Echeveria: The May 2021 Houseplant of the Month
By Larry Hodgson Echeverias are very popular these days. With their thick leaves in a wide range of fascinating colorsContinue 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.
Why Isn’t My Plant Blooming?
By Larry Hodgson When you buy a plant with a label showing a beautiful picture of its flowers, you expectContinue Reading
The Benefits of Mulching
By Larry Hodgson Mulching is one of the basic elements of “laidback gardening”. Mulch consists of a layer of usuallyContinue Reading
How to Convert a Wicker Basket into a Planter
By Larry Hodgson Wicker baskets look great anytime and make great containers for growing plants … when you know howContinue Reading
How to Compost in an Apartment
By Alyssa Davies The world generates 2.01 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste annually, and wastes 1.3 billion tonnes ofContinue Reading
Make My Zucchini Yellow!
By Larry Hodgson I prefer growing golden zucchini (a type of yellow-fruited summer squash, Cucurbita pepo). Not because it’s any tastierContinue Reading
Success with Container Gardens
By Larry Hodgson I like to get my container gardens started a few weeks ahead of time. On one ofContinue Reading
Leaf Diseases Stick to Their Preferred Hosts
I regularly hear gardeners terribly concerned about foliar diseases: powdery mildew, black spot, rust, etc. Their main concern seems toContinue Reading
Victory Garden 2.0 Soil Basics
Building Your Garden from the Ground Up: Basic Tips for Improving Garden Soil Quality You’re dreaming of spring, eager toContinue Reading
A Plantable Pencil
By Larry Hodgson Somehow, I missed this one: a pencil that you plant after you’ve worn it down to aContinue Reading