NATIONAL LEAF MONTH: That’s what I’d declare it if I were in charge of such things. November is nonstop leaves here, and a good rake..

IF ONLY IT WOULD RAIN more consistently, here is what I would do, I promise: divide and also add perennials (leaving room for bulbs next..

HOT, PARCHED, EXHAUSTED. That’s a three-word portrait of me and the garden both most Augusts. We must fight back, so it helps to think of..

EACH JULY DAY is a stern little conversation or two (or 10): with myself, to push onward; with certain weeds to please stop being so..

I’M STICKING to what I say each year at this time: We are not powerless over April–even though in most areas, it’s a contender for..

I’M LIKE THE KID in the backseat on the way to the amusement park, with my one incessant question: “Are we there yet?” Intensifying light..

RESTLESS, ANYONE? The houseplants are noticing, and so am I: the days are longer, making us both want to get up and grow. Rather than..

THE SHORTEST garden to-do list of the year, December’s, begins with a fire drill—one final last-minute check of whatever I have forgotten to secure outdoors,..

NATIONAL LEAF MONTH: That’s what I’d declare it if I were in charge of such things. November is nonstop leaves here, and a good rake..

EVEN I—SHE OF THE MONTHLY CHORES LISTS—get overwhelmed at the thought of it: fall cleanup. As the month begins, I wait in a sort of..

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS to divide or add perennials; to plant shrubs and trees; to repair or renovate lawns; to fight next year’s weeds, pests and diseases;..