Tools/Gear

 

May 03, 2012 These Shoes Are Made for Gardening Okay, let's just admit it: Sweaty feet are not one of the best things about gardening. Sure, we all need to wear work boots sometimes for protecti...

April 24, 2012 Gardeners Win Free Trips to Vegas We're excited to announce the winners of the 2012 Top Tool Tester Contest! With more than 200 entries showcasing gardens from California to Maine, the...

April 23, 2012 We Love These Garden Bloggers! When you're hungry to learn what others are doing with their gardens—whether it's dealing with pests or seeing what they're planting—where...

April 17, 2012 The Smart (and Painless) Way to Garden You're a curious gardener, always interested in learning best practices and the latest trends. Your gardens are your passion, and they're where you pu...

April 12, 2012 Pretty and Practical: Paisley Gloves Protect Hands and Arms For a gardener, a well-made pair of gloves is as valuable a tool as a sharp pruner. That's because gloves do more than keep your hands and nails clean...

April 09, 2012 Container Gardening Without the Hassle What two things do most gardeners have in common? They need space for growing plants, and whatever space they have never seems to be enough! That's on...

April 05, 2012 Fabric Pots: A Smart Choice for Healthy Plants What do plants have in common with people? They like having air movement, access to water, and plenty of room to stretch their legs. Seems pretty ...

April 02, 2012 V-Shaped Planter Provides Lots of Growing Space When it comes to raised beds, it's hard to imagine how the concept could be any better. Just the right height, they make it easy to plant and tend flo...

March 29, 2012 Power Up Your Spring Weeding The best way to win a war—even one with weeds—is to prevent it from ever developing. That's why using a weed preventative can be very effe...

March 26, 2012 Wonder Hose: Power Cleaning, Gentle Watering Want to know the secret to becoming a happy gardener? Invest in a decent hose! There's nothing more frustrating than trying to work with one that kink...

March 22, 2012 Product Test: Powerful, Versatile Cordless Mower You can come up with a thousand reasons to not mow the lawn on any given day—and the first just might be that you'd rather garden. But if you ha...

March 19, 2012 Seeds with Benefits Sowing seeds has its rewards. You get to select exactly what you want, and then you get to watch the seeds sprout. But getting them in the ground isn'...

March 15, 2012 From Drink Pouch to Plant Caddy Are you a recycler? Most gardeners are, because their passion for tending the earth naturally includes a concern for keepi...

March 08, 2012 A Smart Way to Tackle Weeds Spring showers might bring May flowers, but they also bring May weeds. And June weeds and July weeds and ... well, you get the picture. While you...

March 05, 2012 Product Test: Debris Bag Saves Time and Steps Gardeners are like cooks: They make a mess when working! While cooks can use a nearby sink to contain the debris, gardeners are mobile and require a m...

February 27, 2012 No Ordinary Compost What happened when three college students, a parking lot, and food scraps collided? While disaster comes to mind (think world's biggest food fig...

February 23, 2012 Ready, Set, Plant Spring is coming—really!—and it's time to get some seeds planted. Even if you have a tried-and-true way of tackling this garden task, it's...

February 21, 2012 Tips for Adding a Water Feature Looking to try something new this year in your garden? Go big (or small) with a water feature. In addi...

February 16, 2012 Get a Jumpstart on Your Garden It's planting time! While it's tough right now to remember the crunch of just-harvested carrots or the delicious aroma of sweet alyssum, it's prime ti...

February 13, 2012 Make Gardening Fun for Kids Kids love to help with gardening—what child doesn't like to dig in the dirt? But it's not always easy to keep them engaged. That's why we like t...

February 09, 2012 A Sweet Gift for Your Sweetie Practical presents are nice sometimes. But for Valentine's Day, even down-to -earth gardeners might raise an eyebrow after tearing the wrapping paper ...

February 07, 2012 Get Growing with a Greenhouse As a gardener, you never grow tired of playing in the dirt. Wouldn't it be great to get your hands as dirty as you wanted—whenever you wanted? Y...

February 06, 2012 Mailbox Planters? Why Didn't We Think of That! Boxy and boring, mailboxes can be a gardener's nemesis. You can try to make them blend into the landscape, but more often than not, they stick out lik...

