ArcaMax

Q: I bought several beautiful tropical hibiscus plants in the spring. They are thriving. However, they were outside all summer, and they are now too tall for my kitchen garden window. I don't have room for plants that large, so I wonder if and how I can cut them back -- and will they still live and bloom?

A: Congratulations on growing your ...Read more

SACRAMENTO — Eight-foot sunflower stalks tower over tracts overrun with weeds. A wooden post marks a habitat for ground-nesting native bees. Near one garden entrance, a tree’s branches droop to the ground, laden with ripe yellow peaches.

Here, in the River District, at the confluence of the Sacramento and American rivers, large green ...Read more

Last year was exciting for The Garden Guy as I became introduced to a plant called Estrellita Little Star. The name is neat to me as Estrellita actually means Little Star. While that might sound redundant it also sounds like a profound introduction: This beautiful flower is Estrellita…. Little Star. It is like Spanish and English celebrating ...Read more

Q: How and when do I trim my butterfly bush?

A: There are several species of plants commonly called butterfly bush. The most common ones are in the Buddleia genus. The most common one is Buddleia davidii, and it is also sometimes called summer lilac.

It flowers on the ends of the new growth from midsummer until frost. In the northern states, ...Read more

Over the years The Garden Guy has written about the various Pantone Colors of the Year. I really love applying trendy colors to the garden. A new coleus making its debut has made me really start to think about this color that is so thrilling. It is a color that you simply can’t use wrong. It makes you happy when you see it in mixed containers...Read more

Q: I saw an article online where you mentioned applying a thin layer of compost to the lawn each spring. I have used compost to mix with soil when planting perennials, and it has a very wet and almost claylike consistency. Perhaps this is because the compost is stored in bags that are piled on top of one another in a pallet.

I am wondering if ...Read more

NEW YORK — High octane celebrities Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro and Patti Smith waded into a fight to keep the Elizabeth Street Garden, a whimsical greenspace near Little Italy, from being turned into affordable housing on Thursday, penning letters to Mayor Eric Adams and the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development....Read more

There will be a lot of temptation for gardeners in 2025; so many new plants are showing up at the garden center. Being the astute gardener you are, you probably can guess I am yanking your chain a little as I introduce you to the Totally Tempted cuphea series.

If you are a hummingbird lover you already know some cupheas. The Totally Tempted ...Read more

Q: I hope you can give me some advice on my privet hedge. The hedge is about 25 years old and runs about 250 feet around my yard. It was very healthy last year but did not come back very well this spring. I had them cut back to 2 feet. I have always covered the base with leaves each fall. I have been watering them with Miracle-Gro each week, and...Read more