Plants
When I first caught the “vining bug,” my backyard was little more than a cramped patio with a tangle of old fencing and almost zero privacy. If you’d told me back in 2012 that those same tired panels would soon host a living curtain of blooms, butterflies, and the
Indoor
If you’ve ever felt the sting of a withered bud on a plant that promised perpetual blooms, you’re in good company. After three decades of trial-and-error (plus more than a few “what if I try THIS?” moments), I can tell you: successful indoor flowering isn’t about collecting
Shade-tolerant
From the Desk (and Muddy Gloves) of an Experienced Mentor Who’s Killed More Hostas Than He’ll Admit There’s nothing quite like standing in the shadowy end of your yard or staring at that perpetually dim corner in your apartment, wondering (maybe a little skeptically): Can anything beautiful
Plants
If you’ve ever stared at a limp, brown-tipped leaf and wondered, “What on earth is happening to my plant?”—welcome to the club. Years ago, I was the proud owner of a single pothos that looked like it had gone twelve rounds with a hair dryer. Since then, after
Purifying
Ever notice how that first deep breath after a hike in the woods just hits different? I used to think, “If only my apartment felt like that.” But honestly, it took more than grabbing a few random houseplants to get there. Building an indoor jungle that actually purifies your air—
Indoor Plant Care
Picture this: I was convinced indoor plants were “easy,” yet my first pothos looked more like wilted spaghetti than a houseplant within weeks. If you’ve ever sheepishly shoved a brown-leafed fern in the trash or hovered anxiously by your window with a watering can—welcome to the club. Over
Science
The first time I tried to keep a plant alive in my apartment—a pothos, picked up during a rainy afternoon at the Union Square Greenmarket—I was convinced it would be easy. After all, everyone says pothos are “impossible to kill.” What nobody told me was that low-light doesn’
DIY
Let’s be honest: the whole “bright light houseplants” advice floating around online is often either oversimplified or just plain misleading. I’ve been there—losing plants to misguided tips that didn’t take my actual apartment conditions into account. So here’s the deal: not all bright light is
Lifestyle
Let’s drop the façade—you can spot generic King Palm “advice” from a mile off: plant, water, fertilize, hope. If that was all there is to it, why do nurseries fill up with stunted yellowing palms and new owners swear off tropical landscaping every summer? I’ve made every
DIY
When I first started indoor gardening, I thought a sunny window and a few pots would guarantee lush basil and thriving spider plants. Instead, I got leggy stems, gnats in the kitchen, and the humbling realization that growing plants indoors is equal parts art, science, and a little bit of
Small
Designing Small Backyard Gardens: A Masterclass in Stretching Space and Elevating Style Step into my backyard a few years ago, and you’d have seen what looked like a lost cause: a patchwork of crabgrass, two battered plastic chairs, and a vision so foggy it might as well have been
Travel
If you’ve ever stood in a garden center, cradling an impossibly cute succulent and thinking, “This can’t be that hard… right?”—welcome to the club. I still remember my first jade plant. It cost $3.99 at Home Depot, sporting a plastic sticker that promised it was “un-killable.