After the countdown and the New Year’s kiss comes the talk of resolutions and goals. Rather than get a gym membership or recite positive affirmations in the mirror, why not focus on the garden this year? Here’s how you can set some gardening goals to help you focus on self-care, personal growth, and healing.
Gardening is much, much more than a hobby.
For some, it may start as a hobby to get outside more or to grow their own food or perhaps to beautify their home.
But once you start, you quickly learn that you get so much more from gardening than meets the eye. It’s a way to nurture ourselves and find healing through small, meaningful actions. It’s a way to find emotional growth and support ourselves.
The best way to get the most from the garden is to not put too much pressure on it. These benefits will come naturally and do best when we let go of the idea of perfection.
We grow alongside the plants; nurturing plants mirrors the care we give ourselves when we garden.
This year, I want to help you connect deeper with the garden and, in turn, help your overall well-being.
So, let’s set some gardening goals!
This wildflower lawn was a major project for me last year and brought joy not only to myself but also to the neighbourhood.
Create Gentle Gardening Goals
Don’t start by setting goals that look more like a mountain to climb than a hill to take a stroll on. People who have chronic pain will know that we give gentle hugs. Those who are working through personal issues will know that we give gentle reminders.
So, this year, let’s concentrate on gentle gardening goals. One of my favourite things to say is to start small five minutes a day. If you have a whole backyard you want to redesign, for example, start by working for five minutes a day out in the garden as opposed to setting the lofty goal of redoing the entire thing in one year.
Five minutes a day will also encourage you to get out there daily rather than stretch your limits in one long gardening session. Being a weekend warrior, where you try to tackle it all on your day off, sets your body and mind up for fatigue.
Instead, try to incorporate gardening into your daily life. Make it a habit to get out there every day. How long and what you do doesn’t matter, but just getting outside and growing a habit is a gentle way to keep up with gardening.
When I first started gardening, I started with just five minutes a day. When I started writing on the website, I made a goal of doing one weekly project. And now, here I am 15 years later with thousands and thousands of articles.
It all started with the idea of starting small and being gentle to myself and my physical limits.
Now, my garden is one of my greatest sources of peace.
Focus on Self Care
Let this be the year where you put yourself first. I encourage you to think about how to use the garden to help you this year.
Instead of taking on a huge project that will exhaust you, find gardening activities that will calm you. That could be as simple as planting some herbs to grow a healing tea garden or planting some annual flowers to bring you joy every time you step outside your front door.
If you don’t have one already, set up a space outside for quiet relaxation. At my home, that space, for me, has always been my hammock chair. There, I can sit, relax, and enjoy myself. Comfortable seating is really important to have, so you can sit outside and get your garden therapy even when you don’t have the energy to work out in the garden physically.
The hammock chair is a favourite for me and kiddo to relax in the shade.
Embrace the Seasons
Many people think of gardening as a purely summer activity, but we seasoned gardeners know there is always something to be done for the garden in all four seasons.
Some of us are lucky to get these extreme changes in the season. At least, I consider it lucky, as it allows me to frame my gardening goals around these cycles.
If you don’t have distinct seasons, you can still find these moments in the year to use as a timeline. To do so, ask yourself what different activities you want to do?
Winter is known as a time to rest, renew, and plan. During this time, most of the gardening work happens inside of us and in our homes.
Then, in spring, the garden begins to open up. We head outside and see this new birth of burgeoning plants.
Of course, summer is when the plants are in their full glory. So we spend our time tending to it. We harvest, enjoy sitting in those aforementioned comfortable chairs, and enjoy the space.
Finally, in the fall, we begin to slow down once again and close things down for the season. We can take our time to rest and enjoy the fruits of our labours before we do it all over again next season.
Choose Meaningful Projects
This year, ask yourself what you want your garden to be. Perhaps last year, you grew plenty of vegetables because that’s what most people choose to grow, but you decide that cut flowers are what you feel inspired by. Or perhaps you’ve always wanted to grow grapes and turn them into wine.
You can find so much joy in putting in some hard work and learning something new from the garden.
I did a lot of work redesigning my garden last year. I moved into a new house that needed a total revamp, so much of my time was spent figuring out what I wanted to do with the space.
This year, I finally get to do more planting. I can ask myself what plants I love the most and choose plants with significance. I’ll finally be seeing my design in action.
I want to get back to my roots of growing edible plants in my brand-new vegetable garden.
Find the projects that will bring you the most joy, and spend your winter planning them.
Setting Inspiring Garden Intentions
You will also want to set some inspiring garden intentions alongside your goals. Goals are much more specific and are driven by performing actions. Meanwhile, intentions are finding the motivation and purpose behind those goals.
Another great intention is to try growing new things in the garden. Perhaps this is the year you grow plants to stock up on your personal home apothecary or try out some new interesting varieties of stevia (I love these ones from Richter’s Herbs).
This could also be the year for reflection and growth. If you’ve never done any garden journaling before, it’s a great tool to make notes and see how gardening has helped you throughout the year. Practice gratitude and celebrate the small wins you see in the garden. While it can be helpful with gardening, it also can help your emotional well-being.
Another great intention is to dedicate time to enjoy your garden. Go out in the garden (even when you don’t have a to-do list) to listen to the birds and feel the soil under your hands. Spend your summer evenings out there, but also don’t forget to get outside year-round to reap the health benefits of gardening.
All in all, remember that your gardening goals don’t have to be perfect. They don’t need to be like New Year’s resolutions, where they require some lofty, life-changing tasks. Instead, grow alongside your garden at a speed that works best for you.
More Ways to Practice Gardening Wellness
A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants.
When I spotted a scale insect on a leaf of my Thai lime tree recently, I sighed. It’s only December; sometimes they show up only in March. We must coexist indoors for another five months. I had been led to peer closely at the tree’s leaves by a tell-tale spattering of sticky honeydew beneath one branch. Above it, two branches up, I found the culprit, the pale brown dome of a mature scale insect. Wondering what other indoor plant pests are vexing the houseplant community, and how they deal with them, I consulted Darryl Cheng, Toronto-based creator of The House Plant Journal and the author of two popular books on indoor plant parenting. Darryl’s meticulous approach to growing plants is at once accessible and realistic. His engineer’s perspective to plant care includes the encouraging maxim that having a green thumb “isn’t about luck, but about being observant.”
Let’s observe. Here’s an alphabetical hit list of six of the most common indoor plant pests you may find feasting on your botanical babies: Aphids, fungus gnats, mealy bugs, scale, spider mites, and thrips—and how to deal with them.
Darryl points out that what many of us call indoor or houseplants “are in fact tropical foliage plants” (or subtropical in some cases, like my Thai limes). Understanding how to get them to thrive in our controlled indoor climates means approximating their natural growing conditions in terms of light, moisture, and temperature. Even then, over time, they will be visited by tiny creatures that feed on them and do damage: indoor plant pests. These insects and arachnids (spider mites have eight miniature legs) may travel indoors with an indoor-outdoor plant, or (very commonly) they arrive with a newly-acquired plant. They are part of the plant’s life. And while checking your leafy family members daily may seem like a chore, it is essential for their health and “also kind of therapeutic,” Darryl says. “Think of it as detailing your plant.”
His philosophy for his own plants is that nature should be allowed to take its course. Indoor plant pests are tolerable at “the lowest level possible, as long as the plant is strong.” Here is how to keep that pest level low.
Aphids
Above: Aphids feeding on lime blossoms. Photograph by Vincent Mounier.
I was a little jealous to learn that Darryl rarely, if ever, encounters aphids. This is likely because they are often an outdoor-indoor issue: In my case, these soft-bodied sap suckers travel indoors invisibly with our trees when we move them indoors for winter. While aphids are not hugely destructive, they can damage new growth if they remain unobserved for a while, as in my case, above. They can be spotted “when they congregate around the growth point of the plant,” Darryl notes.
Aphid Control:
I deal with aphids by squishing them. Gross, but effective.
I also spray them with a mixture of water and dishwashing liquid (1/4 teaspoon in 16 fl oz/2 cups)l; the soapy coating smothers them.
Fungus Gnats
Above: A fungus gnat immobilized on a yellow sticky trap (dead leaf for scale). Photograph by Vincent Mounier.
Many online plant forums are abuzz with questions about annoying, small flying insects. Like fruit flies, but different, say the worried houseplant owners. “Fungus gnats are opportunists,” says Darryl, who does not consider them damaging. They feed on fungus that grows in damp organic material, like potting soil or bark chips. Major larval infestations may damage plant roots if no fungus is available. And while I interpret their presence as a timely warning that my potting media for citrus trees is too damp—meaning that I am watering too often—Darryl makes the point that some plants, “like maidenhair ferns,” should remain moist. So the presence of fungus gnats does not necessarily mean that there is problem: “It depends on the plant,” he says, and an understanding of the different conditions that particular plants require to flourish.
I have been gardening in Harrisburg (now Zone 7a) for just over 30 years. I have always loved to be outdoors in nature. This fueled my passion for gardening. I learned through observation, reading and killing plants along the way. I want to be a good steward of my land and do what I can to support wildlife. I have created a four-season garden with thousands of plants and minimal lawn. Here are some pictures of the garden throughout 2025. My garden has been on GPOD a number of times over the past 15 years.
Viewing the front yard in mid-summer. I plant densely which eliminates the need for wood mulch and minimizes weeding.
Tulips in early April. I pack these 3 areas of the hellstrip with tulips. I find that the deer and rabbits are nervous in this exposed area, and leave them alone. I treat the tulips as annuals. Once blooming is done, they are pulled and either donated or composted. I plant a different color combination each year.
Shady area in the back yard. I only have 30 feet from the back door to the property line (my patio takes up half of it). This border helps screen the neighbor’s house. I replanted part of this area to add plantainleaf sedge (Carex plantaginea, Zones 3–7), Cherokee sedge(Carex cherokeensis, Zones 6–9), and foamflower(Tiarella cordifolia, Zones 4–9) to the mix.The ferns are ‘Brilliance’ autumn fern (Dryopteris erythrosora ‘Brilliance’, Zones 5–8).
Part of the front yard in mid-June. This area sharply transitions from shade to full sun. There is a mountain hydrangea (Hydrangea serrata, Zones 6–9)in a blue pot on the left. Foxglove beardtongue(Penstemon digitalis, Zones 3–8)is still in bloom. Opening Act garden phlox(Phlox paniculata‘Opening Act’, Zones 5–8)is at peak (blooming earlier than many garden phlox). The agapanthus in the container is getting ready to bloom.
The back yard on the west side of the property. ‘Bloodgood’ Japanese maple(Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’, Zones 5–8)in full autumn color. On the left is the fine foliage of ‘Koto No Ito’ Japanese maple(Acer palmatum ‘Koto No Ito’, Zones 5–9), and on the lower left is ‘Blue Mist’ dwarf fothergilla(Fothergilla gardenii ‘Blue Mist’, Zones 5–8).
East borders in the front yard in mid-June. The focal point is Black Lace® elderberry(Sambucus nigra ‘Eva’, Zones 4–7). I have Emerald Green arborvitae(Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’, Zones 4–8) in a container to accent the dark foliage of the elderberry and also echoed with this with ‘All Gold’ Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘All Gold’, Zones 4–9).
Shady spot in September with one of my favorite evergreen ferns, Christmas fern(Polystichum acrostichoides, Zones 3–9). Behind it is ‘Autumn Bride’ hairy alumroot(Heuchera villosa ‘Autumn Bride’, Zones 3–8), which is a drought tolerant, underused heuchera that has large spikes of white flowers in autumn. I have been adding our native Allegheny pachysandra(Pachysandra procumbens, Zones 5–9)(seen on the lower right) as a groundcover.
