A smart mulching tip using old nursery pots

Like many gardeners, our reader Mary hangs on to nursery pots rather than tossing them in the landfill, confident they’ll be useful someday. While mulching a newly planted garden bed, she stumbled on a clever new use: turning those extra pots into protective covers that shield young plants and make mulching easier.

Use nursery pots as simple mulch rings

Mary simply inverts a nursery pot of the appropriate size over each new or emerging plant before mulching the garden bed. The upside-down pots act as protective covers, allowing her to spread mulch quickly and evenly without worrying about burying tender stems or damaging young growth. When you slip off the pots, the mulch falls almost perfectly in place, leaving it a couple of inches away from the plant crowns.

Mulching made easy

This trick is especially helpful in newly planted beds where small plants can easily disappear beneath a fresh layer of mulch. Once you’ve finished, just remove the pots and stack them up to reuse again next season. See the tip in action at our test garden in the video below.

Tip submitted by Mary Dickinson, IL

Try this easy mulching hack!

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Plant this perennial front-yard flower border for bold color every year

If you’re like me, you’re always thinking ahead, no matter what season it is right now. That’s one great thing about gardening: There’s always something new to look forward to!

All the plants in this sunny combo are perennials, so once you get them planted, they’ll show off for years. Maybe you already have some of these varieties and are looking for companion inspiration. Or maybe you’re starting from scratch. No matter how you arrange them, they’ll give you plenty of color and texture while you’re planning for the next season! 

Add energy to an entry garden with these colorful sun-perennials

To make pink and purple blooms pop in a planting, combine them with splashes of white and chartreuse like you see here. Yellow and purple are across from each other on the color wheel, so this combination creates a high-contrast, energetic look for a front entry or sunny pathway.

Plant care tips

The salvia, veronica, betony and geranium will often rebloom if you cut them back by one-third to one-half when the first flush of bloom is over. Even if they don’t rebloom, cutting them back will encourage the foliage to grow in a tidy mound instead of sprawling open at the center.

Lady’s mantle plants also benefit from deadheading after blooming to keep plants tidy and the foliage looking healthy. Lightly shearing back the spirea’s spent blooms will clean it up for summer; it may send out a few new blooms later in the season too.

Another plus to these plants is that all of them attract bees and butterflies. And most are deer resistant, so you shouldn’t find that your plants have been “pruned” by anyone but you!

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Front-yard flower border plant list

A) Spike speedwellVeronica ‘White Wands’
Perennial; white spikes of flowers from late spring through summer; full sun to part shade; 14 to 16 in. tall, 16 to 20 in. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8

B) Meadow cranesbillGeranium pratense ‘Boom Chocolatta’
Perennial; blue-purple flowers in early to midsummer; full sun to part shade; 24 to 26 in. tall, 28 to 30 in. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8

C) SpireaSpiraea japonica Double Play^® Pink
Shrub; pink flowers from late spring to midsummer; part to full sun; 2 to 3 ft. tall and wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9

D) SalviaSalvia nemorosa ‘Violet Profusion’
Perennial; bright purple flowers in late spring and early summer; full sun; 14 to 16 in. tall, 16 to 20 in. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 8

E) Lady’s mantleAlchemilla mollis
Perennial; chartreuse flowers in late spring to early summer; full sun to part shade; 10 to 18 in. tall, 18 to 30 in. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8

F) BetonyBetonica officinalis ‘Hummelo’ 
Perennial; rose-purple flowers in late spring to early summer; full sun to part shade; 18 to 24 in. tall and wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8

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Spigelia Spigelia marilandica

Type: Perennial
Blooms: Tubular red flowers with yellow interiors bloom in early to midsummer
Light: Part to full shade
Soil: Prefers moist, rich soil; tolerates wet soil
Pests: None serious
Size: 12 to 24 in. tall, 12 to 18 in. wide
Hardiness: Cold hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9

Brighten shade gardens with this unique perennial

This is the plant for you if you’re looking for something unusual for your shade garden. Spigelia marilandica (you might also find this plant by the name of Carolina pink or Indian pink) is native to the southeastern United States and it’s starting to take off as a garden plant, and a striking one at that.

Enjoy gorgeous blooms and handsome foliage

At 12 to 24 inches tall, this perennial is perfect in the middle of the border. Red is an unusual color for shade perennials anyway, and these trumpet-shaped beauties with the yellow centers would draw attention anywhere. The bold-textured foliage remains clean and fresh through the growing season, so the clumps help add some structure to your garden even when plants aren’t blooming.

