid-September through October while weeds are stil...
Heated Bird Baths and Winter Water for Backyard Birds A heated bird bath or a thermostatic bird bath de-icer keeps water open when temperatures drop below freezing, and it can attract more winter bird...
Tying Up Arborvitae and Upright Evergreens for Snow To keep heavy snow and ice from splaying or splitting upright evergreens, tie multi-stemmed arborvitae, upright junipers, and similar columnar shrub...
Winter Protection for Fig Trees in Zones 6 and 7 In Zones 6 and 7, protect in-ground fig trees after the leaves drop and before nights fall into the low 20s°F, usually in mid to late November. Tie the...
Storing Cannas, Elephant Ears, and Caladiums Over Winter North of about Zone 8, lift cannas and elephant ears right after the first light frost blackens the foliage, and lift caladiums earlier, once n...
How to Winterize Raised Beds in Cold Zones To winterize raised beds in cold zones, pull spent and diseased crops, add 1 to 2 inches of compost, then cover the soil with 3 to 4 inches of shredded leave...
Overwintering Potted Perennials and Shrubs in Cold Zones To overwinter potted perennials and shrubs in cold zones, protect the roots, not the tops. Roots in a container are far less cold-hardy than th...
Ice Melt That Is Safer for Lawns, Plants, and Pets For walks and driveways next to lawns, beds, and pets, choose calcium magnesium acetate CMA or a blend labeled pet-friendly and plant-safe, and use i...
Winterizing a Sprinkler System: Drain or Blow Out Before Freeze Winterize an in-ground sprinkler system before the first hard freeze, when nights are forecast to drop into the mid 20s°F. Shut off the ...
Snow Blower Prep Before the First Snow Prep your snow blower in October or early November, before the first forecast storm: fill it with fresh stabilized fuel, check or change the oil, inspect the aug...
Mulch After Bulb Planting Before Freeze Mulch newly planted bulbs once the top inch or two of soil has frozen or nights are reaching the low 20s °F, not on planting day. Spread 2 to 3 inches of shredd...
Pre-Chilled Bulbs for Mild Winter Zones In Zones 8 to 10, tulips, hyacinths, and most crocus will not get the long cold spell they need to bloom well, so buy them pre-chilled or chill them yourself in...
Overwintering Geraniums Indoors Bring geraniums indoors before the first frost, once nights drop into the low 40s °F, and keep them one of three ways: as potted plants in a sunny window, as rooted cut...
Peace Lily Care in Dry Indoor Heat When the furnace is running, keep a peace lily at least 3 feet from heat vents and radiators, water when the top inch of soil is dry often every 5 to 10 days in a he...
Humidity Trays and Grouping for Winter Houseplants To counter dry winter air, group humidity-loving houseplants together and set them on pebble or humidity trays filled with water to just below the to...
Ornamental Grasses for Fall Entry Urns For a tall, moving centerpiece in a fall entry urn, plant one upright or arching ornamental grass in the center, such as purple fountain grass, a compact miscant...
Evergreen Urns for Thanksgiving Porches For a porch urn that looks good from Thanksgiving straight through winter, either plant a live dwarf conifer or boxwood in the center from late October through ...
Snake Plant and ZZ for Low-Light Winter Rooms For dim winter rooms, snake plant and ZZ plant are the two most forgiving choices. Both tolerate low light, dry indoor air, and missed waterings. The one ...
Tree Watering Bags for Fall-Planted Trees A newly planted tree needs about 10 to 15 gallons of water per week in fall, delivered slowly to the root ball, until the ground freezes. A tree watering bag ...
Last Mow of Fall: Best Height for Cool-Season Lawns For the last mow of fall, cut cool-season lawns Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, fine fescue, perennial ryegrass to about 2 to 2.5 inches, which is ...
Outdoor Faucet Covers and Hose Care Before the First Freeze Before the first hard freeze overnight lows near 28°F or colder, disconnect every garden hose, drain it, shut off the indoor valve that feed...
How to Winterize a Lawn Mower for Winter Storage To winterize a gas mower, add fuel stabilizer to a full tank and run the engine for 5 minutes, or run the tank completely dry, then disconnect the spar...
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