Front yard in November. There is still much interest even after all the flowers are gone. Coralberry(Symphoricarpos orbiculatus, Zones 2–7)is a native providing berries for the birds. I leave the leaves for habitat and to provide organic matter. I do a little “clean-up” along the sidewalk as a cue for care, but I practice chop and drop, so all the material I may remove, gets spread around the garden.
This is the garage border, part of my front yard. This path connects the driveway with the front walk. This December photo show the stems left in place to provide seeds for the birds as well as habitat. The brown Japanese forest grass provides good winter interest. I love the winter garden.
Thank you so much for sharing your gorgeous garden with us again, Kevin! It is inspiring to see your plantings in any season, and a extra-special treat to get a taste of all four seasons at once.
As we start planning and plotting for this year’s garden, it’s important to reflect on last year’s performance. Consider sharing your 2025 garden highlights with Garden Photo of the Day, so we can celebrate each other’s garden successes as we dream about spring blooms. Follow the NEW directions below to submit your photos to Garden Photo of the Day!
We want to see YOUR garden!
Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
You can also send 5–10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here
Fine Gardening Recommended Products
Ho-Mi Digger – Korean Triangle Blade
Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
Versatile Tool: The Easy Digger Korean Triangle Blade Ho Mi Ho-mi is a versatile gardening tool designed for leveling and digging in home and garden settings. Efficient Design: Its unique triangular blade shape allows for easy soil penetration and efficient leveling of garden beds or landscaping areas. Durable Construction: Crafted with sturdy materials, this tool ensures long-lasting performance and reliability.
Ergonomic Handle: The comfortable handle provides a secure grip, reducing hand fatigue during extended use. Compact Size: Its compact design makes it easy to maneuver in tight spaces and store when not in use.
Pruning Simplified: A Step-by-Step Guide to 50 Popular Trees and Shrubs
Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
Pruning Simplified shows you exactly how to do it. This must-have guide offers expert advice on the best tools for the job, specific details on when to prune, and clear instructions on how to prune. Profiles of the 50 most popular trees and shrubs—including azaleas, camellias, clematis, hydrangeas, and more—include illustrated, easy-to-follow instructions that will ensure you make the right cut the first time.
Razor-Back Potato/Refuse Hook
Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
During the growing season, P. magnifica thrives in temperatures between 70 and 90°F. Bring container plants indoors when nighttime temperatures drop below 50°F.
A cool, dry winter rest often improves flowering the following season.
In fall and winter, move the pot to a cooler location with temperatures around 50 to 55°F, and avoid prolonged exposure to temperatures below 45°F or the cactus may suffer frost damage.
Average household humidity is fine, avoid placing the plant in bathrooms or other high-moisture areas.
Fertilizing
Feed balloon cactus once a month during spring and summer with a balanced fertilizer formulated for succulents diluted to half strength.
A low-nitrogen formula is preferable, as excessive nitrogen encourages weak, elongated growth.
Stop fertilizing in fall and don’t feed during winter dormancy.
Where to Buy
P. magnifica is available from specialty cactus and succulent nurseries, both online and in person.
There’s also a natural variant, Parodia magnifica f. aurata, which has very little chlorophyll and displays a striking golden-yellow color. This form is highly sought after by collectors.
Maintenance
Repot every two to three years or when the plant has clearly outgrown its container.
Spring is the best time to do this. Choose a pot that’s only one to two inches wider than the existing root mass or clump.
To repot, carefully remove the specimen from its pot, protecting your hands with thick gloves or a folded towel.
Gently loosen the soil around the roots and inspect them, trimming away any that are dead or rotten.
Set the plant in fresh potting mix at the same depth it was growing previously. After repotting, wait about a week before watering to allow any disturbed roots to callus.
After flowering, the spent blooms dry up naturally and can be removed once they are loose.
Propagation
The best way to get started is to purchase a plant from a reputable nursery. If you want to try your hand at propagation, balloon cactus is easy to start from seed.
Mature clumps may have offsets that can be divided and potted up into their own containers.
Seed can typically be purchased from reputable suppliers, since plants grown in cultivation don’t always set seed.
In spring, prepare a seed-starting tray with fine, well-draining potting mix. Moisten the medium and surface-sow the tiny seeds, covering with a very fine layer of sand.
Set the container in a warm location with bright, indirect light and keep the medium lightly moist. Expect germination in two to four weeks.
When it comes to leaving your corner of the world a better place than how you found it, using biodegradable soap is a must. Today, I want to unpack the importance of using biodegradable products and provide you with an easy soap recipe made from 100% natural ingredients.
When you spend as much time as I do outside in the garden, you know how much your hands can take a beating. I end up washing my hands a ton between coming in and out of the house or even with the garden hose itself.
With all that cleaning, I want to make sure I’m being as kind to Mother Nature as possible with my greywater. Which means using a biodegradable soap!
By using biodegradable soap, I’m making sure that I’m not affecting my garden and local water sources. For years now, I’ve been making my own soaps. From bar to liquid soaps, I always stick with natural ingredients that both my body and the environment love.
And just because my soap is natural, doesn’t mean it is not powerful. This recipe for biodegradable soap can easily remove dirt, grime, and grease from the body. It’s also a wonderful soap for camping, to use for handwashing, on your body, or even the dishes.
This post will cover…
What Does “Biodegradable” Mean?
Biodegradable is a term that gets tossed around often, but many people don’t understand what it truly means for a product or material to be biodegradable. In simple terms, a biodegradable item will break down and go back into the earth with the right conditions and microorganisms and bacteria to help.
Ideally, biodegradable items should not leave any toxins behind as they degrade. However, many items even with the biodegradable label leave behind chemicals and other harmful substances when they degrade.
In a perfect work, everything biodegradable would break down quickly. This means it wouldn’t take up any landfill space and return to the earth. But oftentimes, many items labeled as biodegradable products can take years to degrade.
Why is Biodegradable Important?
Items made of plastic are heading to the landfill by thousands of truckloads a day. It can take centuries for plastic to degrade and even when it does, it leaves behind toxic substances.
Even when we send biodegradable products to landfills, they don’t have the right conditions for biodegradation. They need air, moisture, and plenty of the right bacteria to break down.
When it comes to interacting directly with our gardens and the outdoors while camping, we want to only use products that aren’t adding any toxins to the environment.
That being said, we should also care just as much when it’s running down our sink or going in our trash bins. Be aware of what you’re putting back into Mother Earth as much as possible.
So What About Biodegradable Soaps?
Most commercial soaps have surfactants, which are known as laboratory-made foaming agents. While regulated, many of these surfactants are still unhealthy for the environment and hard to filter through during water treatment processes. An easy switch is making sure you use biodegradable dish soap, hand soap, and body wash.
Since all of my bar soaps are made from vegetable oils, my cold process soap recipes are biodegradable. When bar soap is made (properly), there is no lye left. The fat reacts with the lye to create glycerol and soap.
You can also make liquid soaps if you don’t want a bar soap, especially for washing dishes while camping. Choosing the oil is the most important aspect. You want to source good quality oils (cosmetic grade) that are sourced ethically. For this reason, you will want to avoid palm oil.
As long as all your ingredients are natural and well-sourced, your soap will biodegrade with no problems. My favourite soap for camping or for use in the garden is a Castile-based liquid soap. Castile = olive oil or other plant base oil soaps!
How to Use Biodegradable Soap Outside
When using your biodegradable soap outside, there are a few things you want to keep in mind.
Never use your biodegradable soap inor neara water source. That means no washing directly in lakes, rivers, and streams. While natural, the ingredients in soap can affect the natural ecosystem of the water by adding extra nitrogen or disrupting the surface tension.
When disposing of any soapy water, try to place it in a grey water drain while camping or dig a hole 6-8 inches deep (away from a water source) and pour your water there.
At home, wash your hands wherever you like outside! Just be mindful when dumping a large amount of greywater and don’t dump it directly down a sewer drain.
Many biodegradable soaps are highly-concentrated, so be sure to follow instructions and dilute if necessary.
Lavender Biodegradable Soap Recipe
This is a basic, universal biodegradable soap recipe that works well for washing dishes, hands, and the body. In less than five minutes, you can have some soap for camping or in your backyard!
Equipment
Materials
See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for exact measurements.
For my base of the recipe, I use Castile soap that I refill from a local dispensary. You can also buy the same brand, Dr. Bonner’s, online. The soap itself is extremely concentrated so you need to dilute it and scent it before it’s ready for use.
To make your soap, whisk together the olive oil, water, and castile soap until it’s homogenous. Then, add in your lavender essential oil and whisk again.
With a funnel, pour it into your container of choice. For hand soap, a glass container with a pump works well.
How to Use Biodegradable Soap
Before you use the soap, give it a good shake. You’ll have to do this less and less as it combines. The soap is good for 3 months.
Remember, half the battle of good hand washing is the action itself. Scrub and lather for at least 20 seconds and use a bristle brush to clean under fingernails.
Frequently Asked Questions About Biodegradable Soap
Is Biodegradable Soap Necessary?
Most of the chemicals in commercial soaps do not break down naturally and are difficult to filter out. Biodegradable soap does not contaminate the surrounding environment or water systems. If you go camping, have an outdoor sink, or a septic system, it’s highly recommended to use biodegradable soap.
Is Biodegradable Soap Bad for The Environment?
If it’s truly biodegradable then, no! Labels aren’t very trustworthy when it comes to biodegradable soap as many toxins and chemicals can still be hidden in it. Instead, read the ingredient list, buy from brands you trust, or try your hand at making your own biodegradable soap.
What is the Purpose of Biodegradable Soap?
Biodegradable soap completely degrades after one year. Because the ingredients are in pure form and come from nature, without laboratory assistance, they don’t cause harm to the environment. Many commercial soaps can harm aquatic life even after treatment, can affect plants, cause algae blooms, and even can disrupt your septic tank.
How Can You Tell If a Soap is Biodegradable?
Start off by reading labels and looking for the words biodegradable. Then, check the ingredient list. Natural soaps will be made of oils and fats. Anything that isn’t biodegradable will contain petrochemicals, phthalates, surfactants, parabens, and other chemicals. Make sure you know what every ingredient is!
Leave any of your other questions in the comments down below! I hope you enjoy your biodegradable soap. Mother Nature thanks you!
Lavender Biodegradable Soap
This 100% natural biodegradable soap recipe can be used for camping or out in your garden for hands, body, and washing dishes.
Mix together your water, Castile soap, and olive oil until well combined.
Add in your lavender essential oil and mix again.
Use the funnel to add liquid to the soap container.
Shake before use. This soap is good for up to 3 months.
More Soap Recipes
A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants.
A liquid fertilizer for tropical plants can be added in spring or summer if needed, according to package directions.
Stop fertilizing in fall and winter when growth slows significantly.
Always water the plant before fertilizing to prevent root burn, and occasionally flush the soil with plain water to prevent salt buildup from accumulated fertilizer.
Container-grown rubber trees can be moved outdoors if temperatures are consistently above 50°F.
Be sure to place the tree in a protected place, and shield it from direct sunlight.
Rubber trees can also be grown outdoors in USDA Hardiness Zones 9 to 11 year round.
Plant the tree in an area where it receives indirect sunlight and adequate water, with good drainage.
Avoid planting rubber trees near sidewalks or foundations, as their strong roots can damage both.
Cultivars to Select
There are a number of stunningly unique varieties of rubber tree to choose from, any of which are suitable for container growing indoors.
Burgundy
This cultivar offers a true “wow” factor.
As ‘Burgundy’ matures, the leaves, branches, and trunks range from the deepest green and burgundy to almost black, sometimes with red midribs and scarlet-sheathed new growth.
Doescheri
‘Doescheri’ is another variegated variety.
It has leaves that feature shades of creamy white, bright green, army gray, and yellow, mottled together with stunning pink margins.