February 02, 2012 A Whimsical Little Valentine This Valentine's Day, ditch the expected for the unexpected. Instead of a box of random chocolates or bou...

January 23, 2012 Garden Planning? There's an App for That Dreaming about the vegetables you'll plant this year? Help turn those dreams into a reality with a plan. Creating a map ahead of time makes it easier ...

January 09, 2012 Two Creative Ways to Feed Backyard Birds It's amazing how quickly a feeder can attract birds. Before you know it, your yard is alive with their vivid colors, songs, and cute babies perched in...

January 04, 2012 Eco-Friendly Tips for Holiday Tree Disposal Once the holidays are over, you're left looking at a tree that has seen better days. We've got a few ideas to help you dispose of your tree in an eco-...

January 03, 2012 Vote for Your Favorite Cherry Tree Spring wouldn't be spring in Washington, D.C., without the annual Cherry Blossom Festival. This year the festival is expected to draw more than a mill...

December 27, 2011 Create Your Own Fairy Garden     If you like garden tours, you've probably noticed that more and more gardeners are tuckin...

December 19, 2011 Fun Pet Plants for Kids Kids love to plant things and watch them grow. Sure, you can fold a bean into a wet paper towel to get it to sprout. But what about a product that's s...

December 15, 2011 A Holiday Plant Sitter It's no easy task figuring out how to keep your special holiday plants watered while you're traveling. You could skip having a tree or a beautiful poi...

December 12, 2011 Give the Gift of Bug-Free Relaxation Normally we try to be glass-half-full types, but we really don't see the positive side of not being able to relax outdoors because of biting bugs. ...

December 08, 2011 Scrabble Gets a Fun Gardening Twist Scrabble. Some people are good at it and, well, the rest of us do the best we can. But wait! Now there's a Scrabble game that gives gardeners an edge....

December 05, 2011 Give Gardeners What They Want This Season Stumped by your holiday gift list? This year, give the gardeners in your life what they want—cool stuff that makes working outside easier. Check out ...

December 01, 2011 Everlasting Indoor Blooms When it comes to beautiful blooms, not all of us are master gardeners. For those who appreciate beauty but have no green thumb, we've got a few option...

November 28, 2011 A Clever, Easy Planter If you're like us, you've forgotten to water your houseplants on more than one occasion, and then made up for it by overwatering them. Unfortunately, ...

November 23, 2011 Funky Finds You'll Love For a lot of us, winter gardening is limited to tending indoor plants and keeping our backyard visitors fed. This winter, put an artsy twist on both...

November 21, 2011 Creative Ideas that Shine 'Tis the time of year to get creative with holiday gift ideas, especially for that gardener on your list. We've got two ideas that we think you'll lov...

November 17, 2011 Plantable Pop-Art Paper If you're looking for a fun, cool, and absolutely unique holiday gift, you've gotta check out the Gardener Comic Book from aHa! Modern Living. The c...

November 14, 2011 Move Heavy Garden Pots in a Snap     In the spring, you probably lug houseplants outside so they can enjoy the summer, don't y...

November 10, 2011 A Watering Can Sleek Enough for the Catwalk       Ever wonder why watering cans are so ugly and bulky? Okay, true, they're not all ...

November 07, 2011 Moss+Rocks = Nature-Inspired Beauty     There's something so beautiful and peaceful about ...

November 03, 2011 Handy Tool for Gutter Cleaning     Gutter cleaning gets high marks for being one of the least fun seasonal tasks. So we're pr...

November 01, 2011 Art in the Garden     Now is the time to get creative. With much of the growing season over, you have more time ...

October 31, 2011 Two Clever Ways to Store Your Fall Harvest       Fresh from the garden or bought off the shelf, garlic, onions, a...

October 27, 2011 Hauling Leaves Gets Easier Okay, let's just say it. There really is no easy way to rake and haul leaves. It's hard work and we'll take all the help we can get. That's why we...

October 25, 2011 Keep the Color Going This Fall Your garden may be past its prime this time of year, but that doesn't mean gorgeous color is out of reach. Keep the color going by creating a focal...

