Outdoor Plants & Spaces

These bold beauties will refresh container gardens through the end of summer.

Here's why we love to keep them there.

The Big Little Lies star used stock tanks for a construction-free garden.

Here's proof that high-impact redos don't have to be complicated.

Plants are everywhere these days, and there’s no better time to become a first-time plant parent. But actually choosing a plant can be intimidating if you’ve never bought one before. Here’s what you need to know about navigating the whole experience. Related: 5 Things to Know When Becoming a First-Time Plant Parent Odds are good that you’ve seen beautiful plants on social media. Bookmark a few options to show the sales associate when you get to the store.

We’ve all seen those deceptively gorgeous houseplants on social media. You know the ones everyone drools over—the glamorous fiddle leaf fig, gem-like string of pearls, elegant maidenhair fern, and cascading rosary vine. They all look amazing in photographs, but there’s a lot more to caring for these plants than meets the eye. If you’ve fallen victim to Instagram plant envy, learn these tricks of the trade and keep your plants alive longer.

As any regular reader of design blogs knows, accent colors never fail to add some pizzazz to your decor. In the world of houseplants, you’re pretty much stuck with green as your main color scheme, but you can still add a pop of color here and there. There are actually a fair number of plants whose leaves are all or primarily purple, and these can add some visual interest to an otherwise monotone grouping. Plus, they’re freaking purple! What’s not to love?

Most of the plants we grow in our homes come from the tropics. That’s because, from a plant’s perspective, our climate-controlled houses more or less resemble the year-round warmth of a jungle habitat. However, there are some universal challenges to growing tropical plants indoors, namely, humidity and water. Jungle plants are used to high humidity, so they can have a hard time thriving in the dry indoor air of North American homes, particularly during the winter.

What can’t you do at IKEA? You can furnish a whole house in one trip. If you don’t find something you like, you can hack any number of IKEA offerings. You can get an entire meal or stock up on specialty groceries. Hey, I even know moms who spend rainy days at the superstore, because it keeps their kids entertained for hours at a time.

These small balconies, patios, and other exterior living spaces show how to make the most out of a little.

It’s no secret that we’re into succulents. They’re easy to take care of, cheap, easily propagate, don’t need much water and come in tons of beautiful colors and textures. Looking for some fresh succulent inspiration? Want to expand your succulent knowledge and find a new love? Discover our favorite succulents for ground and container planting after the jump. The beauty of succulents is that they can take full sun and can live in a container or in the ground.

I’ve been in love with galvanized stock tank gardens for a long time and posted a roundup of my favorites last summer. Finally, I’ve gotten the chance to exercise my green thumb and take the first, small step to adding a little style to the exterior of my home.After nearly a year of renovations to the interior of my home, I’ve finally had the chance to start adding a little curb appeal.

Turn your garden into a produce aisle with these 13 easy-to-grow vegetables.

Whether you call it a stock tank, a galvanized metal container, or a cattle trough (being from Texas, I prefer the latter), one thing’s for sure: these metal bins make for perfect and visually interesting raised garden beds. They’re cheap and come in a variety of sizes, so surely you’ll find one for your space. Then, follow these steps to create your own raised bed.

During the last year, we focused mainly on fixing up the inside of our house. But 2011 is all about the outside, and we got to work before the holidays so we could eat out of our first food-producing garden come early spring. So far, so good. Take a look!We’re grateful that we have a lot of real estate to work with. Our first raised bed (the one pictured here) is four feet wide, eight feet long, and a foot and a half deep. It needed a cubic yard of dirt to fill it up!

Healthy houseplants are generally described as full and bushy. They’ll have lots of dense, sturdy growth and the leaves will be crisp and green rather than limp and yellowing. If your houseplant is “leggy,” it simply means it has gotten a bit unkempt and scraggly, like a formerly stylish haircut that’s grown out unevenly and is riddled with split ends. Leggy houseplants are marked by flopping stems, uneven and sparse growth, and a general look of untidiness.

Indoor plants are a vibrant source of beauty in your home’s otherwise inanimate landscape. And keeping them healthy and happy is a quiet source of joy for many people. But the opposite is also true: Struggling houseplants not only drag down your space’s appearance, but they also bring us down too.

It’s been raining buckets throughout much of the Midwest for the better part of the weekend and it seems as though my galoshes have never seen so much use! Although I’ve previously mentioned using a baking sheet as a quick boot tray, check out this DIY that all started as a scrap pile of used fence posts!

If you ever click on web articles about houseplants (and you’re reading this, so we’ll assume that’s a yes), you’ve probably come across the idea that houseplants purify the air inside your house by sucking up invisible toxins. If you’re thinking that sounds too good to be true, yeah, it kind of is. But it’s not a complete myth either.

Succulents are delightful little plants that boast a variety of fun colors, textures, and shapes. They are sometimes said to “thrive on neglect,” and while they definitely don’t require much fussing over, it’s still best to know what they like and what they don’t. Here are our top tips for succulent growing and care. Simply put, succulents are plants that store water in their stems or leaves, which are thick and fleshy.

A lush, green home filled to the brim with plants sounds dreamy. But #plantgoals get much harder when there’s barely enough room for you and your clothes, let alone a decorative plant. Get all the benefits by dialing it back a bit and populating a few strategic spots with some leafy green goodness. And when it starts to warm up, there’s certain houseplants that will thrive outside.

