Gardening when the summer sun is blazing down on you, and your sweat is mixing with the yucky taste of sunscreen dripping from your nose, is no joke. When the heat index is climbing, and the humidity kicks in, weeding your vegetable garden feels like an endurance event. So, what’s the fix?

A misting fan is one of the most effective ways to make gardening in the summer bearable; the combo of airflow and fine water spray can drop the temperature around you by up to 15 degrees. If you're already taking steps to protect your garden in the heat, a misting fan is a natural companion. Modern cordless misting fans have come a long way from the cheap squeeze-bottle versions of a decade ago.

Today's options range anywhere from high-capacity floor fans with multi-gallon tanks and 40-hour battery life, to compact individual units that you can clip to a golf cart or your folding table. Some can even be connected to a garden hose for continuous misting, and others have tanks that can run on their own without a water source. We've rounded up six of the best across a range of price points, sourced from Amazon, Home Depot, and Lowe's.

This was the highest-rated overall misting fan in independent testing for 2026, and it's easy to see why. It weighs less than 4 pounds and comes with a built-in handle and integrated water tank. You can easily move it from a patio table to a deck to an outdoor grill station, and its dry-touch evaporative mist keeps you cool without getting furniture or plants wet.

Five speed settings, including a BreezeBoost mode, a tilting face, and the ability to run corded or cordless, give it a versatility no other model can match. The battery lasts up to 29 hours on the lowest setting without mist. You can also connect it to a standard garden hose, and you can add ice to the tank for an even cooler output during a heatwave.

This is currently a bestseller on Amazon in the misting fan category, and it’s seriously capable for your patio or garden. It has a built-in water pump that can draw directly from any container, and the dual spray nozzles put out an exceptionally fine mist.

Seven speed settings, 45/90 degree auto oscillation, and a remote control (with 5-meter range) make it easy to use from a chair if you’re feeling too lazy from the heat, while the brushless motor keeps the noise low so you can still enjoy some peace and quiet. The 30,000mAh battery runs continuously for 7–50 hours depending on what speed you set, and the fan head can be taken off and folded for storage.

This is a super compact but capable misting fan with a 2-litre tank; the tank is even clear so you can easily monitor the water level without stopping mid-weeding to check. The 27,600mAh battery powers four wind speeds and 120-degree auto-oscillation. It has a timer function and built-in RGB ambient lighting so you can use it for a serene evening on your patio.

This is a great middle-of-the-road option for people who want something more portable than a full pedestal fan but with more features and battery capacity than a basic handheld model. The nice thing is that it’s super light as well, so you can carry it around the garden, but it’s still sturdy enough to leave on while you work.

This is the RYOBI option for those who want more power and less noise (yes, these things exist). This 12-inch hybrid fan is part of RYOBI's WHISPER SERIES, and when “whisper” is in the name, you know it’s their quietest range. It still delivers up to 1,400 CFM and a 15-foot misting spray range when you connect it to a standard garden hose.

It has a pivoting head and HI/LO airflow switch that gives you great flexibility, and it functions as a regular fan when the misting feature isn't needed. Like all RYOBI ONE+ products, it's compatible with over 300 battery-powered tools in the ecosystem. If you use power tools regularly in the garden and already have ONE+ batteries, this is the most versatile in the range.

EGO claims this is the world’s most powerful cordless misting fan, and the specs actually back this up. Air speeds exceed 20mph with airflow from 1,500 to 5,000 CFM across five speed settings (that's double the output of a standard 20-inch box fan!) The hose can be dropped into any bucket or container for its misting source, and will cover up to 540 square feet of outdoor space (about the size of a large entertaining patio).

It runs on EGO's ARC Lithium battery system, with up to 60 hours of run time on speed 1 with a 5.0Ah battery (note: this is sold separately). The telescopic handle and super sturdy wheels make it easy to move around the yard. If you just want real cooling power, this is seriously the one to get.

If you’re looking for something that has everything included in the one box, this is the one you want. The SKIL comes with the fan, a 12V 2.0Ah USB-C battery, a 20W charger, and a charging cable. This means you’re all ready to go right away without purchasing a separate battery.

The water tank is easy to fill and move without needing a separate bucket, and the removable nozzle can be taken apart for easy cleaning. Three fan speeds, two misting modes, and an adjustable kickstand so you can use it on uneven surfaces make it perfect for the garden. The USB-C battery even doubles as a power bank for charging your phone, which can be seriously useful when you’re working on the garden for a long period of time.

The runtime is up to 4 hours with mist on low; this is shorter than larger models, but it's a compact personal fan rather than a patio unit, so we’ll let it slide.

A Few Things to Know Before You Buy

Misting fans work best in lower humidity conditions. In dry heat, the perceived temperature drop can be quite dramatic, whereas in humid climates it’s less effective (though still noticeable!) If you're gardening in a hot, dry area, misting fans are one of the most effective tools available. If you’re in a more humid climate, look for a model that with a “dry fan only” only mode so you can switch off the moisture when you don’t need it.

Something also worth noting is that misting fans can also benefit your plants as much as you. If you have plants that love moisture, the fine water droplets are great to keep them from drying out on a hot afternoon, and the cooling effect can reduce stress on container plants in particular. Note: Avoid directing mist at plants that prefer dry conditions, such as lavender and rosemary.

For more on keeping your garden going through the hottest part of summer, our full guide to gardening in a heatwave is worth bookmarking before temperatures peak.

As soon as hummingbirds have done raising their brood, they start growing new feathers so they’re in tip-top shape for their fall migration. So right now, they’re in full plumage preparation, and there’s a simple way you can help hummingbirds get their feathers fully flight-ready, no matter how big or small your garden. You see, hummers need water to clean and preen their feathers, but they have super-short legs so don’t often land in bird baths. Instead, they seek out fountains and waterfalls where they can fly through airborne sprays of water – and that’s where you come in.

Adding a cheap floating solar-powered fountain to your bird bath – or, even better, fashioning a purpose-made hummer splashpark with a container and said garden gadget – will give hummingbirds the sprays of water they’re looking for at this time of year. Making a garden feature with a floating solar fountain is cheap, easy and sounds just as lovely as it looks. And boy, is it fun to watch those speedy hummers scooting though!

In the north, hummers begin their epic fall journey in August; in southern states, September to October is peak travel time – so now is the exact right moment to support hummingbirds in this simple way.

It’s estimated that 8-10% of adult hummingbirds die during the fall migration (the figure is devastatingly high among juveniles making their first journey, with a 60-70% mortality rate), and having plumage in prime shape makes a difference. Clean, preened feathers are essential for insulation and waterproofing as well as efficient flight – and you’ll understand why these are all such critical factors when you consider that many species must fly a non-stop marathon of 500 miles across the Gulf of Mexico as part of their migration.

Ready to help? Here’s everything you need to know to make a quick garden fountain this weekend, and help our feathered friends on their way.

How to Make a Fountain For Hummingbirds

It’s quick and easy to make a fountain for hummingbirds, but there are a few critical factors to get right if you want lots of hummers to use their new garden spa facility.

1. Choose the Right Container

Many bird baths aren’t wide enough to house a floating solar-powered fountain – not because the fountain won’t physically fit in the basin, but because the spray falls outside the rim so water quickly empties. If your bird bath has a large diameter, great. If not, there are all sorts of ways to DIY a bird bath on a budget by using upcycled or reclaimed items or cheap vessels such as plant-pot saucers and animal stock feeders, and making your own means you can choose whatever diameter you fancy.

For water to be safe for hummingbirds to land in, it must be incredibly shallow: no more than a ½ inch deep. So, you may want to keep your existing bird bath as is for most of your feathered friends and make an additional hummingbird fountain. Because hummers are very unlikely to land – and if they do, they'll sit on the fountain itself – you can use a bigger, deeper container that holds a far greater volume of water so it won’t need topping up every day. A wider container also means you can use a more powerful floating solar fountain to create a higher, fuller spray of water for hummingbirds to enjoy.

You don’t need to buy an expensive water bowl, as you probably already own a perfectly suitable container. It’s a simple job to seal the drainage hole of an old planter or make a vintage vessel watertight with a marine silicone sealant like this from Amazon. Pots intended for succulents typically don’t have drainage holes, or have a hunt in your local hardware store for a budget utility tub.

Shop Big-Diameter Bowls

If you are using a deeper container, do fashion a ramp from a piece of wood so any critters who fall into the water can climb out safely, or add a purpose-made wildlife ramp such as this from Amazon.

2. Match the Fountain Power to the Container Size

So you don’t continually lose water over the sides of your bird bath or container, it’s important to match the power of the solar fountain to the size of the vessel it’ll sit in. The amount of energy the solar panels are capable of generating is measured in watts. For a bird bath fountain, a 1W or 1.5W product is plenty powerful enough. In a larger container, a fountain that’s at least 2.5W will power a higher spray and stronger flow of water. Don’t be tempted by a fountain that’s above 5W as these are designed for larger bodies of water.

Choose a product with stabilising arms as these will stop the fountain floating close to the container rim, minimizing water loss. A fountain that comes with plenty of nozzles will allow you to select a spray pattern that falls within the bowl, too. For longevity in a container, it’s also a smart move to look for a fountain with run-dry protection so it automatically shuts down when there’s insufficient water.

If you want to position your hummingbird fountain in partial shade, or want it to operate on cloudy days, you’ll need a product that has a battery. A fountain without a battery will only operate when sunlight is hitting its solar panels; a fountain with a battery will store energy to run in-between times. A battery size of 2000mAh or higher will typically run a fountain for 3-4 hours without sun on a full charge.

Shop Solar-Powered Fountains

3. Find the Optimum Spot for Your Hummingbird Fountain

Considering the perfect position for your hummingbird fountain will make all the difference to how often it will be used, and how much it will benefit your feathered friends. Placing the fountain within 20 feet of an existing nectar feeder will ensure birds find it quickly. Airborne water naturally cools the air, so think where it might bring you or your plants some benefit, too.

While you need direct sunlight to power the fountain’s solar panels – and sparkling sunlit water droplets and reflections will also attract hummers – if you've chosen a fountain with a battery, then a little shade will lessen evaporation meaning you won’t need to top up as often. A spot that gets around 6 hours of sun a day is the ideal compromise. If it's sheltered, all the better, as wind will also accelerate water loss.

The airspace around the fountain must be fairly clear. While hummers will appreciate perches to preen within 6 feet of the fountain, it’s important it's sited well away from dense shrubs or other cover where cats and other predators could hide. Hanging up hummingbird swings such as these from Walmart is a great solution.

Once you’ve found the perfect spot, put your bird bath or container in place, fill with water, add the floating fountain and wait for the hummers to arrive.

Why a Garden Water Feature Helps Hummingbirds So Much

While hummingbirds get most of the fluid they need from supping nectar, water is vital to the feather-cleaning process. If they have easy access to a suitable water supply, it’s thought hummers bathe around four times a day. With any sticky residue from their diet of flower nectar and sugar water preventing feathers from performing properly, it's no wonder they’re such frequent bathers.

After dampening their feathers, hummingbirds will perch and preen, using their bills to spread natural oils and zip up the feather barbs, an especially important process during their annual molt. At this time of the year, hummingbirds have begun the gradual process of losing and replacing their feathers, and at the moment will be molting their body feathers (the molting process then halts during migration, and wing and tail feathers are replaced once birds have reached their wintering zone).

Landing in water is risky for hummingbirds as their legs typically measure less than half an inch, and completely saturating their feathers can leave them unable to fly and vulnerable to drowning as well as being snatched by predators. So hummers prefer to shower rather than bathe, darting repeatedly through sprays of water. Imagine if everyone with garden bird baths created the right conditions for hummers to clean their plumage: not only would feathers be fully migration-ready, but hummingbirds would save a heap of energy searching out suitable spots for a shower.

How to Make Your Fountain Into a Fab Garden Feature

Your new hummingbird fountain looks fabulous just how it is, right? Well, there are all sorts of easy ways you can upgrade it another notch to be a standout garden feature. Use a solar-powered floating fountain with LEDs to create a water feature to light up summer evenings in the garden. Or how about introducing a second, wider planter beneath to DIY a fountain planter for colorful flowers as well as cascades of water and flurries of feathers? Microponds using solar fountains are a huge trend this year, so you could add serious style to your backyard design while helping hummingbirds.

As quick and clever ideas for garden containers go, making a hummingbird fountain is a sure winner.

What Else to do to Support Hummingbirds Before the Great Migration

• Keep feeders clean and filled with sugar water prepared to the correct concentration. This will fuel not only your resident population of hummers but also birds passing through if you’re on a migratory route. Keep feeders filled for two weeks after you see the last hummingbird.
• Act now to fill your garden with fall nectar. Choose perennial plants that flower well into fall and, if you’re on a budget, there are lots of fast-growing annual plants you can still sow in midsummer that will speed from seed to bloom in as few as 45 days. Adding flowering groundcover to borders is another easy win for a long-lasting nectar buffet, or how about planting a hanging basket of nectarous blooms to feed hummingbirds?
• Use decals, such as these Suncatcher Stickers from Amazon, to prevent window strikes.

Deep watering is often treated as the only correct method – and for established plants it usually is. But a handful of situations exist where shallow watering with a light, quick soak of the surface actually does the job better.

Water deeply and less often. Most gardeners learn that rule early. For the plants it was written for, the advice is good. Roots follow water downward where the soil holds its cool through a hot, dry spell. A tomato reaching 12 inches (30 cm) shrugs off the kind of week that flattens something else that's only rooted at 2 inches (5 cm). So the rule holds. But it doesn't hold everywhere all the time.

Learning how to water your garden is partly about knowing which plants can even respond to deep watering. Roots do the answering. One reaching 18 inches (45 cm) down has options a lettuce seedling simply does not, so identical treatment from the hose or watering can lands very differently on the two plants. Watering depth ought to follow the roots rather than a general rule. Here's when shallow watering may be best.

When to Use Shallow Watering

A seed has no roots at all. It has a coat that has to stay damp until it splits, which happens in the top half inch (1 cm) of soil. Not much else about a seedbed matters at this stage in the growth cycle.

Send water 10 inches (25 cm) down and it sails right past that vital seed sprouting zone. Then it sits where nothing can reach it as the surface dries and germination stalls. Light and frequent shallow watering isn't a compromise when it comes to watering seeds – it's the best method.

Shallow-rooted plants also do best with shallow watering. Certain vegetables, like lettuce and spinach, never out roots much below the top few inches (8 cm) of soil, so a deep soak mainly waters dirt they will never reach and wastes resources.

Newly-laid sod is another plant that does well with shallow watering. It sits in the same position until it knits into the existing soil. Transplants want the surface damp for a week or so while the root ball hooks into the ground around it.

How to Shallow Water the Right Way

Gentleness matters more than volume for plants that prefer shallow watering. A hard stream of water creates holes, buries seed, and knocks seedlings flat, so break up the water before it lands.

This watering can with a long neck and fine spray pattern from Amazon turns a stream of water into a gentler shower similar to rainfall. Or an Orbit 33-inch shower hose wand from Home Depot does the same across a garden bed without any kneeling. The target is the top 1 to 2 inches (2.5-5 cm) of soil. Water shallowly until the soil is damp all the way across and no puddles are standing anywhere.

Morning is the best time to water plants, since the surface dries by afternoon so nothing will remain wet overnight. Expect to go out daily to water in warm weather, sometimes twice a day during a windy stretch because a shallow root zone dries faster in wind.

A thin layer of EZ-Straw seeding mulch from Walmart spread over a seedbed slows down dry-out considerably and takes the pressure off daily watering needs. Check soil moisture with a finger before reaching for the hose out of habit.

Problems With Shallow Watering

There are a few drawbacks to shallow watering, so you should only do it in certain circumstances like I discussed above. One issue is that weed seeds sit right where shallow watering lands. They are the first thing a light daily watering feeds.

Damp foliage also suits fungal spores perfectly as well. In heavy soil, repeated surface-level shallow watering can turn heavy soil into a crust that seedlings then have to fight their way through. Salts build up on top of the soil as the water evaporates. This is a particularly bad problem when watering container plants.

But the biggest issue with shallow watering is the dependency it creates in your plants. Plants root where the water is, so a garden watered lightly forever grows a lightweight root system that can't take a missed day.

You can train plants to need less watering or more watering, though. Stretch out the watering interval once the seeds are up and growing as seedlings. Add volume slowly after that, so the roots go chasing moisture downward instead of waiting on it. Shallow watering is a phase, not a complete lifestyle. Unless they're very shallow-rooted, mature plants need more water than seeds.

When NOT to Shallow Water

Established trees and shrubs get nothing from a surface sprinkle, since their feeder roots are well out under the canopy and several inches down under the surface of the soil.

Fruiting vegetables have the same problem with worse consequences. A tomato or pepper carrying a crop needs steady moisture deep in the soil. The swing between a damp surface and dry root zone can cause blossom end rot by making it more difficult to take up calcium. Lawns past establishment want a deep soak as well.

Anything already stressed by drought needs a real drink rather than a dribble. A light sprinkle in that situation encourages roots to come up looking for water that won't be there tomorrow. Skip shallow watering during hot, windy afternoons when much of what leaves the hose never reaches the soil.

Containers are another exception. They want water until it runs out the drainage holes every time, no matter how shallow-rooted the plant in them happens to be.

It can be tempting to create a perfect garden, with every square inch tended and cultivated. Not only is this level of perfectionism difficult to achieve, but it’s also not great for your native wildlife. If you can think of a part of your yard that is currently a little weather-worn and dry, it’s hardly surprising now that early flowering annuals are starting to die back. So what if I were to tell you that you can do your bit for Mother Nature simply by leaving a patch of that soil bare and empty?

The elements you need to create a wildlife garden don’t have to be complicated, and they don’t have to detract from the aesthetics of your outdoor space. They can be as simple as one or two bare patches that easily blend into cultivated areas. You might be surprised at how much this small concession can help native bees, butterflies, and birds thrive in landscapes that are often unfriendly and sterile for wildlife.

With midsummer still baking hot in many places, our backyard creatures face a grueling daily battle for survival. Scorching sun and drying water sources create challenging conditions. Any gestures of help you can give your wildlife matter, but one of the most powerful gestures you can offer is simply leaving a small patch of raw dirt untouched. Find out why exposed soil is vital for native bees, butterflies, and birds this summer.

How to Create the Best Patch

You don't need fancy landscaping or expensive soil amendments to prep your spare wildlife patch. In fact, keeping it simple is the best way of giving key species what they have relied on for hundreds of years. Native ground-nesting pollinators prefer unimproved, natural soil over rich, heavily composted potting mixes. A dedicated patch just 2 feet by 2 feet (60 cm square) is all you need to make a huge impact. Whether sandy, loamy, or clay-heavy, this soil is fine, as long as it isn’t compacted by heavy foot traffic or treated with synthetic fertilizers.

While you don’t need to do much to treat the soil itself, it’s worth making sure you have some native plants next to your patch of earth. Grouping sun-loving perennials like purple coneflower, black-eyed Susan, or monarda nearby ensures that emerging pollinators have a source of energy inches from their front door. You can buy black-eyed Susan from Fast Growing Trees as pre-potted arrivals, plus American Beauties Native Purple Coneflower from Plant Addicts to support your patch. These vibrant perennials will create a nectar-rich perimeter around your bare earth.

3 Reasons Wildlife Needs Bare Earth

Even though many natural habitats are shrinking, our yards can be vital corridors of life for resident bees, butterflies, and birds. Leaving exposed earth is one of the easiest, most rewarding ways to sustain sensitive species during the brutal heat and extremes of summer. Here are 3 ways a simple patch of dirt can serve and protect your local ecosystem.

1. Helping Ground-Nesting Bees

When we think of bees, we tend to picture honeybees in hives. But most bees, including most native bees in your yard, are not communal and don’t live in hives. Iridescent green sweat bees, mining bees, digger bees, and cellophane bees live mostly solitary lives. The females dig tunnels in the soil to create chambers that hold pollen, nectar, and eggs. These burrows are essential for their life cycles.

Dense turf, mulching, weed barriers, and landscape fabric all stop native pollinators from building burrows. If you have covered every inch of your yard with barriers, these solitary pollinators will struggle to find shelter and will be less likely to visit your flowering plants. So keep that dusty patch of soil free. After heavy rains and heat, you might see a crust on the soil surface. Just scratch across the top few inches gently with a cultivator or hand rake, to help mining and sweat bees to dig their chambers.

To give them an extra boost, add a hydration station. Pretty Bee & Butterfly Drinking Flower from Uncommon Goods lends delicate color to your patch, while providing extra service to thirsty bees. Alternatively, fill a shallow water dish with a little water and some Natural River Rocks from Amazon. These are flat and gently textured to help pollinators drink safely.

2. Helping Butterflies with Puddling

It’s not just native bees that need patches of soil. Butterflies also benefit from little spots of bare soil in your yard. They use small, muddy spots for a behavior called puddling. If you’ve seen a flutter of swallowtails, red-spotted purples or monarchs in a patch of driveway dirt, you’ve witnessed puddling. This damp soil is being used to extract minerals and salts. Males are reliant on this practice to extract sodium and minerals, which they pass along to females during mating to help with eggs.

You can create puddling spots naturally by letting your patch of earth collect water after a rain, or after you’ve watered your beds or the lawn. To make a simple mineral station, find a 6-inch (15 cm) terracotta saucer, like the Pennington Terracotta Saucer Tray from Lowe's. Lay this level with the soil, fill it with a little earth and a splash of water, and keep it moist to create a puddling pool for swallowtails and monarchs.

If you like, you can sprinkle a tiny pinch of unrefined sea salt, wood ash or compost over this damp dirt. Keep this mud patch lightly moist throughout July and August. As summer winds down, migrating monarchs will rely on these quick mineral pitstops to fuel their long journeys south. They will also appreciate any late season nectar-rich blooms you can provide, like coneflowers and monarda. You can buy Sugar Buzz Grape Gumball Monarda from Plant Addicts. In late summer, butterflies also use nearby bare patches to bask in the sun and warm their wing muscles.

