The low-maintenance, eco-friendly lawn that will still impress your neighbors
By: The Washington Post -- This year, a Tasmanian yard that hadn't been watered in 10 years and featured a dead brushtail possum won the title of ugliest lawn in the world. The contest, organized by the island of Gotland in Sweden, rewards those who turn over their yards to nature to save water and change the world's perception of the ideal lawn.

Planting the seed: 3 tips to excel in the lawn and garden department
By: Hardware Retailing -- After spending extended time at home in the last few years, consumers are entranced with their lawns and gardens now more than ever. According to a 2023 study from the Home Improvement Research Institute (HIRI), homeowners believe taking care of their lawns and gardens is just as important as regular home maintenance.

How will technology help growers succeed in 2024? Here's what ChatGPT says
By: Greenhouse Grower -- In Greenhouse Grower's January issue, we asked a few greenhouse technology suppliers to weigh in on what the next wave of innovation might entail.

Pause before you prune: Trimming plants' Winter damage best delayed until Spring
By: The Advocate -- Put down the pruning shears. With recent freezing temperatures across Louisiana and a dose of ice, sleet and even snow in some places, all of our gardens probably have suffered some damage.

Expect perennials to return in the spring despite damage from recent freezes
By: NOLA.com -- I live on the northshore, and freezes this winter have left some of my more tender plants in bad shape. I am anxious to know whether any are likely to come back in the spring, including angelonia, pentas, cigar plant, butterfly weed and salvia.

Which vegetables to plant come spring? Depends on your taste — and your grocery bill
By: The Associated Press -- "What should I plant?" is a question new vegetable gardeners tend to ask me over winter, when planning their first gardens. In the past, I’ve always advised them to plant what they like.

21 garden layout ideas for every size garden
By: Country Living -- Gardens are for everyone. Even a beginner can create a garden space to love and enjoy. The best time to start planning a garden is now, in the winter.

One thing to do after the last frost to bring your lawn back to life after Winter
By: House Digest -- Winter is hard on lawns, as soil often gets compacted, or pressed down, during this time of year. This is partly due to the weight of heavy snowfalls and partly because wet, snow-laden soil is simply more prone to compaction.

Why are my orchid flowers falling off? These houseplant experts have the answers
By: Homes & Gardens -- If you're experiencing blooms falling off your orchid, there's a chance your plant is in trouble. Orchids do drop their flowers once their flowering season is over and they enter hibernation.

15 simple ways to help wildlife this winter
By: House Beautiful -- Our gardens provide a crucial refuge for wildlife, even more so in winter when food sources are scarce and temperatures low. It's during these cold months that we can significantly impact the survival of various species by offering food, water and shelter in even the smallest gardens or balconies.

How to create a winter window box — and plant for instant impact
By: Homes & Gardens -- Brighten up your home this winter with an impactful winter window box. Whether you like bright and blousy combinations or a more restrained and verdant look, window boxes are a quick and easy way to be creative and style your windowsills this winter.

Italian town hitches its wagon to plants that bloom (even in winter)
By: The New York Times -- Even as the group of flower aficionados flitted around a high-ceilinged room admiring just-clipped camellias with fanciful names like "Pink Lassie" and "Paradise Petite," single petals floated lazily to the paneled wood floor, forming colorful mounds.

22 best indoor plants for any room
By: Good Housekeeping -- If you want to invigorate just about any room, pick out one of these best indoor plants to liven up your space. Not only are indoor plants brilliant for decorating purposes, you can also rely on them to upgrade your health, provide clean air and boost your overall wellbeing.

Rubber plant care — expert advice on this low-maintenance and fast-growing indoor plant
By: Homes & Gardens -- If you like large houseplants with big, bold leaves be sure to include a rubber plant in your mix. If you position them in their happy place (bright conditions but not in direct sunlight) they will grow rapidly into eye-catching specimens.

This is the best time to start seeds indoors for a thriving spring garden
By: Bob Vila -- If I want to have a garden next spring, I need to know when to start seeds indoors. Is there a planting calendar for starting seeds indoors? Tolstoy said, "Spring is the time of plans and projects." Some gardeners replace "plans" with "planting" because they started planning as soon as autumn closed down last year's garden.

Outdoor winter container gardens are easy, affordable way to add a touch of green
By: The Oakland Press -- Add a bit of greenery to your front steps, window box or patio with a winter container garden. You'll find all the ingredients you need at your local garden center, craft store, and maybe even a few in your backyard.

