Category: Home & Garden

Hi GPODers!

Certain countries automatically bring specific design styles to mind. Japan conjures visions of verdant plantings and naturalistic water features, while fragrant plants spilling from terracotta containers in a patio garden remind us of courtyards in Spain and Italy. The same can be said for England’s iconic cottage gardens. When someone says, “English garden” it’s hard not to imagine a very specific kind of design. Of course, even when an garden utilizes plants or style elements that are signature to cottage designs, the execution is always unique to each individual landscape. The garden of Peter Shaw in County Durham in Northeast England is an excellent example. While there are definitely elements of that classic cottage style present, retaining walls keep all the plantings a bit more tamed and tidy and the plants selected make for a much more modern palette.

A sloped garden introduces tons of new obstacles and challenges, but it does have one benefit: the ease of building lush layers with a little less thought and strategy required for selecting and siting plants. Peter has the option to plant something smaller in the back of the bed—like hydrangeas that are much more compact than larger specimens on lower tiers—that would not be possible in a flat landscape.

These retaining walls also provide more visible opportunities for garden art, which is sprinkled unsparingly throughout Peter’s beds. You will also see wonderful container plantings scattered throughout the garden, a great use of every inch of available space for more plants and personality.

Cottage gardens are all about color through lots of diverse and vibrant blooms, and Peter’s garden features just about every color imaginable. However, he doesn’t just rely on flowers for this gorgeous palette of hues, he also utilizes foliage for even more amazing plant pairing possibilities—like the pink Japanese maple situated between hydrangeas and phlox.

Flower-filled but with plenty of room left for more creativity and fun. Some gardeners are traditionalists, embracing the “rules” of gardening and looking to achieve something very specific. But the benefit of a cottage style garden is the opportunity to experiment. The “rules” in this style are much less hard and fast, allowing the gardener to interpret them in a way that matches their personal style and garden layout.

Finally, a sweet little seating area surrounded by even more containers of fabulous foliage and flowers.

Thank you so much for sharing your gorgeous designs with us, Peter! You’ve clearly made an iconic and beloved design style completely your own, injecting tons of personality and creativity into your space.

Are there traditional garden styles that you try to emulate in your garden? From a Zen Japanese garden to wild, naturalistic plantings, what atmosphere are you cultivating in your landscape? Follow the directions below to submit photos via email, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.

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!

To submit, 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.

Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter with #FineGardening!

Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here

Fine Gardening Recommended Products

Channel Link Rain Chain, 8.5 Feet, Pure Solid Copper

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

Elevate Your Exterior: Replace unsightly gutter downspouts with this stunning rain chain. Enjoy the mesmerizing sights and soothing sounds of rain cascading gracefully down, adding beauty to any outdoor space. Exceptional Durability: Crafted from pure copper, our rain chains for gutters are meticulously hand-assembled, promising a lifetime of classic beauty and resilience. Install in a Snap: No need to be an expert. Easily swap your rain chains for downspouts using the supplied hanging hook. Our rain chains for outside are compatible with any standard gutter hole. Optional gutter installer sold separately. Unrestricted Water Flow: The open-flow design of the gutter chain downspout allows water to effortlessly cascade down the chain without fear of backing up, even by heavy rain. Dimensions: Cup: 1.25 inches wide, 2 inches tall, 8.5 feet long, Cup count: 25

XLUX Soil Moisture Meter

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

– Large and clear dial, including ten scales, plug and read
– Simply insert the moisture meter into soil and you’ll get the test result instantly
– Single probe, less hurts to the roots, doesn’t dig up too much soil after test

Niteangel Natural Wooden Insect Hotel, Garden Insect House for Ladybugs, lacewings, Butterfly, Bee, Bug

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

The insect nest box provide a safe environment where garden creatures can shelter, hibernate and lay their eggs, the insect house can also keep insects from entering your warm room. The insect hotel makes it easy to find and observe fascinating creatures. the butterfly, bees and ladybugs can use this product as habitat. Dry wood and Bamboo can be home to many insects such as ladybirds and lacewings which eat aphids and help keep your plants pest-free. the insect hotel improve the growth of plants in your yard by attracting beneficial insects. The iron design on the top can keep the insect house from rainwater. Let the insect house have a longer useful life and make the insects more comfortable. If you only have a balcony or yard, the hanging garden shelter is ideal as it provides a choice of suitable habitats in a small area.

