Expert Advice on Home Improvement

As you clean up your garden this fall, don’t forget the birds! Leave some seed heads to dry on your perennial flowers, to provide winter food for finches, cardinals, and other year-round birds. Read on for some popular garden plants that are great for feeding the birds. Read in full.

If you live in an area with foraging deer, you’ve likely watched with dismay as some of your favorite plants disappear overnight. But before you give up on gardening altogether, try making your yard less appealing to deer by choosing plants that deer find less appealing. Read on to find out more. Read in full.

Geraniums are one of the most popular container and garden plants. You just can’t beat their bright colors and sturdy, well-shaped foliage. Geraniums can easily be stored over the winter and enjoyed again next year. So if you hate to see your lovely geraniums killed by frost this fall, read on to find out how to overwinter them indoors. Read in full.

Find out how household products from baby shampoo and corn syrup to sugar and soft drinks can be used to nurture plants and improve soil. Watch this video.

Sue asks, “The tops of two of my roses were killed during our cold winter. This summer, they have begun sprouting again from the roots. Can they be saved?”

The future of your roses depends on whether or not the roses were grafted, and on how that variety responds to stress. Read on to find out more. Read in full.

It’s a magical feeling to encounter a graceful deer, peacefully browsing . . . unless your beloved hostas are what’s for breakfast! Whether you live in the country or the city, foraging deer can cause significant damage to landscapes and vegetable gardens. Read on to find out how to protect your yard or garden. Read in full.

In the fall, and sometimes in late spring, you can find great end of season discounts on perennials, shrubs, and trees. However, many of the plants may be doomed, no matter how carefully you tend them, and a dead plant is no bargain at all! Read on for some tips on how to shop for bargain bin plants. Read in full.

Peonies add a splash of luxury to the perennial garden. The blossoms are among the showiest of all perennials, fragrant and excellent in bouquets. Once established, these plants put on a show for decades. Read more to find out what you need to know to plant peonies in your garden. Read in full.

In order to have healthy plants and successful blooms, bulbs must be planted at the proper depth and spacing. It always pays to spend a few extra minutes to get things planted correctly, but with bulbs it’s even more important – too deep, or too shallow, and your bulbs may fail to bloom or not even sprout at all. Read on to find out what you need to know about the proper depths for planting spring bulbs. Read in full.

In a past blog entry, I told how I planted a Lady Banks rose on my porch column last summer. It’s been a full year old now, and I thought I’d provide an update, in case any of you are considering doing the same. Read on to find out what I learned. Read in full.