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3 weeks ago | 
finegardening.com | Christine Alexander |Fionuala Campion |Kimberly Toscano |Bryan Fischer
In every corner of the United States, native perennials offer an unparalleled blend of beauty, resilience, and ecological harmony. In “Great Native Perennials for Your Region,” we’ve partnered with regional experts to spotlight four exceptional native plants that flourish in America’s diverse eco-regions.
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1 month ago | 
finegardening.com | Kimberly Toscano |Christine Alexander
Growing tomatoes in containers can yield great results. Container life can also help gardeners overcome some of the challenging conditions of the Southwest, such as low-fertility soils. However, not all tomato varieties are well suited to life in a container. Varieties producing smaller tomatoes tend to perform best, including grape, cherry, sauce, and small-to-medium slicing varieties. What kind of container do tomatoes grow best in?
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Aug 23, 2024 | 
finegardening.com | Kimberly Toscano |Danielle Sherry
With growing interest in waterwise gardening and water conservation, homeowners are looking for alternatives to water-hogging lawns, which are not always necessary or practical. Turfgrass can often be replaced by native grass species, ground covers, or hardscape materials and still meet your individual needs. When selecting lawn replacements, it is important to consider the various roles lawns play in the landscape and plan accordingly.
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Aug 7, 2024 | 
finegardening.com | Kimberly Toscano |Christine Alexander
Most gardeners are familiar with the USDA plant hardiness zone map, which represents cold hardiness. But cold hardiness only indicates one aspect of a plant’s preferred conditions. Its ability to tolerate heat is equally important. You might have seen heat zones listed along with hardiness zones on your plant labels, but what do they mean? The following info will help you better understand and use this valuable gardening tool.
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Aug 7, 2024 | 
finegardening.com | Kimberly Toscano |Christine Alexander
The plants recommended in this article are very heat tolerant, but even the best-adapted plants need a little extra care when extreme heat strikes. Since heat can stress plants, and stress can lead to further problems, reducing that stress is paramount. Here are some ways to keep plants thriving through very high temperatures.
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Aug 7, 2024 | 
finegardening.com | Kimberly Toscano |Christine Alexander
From temperature extremes to shifting rainfall patterns, communities coast to coast are experiencing the increasing impacts of climate change. In many areas summers are hotter and drier, making gardeners more reliant on supplemental irrigation to grow the same plants that thrived for them in years past. Meanwhile, restrictions on watering in some regions make responding to drought more challenging.
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Jun 19, 2024 | 
finegardening.com | Kimberly Toscano |Christine Alexander
Spring and early summer are lush with blooms, but the height of summer sends many perennials into a period of rest as they wait for cooler days to return. That’s where heat-loving perennials come in; they take the worst of the summer sun and keep on blooming. Incorporating flowering perennials for full summer sun into your planting beds will ensure an ongoing display of vibrant blooms even as the temperatures soar. Here are a few of my favorites.
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Apr 16, 2024 | 
finegardening.com | Kimberly Toscano |Christine Alexander
Annual plants are a garden designer’s secret weapon. Endlessly versatile and extremely showy, annuals add nonstop color without a high price or a lot of work. They are perfect for gardeners who crave change—from year to year or from one season to the next. And they offer instant impact for filling in bare spots between slower-growing shrubs and perennials. Summer annuals brighten gardens with flowers and foliage, while cool-season annuals bring interest to the winter landscape.
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Feb 16, 2024 | 
finegardening.com | Kimberly Toscano |Kaitlyn Hayes
I grew up in the north, where my mother’s garden teemed with the intoxicating aromas of lilacs, sweet peas, and lily of the valley. When I moved to Oklahoma, I left these fragrant favorites behind and began the search for new plants to delight the senses. After trying southern classics like gardenia (Gardenia spp. and cvs., Zones 8–11) and summersweet (Clethera spp. and cvs., Zones 3–9) which don’t much care for the Oklahoma heat, I landed on several plants that fair well across many climates.
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Nov 16, 2023 | 
l8r.it | Kimberly Toscano |Christine Alexander
From erosion control to weed suppression, ground covers play an important role in the garden. They benefit neighboring plants by shading the ground, which helps keep soil cool and reduces moisture loss to evaporation. Many ground covers provide nectar to pollinators and shelter ground-dwelling insects and vertebrates. From an aesthetic standpoint, ground covers lend gardens a finished look. They can be used to emphasize focal points or to soften transitions between garden elements.