I recently watched a Zoom presentation from a local gardener and author who said the way to grow roses in the Pacific Northwest was to only choose shrub roses and carpet roses. Don’t even try to grow old-fashioned, moss roses, David Austins, hybrid teas, and so on. Well, this is just wrong. Our climate is very similar to the UK, and they grow wonderful roses.

Thankfully, I met Andrea Lantin, who lives on Bainbridge Island, Washington, and has cracked the code for growing strong and healthy roses in our region. She has over 300 roses on her property of all species, but she did not have this outrageous success from the start. After some initial failures, Andrea connected with rose gardeners in the UK and has cultivated a time-tested method for growing amazing roses that doesn’t require endless hours of maintenance.

In this video, I get a late-season look at her garden as roses continue to bloom. Andrea explains the rose-care routine that has helped her create her flourishing space, as well as the top varieties she recommends to gardeners just getting started with growing roses in the Pacific Northwest.

Like This Video? Watch More on the Fine Gardening YouTube Channel

Andrea’s Top 3 Roses to Grow in the Pacific Northwest:

• Bolero^™ Floribunda rose (Rosa ‘Meidelweis’, Zones 5–10)
• Parfuma^® Bliss rose (Rosa ‘KORmarzau’, Zones 5–10)
• Veranda^® Cream rose (Rosa ‘KORfloci01’, Zones 5–9)

Discover more about growing roses:

Discuss this video or ask gardening questions with a regional gardening expert on the Gardening Answers forum.

And for more Pacific Northwest regional reports, click here.

Susan Calhoun is the owner of Plantswoman Design in Bainbridge Island, Washington.

Hi GPODers!

As the flowers of the growing season fade, we also say goodbye to the busy pollinators that filled our gardens with the buzz of the busy season just a few months ago. To commemorate these important insects until we see them again next year, Lynn DeSantis has shared several photos of the many pollinators that visited her garden this year. Lynn gardens near Lake St. Clair in Michigan, and has shared her flower-filled pollinator garden with us once in the past (Flowers Fit for a Monarch). It’s fantastic to finally see her beautiful blooms again, and to see even more beneficial bugs enjoying her landscape.

Lynn DeSantis has gardened in zone 7b near Lake St. Clair in MI for the last 17 yrs. During the first year that we lived here a well meaning neighbor sprayed herbicide over the extensive old rose garden that was already here. After pulling out a load of dead rose bushes in the heat of August, we were able to plant a perennial garden (which I preferred anyway). A blessing in disguise. Since then my current focus has been adding more native plants. Our garden is designed to flower and support pollinators from glory of the snow (Chionodoxa luciliae, Zones 3–8) blue blooms in May to the tall purple helmets of aconitum in November.

When they say that meadow blazing star (Liatris ligulistylis, Zones 3–7) is a monarch magnet, they’re not kidding! Adding this plant to my pollinator garden easily quadrupled the visiting monarchs.

Peck’s skipper (Polites peckius) on blue vervain (Verbena hastata, Zones 3–8).

Skippers surrounding a flower on meadow blazing star.

Added pink turtlehead (Chelone obliqua, Zones 5–9) to the garden last year. It’s fun to watch bumblebees muscle their way inside the flowers to access the nectar.

I added stiff goldenrod (Oligoneuron rigidum, Zones 3–9) and it wove its way through the New York aster (Symphyotrichum novi-belgii ‘Wood’s Pink’, Zones 4–8)—I’m going to have to move it over a bit for next year.

First time having a spring azure butterfly (Celastrina ladon) visit our garden on stiff goldenrod.

Will definitely add more Blue Boa agastache (Agastache ‘Blue Boa’, Zones 5–9) next year—vigorous, large flowers.

Orange sulphur butterfly (Colias eurytheme) on Grape Crush aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae ‘Grape Crush’, Zones 3–8).

Added tall larkspur (Delphinium exaltatum, Zones 4–8), hopefully it seeds around.

‘Arendsii’ monkshood (Aconitum carmichaelii ‘Arendsii’, Zones 3–8) in all its glory! Mine does not start blooming in July like it’s supposed to but in early October and even though I still see a few bees buzzing around my garden, I have never seen any type of pollinator on that plant sadly. Going to let it go to seed for hopefully a growing clump.

Thank you so much for sharing your incredible garden with us again, Lynn! The diverse array of pollinators that visit your flowers are a testament to how well you were able to craft a beautiful and beneficial palette of plants.