Robusta
This variety is most closely related to the true species plant that grows natively in Asia and Indonesia.
The leaves are waxy, wide, and bright green to deep green in color. The structure and color of this cultivar is perfect for adding a tropical touch to the home.
Ruby
Similar in structure to other cultivars, ‘Ruby’ is set apart by its unique coloration.
The leaves are oblong and glossy, with a deep green to burgundy upper side, and a pink to deep burgundy lower side.
The branches and trunk can be a shocking bright green, maturing to a deeper green or brown. New growth is sheathed in bright scarlet red.
Tineke
Another variegated cultivar, ‘Tineke’ is similar to other variegated rubber trees, with pink to burgundy midribs, sprouts, and leaf margins.
Young plants of the ‘Tricolor’ variety have variegated cream and white leaves with splotches of pink to orange.
As this plant matures, the coloration leans more toward green and cream, with wide, glossy leaves.
Maintenance
Controlling growth is important for a rubber tree, whether growing indoors or outdoors, as these can become large and dense in ideal growing conditions.
Prune back any limbs that are reaching beyond the desired size and shape of the tree.
Bear in mind that cutting the top of the tree will trigger outward growth, so only do this if the height is becoming an issue, and be sure to monitor unwanted branching and sprawling out.
Use a sharp tool, such as clean pruning shears or a garden knife, and cut just enough of the branch to maintain its shape and size.
Cutting more than is necessary can cause shock and trigger leaf drop, or even kill the plant.
I’M LETTING myself be transported away from the winter scene outside my window, burying my nose not in the snow but instead in the spring-into-summer possibilities depicted in seed-catalog pages. I have familiar, favorite varieties I grow every year—but I’m also looking for some new-to-me possibilities, and Lane Selman of the Culinary Breeding Network at Oregon State University always has some delicious suggestions.
Lane, a professor of practice at Oregon State, founded the Culinary Breeding Network in 2012, a collaborative community of plant breeders, seed growers, farmers, produce buyers and chefs collaborating to improve vegetables and grains by creating, identifying and promoting outstanding cultivars—especially organic ones. Among Lane’s personal plant passions are edibles from Italian culinary traditions, including a diversity of radicchio, and I was eager to get her suggestions for our 2026 gardens. (Above, a new kale from Johnny’s Selected Seeds that she has her eye on, called ‘Unicorn.’)
Read along as you listen to the Jan. 5, 2026 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe to all future editions on Apple Podcasts (iTunes) or Spotify (and browse my archive of podcasts here).
Margaret Roach: Hi, Lane. How’s that winter out there in the Pacific Northwest?
Lane Selman: Today, thankfully, it’s sunny and that’s nice, but it does mean it’s colder. So it’s still, right now in this moment, very lovely, I’m happy to say.
Margaret: Good, good. So as a quick background, tell us what Culinary Breeding Network is, just so that a little more than what I said, just so that people have an idea of what you do in one of your big activities.
Lane: Sure. So I work at Oregon State University as a researcher, and a while back, I think you said 2012, but it was earlier than that, I had been working ever since 2005 with a lot of organic farmers to find varieties that perform really well on their organic farms. So the best-suited varieties for them that grow well without chemical assistance in the organic microcosm, like the organic ecosystem.
And these farmers often wanted organic seed, they wanted open-pollinated varieties. They had a list of things that they wanted, but also one thing they really wanted was great flavor. And so I was working with the plant breeders at Oregon State University and other universities to try to find these varieties that fit. I started doing tastings to get that information, just to know about varieties, because we would grow them out on the farms. We’d understand which ones grew really well, performed well, yielded well, didn’t get diseases and all the problems that the farmers are trying to avoid.
But then it was like, how do they taste? What do they like? And so at that point, I got a lot of chefs involved because I was also working at the farmer’s market here in Portland, Oregon. I asked the chefs to get together to taste these so that they could evaluate them because I was like, who else? Who’s the pro at tasting things?
Margaret:[Laughter.] Perfect. Right.
Lane: So these are all the chefs that also already bought from local farms and they were already in it. They were very excited to be a part of it. And they evaluated a lot of … And it’s at this point, in this moment that this kind of came about, I’m talking about red roasting peppers, which we can talk about later if you want to hear my favorite ones. And so they tasted them and they started sharing with me the things that they really liked about them. Not just the ones that had the best flavor and the best texture, which was what I was asking them, but then also the shape and size that they needed, the straight walls, all these different things that they needed, and kind of brought me into their world and what they do once the vegetables are grown and harvested and they have them in their hands. It’s like, oh, there’s all these things that they really need, and are they talking to the plant breeders and the folks that are actually making those huge decisions? And they weren’t.
So basically that’s when the Culinary Breeding Network started, and I said, “Oh wow, this is the bridge that needs to be built.” This is the gap that there is where the plant-breeding world, which is often for a good reason in isolation because of pollen; having to keep it isolated. It’s done away from a lot of people; it’s a hidden thing.
And the chefs and all of us that cook are using these things in the end. So I wanted to be able to bring all these folks together. So the Culinary Breeding Network is really about bringing the plant breeders, the seed growers, the farmers, the chefs, and also just consumers all together to kind of explore, evaluate. So I’m oftentimes working with them to evaluate new and upcoming in the process in the plant-breeding process. And I also organize big events that are open to the public so they can actually kind of get to see what this hidden world is. It’s like the wisdom is behind the curtain, right?
Margaret: Yeah. And it’s really, I mean, for everyone’s benefit, that’s for sure. So I don’t know where we want to start. And I’ve been beginning to look through the, I say “catalog” still, but most of them are just websites [laughter] with the new listings on them. I don’t know where we want to start. Do we want to start with a particular group of things or any … What do you think? What are you most excited about or what’s something you said about …
Lane: Yeah. When you asked me I immediately went to leafy greens. So I was like, let’s talk about the leaves and things like that first and then maybe the fruits, meaning the things with seeds. Yeah. So I mean, the first thing that came to mind always is cima di rapa [above,from Uprising Seeds], which a lot of people … Well, you live on the East Coast and I feel like it’s a little more popular there than on the West Coast. We always see it in grocery stores like Andy Boy, cima di rapa, a.k.a. broccoli rabe and also rapini people call it. So we oftentimes just see it there, and that’s it. Sometimes farmers I feel like out here grow it; not a lot. I feel like there’s a really short window for harvest. So I think it’s a really great thing to grow in your garden. So I always grow it and I just have it all the time.
So it’s not like a lot of the other brassicas that we eat that are Brassica oleracea, this one is actually Brassica rapa. So it’s in the turnip family; it has that strong turnip flavor, and I really love it.
Margaret: And so it figures into some dishes you like to make, some that you like to cook, I imagine.
Lane: Yeah. There’s a classic dish from Puglia that is Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa, and sometimes it has sausage as well. So it’s just a pasta where you cook down, you blanch, the cima di rapa and then you saute it with garlic, and you use some of the pasta water and it kind of makes it creamy. And you put the orecchiette in there and it just makes a really lovely simple dish, put a bunch of Parmesan or Pecorino on it. If you wanted to have meat with it, you could saute sausage, Italian sausage, and put it in there. You could put some Calabrian chili paste or whatever, mix it up a little bit. But it’s like a very delicious meal, I think. And I feel like a lot of times what we find in the grocery store is a little more mild than what it should be. It’s like-
Margaret: So we might say if we Anglicize it, broccoli rabe, is that what … And it’s a little milder, a little-
Lane: Yeah. So a little more mild. And so you can get … So Uprising Seeds has some right now; Brian [Campbell] and Crystine [Goldberg] are big fans of it. And I know that they’re getting more from the same breeder that I work with on the radicchio stuff, Andrea [Andrea Ghedina of SmartiesBio] in Italy, they have been working with him to have some more options that are available. So there will be some maybe this year, but if not in the coming years, but at least he has at least two right now. I just love growing that for myself.
Margaret: O.K., good. And another leafy green, maybe with some spice or some taste to it? [Laughter.]
Lane: We call it ‘Wasabi’ arugula; I love this thing. I don’t know where … It’s called a lot of different things, but this is what I see if you do find it at a garden shop, like a plant, or you buy seeds it’s always kind of like ‘Wasabi’ arugula is the name of it. It is this wild green I’ve seen in Sicily. It just grows everywhere and it’s very pungent. It does taste like wasabi. I just eat it raw just by the fistful. I just love it. But you can make it into a salad. You could put it on top of pizza. It would wilt very quickly, but it’s really … As you can see, both these things, they’re both really strong flavors, but: love them.
Margaret: Well, and I think when you’re going to put something, like you said, you could put some on top of a pizza or you’re going to put it into a pasta dish. I mean, there’s other flavors in there, too.; you might have your cheeses and so forth and maybe tomato. And so it stands up to those.
Lane: Yes.
Margaret: So ‘Wasabi’ arugula, and Uprising, is this another of their specialties? Uprising Organic Seeds.
Lane: Yes, they have it. I’ve seen it at like Renee’s Garden[photo below] I believe has it. I’m sure there’s in other places, too.
Margaret: O.K., good. I think on your Instagram maybe it was, I can’t remember, for the Culinary Breeding Network, I think I saw an unusual kale recently. Did I? Was it ‘Unicorn’ or something [photo, top of page]?
Lane: Yes. So ‘Unicorn’ kale is out this year, which was bred by Philip Griffiths, who’s a breeder at Cornell. And Johnny’s is offering it this year for the first time. And it’s this a really pretty kale with very vivid green leaves and it has bright purple stems and it’s very beautiful. It’s supposed to be … I haven’t actually tasted it, but it’s supposed to be kind of succulent texture and pretty cold hardy.
Margaret: And I think that they say it’s like you did vivid green, and there’s almost like a yellowish cast to the green. You know what I mean? It’s not dark green, right?
Lane: Yes.
Margaret: Yeah, exactly. And those purple midribs or whatever, the stems—just gorgeous, right?
Lane: It’s so pretty. That’s one thing that he’s really into. I work on a couple of projects with him, and he’s really into fun colors, shape, sizes. He works a lot with brassicas, but he’s like, there’s so much to play around with in here and to mix up. So it’s really fun to see so many pretty vegetables out there.
Margaret: Yeah. And I would think this one, they say it’s more tender and not so … Like some of the dark kales can be really chewy, right? Yes. And so I would imagine, especially when grown to a younger age, this would be almost like a delicious salad.
Lane: Exactly. It’s supposed to be very tender and nice. And a lot of people, I mean, I know they’re trying to market it also as not just full kale, but baby kale, because of that striking color difference. So it would be very pretty in a salad at all the different sizes. It’s supposed to keep that tenderness. And I’m sorry, I said it was cold hardy, but it’s less cold hardy than the stronger kales that you were talking about. Sorry.
Margaret: O.K. So another one then, I suspect?
Lane: I was thinking, before we get into the radicchios, of course-
Margaret: Uh-oh [laughter].
Lane: I was also thinking about another strong-flavor mustards. I love mustards, and Wild Garden Seed has quite a few mustards. ‘Dragon Tongue’ is one. Oh yeah. That one is a very purple one. It’s just absolutely beautiful and delicious. There’s one called ‘Horned’ and they actually just have their pungent mix. Again, of course, I really love pungent things. So this one is a mixture of all these different, all of Frank Morton’s breeding material that he has.
Margaret: At Wild Garden Seed.
Lane: At Wild Garden Seed, yes.
Margaret: O.K., so to try some of these as well; that’s a good idea.
Lane: And you can eat them baby, bigger, whatever. And when they’re babies, I was up at a farm in Carnation, Wash., and they had a big patch of it out there. And I just was just eating it right there out of the field and couldn’t get enough of it. I was like, I don’t even want to do anything with it. I just want to eat it. I think that’s a good sign.
