flowers – Backyard Vitality

Ditch the Bug Zappers, Try This Instead

4 min read | Author - Susan Patterson

It’s summer, your garden is blooming, and you are anxious to host weekend outdoor parties and show off your beautiful patio and yard, but… you live in an area where mosquitoes are like vicious sharks, seemingly waiting in the air to attack. Perhaps you have tried those noisy bug zappers that annoyingly let you know every time they annihilate a flying pest (some of which are not bad pests, either). Between the annoyance and guilt, it may be time to try something more natural to keep the unwanted guests from crashing your party. Here are a few great options.

Becoming a Mindful Gardener Amidst a World in Chaos

7 min read | Author - Susan Patterson

When an envelope of chaos surrounds your life, it is important to know that your garden can be a place of refreshment, renewal, and hope. It can be a safe place where you can be still and become one with the natural world around you. This is a good thing. We often trip on our thoughts, on fear, and on the what if’s. In the garden, you can be still, content, and soak in the beauty that surrounds you. When you become a mindful gardener, you have arrived at a place that allows you to escape the chaos of the world and just be.

Easy and Creative Vertical Garden Ideas

4 min read | Author - Susan Patterson

Do you love to be surrounded by vibrant plants but are short on space? You can fit a vertical garden anywhere, indoors or outdoors, and have plenty of gardening fun. A vertical arrangement will help you fit more plants in a small area. Try these ideas for fun ways to try your hand at vertical gardening.

12 Tips to Keep Your Garden Harvest Fresh for Longer

5 min read | Author - Susan Patterson

Have you ever been so blessed by a massive harvest that you become overwhelmed? I know the feeling! Sometimes you just have so many fresh veggies that you become worried about using them all before they go bad. Believe me, this is a problem. However, you can turn your problem around if you follow these tips on preserving and keeping your harvest fresh for longer.

These 3 Odor-Absorbing Plants Knock Out Stink Fast (without chemicals)

4 min read | Author - Susan Patterson

We put them in our cars, offices, homes, garages, and everywhere that odors may linger. We mist, spray, plug in, and sprinkle toxic “smell good” chemicals without knowing the health risks. Products that we think are making our air fresher are actually making it toxic.

Furry, Soft, and Tacky Plants That Love to Be Touched (and smelled and tasted)

6 min read | Author - Susan Patterson

If you are a gardener, it is likely that you, like me, love to touch, smell, taste, and even listen to plants. It’s not weird! When we garden, we like to gaze at plants, run our hands over the leaves and petals, and bring our noses down to take in the beautiful scent. Something about this brings me great pleasure – to know that I have planted and cared for such a beautiful thing and then to have the joy of partaking of it with all of my senses!

3 Annual Flower Window Box Ideas For a Beautiful View and Tips For Success

5 min read | Author - Katherine Marko

Whether you live in the city, suburbia, or the country, window boxes add beauty, texture, color, charm, and even drama to your view. Adding window boxes brings flowers and foliage to eye level, which offers a different perspective than having them in your garden. From inside your home, plants create a lush view to the outdoors that can brighten your day no matter how gloomy the weather. And from the outside, plants and window boxes provide curb appeal that becomes part of the architecture. Here are three ideas for a beautiful view.

7 Tips for Beautiful Hydrangeas

5 min read | Author - Katherine Marko

Renowned for their lush, eye-catching blooms, hydrangeas add old-fashioned charm to any garden. You might think hydrangeas are high maintenance. But surprisingly, they need little care. With a few tips, your hydrangeas will thrive in a variety of conditions. So, if you’re looking for a stunning garden flower, with large globes of colorful blossoms, then hydrangeas are the perennials for you! Here are seven tips for beautiful hydrangeas.

Think Flowers are Just for Show? Think Again

4 min read | Author - Susan Patterson

Flowers add beauty to the environment, but the colorful blossoms may have added benefits that you haven’t considered. Many familiar flowers are edible, and they’re often chock full of flavor and nutrients.

5 Ways to Create a Beautiful Edible Garden

4 min read | Author - Susan Patterson

There has long been an incorrect assumption in the garden community that ornamental plants are the only ones that can look good, while vegetables and fruits are strictly for practical purposes. Essentially the opposite of a mullet, gardens are viewed as “party in the front, business in the back”. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a large front yard for flowers and ornamental purposes and a spacious backyard that can be reserved for edible crops, however. And some people feel like they have to choose one or the other…practicaltiy or beauty. Thankfully, recent breakthroughs have turned this misconception on its head, and a new practice is rising in popularity…edible landscaping.

What to Plant in a West-Facing Garden

3 min read | Author - Susan Patterson

Finding the right flowers or vegetables to plant on the west side of your house can be a real challenge. The morning sun is blocked, which means that your plants have to be able to withstand a little shade, but they will also be exposed to direct, hot sunlight in the afternoon. Stick to plants that can grow in full sun to partial shade. If you’re at a loss for what to plant in this tricky section of your garden, this helpful list could give you some ideas.

Ditch the Bug Zappers, Try This Instead

Becoming a Mindful Gardener Amidst a World in Chaos

Easy and Creative Vertical Garden Ideas

12 Tips to Keep Your Garden Harvest Fresh for Longer

These 3 Odor-Absorbing Plants Knock Out Stink Fast (without chemicals)

Furry, Soft, and Tacky Plants That Love to Be Touched (and smelled and tasted)

3 Annual Flower Window Box Ideas For a Beautiful View and Tips For Success

7 Tips for Beautiful Hydrangeas

Think Flowers are Just for Show? Think Again

5 Ways to Create a Beautiful Edible Garden

What to Plant in a West-Facing Garden

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