3. Helping Songbirds with Dust Baths

Many of your local birds also rely on areas of dirt. Sparrows, wrens, robins, towhees, and others use bare dirt patches for dust baths to remove parasites and clean their feathers. Watching a cheeky wren, junco, robin or sparrow fluffing fine, dry soil into its feathers is one of the most enjoyable sights in a wildlife-friendly garden. And all you need is a little bit of soil that is soft and powdery to attract birds to dust-bathe.

When birds are shedding and regrowing flight feathers, access to this powdery soil gives them great comfort. During summer, birds struggle with mite infestations that can compromise flying. Dust-bathing helps them absorb excess feather oil in humid weather, and it can trap cool air. Birds also ingest tiny bits of sand and fine gravel. These particles stay in their gizzard to help them crush hard seeds and beetle shells.

You can support your patch by making sure it is near a bird bath. Keep the bird bath filled with fresh water, and replace it regularly. It’s also a great idea to add a solar fountain or a water wiggler, like the Solar Water Wiggler from Walmart. Moving water attracts many more birds than standing water. One of the most efficient solar fountain add-ons is the Mademax Solar Powered Bird Bath Fountain Upgrade, available from Amazon. These little extras all help to create a safe, quiet retreat.

Where to Place Bare Patches

It’s beneficial to have these bare areas a little out of sight. Tuck them into back corners of the yard, or near the edges of flower beds. A bare patch in the middle of a turf lawn won’t be much help to wildlife, and it won’t look nice. Any old random patch of uncovered soil will help your local wildlife, but to help the animals while honoring the aesthetics of your yard, there are a few simple ground rules (so to speak).

Pick a sunny spot, so your bees, butterflies and birds can absorb heat and warm themselves. Aim for a south or east-facing spot that catches early morning sun rays. Ground bees need that initial solar warmth to warm up their flight muscles on cool summer mornings. Make sure it’s a quiet area that’s relatively undisturbed by people and pets. Also, make sure it is well-drained, and not completely soggy (allowing for a spot that you want to keep moist for puddling pollinators).

Avoid steep slopes, where summer thunderstorms might wash away loose soil or drown bee burrows. Tuck bare patches along gentle borders, under the lee of a shed, or beneath low-hanging native shrubs like serviceberry or arrowwood to give small birds quick cover if they spy a predator. You can buy Proven Winners Blue Muffin Arrowwood Viburnum from Nature Hills for extra canopy protection above your hard-working patch of soil.

Maintaining Your Patch

Yes, you can leave these spaces alone, but you’ll help wildlife more by maintaining them just a little. Check moisture levels regularly. Ideally, your bare patch needs to have a puddling area and a spot that always stays dry for dust baths and burrowing. Place a few small stones in the areas that puddle to help wildlife with access. Don’t let soil in dry areas get too compacted. When needed, give the soil a little raking to keep it loose. If you’re after a good soil aerator, the Fiskars Hand Cultivator from Amazon is great for gently breaking up soil for ground bees and birds.

Avoid using pesticides near these areas, or you’ll risk inadvertently killing your native guests. Ground-nesting bees spend up to 11 months underground in these burrows, making them exceptionally vulnerable to chemical runoff. Plant ornamental grasses or wildflowers to hide some of the bare dirt from view, while also supporting wildlife with cover and food sources. You can also edge the soil patch with stones or logs, like Amosfun Log Edging from Walmart. This gives your tiny wildlife habitat some natural looking definition, while offering daytime shade for beneficial toads.

Make sure you maintain that dual-texture in your wildlife-friendly patch. Keep one half loose, powdery, and sun-baked for dusting birds and mining bees. Meanwhile, keep lightly dampening the other half for puddling butterflies, frogs, and local toads, which will shelter under your edge logs during the day and feast on pests by night.

Shop Summer Wildlife Care

Round off your wildlife-friendly patch of earth with a few thoughtful wildlife treats. This handpicked summer bundle is tailored to nurturing a safe, comforting retreat for ground-nesting bees, fluttering butterflies, and dust-bathing songbirds. The perfect accompaniment for your bare soil habitat, these little upgrades will keep your wild visitors happy, hydrated, and nourished all season long.

Wildlife Trio

Making a little space for local wildlife doesn’t have to be a big chore, or mean that you leave things messy and untended. So, the next time you're tempted to fill that spot with one more bloom, consider leaving just one sunny area alone. That seemingly empty space could soon be one of the busiest and most important spots in your yard.

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Adding a bird bath to a border is a huge trend this year, and no wonder. Pair the beauty of blooms with the joy of splashing birds and you have the very best pool party any garden could wish for! What’s more, this is a quick and easy DIY garden project for a summer evening or weekend, and making a bird bath yourself means it can be achieved on a budget, so as border ideas go, it's a winner.

As a gardening editor, I’m lucky enough to visit lots of gardens and flower shows and I’ve seen an incredible increase in container ponds of all sorts this year, from make-it-yourself microponds to wonderfully innovative DIY water features using cheap floating solar fountains. But the idea I’ve loved most of all is in-border bird baths. Siting a bird bath in a border is a beautiful way to quickly turn a bed from lackluster to lovely, but this project isn't only for your benefit, as many bird species are seed eaters. You're probably already growing flowering plants with seeds that birds love to eat so adding a border bird bath will pair water with food.

I’ve been snapping photos of examples I’ve spotted so I can create a bird bath in my own garden, where charms of goldfinches regularly descend to feast on scabious seedheads. From pretty kitchen basins raised up on reclaimed brick pillars to gravel-lined pools sunk into the soil, I’ve gathered a ton of inspiration. And, as there’s no telling how long this summer’s heatwave is going to last for, I figured your garden friends as well as mine might appreciate their very own bespoke backyard spa.

Which is the best bird bath design for you will depend not just on your garden style but how frequently cats and other predators use your backyard. The higher the threat, the higher you need to raise the birdbath from the ground, and the clearer the airspace around it should be. Do consider the other wildlife in your garden, too, as a few well-placed rocks can open water access to all sorts of pollinators and other beneficial insects. Here are the 10 best ideas I saw to DIY a border bird bath.

1. Upcycle a Garbage Can Lid

We all have an old metal trash can sitting at the back of the garage, right? Use its lid, upside down in a border, to create a bird bath as has been done here, with a line of pebbles to give insects that fall in safe passage out of the water. I'm loving these wooden-peg plant labels, too!

If you’re one of the very few homeowners without a tired trash can stashed years ago, then why not drill some holes in the base of this well-priced galvanised steel Garden Garbage Can from Ace Hardware? That'll transform the body into a sleek modern planter and hey presto, you have yourself a spare lid to make a bird bath.

2. Make a Water Bowl Safe With Pebbles

If you already have a water bowl or feature in your garden, you can make it a safe depth for birds to use by adding pebbles or gravel. The maximum safe depth for any birdbath is four inches, though varying depths, particularly shallower areas around the rim, mean small birds such as goldfinches and sparrows can use it as well.

This idea can work for water features of any scale, from bijou bowls to expansive pools like this showstopper – imagine that full of a boisterous group of splashing starlings!

3. Repurpose a Reclaimed Item

Pebbles also allow you to adjust the depth of reclaimed items to make them safe to use as bird baths, and using aged materials is a stylish match for more relaxed, cottage-garden-style yards. This old metal trough uses larger pebbles in the base bath but a finer gravel in the upper pool to make it suitable for insects as well as smaller birds.

Do you have an old item that could be repurposed? If not, find your nearest reclamation yard through the Salvo architectural salvage directory and go hunt for one. Small holes or areas of damage are easily made watertight with a marine sealant such as this from Amazon.

4. Raise a Kitchen Basin on Bricks or Blocks

I’ll wager you’ve got a heap of pretty bowls you hardly ever use sitting in a kitchen cupboard – so why not use one to create a unique border birdbath? This shallow ceramic bowl that’s been raised on a stack of alternating pairs of bricks would be perfect for a cottage garden. For a sleeker vibe in a more modern garden, how about a marble bowl on a stone plinth?

As quick and clever DIY ideas for containers go, this DIY bird bath rewards minimal effort with maximum style.

5. Use Bricks to Sink a Spiral Bird Bath Into a Border

This has to be my favorite idea of all. Though the result is super-stylish, this spiral gravel bird bath is simple to replicate using a section of pond liner, bricks or block pavers, and pea gravel. Simply dig a sloping-edge hole and line with the aquaculture material, being sure to spread it well beyond the pool rim, then landscape with blocks and gravel. For longevity, it would be a smart move to lay a couple of inches of sand, such as this All-Purpose Sand from Home Depot, between the soil and the liner, too.

I love how this pool has been integrated into the border with a line of angled bricks leading into the planting. The sloping gravel means it’s safe for insects as well as birds to use.

6. Make a Naturalistic Gravel Scrape Pool

This wildlife pool sits in a gravel border of Carex grass and hart’s tongue fern (Asplenium scolopendrium), with rounded pebbles creating a naturalistic look as well as giving safe bathing for all sizes of birds. To stop mosquitoes from breeding, a small fountain has been used to keep the water moving, and it’s easy to do the same using a floating solar-powered fountain.

You can make a gravel scrape pool for your garden birds in the same way as the spiral birdbath above, by digging a depression and lining it with sand and pool liner material. Take a tip from this lovely example, though, and extend the pool further than you plan the surface area of the water to be. Filling in part of the shallow pool completely with pebbles allows you to add aquatic plants such as this pretty corkscrew rush (Juncus effusus ‘Spiralis’) (bottom right of this image) as part of your border.

7. Sink a Shallow Container

For a quicker DIY sunken bird bath, you can dig out a depression in a border and use a shallow container to hold the water, rather than a pond liner. Any vessel can be used as long as it’s watertight and winter-proof, as you can make the water depth shallower and create sloping sides using gravel or pebbles. Here, rocks in the center and cut logs around the perimeter have been added to create landing perches for flying insects as well as birds.

The wider the container, the better. Not only will it need topping up less often but there will be room to add a floating solar fountain to keep the water moving, making it unsuitable for mosquitoes to breed. A layer of sand such as this All-Purpose Sand from Home Depot between the container and soil will make it easier to do final fine-tuning with a spirit level as well as improve longevity.

8. Upturn a Plant Stand to Hold a Pot Saucer

This genius idea uses a trio of ceramic plant saucers in an upturned plant stand. The top pool is a birdbath while the lower two are half-filled with gravel as well as water to provide drinking spots for bees, butterflies and ground beetles. Just don't use unsealed terracotta plant saucers as the clay is porous.

9. Create a Mud-Pillar Bird Bath

Here’s an interesting idea to try if you live in a dry zone with clay-rich soil – a pillar bird bath created from a mix of earth and chopped up straw. It takes inspiration from the traditional house-building material of ‘daub’, a mix of an aggregate such as sand or soil, a binder such as clay, and reinforcement like straw, hay or animal hair. As long as the daub gets a full week of dry weather to cure, it’s surprisingly resilient in occasional rain, though is unlikely to last more than a summer without a coat of limewash.

Fashion some sort of a mold using a container or plywood boards. Mix clay-rich soil with any fully dried, chopped-up plant stems (crush first if they're hollow) and just enough water to combine, and pack the mixture into the mold. Such a fun garden project, especially if you have children!

10. Relocate a Pedestal Bird Bath

Of course, the easiest way to create your very own in-border avian plash-park is to simply move an existing pedestal bird bath into a flower bed. This bath is especially attractive to feathered friends as it’s tall enough for the water to sit just above the flowers, and a flat rock has been placed in the centre to make an easy landing pad.

There are plenty of other wins in this quick garden project for you as well as the birds. Whether or not yours is a wildlife garden, attracting birds to your plot with a border bird bath is a smart choice because, as well as snacking on flower seedheads, many bird species readily feast on slugs and snails. Add pebbles so insects can drink safely from your bird bath and you'll also welcome an army of smaller pest-control experts. Add some stylish homes for your garden wildlife to shelter all these critters, and your yard will be a haven for beneficial backyard critters that help to keep pests at bay.

Colors are so intrinsically linked to your gardening choices, you might not always realize you’ve got carried away until you see some of the results. Then one day, you’ll be sitting on the front patio and it will hit you: yikes. Maybe all those dozens of colors competing for attention in your flower beds and borders are a little bit much?

Maybe what started as the odd crayon-bright variety has become multi-toned chaos. But if it feels like your plants are clashing rather than cooperating, don’t panic. You needn’t settle for visual friction. A little mindful color selection will instantly help you achieve a calmer ambiance. And rethinking the way you approach front yard landscaping doesn't mean adhering to cold rules. Winning curb appeal just means simplifying your color pairings and combinations.

This sort of discipline might sound like it sucks a little of the fun out of growing flowers, but it’s quite the opposite. Limiting your palette can be freeing in terms of how you combine specific plants, textures, shapes, and sizes – and all with visual balance in mind. Find out how the 2-color trick can help you tame your yard and create high impact visuals that everyone will want to stop and admire.

Why Color Chaos Kills Curb Appeal

In color theory, pairing too many saturated warm and cool shades creates intense visual friction. When hot-pink magenta petunias, fiery orange marigolds, electric blue lobelia, and bright yellow zinnias are all squeezed into a single bed, their competing light waves bounce around chaotically. Under bright summer sunlight, this overload turns into visual noise. This jarring static makes a front yard look cluttered and messy rather than intentional. It can even make a yard look smaller.

When every bloom screams for attention, it’s hard to distinguish and appreciate their individual beauty. Collectively, it can feel like a jumble. Situated by a colored wall or front yard fence, the problems magnify, and none of this is great news for curb appeal. Instead of drawing the eye toward your entryway or porchway, an overactive color palette creates visual stops and starts. The overall effect can feel disjointed, dragging down curb allure instead of framing your property with purpose.

This doesn’t mean there is no place for a riot of blooms. Whimsical cottage gardens, meadow plantings and backyard pollinator patches can handle a colorful free-for-all, because their informal boundaries soften the impact. But landscaping for curb appeal relies on something else. This is where you need instant, clean legibility from the street, and where less can be so much more. Introducing simple curb color rules isn't about stifling expression. It’s just about giving plants room to breathe, so your front yard looks effortlessly put together. Here’s how it can work for you…

The 2-Color Trick (And Why It Works)

The two-color trick isn’t about stripping joy from your garden or banning your favorite blooms. But if your front yard feels messy rather than magical, capping your plant palette at 2 dominant hues works like a reset button. Forget the confetti mix seed pack that will create a lively mishmash of all the colors of the rainbow. Instead, select 2 colors that can play well off each other. A duo-toned front border will instantly upclass the yard, creating cohesiveness and a high-end, elegant look.

When you limit your palette with these color rules, your brain stops trying to reconcile competing color signals. The eyes shift their focus to subtle details, like variations in plant height, leaf shapes, and contrasting textures. By curbing the rainbow, you allow anchor plants, hardscaping features like brick walkways, and porch details to stand out rather than compete with your flower beds. Whether framing a tight bed beside a door or running a long border down a driveway, choosing a couple of harmonizing or opposing colors brings immediate structural focus, balance and harmony.

You don’t need to rely on just flowers to make this trick work. High-impact foliage can offer long-lasting contrast with less maintenance. For instance, planting a burgundy foliage plant alongside a lime-tinted companion creates a high-contrast border that holds its color all season without looking cluttered. Try rich burgundy Tiny Wine Ninebark from Nature Hills, and add Proven Winners Limelight Hydrangea Shrubs from Fast Growing Trees to offset those deeper wine tones.

3 Ways to Make it Work

Limiting yourself to two shades has a calming effect on the entire front yard. Instead of overwhelming passers-by with bouncing colors, a duo-tone approach focuses the attention on plant heights, leaf textures, and bloom shapes. So if you need to calm the visual turmoil and bring the harmony back, the trick is to find a simple color partnership that works for your space and aesthetic. Here are 3 smart color matches you can try. Treat these as flexible templates you can adapt according to your plant desires and your yard, to help you frame your space in style with minimal fuss.

1. Monochromatic Shift

Choosing two shades from the same color family, like a cool lilac paired with a rich violet, is the ultimate shortcut to a sophisticated yard. A monochromatic palette relies on tonal gradients to create depth across beds, borders, and containers. My favorite is monochromatic green. This approach allows you to focus on foliage plants, using a single, dominant base color while incorporating shades a bit lighter or darker. So you could pair white, off-white and silvery shades. This could blend tall Aruncus dioicus, white peonies, and trailing alyssum, backed by silver foliage.

The key to making this palette work is to vary plant shapes and heights. For a purple scheme, plant tall, dark spikes of Caradonna salvia (S. nemorosa) and airy purpletop vervain (Verbena bonariensis) at the back of a border. In the middle, try 'Walker's Low' catmint or drifts of Hidcote lavender. Add Supertunia Royal Velvet petunias or the lush folds of Plum Pudding heuchera at the front (or in porch pots) to tie the look together.

If you prefer a sunnier tone, try gold and chartreuse. Use medium-sized shrubs like Gold Mound spirea and variegated Emerald 'n' Gold euonymus toward the center of your bed. Surround them with butter-yellow Moonbeam coreopsis and Lime Marmalade coral bells. To soften hard driveway edges or stone steps, let golden Japanese Forest Grass and cascading creeping Jenny spill onto the paving. You can get both Lime Marmalade and Plum Pudding Coral Bells from Plant Addicts, along with a broad range of heuchera colors.

2. Clean White + Hero Color

For a crisp and sophisticated front border, use the classic aesthetic of white with another color (green works well if you aren’t sure). This is a clean, timeless look that looks cool and chic while brightening up shady corners. You might start with a snowy carpet of fragrant sweet alyssum, backed by iceberg rose varieties and white foxgloves. Fill in the corners with creamy hostas or silver ragwort.

Pairing crisp, light-reflecting white flowers, shrubs and even white flowering trees with a single, high-voltage hero color gives instant front yard curb appeal. White can act as a natural spotlight, bouncing ambient light into shaded entryways, softening dark masonry, and making fence lines pop from the street. However, using white alone can sometimes feel sterile or washed out in midday sun. The trick is layering subtle tonal variations of white, ranging from cool, apple-green whites to classic creams and soft silvers, alongside one intense accent color.

For a high-contrast “peaches and cream” scheme, try a lush Limelight panicle hydrangea or Foxy White foxgloves at the back of your border. In front, plant Tangerine Dream coneflowers (Echinacea) or compact Profusion Orange zinnias. Interweave some soft, velvety Silver Dust Dusty Miller, available from Amazon, along the edge. Then let bright white sweet alyssum spill out over walkway pavers. For a shady corner, opt for fluffy Vision in White astilbe to bring the look together.

Or, if you prefer a rich magenta-and-cream palette, frame your porch or gateway with white floribunda roses and wispy wand flowers (Gaura lindheimeri). In the middle, set punchy PowWow Wild Berry coneflowers with silvery artemisia. Pick up Perennial Farms’ PowWow Wild Berry Coneflowers from Amazon. Finish with magenta calibrachoa cascading out of front door urns. Just bear in mind that white petals and pale silver leaves show heat-browning and water spots faster than darker foliage, so select tough, self-cleaning varieties for summer planting.

3. Bold Designer Opposites

Is there room for bright colors anywhere in the 2-color universe? Absolutely! You can make this work with our color trick, as long as the eye only sees these bright shades. Backed by foliage greens, the result is upscale and elegant, which is a winning combination for curb appeal. If you want your front yard to command attention from down the block, just look to opposite sides of the color wheel.

Complementary color pairings create high-contrast energy, because our eyes process opposing wavelengths simultaneously, making both appear more saturated than they would on their own. For a look that gives balance but also feels deliberate, establish one of the pair as the dominant color across three-quarters of your bed, then sprinkle the remaining area with pops of its visual opposite.

Try one of these pairings that work in any border layout or size:

• Royal Violet & Gold: For a high-contrast classic, weave deep purple salvia or dark lavender spires with Goldsturm Rudbeckia, available from Plant Addicts, finishing with trailing Superbells Yellow calibrachoa. For an easygoing shrub, try a brilliant yellow weigela like Golden Jackpot (Weigela florida 'MonRigney').
• True Blue & Copper Orange: Another option that looks smashing is true blue and copper orange or hot coral. Offset soft nepeta 'Cat's Pajamas' or bright agapanthus with Totally Tangerine geum. You can get Hirt’s Gardens’ Cat’s Pajamas Nepeta from Walmart. Or try blue lobelia as a low-growing element, backed by coral bells, with true blue delphinium towering in the background.
• Magenta & Chartreuse: For a modern designer vibe, pair the punchy pink petals of Magnus coneflowers with the electrifying foliage of Lime Marmalade heuchera or Sambucus Lemony Lace by Proven Winners, available from Nature Hills.

Golden Rules for 2-Color Planting

Limiting the palette does raise the stakes in terms of layouts. You can’t just plant your colors willy-nilly. It’s important to plant with an eye to design, rather than just scattering seeds as you may have done in the past. This isn’t hard, though, and it’s fun to experiment. These easy rules ensure your 2-color theme feels intentional:

1. Master 60-30-10: This designer approach suggests that one color should be the primary, and over half of the bed should reflect that. The second shade takes a third of the space, while the remaining 10% is a varying texture or hue of the two primary colors. So if you had 60% green foliage, you could give 30% to sweeps of purple Walker's Low Catmint, from Nature Hills, with a 10% accent of fiery crocosmia.
2. Weave in Drifts not Blocks: Avoid static grids or rigid blocks of one species that make borders feel stiff and unnatural. Instead, use sweeping, intermingled plantings. Try feathering silver artemisia with spires of salvia, interwoven with purple coneflowers. Soften the boundaries with some purpletop vervain. You can get Perennial Farm Verbena Bonariensis from Amazon as live plants.
3. High-Contrast Textures: Color catches the eye from across the lawn, but tactile leaf forms keep it fascinating up close. Mix ferny foliage with rounded leaves, and contrast massive, powdery Halcyon hosta leaves with pops of curling wine-soaked coleus. You can buy CZ Grain Blue Halcyon Hostas from Walmart as live plants. Thoughtful diversity is key to make the most of your curb-friendly color palette.