So those are the leafy greens that I was thinking about that I really love that I do like to make sure that I have in my … I put in my garden every year, because I want them. And they’re harder things to find, I feel like out in the world when I go, because I go to a lot of farmer’s markets and whatnot.
And then of course there’s radicchio, which is this is not … at this moment is not the time … or when we’re planting a lot of the other things, it’s not the time to seed it; you want to wait until June, July to seed it, but you if you’re going to get some, buy your seeds when you buy all the other ones at the beginning of the year. And there’s three new ones that we have as part of the Gusto Italiano Project.
Margaret: And that’s with Uprising?
Lane: Yes. Uprising Seeds carries them. They’re actually bred and grown in Italy. They’re all organic and open-pollinated. And there’s a new pink one. So if the people that like pink, it’s fantastic. A lot of them are later season, but there’s an earlier one now called ‘Jolanda.’
Margaret: So it’s an early pink variety.
Lane: It is, yes. All pink. There’s one that is all yellow now called ‘Yellowstone’[above]. Yes. And that one is really cool. I think the less color there is in it, I feel like the more mild it is. And so the yellow one, it’s really small, too. It’s a Verona, so it’s like the same shape as the Verona ones, which is kind of like a little teardrop shape, or sometimes it’s like oval if it doesn’t make the little point. Very cute. And it’s so nice because you can just cut the bottom off and just kind of peel all of the leaves off. And they’re just like the perfect size, and are a little bit like Belgian endive. So you can put it in a salad and use it that way. Or you can use it for hors d’oeuvres or something, where you put something in it and eat it just like you would like Belgian endive or something. A little hand salad [laughter].
Margaret: So some new radicchios. O.K.
Lane: Yes. So I love that one. And then ‘Bandarossa’[below] is a new one in that project, too, the Gusto Italiano Project, which is the Verona shape. It’s purple, but the mid-rib, instead of being all white, has a red or hot-pink stripe on it and it’s very beautiful. So all three of these are new this past year. They’re just gaining traction though, and they’re all very pretty, very striking.
Margaret: I’ll give a link to some previous conversation we’ve had about growing radicchio for people who don’t know. So we’ve got some leafy, leafy, leafy, leafy, leafy, leafy [laughter]….
Lane: I know. Well, then we can talk about herbs, if you want to just finish up leaves with herbs. I grow a lot of those [laughter].
Margaret: Right. Because we all know the usual things, but …
Lane: Yeah. And I feel like I kind of was doing this already, but then I went over to someone’s house to eat when I was traveling and I was in Oakland. And there’s friends of mine that used to own a restaurant in Oakland, and his use of herbs… They grow tons of herbs also in their backyard. And it was like, wow, this is great. I feel like it really kicks it up a notch.
I’m a person that makes very simple food. I use very good products. I’m going to use great vegetables. I’m going to roast them the right way, but nothing fussy in the least. But I really like to make sauces and then have a lot of chili crisp or crunchy things to put on top, a lot of seeds to put on top. But herbs also does the trick with this, too. It just takes it to the next level, I feel like.
So I always have, this comes with a lot of different names, but Mexican tarragon, or sometimes they call it mint marigold. It is in the marigold family. It’s not related to tarragon itself, has pretty low yellow flowers. That one, I’m always growing. Love it. I’m going to get around to talking about other seed companies, but this one is available from Uprising. I do know that also Johnny’s has it.
Margaret: Yeah, a number of people have it. Definitely, the Mexican tarragon, totally.
Lane: Exactly. Sculpit is another one that I love [above, sculpit from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange]. It also goes by the name of carletti. This is something that I’ve had in Italy, and it kind of tastes like a mixture of actual French tarragon and oregano maybe together. It has very beautiful little flowers and it makes a little balloon kind of thing also. And a lot of times people like florists use it, because the blooms are so pretty.
It is really tasty. And I actually had it where it just kind of grows wild in northern Italy. And so when I’m there doing the work on radicchio, I was there with a farmer, another farmer named Andrea. There’s a lot of farmers named Andrea [laughter]. And he just went out and just picked it from the field because it just grows wild there. And his sister made us a very simple risotto with this, and they call it carletti. And it was the best risotto I’ve ever had, I think, because that herb is just delicious. So ever since then, I’ve grown it again, and it looks really beautiful. It’s very beautiful in the garden and tastes great.
Margaret: And then I think you have a parsley that I’d never heard of that you mentioned to me the other day when we were emailing and so forth, which I think Experimental Farm Network has Hungarian Landrace Parsley. What’s distinctive about this one, real quick?
Lane: So this one tastes great. I don’t know how really how to describe it, but it tastes different and superior to other parsleys. This was something that Wild Garden Seed’s Frank Morton was working with and got the seed originally from the U.S.D.A. GRIN database [Germplasm Resources Information Network, or GRIN].
And he had seeds from Hungary and he got seeds from a lot of different countries and he grew them all out. And he was just going to create a new flat-leaf parsley from it, but he found that they tasted distinctly different from one another, all these parsleys from different countries. And so this was one that he kept and said, “O.K., this one’s really great. Let’s keep it separate so that we can kind of …”
He just liked the way that it grew. He was looking for something that overwintered and didn’t bolt when transplanted and he liked the flavor of it. And we had some chefs work with us on this, too. So this is one that he kept from that project.
Margaret: I know we both share this sort of amazement/admiration for the collection of cucumbers and cousins of cucumbers by Jay Tracy at The Cucumber Shop, an online seed catalog. Are there a couple of those that you want to kind of highlight? Because I mean, we all know what we think a cucumber is, but there’s an incredible diversity of relatives [above].
Lane: Yes. So very excited about the cucumber. These are cucumber melons, because they’re actually immature melons rather than the cucumber species.
Margaret: So it’s Cucumis melo?
Lane: Yes, exactly.
Margaret: As opposed to sativus, the species of sativus, which is the cucumber that we know.
Lane: Yes. And so very confusingly, Armenian cucumbers are these immature melons, even though they don’t look immature, they look just like cucumbers [laughter].
Margaret: Or longer.
Lane: Yes. They are in this family as well as Carosello. And so I’ve been working on some trials, too, with Cornell on these as well, but The Cucumber Shop, Jay Tracy there has a huge collection of them. And I love these. I feel that they have a little more mild taste, a little more mild flavor than the cucumbers. I like the texture a lot. You can use them just interchangeably, though, with cucumbers, however you use those, but they have a very nice kind of smooth texture, if that makes sense. So I’m loving those. Again, a little bit hard to find, so it’s nice to grow them yourself.
Margaret: Right. And he has such an incredible collection. It’s so fun. I mean, he’s a keen enthusiast who’s made this wonderful project, a catalog. And some of them are different shapes and some of them are more sort of spotted and some-
Lane: Exactly. And the Carosello is tiny. It’s more like a tiny melon; it’s oval and it’s very small size. Those things, the texture is just unbelievable. And just put them in a cucumber salad. You could put them with tomatoes, with onion, just something very simple and just delightful to eat.
Margaret: So speaking of melon, the word melon, you also, I think, told me about a melon seed that you were attracted to you were interested in from Johnny’s, I think. ‘Melonade’ [below] or-
Lane: And it’s a sweet and sour melon. It was bred by a man named Jason Cavatorta in Florida. And yeah, we had this at one of the events that I organized, and it was really cool because it wasn’t just very, very sweet. It had this really nice balance of sweet and sour together. It sounds a little bit weird, but it was fantastic. And the chef made it into kind of like a Thai salad that had I think fish sauce and shallots and hot peppers. And it was absolutely delicious. And it was such an interesting and different melon that I’ve ever … But you could just eat it by plain.
Margaret: I have to look up that one. That’s interesting.
Lane: I think it’s definitely worth looking into and growing it and seeing what you think about it, because I’ve wondered if it’s going to become a whole new category in itself with our melons.
Margaret: Do you want to just give us a quick shout out of some peppers? Because I know that’s another thing you love.
Lane: Thank you, yeah. So I’ll just say, we talked about the sweet pepper tasting that I did that kind of started the network. That one, that was the winner with all the chefs there and in our field trials was ‘Stocky Red Roaster.’ This was bred by Frank Morton at Wild Garden Seed [below]. It was a lot of different places that you can find that ‘Stocky Red Roaster.’
It’s wonderful for roasting. It’s really thick, straight walls, very meaty. It’s great for roasting and preserving in olive oil. I use it all the time to make romesco. You can just eat them. You could eat them raw. You can saute them, anything with them. They’re really high-yielding. They don’t lodge. I’ve just been so impressed with this pepper when we grew it.
Margaret: O.K. ‘Stocky Red Roaster.’ Well, Lane, we are out of time, but those sound pretty fun, too. I’m going to give links to everything, of course, with the transcript.
Lane: Thank you so much.
Margaret: And I hope I’m going to speak to you soon again. I hope so. So thanks. Thank you. Thank you.
Lane: I look forward to hearing about how everybody’s garden goes this year.
past conversations with lane selman
prefer the podcast version of the show?
MY WEEKLY public-radio show, rated a “top-5 garden podcast” by “The Guardian” newspaper in the UK, began its 16th year in March 2025. It’s produced at Robin Hood Radio, the smallest NPR station in the nation. Listen locally in the Hudson Valley (NY)-Berkshires (MA)-Litchfield Hills (CT) Mondays at 8:30 AM Eastern, rerun at 8:30 Saturdays. Or play the Jan. 5, 2026 show using the player near the top of this transcript. You can subscribe to all future editions on iTunes/Apple Podcasts or Spotify (and browse my archive of podcasts here).
Happy new year! Ahead, 12 things spotted—and bookmarked—lately: File under: biophilic dream house. Post-holidays mood. This sauna and outdoor bath situation makes us swoon. Got snow? Time for hot chocolate, sledding, and…cleaning your vintage rug? If you’re a fan of off-season shopping, now’s the time to stock up on next year’s holiday decorations. Take an extra 50 percent […]
Overwatering is the fastest way to kill this aloe. The roots will rot in consistently moist soil, and by the time you notice problems with the foliage, the damage is usually extensive.
This succulent prefers warm temperatures of between 70 and 80°F during the day and 60 to 70°F at night.
As mentioned, it can survive brief drops to 25°F but will suffer damage.
Low humidity is ideal. This is a desert plant that doesn’t appreciate muggy conditions.
Fertilizer
‘Crosby’s Prolific’ doesn’t require much fertilizer.
Feed once a month during the growing season in spring and summer with a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer diluted to half strength.
A product formulated for cacti and succulents works well. Stop fertilizing in fall and winter when growth slows.
Skip fertilizer for the first few months for newly planted or recently repotted plants. Our guide to fertilizing aloes has more information.
Where to Buy
‘Crosby’s Prolific’ is usually available at nurseries that specialize in succulents and cacti. Many general garden centers also carry it, particularly in spring and summer.
You can find ‘Crosby’s Prolific’ in two-inch, four-inch, and one-gallon pots from Planet Desert.
Maintenance
Remove any dead or damaged leaves by pulling them gently away from the rosette. If they don’t release easily, use clean, sharp scissors or pruning shears to cut them at the base.
Dead leaves left on the plant can harbor pests and diseases, so remove them promptly.
Repot when the clump outgrows its container or when offsets become too crowded. This is typically needed every two to three years.
Spring is the best time to repot, at the start of the growing season.
Choose a container one to two inches larger in diameter than the current pot.
Remove the plant from its pot and brush away loose soil. Inspect the roots and trim any that are dead, mushy, or damaged.
Set the plant at the same depth it was growing before, backfill with soil and water lightly.
As the clump expands, you can divide it to create new plants or reduce crowding, as discussed below.
You can propagate ‘Crosby’s Prolific’ easily by dividing offsets. Leaf propagation doesn’t work with this plant and will result in rot.