October 24, 2011 Odorless Composting Making your own compost is a great way to keep your garden soil healthy. Once winter comes, though, heading out to the compost pile every day can be a...

October 20, 2011 Fun Plant Tags Gardeners Will Love We don't label all the plants in our gardens. But we do like to label some, especially herbs. That way, friends and family members know exactly what t...

October 17, 2011 One Fall Chore Just Got Easier Fall is a gorgeous time of year. It's too bad all those orange, yellow, and red leaves have to fall off the trees and land in our yards, though. ...

October 13, 2011 Weeding Made Easy Any time we can weed without throwing out our backs, we're happy. We know you feel our pain, so check out this smarter way to weed. ...

October 06, 2011 Brighten Your Fall With An Organic Wreath Nothing says "Welcome" like a wreath on the door, especially during autumn when the warm colors and textures complement the beauty of your fall garden...

October 03, 2011 Don't Let Wind Destroy Your Patio Furniture Fall is coming. Do you know where your deck furniture is? In high winds, it doesn't take much to send chairs, tables, umbrellas—even grills—flying. N...

September 29, 2011 Garden Lights That Aren't Messy? You got it! Trees, arbors, deck railings, and archways look beautiful when they're sparkling with lights after dark. But all those wires and plugs aren't very pre...

September 27, 2011 Extend Your Growing Season If the change of season has you wishing for more growing time in your garden, we've got a suggestion for you: a backyard greenhouse. But before making...

September 26, 2011 Protect Your Bulbs from Hungry Critters The chill in the air is a sign that it's time to plant our bulbs for beautiful spring blooms. Before you start digging, follow these tips on protect...

September 22, 2011 Prop Up Your Houseplants It's not just tomatoes and peonies that need a little help staying upright. Houseplants can get leggy and floppy, too, and it's hard to know what to d...

September 19, 2011 A Twist on the Vase You wander through the garden and snip a handful of daisies or dahlias on your way back inside. The question is—where do you put them? ...

August 25, 2011 Two Products Make Saving Water Easier Nobody wants to waste water. But you don't want to skimp on water and leave plants thirsty, either. That's why we're excited about two innovative pr...

August 22, 2011 Keep Your Herbs Fresh This time of year, we're all looking for creative ways to use all those fresh herbs from our garden. Thankfully, the Herb Savor by Prepara gives us...

August 18, 2011 Shed a Little Light on Your Garden Sometimes the best part of gardening is sitting back in the evening and taking in the sights and sounds of the twilight hours. After the sun sets, t...

August 08, 2011 Easy Way to Banish Bunnies It's frustrating when every rabbit in the neighborhood uses your garden for a free lunch. Home remedies to deter these annoying little buggers never s...

August 04, 2011 Got Ticks? Here's How to Remove Them If your stomach turns just thinking about ticks, you're not alone. Ticks are gross, and they're dangerous, too—deer ticks can carry Lyme disease, and ...

August 01, 2011 No Water? No Problem! Got a flower bed or community garden plot that's too far from a water source? Trudging back and forth with the watering can gets old after a few trips...

July 28, 2011 Check Out this Pain-Free Edging Tool Among the many gardening chores we all do, few produce the kind of shoulder and wrist pain you can get from edging. That's why we're glad to know a...

July 25, 2011 No More Wrestling with the Garden Hose Watering the garden can be a relaxing experience—that is, until you have to wrestle with the hose because it's tripping you or snapping beautiful bloo...

July 19, 2011 Prevent Hand Injuries in the Garden Gardeners love their tools. However, better than a special rose pruner or that pricey three-in-one tiller is a healthy, pain-free set of hands that ar...

July 14, 2011 A New Take on Turf We all have that gardening friend whose lush, manicured lawn is fuel for bragging rights... or maybe we're that person to others. Regardless, turf isn...

July 11, 2011 Get Rid of Weeds without Back Pain Weeding not only takes a toll on your back, but also stresses you out. When you're faced with stubborn weeds that need spraying because they won't com...

July 07, 2011 Good Bugs to the Rescue You've probably heard that ladybugs are good bugs to have in your garden because they get rid of all kinds of bad bugs, like aphids. In fact, they eat...

