Water Before It Rains
It may seem absurd to water your garden just before it’s supposed to rain, but in fact it’s an excellentContinue 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.
Learning to Deal with Cucumber Beetles
Gardeners who grow cucurbits (cucumbers, squash, melons, etc.) often struggle with cucumber beetles, small elongated beetles that attack their leaves,Continue Reading
What are Those Weird Green Flowers?
Are you finding flowers in your garden that are strangely colored or deformed? With petals that are green or greenish,Continue Reading
The Barrier Pesticide: Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth is a fine white powder composed of the fossilized skeletons of microscopic algae called diatoms. They are extremelyContinue Reading
Water Your Plants Early
It’s in the morning before 10 am that soil absorbs water most efficiently. That’s because both the air and theContinue Reading
Start Your Own Moss Lawn
The ultimate lawn for shady spots is a moss lawn. It’s green all year, never needs mowing, is highly droughtContinue Reading
Plants that Attract Beneficial Insects
Most beneficial insects use flowers as a food source for at least part of their cycle, or are simply attractedContinue Reading
How Can Soil Be Both Moist and Well-Drained?
I sometimes find it hard to imagine myself as a new gardener. After all, I’ve been gardening all my life,Continue Reading
Mulches Don’t Ignite Spontaneously!
Here’s yet another urban garden myth worth quashing: the one that says bark and wood chip mulches should be avoidedContinue Reading
Perennializing Echinaceas
Many gardeners are disappointed with the new echinaceas, formerly called purple coneflowers (Echinacea cvs), that have dominated the horticultural marketContinue Reading