From Offsets
Offsets, or pups, are the small rosettes that form around the base of mature plants.
Wait until offsets are at least two inches across and have developed their own roots before removing them. Offsets that are too small or lack roots are unlikely to survive on their own.
The best time to divide is in spring or early summer during active growth.
To remove an offset, unpot the plant or carefully dig away soil to expose where the offset connects to the parent.
Check that the offset has visible roots of its own. If it doesn’t have roots, leave it attached to the parent to develop further.
Gently wiggle the offset to see if it separates easily from the parent. Some offsets pull away cleanly with their roots intact.
If you love the healing feel of chest rub, this DIY vapor rub recipe is going to be your new favorite thing to reach for in cold and flu season. This soothing tincture has essential oils that can help you feel better faster—here’s how to make a batch of your own.
Isn’t cold and flu season the worst? Your body is aching and stuffy, trying to rid your body of bad viruses and bacteria. Rather than take a bunch of medications that can also be harsh on the body, I opt for natural solutions.
This chest rub is a natural way to relieve chest pain and feel good about what’s going on your body. It is similar to what you find at the pharmacy, but it’s a homemade recipe that has natural ingredients that you know and can pronounce.
Here’s what I’ll be talking about today…
Prepare for Cold and Flu Season
Although I wash my hands frequently and spend a lot of time indoors, every now and then, I get a pretty rotten cold that puts me out of commission for a few days. While I do enjoy watching about 20 movies in a row (give or take), I do need a little bit of relief from the aches and pain that come from a bad cold or flu.
Every year, I always do a quick inventory of my herbal medicine cabinet. It’s important to make sure I am well-stocked and prepared BEFORE the cold and flu season begins. There is nothing worse than running out of the things that make you feel good while you’re feeling bad!
While I was doing my usual check, I really missed having a vapor rub for my chest. I didn’t want to purchase one, as I always aim to make the natural versions of pretty much everything (check out the Natural Skincare Series for more natural recipes). I thought that making my own DIY vapor rub might be just what the doctor ordered, so I tried a couple of variations until I came up with this perfect replica!
The essential oils in this all-natural chest rub work wonders as a decongestant, so the next time you are so stuffed up that you can’t breathe, reach for a tin of this and rub it on your chest, under your nose, and/or on your feet (being sick is a great excuse to demand foot rubs from your loved ones).
The blend of essential oils in this recipe will help clear the sinuses.
The Power of Simple Ingredients
Like most products sold at the pharmacy, there are a lot of ingredients in commercial vapor rubs that I can’t even pronounce. The base of most recipes is typically petroleum-based and often lists camphor as an ingredient (a synthetic derived from turpentine and menthol oil). I don’t know about you, but I don’t want those ingredients anywhere near my skin!
Moisturize Skin
To start this recipe, I knew I needed a good base. The olive and coconut oils work to deeply moisturize skin, which is often dry if you spend your sick days indoors, where the air is made drier by artificial heating systems.
Plus if you have dry, painful skin under your nose from scratchy tissues, rubbing a dab of this on can help to relieve the discomfort. Coconut oil also has natural antibacterial and anti-fungal properties, which can only help when you’re fighting a cold.
Skin is dry and irritated in the winter, so extra moisture is always appreciated.
Due to the menthol in peppermint, it is cooling and soothing, as well as being antibacterial and anti-inflammatory.
Eucalyptus is antimicrobial and acts as an excellent expectorant, perfect for the lungs.
Rosemary has many antioxidant properties and is also an anti-inflammatory.
Last but not least, lavender is a well-known calming oil that can help soothe and promote sleep.
Keep in mind that essential oils are powerful and not regulated like drugs are. Please use common sense with any recipe and know that “natural” doesn’t necessarily mean “gentle.”
This recipe is homemade and works well for me and my family, but you should always test it on yourself before covering your whole body! You may have a reaction.
Also, this recipe is for adults only, as some of the essential oils are not recommended for children.
Together, the essential oils help to soothe and clear.
Homemade Chest Vapor Rub Recipe
This chest rub recipe is an absolute savior during the cold and flu season. I put it on morning, afternoon, and night to get some relief for my nose and lungs. Since it’s all-natural, you don’t have to worry about overdoing it, and it can be reapplied multiple times during the day. You’ll notice the effect it has on your sinuses even as you’re making it!
Melt the oils and wax over a double boiler or in a Turkish coffee pot on the stove. Be sure to stir it constantly and do not overheat. It should just melt, not cook.
Add in your essential oils. Once mixed, pour the oil into metal tins and let set. Re-melt to add more essential oils if you want it a bit stronger.
A Turkish coffee pot is ideal for making small batches of items, where you can pour directly from the pot into the container with the built-in spout.
To Use
Rub balm on your chest to help soothe congestion and cough. While designed for the chest, you can also rub it under your nose for a stuffy nose and sore skin from scratchy tissues.
I also like to rub it on my feet (or have someone else do it)—the foot massage and tingling from the essential oils will feel good and distract you from your cold while the strong scent helps to ease congestion.
If you want to gift these vapor rubs, add a custom label.
FAQ About Using Vapor Rub
How do you make menthol rub?
Menthol is naturally derived and found in peppermint plants, as well as other mint plants. People love the qualities of mint because it offers a cooling sensation to the skin when applied, which can help reduce pain and inflammation.
This vapor contains mint essential oil, so it will provide the same relief as menthol rub. If you want just mint, you can replace the lavender, rosemary, and eucalyptus essential oil in this recipe with more mint essential oil.
What can I use instead of vapor rub?
If you don’t like using vapor rub, I recommend a few other DIY recipes. The first is my cold and flu roll-on remedy. It uses the same essential oils (and then some) to give you that decongestion and soothing relief. It’s smaller, so it’s very travel-friendly.
I also like to use eucalyptus shower steamers. Basically a bath bomb for the shower, the steamer slowly releases the powerful smell of eucalyptus, which helps decongest and refreshes you once you’re done with the shower.
Can vapor rub help clogged ears?
No research indicates that vapor rub can help with clogged ears and earaches. It is best to use products specifically designed for the ear. Putting products in your ear can cause more blockage and lead to infection.
More Cold and Flue Remedies to Try
All-Natural Chest Vapor Rub Recipe
Rub this all-natural DIY vapor rub on your chest, below your nose, or on your feet for quick sinus relief during cold and flu season.
Melt the oils and wax over a double boiler or in a Turkish coffee pot on the stove. Be sure to stir it constantly and do not overheat. It should just melt,not cook.
Add in your essential oils.
Pour into metal tins and let set.
Re-melt to add more essential oils if you want it a bit stronger.
Rub balm on your chest to help soothe congestion and cough, under your nose for a stuffy nose and sore skin from scratchy tissues, or on feet.
A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants.
All week, we’re revisiting the most popular stories of 2025, including this one from March.
Anyone who knows British garden designer Jo Thompson’s work will not be surprised by the title of her book, The New Romantic Garden. Over the decades that Thompson has been working as a designer she, has always created atmospheric gardens with a softness and sense of atmosphere and mystery. The 30 gardens that fill the book show how a modern romantic aesthetic can be applied anywhere—from a tiny city garden to the meadows of a country estate. Thompson’s text is delightfully laced with romance, too, with references to fairies, sun goddesses, and Narnia.
Above: Benton irises and roses mingle in this romantic London garden designed by Thompson. Photograph by Jason Ingram.
The “new” in the title reflects the fact that while Thompson’s work may feel nostalgic in some regards (there are many an English rose in this book), it is firmly of-the-moment. A longtime advocate of organic gardening, Thompson designs to support biodiversity and soil health, which are on all gardeners’ minds today. There’s also a looseness and a naturalness that will appeal to fans of the new perennial movement and more naturalistic styles. This book is a fresh perspective on what a “romantic” garden is today.
Photography courtesy of The New Romantic Garden by Jo Thompson (Rizzoli).
1. Start with the story.
Above: Romantic and natural, this garden has a real sense of place and to whom it belongs (writer Justine Picardie and her husband, Philip Astor). The wildflower meadow of mostly native grasses is peppered with a few nonnatives to extend the season of pollen and visual interest. Photograph by Rachel Warne.
For all of her designs, Thompson develops a story for the garden based on her clients’ desires and the place itself. For Thompson this involves “beating the bounds of the place and really getting to grips with the space,” plus trying to understand its history and what might have been there before. But she says, storytelling can be a delicate dance. “You want to avoid creating a pastiche,” she cautions. “If I’m working with a Tudor cottage near Canterbury, I’m not going to create a little Tudor medicinal garden, but there might be elements, like medicinal plants within the planting.” Likewise, Thompson says she trusts her intuition not to take a garden too far from its roots.
A new year means a new batch of gardens to showcase, but as I was preparing for the holiday break I realized it has been awhile since I’ve given an update on some of my favorite plants: my cacti and succulent collection. When I became Garden Photo of the Day editor back in May 2024, I introduced myself with a handful of photos from my indoor garden (Cacti and Succulent Gardening in Connecticut). Since then, I have occasionally shared a few highlights, but there have been plenty of updates and additions that I haven’t gotten around to sharing on the blog. Today I’m finally sharing some new houseplant photos in hopes of inspiring more GPODers to submit photos of their indoor plant collections.
My taste in plants might not be for everyone, but I’ve always been attracted to unconventional shapes and interesting growing patterns. Cacti and succulents are no longer hard to find at nurseries and plant shops, but I’m always keeping my eye out for species that stand out from the crowd. When I was browsing one of my local indoor plant stores, this variegated Joseph’s Coat (Opuntia monacantha variegata, Zones 9–10) instantly grabbed my attention.
Another new addition that was too fascinating to leave behind was this ‘White Ghost’ euphorbia (Euphorbia lactea ‘White Ghost’, Zones 10–11). At the time of purchase, it was flushed with pink, but that has since been replaced with lots of new growth. This is by far the largest plant in my indoor collection and it has been a big adjustment adding it to my maintenance routine, but it has encouraged me to consider even larger additions in the future.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, some old favorites gave me new excitement this year. This Zebra haworthia (Haworthiopsis attenuata, Zones 9–11) is one of the oldest in my collection, a plant I’ve had for many years now. It has been low-maintenance and soldiered on through extended periods of neglect. What started as three little rosettes has grown wider and much taller, but, for the first time this year…
We have babies! As if out of nowhere, I peeked inside this pot one day and saw three offshoots reaching for the sun. It might be time to start dividing this plant, but that is a decision and project for spring.
New to me but not necessarily new, this bird’s nest snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Hahnii Jade’, Zones 9–11) has grown from remnants of a plant that my mother was planning on sending to the trash. After potting up a couple cuttings and a tiny chunk of the plant that hadn’t completely died, it sprung right back to life. During the summer it started thriving, sending out lovely, bright green growth.
Lastly, a plant I’ll never tire of sharing: Baby’s Necklace succulent (Crassula ‘Baby’s Necklace’, Zones 10–11). Last year my plant suffered some serious leaf loss and needed major rehabilitation. After hours of trimming I collected enough cuttings to fill two small pots. This is the smaller of the two, and it brings me so much joy to see them thriving again and soon in need of a repot.
I hope you all enjoyed this little indoor plant update! Now that most of our outdoor gardens are in their winter slumber, many of us turn to houseplants to itch that gardening scratch. Although Garden Photo of the Day tends to be dominated by the outdoor plants that make our hearts sing, I hope this post inspires you to share some of the indoor plants that make the colder months a little bit more green. Follow the NEW directions below to submit your photos to Garden Photo of the Day!
We want to see YOUR garden!
Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
You can also send 5–10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here
Fine Gardening Recommended Products
Buffalo-Style Gardens: Create a Quirky, One-of-a-Kind Private Garden with Eye-Catching Designs
Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
Buffalo-Style Gardens is a one-of-a-kind, offbeat garden design book that showcases the wildly inventive gardens and gardeners of Buffalo – and offers readers “the best of the best” ideas to use in their own small-space gardens.
Lee Valley Garden Obelisks
Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
Sturdy yet lightweight, these obelisks provide ample support for climbing plants while being easy to install and move. The medium obelisk stands 68 1/2″ high overall with a diameter of about 9 1/2″, compact enough for smaller containers indoors or out. The large size stands 86 1/2″ high with a diameter of 15 3/4″, ideal for larger outdoor spaces and containers.
Sunnydaze 14-Inch Round Lava-Finish Ceramic Plant Pot
Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
Made from ceramic in a vibrant green color, this outdoor plant pot features a one-of-a-kind lava finish. This decorative planter for outdoor plants measures 14″ in diameter (outer top, 8.5″ at bottom) x 11″ H and weighs 23.6 lbs. Its inner measurements are 11.75″ in diameter x 10″ H. The planter has a soil capacity of 3.05 gallons (0.41 cu ft).
Over time the lower leaves drop off, exposing the stem, which looks similar to sugar cane.
As the leaves drop, leaving just the top foliage in place, the plant starts to resemble a small palm tree.
Toxicity
In case the warning above didn’t tip you off: watch out! This plant is toxic to cats and dogs, and can cause drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing, or even death.
Humans should take care, as well. Keep plants away from young children who like to put things in their mouths.
The sap can irritate the skin and eyes. Wear gloves, long sleeves, and eye protection when working with this plant, to be on the safe side, and avoid touching your face.
How to Grow
Dieffenbachia excels as a container specimen both indoors and out.
If you live in Zones 10 to 12, you can also grow it outdoors in the garden in mass plantings, borders, or as an accent.
After you find a good spot for it to grow in, all you need to do otherwise is provide it with food and water now and then.
Light
Dumb cane prefers partial shade and too much direct light can cause tip burn, so avoid bright, west-facing windows.
They can grow in a spot with around six hours of indirect sunlight, but you need to make a special effort to keep them well-watered, so they don’t get too dry with the additional light.
Dumb canes can also adjust to low light, but they will grow more slowly.
Be sure to rotate plants positioned in low light conditions frequently, to prevent them from reaching for the light and growing unevenly.
Soil
Miracle-Gro Indoor Potting Mix is one of my favorite options because it’s both water retentive and drains well.
It also has built-in fertilizer, so you don’t have to feed your plant again for the first six months after potting up.
A location where temperatures remain between 60 and 75°F is ideal, but these plants can tolerate cooler temperatures down to 50°F and heat up to 90°F for short periods without suffering.
Dumb cane prefers humidity above around 60 percent, but they’ll do fine in drier air as well.
Water
Allow the top inch of soil to dry before watering, but be sure that you never let your dumb cane sit in soggy soil.
If the leaves start to droop, that’s a sign that you need to give your plant a drink. Check the soil and add water if it’s dry.
To water, soak at the soil level until water runs out of the drainage holes. Remove the saucer and toss the excess water after it is done draining.
Just note that dumb cane leaves can start to turn brown at the tips if the plant isn’t receiving enough water or if the air humidity is too low.
Fertilizer
Dumb canes are heavy feeders, but don’t pull out the fertilizer just yet.
You want to find the right balance between applying so much fertilizer that the plant grows too quickly, and giving it so little that it struggles to survive.
Plants that are growing in low light need less fertilizer than ones placed in brighter light, and they will need little or no fertilizer during the dormant winter period.
Choose a balanced fertilizer like Lilly Miller’s All Purpose Plant Food, available on Amazon.
Dilute in water and apply to the soil every six weeks or so during the growing season.
If you notice curled leaves with brown edges and the soil isn’t extremely dry, you’ve likely added too much fertilizer.
If you use potting mix with added fertilizer, don’t fertilize for the first six months after planting. Otherwise, you can start your fertilizer routine straight away.
Cultivars to Select
Sellers often don’t specify which species they’re selling, though they’ll sometimes describe the cultivar.
It doesn’t really matter much, since they all have the same growing requirements. These cultivars are some of the more popular and pretty options out there.
Compacta
If you have a small, poorly lit corner to fill, ‘Compacta’ (D. maculata) might be just the ticket. It stays much smaller than most other varieties, rarely growing beyond 18 inches tall.
D. maculata ‘Exotica’ has a more upright growth habit than other varieties and grows up to 24 inches tall.
‘Exotica’
The leaves are green with a marbled creamy yellow pattern that bears a striking resemblance to the merle pattern seen on the coats of certain types of dogs.
Marianne
Sometimes called ‘Tropic Marianne’ or ‘Maryanne,’ D. maculata ‘Marianne’ grows to about three feet tall at maturity. It has oversized leaves with a creamy center and thin, dark green margins.
‘Marianne’
Unlike many others on this list, the center of each leaf is a single color that gradually fades into the margin rather than having a marbled or speckled pattern.
Rudolph Roehrs
D. maculata ‘Rudolph Roehrs’ has pale, speckled yellow and white leaves with dark green margins and green veins. The foliage almost looks as though someone splattered it with paint.
Photo by David J. Stang via Wikimedia Commons, via CC BY-SA.
This one grows anywhere from four to six feet tall, so it’s better for larger spaces.
Tropic Snow
‘Tropic Snow’ stretches up to six feet tall when it’s full grown.
The leaves of this D. seguine cultivar have a dramatic marbled green center, with dark green midribs and margins.
‘Vesuvius’ is a standout D. amoena cultivar because of its explosively mottled leaves.
Photo by Kristine Lofgren.
The margins are dark green, while the center of each massive leaf has cream, yellow, and light green marbling that varies from tiny pinhead-sized spots to larger patches that nearly cover the entire leaf.
This one grows to an average of three feet in height, but I’ve seen them reach up to five feet in ideal conditions.
Maintenance
There’s no need to prune your dumb cane, but if you find any leaves that are shriveled and brown, yellow, or otherwise unattractive, you can trim them off with a clean pair of clippers.
When my dumb canes start to look like palm trees, I simply cut the stem with a pair of clippers to about an inch above the soil level.
Put the plant in a spot with bright, indirect light and keep the soil moist. Within a few weeks, new growth will emerge from the base of the stem and you can start fresh.
Dust the foliage every few weeks with a damp cloth. Leaves that are covered in a layer of dust aren’t able to photosynthesize effectively.
Repot every year or two to keep your dumb cane happy. If you see roots poking up out of the surface of the soil or ringing the perimeter of the container, it’s time to repot.
I like to poke a finger into the perimeter to feel for roots, or you can pull the plant out and examine the situation once a year or so.
WE’RE BACK! How do three more 90-minute escapes from the seemingly endless world madness sound right about now, with each session offering an updated look at a foundational element of the ecological garden-making and management equation?
I’ve been buoyed by your continuing enthusiasm for my “Garden 2.0” webinar series, and the chance to learn together as we did in 2025’s classes from experts in ecological horticulture. I hope you’ll consider continuing our education in the new year, with a monthly gathering for an expert talk and Q&A (available to join live, or watch in replay at a time of your choosing).
With that in mind, I’ve invited three presenters whose work I greatly admire to coach us and answer our questions. Each one will tease apart an aspect of what makes a garden that thrives ecologically, and is also beautiful, including:
Not all native plants are created equal: How to confidently choose the best ones for your landscape, from straight species to “nativars” and beyond;
What you need to know before you design: Key pieces of essential homework to insure not just strong aesthetics, but a finished garden’s ecological vibrancy;
What the research (not guessing or conventional wisdoms!) tells us are the best garden-maintenance practices to maximize biodiversity.
How it all works: For nearly four years, my Virtual Garden Club operated only on a subscription model, where members purchased access to a whole semester of classes at a time. Last year, I introduced a new format, which because of your positive response is continuing.
I’ll once again host monthly 90-minute workshops you can buy individually (or sign up for all three at a 14 percent discount!). Attend your choice(s) live, or watch the recorded version for three months afterward, at your leisure.
Tickets for these standalone webinars are just $29, or $75 for the series.
The lineup to choose from:
Jan. 29, 2026 1-2:30 PM Eastern
Joseph Tychonievich
The Cultivar Conundrum
WHEN TRYING to choose native plants for the garden, we’re confronted with terms like straight species, wild-type, cultivar, nativar, selection, and ecotype. In this lecture Joseph Tychonievich will dig into what all those terms mean, where named plant selections come from, and how they impact the ecosystem that is your garden. Which ones work for the garden’s essential inhabitants, the pollinators and other beneficials, and which ones don’t? You’ll come away with everything you need to confidently choose the best native plants for your landscape.
Joseph Tychonievich is a lifelong lover of plants and gardening. He earned his degree in horticulture from Ohio State University and went on to work for specialty rare-plant nurseries in Japan and Michigan. Joseph is the author of several books, including “Rock Gardening: Reimagining a Classic Style,” and “The Comic Book Guide to Growing Food: Step-by-Step Vegetable Gardening for Everyone.” He is the editor of the North American Rock Garden Society’s quarterly journal, and has been published in “Fine Gardening,” “Horticulture,” and “The New York Times.” He currently lives and gardens in South Bend, Ind., with his husband, three cats, and a truly excessive number of plants (including some that he has bred himself).
Feb. 19, 2026, 1-2:30 PM Eastern
Rebecca McMackin
Approaching Design from an Ecological Perspective
WELL BEFORE we pick out a plant palette and draw beds on a plan, there is much research and consideration that go into designing an ecological landscape. The history of your land, the ecology of the region, and the existing wildlife communities can all be incorporated into a final design that has more integrity than any store-bought butterfly garden. Join ecological horticulturalist and designer Rebecca McMackin to learn how to approach a yard transformation that considers ecoregions alongside soccer games, and neighbors alongside wildlife habitat.
Rebecca McMackin is an ecologically obsessed horticulturist, garden designer, and writer. She is Lead Horticulturist for the American Horticultural Society and produces the monthly newsletter and podcast, “Grow Like Wild!” Prior to moving to the woods of New England, Rebecca was Arboretum Curator at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, a Loeb Fellow at Harvard, and managed Brooklyn Bridge Park for a decade. She has written for and been featured in Gardens Illustrated, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, NPR, PBS, and her TED talk on ecological gardening has been watched more than a million times. Her garden for the Brooklyn Museum recently won the Perennial Plant Association’s Award of Excellence.
March 19, 2026, 1-2:30 PM Eastern
Max Ferlauto
The Science Behind Leaving Your Leaves (and More Garden-Care Insights)
LONG-HELD garden-maintenance practices are evolving as we learn more about their impact on ecology, so what’s “best practice” now in caring for our yards? In March 2025, Maryland’s state entomologist, Max Ferlauto, and Karin T. Burghardt, an ecologist and associate professor at the University of Maryland, published results of two years of research about the impacts of fall leaf removal—offering hard numbers to back up the Cleanup 2.0 call to “leave the leaves” we’ve heard in recent years. This webinar will expand on the research results, and also go into depth on topics such as yard biodiversity and soil health. Max has studied additional factors in the “leave the leaves” question—such as alternative planting and management strategies beyond fall-cleanup tactics, and even show us how our yard-biodiversity planning efforts can be tied to the larger conservation goals of preserving rare species and habitats.
Max Ferlauto, the State Entomologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources since November 2023, earned his doctorate degree in entomology from the University of Maryland. In March 2025, with Karin Burghardt of the University of Maryland, he published much-heralded research on the impacts of leaf removal resulting from their two-year study in 20 residential suburban Maryland yards, finally putting hard numbers to the effects of one of our highest-impact garden practices: fall cleanup.