How to get your lawn and garden ready for winter
By: U.S. News & World Report -- As George R. R. Martin wrote, "Winter is coming." And the chilling effect it had on his characters is similar to the oncoming hard transition on your plants. If you, like much of the country, live in a place where winter means ice, snow and subfreezing temperatures, protecting the lives of the vegetation in your lawn and garden is paramount.

Why are the tips of my spider plant turning brown
By: Homes & Garden -- If you chose this plant because it's notoriously easy to care for, you may feel disgruntled to be asking: why are the tips of my spider plant turning brown? Spider plants are known for being among the best low-maintenance indoor plants, which makes them perfect for beginners.

The surprising benefits of switching to 'lamb mowers'
By: The Washington Post -- Sisyphus pushed a boulder for eternity. I had to mow my friend's lawn. Every summer, before heading to the beach, we'd have to ensure his grass was cut. We'd push a roaring lawn mower under the scorching Florida sun.

Don't (totally) clean up your garden this fall
By: The Washington Post -- Traditionally, autumn has been seen as cleanup time in the garden, a season for raking (or blowing), clipping and whisking away. But now we're getting a different message from environmentalists, who say we should "leave the leaves" and withhold pruning back seed heads until spring.

Hear that -- It's the sound of leaf blower bans
By: Grist -- For more than 100 million years, trees have dropped their leaves every fall, creating a protective layer of duff that provides cover for snails, bees, and butterflies. Decaying leaves fertilized the soil and gave nutrients back to the trees.

Later frosts could make new crops possible in Alaska. But climate change brings challenges, too.
By: Alaska Public Media -- In October, fall gives way to winter for much of Alaska. But each year, the first frost is arriving later and later. That could be a boon for Alaska farmers. University of Alaska Fairbanks professor Glenna Gannon says the longer growing season is making some types of crops possible for the first time.

These plants change color when exposed to a pesticide
By: WIRED -- Thanks to some genetic tricks, plants can now speak in color. A team of researchers at the University of California, Riverside hacked the natural stress response system in Arabidopsis thaliana, a small white-flowered plant from the mustard family that serves as a common model organism in plant biology labs.

Chloroplasts do more than photosynthesis: They're also a key player in plant immunity
By: UC Davis -- Scientists have long known that chloroplasts help plants turn the sun's energy into food, but a new study, led by plant biologists at the University of California, Davis, shows that they are also essential for plant immunity to viral and bacterial pathogens.

Insights for plant breeding: Arming wheat plants against climate stress with microorganisms
By: Phys.org -- Agriculture in Europe is increasingly affected by extreme weather conditions that lead to crop losses. In 2018, the damage in Germany alone amounted to around 770 million euros. Making wheat plants more resilient to these stresses could make a significant contribution to safeguarding global food production.

In US, invasive spotted lanternflies are devastating crops
By: Phys.org -- At first glance, the spotted lanternfly looks like an elegant butterfly, speckled with black spots on white wings with a splash of bright red. But the insect native to parts of Asia (Lycorma delicatula) is attacking plants and trees in the U.S., and officials are moving quickly to try to contain its spread.

How Idaho farmers are growing crops in a more sustainable way
By: Boise State Public Radio -- When it comes to potatoes, Idaho is the number one producer in the U.S., growing nearly 30% of the nations supply. Like many other areas of the country our state is feeling the impacts of climate change, experiencing shortages in the famous crop, as recently as last year.

Proposed tax credit could help landscapers transition to electric leaf blowers, lawn mowers in California
By: The Orange County Register -- When Sana Sirodan and her team launched Greenplace landscaping services out of Costa Mesa, California, earlier this year after immigrating from Ukraine due to the war, she said they opted for all-electric equipment from the start.

Can planting multiple crops in the same plot improve agricultural production and sustainability
By: Wiley via Phys.org -- Agricultural management has typically focused on increasing yields, but there is an increasing need for sustainable food production that limits negative impacts on the environment. A new study published in Grassland Research provides insights into the potential benefits of diversifying agricultural practices, revealing how different mixtures of plant species can improve production, quality and conservation.

How plants communicate with each other when in danger
By: The Washington Post -- It sounds like fiction from "The Lord of the Rings." An enemy begins attacking a tree. The tree fends it off and sends out a warning message. Nearby trees set up their own defenses. The forest is saved.