Fine Gardening – Issue 198
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How to Design a Colorful Shade Garden
After my husband and I moved into our home in 2004, I waited four years before starting a garden. The idea of creating a new design from scratch was daunting.…
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Colorful Plants for Partial Shade
If you need some ideas for plants that thrive in dappled sunlight, check out these options from expert gardener Mary Gore. She has created an amazing garden in the shade…
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4 Tips for Early Spring Gardening
Edging with downed-tree sections When a tree must be taken down in my neighborhood, I find a place in my garden for as many of the remnants as possible by…
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A Garden That Shines in Spring
At a Glance Size: 100 acres Location: Sergeantsville, New Jersey Zone: 6 Conditions: Full sun; well-drained, fertile soil Age of the garden: 25 years When Ruth Ann Mummey and her…
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Stachys Plant Trial: Which Ones Were Best?
In a world where I could only have 10 plants in my garden—clutch your pearls, right?—lambs’ ears (Stachys byzantina and cvs., Zones 4–8) would most assuredly be one of them.…
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Chicago Botanic Garden Trial Gardens
For more than a decade, Richard Hawke has been writing for Fine Gardening, giving readers insight into his plant trial results. He is the plant evaluation manager at the Chicago…
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What’s Wrong With My Hosta?
While hostas are generally considered to be easy-care plants, some pests, diseases, and growing conditions can cause problems. Here are a few of the most common culprits. Anthracnose What it…
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A Low-Care Ground Cover for Sun: ‘Summer Sunshine’ Germander
‘Summer Sunshine’ germander (Teucrium chamaedrys ‘Summer Sunshine’) Zones: 4–9 Size: 6 to 8 inches tall and 12 inches wide Conditions: Full sun; moist, well-drained soil Native range: Europe Somehow in the larger gardening consciousness,…
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A Flowering Perennial for Shade: ‘Diana Clare’ Pulmonaria
About 15 years ago, I had given up on growing pulmonarias (Pulmonaria spp. and cvs., Zones 3–8) in my Zone 7 garden. In 2005, I received a 2-inch pot of…
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4 Outstanding Spring Plants for the Mountain West
We all have certain plants that immediately come to mind when thinking of a garden in spring. For many, these are daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths skirting the trunks of flowering magnolias,…
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4 Outstanding Spring Plants for California
We all have certain plants that immediately come to mind when thinking of a garden in spring. For many, these are daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths skirting the trunks of flowering magnolias,…
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4 Outstanding Spring Plants for the Northwest
We all have certain plants that immediately come to mind when thinking of a garden in spring. For many, these are daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths skirting the trunks of flowering magnolias,…
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How to Grow Lambs’ Ears and Betony
Lambs’ ears and betonies are easy to grow in full sun to light shade in well-drained soil, but betonies like the soil consistently moist, and lambs’ ears prefer it on…
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Expert Tips for Planting Under Trees
Attempting to grow plants under a tree's canopy presents certain challenges. Tree roots concentrate in the top 6 inches of the soil and can spread far beyond the leaf canopy.…
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Outstanding Spring Plants for Your Region
We all have certain plants that immediately come to mind when thinking of a garden in spring. For many, these are daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths skirting the trunks of flowering magnolias,…
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4 Outstanding Spring Plants for the Midwest
We all have certain plants that immediately come to mind when thinking of a garden in spring. For many, these are daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths skirting the trunks of flowering magnolias,…
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4 Outstanding Spring Plants for the Northeast
We all have certain plants that immediately come to mind when thinking of a garden in spring. For many, these are daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths skirting the trunks of flowering magnolias,…
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4 Outstanding Spring Plants for the Southeast
We all have certain plants that immediately come to mind when thinking of a garden in spring. For many, these are daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths skirting the trunks of flowering magnolias,…
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4 Outstanding Spring Plants for the Southern Plains
We all have certain plants that immediately come to mind when thinking of a garden in spring. For many, these are daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths skirting the trunks of flowering magnolias,…
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Annual Opinions | Letter from the Editor
“Friends don’t let friends buy annuals.” My very first boss wore a button with that phrase to work every day. I didn’t have a “normal job” like most teenagers. I…
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Behind the Scenes at Fine Gardening
Here at Fine Gardening, the staff wear many hats. Our editors are photographers, script writers, test garden managers, and audiovisual engineers. Associate editor Carol Collins has one additional title as well:…
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Adding Annuals to Your Garden: Six Inventive Ideas
We’ve all seen them: the giant swaths of annuals demanding our attention with their ostentatious colors—in parking lots, at park entrances, lining the walkway to every local bank. They are…
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How to Prune an Arborvitae That's Too Tall or Wide
Arborvitaes (Thuja spp. and cvs., Zones 3–11) are a familiar staple in American gardens. Cultivars of Eastern arborvitae (T. occidentalis, Zones 3–7), Oriental arborvitae (T. orientalis, Zones 6–11), and giant…
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Avoid These Arborvitae Pruning Pitfalls
Arborvitaes (Thuja spp. and cvs., Zones 3–11) are a familiar staple in American gardens. Cultivars of Eastern arborvitae (T. occidentalis, Zones 3–7), Oriental arborvitae (T. orientalis, Zones 6–11), and giant Western…
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10 Amazing Hostas
Do you know any gardeners who have both hostas—the green one and the variegated one? Sadly, the lack of knowledge some people have about this amazing genus is shocking. No…
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Expert Picks: The Best Tomato to Add to Your Veggie Garden
Tomatoes are a favorite crop of many home gardeners, who love the fresh flavor and variety they can achieve when they grow their own. But despite the overwhelming number of…
Featured Articles
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Fiddle-Leaf Figs Aren’t That Fussy
“Finicky-leaf fig” is the moniker many people have given the fiddle-leaf fig (Ficus lyrata). With the right conditions and care, however, you can grow a thriving fiddle leaf. As with…
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How to Design a Colorful Shade Garden - Plant IDs
The plants teach me what they can do, and I try my best to help them reach their full potential. I have grown to love the shade, and I can’t…
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A Native Ornamental Grass With a Unique Color: ‘Purple Tears’ Switchgrass
I happened to be looking in a magazine recently when this caught my eye: “the Piet Oudolf Collection.” Piet started as a designer and plantsman in Hummelo, Netherlands. His gardens…
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9 Perennials to Liven Up Your Spring Garden
For those of us in temperate climates, spring is a wonderful time of the year. There is a palpable energy and excitement in both garden and gardener as gray and…
Articles
Fine Gardening Magazine
