Is Treated Wood Safe in the Vegetable Garden?
There is a long-standing controversy in the field of organic gardening: can pressure-treated wood be used as part of an organic vegetableContinue Reading
Author: Larry Hodgson
Garden writer and blogger, author of 65 gardening books, lecturer and communicator, the Laidback Gardener, Larry Hodgson, passed away in October 2022. Known for his great generosity, his thoroughness and his sense of humor, he reached several generations of amateur and professional gardeners over his 40-year career.
Thanks to his son, Mathieu Hodgson, and a team of contributors, laidbackgardener.blog will continue its mission of demystifying gardening and making it more accessible to all.
Keeping Ants Off Your Hummingbird Feeder
If there is any way ants can reach a hummingbird feeder, they will. They love slurping up the sugary nectarContinue Reading
Garden Myth: Carrot Tops Are Poisonous
Many gardeners believe that carrot tops (carrot leaves) are poisonous. After all, don’t we usually cut them off and tossContinue Reading
Ants in Your Plants?
Don’t panic at the sight of little brown ants climbing onto your plants. These insects are completely harmless and do nothing to disturbContinue Reading
2017 Hosta of the Year: ‘Brother Stefan’
If you like colorful, slug-resistant hostas, you’ll love the variety the American Hosta Growers Association has named hosta of theContinue Reading
Plants Japanese Beetles Tend to Avoid
Japanese beetle season is upon us or almost upon us, depending on where you live. Not that Japanese beetles (PopiliaContinue Reading
If You Can’t See the Problem, There is No Problem!
If you have a minor gardening problem, it’s probably going to be much easier to hide it than to cureContinue Reading
Eat Your Hostas
We Westerners usually grow hostas as ornamental plants, but did you know that they are also edible? In Japan, someContinue Reading
Is My Kiwi a Male or a Female?
You planted a hardy kiwi (Actinidia arguta, zone 4b) or an arctic kiwi (Actinidia kolomikta, zone 3) a few yearsContinue Reading
Feed Your Soil’s Microflora and Microfauna and Your Plants Will Thank You!
I often get very interesting messages from the readers of my blog. For example, after I wrote about the differenceContinue Reading