Many people seem to think flower beds are more work, but they really aren’t if you choose the right plants for your area and soil.

It’s great that you got to take over a nice garden.

I actually feel a little overwhelmed to have some irises from my grandmother’s garden, as she passed away years ago.

It’s tough. For two years now I’ve been pulling every sprout I see and it’s just coming up ten to fifteen feet away now. If anyone has any advice tell!

Oh, I’m a renter too, I just have a very lax landlord. They basically abdicated responsibility for lawn care this year when previously they had been obligated to do it by the lease. Since our lease has changed and I have it in writing that I am to keep the yard “in good maintenance,” I can basically do whatever…

I had a heavier than normal flow, bad cramps, and some spotting for the first six months with my copper IUD. Now I still have worse cramps than I did before, but it’s worth it. I really like mine, despite the cons of a rough period.

My big projects this season are turning more of the backyard lawn into meadow style plantings with native plants, continuing to battle hedge bindweed, and adding a rain garden. I’m in zone 5b in Michigan. I have nearly finished the meadow and rain garden! I have a little remaining seed mix to use up, so that means…

Congratulations!

I also got my garden certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a wildlife habitat! That makes me super happy. I’ve also seen an uptick in native bees and butterflies since adding more native plants. My birdbath, which I added a week ago, has already been visited by many sparrows, house finches, goldfinches,…

This year I’m trying to build a bit of meadow/prairie planting of native flowers and grasses along a fence bordering the neighbors driveway and on the far hillside of my backyard. I live in a city lot in zone 5b in Michigan. I’m expecting a shipment of purple giant hyssop, forked aster ( which is listed as…

I had an issue like that with my neighbors at my last house. Luckily there were quite a few city ordinances that they were breaking, and I was able to report them anonymously in my area. They got hit with a city mow and fine, which in my area is about $75. They started maintaining their yard a little better and got…

Seriously, the hedge bindweed is a problem. Advice?

Deterrents for rabbits: Cayenne pepper and castor oil mixture is what my mom uses and it’s worked great for forty years. If you have access to a dog, I’d recommend letting them pee around the yard, as well as brushing them and putting their fur around the perimeter. Marigolds around your vegetable patch are also a…

For a tropical look, check out hibiscus, “musa bajoo” banana cultivar, some agapanthus, some yucca (but be sure of the location as transplanting is nigh impossible), Japanese silver grass, or Japanese umbrella pine.

Zucchinis need a little love after transplanting. Give them some compost tea or fertilizer and they should perk up.  

It’s so weird to me how our culture has shifted to hate dandelions. A hundred years ago, people purposefully planted them and there were horticultural societies devoted to them the way there are for rhododendrons now. Historians think they were probably brought over to North America on the Mayflower as medicinal and…

I also talk to plants. You aren’t alone.

Cannas are so hard here in zone 5b. You never know what you’ll get when you dig them up.

I personally like dandelions. In Finnish they are called butter flower because of their color. They are somewhat good for your lawn because they reduce soil compaction with their long taproots and bring nutrients up to the surface. They are a signal that your lawn is over compacted, so you probably need to aerate…

A half moon edger is my godsend for removing taproot weeds like dandelion and burdock! I would highly recommend it. Just step on it slightly to the side of the weed, pull up, and turn over the soil, which usually pulls the whole root right up!