Gardeners come in many levels of experience and expertise. Some of us can name a Phytophthora mold from a mile away. While others of us enjoy growing tulips, but can’t be bothered to remember if they’re called Beauty of Oxford or Vlammenspel. There is also a large group of people who want to start a gardening habit, but just don’t know how to get started.
Here at The Home Depot, we want everyone to enjoy digging in the dirt, and we’re ready to offer you the gardening advice to make your thumb as green as you’d like. Here’s a round up of some very useful information to get the novice gardener started, and the long-time horticulturalists refreshed.
Gardening 101 Articles:
- Getting Started in Your Garden – The Basics
- Is Your Garden Shade or Full Sun, or Everything In Between?
- How to Plant Your Annuals and Perennials
- 10 Tips to Make Your New Flower Garden Great
- Tips for Getting Started with Container Gardening
- Water Conservation: Rain Barrels Can Really Help Your Gardens Grow
- Sustainable Gardening: Composting Made Easy
Gardening 101 Videos:
Gardening 101 How-To Project Guides:
- Cutting a New Flower Bed or Border
- Caring for Annual Plants and Flowers
- Dividing Perennial Plants and Flowers
- Planting a New Tree in Your Garden
Check out our Home Depot Forums, too, for gardening advice. Get your gardening questions answered by Home Depot gardening experts. We’d also love to hear your gardening stories–triumphs, tragedies and clever ideas.
You can always speak to one of our Certified Nursery Consultants at your local Home Depot Store. He or she will be happy to give you gardening advice, point you to the right product or offer ideas how to make your garden a place of pride.
question: our lemon tree still has fruits on it, some still not ripe, but it has started to flower again. Would it be advisable to pluck all those fruits now to give more ‘strength’ to the forthcoming fruits? And when do we prune the tree. And to what extent? We’d like to keep it as dwarf-like as possible and not reach up too high.
Thanks for your help.
What can I do to have my hydrageas bloom. Last year all it did was produce leaves but no flowers.
Thanks,
Pat
Response from Garden Expert Maureen on How-to Community
Greetings Pat!
Hydrangeas are one of my most favorite of all plants! Hydrangeas can be a bit finicky, first a couple of questions: Did you prune your hydrangeas the year before last, and have you given them any food?
Hydrangeas, the old fashioned ones, bloom on old wood or branches, If the bush in question has been cut back within the last year or two, it can take up to three years to re- flower!
I know that seems like such a long time, but its so worth the wait. Hydrangeas set their buds for the next flowering year just after they have finished blossoming. The time to prune and shape is when they are in bloom, or before the blossoms go brown.
Hydrangea love to be feed with a high phosphorus food, super phosphate is a great time released fertilizer that will promote, huge gorgeous blooms. Old fashioned hydrangeas are a litmus plant, their color is a result of the acidity or sweetness of the soil. A high alkaline or sweet soil will cause the blooms to be pink, and a high acid count will turn the blooms blue..A mixture of both lime and holly food will make the flowers a purple tone!
So Pat… Feed them, and don’t prune them and see..It may be one more year tii you see them bloom….But so worth the wait! Happy blooms to you! Maureen A.K.A BostonRoots
i tried to grow bitter melon in stockbridge, michigan but i was very unsuccessful. can someone email me how to grow bitter melon in michigan?i have diabetes and i was told to eat bitter melon(vegetable) as often.thanks a million for the help.
Mary, I posted your question on our Garden Club Forum. It’s free, and it’s a great place to ask questions or share advice. You’ll find expert information from Home Depot garden associates all over the U.S. Please click this link from time to time and watch for a reply, and good luck with those melons. Lynn, Home Depot Garden Club.
Hi, I saw on another website a link back to Home Depot for a video on building a vertical garden and from the little bit of pic I saw, looked like some kind of tray and a lattice overlay. However, I cannot locate the video anywhere on you site and have used many different search terms. The original link given on that referral page was:
http://www.homedepot.com/Outdoors-Garden-Center/h_d1/N-5yc1vZbx6k/h_d2/Navigation?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053&Nu=P_PARENT_ID&cm_mmc=ola|carat|6344261|77951751|254233340|47632153
but it just takes me to the main page here in the garden center. Help, please! I was really interested in seeing that video!
Hi, Deborah.
The link to the downloadable instructions is on the Garden Center page, under the video. (For now, at least. The page will eventually feature other projects– I say this for people reading this in the future).
But you can also find a link to the downloadable instructions in a more permanent spot, here on the Apron Blog:
http://ext.homedepot.com/community/blog/spring-garden-project-vertical-garden/
Good luck with the project, Deborah.