Gardening is often seen as a solitary activity, but there’s also an incredible community to be found among people who love growing plants. Gardening clubs bring people together and provide a connection and community that we can all use more of. Whether you’ve just started gardening, recently moved to a new city, or you’re just feeling isolated these days, this is my personal take on the benefits of joining a gardening club and how you can find your fellow plant lovers.
Lately, it seems like clubs are making a big comeback. Whether it’s online or in-person, there’s a club for every interest—running, reading, knitting, and, of course, gardening!
And it makes sense. In an increasingly isolated world, people are seeking out community. We may not be able to find it as easily as we could at school club fairs, but adults benefit hugely from gathering with like-minded people who share our interests.
My fellow gardeners have truly changed my life and provided so much positivity and connection. If you’re in need of some community, I highly recommend joining a gardening club.
Not only is it a great way to share your hobby with others, you can learn from more experienced gardeners. It also provides a chance to trade plants and seeds and even tour other gardens for inspiration!
Here’s what I’ll be covering today…
I love speaking at gardening clubs and events.
Being Part of a Garden Club
When I first started my gardening journey, I was going through a period in my life where I felt very isolated and lonely. Gardening started as a coping mechanism for me as I was spending a lot of time at home, in great pain from my new disability.
My doctors recommended I join a support group, but I didn’t find talking about my pain all the time to be helpful. The meetings felt more like venting sessions than a supportive environment.
Instead, I decided to look for connection by joining a community garden. It was a much more uplifting environment, and all we ever chatted about was plants. Which was amazing! Soon enough, I could feel those feelings of isolation beginning to lift.
At first, Garden Therapy was just a way to connect with people and talk about plants. I wrote anonymously, and I didn’t share any personal details. Slowly that changed, and I’m grateful that I now have a huge gardening community here online. And yes, I always read the comments and emails I get!
Now, I do a lot of talks for more traditional garden clubs, and the community they create is amazing. I actually made some great friends through the Master Gardeners Club in Vancouver, and we still meet up regularly. To this day, the friends I have met through gardening are some of my nearest and dearest.
Me with two of my gardening friends, Emily Murphy and Tara Nolan.
What Does a Gardening Club Do?
Like any club, organization, or society, the main purpose of a gardening club is community. As I mentioned, I first joined a community garden during a very lonely time in my life, and it provided an amazing sense of connection.
As far as the actual activities and events go, it depends on the club you join. Seed and plant swaps are some of my personal favourite club events to attend, but some clubs also host other events like garden tours.
Another benefit of joining a club is the wealth of expertise and knowledge that other gardeners can share. If you’ve ever found yourself trying to use the internet to diagnose a problem with one of your plants, you can imagine how helpful it is to have a community of gardeners who can provide advice.
Plus, it’s nice to have people in your life to share the wins with, whether it’s a bountiful vegetable harvest or a new leaf on a plant you thought wouldn’t make it.
I recently hosted an eco-printing workshop at the Northwest Flower and Garden Festival.
How to Find Your Local Gardening Club
If your local gardening club is well established, you may be able to find it with just a quick Google search. But if not, local or provincial horticultural societies are great resources. They often have lists of gardening organizations available on their websites. You can also join local Facebook groups to find out about events and organizations to participate in.
If all else fails, you can always ask around at community gardens or even gardening centres. Just think about where your fellow gardeners might be spending time and go there! Even if you don’t find an already established club, this is a tried and true way to meet people who share your interests.
Community gardens are a great place to start for beginners or those with limited space.
Starting Your Own Gardening Club
If your community doesn’t have an existing gardening club or one that works for your schedule, you can also find fellow gardeners by starting your own group.
Find a Meeting Place
Logistically, there are a few things to consider. You’ll need to think about where and how often you’ll meet, as well as if there are any bylaws you need to abide by.
Local libraries and community centres can be great meeting places as they often have free meeting spaces that you can book. You might even find some of your members by advertising at local meeting centres as well as community gardens.
Facebook groups are another excellent place to find people to join your new club. Try posting in local community groups and see what happens. You might even be able to find a Facebook group specifically for gardeners in your area. You can also create an event page for your group to help advertise meetings.
The Purpose of Your Garden Club
Once you have the basic who, where, and when of your club figured out, you’ll need to decide what you’ll do and talk about. Maybe you want to host a more casual gathering where you simply chat about what you’re growing or a more structured Q&A style conversation.
Seed swaps can also be a fun way to break the ice by providing an activity for everyone to participate in, but keep in mind this might take a bit more planning.
Plant swap photo by Kristin Crouch.
Guest Speakers
Guest speakers are another great option if you want to provide more structure to your meetings and focus on gardening education. Speaking at events and garden clubs is one of my favourite things to do! Whether I join in person or via Zoom, I try to make my talks very personal and focus on encouraging conversation so that we can all learn from each other. After all, that’s one of the best parts of gardening clubs.
Whether you decide to bring in a speaker, or meet a few other gardeners for coffee once a month, remember that the purpose of gardening clubs is to find community. As long as you get to connect with people who share your passion for plants, that’s all that matters!
Having guest speakers can open up your gardening club to other perspectives and approaches to gardening.
Garden Club FAQ
What is the purpose of a garden club?
Like any club, the main purpose of a gardening club is to create a community of people with a common interest—gardening! Each one is a bit different depending on the needs and interests of its members, but some of the clubs I’ve participated in have held organized events for trading plants, seeds, and harvests. Others can be more casual, just a chance to meet up with fellow gardeners to chat about our plants and share tips.
How do I attract new members to a garden club?
Even if you’re planning to host an in-person garden club, I think the internet is the easiest way to find like-minded people. Facebook groups are an excellent place to start. Maybe your community even has a Facebook group for gardeners where you could look for members. You might also find members at places like a community garden or community centre.
A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants.
All week, we’re revisiting the most popular stories of 2025, including this one from July.
A shade garden is a green and contemplative refuge. It can also be a botanical calendar, with flowers signaling the change of seasons. Well-chosen perennials for shade provide texture and pattern, flowers, and sometimes even fruit. They offer an indispensable layer of interest alongside the architecture of shrubs and trees, and the seasonal excitement of shade-loving annuals. Perennials are plants that return every year after a dormant period and they usually bloom for a few weeks. Choosing perennials whose bloom-time is staggered over the growing season gives us that gift that gardeners, in particular, enjoy: anticipation. Our favorite perennials for shade work harder, though, and are about more than flowers—their foliage or form is interesting even when the plant is not flowering. Here are 13 of our favorites.
Foamflower, Tiarella cordifolia
Above: Foamflower thrives in pots or in-ground. Above: Foamflower creates frothy carpets of flowers in early spring.
Foamflower blooms in early spring, creating frothy pockets of brightness in the garden. This species of Tiarella propagates itself, establishing new plants from skinny surface-runners, making it a perfect naturalizer for shady path edges and woodland floors. When not in bloom, its maple-shaped leaves create a softly textured quilt. This Eastern native is hardy from USDA zones 4 (and possibly 3) to 9.
Doll’s eyes, Actaea pachypoda
Above: The graceful flowers of doll’s eyes are deliciously-scented
Perhaps one of the best-scented perennials for shade, doll’s eyes are also known as white baneberry, thanks to the plants’ Halloween-ready, toxic white fruit on blood-red stalks in late fall. But in spring, they are all sweetness, with lemon-scented white flowers. This woodland native relishes full shade and blooms in mid-spring above prettily toothed leaves. Doll’s eyes are hardy from zones 3 to 8.
Wake robin, Trillium species
Above: Woodland elegance—Trilliums in mid-spring.
The understated elegance of native Trilliums belongs to a woodland spring. Planted under deciduous trees in soil rich in leaf humus or compost, they bask in spring sunshine and shelter in early summer shade. They are especially effective planted in groups with companion plants that fill out when the Trilliums are dormant, from summer onwards. Different species have blooms that may be white, yellow, or red, with erect or nodding flowers, and most are hardy within zones 4 to 7.
Meadow rue, Thalictrum species
Above: The white flowers of native tall meadow rue in a pot on my Brooklyn terrace. Above: Meadow rue (native to Asia) has purple flowers.
Although we’re in the depth of winter, and the bloom of peak season color may feel painfully far away, New Year’s Day brings with it the promise of a new year of gardening. Last year, I used the final GPOD of the year to share my 2025 garden resolutions (Happy New Year’s Eve GPOD!), which did help me keep those intentions in the front of mind (even if I’m still working on getting into a good routine with houseplant maintenance). However, I had a different mindset this year. Rather than lament over all of the gardening practices I could be doing better, I’m entering 2026 with one resolution in mind: spend more time embracing the joy of plants.
Sometimes gardening can become a pursuit of perfection. How do I ensure the biggest blooms or the most abundant harvests? How can I make this border even better? This plant is nice, but I bet I can find something even more beautiful! Suddenly, the restorative practice of gardening becomes a burden and we forget why we started digging in the first place—for the love of plants. This post serves as a reminder to step back and enjoy the process. No matter what succeeds or what fails in the garden this year, remember to enjoy the journey and savor even the smallest moments of plant magic around us. Here are some of my most magical garden moments of 2025.
Late winter and early spring brought the usual excitement of new seedlings. One of my resolutions last year was to be smarter about the variety and number of seeds I start, and progress was definitely made. More modifications should make this year the most successful veggie garden yet.
Spring was a flurry of activity that always flies right by, but a highlight that I won’t forget is this visit to New York Botanical Garden on a rainy, quiet day. Minimal crowds allowed me to really take in the new growth and spring blooms, and capture some beautiful photos. Check out some more highlights: GPOD on the Road: New York Botanical Garden in Spring
2024 was a banner year for hydrangeas in New England, but the summer of 2025 was dominated by the rose. This Oso Easy Italian Ice® rose (Rosa x ‘CHEWNICEBELL’, Zones 4–9) in my mother’s front garden was covered in blooms all season long.
Back in the veggie garden, this cherry tomato volunteer was a hilarious little surprise. Escaping from a crack on the outside of one of my raised beds, this tiny tomato plant miraculously emerged. I didn’t expect much from it, but left it to grow through the season rather than cutting it out. It gave me yet another surprise when it grew, thrived, and produced delicious fruit throughout the summer and into fall.
Back to my travels, Coastal Maine Botanical Garden has been on my bucket list for many years now and I finally managed to make the trip this summer. While there is something to enjoy in these gardens all year-round, I was astounded to see this botanical wonder at its peak performance. If you missed the highlights I shared back in July, be sure to check them out: GPOD on the Road: Coastal Maine Botanical Garden in Early Summer.
One last garden highlight was much closer to home, but just as magical. At the end of August I visited Maywood Gardens in Bridgewater, Connecticut for the one day a year that it is open to the public. As part of the Garden Conservancy Open Days program, this sweeping estate becomes available for the public to explore and enjoy. But looking back on it now, I don’t believe I ever shared highlights from the trip on the blog… so keep an eye out for those this year!
Lastly, a late fall trip to western Pennsylvania brought many moments of quiet appreciation for the wonderful world of plants all around us.
Thank you all for another fabulous year of Garden Photo of the Day, and I look forward to seeing and sharing more of your incredible gardens this year. Follow the NEW directions below to submit your photos to Garden Photo of the Day!
We want to see YOUR garden!
Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
You can also send 5–10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here
Fine Gardening Recommended Products
Sunnydaze 14-Inch Round Lava-Finish Ceramic Plant Pot
Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
Made from ceramic in a vibrant green color, this outdoor plant pot features a one-of-a-kind lava finish. This decorative planter for outdoor plants measures 14″ in diameter (outer top, 8.5″ at bottom) x 11″ H and weighs 23.6 lbs. Its inner measurements are 11.75″ in diameter x 10″ H. The planter has a soil capacity of 3.05 gallons (0.41 cu ft).
