You may find yourself digging a planting hole, filling it with water, then turning to the next job of adding amendments to the soil you’ve removed. An hour later you realize the hole is still full of water; even a day later the water’s only down an inch. Most plants won’t live long in waterlogged soil. Even if they can stand the airless condition, they won’t be able to tolerate the salts that build up from evaporation....

The term “weed” can be applied to any undesirable plant you find growing in your lawn. For example, you may enjoy the early spring appearance of the English daisy dotting the grass, whereas other gardeners might feel it spoils the even texture they would like to have. If you follow the school of thought that a lawn should consist solely of grass, read on. Lawn weeds should be removed before they have a chance to spread....

Have you ever wished you could bring a luxurious blooming azalea into your living room, or enjoy the fragrance of a blooming Meyer lemon when the temperature outside is still below freezing? You can turn these wishes into daily enjoyment if the plants are grown in handsome containers that can be moved wherever you like. Whether you choose to bring a plant indoors or simply give it a prominent place on the patio or deck,...

Composting is home recycling  Composting has not always been thought of as the respectable garden practice it is today. It took too much time, too much space, was too messy, and anyway, who wanted a pile of garbage in the yard? Attitudes change. Now people are proud that they recycle organic waste instead of filling garbage cans, stuffing kitchen disposers, and calling for extra trash pickups whenever they trim a bush...

Perennials include all those flowering plants that bloom year after year (with care) such as chrysanthemums, marguerites, or daylilies. Some perennials grow, bloom, and then die back to ground level each year, while others are evergreen and produce new foliage even when they are not blooming. Whatever their growth habit, perennials require some grooming during the year to keep them healthy and good looking. Some may need...

Bare root planting is a method—and usually the best method—of planting deciduous plants (those that lose their leaves in winter, such as roses, apples, or sycamores). Commercial growers raise the plants to salable size in their growing fields. Then in early December, they dig up the plants, clean and trim the roots, and ship the plants off to retailers. Normally, bare root plants are sold from bins of wet shavings...

In nature every plant eventually is pruned in some manner. It may be a simple matter of low branches on forest trees being shaded by higher ones until they wither and die and are removed in a sudden storm. Or it could be that tender new branches of small plants are accidentally knocked off by wild animals looking for food. In the long run, a plant growing naturally will take the shape that is best for its location and...