Organic Gardening News

Want a Huge Crop of Tomatoes in August? Do This in May.

Organic Gardening 2 - 14 hours 6 min ago
May is make-it-or-break-it time for tomatoes. Treat your plants right now and you'll be overrun with fresh tomatoes this summer.
Categories: Organic Gardening

This Absolute Unicorn Plant Promises Big Blooms, Fabulous Scent, and Serious Low-Maintenance Beauty

Organic Gardening 2 - 15 hours 36 min ago
A rare combination of bold blooms, rich fragrance, and repeat flowering, all in one easy-care shrub? Sign us up...
Categories: Organic Gardening

Aquaponics for Beginners – Grow Plants on Top of a Fish Tank for Lush Houseplants, Herbs, and Salads

Organic Gardening 2 - 15 hours 51 min ago
With aquaponics, a fish tank can double as a low-maintenance indoor garden. Discover how to get started with minimal investment.
Categories: Organic Gardening

Ikea’s New Garden Cabinets are the Chic Space-Saving Storage Solution Your Backyard Needs

Organic Gardening 2 - 17 hours 46 min ago
Storing garden tools and patio clutter just got a whole lot simpler and more stylish – it's time to ditch that rotten shed…
Categories: Organic Gardening

Here's What's On My Mom's Garden Wish List: 18 Mother's Day Gifts for Garden-Obsessed Moms

Organic Gardening 2 - Sat, 2026-05-02 11:43
Mother's Day is just around the corner, so my mom and I teamed up to create the ultimate Mother's Day gift guide for you and the mother-figures in your life!
Categories: Organic Gardening

This Flower Glows in the Dark. No, Really! Here's How You Can Grow the World's First Bioluminescent Plant.

Organic Gardening 2 - Sat, 2026-05-02 10:00
The world's first bioluminescent plant is finally affordable! Snatch yours up before they sell out.
Categories: Organic Gardening

Brian Minter: Mother's Day gifts that will connect your mom to Mother Nature

Organic Gardening - Sat, 2026-05-02 09:00

Flowers, stunning outdoor containers and hanging baskets, richly perfumed flowering shrubs and fragrant herb gardens all make wonderful gifts for Mother’s Day, not only because of their beauty, but also by their connection to nature.

One of the most satisfying pastimes in our gardens and patios is watching pollinators like bees and butterflies coming to our plants for nectar and pollen, so selecting baskets and containers that attract pollinators creates added value and enjoyment.

Lavender has become so popular for those two reasons; both their beautiful perfume and the fact that they attract a wide range of pollinators. The hardy angustifolia lavenders are the best for our garden beds. But in containers on the deck or patio, the newer Spanish varieties, like Anouk, although not as winter hardy, will bloom all summer long and are a constant attractor. It’s nice to see them grown as a standard or small tree form that is very attractive, especially when underplanted with complementary annuals like lantanas, petunias, Angelonia, heliotrope and zinnias or perennials like nepeta, or beautiful, long-blooming Agastache or hyssop. All of these broaden the scope of pollinator attraction and add greater texture to your plantings.

They are not in bloom just yet, but the many new varieties of non-invasive and highly perfumed buddleias are very attractive patio plants and draw so many pollinators, including our local butterfly species. It’s a pleasure to enjoy their constant perfume and fascinating to see the beneficial insects buddleias sustain. Some of the best new varieties are Proven Winner’s Pugster, Miss, and Lo & Behold series, and the great new Darwin Chrysalis series which has a wide range of colours. All are very compact, ideal in containers and beautifully perfumed.

Attracting hummingbirds to our gardens and patios has become a huge event. There are many plants that help attract them: The narrow-tubed fuchsias, and perennial and annual blue salvias are good, but the best attractor is the hardy annual cuphea. This so-called cigar plant, with its long, narrow, orange tubes of nectar is the No. 1 hummingbird magnet, with Proven Winner’s variety called c. Vermillionaire being the most effective. I like to use them in hanging baskets, as well as in containers on the deck, for a constant attraction and food source.

Shallow bird baths are a great gift for year-round enjoyment. They provide an important water source for both birds and pollinators. It’s nice to watch these garden visitors, but it’s important to keep the water shallow, and a little muddy for the safety of small species.

If Mom has a primarily sunny deck or patio, one of the most welcome gifts is a reasonably good-sized container with a small tree that will live year-round. They not only help cool patios and decks in the summer heat but can also provide much needed screening and privacy.

Japanese maples, contorted willows, especially the red or yellow-barked varieties, styrax or Japanese snowballs, and sourwood or oxydendrums, make ideal patio trees. If you’re underplanting with pollinator plants, you’ll be surprised at what you attract to your garden. Hummingbirds love blue salvias and the Rockin’ series of blue, purple and fuchsia salvias from Proven Winners are some of the best for them. In the mixed planters in front of our office it’s great to see hummingbirds drinking nectar from the salvia, while others sit and wait in the curly willow trees.

Beautifully scented lilacs, which bloom around Mother’s Day, make a wonderful gift, but it’s both Proven Winner’s Bloomerang varieties and the new Flowerfesta series that bloom a second time in August for a much-anticipated return of perfume. They come in both tree and shrub forms so they can adapt to different locations.

With our ongoing food security issues, patio food gardens, which require minimal care, have become far more appreciated. Tumbler and Tumbling Tom basket tomatoes are still the very best for a constant supply of cherry tomatoes all summer long. Peppers are some of the easiest to grow in containers, and if you put some sweet Bell types in at least a twelve-inch container, you can enjoy red, yellow, orange, green and purple peppers throughout the summer.