Attract more hummingbirds

Hummingbirds love Spigelia marilandica, and it blooms in early summer, just in time for the arrival of ruby-throated hummingbirds in many areas. Although the biggest flush of bloom is generally in June, nipping off the faded flowers can encourage sporadic reblooming through the end of summer. You can also cut it back by about a third after the first flush of blooms, which can lead to some later flowers.

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Spigelia care tips

In its native environment, you’ll find this perennial along streams and in wetlands. It prefers moist, rich soil, with plenty of organic matter, so work compost into the soil at planting time to enhance the growing conditions. This perennial prefers part shade; the more moisture it has, the more sun it can tolerate. It will do best if it has some shade during the middle of the day.

Although it’s hardy in zones 5 to 9, it can survive winters in zone 4 with a little extra protection from chopped leaves or mulch. It might even reseed if it’s happy in its location. The black seed pods that form when the flowers fade will actually fling seed several feet when they pop open.

You may find the species at your local garden center or online, but there are also a few more compact cultivars available such as: ‘Ragin’ Cajun’, ‘Little Redhead’ and ‘Apple Slices’. No matter which one you plant, you’re going to love this striking plant in your shade garden. 

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Attract pollinators with a shade garden combo

Bring a bolt of color to your garden with this combination. Spigelia (Spigelia marilandica) will bloom in early to midsummer, with a few blooms persisting until fall. If you’re looking for something unusual for your shade garden, this is the plant for you. Spigelia is native to the southeastern United States. It will do best if it has some shade during the middle of the day. Although it’s hardy in zones 5 to 9, it can survive winters in zone 4 with a little extra protection from chopped leaves or mulch.

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Site this colorful planting near a shady deck or patio

In mid- to late summer, you’ll get an additional blast of color as the lobelia hits its stride. And the chartreuse leaves of the hosta will add a glow all summer long, adding depth to this shady planting. Try this combination near the deck or patio to attract hummingbirds who will love all the trumpet-shaped blooms. It’s also a good idea to site these plants close to the house or water source, to make it easier to give them the consistent water they prefer.

Hummingbird shade garden plant list

A) Cardinal flowerLobelia x speciosa ‘Vulcan Red’
Perennial; bright red blooms on dark foliage in mid- to late summer; full sun to part shade; 24 to 32 in. tall, 10 to 14 in. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 6 to 10

B) HostaHosta ‘Fire Island’ 
Perennial; burgundy red stems, lavender flowers in midsummer; part shade to full shade; 14 in. tall, 18 in. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 8

C) SpigeliaSpigelia marilandica
Perennial; tubular red flowers with yellow interiors bloom in early to midsummer; part to full shade; 12 to 24 in. tall, 12 to 18 in. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9

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Both types of garden fertilizer contain nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, the nutrients all plants require. Plants can absorb these nutrients however they’re made available. Both types have their place:

• Packaged organic fertilizers will improve soil structure and give plants a steady feeding, which is what you’re looking for in a permanent planting, such as a perennial border.
• In a container or a bed of annuals, where you want fast growth, you might choose a faster-acting or time-release synthetic fertilizer.

Comparing organic fertilizer and synthetic fertilizer

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How to Buy Mulch, Compost and Topsoil by the Numbers

It’s always frustrating to come home from the garden center with what you think is plenty of mulch, only to find that your estimate fell far short. Save yourself extra trips when you use this simple calculation to determine how much mulch, soil or compost you need for any job. And we’ll help you figure out the best way to move it too.

Calculate how much material you need in cubic feet

Length × Width × Depth (measured in feet)
For example, a 36 × 6-foot bed with 3 inches (.25 feet) of mulch:
36 × 6 × .25 = 54 cubic feet

Need a lot? Consider buying in bulk

Cubic feet ÷ 27 = cubic yards
For example, 54 cubic feet ÷ 27 = 2 cubic yards

Download the printable guide!

How do bags and bulk garden materials compare?

*Know your vehicle’s load limits!

A cubic yard of topsoil can weigh 1,000 to 3,000 pounds, depending on how much clay or moisture is in the mix. A cubic yard of compost is usually 1,000 to 1,500 pounds and bark mulch, 400 to 700 pounds. Don’t forget to include your own weight and that of any passengers in your calculations!

