Gardening

Paula Vietmeier in the backyard of her home in Mt. Pleasant, Washington County.

Winning garden makes lavish use of difficult space

Paula Vietmeier’s garden is an example of what can be done with a sloped area and canny plant choices.

2 days ago

Little bulbs make a big impact in winter, spring

Snowdrops, Siberian squill, spring starflower and other “minor” bulbs are inexpensive and easy to plant.

1 week ago

Rebecca Wanovich is the winner of the small, summer gardens category for her vegetable and flower garden.

PG’s Great Gardens Contest: There's a lot to love and eat in Rebecca Wanovich's garden

A 50-foot-long zucchini vine is just one of the pretty and tasty plants in Rebecca Wanovich’s garden, a winner in the PG’s Great Gardens

2 weeks ago

Jana Faust stands at the entrance to the Berry Patch in her garden around her home in Brentwood.

Jana Faust's garden transcends competition

Brentwood mother and wife Jana Faust has created a magical garden that celebrates life.

1 month ago

Garden contest finalists chosen

Eight gardens (and their gardeners) were chosen as finalists in the Great Gardens Contest, summer garden category.

1 month ago

"Chocolate Shogun" astilbe is in the center, flanked by brunnera on the left and variegated hosta on the right.

'Chocolate Shogun' astilbe is a delight

In addition to glossy delicious-looking foliage, this hardy perennial sports plumes of pink flowers and stands 2 feet tall.

1 month ago

'Grandstand Lavender' salvia with 'Crystal White' euphorbia in new trial beds at the North Park demonstration garden.

Demonstration gardens the stars of annual Garden in the Parks

The Penn State Master Gardeners of Allegheny County lead this popular free event at North and South parks on Aug. 20 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

1 month ago

Enter our garden, creative reuse contests

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is accepting online entries for its Great Gardens and Reuse Inspiration contests.

1 month ago

This is a potted Rieger Begonia with ivy and Creeping Jenny in the garden of Sharon Danovich and her husband John Lupone, a winner of the Great Gardens Contest, at their home in Edgewood in 2015.

Your great garden could be a winner!

Entries are now being accepted for the Great Gardens contest sponsored by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden.

2 months ago

Raul Chiesa and Janet Sredy stand amid the flowers on part of their 110-acre Beckets Run Woodlands in Forward that was recently designated as a Wild Plant Sanctuary by the Department of Conservation & Natural Resources.

Forward thinking creates a woodland sanctuary

Pennsylvania has designated Beckets Run Woodlands in Forward a Wild Plant Sanctuary as a model of sustainable land management.

2 months ago

Bronze sculpture of the bear from Robert McCloskey's book "Blueberries for Sal" at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. In the background is the play cottage in the children's garden.

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is a great destination

Created by a group of residents, this public garden is not just for plant nerds. A stroll through its colorful displays is a treat for all.

2 months ago

Murrysville gardeners hold a tour

If you’ve ever wanted to see gardens lovingly tended by members of the Murrysville Garden Club, you’ll get your chance on July 16.

2 months ago

Trish and Carl Orangis in their Mt. Lebanon garden.

Sunken retreat: Mt. Lebanon garden features colorful flowers, true hardscape

When wood hardscape began to decay, stone and concrete became the frame for this pretty stop on the Mt. Lebanon Public Library Garden Tour.

2 months ago

'Australia, a red-leafed canna, stands at the back of Susan Silverman's water garden in Murrysville. 'Bengal Tiger' is the variegated-leafed canna in the center.

Cannas are a garden's exclamation points

Cannas add a triple tropical blast — colorful flowers, striking foliage and statuesque presence in a pot, pond or back of the border.

2 months ago

Mt. Lebanon garden tour, party set for July 9-10

A butterfly garden, a 1920s stone Tudor and a 1950s ranch with a multilevel garden are among six stops on the Mt. Lebanon Public Library

2 months ago

A day to savor the edible landscape

Edible landscaping is a terrific way to combine form and function in the garden.

3 months ago

Sue Colaizzi has spent 38 years working on her garden in Ross.

