As I've been garden coaching so many of you, one thing we often discuss is letting the garden grow, hopefully making it simpler to care for. At least, that's the idea. 'Oklahoma Carmine' zinnias look great, and I love their ombre color. Letting the garden grow doesn't mean letting the garden go. There's a fine line between exuberant, healthy plants and those intent on world domination. Weeds, for example, fall into that second category. Carol Michel and I discussed many plants we wish were not in our gardens on a recent podcast episode called shoulda, woulda, coulda. Baptisia in the Lurie Garden in Chicago grows behind the meadow sage with maiden grass and Amethyst sage in the foreground. As I matured as a gardener, I became inspired by gardens like the Lurie Garden which has its fair share of spreaders. I've visited twice, and I'm in love with their style,...

The wind is blowing, and leaves are falling. Autumn is the perfect time to review the bones of the garden. Once the landscape puts itself to bed for winter, you can truly see its structure, but now is a good time to plan for better garden bones for next year. Yes, you can always add garden bones, although some are easier to implement than others. Tree and shrubs are garden bones. You especially notice them in fall as the leaves turn and fall. Trees, shrubs, and hardscape are your garden's bones. As I walk my garden paths, I can now see the garden bones starting to emerge, with hardscape, like arbors, pathways, focal points, and garden borders of wood, stone and concrete. Like the bones in our bodies, trees, shrubs, and grasses provide structure. Without structure, the garden looks fuzzy and frankly boring. Gravel paths interspersed with concrete pavers to...

It's probably no surprise I love zinnias. I talk about them on the Gardenangelists podcast every chance I get, but these are my zinnia favorites, the varieties I want to always grow no matter what. Oklahoma Salmon zinnias with cosmos foliage. My zinnia plan failed, sort of. Gardening is a love story, and as the kids would say, I'm here for it. I had a zinnia plan for this year, which kept being sabotaged by weather and insects. Let's not even discuss the armadillos. Does that sound familiar in your garden too? However, in spite of these challenges, I still prevailed by planting zinnias in alternative places. Crop rotation is a "thing" you know, and zinnias are a crop just like summer squash, green beans, or tomatoes. 'Oklahoma Carmine' zinnias look great, and I love their ombre color. Sometimes, gardeners need to relearn old tricks. I planted some seeds in...

This morning I was talking to a friend about flowers, and we agreed gardening is a love story. 'Coco Gold' and 'Giant Orange' marigolds grown by Jennifer Hussman at Ladybug Lane Flower Farm. Look how tenderly she holds them. This is love. Jennifer Hussman from Ladybug Lane Flower Farm and I were discussing marigolds and zinnias. She is very fond of 'Coco™ Gold' marigolds, and I'm digging 'Benary's Giant Deep Red' zinnias now. 'Benary's Giant Deep Red' zinnias pick up the red of the fountain at the center of the potager. How is gardening a love story? Gardening has all of the elements of a love story. It involves passion, loss and joy. You could tell that story, month-by-month or, in my case, flower-by-flower. Part of the gardening love story is a love of specific plants or maybe one genus or species in particular, and that can change over time....