The Delicate Art of Getting Easter Lilies to Bloom… At Easter!
Easter is one of the year’s most important holidays. Since the beginning of the Christian era, Easter has represented theContinue 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.
Seeds to Sow Indoors: Mid-April
Mid-April is the heart of the indoor sowing season. There are still many seeds that need only a few weeksContinue Reading
When A Top Graft Fails
Top-grafted shrubs, also called top-grafted standards or just standards, are shrubs grafted on top of the upright stem of a relatedContinue Reading
Deer Proofing Your Garden
Deer are causing more and more problems to gardeners. As homes spread out into their territory, they become habituated toContinue Reading
Darwin’s Orchid
I just saw, for the first time in my life, Darwin’s orchid (Angraecum sesquipedale). That was at the annual show ofContinue Reading
‘Prizm’: The Parsley-leaved Kale
Curly kale (Brassica oleracea acephala) is a non-heading variety of cabbage with curly, crinkly leaves… but you’ve never seen kaleContinue Reading
A Gardening Rhyme
There’s a very old rhyme variations of which have been circulating in gardening circles since at least the mid-19th century, probably muchContinue Reading
Garden Myth: Are Compost Accelerators Really Useful?
Almost every garden center (and many hardware stores) sells a product called variously compost accelerator, compost activator, compost stimulator orContinue Reading
Gardening Tip: If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It!
Here’s a principle about laidback gardening that I don’t emphasize nearly enough: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” WhenContinue Reading
Garden Myth: When a Plant Doesn’t Bloom, It’s Because It’s a Male
It’s always a bit mysterious when a plant doesn’t bloom. After all, most bloom annually. How then to explain whyContinue Reading