Sungmor Heavy Duty Cast Iron Urn Planter
Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
Decorative plant pot made of solid cast-iron material, painted in rustic white color, finished with anti-rust coating, that will last for years. Rustic design plus enough space to plant makes this a perfect outdoor and garden planter. A great way to add beauty to your small garden oasis.
Size: height: 10.2 inches; bottom diameter: 4.0 inches; opening diameter: 7.87 inches. Makes a great garden gift.
Lee Valley Large Gardener’s Wash Basket
Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
This basket was designed to be used by gardeners to wash freshly harvested vegetables before taking them inside. You can gather your vegetables and then hose them off right in the same basket. However, you can also use it for fruit or add a cloth liner for serving bread or other baked goods. Measuring 16″ long, 11″ wide and 4″ deep, it is made of chrome-plated steel to resist rust.
After the magic of Christmas and the glitter of New Year’s Eve have passed, it’s time to close up the holiday chapter, including getting rid of your real Christmas tree. Rather than send it to the landfill in your garbage bin, participate in a local Christmas tree recycling program or give it a second life in your own backyard.
I live in Vancouver, which is a very green city. Both in the sheer amount of greenery and nature that surrounds us, and also in our daily practices. The correlation between the two is significant, I’m sure!
When it comes to my Christmas tree, it’s always been a no-brainer for me to get a locally sourced, fresh one. I’ve visited the tree farm itself as well as gotten a permit to cut down one on crown land.
And when Christmas has come and gone, it’s also a no-brainer for me to drop off the Christmas tree to be recycled or chop it up to decompose naturally in my garden.
Here’s how and what to expect when you recycle your Christmas tree.
The Artificial vs Real Christmas Tree Debate
Depending on who you ask or where you read, you’ll get a different answer for whether an artificial or a real tree is better for the environment; it depends on how you use and dispose of your tree.
Fake Christmas trees are made of plastic that won’t break down and are nearly impossible to recycle. They come wrapped in packaging, and many now come with the lights pre-installed on the tree. They’re also produced overseas for many regions.
But if you consistently use an artificial tree year after year, these environmental effects are minimized.
A real Christmas tree is almost always going to be better for the environment simply because it’s biodegradable. It’s easy to find local Christmas tree recycling to dispose of them in the New Year. However, they can become a waste issue when people aren’t chopping and mulching them down.
Real Christmas trees must be properly disposed of to be environmentally conscious.
Christmas Tree Recycling Programs
Why should you recycle a tree? Like all compost and organic matter, you want to avoid sending it to a landfill. Since there is no oxygen, organic matter can’t break down properly. In fact, compost needs air, moisture, greens, and browns to really break down. In a landfill, the compost will break down into methane gas, a powerful greenhouse gas.
According to the National Christmas Tree Association, there are more than 4,000 Christmas tree recycling programs in the USA. Most people in urban areas will have access to a nearby program.
In early January, look for a local recycling program for your Christmas tree. Usually, this is a drop-off location.
How many trees actually make it to these recycling programs, I’m not sure. And that’s the key to keeping your real Christmas tree environmentally friendly. Out with the tinsel, in with the mulch!
Before recycling your Christmas tree, remove all decorations, lights, and ornaments. If you decided to flock your tree, unfortunately, it is no longer recyclable due to the artificial ingredients in the flocking powder.
Most municipalities have a Christmas tree recycling program where they will pick up your Christmas tree curbside, have a collection point, or allow you to dispose of it at a compost facility.
There, the city will chop up the tree and turn it into compost or mulch.
Beware, the dates for tree disposal can be quite early. The one in Vancouver is set for January 10, and I’ve seen it be even earlier.
Most Christmas trees are recycled into mulch.
How to Recycle a Real Christmas Tree at Home
If you don’t have access to Christmas tree removal, you can easily give your tree a second life in your own backyard.
If you have the space, you can use the tree as a habitat in your yard. Set it somewhere out of the way and allow for creatures to move in and nest there. It will naturally break down over time.
In the past, I’ve used an old Christmas tree as garden edging. You can also have it chopped up and used as mulch.
It’s important that we close the loop on our waste. Even when it comes to natural and organic materials, we must be mindful of how we dispose of them. I hope your Christmas tree gets a second life in the garden this year!
More Helpful Tips!
A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants.
We had a nice, long spring this year and were able to get a good bit of gardening work done. We mulched and planted the grocery row garden beds, pruned trees, and planted lots of watermelons, potatoes, yams, corn and pumpkins. It was a very good spring until I got sick. I was out of commission for a week, then got better for a little over a week, then was down for a second week. Bad headache, hallucinatory feelings, aches all over. etc. The second time I got sick I also got a terrible earache, and ended up having to take a long round of antibiotics. For a while, I could hardly hear out of one ear.
It doesn’t hurt anymore, but still feels weird and clicks when I move my jaw. Like it’s trying to equalize pressure but every time it pops, the pressure just comes back.
But that’s enough about weird medical issues.
The two spring sicknesses negatively impacted some of our gardening plans, especially the planting of sweet potatoes. We had lots ready to plant, but life got away from us.
That said, the corn field was great, and the watermelons were even better.
Before I cover the final yields this year, let’s look at how we did fulfilling our goals.
2025 Goals: How Did We Do?
Finish Alabama Survival Gardening
Yes, sort of. I finished my half of it and gave the book to Noah Sanders to complete.
Finish The Good Guide to Food Forests
No. A good chunk of it is finished, but it’s not done.
Get a tiller for the tractor
Yes.
Get a bed-maker/hiller for the tractor
Yes.
Get a grapple for the Bobcat
Yes, but the grapple had a hydraulic issue with it and I returned it, then decided not to buy another.
No. A friend and I were working on it but it got sidelined. We cleaned up all the parts inside and it just needs to be put back together and set up.
No luck yet.
Nope.
Plant a patch of sorghum and make sorghum syrup
Nope.
Plant a good patch of corn
Yes. We did a good patch. The yields weren’t amazing, but the mix of colors was interesting.
Grow a large patch of ube yams
Sort of. We planted a somewhat larger patch, but we lost quite a bit of the ube we planted in 2024 (which was still sleeping in the ground when I wrote my goal). In January of this year, we had a snow and some very cold nights that rotted much of our ube. Previously, it had overwintered in the soil. This year, it didn’t do that well. Much of it turned to mush.
Do better at growing potatoes
No. We did worse, despite planting a lot more and trying to do it right.
Put in a large row-crop area with the tractor
Yes. Large rows of corn, pumpkins, yams, melons and potatoes were all put in easily thanks to the new tiller on the tractor.
No. We keep missing opportunities.
No. We started to do this, then got too busy in spring. Later in the year, we sold the cows to buy our new Farm and Garden store – but I’m getting ahead of myself.
Build a better chicken coop
No.
Nope.
Add at least 20 cold-hardy citrus to the homestead
No. This plan was also put aside due to our record snow and cold in January. Full-grown Satsumas across our area were killed. There are few citrus that can take a foot of snow and 11-degree cold.
Plant some modern pecan varieties
No, didn’t manage it yet.
Eliminate popcorn trees from the woods
No. They keep coming back. We removed quite a few with the Bobcat but they grow back from the roots. It seems a nasty herbicide is required.
Plant papaya trees in the ground in the nursery
No, but we did plant bananas, and they look great.
Grow enough green beans to freeze for the year
No.
Grow enough tomatoes to make all our own sauce
No. We experimented with some heirloom varieties this year instead of the Romas we planted the previous year. Bad idea! Though we planted more plants, the yields were much worse.
Make Steve’s mix again and balance our garden minerals
Yes. We did this, though we haven’t done a new soil test to see where we are.
Grow out the Grenada Black Pumpkin to start stabilizing it
Yes. We did, but it had crossed with Seminole pumpkins and gave us… ZOMBIE PUMPKINS. Happy accidents. They taste great.
Grow 1000lbs of watermelon
Yes. We beat this handily. When we get to the totals section, you’ll see by how much.
Reaching 8 out of 27 goals ain’t bad. It’s better than 0 out of 27.
Of course, some of these goals got sidelined because…
We Bought a Store
With AI junk taking over the internet, decreasing literacy, and decay in YouTube revenue, I was praying for a new job.
“I was offered the chance to buy a “farm and garden” store near us. We are looking into it.
It currently sells feed, nursery plants, tools, garden decor, fertilizer, etc. Very nice place. It also has enough space to do events and teaching, with a little tweaking.
I’m not sure we can afford it, but it would be a great way to set up a food forest nursery with lots of cool hand tools, etc. It’s already profitable, but we would have to borrow to buy it.
What do you guys think?”
I got some good advice, in particular from Leo Miranda-Castro… and we went for it. Our closing happened over September 15/16, and we now own a feed store/plant nursery.
That, of course, put a crimp in our gardening for the rest of the year.
It also greatly cut back my YouTube, blogging and writing output, as I now work 10 hours per day, 5 days per week, and another half-day on Saturday.
Now I am a respectable member of the community, with a brick-and-mortar business, and membership in the chamber of commerce.
Not one of those questionable “influencer” types.
The store is going great, though. We’ve added a lot of hand tools and machetes, and many more plants and fruit trees. It was a good feed store. Now we’re making it into a great nursery as well.
Total Yields: 2954lbs
Our total yields reached 2,954lbs of food, not counting sugarcane.
We grew more than twice as much cane this year as we did in 2024, for at least 600lbs total. Unfortunately, we had to re-plant, sell or chuck a lot of it since we didn’t have a working cane press or time to process it at a friend’s place.
We had more mulberries than were recorded, but they tended to get eaten fast and not weighted. All the persimmons were from one Fuyu tree. We had our first couple of plums and peaches this year. When all our fruit trees start producing, yields are going be crazy.
I have some ube yams in the ground that I didn’t dig – hopefully they make it through winter this year.
The corn patch was pretty but the yields were so-so.
The big winner was the watermelons, weighing in at 1,702lbs.
This is just one harvest:
You can get these landrace seeds here. The proceeds go to Ezekiel and Daisy. She manages the sales, he does the growing/breeding, and it’s been a great combo.
The next winners were the pumpkins. We still have way too many all over our house.
The Seminoles and the Grenada Black pumpkin crossed in two different ways, giving us pumpkins like this:
The breadth of genetics in that Caribbean pumpkin must have been insane. We got all kinds of shapes, colors and skin types.
It will be great seeing what they do in 2026.
YouTube, the Blog and our Skool group
We posted 60 videos this year and ended the year with 348,391 subscribers.
As for this blog, we slowed down a lot but still kept it alive.
January: 11 posts
February: 3 posts
March: 6 posts
April: 9 posts
May: 8 posts
June: 5 posts
July: 4 posts
August: 2 posts
September: 5 posts
October: 2 posts
November: 2 posts
December: 15 posts
72 posts total.
Since AI is taking everything over and spreading garbage info, this month I decided to add THIS BLOG IS NOT WRITTEN BY AI on our top bar, and start posting more.
I also posted a good bit over at Skool, including adding an in-depth 6-part video course on how to excel at Florida gardening. Since YouTube has been deteriorating in views, I hoped to monetize some high-quality content over there instead by providing extra value to paying subscribers. We currently have 168 people involved in the group and the discussions are excellent.
Scrubfest and Other Events
We had fun at the Farmhouse Fair, American Homesteaders, and Scrubfest IV this year and hope to do all those events again in 2026. Stay tuned.
In Conclusion
Overall, it was a great and exciting year. We’re really looking forward to seeing what spring brings at Atmore Farm & Garden. We won’t be gardening as much at home, but we’ll sure be building up the nursery. In just two weeks we’ll get a few hundred bare-root fruit and nut trees for the shop – it’s going to be a great year.
Before I cover the final yields this year, let’s look at how we did fulfilling our goals.