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Create a backyard oasis

With a light color scheme, geometric lines and minimalist furniture, even a small backyard patio can become a functional and stylish outdoor oasis. This guide to small patio ideas is inspired by modern hardscape trends that enable homes with the tiniest garden spaces to be great all year round.

How can modern design make a small patio look bigger?

Geometric lines create a sense of direction and openness, while light or neutral colors make the area feel larger by reflecting sunlight. Built-in or modular furniture and a few well-placed, structured plants are better than bulky items and cluttered flowerbeds. Draw the eye upward with a vertical garden, stone walls or string lights to add dimension without taking up floor space.

Material choices are also important in small spaces for reasons beyond aesthetics. According to Mid-Atlantic outdoor masonry design experts, Newline Hardscapes, “Breton permeable pavers are a three-piece mixed bundle (all on one pallet), crafted with a natural, stone-cleft finish. Enlarged lugs on the units’ sidewalls create quarter-inch joints that drain water to the permeable base when filled with a properly-sized aggregate. This infiltration filters stormwater and recharges groundwater sources, creating a sustainable pavement option.” For small patios specifically, these pavers eliminate standing water issues, require less drainage infrastructure and can reduce long-term maintenance costs.

3 Modern design concepts for small backyard patios

Choose from a minimalist lounge, a stone bistro dining nook or a Zen meditation space, depending on your lifestyle and preferences. All offer compact outdoor living you’ll love. According to the National Association of Realtors, you can recoup 95 percent of the cost of a new patio, so even on a small budget, it’s worth the investment.

The aim is “creating an experience so perfect you’ll never want to go back inside,” which, as Newline Hardscapes says, “takes a whole new way of thinking about pavers and walls.”

Which pavers have the cleanest lines for a modern look?

Large-format pavers are the top choice for fewer joints and a clean, uninterrupted surface. Porcelain tiles offer a similar benefit, with rectified edges that allow minimal grout lines. To compare the costs of porcelain tiles versus large-format pavers for a small patio, think long-term value. Porcelain tiles are generally more expensive. Quality pavers have exceptional durability, which can mean lower maintenance costs over time.

Small-Patio FAQs

What are sustainable paving options for a small patio?
Consider concrete-based permeable pavers that can capture 70% to 80% of rainfall thanks to enlarged lugs that allow water to drain through.

Where can I find a contractor who specializes in modern hardscape design?
Ask neighbors for recommendations, and check out reviews on local contractor websites and independent sites.

What can I do with a long, narrow backyard?
Add a built-in bench along one wall, with narrow planters opposite. Use elongated pavers to give a visual distance effect and add climbing plants on a trellis to soften harsh walls.

Small space, big impact

With thoughtful design, your small patio space has great potential. Using modern principles for layout, materials and furniture can create a beautiful outdoor haven even on a small budget. Make intentional choices to create a space you love to use.

Article written by Eloise Badenhorst

A high-value lawn fertilization program focuses on the right nutrients at the correct time for your specific grass type, not just the lowest price. When you match fertilizer to your soil and follow a smart schedule, you support stronger roots, fewer weeds and steady growth without wasting money. This guide is brought to you by the specialists at Ricci's Landscape Management (RLM, Inc.) — a full-service lawn care and landscaping company serving Northwest Indiana.

What should I look for in a lawn care program?

A fertilization plan should green up your outdoor space and support its long-term health from the soil up. Look for these core elements:

• Targeted nutrients: Use applications based on your soil and grass type, not a generic mix.
  
• Seasonal timing: Apply fertilizer when your grass can actually use it.
  
• Weed and pest control: Choose a service with built-in prevention.
  
• Soil support: Help nutrients reach the roots with aeration.

According to experts, healthy grass depends on a balanced approach that combines nutrients, weed control and proper loam care rather than a single treatment. If your yard has struggled in the past, a system can help.

Why Fertilizer Options Matter

The best-value program depends on your grass type and how it grows throughout the year. A simple, well-timed plan is your most effective strategy. Here’s a practical breakdown.

To stretch your budget more, focus on these rules:

• Test your soil before choosing products.
• Prioritize nitrogen unless your soil needs other nutrients.
• Use slow-release fertilizer for steady growth.
• Split applications instead of applying everything at once.

According to the RLM, Inc. fertilization program, pricing matters less than effective management. You should remember that “in the warm summer sun, weeds can take over if they’re not under control. Summer also provides ideal conditions for many types of pests that can become a bigger problem for your lawn if not treated or managed correctly.”