Ross woman devotes 38 years to her hidden garden

Sue Colaizzi’s handiwork is a not-to-be-missed gem that will be featured on the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden’s Town and Country Garden Tour on

3 months ago

Jean Reiland, 68, of Shaler, smiles for a photo at the Shakespeare Garden in Mellon Park.

'Tis Shakespeare's garden!

Herb Society volunteers tend 17th-century flowers, herbs and vegetables mentioned in William Shakespeare’s plays.

3 months ago

A row of deep holes in a sugar maple’s bark is a sign that a yellow-bellied sapsucker has been feeding.

Sapsucker the likely culprit for holes in maple tree

The yellow-bellied sapsucker loves to tap sugar maples, but the damage won’t harm the tree.

3 months ago

The front garden bed planted by long-time Regent Square homeowner Ann Kelton.

A garden portrait: Regent Square Garden Tour

A mature garden whose color comes from old-fashioned perennials and shrubs is one of 12 open for the Regent Square Garden Tour on June 12.

3 months ago

Theo Urban of O'Hara takes pictures of the corpse flower Romero at Phipps Conservatory in 2013. Romero last bloomed in August 2013 and drew thousands to Phipps to witness its odiferous bloom.

Corpse flower is alive and well at Phipps

Amorphophallus titanum, with a bloom that gives off an overwhelming scent of rotting flesh, is about to bloom at Phipps Conservatory.

3 months ago

A tree that has been properly mulched, leaving the root flare at the base exposed.

Get the facts about good gardening

Regardless of the source, gardeners must ask if the information accurate? Can it be a myth that persists despite knowledge to the contrary?

4 months ago

Planting clover in your lawn? No way!

Miniclover or microclover mixed with grass seed can mean a greener lawn with less fertilizer.

4 months ago

Phipps compiles a list of top 10 sustainable plants for area gardens

Phipps list includes unique ornamentals, including trees, shrubs and perennials that will grow well in local gardens.

4 months ago

Annual Arbor Day seedling giveaway will be held Friday

Tree Pittsburgh providing seedlings of five species of local, native trees grown at its Heritage Nursery in Lawrenceville.

5 months ago

Bill Lucki, owner of Natural Garden Design, at his home in Monroeville. Mr. Lucki is one of seven landscapers around Pittsburgh this spring to display a Sustainable Landscape accreditation from Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. He said he has returned his home garden to a natural habitat and does not spray anything with pesticides.

Landscapers earn Phipps approval for sustainable practices

This spring, seven companies are beautifying landscapes around Pittsburgh with a seal of approval from Phipps Conservatory.

5 months ago

Straw bale gardening gives gardeners a head start

Straw bale gardening is catching on as an easy way to grow vegetables, herbs and ornamental plants without waiting for the soil to warm up.

5 months ago

Yellow and white Tarda tulips were used in the Victoria Room during Phipps Conservatory's Spring Flower Show. The display represented Mary Cassatt's painting "The Boating Party."

Phipps selling bulbs from spring show

Pick up species tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and lilies at Phipps Conservatory’s last Used Bulbs Sale on April 23.

5 months ago

Claudia West is co-author of the book “Planting in a Post-Wild World.”

Author Claudia West is keynote speaker at Garden & Landscape Symposium

The Garden & Landscape Symposium of Western Pennsylvania will be held on April 23 at Shady Side Academy in Fox Chapel.

5 months ago

"Sun King" Japanese spikenard (Aralia cordata).

3 gold plants that glow in the shade

Three gold-leafed shade lovers and three sunny plants that pollinators love will be sold April 23 at garden marketplace.

5 months ago

'Bernardino 'daffodils at Joe Hamm's Daffodil Gardens in Buffalo Village, Washington County.

Joe Hamm's Washington County garden is a daffodil delight

The only American Daffodil Society Display Garden in Western Pennsylvania will be open to visitors for the rest of April.

5 months ago

‘Peppermint Twist ' phlox is one of the plants included in Kelly Norris’ book “Plants with Style” for Timber Press.

Garden with a purpose, plantsman says

Kelly Norris calls on gardeners to think about sustainability, pollinators and drought tolerance when choosing plants for the garden.