Shop Summer Curb Heroes

Putting together a high-impact, two-color border is a lot simpler once you can hook your schemes around a clear, tidy planting plan. By focusing on a few well-chosen perennial anchors, you can set the foundation for stunning monochromatic, clean white, or bold designer contrast schemes that thrive season after season. Selected with popular color purple in mind, the following options bring instant wow factor.

Purple-Friendly Picks

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Boundary fences are an afterthought in most gardens, but integrating these backdrops into your yard design will upgrade the whole space. Fences come in all shapes, sizes and materials but all can be commandeered to help bring style and color to your garden.

Whether you opt for a decorative panel or painting the fence a dark color to show off bold border planting, or turn bare sections into textural treats with vining plants or natural screening, fence-scaping is a DIY project you can achieve yourself in a weekend. Some ideas enable you to use your fence as an extra planting area, too – a real bonus if your plot is compact.

Your boundaries serve a practical function, making your home safe and secure as well as screening you from neighbours. But once you have those essentials covered, there are all sorts of ways you can use your garden fences to improve your landscape design. And, as you'll see, you don't have to spend a fortune to get a stunning result. Here are 10 of the latest DIY fence ideas to inspire you.

1. Clad With Stylish Bamboo

Choose sturdy bamboo cladding to give a dull garden fence a natural and eco-friendly upgrade. This affordable option is quickly achieved by attaching rolled fenced panels such as this one from Wayfair to existing fence panels using cable ties or wire, making this an easy DIY garden project.

This natural bamboo fence has hollow stems that provide vital habitat for pollinators in your garden. If you love the idea of attracting bees and butterflies to your yard, design the planting around them too, choosing pollinator magnet plants such as foxgloves, salvia and yarrow. Go one step further and add a bug house to give wildlife a home and max up your green credentials.

2. Create a Focal Point With Colored Panels

Elevate your yard by slotting in decorative colored fence panels to define a seating area and add an elegant designer touch. This is an easy way to bring outdoor living vibes to your garden, giving it a more interior-led feel to match whatever style and aesthetic you want to create. It's also a budget-friendly option for upgrading standard fences into more of a feature.

DIY this idea yourself by using sections of pressure-treated plywood suitable for exterior use such as this Pine Ply from Lowe's. Priming the wood first will give you a smoother finish and richer colors, then apply two coats of an exterior paint. Take a look at the range of Glidden Fundamentals Exterior Paint at Walmart for an inspiring range of colors from Blue Oasis to Turning Oakleaf and Pepperberry Pink. There's also a range of exterior Glidden paints with primer if you want to skip that step.

Installed by pre-drilling them then fixing to the fence with screws, using a spirit level to check they're straight. A versatile option, it's easy to change the color when you want a different look, too.

3. Install Decorative Panels for Instant Results

You can buy decorative panels in so many different patterns, colors and sizes, it's easy to find a design that suits your garden style perfectly. There are tall, narrow panels and circular designs as well as the standard rectangles, so you can get creative.

Panels can be fixed to an existing boundary if it's strong enough, or how about using a panel to replace a short section of the fence? It's also possible to inset a smaller panel into a fence, as has been done here. Punctuating a long fence with several equally-spaced panels is a smart way to add rhythm and regularity to a garden.

Using the same design of decorative panel in different ways around your yard as well as fixing one to your fence brings a cohesive, prefessional look, too. Some panels are stronger than others so do check, but some are robust enough to be used between pergola struts to cast shapely shadows, or laid into gravel as a textured feature.

Decorative Fence Panels

4. Hang a Mirror to Make A Small Garden Look Bigger

If you're looking for small garden ideas, another trick designers often use is hanging a mirror on the fence. This will reflect your plants and make it seem like there are more of them, and is surely the easiest of DIY designer tricks to make a small garden look bigger. Outdoor mirrors help to bounce light around to create the illusion of space.

In this design a mirror is hung on a fence in a shady corner of the garden. It adds light and depth to brighten and open up the garden, adding the illusion that another space lies beyond. Find a round garden mirror design like this at Amazon. Most come with strong adhesive pads and are easy to fix to a clean surface, but it's smart to back that up with exterior glue.

5. Create Fence Shelves and Start a Curated Collection

A big trend at the moment is the idea of a curated garden. This means making more considered choices where plants, materials, and accessories are concerned. The aim is to achieve a cohesive look where everything fits together in a harmonious design that's entirely unique to you.

Integrating shelves into garden fence ideas is a great way of tapping into this trend, allowing you to add a unique customised finish with, for example, a collection of small potted plants similar to the look achieved with a plant theater. Or perhaps your DIY garden shelves could house your collection of rocks and other natural treasures?

It's an easy weekend DIY project, too. Attach sturdy outdoor brackets directly into fence supports, using exterior-grade deck screws, then secure pre-cut treated shelf boards.

6. Run A Raised Bed Along a Fence

The strip of ground in front of a fence often ends up as an underused space where nothing grows. But it's easy to add either an integral raised garden bed or a freestanding one right in front that allows you to maximise the space by adding a layer of planting to beautify the boundary.

Raised garden beds along fences add a visually appealing and structural element to your garden. Use a similar material for the raised bed as the fence, and the pairing will serve as a modern focal point. While it's smart to follow the recommended spacing guidelines for any plant variety to ensure there is enough room for growth to give your design longevity, it's okay to plant more densely in a raised bed as you can easily control moisture and nutrient levels.

7. Use Trellis to Add Texture

There are no rules to say trellis must be used solely to support plants and, as you can see from this small garden, it's an effective way to add an accent in its own right. Choose expandable trellis made from willow such as this Latticed Willow Trellis from Lowe's and you can use hand pruners to cut it into creative shapes.

Defining a space by fixing trellis to fence is quick and affordable, too.

8. Let Light in With Contemporary Slats

If you're gardening in a small space like a courtyard or patio garden it's important to let in as much light as possible. This is where airy wooden slat fencing comes into play, which is one of the biggest garden trends for 2026.

Characterized by neat horizontal planks that allow light to filter through, wooden slatting allows you to create a crisp, modern aesthetic while simultaneously softening the look of boundaries. This design is elegant and minimalist with the fence offering clean lines as a backdrop to the restrained planting.

There's no need to replace your entire fence, but switch out a couple of sections with modern horizontal slat panels such as these Nature's Composites Panels from Lowe's.If you're on a budget and handy at DIY, then you can cheat the look by removing a section of existing fencing and fixing treated roofing batons at intervals to fenceposts.

9. Cloak a Bare Fence With Climbing Plants

One of the easiest and most pleasing ways to turn a fence into a feature is by covering it with climbing plants. Choose the right varieties and they will grow vigorously to disguise fence panels with beautiful-looking flowers and foliage.

From fragrant climbing roses, scented honeysuckle and perfumed jasmine flowers to tropical trumpet vine and heavenly wisteria, there's a world of choice out there. When you're wondering what climber to grow on a fence, start by looking at fast-growing vines that won't scramble out of control. Clematis is always a great choice if you like flamboyant flowers, and there's a clematis vine to suit every spot.

Before making your choice take into account the aspect of your yard, and opt for either sun-loving or shade-loving plants accordingly. Next, check the plant's water and fertilizing requirements. Then be sure to offer something for them to cling to such as wires or trellis, to make their transformation of your fence even easier.

Pretty Climbing Plants For Fences

10. Paint a Black Backdrop for Dramatic Planting

The black paint trend is a big look for fence ideas right now, and one of the most dramatic garden ideas you can achieve in a weekend. Timber or metal fencing stained in shades of deep charcoal to jet black deliver a modern aesthetic that acts as a dramatic backdrop to visually enhance planting. With clever lighting and the use of accent plants that landscape designers love, you can really turn your fence into a feature.

A favorite among garden designers for offering dramatic impact and a high-end finish, black fences instantly make a garden feel more considered. It's an easy look to copy too. Choose an outdoor fence paint such as Fence Pro in Black from Lowe's that will deal with even the harshest weather conditions for a long-lasting look.

Pick up the black look elsewhere, too, with other details such as plant stands, pots and planters, and garden furniture or accessories.

Birds have a rough time of it in a heatwave. They can't sweat, they're burning energy just panting to cool down, local insect activity plummets, and the puddles they'd normally drink from could be baked dry by midday. As temperatures soar past 90°F (32.2°C), a bird is expending more water than it can find, in search of diminishing resources, which is where a bag of frozen peas is one of the handiest things lurking in your kitchen.

Here's what makes them so great for attracting birds through summer heatwaves. A frozen pea is roughly 80 percent water, locked in something solid. Set a few out, and they don't soak away into dry ground the way a splash from the hose does. Instead, they thaw slowly and give moisture back over a longer time period. On top of that, peas are soft and sweet, easy for a heat-stressed bird to swallow.

Introducing a small handful of thawed green sweet peas into your backyard is nothing short of a lifeline. It delivers instant moisture in a tidy and reliable form, along with gentle, easily digestible plant sugars. And it does this right when extreme heat can cause sluggishness and stress in your feathered pals. So crack open that underused bag of peas, and give your birdies a unique pick-me-up.

Why Does it Have to Be Peas?

The water content of a pea (Pisum sativum) is what sets it apart as our special summertime treat for birds. A dry seed or a stale crust hands a bird calories, but costs it water to digest. And water is the one thing it can't spare when it's already dehydrated. A thawing pea carries vital hydration and some gentle nutrition in the same soft mouthful, no debt attached. Blackbirds and robins take to them readily. So do starlings, tits, and sparrows, the ground-feeders having the easiest time of it.

You might be wondering if sweetcorn, diced carrots, or frozen lima beans can do the same job. Sweetcorn has a fibrous, heavy cellulose husk that demands significant digestive water to process. Under intense afternoon sun, corn sugars ferment at high speed, creating sour, gut-distressing compounds. Carrots and lima beans are far too rigid, posing choking hazards for small throats. Sweet peas, by contrast, possess paper-thin, easily ruptured skins, enclosing a soft interior. This bird-friendly bundle is packed with electrolytes, vitamin C, and gentle plant protein.

As a special bonus, the price is so low as to make this a relative steal for bird-lovers. A bag of Great Value Frozen Sweet Peas from Walmart is very inexpensive and covers plenty of afternoons. You can thaw them first, or just scatter them still frozen. Either way, they'll be at air temperature before long. Skip the salt, butter, and seasoning, though. Plain is the only version of a pea that belongs outside, either scattered on the ground or on a deck.

For ground based feeding, you can get mesh trays like the Kingsyard Heavy Duty Ground Feeder Tray from Amazon to keep scattered peas elevated off hot soil, while preventing dampness and rot. Or you can put peas in the hanging tray version – the Kingsyard Platform Bird Feeder Hanging Feeder Tray, also from Amazon. You can leave out peas on a balcony just as you would in a full garden. These peas provide days of hydrating, high-moisture summer treats for foraging birds.

While ground-foraging thrushes (like the American robin) and bold thrashers jump at whole peas, smaller species like house finches, Carolina chickadees, and tufted titmice prefer their peas slightly crushed. Taking 10 seconds to lightly smash a small batch with the back of a fork breaks the skin, releasing the sweet juice and making it easy for tiny beaks to pinch off soft morsels.

What to Do with Your Peas

Placement has a big impact on how well this pea treat works. A handful tossed onto an open lawn in full sun will turn to warm mush in no time. Furthermore, songbirds like gray catbirds, song sparrows, and bluebirds are hyper-aware of aerial predators. Setting out food in direct sunlight leaves them exposed. The shade is where they belong. Under a shrub, beneath a garden bench, along the shaded edge of a fence — anywhere out of direct sun keeps them cool and appealing for longer, and gives smaller birds somewhere to feel safe while they feed.

Timing helps, too. Putting them out in the early morning and again toward evening catches birds when they're most active and keeps the food from sitting through the hottest middle hours, inevitably going bad. As well as using a tray or flat feeder (or just some lawn), you can use very simple shelving units to house your peas. The Vattenkar Outdoor Plant Stand & Dish from Ikea is a clean, weather-resistant tray that sits perfectly in shaded borders for discrete ground feeding.

Floating them in water is even better. Drop a small handful of peas into a shallow ground bird bath, like the pretty Bakayoyo Ceramic Ground Based Bird Bath from Amazon. Using a 1.5-inch (4 cm) deep basin gives small songbirds a confident footing while positioning the peas at beak level. The bobbing catches the eye from above, which is how birds find water. Keep the water shallow, approximately an inch or two (2.5-5 cm) at most, and again, make sure the bath receives some shade.

The bright green color of peas against light-colored water is effective in drawing high-flying species like American goldfinches and ruby-throated hummingbirds. Floating peas bob, roll, and rotate as the water shifts, imitating live aquatic larvae. Keep water depths restricted to 1-1.5 inches (2.5-4 cm). Anything deeper creates panic for short-legged species like chipping sparrows. Also, stack a few rough river rocks in a slightly deeper bath, so visiting birds have a slip-free launchpad.

Safety and Comfort with Pea Feeds

Thawed peas sitting in summer heat go slimy and start to ferment, so clear out whatever hasn't been eaten by the same evening. Small batches of peas beat one big pile for exactly this reason. A pea nobody ate in the afternoon is a problem by the next morning, drawing flies and rats to a spot that was meant to help (to say nothing of nocturnal visitors like opossums and raccoons). Rinse the dish weekly as well, since a feeding station used daily builds up mess that spreads disease between birds.

And bear in mind that frozen peas are best used as supplementary treats – not the only food you leave out. Growing songbirds still require dense amino acids and natural oils. Complementing your pea station with mealworms gives bluebirds and wrens critical animal protein. For added protein power, grab a bag of Kaytee Pet Products Dried Mealworms from Amazon for a way to boost the diets of your visiting bluebirds, robins, and wrens once they have hydrated. As with your peas, you can try pre-moistening a few mealworms in water so they are softer for bird gullets.

Native fruiting shrubs like serviceberry (Amelanchier) or native coneflowers (Echinacea) yield rich seed heads for cardinals and finches. Always try to wash your feeding dishes twice a week. Use a 9:1 water-to-white-vinegar solution to keep your yard's sanctuary disease-free all summer long. Heinz All-Natural Distilled White Vinegar from Walmart is great value, non toxic, and tough on mineral crust.Just bear in mind that most birds will investigate new food cautiously at first, so it can take a day or two before they start taking them regularly.

Other Bird Bath Care Essentials

Above and beyond some well-timed and well-placed peas, creating the ultimate summer bird magnet comes down to one element: moving water. In nature, still puddles signal stagnation and parasites, whereas splashing water signals fresh, oxygenated hydration. Warblers, tanagers, and vireos (species that rarely visit seed feeders) will travel across neighborhoods when they hear a lively, splashing bath.

Adding a solar-powered fountain or a water wiggler breaks the surface tension instantly. Create continuous water ripples across the surface of the bird bath water, using the Solar Water Wiggler from Walmart. The highly rated Mademax Solar Bird Bath Fountain Upgrade from Amazon, can also be dropped into an existing bath for gentle sprays to keep water fresh, and charm warblers, thrushes, and songbirds. As a bonus, continuous surface ripples prevent female mosquitoes from laying eggs. Misting systems can also provide extra hydration points in heat. Mounting a gentle leaf-mister is compelling to delicate species like hummingbirds and goldfinches.

To combat green algae blooms caused by intense summer sun, drop a pure copper disc or heavy copper penny into non-metallic ceramic or resin basins. The natural leaching of trace copper ions helps to keep the water clear for days between scrubs. Dropping a copper disc into the basin also helps to keep water fresh for longer. One team favorite is the Melbree Pure Copper Bird Bath Disc from Amazon.

Shop Summer Extras

Those frozen peas are a brilliant emergency measure, but don’t use them in place of the basics. They are a very important emergency measure, but they will work better if you balance your bird care ritual with key feeding and bathing essentials. Make sure you have your bird bath needs covered in order to help with both the peas and conventional hydration and cleaning. These accessories will keep your feathered neighbors safe, hydrated, and happy.

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There are a lot of good reasons to grow plants in raised beds. The most important is that they give you more control over soil conditions. You can create the perfect blend and ensure good drainage. Raised beds are also easier to manage, especially if you have any mobility issues.

On the other hand, raised bed gardening has one major issue: water. Like containers, the soil in a raised bed will dry out faster than soil in the ground. This means you need to spend more time watering, unless you use one of these nifty strategies or easy-to-find tools and materials to create beds that are mostly or entirely self-watering.

Here are the four easiest and most effective ways to turn your raised bed into a self-watering garden that can withstand summer heat and drought or that you can leave for vacation and not worry about wilting.

1. Build a Wicking Reservoir

A water wicking reservoir is an underground irrigation system. The reservoir stores water at the bottom of the bed. A wicking material allows the water to move upward into the dry soil as needed.

With this type of wicking raised bed system, you only need to fill the reservoir every few days or weekly, depending on the weather. It prevents overwatering and encourages strong, deep root growth.

You can find self-watering raised beds on Amazon that already have a water reservoir built in, buy a self-watering insert from Gardener's Supply Company, or make your own water wicking system from simple materials.

Line the bed with plastic sheeting or a pond liner to make it watertight. Create a reservoir on top of the liner using large, clean rocks or perforated drainpipes. Cover this with landscape fabric to act as your wicking material.

Finally, you just need a vertical PVC pipe on the side of the bed that reaches down to the reservoir. You’ll use this to refill the reservoir as needed. The wicking material allows water to be pulled upward into the soil, but only when the soil is dry so overwatering isn’t an issue.

2. Use Watering Spikes & Olla Pots

There is an even simpler solution to creating self-watering beds that is best for small raised beds. Watering spikes, olla pots, and similar products are an easy way to let your beds water themselves. They work in a similar way to a wicking reservoir, but are easier to install.

These devices are made from unglazed terracotta. You fill them with water and bury them in the raised bed soil. The clay of the terracotta is porous, so moisture slowly seeps out into the dry soil around it. This is a low-tech, easy option for watering beds. The downside, however, is that each pot or watering spike only covers a small area of soil.

One olla pot, like this one from Amazon, will cover a growing area of 4 to 6 square feet (1.2-1.8 m), so it’s a great solution for small raised beds. Watering spikes, which you can get from IKEA, are best for individual plants. So if you have a few thirsty plants, like tomatoes, a handful of spikes can keep them happy and reduce the amount of time you need to spend watering.

3. Set Up a Drip Irrigation Kit

Adding a drip irrigation setup to your raised bed turns your garden into a self-sufficient system in just one afternoon. These kits come in a range of sizes and those designed for smaller areas, like raised beds, can be as low as $30, like this simple drip irrigation kit from Home Depot that Content Editor Laura has used in her garden for years.

The kits include a hose or pipe system with multiple holes. You’ll install this in a bed and connect it to a hose. A hose-faucet timer, like this one that Laura also recommends, allows you to set the system to water at regular intervals.

Once installed, this is a hands-off watering system, so convenience is one of the biggest benefits. With some kits, you can even connect to an app and control watering from your phone.

Drip irrigation kits are also highly efficient, so if water usage is limited in your area, they are a great option. You’ll use up to 70% less water than using a regular hose and nozzle to water.

4. Create a Gravity-Fed Drip System

Instead of the pressure from a faucet and hose, you can use gravity to water your beds through a drip hose. You need an elevated source, like a rain barrel, and some tubing. Water moves down under the force of gravity and into the raised bed.

Like a drip irrigation system connected to a faucet, you get the benefit of water conservation, but you don’t need the pressure of the faucet. This is a good DIY drip irrigation option for a bed that isn’t close to the faucet.

Start with an elevated rain barrel, like this one with a built-in stand from Home Depot. If you have taller raised beds, you will need to place your rain barrel even higher. You can use cinder blocks, bricks, or old pallets to build a simple platform to lift your barrel above the height of your raised beds.

Next, add a drip irrigation system to get the water to your beds. You can make your own drip irrigation system or use a premade kit. Just make sure the kit you buy will work in a gravity-fed situation. Some drip irrigation kits need water pressure from a faucet or hose to function. But this drip irrigation kit from Amazon works with low or no water pressure.

No single solution for creating a self-watering bed is perfect, but one of these ideas might be better than others for your garden. You can also combine strategies to make watering easier. For instance, use a wicking reservoir with mulch to keep moisture in the soil longer. Or use a drip irrigation system with watering spikes for your especially thirsty plants.

Whether you install a simple drip irrigation kit, build a wicking reservoir, or just add mulch and a timer, these upgrades can dramatically reduce maintenance while keeping plants healthier and more productive. With the right setup, you can spend less time watering and more time enjoying your harvest.

There are few pleasures in life as enjoyable as waking up to birds chirping in the summer. But most people assume they can’t have that if they live in an apartment or a home with a smaller balcony. Not so! A clip-on railing bird bath doesn’t take up any floor space, doesn’t require using a hammer or a screwdriver to install, and you can turn even the tiniest perch into a real wildlife stop.

Balcony railing bird baths have come a long way. They now combine a clamp system that grips a standard railing without falling off, a bowl that is deep enough for birds to actually bathe in, and materials that are weatherproof. Some of these even double as a bird feeder so you can attract birds that are always looking for food.

Below I'll share exactly what to look for in a clip-on bird bath and a handful of my favorite options that are actually worth buying.

What Makes a Good Railing Bird Bath?

Before you buy, it's worth knowing what separates a useful balcony bird bath from one that tips over and falls at the first gust of wind. A good clamp should fit railings of up to at least 2–3.5 inches thick and tighten securely with a simple turn screw.

The bowl should be shallow enough for small birds to swim safely (no more than 2 inches deep) and wide enough for a few birds to share at once. Rust-resistant materials (powder-coated metal, galvanized steel, or durable ABS plastic) are essential for anything left outside year-round.

But location matters, too. A railing bath on a balcony naturally sits above ground-level predators, which is one reason why birds seem to love them. For more on getting the most from your setup, our guide on bird bath placement mistakes is worth a read before you get started.

