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 …
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
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 …
7 Steps to Plant Raspberries the Right Way – Enjoy Berries All Summer & Fall
There are no raspberries in our new garden! I repeat, there are no raspberries in our new garden! As someone who has spent the past five years consuming raspberries by …
This Jam-Packed Advent Calendar Is the Only One Worth Buying This Year
If “giftable” is a word, then allow me to declare this the most giftable advent calendar of the season. If you like fruit, if you like sweets, but especially if …
3 Ways to Overwinter Your Pelargonium Geraniums
As much as I love the feeling of late fall in the garden, and all the scrumptious flavors that come part and parcel with the season, there’s one thing I …
5 Important Fall Jobs For Everyone Growing Roses
Roses are the one garden ornamental that has never gone out of style or fallen out of grace. They’re no longer confined to formal gardens, and seeing them tumble out …
30 Plants You Should Never Prune in Fall
I love a messy garden! And not just as a self-confessed prune-crastinator. To me, a messy garden is a living garden. A diverse garden. And a welcoming garden. So that’s …
30 Plants You Should Cut Back This Fall
Have you heard the term “underpruner” before? I honestly hope you haven’t, because if you have, that would mean I haven’t just made that up. Which I totally did. To …
15 Popular Perennials You Should Never Divide & What To Do Instead
As a recovering pessimist, I have become quite adept at not making a big deal out of gardening mistakes. Sometimes, my plan(t)s don’t work out because the elements conspire against …
50+ Perennials You Can Propagate by Layering This Fall
Back in August, we published an article in which I was advising our readers on what plants we can take cuttings from. Next to dividing plants (which I also talked …
30 Flower Seeds To Sow Outside This Fall
Both the garden and I get a second wind in September. After the mellowness of summer months, and leisurely August pastimes, my mind craves a refocus and regroup. It’s not …
Pop! 13 Garden Plants with Exploding Seeds
I got the idea for this article just as I get most of my inspiration: working in the garden, noticing something, and thinking to myself, “I wonder if anyone else …
10 Perennials You Should Divide in September
There’s a subtle shift in the air when September rolls around. I can sense it, without even the slightest glance at a calendar. The light changes. The breeze changes. And …
10 Perennials You Should Never Plant in the Ground
As a gardener and a garden writer, I enjoy taking photos of plants, in all their stages of growth (and sometimes demise). Most photos I take for my own record-keeping, …
10 Flower Seeds You Need to Save in August
One of the things I’m becoming more aware of about gardening is how much it is a continuum. Like a talent show in which contestants follow one another – and …
10 Popular Plants to Propagate from Cuttings in August
I was reading a gardening magazine recently, which proclaimed that September is the most productive month in the garden. With veggies basically jumping into our harvest baskets, there’s little arguing …
13 Plants You Should Deadhead in August
For me, August is the month of lunching al fresco in the garden, a fresh meal sandwiched between getting a suntan in the morning and sipping cocktails on the terrace …
The Top Reason For Poor Rose Blooms (& How To Fix It)
In a classic tale of taking over someone else’s choices when you buy a place, when we moved into our current home and garden, I inherited a rose plant. I …
Why You Should Add Volcanic Rock Dust To Your Soil
I could spend hours at my local garden store. I find it infinitely relaxing to look at what plants they have in store and imagine the possibilities, the layouts, the …
12 Popular Perennials You Should Never Fertilize
One of my plant-buying pet peeves is when plants come with labels that do more harm than good. Most of the time, it’s just confusing or incomplete information. (Such as …
Fertilizing Roses in Spring for Stunning Blooms (& Bonus Tip for More Flowers)
I was thinking recently about gardening expectations. About how, if certain plants don’t do so well one year, I’m ok with that. But when other plants fail to meet my …