Did you photograph any of the pollinators or wildlife that visited your garden this year? Share you favorite garden visitors with the blog! Follow the directions below to submit photos via email, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.

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!

To submit, 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.

Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter with #FineGardening!

Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here

Fine Gardening Recommended Products

National Wildlife Federation®: Attracting Birds, Butterflies, and Other Backyard Wildlife, Expanded Second Edition (Creative Homeowner) 17 Projects & Step-by-Step Instructions to Give Back to Nature

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

From the National Wildlife Federation, the largest U.S. nonprofit conservation organization, with 6 million members and 51 state and territorial affiliated organizations. 17 step-by-step projects that everyone can do together make getting your family back to nature easy, educational, and fun. Over 200 color photos of backyard wildlife habitats and the wide variety of creatures they attract, plus step-by-step photos and illustrations for family projects. Learn wildlife-friendly practices for gardening, landscape design, supplemental feeders, birdbaths, nesting places, and more. Learn how to attract backyard pollinators, from bees and butterflies to beetles, bats, and hummingbirds
Get your garden certified by the National Wildlife Federation’s Garden for Wildlife(TM) program by following the included certification application checklist.

Gardener’s Supply Company Summerweight Fabric Plant Cover

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

Ideal for summertime pest control, this garden cover effectively screens out Japanese beetles, potato beetles, cabbage worms, leaf miners, carrot flies and most vine borers. It transmits 97.6% of the light to your plants without allowing heat build-up, and it provides cold protection down to 41° F, to extend your growing season.

Have you ever placed tomatoes beside cabbage and watched both fail? Or seen your carrots look weak even though you cared for them?

The truth many gardeners never hear is that veggies have good partners and troublemakers.

I spent hours looking for a simple companion planting guide for raised beds and found nothing. So I made this easy-to-keep pairing list.

Plant Partners That Help Your Garden Grow

Your raised bed works like a small community. Some plants are kind and helpful, and others make things harder.

Pairing the right plants can turn a basic bed into a strong, productive garden instead of a disappointing mess.

Companion planting can raise yields by up to 25%. That’s almost like getting one extra plant for every four you grow.

Tomato Partners (And the Ones They Avoid)

Tomatoes go well with many veggies, but they don’t get along with everyone. If you want better flavor and more fruit, grow them with:

• Basil ❤️ Tomatoes: Not only good in meals, basil helps with flavor and pushes away flies and mosquitoes
• Carrots: Carrots help loosen the soil, while tomatoes offer shade
• Onions & Garlic: Strong-smelling protectors that help fight off tomato pests

But watch out. Tomatoes should not be near corn, potatoes, fennel, or cabbage. These mixes can stress tomatoes and slow their growth.

The Carrot Team: Friends That Help Each Other

Carrots live underground, but they still need the right neighbors. They grow best with:

• Peas ❤️ Carrots: Peas put nitrogen in the soil, and carrots make good use of it
• Lettuce: Gives shade to carrot tops and uses the soil differently
• Rosemary & Sage: These herbs help keep pests away

But keep dill and parsnip away. They fight over similar needs, making growth harder.

Onion Partners: Better Beds Together

Onions get along with many plants. They help keep things balanced:

• Carrots ❤️ Onions: They protect each other from pests
• Lettuce: Works well because roots grow at different levels
• Strawberries: Onions help protect the fruit from pests

But onions don’t grow well with peas and beans. Sometimes the best move in the garden is keeping certain plants apart.

Garlic Helpers: Your Strong Bed Protectors

Garlic offers protection to many garden plants:

• Tomatoes ❤️ Garlic; A trusted pairing that helps both plants
• Cucumbers: Garlic helps lower fungal issues
• Carrots & Celery; They grow better with garlic, keeping pests away

But beans and peas should not be near garlic. They don’t get along, and each one struggles.

Why These Matches Work

Companion planting is not just old talk. There is real science behind it. Some plants release helpful chemicals. Others pull in helpful insects or chase away pests.

Think of your garden as a team with different roles. Some plants protect, others add nutrients, and others attract pollinators.

Spacing is not the whole story in raised beds. Your vegetables are reacting to their neighbors in ways you can’t see, and the right mix makes a big difference.

