Don’t Cut These 7 Plants Back Yet—Birds Are Counting on Them
Before you clean up the fall garden, leave these seven seed-rich plants standing. They can provide backyard birds with food, cover, and places to forage through winter.
Gardening
7 ‘Weeds’ Your Grandparents Never Pulled—And Why They Were Right
Seven familiar yard weeds were once valued as food, groundcover, pollinator plants, or soil helpers. Here’s how to recognize them—and decide which ones are worth keeping.
Don’t Throw Out Your Fall Mums: The Mistake That Stops Them Coming Back
The right fall mum can return for years—but planting it too late can ruin the odds. Learn how to identify, plant, mulch, and overwinter hardy mums.
Don’t Cut Everything Down This September: 7 Perennials Better Left Standing
Before you reach for the pruners, discover seven perennials that feed birds, shelter insects, and make the winter garden more beautiful.
Petunias Quit Blooming? Stop Making This Late-Summer Mistake
Leggy petunias often need a decisive trim, not more waiting. Learn how to cut them back, feed new growth, and restore late-summer flowers.
10 Vegetables You Can Still Plant in September
A regional, frost-date-based guide to ten fast and cold-tolerant vegetables you can sow in September, with timing, varieties, and fall-growing tips.
8 Free Flower Seeds to Collect in Early September (Before They Disappear)
Eight flowers are handing out free seeds in early September. Learn the exact signs of ripeness and how to collect, dry, and store each one.
Should You Top Indeterminate Tomatoes 4–6 Weeks Before Frost?
Topping healthy indeterminate tomatoes four to six weeks before frost may help the final crop finish. Learn which plants to top, where to cut, and how to ripen green tomatoes.
Before You Fill a Large Pot With Soil, Try the Pinecone Trick—But Know the Catch
Clean, dry pinecones can lighten a large seasonal planter and reduce the amount of potting mix it needs—but the trick has an important drainage catch.
12 Plants to Propagate From Cuttings in September (Before Frost)
Save 12 favorite garden plants before frost with simple September cuttings—from coleus and geraniums to hydrangea, rosemary, sage, and thyme.