What’s That Strange White Plant?
By Larry Hodgson Question: I’m sending you a photo of what I believe to be a white hosta. I was wonderingContinue 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.
The Orchid Nobody Wants
The following article was first posted to this blog on June 26, 2018. I’m reposting it today because I’ve beenContinue Reading
Japanese Beetle Control: Catch and Freeze
When I do my daily rounds collecting Japanese beetles and other unwanted insects in the garden, I catch them usingContinue Reading
Turn a Shoe Organizer Into a Vertical Garden
By Larry Hodgson To make an inexpensive vertical garden, just recycle an old vertical shoe organizer, the type with pockets,Continue Reading
What’s the Difference Between a Turnip and a Rutabaga?
By Larry Hodgson Question: I read with interest your article Why Didn’t My Turnips Produce a Bulb?, which made me think yetContinue Reading
Garden Myth: The Importance of Starter Fertilizer
By Larry Hodgson When scientists first started studying how minerals affected plant growth back in the 1940s and 1950s, theyContinue Reading
What Is an Invasive Plant?
By Larry Hodgson Over the last few months, usually after I’ve published a list of plants for various uses (groundcoversContinue Reading
Why Are My Pansy Flowers Shrinking?
By Larry Hodgson Question: I’ve been saving and resowing the seeds of my pansies. Three years ago, they had big flowers,Continue Reading
Dealing With Black Vine Weevil
By Larry Hodgson Here’s a pest you rarely see, but whose damage is quite obvious: notches cut into the leafContinue Reading
Planting Near a Swimming Pool
By Larry Hodgson Family swimming pools have never been more popular, propelled into the spotlight by the last two years’Continue Reading