Best Clip-On Bird Baths for Balconies

Now that you know what makes a good balcony bird bath, here are four of my favorite options that will suit any outdoor space – no matter how small!

1. Best Budget Pick

2. Best 2-in-1 Pick

3. Best Cast Iron Pick

4. Best Solar Pick

Call it midsummer madness, but I’ve been staring out of windows a lot lately, and the backyard has been filled with much-needed stillness and wonder. The other day, I found myself watching a sparrow bouncing from terracotta pot to dappled bird bath to cherry branch, sometimes with bits of a dandelion clock stuck to his beak. His unabashed joy and curiosity filled me with a sense of rightness in the world. So it’s only natural to want more of that, and to feel a little pang of frustration when the bird bath sits there in the stillness, just being… well, still.

If you find yourself watching and waiting, and wondering where the birdies are, it’s all about that stillness. Sometimes it’s tempting to think there’s a bit of pot luck involved in enticing chickadees and warblers out to play, but there actually is a bit of method to the madness, and if you want to attract more birds to your backyard, it’s all about the ripple effect. A flat, glassy disc of water is not only uninviting to birdies, it can be a little intimidating. Yes, really. Your little avian friends might be curious, thirsty and sociable, but many species are also timid. To a cautious bird led entirely by instinct, static water feels invisible at best and risky at worst.

But you can do something now, very quickly, to transform your still waters into a shimmering, sparkly splash zone that no backyard bird can resist for long. This super-simple bottle dripper trick doesn’t need to cost you a dime, it doesn’t require oodles of technique, and it takes literally minutes to set up. Interested? Here’s how to instantly transform that static water into a hoppy, fluttery wonderland. Oh, and as a special bonus, this quick trick can also help keep the mosquitoes away. Win-win!

Why Birds Need Moving Water

Garden birds are obsessed with moving water. And yes, the ripple effect is definitely a thing. As someone who used to care for budgies in my youth, I would find it fascinating how they would stare at a bird bath from a distance, gazing at it with hypnotic interest. If only I could have told my younger self that they might have needed a little more coercion than repeatedly pleading “come on, come on” in a little voice.

The way birds approach a bath is 1 part curiosity and 9 parts hesitation. That glass disc of water is a mystery. It’s hard to judge the depth, impossible to tell if it’s fresh, and it could leave them vulnerable to predators. But add a rhythmic drip, and the energy changes. The ripples and sounds are a compelling combo. Few backyard birds can resist the allure of a bird bath filled with sparkles and splashes.

That gentle sound of water movement and light play creates a lovely blend of sonic and visual cues for a bird. Literally breaking the tension, it announces fresh water and it gives your finches, sparrows and bluebirds a sense of how deep that water is. Moving water can entice the shyest backyard visitors. Dainty yellow warblers love moving water and will flutter with abandon under falling droplets, while curious chickadees and nuthatches will perform adorable, hoppy zip-and-dips.

And remember what I said about mosquitoes? A rhythmic drip of water breaking the surface tension in a bird bath can also reduce summer mosquitoes. Skeeters need still water to lay their eggs. By keeping the surface constantly rippling, you make it impossible for mosquitoes to set up camp and help keep water clean. You can get some useful commercial skeeter controls, like Summit Mosquito Dunks and Summit Mosquito Bits, both from Amazon. But this dripper trick gives you a very pretty alternative in the form of a cheep (yes, I went there), cheerful splash zone. So how do you make it? Read on…

Prepare the Bath for Your Dripper

The best thing about this bottle dripper trick is that you don't need a fancy, expensive setup to make it work. This trick involves suspending one specially prepared bottle of water above your bird bath, either using a tree branch or a shepherd’s crook. So all you need is a basic household plastic bottle and a few spare minutes. Oh, and a bird bath, of course. Bird baths can run to the hundreds, but the only necessity here is that it is sturdy for weight and safe for birds.

Theoretically, you can use a ground-based, deck-mount or floating bird bath with this dripper trick, it’s all possible. If you are thinking of pairing the dripper with a hanging bird bath, just make sure it is strong, wide and relatively shallow. The wide rim of the gorgeous Monarch Abode Copper Hammered Bird Bath Bowl, from Amazon, is perfect for the surface area for the trick and for the splashing sound.

You can also make this trick work if you are able to position your hanging bottle over a deck-mounted (clamp-style) bath. If you have a deck or a balcony, you can use a bath like the Misopily Deck Mount Bird Bath Bowl from Lowe’s, which clamps securely to patio railings. As long as you have a way of dangling the bottle above it, you’re in business. Just keep an eye on weight and balance. Make sure hanging chains or deck brackets are securely anchored before setting up your drip.

Personally, I find pedestal or standing bird baths work best for this trick. You can use a resin-based bath, like the vintage-style Best Choice Vintage Fleur de Lis Standing Bird Bath from Amazon or a more heavyweight ceramic style. For a little color with your splashing, the Mumtop Hummingbird Bird Bath from Walmart is pretty. Word to the wise, it will be more alluring to common garden birds than tiny hummers, but it holds its own under a water dripper. Finally, the Sunnydaze Avignon Freestanding Ceramic Bird Bath from Walmart is admittedly pricier, but it will pay for itself in terms of bird traffic and it's sturdy and durable.

If you're using a shallow ground dish, a simple plant stake pushed into the soil right beside the bowl can hold your bottle steady. Whatever bird bath you use, just make sure it is strong and safe. As a bit of housekeeping, bear in mind that small birds prefer a water depth of just 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm). If your basin is deep, add a few smooth river rocks or flat stones to the bottom, so tiny feet have a firm place to land, sip and play.

Make Your Bottle Dripper

Transforming a humble plastic bottle into a birdie splash zone takes only a few minutes. The key is getting your setup sturdy and your drip rate finely tuned. The ideal is a clean 16-to-32-ounce plastic water or soda bottle. Larger 2-liter jugs hold more water, but they can get heavy and sag, while tiny single-serve bottles empty out too quickly in the heat. Next, you need a thin sewing pin or needle. You can grab a pack of Singer Hand Sewing Needles from Walmart. Poke a single tiny hole into the bottom of the bottle. The size of the hole is important, so make sure it is tiny.

Once you’ve made the pinhole, fill the bottle with clean water and tighten the cap. With the cap screwed tight, a vacuum forms in the bottle, causing the drip to slow to a stop. But loosen the cap just a fraction, and air enters. This allows steady droplets to fall. Don’t worry, this is as technical as the trick gets, but it’s pretty cool, eh? Test your bottle over the sink until you find the sweet spot, which is a drip every couple of seconds. This creates an inviting sound without draining your reservoir too quickly or frightening skittish, dainty visitors that might be gathering the courage to hop closer.

Securing your bottle safely is crucial. You can wedge it in place, perhaps in the groove of a tree branch. But suspending it above the bath gives you more control over height, tension, and access. You can find shepherd hooks to help with this, such as the Beau Jardin Heavy Duty Shepherd Hook from Amazon. Hang your bottle 12-18 inches (30-45 cm) over the center of your bird bath basin. This height means droplets hit the water surface below with enough force to create glistening ripples and a soft plink that will resonate with your birdie community.

Wrap wire or twine tightly around the neck and base of the bottle to create a harness for the bottle dripper. Double up some jute like Nutscene Greentwist Garden Twine from The Home Depot to hold the bottle securely in place. By the way, if you’re worried about what the birds might think of a giant plastic bottle hovering in mid-air, good call – but it’s fine. They might give it a bit of a side-eye to start with, but once they realize that giant floating bubble is the source of fresh, moving water, they’ll soon be won over. And voila, one splash zone, coming right up!

Other Options for the Ripple Effect

This bird bath bottle dripper trick is a brilliant, budget-friendly entry point if you’re looking to turn your backyard into a birdie holiday resort. Of course, you might eventually decide you want to upgrade. You can get floating solar fountain inserts which harness the summer sun to create plumes of water. Float-and-go options like the Dartwood Solar Bird Bath Fountain from Lowe’s and the MadeMax Solar Bird Bath Fountain Pump from Amazon turn static basins into dynamic bathing spots for birdies. Just drop in your bath and make sure it receives some good sunlight.

You can also get battery-powered and solar-powered water agitators or “wiggler” devices. These create continuous water ripples across the surface of the bird bath water, such as the Solar Water Wiggler from Walmart. For a gentle artisanal alternative, the butterfly shaped Copper Bird Bath Water Wiggler from Walmart creates gentle movement and the copper can also help maintain water freshness.

Finally, you can try fine mist setups that attach to garden hoses. These cast a cloud of micro-droplets and are popular with hummingbirds. Nozzles are available that attach to standard hoses to create fine water clouds. For water features that can also charm local hummingbirds, try a Mellbree Mister Nozzle Kit from Amazon. But I have to say, our simple plastic bottle dripper measures up brilliantly for the cash-strapped and time-poor looking to entice birdies to play.

Summer Bird Bath & Dripper Care

A vibrant, splash-tastic bird bath is only as good as its cleanliness, no matter what else you might throw at it. In peak summer heat, algae can bloom quickly, making regular checks important. Your dripper requires very little fuss, but just check the bottle cap every few days. If the steady drip slows or stops, there could be a speck of algae or mineral build-up clogging the pinhole. A quick poke with a pin should clear the opening. Also rinse out the bottle whenever you refill it. It’s a good idea to swap in a fresh recycled bottle every 3 weeks in summer.

Refill the bath daily and give it a thorough scrub twice a week. Use a stiff-bristled brush, like the Modanu Ergonomic Brush for Bird Baths from Walmart. Stick to non-toxic enzyme cleaners or a simple mixture of 1 part white vinegar to 9 parts water. Dropping a copper disc into the basin is a great way of slowing down algae growth between cleans and helps to keep water fresh for longer. The gold (or should that be copper?) standard is the team fave Melbree Pure Copper Bird Bath Disc from Amazon. Keeping your bath in dappled or partial light can reduce evaporation and algal blooms, but you need to balance this with any solar-powered fountain pumps or wigglers you bring to the party.

Shop Bird Bath Extras

Your summer bird sanctuary deserves a few little treats, for you as well as your resident birdlife. This backyard bundle is tailored to a safe, happy avian retreat that you can enjoy from your sunlounger or kitchen window. Whether you are setting up your very first basin or looking to add a little extra magic to your current dripping setup, these birdie upgrades will keep your feathered friends happy, hydrated, and coming back for more.

Bird Bath Trio

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Some plants are still burning through nutrients in midsummer and will keep asking for more. Others have already turned toward dormancy or next year's buds, and a July feeding pushes them into growth that winter will destroy.

Fertilizing in July is where a lot of gardens quietly go wrong. The impulse is to keep feeding everything, since the plants are big and growing hard and it seems like the season is at full tilt. Many different plants want it. Many others are already shifting gears, moving toward seed set or dormancy or hardening off wood for winter, and pushing nitrogen at them now works against what they're trying to do.

The split comes down to what a plant is doing right now. Choosing plant fertilizer matters less than choosing the right moment for it. Anything still producing flowers or fruit is burning through nutrients and will keep asking for more. Anything winding down, storing reserves, or setting next year's buds needs to be left alone, because late nitrogen produces soft growth that frost will find in October.

6 Plants to Keep Feeding in July

These six are still working, and July feeding keeps them at it. Fertilizer types differ between them more than you would figure, so the formula matters as much as the schedule.

1. Tomatoes

Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum), grown as annuals across USDA zones 3-11, run on a heavy diet right through the season. Once fruit has set, though, the formula should shift away from nitrogen — too much and the plant builds foliage while the fruit sits there unchanged.

A feed with a lower first number and more phosphorus and potassium is the move, every two or three weeks. This Fruit and Bloom Booster from Farmer’s Secret on Amazon will do the trick, and this calcium from Home Depot matters here because a shortage of calcium shows up as blossom end rot.

2. Peppers

Whatever works on the tomatoes works here. Peppers (Capsicum annuum) run the same zones, 4-11 as annuals, and they keep throwing flowers and setting fruit until frost puts an end to it.

Feed every few weeks, low nitrogen again. Overdo the nitrogen and what you get is a big handsome dark green bush that produces almost nothing — the sort of thing you figure out in September, too late to fix.

3. Sweet Corn

Here the low-nitrogen rule goes out the window. Corn (Zea mays) eats nitrogen from the day it germinates until the ears fill, grown as an annual anywhere in zones 3-11. Side-dress it with this Gardenera Liquid Power Corn Fertilizer from Walmart once the plants hit knee height, then again as the tassels push out. Watch the bottom leaves for pale color and yellowing that runs up along the midrib, which is the plant telling you it ran short a while back.

4. Roses

Roses (Rosa spp.), hardy in zones 3-9 depending on the type, bloom in flushes and drain themselves doing it. A balanced feed after each flush keeps the next one coming. Jobe's Organics Granular Rose Fertilizer from Amazon is a good organic option, so it won't scorch roots in July heat. There is one deadline, though. Stop feeding roughly six to eight weeks ahead of your first expected frost. Anything later and the plant answers with tender new canes, right as the weather turns on them.

5. Container Annuals

Container annuals like petunias (Petunia spp.), perennial only in zones 9-11 and treated as annuals everywhere colder, live on borrowed nutrition. Every watering flushes some out the drainage holes, and by July whatever was mixed into the potting soil in May is long gone. A dilute liquid feed every week or two replaces it. Miracle-Gro's water-soluble all-purpose food from Walmart mixes into a watering can and covers the whole balcony in one pass.

6. Tropical Hibiscus

Outside zones 9-11 this one lives in a pot, hauled in every fall. Tropical hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) will bloom right through the warm months if it's fed, but it's fussy about what. Potassium, yes. Phosphorus it would rather have less of, which means the average bloom-booster formula can set the plant back instead of pushing it.

Something made for hibiscus like this Nelson Plant Food - NutriStar Hibiscus Fertilizer from Amazon, lightly, every couple of weeks, and keep it up until the plant comes indoors.

3 Plants to Stop Fertilizing Now

These three have moved on to something else, and continuing to feed them does real harm. None of it shows up immediately, which is part of why the mistake keeps getting made.

1. Bigleaf Hydrangea

Next spring's flowers are being decided right now. Bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) sets those buds in late summer, on wood that has to firm up first, and it manages this across zones 5-9 without help.

Feed it nitrogen in July and it does the opposite — more soft growth, which is still soft when the cold arrives and dies back on you. Feeding should have wrapped up by early summer. Water and mulch is what it wants now.

2. Peonies

Peonies (Paeonia lactiflora), zones 3-8, finished flowering weeks ago and are now doing the less apparent part of the job — photosynthesizing to stock their roots for next spring. Fertilizer at this stage encourages floppy foliage and can reduce the following year's bud count. A single feeding after bloom is all they wanted, and that window closed in June. Cutting the foliage back now would compound it, since those leaves are the whole engine. Let your peonies rest and charge up for next year.

3. Garlic

By July, garlic is already committed. Planted back in fall, hardy through zones 3-9, Allium sativum is either swelling its bulbs or sitting there ready to pull. Give it nitrogen at this point and you tell it to make leaves, exactly when everything ought to be going underground, and the heads that come out of that don't keep well in storage. Feeding ends when the scapes appear. After that, it’s just water, then tapering off before harvest.

The best garden pruners make it easier to achieve clean, precise cuts without damaging plants or leaving your hands aching. However, different tools suit different pruning jobs, so the right choice will depend on what you are cutting, how much power you need, and what feels comfortable to use.

For this guide, I tested six of the most popular pruners available, using them for tasks ranging from deadheading and trimming soft stems to cutting back thicker growth on fruit trees. I compared their cutting performance, comfort, build quality, versatility and value to find the best options for different gardeners and to cover all the pruning basics.

The Felco F6 Bypass Pruning Shears, available on Amazon, were my highest-rated pruners overall. They made consistently clean cuts, felt comfortable and well balanced in the hand, and handled both delicate stems and tougher growth with ease. Their combination of cutting performance, thoughtful design, and durability put them ahead of every other model I tested.

They will not be the best types of pruners for everyone, however. Bypass pruners are generally ideal for making clean cuts through live growth, while anvil models can provide more power when tackling tough, dry, or dead wood. You may also need a lightweight design for smaller hands, a more affordable option for occasional use, or a more powerful tool for thicker branches. This guide will help you choose the right pruner for your plants, hands, and budget.

The Quick List

The Best Pruners: Expert Reviews

Here’s your at-a-glance intro to our best pruners round-up. Scroll further down to read my findings from testing each product hands-on. You can also use the navigation links to jump to the pruners that interest you the most.

The Best Pruners Overall

Founded in 1945, Felco is one of the world’s best-regarded makers of pruning shears. The Swiss company came out with its iconic Felco 2 secateurs in 1948 – and the Felco 6 pruning shears share much of that iconic tool’s design DNA. Intended for all-round pruning, the Felco 6 can cut through all sorts of stems and branches up to a thickness of 0.79 inches. These pruners are compact, comfortable, and built to last.

Design: Felco pruners are nothing short of a design masterpiece. The handles are ergonomically molded to suit various hand shapes and sizes – although the tool is recommended especially for users with medium-sized hands. The cutting blades are slightly angled, which helps you prune efficiently. For long-term use, you can use the adjustment key to disassemble the shears for routine maintenance.

Performance: I found the Felco 6 incredibly easy to use around the yard. Perfectly tensioned, the hardened steel bypass blades are able to cut even the toughest plant matter. Closing the shears by hand is remarkably easy, enabling convenient cutting over long-term use.

Versatility: There’s not much that these shears can’t cut. Even tough, woody branches soon gave way to the Felco 6’s sharp, precise blades during testing, and there won’t be many plants in your yard that these shears can’t prune. However, if you intend to cut branches thicker than 0.79 inches, use pruners with a greater cutting width or perhaps a mini chainsaw or lopper.

Price: Priced at over $70 by most retailers, the Felco 6 is one expensive pair of pruning shears. Are they worth it? That comes down to how much you enjoy gardening and the joy you take in your yard tools. On the plus side, the Felco 6 pruners are lower in price than most electric alternatives. And, if you take care of them, you could use these pruning shears for a lifetime.

Read more: Felco 6 Bypass Pruners review

Buy Them If…

✅ Gardening is your passion: The Felco 6 is a luxurious, truly top-quality pruning shears model. You will appreciate this exquisite tool if you love working in the yard.
✅ You think long-term: The user can replace all key components of the Felco 6 at home, including the blades, springs, and fixings.
✅ There are many plants to prune in your yard: These shears cut tender stems effortlessly, and the handles are very comfortable to hold.

Don't Buy Them If…

❌ You don’t like taking tools apart: To keep the Felco 6 performing at its best, you’ll need to use their adjustment key to disassemble the shears now and then for cleaning, sharpening, or replacement of parts.
❌ You’re left-handed: Felco makes many excellent left-handed pruners, but the Felco 6 ain’t one of them due to its righty-focused ergonomics.
❌ There are many thick branches to prune in your yard: These shears are designed to cut up to a branch diameter of 0.79 inches – and no wider.

The Best Pruners for Larger Hands

I’ll show you just one more pair of Felco pruners before I move on to some other brands. There’s good reason to highlight this particular manufacturer: its pruning shears are incredible. The Felco 8 is an ergonomic redesign of the classic Felco 2. It works beautifully, features high-quality construction, and includes an adjustment key for convenient maintenance. This model is a little longer than the Felco 6 and, therefore, better suited to users with larger hands. It also has a slightly greater cutting width.

Design: You’ll notice the difference between these Felco pruners and smaller models like the Felco 6 when you squeeze the handles. Closing the blades takes more effort but produces more leverage and a wider cut. Whether or not that’s a good thing depends on the size of your hands. If I were being critical, I’d say the Felco style loses some of its elegance in this larger iteration – but the pruners are still more beautiful than almost any other you’re likely to encounter.

Performance: These pruners cut cleanly through every size-appropriate (under one inch) branch or stem I tested them on. You’ll only encounter difficulties with the Felco 8 if you try to use them for pruning large branches over an inch in thickness. For all intended pruning applications, these shears work perfectly. Remember that the handles are ergonomically designed for a large hand. The size of your hands will affect performance.

Versatility: The Felco 8 gives you greater versatility than smaller Felco models, such as the Felco 6, owing to its greater cutting capacity: approximately one inch. This expands the range of tree branches that can comfortably be pruned using the pruner’s blades. The excellent sharpness and tensioning of the blades mean that the Felco 8 can very cleanly cut fleshy plant stems without any messy ‘chewing.’

Price: Usually costing more than $60, the Felco 8 pruners are expensive compared to the average manual pruners. However, given the quality of the Felco 8's construction and the availability of replacement parts, the price you pay could be a wise long-term investment. Users who only prune occasionally might prefer to buy a more affordable option.

Buy Them If…

✅ You have lots of pruning to do: The Felco 8 is suitable for long-duration pruning sessions. It offers exceptional cutting performance and comfortable handles.
✅ Sustainability matters to you: Not only are these shears great quality, but you can also replace all the key parts over time. The Felco 8 could be your trusty pruning companion for decades.
✅ Your hands are large: This pruner's ergonomic design is intended especially for larger hands. If you have smaller hands, try the Felco 6 instead.

Don't Buy Them If…

❌ There are more important things to spend your money on: You can find highly effective pruning shears for a much lower price – although they might not be as special as the Felco 8.
❌ You’ll be pruning branches over one inch thick: If so, you’ll probably need a lopper or a mini chainsaw instead. Using shears on an excessively thick branch is bad for the blades.
❌ You don’t have large hands: We, the manually mediocre, are better off using a smaller pruner, such as the Felco 6, with an ergonomic design that suits us.

The Best Affordable Pruners

What you need to know: Finnish toolmaker Fiskars has a history dating back to the 1600s. Relatively recently – in 1967 – the brand produced the world’s first plastic-handled scissors. Today, effective, affordable cutting tools remain a Fiskars specialty, and the SmartFit Bypass Pruners are a great example. These shears suit various pruning tasks, from deadheading to cutting small branches.