July 05, 2011 Hungry Plants Will Love These Organic Options   To keep your plants healthy and happy, you've got to water them and feed them (and talk to them, of course!) W...

June 30, 2011 Don't Let Wet Weather Keep You From Gardening   This may be the summer of severe weather in many parts of the country, but a little rain doesn't stop us from ...

June 27, 2011 Keep Cats Out of the Garden When you think of pests in the garden, you probably think of insects or digging squirrels, rather than that fluffy ball of fur that purrs away on your...

June 16, 2011 A Tiny Postcard Garden You Can Mail It's a tie. It's a bottle of cologne. No, wait, it's another gadget for the tool shed. This year, step away from the usual lineup of Father's Day g...

June 14, 2011 Make Your Blooms Last   You've worked hard choosing the perfect perennials for your garden, so of course you want their beautiful bloo...

June 13, 2011 3 Tiny Garden Books On those days when it's too hot or wet to be out in the garden, why not relax and curl up with a good garden-related book? With these three tiny books...

June 09, 2011 Check Out These Tiny Trees If you think of golf, ties, and grilling for Father's Day gifts, it's time to start thinking out of the box. Dads love to tinker. So this Father's Da...

June 06, 2011 A Garden Project---and Gift for Dad If you're looking for something to do with Dad this Father's Day, we've got an idea that will work as a great gift, too. T...

May 31, 2011 New Gadget Makes it Easier to Use Your Rain Barrel Rain barrels that collect water from your roof are a great way to go if you want a greener garden—and a healthier wallet. The only drawback is water p...

May 26, 2011 Finally! An Easy Way to Display Plants on Railings If you've struggled to find a quick and easy way to display pots along a fence, railing, or wall, you're not alone. Who wants to mess with brackets an...

May 23, 2011 Say Goodbye to Ugly Marks Left by Containers Containers overflowing with colorful flowers look great on your porch, patio, or deck. But the ugly, damp rings they leave behind sure don't. ...

May 19, 2011 Let the Worms Do the Work If you'd like to try manure as a fertilizer but live in an urban area with no free-roaming cattle on the back 40, we've got just the thing for you. ...

May 16, 2011 Gardening Questions? Three Tools That Can Help         Plant or weed? Beauty or beast? If you've ever asked you...

May 09, 2011 Pots Made of Rice?       Have you ever noticed how most indoor plants are sold in ugly plastic pots, so you have to trans...

April 28, 2011 Try This Pretty Garden Theme for Your Spring Brunch         Brunch and spring go hand-in-hand. Mother's Day, graduat...

April 26, 2011 Skip the Practical, Go for the Pretty       Practical garden gifts are fine, but somet...

April 18, 2011 Check Out This Cute Watering Tool       A unique gift for the mom in your life combined with a chance to do good in the world? We can't ...

April 11, 2011 Need to Sit While Gardening? No Problem! Raised beds are such a help when all the stooping, bending, and kneeling that goes with gardening gets to be too much. But many raised beds aren't tal...

April 08, 2011 Win an Electric Garden Chipper! Choosing just one great gardening prize proved to be tough, so that's why we decided to let you tell us which one you'd like better. We ran a Face...

March 31, 2011 A Fun Kit to Get Kids Gardening Kids don't always want to eat their vegetables—unless they grow them themselves. The American Gardening Association says 98 percent of kids who grow t...

March 24, 2011 No Tools Needed for This Raised Bed Gardeners love raised beds for so many reasons: they solve the problem of poor soil conditions, they make it easy to grow a lot of veggies efficiently...

March 15, 2011 Plant for a Bright Winter Next Year This past winter, if you caught your mind wandering to all the different things you'd like to see in your garden instead of slush and snow, you're not...

March 14, 2011 12 Months of Cute Planting Spring may have sprung, but for a lot of us it's still too early to plant... outside, anyway. Enter RedEnvelope's Year of Seeds—12 months of be...

March 11, 2011 Enter to Win a Burpee Gift Card If you're like most gardeners, you spent the winter making big plans for your spring garden. The wait is over—spring is here—so let the pl...