Your Raised Bed Action Plan

Ready to play garden matchmaker? Here’s how to use this knowledge:

1. Before planting, map out your raised bed on paper
2. List what vegetables you want to grow
3. Check the companion chart to see who gets along
4. Arrange your plant buddies together and keep enemies apart
5. Watch your garden transform into a thriving community!

Most people make this mistake with their raised beds: they focus solely on sun, water, and soil while ignoring plant relationships. But now you know better! Your vibrant, productive garden will be the envy of the neighborhood.

Save this guide now. Your future self (and your vegetables) will thank you!

Ever planted something in a container only to watch it wither away while your neighbor’s identical plant flourishes? The secret most plant experts won’t tell you is that container size makes all the difference.

It’s like trying to raise a Great Dane in a studio apartment. Some things need their space!

Let’s crack the code on matching your plants to the perfect pot size and transform your container garden from struggling to stunning.

Small But Mighty: What Thrives in 6″ Pots (1/4 Gallon)

Think of 6″ pots as studio apartments in your garden city, perfect for singles or small families. These compact containers are surprisingly productive when paired with the right plants.

• Leafy Greens: Plant 4-5 lettuce, arugula, or spinach plants for a continuous salad supply
• Herbs: Perfect homes for basil, parsley, oregano, or cilantro

I was shocked to discover that a single 6″ pot of basil can produce enough leaves for 7-10 pesto batches throughout a season if harvested properly!

Who needs a grocery store herb section?

The Goldilocks Zone: 7-8.5″ Pots (1-2 Gallons)

These mid-sized containers are the workhorses of the container garden world. Not too big, not too small, just right for many popular edibles.

• Green Onions: Pack 10-12 plants per pot for a continuous harvest
• Swiss Chard: A vibrant option with 4 plants per container (the rainbow varieties look like living art!)
• Radishes: 10-12 plants fit snugly (8.5″ pots work best)
• Compact Cherry Tomatoes: Just ONE plant per pot—these babies need personal space!

Forget what you’ve heard about needing huge pots for tomatoes… compact cherry varieties can flourish in smaller spaces. They’re like the efficiency experts of the tomato world!

Room to Grow: 10″ Pots (3 Gallons)

Now we’re entering serious growing territory. These containers can handle crops that need to stretch out a bit.

• Beets: Grow 7-10 plants for a surprisingly generous harvest
• Bush Beans: 2-3 plants create a lush green display
• Short Carrots: 8-10 plants will thrive without competing
• Peas: 2-3 plants per container allows proper root development
• Compact Cucumbers: Just 1 plant (add a trellis for support and vertical growth)

The game-changer for your container garden isn’t what you think. It’s giving plants the right amount of soil volume. A properly sized pot can increase your harvest by up to 30% compared to crowded containers!

Serious Growing Power: 12-14″ Pots (5-7 Gallons)

These larger containers open up possibilities for vegetables that need deeper root systems or personal space. Your plants are upgrading from apartments to townhouses!

• Cabbage: 1 plant per pot (they’re the divas of the garden)
• Broccoli: 1 plant per pot (low-maintenance)
• Eggplant: 1-2 plants maximum (they grow larger than most gardeners expect)
• Full-sized Carrots: 8-10 plants for impressive roots
• Peppers: 1 plant per pot (hot or sweet)

Most people make this mistake with their broccoli or cabbage. They underestimate how massive these plants become. One cabbage plant can expand to nearly 2 feet in diameter when given proper space!

The Container Kings: 16-18″ Pots (10-15 Gallons)

These are the penthouse suites of container gardening, reserved for crops with serious space needs. The investment in soil pays off with dramatic yields.

• Potatoes: 8-10 seed potatoes per container
• Standard Tomatoes: 1-2 plants maximum (they’ll get tangled otherwise)
• Winter Squash/Pumpkins: Just 1 plant per pot (they’ll take over your patio otherwise!)

Your plants are trying to tell you something important when they look stunted or yellowed in containers. They’re literally crying out for more root space! A stunning 65% of container gardening failures stem from using pots that are too small.

The Secret Formula For Container Success

The difference between amateur and pro plant parents is simply understanding that proper spacing isn’t just about what’s happening above the soil. It’s about giving roots the kingdom they deserve below.

When in doubt, go bigger. While you can sometimes squeeze in more plants than recommended, they’ll be competing for nutrients, water, and root space. Like roommates fighting over the bathroom, overcrowded plants get stressed!