Design: A study in simplicity, the shears are robust, minimalistic, and functional. It may not be luxurious, but this tool is perfectly suited for convenient pruning, with curved, ergonomic handles that will be especially comfortable for users with small or medium-sized hands.

Performance: The SmartFit Bypass Pruners are great at pruning slender tree branches up to their maximum cutting width. It takes a bit of effort to cut through the thickest branches within that range – but the sharp blades will manage it, and can also handle relatively delicate stems. These pruner are an affordable option, so it should come as no surprise that some components – especially the spring and locking mechanism – are slightly flimsy.

Versatility: The SmartFit Bypass Pruners offer a fairly good range of cutting capabilities. While these shears will struggle with cutting thicker tree branches, they can tackle most branches and stems up to just under ⅝ inch. If you keep the blades sufficiently sharp, the shears should prove capable of cutting thin, fleshy stems without too much chewing. For delicate pruning tasks, you might prefer to use a smaller pruner, such as the Fiskars Solid Snip Pruning Micro-Tip SP13, or a sharper-bladed model, such as the Felco 6.

Price: The SmartFit Bypass Pruners are a reasonably priced choice, particularly for gardeners who will benefit from the adjustable blade opening and handle span. They do not offer the refinement, precision or long-term serviceability of a premium pair, but they handle routine deadheading, stem cutting and light branch pruning capably.

Read more: Fiskars SmartFit Bypass Pruners review

Buy Them If…

✅ All-round pruning functionality is your focus: These shears are strong enough to cut fairly thick woody branches and sharp and precise enough for delicate tasks such as deadheading.
✅ You’re new to pruning: This Fiskars pruner has a simple, beginner-friendly design and versatile cutting capabilities.
✅ You value long-term, low-maintenance performance. Thanks to their rust-resistant, hardened steel blades, these shears can sustain high-performance cutting over long-term use.

Don't Buy Them If…

❌ Very delicate pruning is required: A different Fiskars pruner, the Solid Snip Pruning Micro-Tip SP13, is better suited to this type of work.
❌ You like a traditional aesthetic: These bypass pruners' no-frills, utilitarian design will appeal to many users, but for those who appreciate a more traditional look, a Felco pruner would be a better choice.
❌ There are thick branches to prune on your trees: An anvil pruner or lopper may perform better in this specific use case. (Which specific model is best will depend on the thickness of the branches.)

The Best Adjustable Pruners

Made by the historic French toolmaker Opinel – a brand that’s world-famous for its wooden-handled cutting tools – these Hand Pruning Shears are a superb choice for effective cutting and elegant aesthetics. This tool’s bypass cutting action and sharp, stainless steel blades equip it for a variety of pruning tasks, including cutting back plants and shrubs, and pruning thin tree branches. It is made with a high-quality combination of materials, including stainless steel, beechwood, and molded plastic.

Design: I loved these pruners for their eye-catching, functional design, with one handle made of beechwood and the other of molded plastic. A special feature that’s worth noting is the adjustable cutting width – you can choose between two settings using the unmissable, bright orange selector near the blades. The only design downside to these shears is that the wider cutting setting makes for higher-effort use.

Performance: The Opinel Hand Pruning Shears performed very well in my testing, easily producing clean cuts when used to prune plants like roses and foxgloves. Very delicate pruning was made easier by the curved bottom blade of the shears, which helped me to isolate narrow stems among dense growth. Regular cleaning is required to maintain a smooth cutting action, as these shears are strongly affected by buildup of sap.

Versatility: If you’re only going to buy one pair of pruning shears, this model would be an excellent choice. It can cover a wider range of pruning tasks than most other shears I’ve tested, from deadheading flowering plants and pruning shrubs to cutting tree limbs (up to 0.78″). Basically, it’s good for everything except heavier tree pruning, which is usually a task for loppers or a chainsaw.

Price: One reason why you might not choose the Opinel Hand Pruning Shears is their price, which tends to exceed $70. That puts them in the same price bracket as the Felco 6, so that's some high-quality competition. I believe the pricing of Opinel’s pruner is justified by its unique, beautiful design and excellent performance – but you might want to wait around for a seasonal sale.

Buy Them If…

✅ You have an eye for classic tool design: Few pruners are as beautiful as the Opinel Hand Pruning Shears, with their mixed materials design, colorful accents and pleasingly curved blades.

✅ Adjustable cutting width will make pruning easier: This is a particularly good choice of pruner for users who find pruning hard work, as the lower cutting width requires a smaller effort with each cut.

✅ Most of your plants have moderately thick stems: While very thin stems and thick tree branches are a little outside of this pruner's comfort zone, it cuts fairly thick stems and thin branches very effectively.

Don't Buy Them If…

❌ Pruning trees is your priority: Some tree branches can be pruned effectively with this Opinel pruner, but branches thicker than 0.78″ will require a tool with greater cutting capacity.

❌ Your budget is limited: This is one of the most expensive manual pruner models included in this guide. Its premium design merits a premium price, but you could get a functional pruner at a lower cost.

❌ You have small hands: Using this pruner's two-step cutting width adjustment will give you some control over the required grip, but you'd need relatively large hands to comfortably use the wider option.

The Best Pruning Snips

The most delicate pruning tasks should be approached with care and precision. The Fiskars Solid Snip Pruning Micro-Tip SP13 brilliantly meets these needs with its streamlined, lightweight design and sharp, elongated blades. Bundled in with the snips is a protective sheath, which should be put on the blades whenever the snips are not being used.

Design: The SP13 is a well-designed pair of snips with slightly rough-around-the-edges construction. Using the snips is generally simple and low-effort – although I sometimes had difficulty closing the locking mechanism during testing. The snips’ blades are sharp along their full length, all the way to the tip. As an old-school scissors-maker might say, they cut “right from pinch to point.”

Performance: The Fiskars snips are sharp, efficient, and effective at cutting tender stems. They’re designed especially for pruning tender stems and deadheading, so it is no surprise that the snips are incapable of cutting tree branches – even very thin ones. When I used the snips as intended, they cut delicate stems and flower heads with great precision. The handles spring back open quite forcefully after each cut.

Versatility: These snips can perform a fairly wide range of tasks – but only at the more delicate end of the pruning spectrum. They will do the job well if you need to precisely prune narrow stems, remove dead flowerheads, or cut stems for indoor display. However, a more powerful tool, such as a bypass pruner, will provide a better range of cutting capability for general outdoor pruning. If you have any tree pruning to do, this pruner will not help you do it.

Price: You can’t argue with the pricing of the Fiskars Solid Snip Pruning Micro-Tip SP13. With that said, you should factor in this tool’s specialized cutting capabilities before you buy. You will likely need to purchase an additional tool for pruning thicker, woodier stems. Of course, the build quality of the snips is also reflected in their price.

Read more: Fiskars Solid Snip Pruning Micro-Tip SP13 review

Buy Them If…

✅ You need a precise tool for pruning dense plants: The SP13 may be small, but those long, keen blades are great at finding their target in overgrown areas. For careful pruning, look no further.
✅ A lightweight tool suits you: Weighing about one-and-a-half oz, you’ll barely feel these snips while you work. This could make a big difference during a long pruning session.
✅ You’re into flower arranging: These snips are perfect for cutting flowers for indoor display. Remember to cut stems diagonally to maximize a cut plant’s water uptake for long-lasting freshness.

Don't Buy Them If…

❌ Powerful pruning is required: These delicate snips are not intended for cutting thick stems or woody branches. If that’s the work you’ll be doing, consider buying a bypass or anvil pruner instead.
❌ You’re uncomfortable having sharp tools in the yard: As the SP13 snips are sharp and pointy, they definitely shouldn’t be left where they might endanger children or pets.
❌ You need to extend your reach: The SP13 snips are in their element at close quarters. If you aim to prune, high-up or hard-to-reach stems, you’d be better off using a longer-reach tool such as a pole lopper.

6. The Best Anvil Pruners

Some plants with thick stems or lots of tough branches can’t be cut using bypass pruners. This is where anvil pruners like the RSEN can help. Anvil pruners have a sharp top blade and a wide, flat bottom blade – a design that provides enhanced cutting power for heavy-duty pruning. Wolf-Garten’s Anvil Pruner RSEN is an excellent example, with robust construction and a 10-year guarantee. Unlike some anvil pruners, which are made solely for cutting tree branches, the RSEN is sold as a general-purpose anvil pruner, meaning it can be used for cutting soft plants, too.

Design: Wolf-Garten has a knack for making smart, timeless-looking garden tools – and the RSEN anvil pruners are no exception. The design is effective and attractive, with some nicely implemented features, including a metal locking button. The blades have a non-stick coating, which will help to keep the pruners clean – especially if you’re going to use them to cut sappy branches. Of course, the star of the show is the RSEN's anvil-style pruning blades, perfect for pruning tough branches. Weighing in at just 8 oz, these pruners are impressively lightweight relative to the cutting force generated. The shears have an ambidextrous design, allowing optimal usage, whether you're right- or left-handed.

Performance: During my hands-on testing, the RSEN chomped through tough tree branches better than any other manual pruner could, requiring limited extra effort to sever the wood. The flat bottom blade holds the branch steady while you cut. The RSEN anvil pruners were capable of cutting tree branches with a wide range of thicknesses, right up towards the higher end of their cutting capacity. The cuts produced were clean and regular, which is good for tree health. I was also pleasantly surprised with the RSEN’s performance when cutting tender stems, which was neater than the average anvil pruners.

Versatility: Anvil pruners are unsuitable for delicate work, such as deadheading flowering plants. Although the Wolf-Garten Anvil Pruners RSEN are more precise than many competing anvil pruners, they're better at cutting thicker, tougher stems. They do their main job – heavy-duty work – very well but also have the versatility to do some lighter tasks to an acceptable level. All things considered, we rate the RSEN as good general-purpose pruners with excellent capabilities for cutting slender tree branches.

Price: You can pick up RSEN anvil pruners from stockists such as Amazon for around $55. We wouldn’t necessarily recommend buying the RSEN as your only pruners. However, if you have the budget for two pairs – these plus a pair of bypass pruners – then you could keep both pairs working optimally for longer by using the RSEN only for heavy-duty pruning while reserving the bypass pruner for delicate tasks. This pruner offered exceptionally good build quality and performance at a reasonable price.

Buy Them If…

✅ You need a manual pruner to cut tough stems: These anvil pruners combine a sharp top blade with a wide bottom blade to tackle tough tree branches or sinuous stems up to ¾-inch thick.
✅ Long-term use matters to you: German toolmaker Wolf-Garten offers a 10-year guarantee on these well-built pruning shears (subject to warranty conditions).
✅ You already have a bypass pruner for pruning delicate plants: While the RSEN can cut soft stems, it’s not the ideal tool for gentle work. This anvil pruner is a heavy-duty alternative, not an all-round solution.

Don't Buy Them If…

❌ You have lots of delicate plants to prune: Like other anvil pruners, the RSEN could do a lot of damage to the softest and most tender plants. Of course, the RSEN's aggressive action is better suited to branch-cutting.
❌ Pruning tires out your hands: If there are many plants in your yard, pruning can be a big, time-consuming task. With this in mind, it’s worth noting that using the RSEN for pruning plants (but not cutting branches) requires a little more elbow grease than cutting with some of the other manual pruners we’ve tested.
❌ You’re in a big hurry: It may take a couple of weeks for your Wolf-Garten pruners to arrive, as the shears are often sent to the US from overseas.

How to Choose the Best Pruners for You

When considering how to choose pruning shears, there are a few things that will need to be factored into your thought process.

All-round pruning capability: A bypass pruner will likely be your best choice if you're buying just one pruner to cover most pruning tasks around your yard and home. Named for their blade action, with one blade passing by the other, these traditional pruners are usually suitable for a range of pruning tasks, including deadheading, cutting tender stems, and sometimes pruning narrow tree branches.

Specialized pruning: Other pruners are available to suit particular pruning types that may not be catered for with a bypass pruner. Mini chainsaws can prune larger branches, while pole loppers are used to cut well above head height. Snips enable delicate cutting of the smallest stems and flowers at the smaller end of the scale. Meanwhile, anvil pruners are great at cutting tough sinew or woody branches.

Quality: Just how good do you need your pruners to be? A wide range of price points is available, and the same is true of the level of quality in pruner design and construction. For a luxurious, long-term solution, premium brands such as Felco can provide the required standards. Or, if affordability is the focus, a reasonably priced make such as Fiskars could be your best bet.

What Type of Pruner is Best for You?

As reflected in the wide range of tools featured in this guide, there are various pruners. Each variety has been created for specific purposes, so it's worth considering which option will best suit your yard's needs.

Bypass pruners are a classic style of manual pruning shears with sharp blades that cut materials when they pass against each other. They have great all-round pruning capabilities, from light pruning tasks such as deadheading and removing dead flower heads to slightly heavier work, including cutting thin, woody branches.

Anvil pruners are similar to bypass pruners, but they have a flat bottom blade that crushes plant matter while the top blade slices through it. This type of pruner is especially well-suited to cutting fairly thick tree branches or slicing through sinuous stems.

Pruning snips are a smaller style of manual pruning shears with sharp, accurate blades ideal for making neat cuts. They are not suitable for cutting tree branches or tough stems.

Mini chainsaws are a high-powered option for pruning tree branches. Like a full-size chainsaw, this tool cuts plant matter using a rapidly revolving metal chain. You would not want a mini chainsaw to prune soft or juicy plants.

Pole loppers help the user prune high-up tree branches. Their clever design incorporates trigger-activated, electric pruning jaws and a long pole to increase reach.

How We Tested These Pruners

I received a sample unit of each pruner featured in this guide and used each tool to carry out an appropriate range of tasks in my yard.

The tests included cutting tree branches of varying widths (up to the advertised cutting capacity), deadheading flowers, and cutting through juicy plant stems.

In addition to assessing their cutting performance, I compared the pruners based on other criteria including how much effort was required to use them, how comfortable they were to hold, and the effectiveness of extra features such as opening width selectors and lock buttons.

Some of the pruners have specialized functions. In these cases, my testing was focused mainly on these tools' special intended use cases.

I then consolidated all of my tests and scored each pruning shear out of 5 (5 being the highest). This new scoring system ensures more accuracy and consistency across our testing criteria. It's then over to you to decide which is the best pruner for you based on my first-hand experience.

Pruners FAQs

A successful outdoor space keeps blooming continuously from spring through fall, depending on the local climate. Not only does this provide you with ongoing color and visual interest, but it also feeds your local pollinators. Step outside on a warm July afternoon, and your yard likely feels like a thriving, buzzing haven. However, this midsummer abundance can hide a quiet crisis for native wildlife.

As early spring perennials fade and summer heat accelerates flower burnout, nectar availability drops. For worker bumblebees storing winter reserves, native solitary bees feeding late broods, and monarch butterflies fueling for their migration, this summer gap can seriously reduce feeding opportunities. This is why it’s crucial to make sure you have pollinator plants available for the next couple of months.

What you (and your pollinators) need are resilient bloomers that thrive in warm soil and flower continuously until frosts arrive. By growing these now, you provide an essential lifeline for visiting pollinators for weeks to come. These gorgeous plants reward your efforts with minimal ongoing care, vibrant color, and lasting visual structure. Grow these summer-to-fall nectar-rich bloomers for your bumble queens and migrating monarchs, and you’ll keep them nourished well into the fall.

Grow Pollinator Flowers in Summer

A continuously flowering yard attracts local bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies. So now is a great time to plant a few late bloomers that can service your pollinating community. If you’re planting in USDA hardiness zones 3-9, it’s all about minimizing transplant shock and establishing strong root networks quickly. Summer soil is warm, but it also dries out rapidly. Remember native late-bloomers prefer sunny spots. Give these plants 6-8 hours of direct light for maximum nectar and pollen synthesis.

Clear away competing weeds and break up compacted earth, down to 8 inches (20 cm). Most heat-tolerant pollinator plants dislike soggy roots. Use a soil meter like the XLUX Long Stem Soil Moisture Meter Sensor from Amazon to check your soil’s existing moisture levels. Mix some organic compost, perlite or coarse sand into heavy clay soils to balance water retention with good drainage.

When planting container-grown starts, water the hole deeply before setting the plant in, topdress with a couple of inches of organic mulch, and water deeply every morning for the first fortnight until you see new growth. All this will prime your new plants to develop fast and last for longer, while preventing overwatering.

Don't forget your foraging pollinators also need a little drink. It’s a nice idea to set up a shallow hydration station to support them. You can buy a cute ceramic puddler, like the Bee & Butterfly Drinking Flower from Uncommon Goods, which is lovely for thirsty bees, butterflies, and beneficial wasps. It gives them a safe perching spot to sip clean water as they enjoy these late-summer blooms.

1. Coneflowers

It’s hard to go wrong with the cheerful coneflower. While traditionally purple (Echinacea purpurea), newer cultivars offer a wealth of colors, which bloom from midsummer through fall in zones 3-9. Encased in brightly toned petals, each spiky, copper disk is packed with nectar. American Beauties Native Purple Coneflowers from Plant Addicts are favorites of specialist native bees. Other butterfly-friendly coneflowers include Fragrant Angel, Ruby Star and Magnus Purple Coneflowers from Nature Hills.

Plant in full sun and well-draining soil. Deadhead any spent blooms in July to spur a second flush. Leaving the dried, seed-heavy cones intact through winter will also feed hungry birds like American goldfinches. Topdress with a gentle feed, like Espoma Organic Flower-tone Blossom Booster Plant Food from Walmart in midsummer. This supplies a steady supply of potassium and phosphorus for late-season flowers.

2. Asters

Asters are some of the most crucial late-season food sources for migrating monarch butterflies fueling up for their southward journey, as well as pre-hibernation queen bumblebees. Asters can be grown in zones 3-8, depending on the type. These colorful flowers bloom reliably in late summer, and through fall in most places. Choose native species like New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae), when possible. You can buy Hirt’s Gardens Wood’s Pink Asters from Walmart and Perennial Farm October Skies Asters from Amazon, to enjoy a long bloom timel.

New England asters provide a massive blanket of rich jewel-toned color. They develop dense clusters of purple, magenta, and deep pink flowers centered around bright yellow disks. Grow them in full sun for the most flowers. They prefer moist, well-draining soil rich in organic matter. You can add a little crab meal to the soil around your asters to boost structure. Down To Earth Organic Crab Meal 4-3-0 from Amazon can help tall aster varieties build sturdy stems to withstand heavy rain.

3. Sedums

Also known as stonecrop, this is a fall favorite for the magical color transformations some varieties make. Several sedum varieties bloom with clusters of flowers that extend through fall. Some, like Hylotelephium spectabile Autumn Joy, Autumn Fire, and Brilliant, change from pale pink to deep red as the season progresses. It’s a great show for you, and a steady food supply for your pollinators. Buy Clovers Garden’s Autumn Joy Sedum from Walmart as live plants for faster developing star clusters.

These wide, flat flower landing pads make nectar accessible to short-tongued beneficial insects, honey bees, hoverflies, and painted lady butterflies. Succulent, exceptionally hardy, and practically indestructible in zones 3-9, tall border sedums are quintessential late-season foundation plants. They grow well in dry soils and full sun. If your soil is clay based, add some coarse sand or a little Hoffman Organic Cactus and Succulent Soil Mix from Walmart.

4. Joe Pye Weed

If you’re looking for a statuesque flower for your late-season pollinator garden, try this native perennial. Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum) thrives in zones 4-9 and can grow to 7 feet (2 m) tall. Its nectar-rich clusters of pink-purple flowers burst into life as many others are fading, and are irresistible to swallowtail butterflies, clearwing hummingbird moths, and native bumblebees. Buy American Beauties Little Joe from Plant Addicts for the fluffy pink landing pads that butterflies love.

Place this giant in a spot with moist, rich soil and full or partial sun. Don't allow the soil to dry out completely in heatwaves, as drought can cause lower leaf scorching. Applying an organic liquid kelp soil drench during heat spikes delivers vital trace vitamins and minerals that protect these large-leafed perennials from drought stress and leaf scorch. Buy GS Plant Foods Organic Liquid Kelp Extract from Walmart.

5. Cosmos

Not all late-season bloomers need to be perennials. Cosmos (C. bipinnatus) attracts plenty of bees and butterflies well into fall. This annual flowers profusely with good care. The open ray design makes nectar instantly accessible for smaller native solitary bees, hoverflies, and monarchs. Start best-selling Sensation Mix Cosmos from Eden Brothers for easy-access blooms to service pollinators at the far end of summer into fall. Nectar-rich Bright Lights and Sonata are also great options.

Cosmos are easy to start from seed. These feathery beauties develop in 7-8 weeks in full sun and well draining soil. Deadhead frequently to keep fresh blooms coming well into fall. While you shouldn’t add high-nitrogen fertilizers, you can condition the soil with a little biochar, such as Wakefield Premium Biochar Soil Conditioner from Lowe's. This helps soil retain water and nutrients without over-saturating roots.

6. Zinnias

Another pollinator-friendly annual to try is the exuberant zinnia (Z. elegans). These vibrant, structural beauties are easy to grow from seed and develop quickly. Sow them in July and they’ll be blooming by September. Wide petals attract large butterflies like monarchs, swallowtails, and skippers, while the bright florets draw honey bees and bumblebees. Large-flowered varieties like Benary's Giant and State Fair offer sturdy stems and exceptional resistance to summer heat and humidity. Buy California Giant Zinnia Mix Plants from Walmart for a combination platter pollinators will adore.

Plant in full sun and harvest regularly. The more you cut, the more buds the plant sets. Zinnias keep flowering as long as the weather cooperates. These vivacious bloomers do require good air circulation to stay clear of powdery mildew. Add a splash of Arber Organic Bio-Fungicide from Amazon to protect foliage from mildew and leaf spot without harming visiting bees or butterflies.