March 10, 2011 Take Container Gardening to New Heights Do you ever wish for more space in your garden? Most of us do. Wouldn't it be great if we could get that extra space without sacrificing other plants ...

March 08, 2011 Expert Tips on Creating an Outdoor Space Your garden is not just a place where you work hard to grow all your favorites—it's also a spot where you sit back, relax, and enjoy the beauty ...

March 07, 2011 Enjoy Your Patio—Even in Chilly Spring Weather In the dead of winter, it's not that hard to squelch yearnings for an evening on the patio. But come March, it just about makes you crazy when you can...

March 03, 2011 Think It's Too Cold to Compost? Composting is a great, eco-friendly way to get rid of organic waste—and transform it into rich, healthy soil for your garden. But if you live in...

February 23, 2011 Learn How to Feed Your Favorite Birds Winter can be hard on wild birds, especially in snowy regions where food is often scarce. February is a perfect time to s...

February 22, 2011 Just Say No to Ugly Plant Stakes If there's one surefire way to detract from a plant's beauty, it's propping it up with an ugly, unwieldy support system. That's why we like the sl...

February 16, 2011 Win a Mantis Tiller! Picking just one favorite plant or one favorite gardening tool is very hard to do. That's why we ran a poll on Facebook that gave you three optio...

February 14, 2011 Silence the Creaks and Squeaks in Your Garden Every now and then we come across something in our garden that needs more than a green thumb. Like that wheelbarrow that doesn't quite wheel anymore. ...

February 10, 2011 Outfox the Squirrels Let's be honest: squirrels humiliate us. Day after day, these twitchy little mammals get the better of us. Even in winter, when there aren't many live...

February 07, 2011 Valentine's Tea for a Gardener If you've ever noticed how something small can put a big smile on someone's face, you'll want to check out this great Valentine's Day gift idea for yo...

February 03, 2011 Valentine's Gifts That Keep on Giving Setting aside a day for mushy expressions of love is nice, but wouldn't it be better to make a splashy show of your affection all year long? We think ...

January 31, 2011 Shoveling Made Easy Most gardeners would probably agree that the worst part of winter—other than waiting for spring to arrive, of course!—is the snow. Shoveli...

January 25, 2011 Got Gnats? In the middle of winter, we love the pretty colors of African violets, poinsettias, and amaryllis. But that cloud of tiny bugs swirling over our prize...

January 24, 2011 A Secure New Way to Hide Your Keys Outdoors You probably hide a key outside in case someone in your family gets locked out. But do you ever worry about someone else finding it? RocLok will g...

January 20, 2011 Keep Paths Snow-Free Without Harming Plants The last thing you want as you're out and about in your yard this winter is to take a tumble on a patch of ice. If you're lucky, the only thing hurt i...

January 17, 2011 A Safer, Greener Way to Melt Slippery Ice It's not the snow that makes winters so tough. It's the ice, right? All that slipping and sliding. You want to melt it so you and your neighbors don't...

January 13, 2011 Slippers That Aren't Afraid of a Little Mud No matter how much we appreciate the beauty of freshly fallen snow, winter can quickly turn into a mess. Eventually, the pristine snow turns into melt...

January 06, 2011 Stylish Bird Houses Will Jazz up Your Garden Even if you don't have the funds to upgrade your own pad this year, you might want to do it for your favorite feathered friends. ...

January 03, 2011 A Cleaner Way to Feed the Birds We love to watch birds fluttering around and eating the seed we put out for them, but we're not so crazy about the dirty job of cleaning the feeder. ...

December 30, 2010 A Web-Based Journal for Gardeners A lot of gardeners think about keeping a journal to track the plants they buy, note how things grow (or don't), and plan for future seasons. A garden ...

December 28, 2010 Bird Feeding on a Budget Birding and gardening go hand-in-hand. If you have a beautiful garden filled with shrubs and perennials, chances are you also have a lot of birds that...

December 20, 2010 Easy Weekend Project: Make an Evergreen Ball As you're decorating the inside of your home this holiday season, don't forget to spruce up the outside, too. Brighten up your home's exterior and inc...

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