As much as I love having greenery in my home, I am probably the most notorious plant assassin in Chicago. I can barely keep succulents alive. But after hearing so much about the simplicity of air plants, I'm ready to give them a try. Because they don't need soil, the display options are nearly endless, so of course I hit Etsy for some inspiration. More

I went a bit overboard planting herbs this year. I love cooking, but I'd need a restaurant to use all the mint and rosemary I have - even with drying it, handing it out to friends, and using it in recipes. Then I remembered a pretty herb-and-flower arrangement I saw at a friend's dinner party last summer — easy to emulate and a great way to use up more of my bounty. More

Randy Sarafan is the Technology Editor at Instructables, so you know when he tackles a problem like keeping tabs on properly watering house plants, he's going to do it in enviable DIY fashion. Randy teamed his DIY skills with a soil sensor and an Arduino-controlled water pump to build himself a black thumb-proof plant watering system! More

Dahlia season is here! I'll probably have lots more to say about these spicy beauties soon, but today I just had to show you this overachiever: a nearly perfect dahlia sphere. Any flower that's this excited to be in bloom is my kind of flower.. More

Summer can be an overwhelming time in the garden, with both flowers & weeds running riot, and edibles and herbs demanding to be harvested, eaten, and preserved. But a garden waits for no one, and there's always looking-ahead to be done. After a vigorous weeding session, sip an Arnold Palmer, peruse a bulb catalogue, and start dreaming of next year… More

Along with the heat wave that's been beating down most of the country, we've also been experiencing a dry spell. If you're anything like me, you're struggling to find good ways to keep your garden alive without using too much water. Here's one super easy tip that I just learned: More

A biodegradable solution that also lets you recycle! More

As gardens come into their full summer blooming glory there is such a temptation to bring that beauty inside. Roanne Robbins is one of New England's rising floristry stars and she recently shared a few tips for cutting flowers in your garden and prepping them for arrangement in the latest issue of Leaf Magazine. So once you have them cut and prepared - then what? I asked her to share a few tips with me for actually arranging them like a pro. More

Fireworks displays come around just once a year (except for whenever the Giants win, or the Golden Gate Bridge turns 75, or whenever your rowdy neighbors feel like it), but the fun of fireworks can continue in your garden all summer long, and even into the fall. Firework-esque flowers are festive, much quieter than actual fireworks, and don't freak out your dogs… More

Ever since sprucing up our evolving outdoor space last summer, we've been trying to find the best ground cover to fill in the cracks between our blue stone patio. Having spent an inordinate amount of money on this seemingly simple space, I thought I would share what I've learned and what I wish I hadn't. More