Shop Pollinator Blooms

Getting your garden ready for hungry pollinators in the heat of midsummer is as easy as 1-2-3, so make some room for this trio. By selecting hardy, weather-ready bloomers and perennials designed to take warm soil in stride, you can plant today with total peace of mind. These hand-picked selections are built to settle in fast, hold their ground through late-summer heatwaves, and deliver effortless, high-impact blooms that will feed your local pollinators straight through to the first fall frosts.

Multi-Season Sensations

Need more ideas for getting the most from your plants, indoors and out, and looking for the best seasonal expert advice delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for the free Gardening Know How Newsletter!

When most people imagine a garden, they dream up a white picket fence with climbing roses and a sunny yard full of butterflies. It often lines the front yards of every idealized suburban home, and it’s become synonymous with a certain kind of domesticity. All you need is a golden retriever, and the image is complete.

However, once you actually have it in your own yard, the cons become clear pretty quickly. A traditional white picket fence often goes up to a maximum of 3 feet. Charming if you want to keep your border looking neat, absolutely useless when it comes to privacy, as nosy neighbors, passers by, and anyone with a dog can see directly into your front garden.

On top of that, it is one of those fence ideas that offers no wind protection or sound barrier. If you want a private garden boundary, it’s about as useful as a politely worded sign.

7 Boundary Ideas Replacing the White Picket Fence

Look, modern front yard fencing has come a long way; nowadays, there is a lot more emphasis on those boundaries that do much more than simply mark a line in the ground. And there are structures that offer real screening, suit many more garden styles, and last much longer than a painted softwood picket fence that requires maintenance every year.

Before doing any shopping, it’s worth checking out the latest fence paint color trends for 2026. And then, with that in mind, look this way for where to slop that paintbrush...

1. Outdoor Cedar Wood Privacy Screen with Aluminum Posts

The cedar wood privacy screen gives you all the looks of a horizontal fence panel but without digging into your yard or any permanent installation. It’s super versatile as the posts can be anchored in soil or hard surfaces, which means you can put it along a boundary, use it to screen a seating area, or position it anywhere you want some coverage.

This one is five feet tall, so it’s the perfect balance between decorative and functional. However, each panel is 40 inches wide so you’ll need a few put side by side.

The upside to this? Why, you can buy exactly as many as you need rather than committing to a fixed length upfront.

2. Mininfa Natural Rolled Bamboo Fence

Bamboo fencing fits into a particular sweet spot: it's really natural and eco-friendly, and it has a warmth and texture that a vinyl or metal fence could just never. It stands at 6 feet tall, meaning you get privacy with a lot more character than a standard timber panel.

It works best for tropical-inspired gardens (when people think bamboo, they immediately think of the jungle), coastal settings, casual cottage-style spaces, and anyone who wants privacy without the industrial look of metal.

3. VEVOR Artificial Ivy Privacy Fence Screen

If you’re looking for a fast and budget-friendly way to transform your boundary, artificial ivy screening attached to an existing fence is a great idea. When done well, it looks seriously convincing from far away.

This is best for renters, balconies, shady places where real plants won’t grow, and budget-conscious gardeners who want the look without the wait.

4. Kozyard 2-Pack Privacy Screen with Planter

This is one of the most clever options, as it’s a freestanding privacy screen with built-in raised planters; that means you can have your boundary and garden bed all in one. It has a rust-resistant aluminum frame with wood-plastic composite boards, meaning it’s weatherproof and very well-built. It measures at just under 6 feet tall with a dual-sided slat design you can put either way depending on which side of the screen you want to look at.

5. FOOWIN Metal Privacy Screen Outdoor Set of 2

Laser-cut metal privacy screens are having a real moment, and this leaf-pattern panel from FOOWIN is a really great example of why. It’s 6 feet tall, which means it brings height, but the cut-out design feels light and breathable. It comes in a set of 2 that can be put somewhere by themselves as statement dividers, or you can put them side by side along a boundary. The freestanding bases are great because they don’t require any digging or permanent installation.

6. 6FT Outdoor Metal Privacy Screen — Freestanding Decorative Fence Panel with Stand

If you don’t like the idea of digging into your garden, this freestanding screen is the perfect option. Plus, it can be moved and repositioned easily as your garden grows and evolves. It’s a weather-resistant, practical choice at 6 feet tall.

It works best for patios, temporary boundaries, and people who want a boundary with flexibility. If you’re always changing your mind about the layout of your garden, this is the privacy screen for you.

7. WamBam Fence No-Dig Classic White Vinyl Privacy Fence

If you just can’t let go of the white picket fence but you need something that gives you more privacy and lasts more than a couple of years, this is the fence for you. WamBam's no-dig vinyl system uses a patented post anchor that drives directly into the ground without concrete or post-hole digging; essentially, this means it’s a perfectly manageable DIY project.

Fence Treatment Ideas

Your Garden, Your Boundaries — Find the Fence That Actually Fits

Yes, the white picket fence has had a good run. But your garden should be your own, and the best fence for it is the one that actually suits your lifestyle, not the one that fits a certain ideal from a different era of gardening. Whether you want six feet of cedar for privacy, a bamboo roll for a natural feel, or a laser-cut metal panel that doubles as garden art, the options available now are way more interesting than the traditional alternative.

One thing worth resisting (as this is true for more than just fences) is the urge to follow trends just to please others. What looks beautiful in a magazine might be completely wrong in your own garden or look odd with the style of house you have. Think about what problem you want to solve, whether that’s nosy neighbors, wind protection, or a better backdrop for planting, and let that be a starting point.

When most people imagine a garden, they dream up a white picket fence with climbing roses and a sunny yard full of butterflies. It often lines the front yards of every idealized suburban home, and it’s become synonymous with a certain kind of domesticity. All you need is a golden retriever, and the image is complete.

However, once you actually have it in your own yard, the cons become clear pretty quickly. A traditional white picket fence often goes up to a maximum of 3 feet. Charming if you want to keep your border looking neat, absolutely useless when it comes to privacy, as nosy neighbors, passers by, and anyone with a dog can see directly into your front garden.

On top of that, it offers no wind protection or sound barrier. If you want a private garden boundary, it’s about as useful as a politely worded sign.

7 Boundary Ideas Replacing the White Picket Fence

Look, modern front yard fencing has come a long way; nowadays, there is a lot more emphasis on those boundaries that do much more than simply mark a line in the ground. And there are structures that offer real screening, suit many more garden styles, and last much longer than a painted softwood picket fence that requires maintenance every year.

Before doing any shopping, it’s worth checking out the latest fence paint color trends for 2026. And then, with that in mind, look this way for where to slop that paintbrush...

1. Outdoor Cedar Wood Privacy Screen with Aluminum Posts

This cedar wood privacy screen gives you all the looks of a horizontal fence panel but without digging into your yard or any permanent installation. It’s super versatile as the posts can be anchored in soil or hard surfaces. This means you can put it along a boundary, use it to screen a seating area, or position it anywhere you want some coverage.

This one is five feet tall, so it’s the perfect balance between decorative and functional. However, each panel is 40 inches wide so you’ll need a few put side by side.

The upside to this? Why, you can buy exactly as many as you need rather than committing to a fixed length upfront.

2. Mininfa Natural Rolled Bamboo Fence

Bamboo fencing fits into a particular sweet spot: it's really natural and eco-friendly, and it has a warmth and texture that a vinyl or metal fence could just never. Especially as it stands at six feet tall, which means you get privacy with a lot more character than a standard timber panel.

Bamboo fencing comes in a rolled format, meaning it can follow the contours of your boundary without needing perfectly level ground, and you can attach it to an existing chain-link or post fence to give it a small facelift.

The hand-treated bamboo poles are held together with galvanized steel wires. In layman's terms, this means corrosion resistance, and the natural material blending into your plants rather than competing with them. Perfect.

3. VEVOR Artificial Ivy Privacy Fence Screen

If you’re looking for a fast and budget-friendly way to transform your boundary, artificial ivy screening attached to an existing fence is a great idea. When done well, it looks seriously convincing from far away.

This VEVOR panel uses UV-resistant artificial leaves on a reinforced mesh backing. It covers a solid 6-by-8-foot section per panel, meaning you can attach multiple panels side by side along a fence, railing, or wall for lush-looking coverage.

The great thing about artificial is that you don’t need to water it, trim it (ivy grows super fast!), or maintain it throughout the seasons. While it would never fool a botanist close up, it can create a green, private boundary on a rental property, or along a fence when real planting isn’t an option.

4. Kozyard 2-Pack Privacy Screen with Planter

This is one of the most clever options, as it’s a freestanding privacy screen with built-in raised planters; that means you can have your boundary and garden bed all in one.

It has a rust-resistant aluminum frame with wood-plastic composite boards, meaning it’s weatherproof and very well-built. It measures at just under 6 feet tall with a dual-sided slat design you can put either way depending on which side of the screen you want to look at.

You can use this boundary idea to divide a patio from a garden, create a private corner around a seating area, or line a space where you want both screening and flowers.

You can plant lavender, trailing herbs, ornamental grasses, or climbing sweet peas in the integrated planter and you've created a functional, beautiful boundary feature all in one single purchase.

5. FOOWIN Metal Privacy Screen Outdoor Set of 2

Laser-cut metal privacy screens are having a real moment, and this leaf-pattern panel from FOOWIN is a really great example of why. It’s 6 feet tall, which means it brings height, but the cut-out design feels light and breathable.

It comes in a set of 2 that can be put somewhere by themselves as statement dividers, or you can put them side by side along a boundary. The freestanding bases are great because they don’t require any digging or permanent installation.

The matte black powder coat on this boundary idea is weatherproof and maintenance-free, while the modern flower motif suits a variety of styles, from “modern minimalist” to “nature-inspired” gardens.

Perfect, basically!

6. 6FT Outdoor Metal Privacy Screen

If you don’t like the idea of digging into your garden, this freestanding screen is the perfect option. Plus, it can be moved and repositioned easily as your garden grows and evolves. It’s a weather-resistant, practical choice at 6 feet tall.

It’s quite a substantial panel that can be used by itself as a garden divider or linked with more panels to create a longer boundary. The matte black powder coat finish is weatherproof and maintenance-free.

On top of that, it includes a base with anchoring hardware to keep it stable without posts or permanent fixings. It’s ideal for renters, patios or anyone who doesn’t want to commit to something permanent.

7. WamBam Fence No-Dig Classic White Vinyl Privacy Fence

If you just can’t let go of the white picket fence but you need something that gives you more privacy and lasts more than a couple of years, this is the fence for you.

WamBam's no-dig vinyl system uses a patented post anchor that drives directly into the ground without concrete or post-hole digging; essentially, this means it’s a perfectly manageable DIY project.

Vinyl stays white and straight without maintenance. It’s an update to the traditional white picket fence you’ve always wanted, but it’s twice the height, gives you the privacy you want, and has that classic, all-American look.

Shop Fence Treatment Ideas:

Your Garden, Your Boundaries

Yes, the white picket fence has had a good run. But your garden should be your own, and the best fence for it is the one that actually suits your lifestyle, not the one that fits a certain ideal from a different era of gardening.

Whether you want six feet of cedar for privacy, a bamboo roll for a natural feel, or a laser-cut metal panel that doubles as garden art, the options available now are way more interesting than the traditional alternative.

One thing worth resisting (as this is true for more than just fences) is the urge to follow trends just to please others. What looks beautiful in a magazine might be completely wrong in your own garden or look odd with the style of house you have.

Think about what problem you want to solve, whether that’s nosy neighbors, wind protection, or a better backdrop for planting, and let that be a starting point. Good luck!

You’re moving homes, which means your family and your pets are also packing up and moving along with you. But what about your plants? Many of us consider our plants as part of our extended family, and I am one of them. I tend to rescue plants other people toss out with the garbage. Once you’ve nursed a junked plant back to glorious health, you just can’t leave it behind when you move.

Yet moving plants to a new home can have legal repercussions that you may not see coming. I know, since I’m a plant lover and a lawyer. Part of it depends on where you are moving and part depends on whether the plants are from outside in the garden.

It’s important to understand the legal issues before you move your plants to a new home. I'll walk you through the legality of moving plants to a new home, so you don't get in trouble.

Legal Issues When Moving Plants

You love your plants and can’t help but feel that they love you, too. So it’s natural to want to take them along with you when you move. While container plants are a bit more practical to travel with than those growing in the landscape, you’ll want to take a close look at the laws before packing up any of your plants.

There are two primary types of legal issues around moving with plants. The first (and perhaps easier) challenge involves state and national borders. This issue involves the question: can I take this type of plant into a new state or country? The second issue involves plant ownership. It asks the question: whose plants are they after you sell your house?

Moving Plants Across State Lines

So you pack up the car with your suitcases, your kids, your dog, your cat and your 17 favorite houseplants. If you are headed to another town in the same state, you shouldn’t have any problems – other than squeezing everybody in.

If, however, your move will take you across state or national borders, you may have issues. Even when crossing from one state into another, some plants are forbidden. Moving plants across state lines is governed by the United States Department of Agriculture and state-specific agricultural quarantines.

In general, it is illegal to move plants between states if your plants harbor pests or diseases or have been declared federal noxious weeds, like kudzu and witchweed.

Other restrictions are in place as well, but they vary by destination. These include the prohibition to take any citrus plants into California and Florida to prevent the spread of different citrus diseases.

They also include restrictions on taking any plants that are hosts for the emerald ash borer (largely ash trees) and the Japanese beetles (plants like maple trees, birches, linden trees, roses, flowering crabapples, hibiscus, crape myrtles, and viburnum).

Finally, it is largely prohibited to take any natural soil across state lines. That means that any container plants with soil from the garden in the container cannot be transported legally. Only sterile, soilless potting media is permitted.

Moving plants across international borders is even more fraught legally. For example, if you're moving to Canada, your houseplants must have a Phytosanitary Certificate from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and must be bare roots.

Travel into other countries with plants may be even more restricted. The best rule is: know before you go. Call the nearest consulate and ask before trying to move plants into a new home in a different country.

Removing Plants From Your Old Yard

Are you sure you are really the owner of that shrub in your old yard? Before you dig it up to take it with you to your new home, make sure you know the rules about plant ownership.

Yes, you planted that hydrangea, that rose bush, or that Meyer lemon tree in the backyard some years back. You bought it at the garden store, dug the hole, planted the roots, and nurtured the plant. Now it’s time to leave and you’re thinking it would look nice in your new home’s garden.

But is it legally yours? If you rented the home you are leaving, it might belong to the landlord. In most states, plants that are attached to the soil by their roots belong to the property owner.

That means that outdoor shrubs permanently planted in the ground are considered legal “fixtures” and belong to the landlord of your old home. Even if a tenant plants the shrubs themselves, they generally cannot remove them when moving out without the landlord's permission

There may be issues even if you owned your old property. If you are moving because you sold the property, ownership of the outdoor plants may have passed to the new owner with the sale of the house.

As a general rule, outdoor shrubs that are planted in the ground belong to the buyer when the sale closes. They are classified as fixtures and automatically transfer with the house. Sellers cannot dig them up unless explicitly stated in the purchase contract that the seller will take ownership of certain plants.

What You Can Do

• Before moving day, figure out what plants you wish to take with you. Do your research to understand whether or not you can take them to your new home.
• Take cuttings from the in-ground plants you particularly love to root and plant at the new home.
• If a particular outdoor shrub is very dear to you, negotiate with your landlord, if you are a tenant, to be able to dig it up and take it with you. If you are selling your home, write in explicit exceptions for the outdoor plants you wish to take.

What You Can't Do

• When crossing borders, never lie to a state or federal agent about the plants you are carrying. This could cause you to be subject to large fines or even to be criminally charged and sent to prison.
• Never dig up outdoor plants if you are not the current owner of the property. Your landlord or the new buyer can charge you with theft and/or sue you for the replacement cost.

Tools to Help You Move Plants

A lopper like the Felco 211-60 could be an even better option than the best pruners for some gardeners. This is especially true for folks who have lots of trees to keep in perfect shape.

If you know how to prune a tree, you’ll be aware that some branches are too thick or too tough to cut with an ordinary pair of pruning shears. With their larger blades and two-handed operation, loppers can provide that extra cutting power, when you need it. They are on the pricier side, but you can sometimes find Felco 211-60 loppers on sale at Amazon.

The Felco 211-60 is a top-notch model of lopper made by Swiss brand Felco, which has been manufacturing gardening shears of various types since 1945. Measuring 23.6in, the 211-60 tool gives you a lot of leverage – as well as extended reach – to cut through fairly thick tree branches. It promises 40% greater cutting power, compared to the Felco 200 and 210 series loppers.

Bundled in with the Felco 211-60 comes one small, but very important, accessory: an adjustment key. This key can be used to take the lopper apart, or put its parts back together again. With the 211-60 (and many other Felco cutting tools), it’s recommended to dismantle the tool frequently for cleaning, sharpening of the blades, and replacing worn out parts. You can buy replacements for almost all of the 211-60’s components, so you can keep the lopper in great condition for many years, without ever needing to send it for repairs.

Do bear in mind that this is a lopper, which means the tool is designed mainly for cutting thick tree branches. A smaller (and sometimes sharper) type of pruning tool such as a pair of pruning shears will usually be more appropriate for delicate pruning tasks – especially pruning soft plant stems. If you’re in need of a high-quality, specialized tool for tree pruning, the 211-60 could be a perfect solution.

To find out how the 211-60 compared to rival pruners and loppers, we put the tool through its paces in a hands-on testing process at our reviewer’s home. Read on to find out whether the Felco 211-60 really is the top of the loppers.

Felco 211-60 Lopper: At a Glance

Swiss tool-maker Felco is legendary, in green-thumbed circles, for its finely crafted cutting tools. Pruning shears, in particular, are Felco’s specialty – but the brand makes some very good loppers, too.

The Felco 211-60 is a 23.6in pair of loppers which takes part of its name from its length, this being a European tool measuring 60cm. With a 1.4in cutting capacity, the 211-60 can cut larger branches than any one-handed pruner we’ve tested, while its two-handed operation, sharp blades and long handles generate a high level of cutting force.

You can purchase the Felco 211-60 online from retailers such as Amazon, at prices in the region of $70-100. That may seem like a big spend, but when you consider this tool’s ease of maintenance (and the availability of spare parts), the Felco 211-60 starts to look like a good-value long-term purchase.

Felco 211-60 Lopper: Key Specs

Felco 211-60 Lopper: Performance

During our hands-on testing, the Felco 211-60 never failed to cut through the branches of our reviewer’s trees (which are a mix of hard-wooded crabapple and pear trees). The blades made their way through the wood within a few seconds or less, even when we were dealing with branches over 1-inch thick.

This being a lopper, not a pruner, a big part of its appeal is in the two-handed design, which should enable powerful, user-friendly cutting. On this front, the 211-60 delivers. The handles are comfortable and lightweight, thanks respectively to their ergonomic grips and aluminum construction. However, cutting large branches with the 211-60 did prove to be more strenuous than cutting similar branches with super-sharp Felco pruning shears, such as the Felco 6 Bypass Pruner.

We really appreciated the shock absorbers on the insides of the 211-60’s handles. Located just below the cutting blades of the loppers, this feature reduces the level of vibration that reaches your hands and arms, which can make a big difference during extensive pruning.

To preserve the 211-60’s optimum performance, it’s recommended to oil the blades frequently. It’s also advised to take the tool apart and sharpen the blades from time-to-time. We were sure to carefully clean the blades after each use, to preserve the their good condition. Thanks to the bundled-in adjustment key, it was simple to disassemble and then reassemble the lopper. With that said, some users who don’t feel confident in taking it apart may feel reluctant to carry out this chore.

Felco 211-60 Lopper: Should You Buy?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How Does It Compare?

For cutting fairly thick tree branches, with a diameter somewhere around 1in to 1.4in, you’re unlikely to find a more effective lopper than the Felco 211-60. However, some of our other top-rated pruning tools might be a better fit for certain users.

Costing a fraction of the price of the 211-60, and featuring a simple, one-handed design, the Wolf-Garten Anvil Pruner RSEN from Amazon is an easy-going option that gives you much of the wood-pruning power of the 211-60 – although it doesn’t offer anything like the same reach or leverage.

If you have lots of thick tree limbs to cut, with diameters greater than the 211-60’s 1.4" limit, then you might want to consider using a different type of tool, known as a pruning saw. One very good example is the Greenworks 24V 6" Pruning Saw from Amazon, which is essentially a mini chainsaw that’s purpose-made for tree surgery.

How We Tested the Felco 211-60 Lopper

We tested the Felco 211-60 Lopper by using the tool to prune a variety of tree branches in our reviewer’s yard – from spindly twigs to tough branches over 1in thick. The trees used in testing were a mixture of pear trees and crabapple trees, both of which have hard wood that proves difficult to prune for some cutting tools. We also tested the 211-60’s ease-of-maintenance, by disassembling it and cleaning the blades.

The Fiskars Solid Snip Pruning Micro-Tip SP13 is not your average pruner. This tool belongs to a category known as pruning snips. These tools are smaller than most bypass pruners or anvil pruners, and they have a specialized design that’s ideal for accurate, delicate work. For careful pruning tasks, the SP13 is one of the best pruning tools you can buy.

These snips are best described as pruning scissors, because of their symmetrical design. The blades are narrow, sharply pointed, and have a cutting edge along their entire length. This design equips the snips to cut soft plants cleanly and precisely. Although the snips are small, they have relatively long blades, which is useful when you’re pruning among dense or tangled stems and leaves.

Their size (and especially the size of the blade) makes this pruning tool ideal for reaching into dense plant clusters and slicing in an efficient, tidy manner. It's also great for comfort, allowing for accurate positioning without straining the fingers.

Let's get this out of the way quickly, though. Pruning snips like the SP13 are not suitable for cutting tree branches. Even narrow twigs are a challenge for this type of pruning tool. This Fiskars model can work well as a go-to tool for the delicate cutting tasks. But using it to prune woody stems or branches will only result in failure (and likely degradation of the blades). For that work, you are better using a good pair of bypass shears.

