Flowers and Plants

July 4, 2023

Lorraine Toussaint on Living in Hudson Valley After Fire Burned Her Malibu Home

After losing her California home in the 2018 wildfires, the actress bought an early-19th-century farmhouse near Rhinebeck, N.Y. The wildfire that destroyed Lorraine Toussaint’s house in […]
June 7, 2023

Why Meditation Is an Important Part of Gardening

In the last volume of his memoir trilogy, Marc Hamer explains why a garden is not just a place of work — it’s also a place […]
May 31, 2023

How to Coexist With The Animals in Your Garden

There’s a multicultural world outdoors — and even the gentlest gardeners often disrupt it. Here’s how to avoid that. Spring unfolds each year in color, yes, […]
May 24, 2023

What Makes a Garden a Work of Art? Piet Oudolf Explains.

The noted designer of the High Line has wisdom to share with other gardeners: “I put plants on a stage and let them perform.” There is […]
May 10, 2023

How to Compost, According to Gardening Experts

Don’t get hung up on how long it should take or how many citrus peels are too many. As one longtime composter put it, “My rule […]
May 4, 2023

4 Books That Offer a Bouquet of Design Inspiration

New books on Elverhoj, Frances Elkins, offshore décor and designing with plants. This article is part of our Design special section about making the environment a […]
May 3, 2023

If You Stop Mowing This May, Will Your Lawn Turn Into a Meadow?

Not necessarily. Two new books offer some advice on what to expect when you decide to leave your lawn behind. It’s No Mow May, time for […]
March 20, 2023

Cherry Blossom Trackers Have Their Fans Online

The interactive maps that track the progress of cherry blossom buds each spring have attracted an enthusiastic fan base. Weeks before the Brooklyn Botanic Garden updated […]
February 15, 2023

How to Choose a Houseplant for Your Home

Rule No. 1: “You don’t have to just have a plain-Jane green plant.” But here’s what you do have to do — to find the right […]
December 14, 2022

After a Frantic Year, It’s Time for ‘Slow Birding’

A new book borrows from the slow food movement to propose a more thoughtful, less competitive form of bird-watching. The feeders are filled and hung; the […]