Are professional fertilizer programs worth the money?

You can fertilize your lawn yourself, but the results depend on timing, product choice and consistency. Professional systems often deliver better value over time.

Professionals focus on long-term lawn health by combining fertilization with specialized liquid aeration and grub control. If your previous DIY attempts haven't worked, a structured, cost-effective program prevents repeated trial and error.

FAQs

What are the best lawn care packages for my type of grass?
Choose an option based on how your grass grows. Cool-season types require full fertilization, while warm-season grasses need spring and summer feeding.

Where can I find affordable lawn fertilization services across the U.S.?
You can use sites like GreenPal to find lawn fertilization services near you.

This article was sponsored by Ricci's Landscape Management, a Northwest Indiana landscape management company that focuses on long-term grass health and sustained growth.

What is included in a typical lawn fertilization program?
Most programs include seasonal fertilizer applications, pre-emergent weed control, post-emergent treatments, and optional pest or grub management. Some providers offer optional services such as aeration.

Can you have a lawn that lasts?

A healthy lawn needs more than a quick fix. When you choose a fertilization program that fits your grass type, soil and seasonal needs, you’ll enjoy steady growth and fewer problems over time. Work with professionals to help you get greener grass and consistent results without the trial and error of DIY landscape management.

Article written by Eloise Badenhorst

Reader Tip: How to create an upcycled wine rack planter

We gardeners sometimes come home from the garden center with more plants than we have space for. That’s when you have to let your creative gears kick in, get thrifty, and make your own planter. Jennifer was about to throw out her old iron wine rack when she got the idea to reuse it in her garden. Read on to learn how this project came together, and watch the video below to see how easy it is to create!

Tips to assemble your wine rack planter

Jennifer made the task simple by sliding an appropriately sized coco liner in between the iron sides and securing the liner with zip ties. She has used both round hanging basket liners and small rectangular liners. The small rectangles fit her wine rack best.

Fill the liner with potting mix and plant it up with your favorite vining annual. Some options that Jennifer has tried include mandevilla (Mandevilla spp. and hybrids) and black-eyed Susan (Thunbergia alata). Their vines weave among the iron details and spill out.

This upcycled container works well on a plant stand or tucked into a collection of other containers. You could even add 4 lengths of chain to the wine rack, and you’ve made a hanging basket! Since the coir liner will allow water to drain through, you will want to avoid putting the planter on a finished table.

Tip submitted by Jennifer Butler, NC

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Enjoy clematis up close in containers

Why settle for clematis scrambling up a far-off fence or a distant obelisk when you can enjoy these spectacular blooms up close — right on your deck, patio or balcony! Even gardeners in USDA cold-hardiness zones 4 and 5 can grow these showy vines in containers year-round if they follow the tips from Cindy Tibbetts, owner of specialty clematis nursery Hummingbird Farm in Maine.

Getting started with growing clematis in containers

To grow great-looking clematis in a container, don’t skimp on pot size. Cindy recommends using a 24-inch-diameter container (larger is fine too) so the potting mix doesn’t dry out too quickly and the roots have lots of room to grow.

Fill containers with quality bark mix

Cindy fills her containers with Happy Frog^® Potting Soil. This blend has big bark chunks that ensure good drainage and air circulation, both essential for preventing root rot, which can be a problem for clematis in containers. But any brand of mix with bark will work. Compact varieties work best in Cindy’s containers — those topping out at 6 feet tall or less are easier to manage.

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Clematis care

Maintenance during the growing season is simple: Water and feed. Container-grown clematis can dry out more quickly than their counterparts in the ground, so check the potting mix regularly, especially when temperatures rise in summer. You’ll know the container needs watering when you stick your forefinger in the potting mix up to the first knuckle and it’s dry.

Feed with liquid plant food while blooming

While clematis aren’t usually heavy feeders, those in containers need more attention because watering pushes the nutrients from the potting mix quickly, sometimes before plant roots can access them. Cindy recommends using any liquid plant food according to label directions every week or two while plants are blooming.

Check soil pH

One year, some of the clematis developed interveinal chlorosis — a yellowing between the veins as a result of nutrient deficiency. A soil pH that’s too alkaline is often the problem. But Cindy discovered that the well water at Hummingbird Farms had a pH of 8.2. If the pH is over 6.7, iron and magnesium can’t be taken up by the plant, so yellow leaves develop. She solved this with a water-soluble acid formula plant food, which helped lower the pH, and now her clematis can take up nutrients properly.