Cucumbers have come a long way in their patio versatility. I love the new Mini-Me miniature Burpless varieties because they produce so many four-inch long miniature cukes in a matter of 45 days after setting out. Use a sturdy trellis for the vines to grow on, and the bigger the trellis, the more fruit you will harvest.

Hanging basket strawberries have also become increasingly popular because the newer everbearing varieties like Berries Hill Montana are huge, succulent, and will produce well into September.

Containerized herb gardens are a wonderful source of texture, fragrance and culinary variety to have handy on the patio. Be sure to use the most popular herbs like rosemary, chives, sage, thyme, dill and fun mints like Mojito. The strong citrus essence of lemon verbena is perfect when added to summer drinks and smaller bay trees provide a constant source of fresh leaves to enhance so many soup and stew recipes. Wait until we get quite warm weather before setting basil outside: it’s the heat lover of all herbs.

Although not super-hardy for winter, miniature roses, especially pretty when grouped with several colours planted together in larger pots, will bloom all summer and well into fall.

For sun-drenched summer patios, today’s hot new plants are the mandevillas. Coming in a range of colour from pinks, reds, whites and now yellows, they are one of the few plants that thrive in summer heat, and bloom until October. They are available now in shrub forms as well as trailing hanging basket types which can double as fast spreading vines. All of them flower heavily and add wonderful tropical accents to our patios and gardens.

The added value of attracting nature to our decks, gardens and patios is something Moms really appreciate and it’s the perfect connection to Mother Nature, too.

Related
Categories: Organic Gardening

My Neighbors Love My Flowering Tree So Much They've All Planted One, Too

Organic Gardening 2 - Sat, 2026-05-02 08:15
It marks the seasons better than anything else I’ve planted...
Categories: Organic Gardening

8 Vegetables You Can Plant in May for a Foolproof Summer Harvest – These Fast-Growing, High-Yield Crops Thrive in Warm Weather

Organic Gardening 2 - Sat, 2026-05-02 06:30
May is prime planting time for warm-season crops – these vegetables establish quickly in warm soil and reward you with steady harvests through summer.
Categories: Organic Gardening

These are My 5 All-Star Container Plant Pairings to Start in May – These Dynamic Duos Thrive on Neglect and Give You Effortless Color Right Through to September

Organic Gardening 2 - Sat, 2026-05-02 05:05
Why settle for one container plant when you can have a dream team? These dynamic partnerships are easy to grow and give you extended color through to fall
Categories: Organic Gardening

Grow a Garden From Your Favorite Decade! This Easy Planting Guide Captures the Essence of Each Era From the Past Century

Organic Gardening 2 - Sat, 2026-05-02 03:00
Capture your favorite parts of the past with a garden inspired by your favorite decade from the last century. Here's how to do it.
Categories: Organic Gardening

Is It OK to Take Plant Cuttings From Public Parks and Gardens? A Lawyer Explains so You Won’t End Up in Trouble

Organic Gardening 2 - Fri, 2026-05-01 11:48
Don't let your propagation fixation get you into legal trouble! There are certain places it is illegal to take plant cuttings. Our resident lawyer explains.
Categories: Organic Gardening

12 Creative Garden Lighting Ideas You Can DIY For Stylish Summer Evenings in Your Backyard: They’re Practical as Well as Pretty

Organic Gardening 2 - Fri, 2026-05-01 10:39
Without the right garden lights, your yard disappears into the shadows once the sun sets. Be inspired by these clever lighting ideas and enjoy your outdoor living space well into the night.
Categories: Organic Gardening

This One Evergreen Plant Will Hide Ugly Garden Spots – and Make Your Garden Smell Incredible

Organic Gardening 2 - Fri, 2026-05-01 08:15
What’s better than a problem-solving plant? One that looks as good as it smells...
Categories: Organic Gardening

8 Easy Perennial Plants for Pots and Hanging Baskets That Return Again and Again for Years of Beautiful Blooms

Organic Gardening 2 - Fri, 2026-05-01 06:30
Plant these perennials in containers once, then they’ll overwinter and return next summer for another year of beautiful blooms. It doesn’t get easier than that!
Categories: Organic Gardening

Be Fearless & Prune These 7 Plants in May – Here’s EXACTLY How Much to Snip Off Garden Shrubs to Get Way More Flowers

Organic Gardening 2 - Fri, 2026-05-01 02:45
Pruning is scary when you’re a beginner gardener, we know, but be brave and show these spring-flowering shrubs some tough love.
Categories: Organic Gardening

These 8 Veggies Are So Pretty They Belong in Your Flower Borders – They Give You Months of Colorful Crops and Generous Harvests Even in Small Spaces

Organic Gardening 2 - Thu, 2026-04-30 16:36
Who said vegetables had to be boring? Grow these dynamic, vibrant flowering and structural cropping plants that turn your flower beds and borders into a feast for the senses
Categories: Organic Gardening

Ditch the Red Feeder – This Totally Unique Flower Evolved Just to Attract Hummingbirds, and It's Incredibly Easy to Grow!

Organic Gardening 2 - Thu, 2026-04-30 13:30
This vine's snail-shaped flowers are specially designed to fit a hummingbird's tongue. There's still time to plant it this spring and get hoards of hummers!
Categories: Organic Gardening

I Tried This "Set-It-and-Forget-It" Sprinkler Controller, and It Completely Automated My Lawn Care

Organic Gardening 2 - Thu, 2026-04-30 11:45
If you're still manually turning off your sprinklers every time it rains, an ImoLaza Smart Sprinkler Controller will completely change how you care for your lawn.
Categories: Organic Gardening

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