Ornamental Gardens

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

A woman standing in a garden, holding a bouquet of different types of flower in beautiful shades of purple, red, orange, white, and yellow.

Flowers

Pompon, Collarette, and Cactus: A Guide To Dahlia Types

Dahlias are a long-time favorite for good reasons. With exceptional bloom forms and a lasting bloom time, they entertain in the planted display and fresh floral arrangements. Join gardening expert Katherine Rowe for a look at the diverse flower forms and compositions of the beloved genus.

It features smooth, evergreen leaves with delicate, star-like blue or purple blooms that create a captivating display against the rich green backdrop.

Ground Cover

Don’t Plant These 15 Invasive Ground Covers

Are you looking for some ornamental ground covers to enhance your landscape? Beware of invasive species and do yourself, and the environment, a favor by not planting these fast-growing aggressive plants. In this article, gardening expert Liessa Bowen introduces 15 invasive ground cover plants that you should avoid using in your garden.

Amsonia ciliata varieties feature fine, needle-like foliage with airy clusters of soft, pale blue star-shaped flowers, creating a light and graceful presence.

Flowers

7 Beautiful Amsonia Varieties For Your Garden

Amsonia is striking in the perennial and pollinator garden - and any spot in between. The genus hosts native species and a few non-natives with highly ornamental. steely blue flowers, narrow olive green leaves, and an adaptable nature. Here, gardening expert Katherine Rowe explores top-performing bluestar varieties for versatile additions to your spring-through-fall display. The pollinators will thank you with repeat visits.

Close-up of blooming soft pink clusters of roses and hydrangeas with large panicles of greenish flowers fading to a soft blue hue in a sunny garden.

Shrubs

Do Roses and Hydrangeas Grow Well Together?

With the proper selections in the right garden spot, roses and hydrangeas grow together to create an all-season bloom spectacle. Garden expert Katherine Rowe shares tips for outstanding rose and hydrangea combinations based on cultural requirements and display considerations. Rely on hardiness, light conditions, and moisture needs for a long-lived combination.

The 'Storm Cloud' Amsonia features clusters of star-shaped, bright blue flowers atop sturdy stems with narrow, dark green leaves.

Flowers

How to Plant, Grow, and Care for ‘Storm Cloud’ Amsonia

If your perennial or pollinator garden is missing ‘Storm Cloud,’ this is the year to add it to the display. The native perennials shine with sky-blue flowers, narrow leaves, dark stems, and an adaptable nature. Explore the merits of this top performer with gardening expert Katherine Rowe.

A flowering dense clump with dainty purple petals and silvery, fuzzy leaves.

Ornamental Gardens

How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Lamb’s Ear Plants

Are you looking for the perfect ground cover perennial? Lamb’s ear not only has fuzzy, lamb-like leaves, but also, it has dainty purple flowers that pollinators love. The flexible species grows in many locations, as long as you keep its soil and leaves mostly dry. Plant biologist Emily Estep walks you through everything you need to know about how to plant, grow, and care for lamb’s ear plants.

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