I’ll admit, when I think of courtyard gardens, I naturally think of sprawling estates with hidden outdoor rooms, bordered by perfectly manicured boxwood hedges boasting a grand urn water fountain. Perhaps I’ve been watching too much Downton Abbey, but courtyards aren’t just unattainable outdoor spaces limited to the wealthy.

Callusing cactus? No, that’s not a description of how your feet look after being in flip-flops all summer but a technique for sprouting cacti and succulents from plant pieces that have fallen or broken off, with minimal effort which we, novice gardeners that we are, had first heard about Sunday night from Ryann Davis of Succulent. She assures us that it’s so easy that even the darkest of thumbs should be able to do it and, from one plant, create many offspring.

Since moving back to our rented home we’ve been slowly rebuilding the gardens around the house. Working with what we have and focusing on the growing-not-mowing philosophy, we turned the space near our front door in to a useable garden space for less than $20.Until recently the space was only used to access the hot water system.

Make your outdoor space small but mighty!

This makeover takes advantage of the 180-square-foot space's L-shaped layout.

Staycations never looked so good.

And it makes a great home for your plant babies, too.

Since posting his first TikTok in December 2019, Bridgewater has built a following of over 560,000 users who rely on him for tips on gardening and general life advice.

The before was "like a jungle with no place to sit".

From curb appeal to soundproofing, there are plenty of home upgrades that are just as beneficial for your neighbors as they are for you.

Buy and DIY options included.

Want to stay friendly with your neighbors? Think twice before taking on any of these upgrades.

This new deck is a summertime dream.

These plants are very colorful, and very cool.

A little homework will save you a lot of headache down the road.

Supplies for this low-cost redo included $1 pavers and free wood pallets.

This year, creating your personal outdoor oasis is a bucket list item.

Since it's not a maze, you can just focus on enjoying the sights and smells.

Not many around these parts are new to the idea of gardening or the growing of plants. Even though we’ve all been around the block a time or two, we thought it was a good time to brush up on some quick tips and facts about keeping things watered properly. Do you know the best time to water your plants is? This answer and more after the jump!1.

This former dumping ground was transformed into a dream outdoor hangout.

Green thumb or not, having an herb garden is a guaranteed way to saturate your dishes with flavor, open doors for more DIYs, and make your home feel a little livelier. While other plants in your apartment or home provide air filtration and something pretty to look at, growing herbs gives you something a little bit closer to instant gratification. You won’t be able to help feeling a little bit proud each time you harvest a few leaves for a new bake, DIY bath soak, or freshly brewed tea.

Zucchini plants produce famously high yields and can thrive in a number of climate conditions.

Bonus: You can harvest lettuce in as little as 45 days.

Mint is as close to “set it and forget it” as edible plants get.

No matter how small your space, you too can have a tiny victory in a pot.

Figuring out everything you need to grow a victory garden is the hard part, so we did it for you.

Weekend project, anyone?

Drool over the dreamiest outdoor living spaces ever, from backyards to greenhouses to terraces to courtyards and everything in between.

I have found the ultimate year-round candle.

From greens and legumes to sweet potatoes and herbs, Finley will help you start your dream garden, no matter where you live.

Fluorescent lighting? Dark cubicle? Tiny windowsill? These plants won't just survive, but thrive, where you work.

Enjoy the outdoors while staying at home.

Beautiful.

Cue the cukes.

There’s no better hobby to tackle during the quarantine than gardening.

All the resources you need to save money, one new baby leaf at a time.

Bring spring into your home, wherever you are.

Depending on where you live in the world, winter could be a dark, gray, cold (potentially miserable) string of days that has you stuck inside hoping spring comes soon before you go stir-crazy. If that describes you right now, you might find solace in this inspiring design idea that could be translated to your own home — no matter where you live. There was a lot to love in Isabelle’s Peaceful, Poetic Haven in Switzerland.

There are elaborate fence projects, landscaping plans, and new poured concrete sidewalks, and then there are the rest of us. We want our home exteriors to look better, but we don’t want to spend a month —even a weekend — working on them. Here are the fastest of fixes for lousy curb appeal, and they take only a couple of hours out of your day. Just a quick color change can take your boring door to a whole, new level.

We have serious patio envy!

These easy-to-grow flowers bring instant spring cheer.

What better way to welcome spring?

16 different flowering perennials that will give your garden charm year after year.

Gardening is one of my favorite hobbies, but it can also be expensive when you start buying lots of plants and pots. What if you could double, triple, even quadruple the number of plants you currently have without spending a dime? If you have a little bit of time on your hands, along with a lot of patience, you can do just that. Let’s dig into cacti and succulent propagation!

My parents always shooed us outside in the summertime. We’d come in for lunch and the occasional popsicle, but we otherwise lived outside. If you’re planning the same for your kids, here are ten ideas for making your outside space more appealing, more fun and more memorable.Sandbox: Even if you can’t get to the beach this summer, you can still have the sun and the sand. Buy one or build one to your specifications. Show here is a terrific shaded sandbox.

There's no shortage of large windows, too.

Consider your jungle achievement level unlocked.

All the beauty, without all the hassle.

Tried-and-true tricks to keep your plants happy and healthy.

Shopping for plants (and learning how to care for them) can be overwhelming even for the most experienced plant parents.

Your place just became the spot.