What the SP13 can do well is cut tender plant parts. Because these snips cut so cleanly, they’re an ideal choice for pruning soft plant stems. The sort of clean cuts you can make with the SP13 tend to heal well. With plant-friendly cutting in mind, the SP13 is a great choice not only for pruning tasks like deadheading, but also for taking cuttings for propagation.

Overview

Finnish brand Fiskars is a leading name for affordable cutting tools. Founded in 1649, the company has a long history of designing scissors and shears for a range of tasks. For repetitive garden-based work like pruning, Fiskars has earned a solid reputation for thoughtful ergonomic designs. In this regard, the SP13 is no exception.

This snipping tool is designed to bridge the gap between heavy-duty yard tools (like PowerGear loppers and bypass pruners) and utility scissors. Its beauty lies in its size and control in narrow reaches and its comfortable spring action. You can find Fiskars Solid Snip SP13 online at Amazon for $21.44, as well as via the main Fiskars store, in their Snips & Scissors section.

If shopping at Walmart or hardware stores like The Home Depot or Lowe’s, you might see it listed as the Fiskars 6-inch Stainless Steel Micro-Tip Pruning Snips. You can currently buy the Titanium model of SP13 from Home Depot for $13.98.

Key Specs

Performance

Since these snips are purpose-built for cutting tender stems, I focused on delicate types of pruning work. I started by using the SP13 to cut the stems of tender bedding plants. The snips did a great job of cleanly pruning stems, without chewing the plant or leaving messy cuts. The SP13 turned out to be ideal for deadheading, too. Using the snips, I was able to remove dead flower heads accurately and with minimal effort.

After testing, strong winds knocked over a row of dahlias in my yard. The SP13 snips turned out to be the best and most convenient pruner for cutting the broken stems down to size, so the dahlia flowers could be displayed in a vase indoors.

During testing, the plastic locking button on the review sample of the SP13 snapped off after getting jammed. Thankfully, I experienced no such problem with the replacement sample I received from Fiskars. The SP13 is generally reviewed very well by customers. Just bear in mind that this is a budget-priced pruner. Don't expect stellar construction.

Should You Buy?

Buy It If...

Don't Buy It If...

How Does It Compare?

The precision pruning market is competitive, which is good news if you are looking for a reasonably priced set of pruning tools. But depending on your pruning needs, the density of your plants, and the thickness of your stems, you need a different blade style, length, or ergonomic tension system. These picks offer unique advantages for food-safe hygiene, adjustable handle spans, or professional-grade bypass power. Here is how they stack up against the Fiskars Solid Snip Micro-Tip SP13 when it comes to precision cutting, price points, and everyday garden reliability.

How We Tested

Our reviewer tested the Fiskars Solid Snip Pruning Micro-Tip SP13 by using the snips to carry out light pruning tasks around the yard. He focused testing on slicing soft plant stems, deadheading flowering plants, and snipping stems to specific sizes for preparing cuttings and cutting flower arrangements.

First reviewed September 2023

The challenge a boxy backyard brings is that its square shape makes the garden feel even smaller than it already is. But steal a few tricks from landscape designers and you can manipulate the space to your advantage, and transform it into a super-stylish yard that appears larger and less enclosed. The trick is to see a square garden plot not as a hindrance, but instead as an invitation to get creative.

To draw all eyes away from the boundaries, and make the space within feel more expansive, landscape designers use a number of clever techniques. Plenty are DIY projects you can do yourself to make a small garden feel bigger. One such trick is to separate the plot into multiple areas, each with a clear function, that segue together beautifully into a whole. A lot can be achieved by utilising vertical space for growing, too, which increases planting options as well as leading the eye up to make your garden feel less cramped. Add in some curves and a focal-point feature, and suddenly you have a garden to be proud of.

A few well-chosen contemporary small garden ideas is often all it needs to add the standout factor to your garden design. Here are all the garden design ideas you need to get the transformation underway.

1. Divide the Plot into Geometric Blocks

If you have a small boxy backyard, you'll want to make the very best of the space by turning it into a stylish extension of your home. One of the easiest landscape designer tricks to tap into is reconfiguring the space using the 'rule of three' technique to carve up a square garden into separate yet harmonious areas.

This is a clever way of stretching a small garden and making it feel more spacious with clearly defined zoned areas, like this design (above). With separate spaces such as a patio for dining and a deck for lounging, plus a hidden destination point at the far end, this boxy backyard doesn't feel square any more.

Using planting such as evergreen boxwood cubes and ornamental grasses to create softly sculpted divisions between the spaces adds a high-end look, as does subtle uplighting.

2. Plant Immersive Boundaries to Distract from Dimensions

It might seem counter-intuitive to enclose a small boxy backyard with vertical planting taken to great heights, but green walls can in fact work to your advantage. Lushly planted boundaries help small gardens feel bigger by leading the eye upward to create an immersive feeling. And it needn't take forever, as there are plenty of fast-growing vines that won't scramble out of control.

Planting climbers also helps to blur the boundaries so you're not sure where the garden begins and ends. Covering solid features like walls and fences in foliage softens hard edges and tricks the eye, rather than immediately revealing the limitations of a small space.

Wrapping a garden in plants such as evergreen climbers takes the gray out of an urban space year-round, or add some standout color with a clematis. Another bonus is that this increases your privacy, especially helpful if your garden is overlooked by neighbors' windows. You can also used climbing plants to break up stretches of straight horizontal lines on the tops of fences and walls.

Climbing Plants for Boundaries

3. Create an Eye-Catching Centerpoint

Creating a standout garden feature in the center of a square garden distracts from the restricted dimensions. Adding a focal point is a great way to make a small boxy backyard feel bigger, as your eyes will be pulled away from the edges into the center.

A circular feature integrated into a square shape immediately stands out. This eye-catching design features a firepit sunk into a round deck, surrounded by wraparound planting.

Other ideas for a centerpoint include an elegant DIY water fountain, or there are plenty of water features you can install yourself, or a piece of sculpture. Adding a circular lawn in the center of a square garden will also transform the feel of the space. A circular design feature breaks away from the boundaries, helping your garden feel more intentional and aesthetically pleasing. Circles blur harsh boundary edges and pull together the space in a gently cohesive way.

4. Add a Dazzling Accent Plant

Another way to draw attention away from the outer boundaries is to add an accent plant that landscape designers love. As far as small backyard ideas go, this is such a quick and easy win but will have a huge impact. An ornamental multi-stem tree such as 'Little Gem' magnolia, available from Nature Hills, is perfect for small yards as it adapts well to being pruned to stay compact.

Cornus kousa 'Satomi', pictured above and available from Nature Hills, is another showstopper tree that commands attention but can be pruned to stay in shape.

5. Design a ZigZag Path that Tricks the Eye

Another way to disguise a square-shaped garden is to add a feature that forces your gaze to change direction, as this distracts from the standard boxy outline dictated by the boundaries.

It's time to forget boring straight lines and draw the eye with something clever. Setting paths at changing angles so they zigzag or have a dog leg makes a garden feel both wider and more interesting, as well as being a design feature in its own right.

This elevated decking pathway zigzags between landscaping elements such as a pond, carefully positioned boulders and decorative border planting, which combine to distract the focus from the limitations of the space and reinvigorate a small boxy backyard.

6. Banish 90° Angles For a Softer Look

Sometimes the smallest details can make a big difference when you're working out how to improve a garden. Obtuse angles like the one in the raised bed above create and optical illusion: because the line is longer than if a 90° angle had been used, the feature appears bigger. In an urban garden that has lots of hard landscaping, this is particularly effective trick.

A design like this also feels so much more relaxed than one that relies on sharp corners. Take a look at your small boxy backyard and it's likely that you'll spot myriad 90° angles. Banish them, and you'll make much more of the space.

7. Use Asymmetric Focal Points to Your Advantage

Asymmetrical garden design is a real asset if you need fresh ideas to make more of a small boxy backyard. This informal technique simply involves repeating one focal element around the garden, but staggering their position so the two sides are asymmetrical.

The aim is to deliberately create an imbalance that makes a garden layout more interesting, such as alternating trees along a path rather than placing them directly opposite each other, as would be the case in symmetrical garden design. In this design, small clipped evergreen trees are staggered along the path instead of opposite each other. The planting in the beds on either side of the path are similar but aren't an exact mirror of each other, either, a further example of how asymmetric planting can make a small garden more interesting.

In a small yard, this can be as easy as strategically placed pots, creatively planted with standout container ideas.

Asymmetric planting schemes tend to feel less predictable, another way of offering a visual distraction from less than ideal garden dimensions.

8. Interrupt Sight Lines

Designers use 'sight lines' to direct the gaze through a garden. A sight line is simply where most people might look when viewing a garden, the visual path from a starting point such as a patio. If the sight line in your garden takes you directly to the back boundary, then creating a longer, more meandering journey will make the space look far bigger.

It's easy to achieve by strategically placing an element that interrupts the sightline, and partially blocks the view. Your eye stops at this destination point, pauses, then looks past it, so the visual path is far longer. In the garden above, graceful ornamental grass Miscanthus sinensis intentionally interrupts the sight line.

The tall ornamental grass also prevents us from seeing what's immediately behind it, offering the possibility that the space may continue beyond what is immediately apparent, and there's more to the garden than is first perceived.

Tall Ornamental Grasses

9. Move Borders Away From Boundaries

The temptation with a square garden is to push the planting out to the edges of the plot in the hope that an expanse of lawn in the middle will make the space look bigger. But all narrow fence-side borders do is draw attention to the boundaries and emphasize the plot's square shape.

Instead, it's a good idea to shape deep flowerbeds that flow away from a boundary, such as the semi-circular bed in the garden above. This not only brings a more immersive – and professional – feel, but allows you to appreciate the planting from all angles.

Now get more insight on garden shape design to make sure you get the most out of your square garden.

For some reason, I regularly “forget” that I can propagate more than a few plants from cuttings in summer. Then July arrives, and I have to look up the list of plants. It’s particularly odd since I grow (and love!) most of the plants that are top candidates for rooting from cuttings in July.

What are the best bets in July if you want to root plants from cuttings? It’s the best time to take softwood and semi-ripe cuttings – cuttings taken from the current year’s growth – of some of my very favorite plants, including herbs, shrubs, climbers, and perennials. Grab your favorite set of pruners (our editors are particularly fond of the affordable and sturdy Fiskars bypass pruners from Amazon) and get to work before July ends.

Ready, set, let’s propagate!

Take Cuttings From These 6 Plants in July

Taking summer cuttings is particularly easy because you don’t have to dig around to find a good branch to cut. You just snip off the top few inches of new growth from plants. Yes, you’ll need to clip off the bottom few leaves of each cutting, but that’s it. Then just push the cut end of each one into a small pot of moist potting soil.

1. Rosemary

Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) can be grown year-round in USDA hardiness zones 8-11, but can be grown indoors during colder months. This aromatic herb is always a popular addition to herb gardens given its use in cooking and its amazing, indigo blue flowers that appeal to pollinators. So no bi surprise that folks may want to start up a few additional plants.

Taking cuttings to propagate rosemary is easy. Just look for flexible, green tips of stems and snip off cuttings some 4-6 inches (10-15 cm) long. Remove the leaves from the lower half, then carefully remove the outer layer of tissue on the bottom inch (2.5 cm) with a sharp garden knife. Dip the cut end in rooting hormone, which can be found at Amazon, and pop into a small pot filled with well-draining soil. Keep the soil moist but not soaking wet. Expect roots within a month.

2. Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas (Hydrangea spp.) are the work horses of my flower garden, creating large, rounded bushes full of large, bright flower heads in summer. Double or triple your pleasure by propagating your favorite hydrangeas in July. They thrive in USDA zones 3-9.

Whatever hydrangea variety you grow (I grow smooth, panicle, and mophead), you can take cuttings in July. Snip off healthy, flexible, non-flowering shoots that have grown this year. Make the cuttings 4-6 inches (10-15 cm) long, then remove the lowest leaves. Many recommend cutting the remaining leaves in half before “planting” the cuttings in pots filled with well-draining potting mix. Keep the soil moist but not soaking wet. New roots should form in a few weeks.

3. Lavender

With its glorious fragrance, silver-green foliage, and purple blooms, lavender (Lavandula spp.) has many fans. This versatile herb might be in your herb garden or in your flower beds, but regardless of whether or not you use lavender for cooking, you can root cuttings and propagate new lavender plants in July. Summer is a good time for propagating lavender while it is actively growing.

Take cuttings from healthy stems that grew this year. Pick non-flowering stems that have grown this year and clip off 4-6 inch (10-15 cm) cuttings. Remove the lower leaves, dip the bottom in rooting hormone, and place the cuttings in pots filled with well-draining soil or compost. Keep the soil moist but not soaking wet. Expect roots in a month.

4. Fuchsia

Fuchsias (Fuchsia spp.) are classic, colorful and reliable flowering plants and that has made them popular for centuries. With bold, bell-shaped flowers in pink, purple, red and white, fuchsias put on a show in summer.

Have one fuchsia? You’ll definitely want a few more. Fortunately, fuchsias are among the easiest plants to grow from cuttings and summer is the perfect time to act. Take 6 inch (15cm) cuttings from new growth that is healthy and full of leaves. Remove all leaves from each cutting other than the top two. Dip the cut ends in rooting hormone, then stick them into pots filled with well-draining soil. Keep the soil moist but not soaking wet. You should see roots appear in a month.

5. Annual Geraniums

Now, annual geraniums (Pelargonium spp.) are not really annuals. They are hardy in USDA zones 9-12 (which includes my home in San Francisco), but are grown in cooler zones as annuals. Mine offer beautiful red flowers all summer and fall. They too are plants that tend to spread, but you can also “make” new plants by taking and rooting geranium cuttings in July.

Take firm, green shoots without any flowers some 4-6 inches (10-15cm) long. Remove leaves on the bottom half and push the cut ends into well-draining potting soil. Keep the soil moist but not wet. Look for roots in 3-4 weeks.

6. Sage

Was there ever a plant that grows more joyfully than sage (Salvia spp.)? These perennials shoot up so readily into long-lasting flower spikes and spread so merrily that they always look to me as if they are singing. They have a lovely fragrance and bright petals too, yet are tough as nails, drought-tolerant and low-maintenance.

Salvias do tend to spread, but if you want more plants to offer neighbors, July is the time to take and root cuttings from your sage plants. These guys are so eager to grow that potting soil is not necessary. Take 4-6 inch (10-15 cm) cuttings from healthy, non-flowering stems, clip off the lower leaves, then pop the cuttings in water. Keep the soil moist but not soaking wet. Roots appear in about four weeks.

Purple flowers lift a tired garden border from forgettable to fabulous, fast. By layering blooms with different shades of purple, contrasting flower shapes and foliage textures – a simple garden design trick that delivers maximum visual impact with minimal effort – you’ll quickly take your yard from lacklustre to lovely. No wonder, then, that purple flowers are an important part of how landscape designers use color in gardens..

Green and purple combinations alone provide a strong base for a border but one of purple’s greatest strengths is its unrivalled knack to harmonize with other colors. Purple flowers adapt to almost any garden mood from calming and elegant to bold and exuberant. Even better, many purple flowers are magnets for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, making your yard feel as lively as it looks. So, whatever your garden palette, you really should be growing some purple blooms.

For a serene, cohesive look, purple combines beautifully with cool tones of blue, silver and soft pink to create borders that feel relaxed and dreamy. For stronger contrast and energy, purple appears vivid and luminous against yellow and lime green. Purple flowers threaded through warm orange, burgundy, or rich red blooms creates a dramatic, jewel-toned border, too.

So, whether you have a sprawling backyard or a compact urban plot, look no further for a curated collection of long-flowering, purple perennial plants that will help you build the most beautiful garden border yet. From tall, dramatic bloomers that add height and structure to easy mid-border plants that tie a look together, these purple picks will keep your beds bursting with color for months and, with a little TLC, well into fall.

1. Velvety-Spired Salvia

• Zones 3-8
• Full sun
• Flowers May-October
• Grows to 2' high and wide

Salvias earn their place in any garden by doing something many plants promise but few deliver: looking spectacular for months while asking for very little in return. Yes, salvia is one of those super-useful flowering plants that look like you spent hours gardening but practically grow themselves.

Our top pick of purple salvia varieties is May Night, and plants are available from Nature Hills. Electric violet-purple flower spikes rise like floral fireworks above tidy mounds of fragrant foliage, bringing bold color and a cool, saturated tone that makes neighboring plants glow. This bloom is especially gorgeous threaded through roses, coneflowers, catmint and ornamental grasses.

Pollinators absolutely adore it and, once established, May Night handles heat and dry spells with impressive resilience, making it perfect for sun-baked borders, cottage gardens, pollinator patches and low-water landscapes.

When growing salvias, well-drained soil and sunshine are a must. May Night starts blooming in late spring but snip off faded flower spikes after the first bloom flush and it will roar back for an encore throughout summer and into fall.

2. Fabulously Frilly Aster

• Zones 5-9
• Full sun
• Flowers July–October
• Grows to 1-2' high and wide

If your garden border needs long-lasting color and a lot less fuss, Honeysong Stokes Aster is an easy win. This compact perennial is beloved for its big, fluffy lavender-purple flowers that look like fringed pincushions that keep on coming through summer. The glowing blooms are powerhouses for butterflies and bees, making a border buzz with activity.

What makes Stokesia leavis ‘Honeysong’ especially handy in a border is its tidy, mounded habit. This aster stays nicely contained, slotting beautifully into the middle of a border without flopping everywhere or swallowing nearby plants. The soft green foliage also creates a calming backdrop that plays well with bolder flowers and ornamental grasses.

Honeysong Stokes Aster plants are available from Nature Hills. Surprisingly tough, this variety needs full sun and well-drained soil, and it’ll reward you with loads of flowers and very little drama. It handles heat and humidity better than many asters, and deadheading spent blooms encourages even more flowering.

3. Beautifully Scented Rose

• Zones 5-11
• Full sun
• Flowers May-October
• Grows to 2-3' high and wide

Roses are already garden royalty, but Ebb Tide is extra special on account of its deep, smoky purple blooms. Shifting between plum, velvet violet, and dusky magenta depending on the light, this rose variety also has an incredibly rich, spicy clove scent that drifts through the border, stopping you in your tracks every time you pass by.

But the biggest reason why Rosa ‘Ebb Tide’ is such a winner in a garden border is that it adds drama without stepping into high-maintenance diva territory. It stays relatively compact and, like most roses, mixes beautifully with perennials. Pop these dark blooming roses next to some contrasting silvery foliage or lighter flowers for a layered, designer look.

Like most roses, Ebb Tide loves full sun and appreciates good air circulation to keep foliage healthy. Water deeply rather than constantly sprinkling, and add mulch to keep roots cool and soil moist. Key rose-care tasks during the growing season, such as deadheading and a little feeding, will keep blooms coming. Ebb Tide roses are stocked by Nature Hills.

4. Oh-So-Purple Clematis

• Zones 3-9
• Full sun
• Flowers June-August
• Grows to 3-5' high and 2-3' wide

Huge star-shaped purple flowers with rich reddish-pink stripes down petal centers make Boulevard Olympia Clematis one of the best purple blooms to enjoy in your garden. Somehow managing to simultaneously pull off both elegant and dramatic, the blooms appear generously from late spring into summer, often with a later second flush.

Clematis ‘Boulevard Olympia’ is especially useful because of its manageable size. Unlike giant clematis varieties that seem determined to conquer the entire garden shed, this is a well-behaved climber that won't scramble out of control. It stays compact enough for smaller borders, patio trellises, obelisks and even large containers tucked into mixed plantings. It adds vertical interest without overwhelming nearby shrubs and perennials, which is incredibly handy when a border needs a bit of height.

Boulevard Olympia Clematis is available from Nature Hills. To keep clematis thriving, plant it where the vines bask in sun while the roots stay cool – use mulch or nearby low-growing plants to shade its base. It prefers rich, well-drained soil and regular watering, especially during hot spells. Choose the right support for this border plant to climb and give it a light prune in early spring, and it’ll happily spend the season covering itself in pastel-perfect, velvety blooms.

5. Super-Cute Hydrangea

• Zones 5-9
• Full sun
• Flowers June-September
• Grows to 1½-2' high and wide

Hydrangea serrata Tiny Tuff Stuff might be smaller than your average hydrangea but it absolutely delivers when it comes to color and charm. Its delicate lacecap flowers appear in soft pinks, purples, or blues (the exact bloom color depends on your soil), creating that dreamy cottage-garden look. And unlike some hydrangeas that bloom once and call it a season, this one reblooms, keeping your border looking fresh and flower-filled for months on end.

Thanks to its compact size, Tiny Tuff Stuff is a versatile cutie that's perfect for edging pathways, softening the front of shrub borders or filling awkward gaps where larger hydrangeas would take over. The smaller foliage and airy blooms also blend beautifully with ferns, hostas and ornamental grasses, giving borders a lovely layered, relaxed vibe.

This mountain hydrangea is tougher than it looks too. With excellent cold hardiness and better bud survival than many traditional hydrangeas, it's more likely to bloom reliably, even after harder winters. Give it morning sun or partial shade, keep the soil evenly moist, and add mulch to help retain moisture. A little compost in spring goes a long way toward keeping this tiny powerhouse happy, too. Tiny Tuff Stuff hydrangeas are available from Burpee.

6. Space-Saving Rose of Sharon

• Zones 5-9
• Full sun
• Flowers July–November
• Grows to 10-15' high and 2-3' wide

If you want a shrub that brings serious flower power without hogging all the space, Rose of Sharon Purple Pillar is a total garden-border superstar. Unlike traditional rose of Sharon shrubs that can be a little unruly, Hibiscus syriacus ‘Purple Pillar’ grows tall but relatively narrow, meaning you can tuck it into tight borders or add height at the back of a mixed border without elbowing out neighboring plants.

