Backyard chicken coops are all the rage in the past few years. Keeping your own flock can help you provide healthy, fresh food to your family with minimal effort. And now, with the price of eggs skyrocketing, you might be more interested in chickens than ever! But first, you will need a chicken coop. No,…
After working so hard on your garden all summer, you’re looking forward to delicious homegrown veggies at the dinner table. The last thing you want to discover is that some critters beat you to it! If something has been nibbling in your garden, use this brief guide to determine what you’re dealing with. Aphids are…
We all love nature, but there are some elements of nature that need to stay out of our gardens! Here are some ways to give Peter Rabbit the boot, without resorting to chemicals, poisons, or trapping. Rabbits. Rabbits are actually repelled by some plants, so including tomatoes, rhubarb, garlic, hot peppers, basil, mint, and catnip…
No matter how much we love our houseplants, we love our kids and pets even more. To keep tiny humans, cats, dogs, and other creatures safe, it is important to learn about plant toxicity. Many common houseplants seem perfectly innocuous, but can actually pose a danger to your little two-legged or four-legged explorers. Avoid toxic…
Landscape design often appears to follow modern trends, and we aim to bring you fresh ideas through our blogs. But we definitely never abandon the classics entirely. In fact, many plants used in landscape today go all the way back to ancient times, and are even mentioned in the Bible. Just check out this list…
You might be wondering what an article on bees is doing on a landscaping blog. The reason is simple: Bees are a key part of our ecosystem, and are critical to the health and beauty of both flower and vegetable gardens. When you first think of bees, you might be picturing a flying, stinging insect…
If you spend a lot of time outside, it will happen eventually: You will be stung by a flying insect. This is especially true for flower gardeners; after all, you’re spending a lot of quality time with these insects’ food source! If you know you’re severely allergic to stings, your first step should be to…
Squeamishness around insects is a normal reaction in most people. So, you’re probably not too pleased to step into your garden and spot creepy crawlies everywhere. But before you dash off to purchase insecticides, do your research to discover whether those insects are even harmful. Some “pests” are actually beneficial to your garden, such as……
After all of the hard work you’ve invested in your garden, the last thing you want to see is a swarm of invasive pests. Unfortunately, that’s just one part of life, especially for avid gardeners. But with a keen eye for details, you can spot a problem before it inflicts too much damage on your…
For nature enthusiasts, a visit from hummingbirds can feel like a special occasion. They will prefer your yard, and be more likely to visit on a regular basis if you provide them with an abundance of their favorite food in a hummingbird garden. Of course, water, nesting sites, and perches are important too. They tend…
Insects. Bugs. Creepy crawlies. Whatever you call them, you might feel anything from indifference to loathing. Most people don’t like insects very much. But these tiny creatures are your friend and they actually play important roles in our ecosystem. Many of them really don’t deserve all the hate they receive. Check out the following examples…
Last week, we reviewed some of the most common benefits of backyard beekeeping. It’s not just a fun and unique hobby; you would be helping your community and the environment! So, let’s say you’re sold on the idea of beekeeping, or at least very interested. Now what? Beekeeping can become a fairly complex hobby, but…
At first, you might wonder why anyone would choose bee keeping as their hobby. Don’t we normally run far away from anything that flies and stings? However, there are some distinct benefits to bee keeping that might surprise you! The most obvious benefit is the honey produced by bees. Yes, you can buy honey at…
If you enjoy watching birds, you don’t necessarily need to travel across the country in search of them. With a little effort, you can attract many species to your own backyard, where you can enjoy the natural ambiance of their songs. To attract birds, you must think like a bird. Why would a bird choose…
If you want to attract birds to your garden, you have to think like a bird! Birds need food, water, and shelter, so they’re attracted to environments that meet their needs. Your garden should include plant species that local birds already recognize as food and nesting sources. So choose native species of plants for your…