Ornamental Gardens

Learn how to cultivate beautiful ornamental gardens and how to troubleshoot common pests, diseases, and growing problems!

A beautiful array of lavender colored flowers atop long green leaves, on a sunny day, in a garden.

Flowers

25 Best Phlox Varieties For Your Garden

Phlox brightens the display with clusters of starry blooms among deep green leaves. The perennials grow across a range of conditions in a diversity of species and cultivars. To stave off fungal diseases like powdery mildew, start with a strong selection for your space. Here, gardening expert Katherine Rowe outlines phlox varieties with stellar ornamental value and high landscape performance.

Majestic giant sequoia trees with towering, reddish-brown trunks and dense, feathery green foliage that creates a dramatic, forest canopy.

Trees

How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Giant Sequoia Trees

Do you want to grow the largest tree in the world? If your landscape has 30-60 square feet of open space and lots of summer moisture, you can plant your own Giant Sequoia to reach up to 150 feet in your lifetime! In this guide, garden expert Logan Hailey explains how to grow this gigantic living fossil.

This ecoregion wildflower features delicate, lacy leaves and clusters of vibrant blue, spherical flowers atop slender stems.

Flowers

The Top 5 Wildflowers For Your Ecoregion

Wildflowers color landscapes with red, yellow, magenta, purple, and white flowers. They invite native animal species into our backyards with their delicious nectar and pollen. Join native plant gardener Jerad Bryant to discover what top five North American wildflowers thrive within your ecoregion.

A gorgeous flower garden with a variety of colorful flowers including artemisia absinthium, cleome or spider flowers, daises, coneflowers, bee balm or monarda, and blanket flowers.

Ornamental Gardens

21 Easy Perennial Plants for Beginner Gardeners

There’s nothing like a reliable perennial that thrives in conditions where other plants wither. Their outstanding flowers and foliage bring beauty, diversity, and pollinator value to the display. Easy to grow, the best performers are unfussy and low-maintenance. Explore exceptional perennials for gardeners of any level with expert Katherine Rowe. Beginners welcome!

The tree is characterized by its towering height, bright green feathery leaves, and distinctive fluted trunk.

Trees

How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Dawn Redwood Trees

If you don’t live in the ideal foggy coastal climate for growing a California Coast Redwood, you can still plant a redwood in your landscape! Dawn Redwood trees are native to China and adaptable to USDA zones 4-8. Garden expert Logan Hailey explains everything you need to know about growing this ancient coniferous tree.

A green fence formed by a beautiful array young thujas.

Trees

9 Arborvitae Alternatives for Your Landscape

Do you want a tree or shrub that has the look of an arborvitae but without the many issues these plants can have? Several options may fit your landscape. Gardening expert Melissa Strauss offers alternatives to arborvitae that will look beautiful with fewer vulnerabilities

A field of gorgeous flowers in vibrant shades of pink and purple atop bright green leaves.

Shrubs

17 Gorgeous Varieties of Smooth Hydrangea

Hydrangea arborescens is a U.S. native shrub. Cultivars bring large blooms in crisp white, fresh lime, soft pink, and rich rose. Join gardening expert Katherine Rowe in exploring these popular and versatile summer bloomers.

close up of a red flower, covered in water droplets, closed up after blooming, with a background of lush green leaves

Flowers

Why is My Hibiscus Dropping Flowers?

Big, bright, beautiful hibiscus blooms are a star in the summer garden. But what if your blooms don’t last as long as you expected? Gardening expert Melissa Strauss explores the possible reasons that your flowers aren’t hanging around for long.

A small bee about to land on a sprig of violet lavender.

Flowers

31 Plants to Attract Beneficial Insects to Your Garden

Are you looking for a few plants, or an entire garden’s worth of plants, to entice beneficial insects to visit your landscape? Fortunately, a great wealth of beautiful flowering plants can provide food, shelter, and habitat for insects that provide valuable services in your garden. In this article, gardening expert (and bug enthusiast) Liessa Bowen shares her favorite plants to attract the insects that help your garden.

Closeup of hanging red and white fuchsia flowers.

Flowers

How to Prune Fuchsia Plants for Blooms All Summer

Fuchsia brings tropical beauty in flower and form in spring, summer, and early fall. With gardening expert Katherine Rowe, explore pruning benefits and basics for these lovely shade selections to ensure healthy flowering throughout the warm season.