The best border plants depend on your sun exposure and maintenance goals. For sunny, low-maintenance edging, try Creeping Phlox or Sedum 'Autumn Joy'. For shade and foliage, Coral Bells (Heuchera) or Hostas are ideal. For structured, evergreen lines, dwarf shrubs like the Proven Winners Sprinter Boxwood work perfectly.
Annuals such as marigolds, zinnias, and petunias provide instant color and can be easily switched out each year for a new look. Shrubs: They add structure to your borders. Consider hydrangeas, azaleas, or boxwoods. They can provide year-round interest with their flowers, leaves, and sometimes berries.
The "rule of 3" in landscaping is a design principle stating that grouping elements in odd numbers—specifically threes—creates a more natural, balanced, and visually appealing space than pairs or even-numbered arrangements.
Euphorbias and succulents like creeping sedums or hens and chicks are an easy way to have a lush, low- maintenance border. These plants spread quickly but not aggressively and there are many flowering varieties.
The best garden border plants depend on your sun and soil, but top performers include Lavender for fragrant structure, Catmint (Nepeta) for continuous blooms, and Creeping Phlox for low-growing, vibrant edges. Select options that match your space and climate needs to ensure a beautiful, lasting garden edge.
A visually dynamic material that can make a great flower bed border is natural rock. Choose rocks that are similar in size and shape, then line them up next to each other to create a natural border. You can also paint them if you're looking to have a stand out garden space.
October is the perfect time to plant trees, shrubs, conifers, and hardy perennials—or spring bulbs like tulips and daffodils—and if you're looking to sow cover crops or install lawns, now is the time for that as well.
Fast-growing border plants provide quick privacy, seasonal color, and structural definition. The best varieties for a lush, dense boundary are Emerald Green Arborvitae for narrow, year-round evergreen screening, North Privet for a thick, traditional hedge, and Forsythia for early-spring golden blooms.
There are many indoor houseplants such as pothos, philodendron, zz plant and snake plant that are easy to grow. Pothos is especially hard to kill and very forgiving of inconsistent watering.
These perennials make great winter plants for pots, but you can also grow them in the ground as winter plants for gardens.
Certain plants should never be planted together because they compete for the same nutrients, attract the same pests, or release chemicals that stunt each other's growth. The most notable incompatible pairs include tomatoes and potatoes, onions and beans, and fennel with almost any vegetable.
The classic plant that universally says "I love you" is the Red Rose. However, if you are looking for long-lasting houseplants or specific symbolic meanings in the Victorian language of flowers, there are several wonderful alternatives to express your deepest affections.
Common landscaping mistakes often stem from skipping the planning phase or prioritizing aesthetics over long-term maintenance. The biggest pitfalls to avoid include ignoring your yard's drainage patterns, planting without accounting for mature plant sizes, and choosing the wrong plants for your specific climate and light conditions.
True 365-day bloomers are rare, but several plants can provide nearly 12 months of flowers under ideal conditions. The best options depend on whether you are growing them indoors or outdoors:
The best border perennials depend on where you are placing them. For the front of borders, select compact plants under 1 foot tall for edging. For the middle and back, choose taller, structural plants that create height, vertical lines, and a beautiful backdrop for your garden.
As a general guide, aim for five herbaceous perennials, or three small shrubs, or one large shrub per sq m (11 sq ft). Use the measurements to make a plan of the border, ideally with a scale, to help you work out spacings once you have selected plants – graph paper is useful for this.
Low-maintenance plants thrive on neglect and are perfect for forgetful waterers or busy schedules. Top choices include the nearly indestructible ZZ plant, the drought-tolerant Snake plant, forgiving Pothos, and hardy outdoor perennials like Sedum and Hostas.
Research has shown that English Ivy can eliminate up to 78% of airborne mold within 12 hours. This makes it particularly useful in humid areas like bathrooms and basements where mold growth is more common.
Small plants are perfect for tabletops, window sills, and tight spaces. Excellent choices include Echeveria succulents, which thrive in sunny spots and need little water, and the Tiny Dancer Alocasia (reaching only 14 inches). African Violets and Moth Orchids are also ideal for adding color without outgrowing their space.
Acmena smithii 'Goodbye Neighbours' is commonly known as the Lilly Pilly and has dense green and bronze foliage that will produce small white flowers throughout the year. These flowers will also entice a few birds to the garden. This native is best used for hedging or screening as it can be pruned to the desired look.
Greens, including collards, kale, mustard and turnip, all qualify for the rapid harvest category. While they are fairly flexible for growing temperatures, best flavor comes with cool weather. They can be harvested as baby greens to use in salads, or many varieties will produce full sized leaves in under 60 days.
Several popular houseplants, vines, and fast-sprouting vegetables can show significant growth or sprout within just a single week.
Bill Gates argued against relying on planting trees as a primary solution to climate change, calling the idea "complete nonsense". He believes tree planting is insufficient, unproven at scale, and distraction from necessary technological solutions like direct air capture, arguing that emissions reduction requires fundamental industrial changes rather than relying on reforestation.
Hotter summers, extended droughts, and dry winds are becoming more common, and hydrangeas are paying the price. Gardeners from coast to coast report the same issues: leaves crisping and curling in early summer, stems wilting despite regular watering, and blossoms fading far too quickly.
The "3-hour gardening rule" is a safety guideline advising gardeners to avoid working outdoors between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. during the summer months. This window is when the sun’s UV rays are at their strongest and temperatures peak, posing risks for both you and your plants.