Articles by Marianne Lipanovich

It’s amazing how quickly buying a few plants can add up to a fairly big monetary outlay. Fortunately, there are time- and gardener-honored ways of getting plants for little or no cost. You can get offsprings of your (or your friends’) plants for free,…

Watering is essential for any landscape, but it’s at the top of the to-do list if you’re growing an edible garden. Most edibles require regular watering. If you live where summer rainstorms are common, Mother Nature might provide enough to keep everyt…

One of the toughest parts of growing summer vegetables and fruits is deciding just what to grow. A good place to start is with the favorites, all of which have stood the test of time in edible gardens. Novice gardeners can begin with tried-and-true fa…

Compared with the pruning guidelines for many shrubs and trees, hydrangeas’ pruning needs are pretty minimal. Most need very little actual pruning. They’re fine with just enough of a trim to shape the plant, get rid of dead branches and encourage futu…

Fall gets all the glory as the time to plant bulbs, but some favorite summer-blooming bulbs prefer to be planted in spring (especially for gardeners in cold-winter climates). Here are five easy-to-grow bulbs, from familiar favorites like calla lilies …

Before you succumb to the flats of annuals at the garden center, take a tip from articles that stress cleaning, decluttering and reorganizing your home and do the same for your garden work area — whether it’s a potting shed or greenhouse, small pottin…

Succulents are making a splash as indoor container plants. An increasing number of what were once considered dry-climate outdoor succulents can now be found taking center stage inside the home, thanks to their love of dry, warm climates and tolerance …

Cleaning the bathtub. It’s a chore that looms large, usually because in any bathroom, the tub itself looms large. It also seems to require a lot of scrubbing and leaning over and generally contorting yourself into a few strange positions. While cleani…

Orchids are a lot easier to grow than many people realize. Most of the more commonly available ones thrive in the same indoor conditions that people thrive in, with moderate temperatures and humidity and bright sunlight but not direct heat. If you’re …

Whether you receive them as a gift or choose them yourself, living plants have become an essential part of holiday decor. Where once only poinsettias ruled, you’ll now find many more options, from amaryllis and paperwhites to holiday cactus, cyclamen,…