Blowin’ in the Manmade Wind: 9 of the Best Leaf Blowers

A close up horizontal image of a man in soft focus clearing up autumn leaves from the garden.

In the market for a leaf blower? Check out our top tips and recommendations and make sure you’re armed with the information you need to select the right machine – gas or electric, handheld or backpack – that’s right for your landscape and work style. We roundup 9 of the best leaf blowers in this guide. Read more now.

Make Raking Leaves a Breeze: 7 of the Best Leaf Rakes Reviewed

A close up horizontal image of a person wearing gray pants and brown shoes raking leaves from the lawn with a green metal tool, pictured in light sunshine on a soft focus background.

Fall is here and the garden is festooned with leaves, covering your lawn and making their way into every crevice. But what should you look for when choosing a leaf rake to make short work of this less-than-glamorous garden chore? Check out this guide for reviews and recommendations on how to choose the best leaf rake.

How to Use Mulch for Low Maintenance Gardening

Two hands to the left of the frame, picking up mulch to place around the small plant in the center of the frame, soft focus green background of lawn, in light sunshine.

Wondering how to create a lush, healthy garden? Learn how to use a variety of mulch materials for the ultimate low maintenance garden. Mulching brings a host of benefits, improves soil quality, prevents weeds, and protects plants from drought. It is the perfect finishing touch to create a tidy garden. Read more now.

23 of the Best Defensive Plants for Your Landscape

A hedge of pyracantha outside a home makes an impenetrable barrier.

If you want to feel more secure in your home, consider Mother Nature’s finest biological razor wire. We take a look at 23 of the best thorny, spiky, and downright scary plants to add to your landscape for the ultimate intruder deterrent. Learn how to use defensive plants in your garden for home security. Read more now.

How to Grow Coleus in Your Garden

Top down view of different colored foliage and cultivars of coleus plants.

Colorful coleus is a tropical foliage plant that is easy to grow and thrives in shady locations. With vibrant, variegated leaves in a range of color combinations and patterns, coleus is ideal for massed plantings, or as specimens in beds and borders. Learn how to plant and grow coleus now with this guide.

5 of the Best Hori Hori Knives for Gardeners

A close up of a Japanese gardening knife with a concave blade and a depth measurement in millimeters and inches. To the left of the frame is a hand wearing a leather gardening glove and in the background is soil.

If you’re looking for a versatile, multipurpose gardening knife, look no further than the Japanese hori hori knife. With its unique concave blade featuring both a serrated edge and a sharp, straight edge this knife makes short work of digging, edging, pruning, harvesting, and sawing. Learn about 5 of our favorites now.

How to Plant and Grow Bok Choy

A close up of bok choy plants in the garden, their dark green leaves contrasting with the lighter veins and stems, in bright sunshine.

Why not add this easy to grow, delicious vegetable to your cool-weather garden this season? Popular in stir-fries, with delicate leaves and crisp white stems, bok choy is a versatile ingredient in the kitchen – and packs quite the nutritional punch. Learn how to plant and grow bok choy in your garden. Read more now.

Is Christmas Cactus Toxic to Cats?

A close up horizontal image of a Schlumbergera in a white pot with bright red flowers set on a wooden surface.

In certain circumstances, cats and houseplants can be a lethal combination. But what about Christmas cactus? This popular, easy-care houseplant provides a cascade of color in the holiday season, but is it safe for households with pets? Learn about whether Christmas cactus is safe for cats in this guide. Read more now.

How to Grow Cranberry Plants in the Garden

A close up horizontal image of ripe red berries of Vaccinium macrocarpon growing in the garden ready for harvest, pictured in bright sunshine.

If you want to grow something different in your garden this year why not plant cranberries? These tart, sour-tasting berries are surprisingly easy to grow, when given the right conditions and will produce lush berries for years with minimal care. Learn how to grow cranberries at home in this guide. Read more now.

How to Control Cabbage Loopers

A close up horizontal image of a Trichoplusia ni larvae moving along a leaf and munching holes in it as it goes.

Cabbage loopers may look like harmless inchworms but their voracious munching can damage many crops in your garden including kale, turnips, cabbage, and broccoli. There are a number of methods that you can use to manage these caterpillars. Learn how to identify and control cabbage loopers in this guide.

How to Overwinter Hot Pepper Plants

A close up horizontal image of red peppers ripe and ready to harvest growing in a pot on a patio, pictured on a soft focus background.

Hot peppers are typically grown as annuals, but did you know that you can overwinter these perennial plants for a larger harvest next season? With the right preparation, you can keep your favorite varieties dormant in the winter months and they’ll come back healthy in spring. Learn how to winterize hot pepper plants.

Top 17 Beet Varieties to Plant This Season

A horizontal image of red, golden, and white beetroots freshly harvested and set on a wooden surface.

Do you want to plant some new beet varieties in your garden? Delicious and nutritious, there are many different cultivars available in different shapes and colors from the popular ruby-red roots to golden, striped, and white types. Check out our roundup of 17 top picks and choose your favorite. Read more now.

How to Plant and Grow Ghost Peppers

A close up of ripe ghost peppers, ready for harvest, growing on the plant, surrounded by foliage and fading to soft focus in the background.

Do you like hot peppers? If you can stand the heat, why not try growing ghost peppers? Once thought to be the hottest pepper in the world, the bhut jolokia packs an almighty punch of flavor and adds sizzling heat to a variety of dishes. Learn how to plant and grow ghost peppers with these top tips. Read more now.

37 of the Best Hibiscus Varieties

A close up portrait of an orange hibiscus flower with characteristic staminal column on a dark soft focus background.

There’s nothing quite like hibiscus to enchant your summer garden. With huge blooms and a vivid color palette to suit every garden style, we take an in-depth look at cultivars of both the hardy, perennial types as well as the tender tropical lovelies. Learn about 37 of our favorite hibiscus varieties. Read more now.