I planted some sweet potatoes, sweet corn and something is eating the leaves. Any ideas?
With thick Georgia clay as the base layer of my garden, I was thinking of putting up a 12 inch stone border and filling the 12 x 12 area with good soil. Is this a plan others have had success with? Is it a good plan? We would like to plant fruits and vegetables.
Should I lay some kind of felt barrier on top of the clay?
To further complicate, I have a dying dogwood in the exact center of the garden area I am going to remove. The trees roots are below and on the surface of the clay.
I appreciate any advice.
Ah, yes. Thick Georgia clay. It’s often an issue for gardeners in the southeast.
This would be a terrific question for the gardening experts on The Home Depot Forums. Just post the question on the Garden & Yard Forum, and you’ll get the advice you need.
Or you could stop by your local Home Depot store and speak to one of the Certified Nursery Consultants in the garden center.
Good luck with the clay. And thanks for stopping by.
I was wondering what your opinion is on the best ground covering for a yard with dogs. I have a fairly small yard, and am pretty sure nothing green can survive the play and use. I was wondering if anyone had experience in this matter (whether it be mulch, stones, something else I have not considered). Thanks for any suggestions!
What a great question, Ashley. I’m sure a lot of pet owners are wondering the same thing.
A lot will depend on what part of the country you’re in, and the look you’re going for in your yard. There may in fact be a type of grass tough enough for all the dog and owner traffic.
Please post this question on The Home Depot Forums. I know our lawn experts would love to take a shot at this, and you’re likely to get ideas from other Community members, too.
Or you can always have a chat with the Certified Nursery Consultants at your local Home Depot store.
Good luck with that, Ashley. I hope to see you on the Forums.
My daughters want to plant some flowers in a circle flower bed i made for them 5feet wide. but i would like to plant flowers that last all seasons..are there any colorful ones in particular? I live in ca
That sounds like a great project for your daughters, Bernado.
The best thing I can suggest is posting this question on The Home Depot Forums. Or you could get some ideas from the store associates at your nearest Home Depot store.
You can also browse our Plant Library, which is part of our Garden Club.
I have a few bare spots in my lawn. Is it too late to seed my lawn?
Bert, where are you located? Your location, climate and season are important when deciding if you should seed your lawn or not. Please visit the Garden Club for details on lawn care. You’ll find a wealth of information there.
I have a cider block wall in the backyard that I want to either cover with some tpe of clinging vine (that does not attract housing for small animals) or something to plant trellis sytle in front of the wall. Whatever I choose would be grown to 2 feet higher than the present wall. The area is sun to partial sun. Please offer some suggestions as to my choices,thank you.
Hi C.Rae,
I wish I could answer your question directly (no green thumbs here), but I am confident that one of the helpful members of our Garden Club community is sure to have some useful advice for you on what types of vines are best to provide your trellis the coverage it needs. It’s absolutely free to join, and you’ll be able to get answers to your questions from community experts, as well as engage with other gardening enthusiast. Hope this helps.
I would like to use some type of mulch in my yard to cover some bare spots in my lawn due to my dog. Grass simply will not grow in a few areas and wondering if anyone has any advice or experience in what type works best thank you charmaine
Charmaine, I did a little research. I hope the following information helps you.
First, if the area is bare, remove about a shovelful deep of the soil that is in the bare spot and put on a piece of burlap or canvas. Take a bag of peat moss and part of a small bag of gypsum [about a 5 lb. bag for a 10x10 ft. area] to the soil and mix together. Before replacing the soil, scratch in part of the rest of the bag of gypsum in the bottom of the hole, then replace the mixture of dirt to the hole, pack down and try to plant your seed.
The dog urine is very strong fertilizer that you have to keep washed down lower in the soil and watered down. The peat and gypsum is on the other side of the spectrum and should make a great base for your new seed.
Using just a mulch on the soil without mixing it in will not do much to fix the problem. However, any mulch that you mix into the soil will help a bit. For this problem, peat moss is the best.
Hey folks,
I have a fairly large backyard, but it is just hard packed, dry dirt with dead grass and foxtail. I would like to till it, add top soil and seed to get it green (if that is the right order to do it in). I am not a project person/gardener by any means so could someone please advise me on the best way to go about this?
Hi Manny,
It should be fairly easy to begin growing grass in your backyard. We actually have a Project Guide for growing grass from seed, so these steps should walk you through the process. Find it here:
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ContentView?pn=Starting_a_New_Lawn_from_Seed
Good luck!
Caroline
How long does it take for a pineapple to be produced when you plant a cutting?
