15 Tall Flowers to Plant for Privacy and Months of Color
The idea for this article stemmed from a list of tall plants that I made for my own garden. I’m of the firm belief that good fences make good neighbors, …
Mickey Gast
I like to think of myself as a writer who gardens and a gardener who writes. I was hooked into this lifestyle more than a decade ago, when I decided that my new husband’s tomato patch had to be extended into a full-blown suburban veggie paradise. It was a classic story of “city girl trades concrete jungle for kale jungle.”
Before that, it was a humble peace lily that gave me the houseplant bug, so I have her to thank for 15+ years of houseplant obsession. I get a kick out of saving and reviving houseplants that others write off, although my greatest sin is still overwatering.
When we went back to renting in cities, I gardened in community gardens, campus gardens and post stamp-sized balconies. Setting up gardens from scratch in three different (micro)climates taught me to stay humble and to always keep learning.
Nowadays, when I’m not writing, you’ll probably find me pottering around my suburban backyard where I’m creating a pollinator paradise, complete with herbs, veggies and flowers.
If you’re nosy like me, you can follow my plant experiments on Instagram @greenwithpurpose. I also write about plants, gardens and books on my website, GreenWithPurpose.com
7 Low-Effort Ways to Make the Best of Messy Garden Corners
There’s an episode of the beloved 90s sitcom Friends, where it’s revealed that Monica (self-proclaimed neat freak) has a secret closet jam-packed with stuff. A hodgepodge of knick-knacks, tucked away …
15 Flowers to Sow in April for Rich Summer Color
Now that my tomato seedlings are underway, I’m turning my attention to planting flowers once again. I have two large boxes of flower seeds that I’ve saved over my years …
6 Things to Consider Before Planting a Shrub
This might be an unpopular opinion, but I believe every single garden needs at least one shrub. I still like perennials and annuals, but shrubs just tie the room together. …
17 Bulbs to Plant This Spring for a Blooming Summer Garden
The days are getting longer, the light is softening, and there’s a warm breeze in the air. It must be April. April is one of those months when I catch …
20 Things You Probably Aren’t Harvesting From the Garden, But Should Be
I must have been ten years old the first time I learned about bonus harvest. Except, of course, nobody called it that, and the lesson came in my life in …
7 Delicious Ways to Use Magnolia Petals in the Kitchen
It’s mid-March, and the soft magnolia buds are getting plumper and plumper. Any minute now, the fuzzy shells will no longer be able to contain them, and every single velvety …
5 Spring Jobs for Gorgeous Dahlias All Summer Long
This past weekend, I found myself dangerously close to buying a bucket of dahlias. I didn’t realize dahlias came by the bucket. It only took a couple of strolls down …
6 Reasons Zinnias Should Grow In Every Backyard
Zinnias are such dependable flowers, yet I didn’t think I could grow them for longer than I care to admit. I may have been a bit biased against them because …
15 Perennials You Should Divide in Early Spring
As soon as spring rolls around, you’d think I’m running a plant nursery out of my suburban back yard. Surprisingly, I’m not. (I’ve never sold plants, but did my fair …
7 Big Mistakes Gardeners Make When Planting Pots
It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been gardening; there’s always something new to learn. After having written my fair share of gardening articles (in the hundreds by now), I want …
25 Super Fragrant Plants You Should Grow by Your Front Door
I am endlessly fascinated by the power that scent can have on our mood. A well-chosen fragrance can help us feel calm, relaxed, joyful or pensive. It can unlock memories …
15 Perennials to Cut Back Before Spring Growth Starts
Winter is slowly, gradually, loosening its grip on my garden and on my mood. I was thinking the other day how I always complain about how “this winter feels like …
This Gorgeous Space-Saving Plan Will Change the Way You Grow Herbs
One of the constant limitations of my gardening plans is a lack of space. I’m confident enough by this point in my gardening experience that I can prune, propagate and …
6 Things Everyone Growing Hydrangeas Needs to Know
Hydrangeas have to be one of the most beloved and popular ornamental shrubs, don’t you think? You don’t even need to be a gardener to know a hydrangea when you …
Too Cold to Grow Citrus? Try These 8 Plants Instead
I wouldn’t necessarily call myself an optimist, but I do tend to garden with rose-tinted glasses in the summer. Let’s just say there’s a marked difference between the plans I …
5 Things Everyone Growing Lavender Needs To Know
Whether you’ve been growing lavender for decades or you’re bringing home your first plant, there are a few things you need to know about this fragrant Mediterranean beauty. I’ve noticed …
10 Plants You Must NOT Prune in Late Winter
When I first started gardening, nothing intimidated me more than pruning. It felt so confusing and counterintuitive. And I constantly thought to myself, wouldn’t it be nice if there was …
15 Plants to Plant in January or February Before It’s Too Late!
I hold a weird duality in my gardener soul once February rolls around. On the one hand, the tantalizing signs of spring perk up my mood, and I get carried …
10 Plants That Must Be Pruned in January or February
January and February may not necessarily be the months when we enjoy the fruits of our labor, but that doesn’t mean we can’t use them as stepping stones to set …
10 Common Plants You Can Propagate in January
I’ll be the first one to admit that it feels a bit premature (bordering on ridiculous) to write about propagating plants in January. As I’m sitting down to write this …
5 Things Everyone With a Lilac Shrub Needs to Know
Despite writing for our Rural Sprout readers for a few years now and mentioning lilac in no fewer than six articles, it has just dawned on me that I haven’t …
10 Excuses to Go Out in the Garden Between Christmas and New Year’s Eve
I won’t ask you What are you doing New Year’s Eve? as the song goes. But I am curious if you’re doing anything in the garden the week between Christmas …
How to Plant Bare Root Grapevines the Right Way
Have you ever had a gardening dream that you just couldn’t let go of? No matter what you planted, you wouldn’t feel that you’d “made it” as a gardener unless …