Somewhere between 5,000 and 3,000 years ago, a fellow hoping to impress his lady love was the first to give a rose as a symbol of love. We can only imagine her response, but it was likely enthusiastic enough to make him think “Hey! Maybe I should cultivate these flowers.” Flash forward to today, and [...]

Gardening is becoming more popular than ever, thanks to a number of converging circumstances, including the First Lady’s planting of a White House organic garden. Because of the sagging economy, people want to save money anywhere they can, and vegetable gardening is a great way to save money on foods that can be costly. Additionally, [...]

Think orchids are just for those with green thumbs and garden aprons filled with gadgets and secret instructions? Think again. Now there are no-fear orchids for everyone that will reward you with fabulous blooms for months on end. “Orchids are really easy to grow,” says Justin W. Hancock, editor of Better Homes & Gardens online [...]

Do images of flowering trellises laden with yellow, pink, green and purple blooms dance through your dreams? You may already have a backyard full of blooming plants, but that doesn’t mean you can’t bring some beautiful blooms indoors to brighten up your house. And if you don’t have a backyard, indoor gardening is the perfect [...]

(ARA) – Change has come to America. The pop culture phrase “show me the money,” boiling throughout business and industry, has cooled down and is forcing people to take a hard look at what is really important in life. “Just look around you,” says Susan McCoy, trend spotter and outdoor living expert. “Our relationship with [...]

(ARA) – At a time when “green” is the color of thoughtful lifestyles, gardening practices are going greener, too. Some gardens awash in the biggest, brightest, newest flowers are sadly lifeless, lacking the buzz of the bees, the fluttering of butterflies and the zip of hummingbirds. To make these creatures welcome, gardeners need to go [...]

(ARA) – Americans craving authenticity and fretting over a bleak economy have reinvigorated the trend to grow-it-yourself (GIY). From blueberries to houseplants, GIY is the new mantra as folks turn “back to the future” to simplify their lives while gardening for the greener good. “It’s a resurgence of gardening for the greater good — for [...]

Welcome to our fist in a series of Flickr Flower Photos of the Week – where we hand-pick our favorite flower pics to showcase here – enjoy! photo credit: iwona_kellie photo credit: iwona_kellie photo credit: Warren T photo credit: Steve.Maw

(ARA) – The catalogues are starting to pile up and the list of landscape improvements grows longer each day. Don’t let this overwhelm or discourage you. Instead spend a bit of time planning now for better results in your garden. You will be amazed how much fun you can have while achieving your landscape goals [...]

Whether you live where it rains or where it pours, there’s a great, easy way you can conserve water for garden use. Where I live (Calif.) that’s a very big deal, as we Californians head into a third consecutive drought year. Rain “harvesting” isn’t a new concept, but let’s just say this oldie is a [...]