Hi Abby. After planting a cutting, it will take between 6 – 8 weeks for the pineapple stalk to start and another 2 months for it to be supporting itself as a new plant. Hope this helps!
What cause my cumcumbers to turn yellow?
Hi Sherri,
I’m sorry to hear that your cucumber plants have turned yellow. The most common cause for yellowing cucumber plants is that the fruit has become overripe — in other words, you left it on the vine to long!
Better luck next year. Sorry!
In addition to cucumbers turning yellow, cucumbers left on the vine too long will prevent further cucumbers from growing. To keep vines productive, remove cucumbers promptly when they have reached appropriate size for the variety you have chosen.
Thanks for the tip, Helga!
i’m new to planting and don’t know what kind of flowers i should plant on the eastcoast in july. should i purchase annuals/perennials?
thanks
Ty,
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you on your question. I wish I could answer your question directly (no green thumbs here), but I am confident that one of the helpful members of our Garden Club community is sure to have some useful advice for you on this matter. It’s absolutely free to join, and you’ll be able to get answers to your questions and expert advice, as well as engage with other gardening enthusiast. Hope this helps.
Need recommendations for the your favorite gardening tool.
Wow. That’s a tough one only because there are so many tools to choose from and I’m not sure what type of project you need the tool for. Check out our buying guides for a more detailed description of different types of tools and suggestions to take into consideration before you make your purchase. Also, browse through our garden tool selection to get an idea of all your options. Hope this helps!
Last year, my daughter and son-in-law, landscaped our front yard. They put down a black vinyl to prevent weeds from growing and stones on top. This year, I cannot seem to control the weeds that are growing. How can I eliminate the weeds from my garden? Please help!
Hi Gerri,
I wish I could answer your question directly (no green thumbs here), but I am confident that one of the helpful members of our Garden Club community is sure to have some useful advice for you on what to do to get that weed problem under control. It’s absolutely free to join, and you’ll be able to get answers to your questions from community experts, as well as engage with other gardening enthusiast. Hope this helps.
My grass is a disaster. The soil is like concrete. Shaded areas are great, but half the back yard gets sun most of the day. What can I do to fix this this and have a nice green back yard?
Hi Karen,
We apologize for taking so long to answer your question. I wish I could answer your question directly (no green thumbs here), but I am confident that one of the helpful members of our Garden Club community is sure to have some useful advice for you on what you can do to get your whole yard looking nice green allover. It’s absolutely free to join, and you’ll be able to get answers to your questions from community experts, as well as engage with other outdoor enthusiast. Hope this helps.
Landscape ideas needed! Side yard: 40′x32′, privacy fence on two sides, fairly large wooden playset in center, lots of foot traffic – kids and dogs, one decorative tree. Soil has eroded a bit, lots of exposed dirt. What can I put in this space that could survive dogs (and their excretions) and kids? I’m willing to consider anything but have a budget. Although grass would be lovely, don’t think it will survive urine and feet dragging while swinging. Would just end up spending a lot of money to bring it back to where it is now. Thoughts?
My best advice to you, LJ, is to join our FREE online Garden Club. It is the best resource for all issues dealing with your lawn and garden. There are tons of ideas about how to plan and care for your garden, you have access to expert advice for specific questions 24/7, and you can share tips and tricks with your fellow garden enthusiasts also!
What is the best way to water a 4ft by 8 ft vegetable garden in Phoenix Arizona?
Make sure to water frequently during the hottest times of year. Also, watering at night or before dawn is a great way for plants and vegetables to retain more water by avoiding overdue evaporation.
Correction:
I was wondering, now that
Correction:
I have a plot in a community garden and we are not allowed to use mulch. I was wondering, now that my plants are growing is there something I could at the base of each plant to help retain water and control temperature. I used a mix of peat moss and soil to plant in now the plants are growing well. Would some peat moss around the base be helpful or should I leave well enough alone?
I have a plot in a community garden and we are not allowed to use mulch. I was wondering, not that my plants are growing is there something I could at the base of each plant to help retain water and control temperature. I used a mix of peat moss and soil to plant in now the plants are growing well. Would some peat moss around the base be helpful or should I leave well enough alone?
What is the best way to grow roses from clippings and does home depot ever have any classes on grafting?
Home Depot has the best plant selection in N Cal, and they are all zone ready for all 4 zones in the area. I always enjoy a visit to the gardening department, especially in early spring.
My best to you all with your gardening this year.
make sure there is no more chance of real cold weather then plant
I bought a dozen roses, 2 roses grew leaflet sets. I would like to plant them. What do I do to ensure their growth?