Vermont Garden Journal

With bigger and more frequent rain events brought on by human-caused climate change, you can either raise up your garden or try planting things that thrive in wetter conditions.

Spring greens can add brightness and flavor to your meals. Forage for some wintercress or dandelions or cultivate new types, like rapini and upland cress.

Instead of traditional tilling, or turning of the soil to prepare it for spring planting, the "no-dig" method is just that. No digging keeps the billions of helpful microbes intact in the soil. It could lead to fewer weeds and healthier soil and plants.

When and how to prune hydrangeas can really help set up the plant for better blooms.

Planting a pollinator garden is a great addition to a yard, but if you're low on space, consider replacing grass with these ground covers that are just as attractive and beneficial to pollinators.

Peas aren't just green anymore! Pea plants come in three types: snap, snow and shelling. And some varieties grow in yellow and purple shades. Find a new, colorful favorite to plant in your gardens and raised beds.

Heuchera or coral bells are perennials in the evergreen family and come in many flower colors — but it's the pink, purple, and yellow foliage that packs the maximum color punch.

"Purple" is a new tomato from the Norfolk Plant Science group in England that has genes from a purple snapdragon flower. That modification gives the tomato its deep purple hue through and through, plus packs in more antioxidants.

Zinnias are annual flowers that bloom reliably from mid-summer to frost, are pollinator and butterfly magnets, make great cut flowers and are easy to grow.

Charlie Nardozzi is traveling in India and visiting a local garden center there. Nardozzi noticed several plants, flowers and veggies that grow well in Vermont, too.

Houseplants add color and act as sponges, soaking up carbon dioxide while adding oxygen. Still, there are a range of issues that can befall plant owners trying to keep certain houseplants thriving.

While getting your hands into the warm soil is months off, you can grow small crops of microgreens indoors! These small batches of tender veggie shoots are great additions to salads, soups and smoothies.

Common favorite houseplants like philodendrons and rubber trees come in varying colors, shapes and sizes.

While the winter chill draws you indoors and you're dreaming of spring and summer gardening, leaf through seed catalogs (virtually or in-hand). Many local and regional seed companies offer heirloom and hardy vegetable plants in hundreds of varieties.

A small patch of colorful, ornamental berry bushes could elevate your holiday decorating game next year.

If you have large outdoor planters or containers, try filling them with cut branches, berry twigs and needled evergreen boughs for rustic, natural holiday decorations this season.

From tropical climes to your Northeast table setting, the poinsettia is a great indoor house plant. Its leaves, called bracts, look like flower petals. And its those vibrant leaves that attract pollinators in its natural environment. Once potted up in festive foil and in your home for the holidays, here are some tips to keep it looking great all season.