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
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.
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
Coping with Rose Chafers
The American rose chafer* (Macrodactylus subspinosus) is slender pale green to tan beetle with long orange legs. Although it isContinue Reading
Cut Flower Peonies Without Ants
Peonies (Paeonia spp.) make excellent cut flowers, but many gardeners are reluctant to use them for fear of bringing antsContinue Reading
Leek Moth: Coming Soon to an Onion Near You
The leek moth (Acrolepiopsis assectella, syn. Acroplepia assectella), also called the onion leafminer, is a recently introduced pest of allContinue Reading
A Hedge for Laidback Gardeners
For many people, a hedge has to necessarily be neatly trimmed… and that involves a lot of maintenance. But that’s onlyContinue Reading
Learning to Live with Earwigs
Most North American gardeners see earwigs (Forficula auricularia) as an enemy. But in fact, they are more likely to beContinue Reading
For Cut Flowers that Last and Last
Your home flower garden can be an almost inexhaustible source of cut flowers for the home. In fact, it wasContinue Reading
Controlling Tufted Vetch
Tufted vetch or cow vetch (Vicia cracca) is an invasive climbing plant from 1 to 6 feet (30-200 cm) highContinue Reading