Gardening & Habitat
The Gardening category explores practical ways to grow and care for plants in Midwest gardens and backyard spaces. You’ll find tips on planting flowers, growing fruits and vegetables, improving soil, managing garden pests, and supporting pollinators.
This category also includes container gardening ideas, composting guidance, and simple ways to create wildlife-friendly habitat in your yard. Whether you’re planting seasonal blooms, tending a vegetable patch, or maintaining a small patio garden, these posts offer clear, useful advice.
Gardening connects us to the land. With thoughtful planning and care, even small spaces can support healthy plants and local wildlife.
Each female monarch butterfly lays one egg on an individual milkweed plant, depositing up to 100 eggs daily. The only food source for the caterpillar is milkweed plants. For that reason, it is important to have a healthy milkweed population.
Morning glories will always have a special place in my heart as one of my favorite climbing vines. When I was a young girl, I would pass a trellis of morning glories entering my neighbor’s home. I always thought they were pretty but didn’t realize their true beauty and symbolism until later in life.
When it comes to choosing healthy garden plants, you have two choices; planting seeds or buying plants. Both have their own benefits.
In the Spring Early spring is about readiness. After months of cold soil and fluctuating temperatures, the goal is to plant in phases. That way, cold-hardy crops go in first, and tender crops wait until conditions are truly stable. The simplest approach: use tree blooms as your “go” signals. They won’t be perfect in every … Read more
Want to help out the declining honey bee population? I have put together a list of 3 things gardeners can do to help the declining honey bee population.
Dead nettle plant is a Shade-loving perennial that is wonderful in hanging baskets and flower bed edging. Some people consider it a noxious weed. But, truth be told bees and hummingbirds love it.
Are you a succulent lover? I am! Succulents are teeny, tiny smiles in succulent planters during the winter months for me.
If you’re thinking about taking your gardening seriously and getting out there every day to increase the attractiveness of your garden, then you will want to be picking the right gardening tools to help you achieve this.
How long does it take seeds to germinate? There is a way to know when this will occur fairly easily by testing seed germination and how long it takes seeds to germinate. Having the exact knowledge of when a seed will germinate is important for a variety of reasons, the most important reasons are to save you time, energy, and money.
Growing Beans
String and lima beans are grown alike. There are two sorts low bush, vines, and bean vines that climb poles. Pole beans are best for small gardens.
The soil is the storehouse for all good things. Knowledge of the elements to good garden soil is the key to growing strong and healthy garden plants.
The countdown is underway and Christmas is coming, this has people turning their attention to their favorite tree farm to pick out their prize tree. What are the 7 of the most popular Christmas trees and what makes them so popular?
Wildlife > Birds > Bird Recipes, Crafts, and Care
Looking to keep the squirrels off your feeders? Try changing your birdseed. Birds like safflower seed squirrels dislike it. So, if you are looking for a great way to feed the birds and keep the squirrels at bay, look toward the seed.
Want to start a garden? One of the most important decisions is choosing a location for your garden. Without a doubt, it means simply doing the best one can with conditions. The key to planting the location is the sun.
Today I am going to walk you through starting a compost pile or aka cold composting which is composting kitchen scraps and yard waste this year into rich, beautiful soil for next year.
There are over 12,500 varieties of leafhoppers and planthoppers, that feed on the sap from plants, grass, and trees but most are harmless to the plant.
It the time! Time for transplanting succulents that have to be taken indoors for the winter months.
The weather turns colder and immediately you turn your attention to bringing in some of your outdoor plants. A day or two goes by and you find a wealth of small flies hanging around your plants. Ugh! Fungus Gnats. Let me share with you how to get rid of fungus gnats on houseplants.
Fall Lawn Aerating Promotes Greener Lawns
Want to complement your flower garden next year? A lively and healthy yard is one way to do this. A green lawn starts in the fall. One of the ways you can achieve a lush, healthy, carpet of green grass for next year is to aerate your lawn this fall. Because fall lawn aerating promotes greener lawns.