Prune clematis roots and stems every few years

After two or three years the bark in the potting mix tends to break down, so it’s a good idea to take everything out of the pot, add more mix and replant your clematis. This provides fresh nutrients and keeps drainage sharp. When Cindy unpots the plant, most of the potting mix falls away. She takes this opportunity to do a little root pruning, which ensures plants can grow in the same container for years.

To do this, she teases out the roots and keeps an eye out for any that are broken or diseased to cut away. Her rule of thumb is that if the roots won’t fit neatly back into the pot without winding around, she cuts them back just enough to get it back into the container.

Tips for pruning clematis

Prune the clematis stems just like you would if it were growing in the ground. The varieties in the gallery below are all part of pruning groups 2 or 3.

• Cut group 3 clematis to within a foot of the crown in late winter or early spring.
• Clean up group 2 clematis by removing broken stems and shaping the vine (trim long stems or reposition those that are going where you don’t want them to).

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Try these clematis varieties in containers

The varieties above are some of her favorites and look spectacular throughout the nursery’s seating and display areas. Most of these are compact varieties that will perform well in containers; find details for each below.

• A) Sarah Elizabeth^™Clematis hybrid
  Pale pink single flowers with maroon anthers from late spring to fall; 4 to 5 ft. tall; pruning group 3; cold hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9

• B) Guernsey Flute^™Clematis hybrid
  Large 5-in. white flowers with red anthers from late spring to fall; 3 to 4 ft. tall; pruning group 2; cold hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9

• C) ‘Piilu’Clematis hybrid
  Double 4- to 5-in. two-tone pink blooms in late spring, single flowers until fall; 4 to 6 ft. tall; pruning group 2; cold hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9

• D) Bourbon^™Clematis hybrid
  Single 5-in. red-purple flowers in late spring to fall; 4 to 6 ft. tall; pruning group 2; cold hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9

• E) Tranquilité^™Clematis hybrid
  Star-shaped flowers have overlapping lavender petals that fade to a white center in late spring to fall; 4 to 5 ft. tall; pruning group 3; cold hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9

Clematis plant source

Hummingbird Farm, hummingbirdfarm.net, 207-224-8220

Tips for overwintering clematis in containers

Getting container-grown clematis through the winter can be tricky if you garden in zones 5 or colder. Over the years, Cindy has tried lots of different ways to get clematis in containers through winter. Here are the tips she’s learned from hard-won experience.

Container materials matter!

Gardening in USDA zone 5, where winter temperatures regularly drop below freezing, Cindy learned an expensive lesson about different types of containers when several ceramic pots planted with clematis and left outdoors cracked and broke. Now she plants in wooden containers, which are both sturdy and drain well. Resin containers are another reliable option for cold climates. Plastic pots are more of a temporary fix — they tend to get brittle and crack after a few years. For gardeners in zone 8 or 9, ceramic pots are an excellent choice, as they won’t face the destructive expansion and contraction that comes with freezing temperatures.

Plan for protection

Initially, Cindy left container-grown clematis outdoors all winter without protection. While most survived, the melting spring snow sometimes kept the potting mix cold and wet for too long, causing root rot.

Two easy ways to overwinter clematis in containers

1. Overwinter clematis grown in containers in a garage or shed

Now she has a better system, so all the clematis get through winter. In late fall Cindy hauls the container-grown clematis at Hummingbird Farm into the greenhouse. (An unheated garage or shed would work too.)

The best part is that you can basically forget about them until spring. No watering or fussing with lights needed — the foliage turns brown like the one in the illustration above and plants go dormant anyway. When spring arrives and the threat of frost is past, drag them outside, water and do whatever pruning is required for that variety.

2. Protect container-grown clematis in place

If you can’t move a large container into a shed or greenhouse, try this tip from one of Cindy’s customers:

Cut the stems back to 6 to 8 inches tall in fall after it goes dormant. Then place a 10-inch diameter (or slightly larger) nursery pot over the stems and drape a piece of heavy plastic sheeting, the kind you find in the paint department at the hardware store, over the whole setup. Avoid a porous tarp, as you need it to shed water.

Secure the plastic on the ground with a few bricks or stones to keep everything in place through winter. You can see how it all goes together in the illustration above. The overturned nursery pot ensures that the plastic sends snow and ice melt to the ground and away from the plant. In spring, remove the covering and watch your container-grown clematis take off.

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