5 months ago

Gabriele Rausse in the vineyard at Monticello in Charlottesville, Va.

Winemaker, gardens director at Monticello to speak here

Gabriele Rausse channels Thomas Jefferson and his Italian ancestors to grow wine grapes and other heirloom plants at Monticello.

5 months ago

'Royal Star' star magnolia (Magnolia stelatta) blooms even at a very young age.

Star magnolia is a standout any time of year

The star magnolia (Magnolia stellata) takes center stage in early spring and continues to play a leading role in any landscape.

5 months ago

An interpretation of Claude Monet's "Water Lilies & Japanese Footbridge" in the Spring Flower Show at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.

Flowers as art: Phipps Conservatory features 'Masterpieces in Bloom'

“Masterpieces in Bloom” translates famous paintings into floral displays in Spring Flower Show, on display through April 10.

6 months ago

Garden symposium set for April 23

Co-authors of “Planting in a Post-Wild World” will be keynote speakers of the Garden & Landscape Symposium of Western Pennsylvania.

6 months ago

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden plant sale has something for everyone

Plant sale makes it easy for novices to find plants that will work in the garden, and for experts to find something special.

6 months ago

Phipps and the Orchid Society team up at annual Orchid Show

Phipps will be front and center with a large exhibit at the Orchid Show, held March 19-20 at Phipps Garden Center in Shadyside.

6 months ago

This Heinz ketchup bottle is "spilling" red kalanchoes and is a tribute to H.J. Heinz.

Famous Pittsburghers 'rooted' in Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show

More than a dozen garden tributes to famous locals like Andy Warhol are on display at the Duquesne Light Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show.

6 months ago

The Home & Garden Show is back

Among the exhibits are She Sheds (a female Man Cave), gardens honoring famous Pittsburghers and 11 more Life-Changing New Products.

7 months ago

Philadelphia Flower Show gives a preview of spring

The largest and longest-running horticultural event, begun in 1829 by the Philadelphia Horticultural Society, will once again wow visitors.

7 months ago

'Summer Jewel White' salvia, a 2015 AAS Bedding Plant National Award Winner.

How to find flowers that thrive in Pittsburgh

South Park is the place where new flowers go to thrive — or die. It’s Western Pennsylvania’s only trial garden for All-America Selections.

7 months ago

'Arctic Fire' red twig dogwood (Cornus stolonifera) makes a vivid show against the snow in wintertime.

Plants we dig for their winter interest

Winterberry hollies, red twig dogwoods and sensitive ferns add winter interest with attractive seed heads and colorful berries and stems.

7 months ago

Don't worry, snow will protect your bulbs.

Protecting early sprouts from cold

What can you do to protect bulbs that sprout before another winter blast?

7 months ago

A Weeping Fig in the Orchid and Tropical Bonsai show at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Oakland.

Orchids and fairy tales at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

Phipps will keep its Winter Light Garden open through Friday and the Garden Railroad and Orchid and Tropical Bonsai Show through Feb. 28.

7 months ago

Don't panic about the growing garlic stalks

In these short winter days, there’s not enough light for plants to produce leaves.

8 months ago

William Cahill of Cincinnati thatches a roof on one of three huts made from stumps of a 227-year-old white oak in the Bookworm Glen section of the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden in North Fayette and Collier.

Thatcher adds whimsical touch to oak tree village

Irish thatcher William Cahill finds a warm welcome in Pittsburgh when he tops off oak tree huts at the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden.

8 months ago

Crabapple blossoms will soon be visible in Schenley Park.

Why you need a crabapple tree

Flowering crabapples come in many sizes and shapes plus a variety of colors ranging from white to bright red.

8 months ago

The Pittsburgh Sakura Project members plant trees in Cranberry.

Add planting a tree to your new year’s resolutions

Why not plant a tree? They reduce energy costs and stormwater runoff and add value to homes.

8 months ago

Gardening: See the top performers in Allegheny County's demonstration gardens

New varieties of black-eyed Susans, salvia and zinnias among the top performers in North and South parks’ demonstration gardens.

9 months ago

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