If you want a beautiful garden and are wondering what you can do to make this as easy as possible, focus on having healthier plants. The healthier the plants are, the better your garden is going to look. So, what’s the secret a healthy and happy garden?
 
Right Plant, Right Place
 
This is a simple but important step to ensure your plants are as healthy as possible - simply position each plant in the right place for them. This means considering their light needs, preferred temperature and humidity, and the space that they will require in order to grow healthily. If you can get all that right, it’s going to really help a lot with making your plants and your garden a lot healthier.
 
Improve Soil Quality
 
The soil is obviously always going to be important too, and you need to make sure that you are doing everything you can to improve the soil quality. This can be done in several ways. You can make your own compost from garden and food waste, which can lead to a very nutrient rich kind of soil, or you can consider using some premium mulch as well. The best way is to go for a combination of these - and make sure that you are adding in some fresh compost every year if you can.
 
Water Correctly
 
Many people harm their plants by overwatering. You might find yourself thinking that more water is always better, but this is simply not the case. Very often, in fact, it is the opposite - plants often need a lot less water. Checking the soil moisture before you water - if it’s dry, it’s time to water, otherwise leave it alone. Overwatering your plants makes them vulnerable to pests and diseases.
 
Feed Regularly
 
Regular feeding is another way to make your plants happier and healthier. With regular feeding, your plants will be healthier and happier. Make sure you are using a balanced fertilizer during the growing season for the best possible results here - and repot wherever your healthy plants outgrow their current living quarters.

By ​Sian Thompson

It’s great to have a lush, green yard, but not everyone has the time to maintain it, let alone the patience, and that can be a problem. After all, if you want something that looks perfect, you’ve surely got to spend a lot of time making it happen and taking care of it, haven’t you? 
 
Well, in some cases, yes, and if that’s what you enjoy, go ahead. But if you don’t have the time or the green thumbs needed, you can still have a thriving yard with minimal effort - keep reading if you want to learn how. ​

Choose Low-Maintenance Plants 

If your yard is full of plants that need constant attention, you’re just setting yourself up for the stress of taking care of it, and soon enough, if you run out of time or lose motivation, what could have been a nice-looking yard will look awful. So instead of all that, it’s better to opt for hardy, low-maintenance options that can manage quite well if they’re left alone for a while. You’ll still need to do some work, just not as much as with other, more needy plants. 

Native plants are a great choice because they’re already adapted to your local climate, meaning they need less watering, less fertilizing, and that’s less work for you in the long run. You could go for things like drought-resistant perennials like lavender, sedum, and ornamental grasses for example - they can keep going even if they’ve been ignored for days or weeks in some cases. And if you want some effortless greenery, you can plant some evergreen shrubs which are so easy to take care of and which also keep your yard looking green and lush all year round.

Work Smarter, Not Harder

A gorgeous lawn is the centerpiece of any yard, and the great news is that you don’t have to constantly look after yours to make it look fantastic. The trick is to treat your grass in the right way, and for the most part, it’ll just take care of itself (although you’ll still need to mow it, of course - that’s one job that’s got to be on your to-do list). 

One of the biggest mistakes people make when it comes to their lawn is to overwater it, thinking that’s going to keep it alive and looking good. However, you really don’t need to water your grass every day - in fact, it’s far better to do it once or twice a week, but to make sure you’re giving it a deep water at that time because that’ll get down to the roots and your lawn will look a lot healthier. 

Something else to invest in to make your lawn look amazing is a lawn dethatcher. Over time, grass clippings, dead roots, and various other bits and pieces of general debris build up at the base of your lawn, and that means water gets blocked, so your grass doesn’t get the nutrients it needs. If you use a lawn dethatcher, you can clear all that out and let your grass breathe and get stronger, with hardly any effort involved at all. 

Finally, we’ve got to talk about mowing. As we’ve said, it’s essential, but how you do it can make a big difference. You should always keep your mower blades nice and high because cutting the grass too short makes it weak. So even if your lawn is a little longer than you’re used to, it’ll be healthier and look better, so it’s definitely worth it.

Use Mulch

Weeding is another job that takes ages but must be done to keep your garden looking good, and it can be a bit of a pain, to say the least. But what if you could make it so fewer weeds grew in the first place? Then weeding wouldn’t take so long and wouldn’t be so arduous. Well, that’s exactly what you can do with mulch. Lay a layer of mulch around flower beds, trees, shrubs, and so on, and that’s going to smother weeds before they even start, saving you time and effort. 
 
On top of that, mulch helps to lock in moisture, which means less water is needed - another job that takes time and effort. Plus, as it all breaks down, it improves the health of your soil, so your plants get all the nutrients they need without you having to do anything extra to make it happen. Mulch can also last months before you need to add any more, so it’s as close to a do it and forget it kind of job as you can get.

By Stuart Kushner

​Indoor plants are lucky. They don’t have to deal with winter’s cold temperatures, snow, ice, and wind like outdoor plants do. Nevertheless, they still must deal with the changes winter brings. Shorter days reduce the amount of light they receive and the cold, dry air isn’t their favorite.
 
Whether it’s your plants hanging from the ceiling or the herbs growing by the windowsill in your kitchen, you’ll need to adjust how you care for your indoor plants. Here are several tips to keep them alive and healthy this winter.

1. Increase Light

With winter comes shorter days than in spring and summer. Make sure your houseplants get enough light during this time.
 
Move them to a brighter spot, like a window, so they can get more light. If it’s not enough, consider adding a supplemental light source, like a grow light. However, don’t move them to a frosty window or they might catch a draft.
 
Rotate plants a quarter turn each week to ensure all parts of it get sunlight.

2. Increase the Humidity

Plants grow best in humidity levels between 40 and 50%, but the humidity drops 10 to 20% in winter. If you have a humidifier, move your plants to a spot close enough for them to reap the benefits. If you don’t, you have other options.
 
Clustering plants is a good way to ramp up the humidity. Plants transpire naturally to release water through their leaves, so placing them together will raise the humidity around them. Place them in bathrooms or kitchens for even better results –– they’ll absorb the moisture from showers and cooking.
 
Another option is to place them on trays filled with pebbles and water. Placing the pebbles at the bottom of the tray will lift the plants above water level. In doing so, it ensures water can evaporate from the plants without them getting root rot.
 
3. Water Less Often

Plants grow at a slower rate in winter and need less water to stay hydrated, and overwatering. Overwatering them will lead to root rot.
 
Rather than follow a watering schedule, check to see if your plants need water by poking your finger at least an inch into the soil. If it’s dry, water it thoroughly. If it’s moist, hold off on watering for a few days, then check to see if it’s dry. Dry soil ensures oxygen can travel to the plant’s root system.
 
Use room temperature water to water your plants –– cold water can shock their roots.
 
 
With just a few changes to your plant care routine, you can enjoy the benefits of having plants inside year-round. When the weather outside is frightening, well-cared-for plants are a surefire way to bring a smile to everyone’s faces.