Remember this transformative truth: your plants’ visible growth reflects only half the story. Beneath the soil, a thriving root system needs space to flourish.

Give your green friends the right-sized home, and they’ll reward you with vibrant growth and abundant harvests.

Happy Monday GPODers!

At Garden Photo of the Day we usually focus on the plants that make our outdoor spaces special, but there is another critical element that shapes the memories we make in our landscapes: people. Some might even say that inviting family and friends into our special spaces and sharing our creations with those we love is the final stage in the gardening process. A gardener who takes great pride in their outdoor entertaining is John Matthews in Raleigh, North Carolina. John has shared his gorgeous garden a couple of times in the past (Check out those previous submissions here: The Garden at Night and From Mud to Garden—and Golf Hole!), and each time we’ve seen the many patios, seating areas, and gathering spots that are essential parts of his designs. Today we’re seeing a different side of his garden, and he has given us an in-depth look at how this nighttime hideaway comes together.

Living in a wooded area in North Raleigh, NC, an elaborate bonfire area is the ideal setup on a 2-acre property filled with gardens and an 85-yard golf hole to have it centrally-located on the property. Not only does this area provide the space to burn excess twigs, leaves and other garden debris, but can also serve as a secluded entertainment area for friends and family.

Using the natural resources

The bonfire pit is one-part utilitarian for burning brush and one-part entertainment for keep friends warm on cool/cold North Carolina nights. Rather than purchasing furniture for the bonfire area, over the years I have created tables, benches and other helpful items for accommodating crowds.

Re-birth of dead items

Creating high-top tables from tree trunks is a great way to give friends a place to rest their drinks outside of the heat from the bonfire.

Three high-top tables extend the “party area” to beyond the benches to give people a respite from the raging fire.

Use your chainsaw

Splitting logs lengthwise with a chainsaw not only creates the bench where to sit but also the legs. Combine the three parts together with 10-inch spikes and a sledgehammer and “viola!” you have a naturalistic bench.

Create a focal point entry

Sandwiched between an 85-yard golf hole and a backyard garden is an inviting bridge over 160-pound railroad ties that leads you to the bonfire area. Surrounding by 8 full cords of stacked, cut firewood with Edison bulbs above, the area not only is cozy, but very well defined creating an enclave to hang out.

The greeter

It is important to escort guests –especially new ones –to the bonfire that sits some 200 feet from the road. Having a Bernese mountain dog that runs to the road with every new car to successfully walk people back to the bonfire is critical!! He knows his job.

Nature meets practicality

Building tables for food and snacks that blends in with the existing trees provides practical landing spots for those that want to show off their cooking.

Also, with a 130-pound Bernese Mountain Dog as the greeter, it is important to build these tables high enough to keep him out of the food!

Thank you so much for sharing this special space with us, John! From that last photo alone we can see that your garden is absolutely the place to be, and the it’s no surprise with the cozy and creative living spaces you create.

How do you hangout in the garden? Do you like to throw lively parties like John, or do you prefer smaller gatherings in a quiet corner of your garden? Let us know in the comments, or consider sharing photos of your garden entertainment area with Garden Photo of the Day! Follow the directions below to submit photos via email, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.

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!

To submit, 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.

Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter with #FineGardening!

Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here

Fine Gardening Recommended Products

Rain Bird PATIOKIT Drip Irrigation Patio Watering Kit

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

– Complete 42-piece drip irrigation kit eliminates watering by hand
– Provides drip irrigation for up to 6 planters
– Easy to assemble: just attach to faucet, cut tubing and connect watering devices
– Attaches easily to your outdoor faucet or hose

DeWalt Variable-Speed Cordless Reciprocating Saw with 6-Piece Saw Blade Set

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

You can fit a variety of blades to this saw to cut fallen branches or prune larger limbs from trees in a pinch. It’s fast, tough, easy to use, and extremely versatile.
– 18.31 x 6.13 x 4 inches
– 1-1/8-inch stroke length
– Variable speed trigger with 0-3000 spm
– DW4856 Metal/Woodcutting Reciprocating Saw Blade Set, 6-Piece

Gardener’s Supply Company Summerweight Fabric Plant Cover

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

Ideal for summertime pest control, this garden cover effectively screens out Japanese beetles, potato beetles, cabbage worms, leaf miners, carrot flies and most vine borers. It transmits 97.6% of the light to your plants without allowing heat build-up, and it provides cold protection down to 41° F, to extend your growing season.