Rose of Sharon Purple Pillar is available from Nature Hills and the flowers are total show-offs! Just as many other shrubs begin to fade, ‘Purple Pillar’ bursts into bloom with rich lilac-purple flowers and dramatic red centres – a striking display that’s sure to become a favourite stop-off for pollinators.

This is another refreshingly low-maintenance plant. Give it full sun for the best flowering and plant it in well-drained soil. Once established, Purple Pillar is pretty drought tolerant, though it appreciates regular watering during hot spells. A light prune in late winter helps keep that neat upright shape looking sharp.

7. Shade-Loving Variegated Liriope

• Zones 5-10
• Partial shade
• Flowers August-September
• Grows to 1' high and wide

Variegated monkey grass deserves a lot more attention than it gets. While the flashy flowers and dramatic shrubs grab all the attention, this striped beauty slips quietly into a border with its arching green-and-cream foliage, adding brightness, texture and contrast all season long. In late summer, slender spikes covered in soft lavender-purple blooms dance above the green-and-cream leaves.

Liriope muscari ‘Variegata’ is brilliantly versatile, working beautifully along pathways, at the front of borders, or tucked around shrubs where it illuminates darker corners of the garden. Repeating it through a border creates little waves of color, texture and movement that help connect larger flowering plants.

Thriving in partial shade to full sun, it’s just as easy-going as it is attractive and handles heat, humidity, and dry spells with very little fuss. Plant it in well-drained soil, water regularly while it gets established, and then leave it to get on with life. A quick trim in late winter or early spring freshens up the foliage before new growth appears. Variegated liriope plants are stocked by Fast Growing Trees.

8. Star Performer Agapanthus

• Zones 8-11
• Full sun
• Flowers July-August
• Grows to 1-2' high and 2-3' wide

If you want a plant that instantly makes a garden border feel a little more polished and upscale, ‘Poppin’ Star’ Lily of the Nile absolutely delivers. This Agapanthus produces gorgeous clusters of violet-blue flowers striped with deeper indigo tones, held high above tidy green foliage like exploding fireworks. The blooms have a crisp, architectural look that adds plenty of cheerful structure to borders.

What makes ‘Poppin’ Star’ stand out compared to older Lily of the Nile varieties, though, is its compact habit and impressive flower production. This cultivar stays much more manageable in size, which means you can easily tuck it into mixed borders without sacrificing too much space. It’s especially effective repeated throughout a border because those upright blooms create rhythm and movement, guiding your eye through the garden.

Growing agapanthus couldn't be simpler. This perennial thrives in full sun and well-drained soil and is surprisingly tolerant of heat and dry conditions. Regular watering during the first growing season helps it settle in, but after that, it’s pretty self-sufficient. A little cleanup of spent flower stalks is usually all it takes to keep ‘Poppin’ Star’ looking fresh and ready for its next performance. Poppin Star Lily of the Nile plants are available from Nature Hills.

9. Popping Purple Phlox

• Zones 4-8
• Full sun
• Flowers July-September
• Grows to 2' high and wide

Big on color and low on maintenance, Grape Lollipop Phlox is about to become your new favorite border buddy! This cheerful perennial produces clusters of vibrant grape-purple flowers that glow in the summer sunshine and, unlike some older phlox varieties, keeps a neat, compact shape that doesn’t flop halfway through the season.

Also known as Phlox paniculata ‘Ditomsur’, Grape Lollipop Phlox plants are available from Nature Hills. This easy-to-grow plant is perfect for the middle of the border where it can knit together taller shrubs and shorter edging plants. The bold purple blooms pair seamlessly with pinks, whites, silvers, and ornamental grasses, giving borders that lush, layered cottage-garden feel.

Thankfully, this variety has much better mildew resistance than many traditional garden phlox, so the foliage keeps on looking good. Prioritize full sun, decent airflow and consistently moist but well-drained soil when growing phlox, and you'll be rewarded with months of color.

10. Repeat-flowering Azalea

• Zones 4-8
• Full sun to partial shade
• Flowers July-September
• Grows to 4-5' high and 3-4' wide

Some plants give you one glorious moment and then quietly fade into the background. Autumn Color Encore Azalea is not that kind of plant! This hardworking shrub pulls off the rare gardening trick of blooming not once, but multiple times a year, with waves of vibrant flowers appearing in spring, summer, and again in fall. In a border, that kind of repeat performance is pure gold.

And yes, this beauty is right at the pinker end of the purple spectrum, its vivid violet petals light up any bed. This incredibly color makes deeper purple blooms pop, too, which is why it's one of the most popular flowers used by garden landscapers.

But what really makes this Encore variety shine is how dependable it is. The evergreen foliage keeps the border looking full even in winter, while the compact, rounded shape makes it easy to weave into a mixed border without being unruly. It works beautifully alongside hydrangeas, ornamental grasses, hostas, or dark-leaved shrubs, adding bright punches of color every time it blooms. Which, being a member of the 'Encore' series of azaleas, is often!

Plant this amazing azalea in partial sun or a spot with morning sun and afternoon shade, and make sure the soil is well-drained and slightly acidic. When growing azaleas, a layer of mulch helps keep the roots cool and happy, especially during hot weather. Then occasional watering during dry spells and a light feed for acid-loving plants is all that's needed to keep this azalea looking energetic and flower-packed for months on end. Autumn Color Encore Azalea plants are available from My Perfect Plants.

Pollinator plants are plants that attract bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other animals that rely on and help pollinate flowering plants. Pollinators are essential for food production. Without these critters to transfer pollen, fruits won’t develop.

By attracting pollinators to your garden, you reap the benefits of a healthy, thriving ecosystem, and of course, any food you grow. Declines in pollinator populations are concerning, so any step home gardeners can take to support these critical species is helpful and depends on choosing the right plants.

What to Look for in Pollinator-Friendly Plants

Plants that attract pollinators have several characteristics:

• Food – They produce nectar and pollen that pollinators use as food sources. Nectar is a vital source of sugar for energy, while pollen provides protein. As they move from one flower to another, they spread the pollen, which allows the flowers to develop into fruits later.
• Flower Accessibility – Not all flowers are good sources of food for pollinating species. Bees and butterflies prefer flat, open flowers, like coneflowers. Hummingbirds (and bats in some areas) are drawn to tubular flowers.
• Color and Scent – Pollinator plants have bright colors and smells that attract pollinators to them. Different pollinators are drawn to certain colors, so aim for a rainbow.
• Native, Non-Hybrids – While non-native plants can attract pollinators, native species are always best. They are adapted to your region and your specific pollinator species. It’s also best to avoid or limit hybrids, even of native species. Many of these have been developed for visual appeal but have lost the ability to make nectar.
• Hosting – While flowers are the showy part of attracting pollinators to your garden, don’t forget that many species also need host plants for butterflies and moths. They need these plants for feeding during the caterpillar stage. Some species have very specific needs for host plants.

Top Pollinator Garden Plants

The best pollinator plants for your garden depend on location. These are some good examples of pollinator-friendly plants that are suited for a large range of gardening regions.

1. Coneflower

Echinacea species are known as coneflowers. They are perennials in zones 3 through 9 and native in much of North America. They grow in attractive clumps, up to about five feet (1.5 m) tall, and bloom for a long time, providing a lot of nectar over a long period.

Coneflowers attract bees and butterflies. If you let the flowers go to seed, they’ll continue to feed native birds well into the fall. Echinacea grows best in full sun, and once established, needs little care. They are even drought-tolerant.

2. Milkweed

This is a great example of a host plant that can do a lot of good in your garden. Milkweed (Asclepias) is a perennial flowering plant that monarch butterflies use as a host. They lay eggs on milkweed plants, and the caterpillars eat the leaves when they emerge. With monarchs in decline, any addition of milkweed can help boost the population. Bees and other pollinators are also attracted to milkweed flowers.

Milkweed is easy to grow in its native range, and there are types for nearly every North American gardener. Common milkweed is native to the East and Midwest. Swamp milkweed is native to the U.S. and grows well in wet areas. Desert milkweed grows in the southwest, and narrow-leaf milkweed is native to the Pacific Northwest.

3. Bee Balm

The pollinator is right in the name of this native, flowering perennial. Bee balm blooms with large, bright flowers that are high in nectar. Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds will all seek out this plant. Native to most of North America, it is hardy in zones 3 through 9.

Bee balm is a great choice for a beginner gardener. It is very easy to grow and will even spread if you let the flowers set seed. Give it a spot with full sun or partial shade and keep the soil evenly moist.

4. Black-Eyed Susan

Rudbeckia species are daisy-like flowers that bloom all summer and into fall, providing a food source for a long period of time. Black-eyed Susan plants are native all over the 48 states and hardy in zones 3 through 9. They attract butterflies and bees.

Black-eyed Susan is easy to grow. It needs full sun to thrive and bloom, but also tolerates poor, dry soil. It’s very forgiving and a good choice for beginners. Like coneflowers, the seeds support birds after the blooming season.

5. Native Honeysuckle

Non-native honeysuckles are invasive and damaging, but native species are attractive vines with tubular flowers that attract pollinators, including hummingbirds. Look for Lonicera species for some good options. Examples include orange honeysuckle, coral honeysuckle, and California honeysuckle.

Native honeysuckles are mostly vines, although there are some bush varieties. They mostly prefer full sun and soil that drains very well. They are low-maintenance and easy to grow once established.

6. Lavender

An example of a non-native species you can grow to support pollinators, lavender is not invasive or harmful. It won’t readily crowd out native species, and it is highly attractive to local bees and butterflies. Lavender attracts them with pretty purple flowers and a strong aroma.

You can grow lavender in beds or containers. They thrive in warm climates, so most types of lavender are grown as annuals in colder regions. They need soil that drains very well and tends toward dry, and plenty of bright, daily sunlight. With these ideal conditions, lavender is very easy to grow.

7. Sunflowers

A good example of an annual to support pollinators is the sunflower. Sunflowers have large centers that are rich in pollen and easy to find for birds and bees. Iin addition to the many interesting varieties of annual sunflowers, you can also plant native perennial sunflowers.

Annual sunflowers, also known as common sunflowers, are very easy to grow from seed. They grow fast and bloom in late summer and fall. The large seed heads support native birds and mammals once the flowers are spent. Sunflowers need full sun and well-draining soil that stays consistently moist.

Tips for Planning a Pollinator Garden

Choosing the right plants is the first step in growing a pollinator garden. There are other factors to consider to make it a success:

• Plant your chosen flowers in clusters, or drifts, rather than far apart. This makes it easier for pollinators to find them.
• Choose a range of plants that flower in different seasons, so that pollinators have food sources from spring into fall.
• Also include variety in color, plant height, and flower shape. This will ensure you target all the native pollinator species in your area.
• Support your pollinators in other ways, such as providing areas of cover and shelter and sources of open water. Leaving some areas of your garden wild and untidy is a great way to create natural habitats that support pollinators.
• Avoid using pesticides, which kill not only pests but also beneficial insects, like pollinators. Use natural or mechanical methods to manage pests as much as possible.

Pollinators are so important for both gardens and natural spaces and ecosystems. With many pollinator species in decline, it’s essential that gardeners step in and support these critical species. You’ll find it fun and rewarding to attract and help your native birds, bees, butterflies, and more.

I’m always looking for easy, budget-friendly ways to grow a better garden and one of my absolute favorite tricks is to use old cardboard boxes. Ever since I discovered the versatility of this underrated piece of packaging waste, I started recommending it to everyone I know. It seems like all the other lazy, frugal gardeners have figured it out, too.

Most of us have tons of cardboard boxes hanging around the house from all of our online orders, but instead of tossing them in the recycling bin you can recycle them in your yard and garden. They can help solve a variety of common gardening problems and, best of all, they’re free!

So whether you’re struggling with weeds, pests, or you want to expand your garden easily, cardboard is your new secret weapon. There are so many clever ways you can use cardboard in your yard, but here are my four favorite tricks to try.

1. Kill Weeds Naturally

Maybe you want to grow an organic garden or you just want to keep small kids and pets safe from harmful chemicals in your landscape. Either way, cardboard is your new best friend. Using cardboard to smother weeds is hands-down the most effective and safest way to kill weeds that I’ve ever found. And it t is so easy to do!

To kill weeds naturally, just lay down a flattened cardboard box over the area you want to cover. Overlap the sheets of cardboard by at least 2-4 inches (5-10 cm), then add a layer of mulch – this organic mulch from the Home Depot is a great option. Make sure mulch is at least 2 inches (5 cm) deep to slow down weeds.

Over time, the cardboard and mulch will break down and add organic material back into the soil. This method enriches soil nutrition and improves soil texture, similar to adding compost to your garden.

Depending on the severity of the weeds in your garden, you may have to reapply more mulch in midsummer. But if you put down cardboard early in spring before weeds are able to take root, then your garden should be mostly weed-free for summer!

2. Make a New Garden Bed

You can also use cardboard to make a new garden bed in the grass. To do this, you will follow the same method as you did above for smothering weeds. For the best results, though, you should edge out the garden bed before laying down cardboard and adding mulch.

First, use a hose or rope to trace the outline of your new garden bed. Then cut into the sod with a straight-blade shovel or an edging tool, which you can pick up on Amazon, to create the border of your new bed.

Next, lay down sheets of cardboard. You can water the cardboard with a hose or watering can to help it start decomposing faster or to keep it from blowing away on a windy day. Then add a thick layer of mulch – 4 inches (10 cm) is enough to start the process.

To plant, you can either pull away the mulch, cut a hole into the cardboard with a sharp trowel or boxcutter, and then dig a planting hole to install your desired plant. Alternatively, you can lay out your plants first, after edging the garden bed, and plant them before laying down the cardboard. After planting, carefully place sheets of cardboard around the plants and cover with mulch.

3. Create a Slug Trap

Forget using beer to kill slugs! You can make a humane, organic slug and snail trap in your garden with a piece of cardboard. Hungry mollusks can decimate a whole crop of leafy greens overnight, but I hate trying to drown them in a bowl full of beer. It just feels mean – and it never seems to work either.

A much better way to get rid of slugs and snails is to lay a damp piece of cardboard on the ground in your garden next to the mollusks’ favorite plants. They tend to go after leafy plants like hostas and lettuce or brassicas like broccoli and cabbage.

Leave the piece of garden in your garden overnight, then in the morning pick it up and it should be covered in slugs and snails. Carefully remove the pests and toss them far away from your garden.

4. Fill Raised Beds for Free

If you just built or bought a new raised bed, then it’s time to start stocking up on cardboard. Don’t waste your money on landscape fabric to line the bottom of your beds. It just breaks down and gets tangled up with weeds, eventually causing a much bigger problem than it ever solved.

Leaving the bottom of your raised bed open to and accessible to the soil underneath also allows plants to grow deeper root systems and hold onto moisture longer, which means less watering – yay! Instead of using landscape fabric to stop weeds growing up in your beds, grab those old cardboard boxes out of your recycling bin.

Flatten out the boxes and lay them at the bottom of your raised bed. This will stop weeds from growing up through the soil once you fill your raised beds, but it will eventually break down and let your plants’ roots grow deep into the native soil.

You can use cardboard as the base layer in a hügelkultur raised bed. After placing the cardboard, layer on logs, cut branches and brush, then add compost, your preferred soil mix – I always have good results with Miracle-Gro potting soil from Home Depot – and plant. Your beds will be weed-free and thrive all summer long with less watering.

The heat that can come with the month of July can undo all of your hard gardening work from the spring. You water everything, it looks spectacular, and then the sun comes in and bakes everything. By the next morning, the soil is crumbly and dry, looking neglected, and your plants are no better off than when they started. The problem isn’t lack of effort, that’s for sure; it’s the method you’re using.

Most surface watering, no matter how good your intentions are, never gets deep enough to give your trees and shrubs what they actually need. If you’ve been pondering why your trees look stressed despite you regularly watering them in the summer, the answer probably isn’t what you’re not doing, but where the water is going (and where it isn’t). If you’re looking for a broader look at getting the most out of watering your garden, check out our guide to watering the garden before you continue reading.

Why Shallow Watering Is Quietly Sabotaging Your Trees

When you’re going about your tree watering routine, two things happen when it lands on the surface: some of it evaporates right away, and the rest encourages the roots to grow upward toward the moisture rather than down into the earth. After a period of time, that will create a shallow, surface-level root system that will be highly vulnerable to drought, heat stress, and wind. The tree may look well-established from the outside, but inside, the roots are camping just below the surface and are way too dependent on their next watering from you.

Deep roots, however, make trees super resilient to whatever Mother Nature throws at them. When roots grow downward (about 1-2 feet into the soil) they have access to moisture reserves that surface heat can’t reach. It also helps them stay anchored when it’s really windy and will help sustain them through droughts without the need for constant watering from you. Essentially, the goal of summer watering isn’t to just keep the tree alive – you’re training it to look after itself.

The Tool That Changes How You Water

The Corona Tools LG 3710 RootIRRIGATOR (available on Amazon) is a 46-inch deep-watering probe designed to do exactly one thing: get water directly to your roots, bypassing the surface entirely. It’s super easy to use, as you can connect it to any standard garden hose, insert the probe into the soil near the plant's base, and water flows straight down to where roots actually live.

It has 3 depth markers at 12, 18, and 24 inches that take the guesswork out of how deep you're irrigating. For watering newly planted trees, 12 inches is usually enough, while established trees need watering at the 18- to 24-inch mark where feeder roots are most active.

There is a detachable 3-inch brass shut-off valve that gives you exact control over the flow rate, so you can slow it right down and let water absorb gradually rather than rushing through compacted soil. Plus, the ComfortGEL grip makes this considerably easier to use than it might sound. That means no blisters, no tired hands, even in hard or rocky soil.

What It Works On and How to Use It

The RootIRRIGATOR is most valuable for:

Trees: Both newly planted and long-established. New trees need deep watering every few days during their first summer, while established trees benefit most from a slow, deep session once a week during heat waves rather than a bunch of shallow sprinkles.

Shrubs: Especially the large, deep-rooted varieties like hydrangeas, roses, and viburnum that tend to struggle when only the surface stays moist.

Compacted or clay soil: Where surface water tends to run off before it can penetrate, the probe delivers water directly past that super hard layer to where the soil is easier to penetrate.

The technique is quite simple: Insert the probe about 6 to 8 inches from the trunk. It’s a common mistake to insert the probe at the base of the tree, but feeder roots actually extend outward, not straight down.

Slowly open the valve and allow water to flow for 30 seconds to 1 minute per insertion point. Move the probe around to about 2 or 3 different positions around the drip line of the tree (this is the outer edge of the canopy where root uptake is most active) for the most coverage. If you’re working on clay soil, insert and remove the probe slowly to avoid compressing the surrounding soil.

A Bonus Use Most People Miss

The RootIRRIGATOR pulls double duty as it also works as a delivery tool for fertilizer. Liquid fertilizers can be applied directly through the probe to the root zone, where uptake is much more efficient than simple surface application.

It’s especially useful for trees that are showing signs of iron deficiency or for giving newly planted ones a boost in their first season. It may seem like a small detail, but it makes an already useful tool even more versatile.

If you've been watering your trees constantly and wondering why they still look like they're dying in July, this is probably the missing puzzle piece you’ve been looking for.

Summers today are hotter than summers in yesteryear. But for those of us who want to enjoy the sights and sounds of backyard birds in summer, it’s important to keep our little friends hydrated in the best way, despite the rising temperatures. Birds feel the same discomfort in hot weather as humans do, but birds don’t sweat. Instead, they try to regulate their body temperature by panting. This can all take a toll on garden birds, resulting in rapid moisture loss.

Your bird bath can help garden birds make it through the summer – but simply setting out water isn’t always enough to attract your bird friends, especially when intense heat quickens the rate of evaporation and encourages the potential for algae. When temperatures spike above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32°C), you quickly wind up with a stagnant, sun-baked bird bath or an empty bowl. Providing consistently chilled, reliable hydration will boost your bird numbers, but how do you ensure this in a way that isn’t too draining on your own time?

If you don’t want your bird bath to become a hot tub or an empty bowl, and want to save yourself some time while enjoying the view, this trick is perfect for you. Discover how a simple Tupperware tub holds the key to happy, hydrated birds that stay cool and refreshed for longer, freeing up more of your time for relaxing in the yard!

Birds Just Want to Stay Cool

A garden without birds is more like a photo than a living ecosystem. It’s the butterflies winging by, the hum of bees, and, mostly, the twitter of wild birds in the trees that make a landscape come alive. When the heat is oppressive, birds suffer just like we do, and the most important survival step is to stay hydrated. While we can open the refrigerator and pull out a bottle of cool water, cardinals and robins cannot – and that bird bath needs to work extra hard when temperatures soar.

During peak July heatwaves, you can fill a shallow bird bath in the morning, only to find it bone-dry or hot enough to steep tea by noon. Constantly running out with the hose or watering can is a chore that quickly loses its charm, and birds won’t visit your bird bath if it is left to stagnate. Added to which, warm, stagnant water is a breeding ground for harmful bacteria and mosquito larvae.

Keeping water fresh and cool is the single best way to prevent the transmission of avian diseases in summer, as well as keeping them refreshed. But unless there happens to be a sheltered river running through a forest near your property, it’s up to you to take action to keep your local finches, sparrows, robins, cardinals and bluebirds hydrated in a heatwave. Luckily, the following trick really can help you protect birds from heat exhaustion and illness, while sparing yourself endless trips to and from the faucet.

Keeping a Bird Bath Cool in a Heatwave

Icecubes are a wonderful thing in a heatwave. Have you ever taken a tall kitchen glass full of ice cubes and water or lemonade out to the patio during summer heat? The beverage stays cooler longer, giving you more time to finish the drink at a nice temperature. Well, you can also use the ice cube principle to keep your birdbath cool in summer heat. First, make sure your bird basin is placed in dappled shade, under trees or shrubs. Water features are best in areas that receive some afternoon shade to naturally block out the most punishing UV rays.

As for the bath, ceramic and stone bowls are ideal. One great ceramic option is the Sunnydaze Avignon Freestanding Ceramic Bird Bath from Walmart. Exercise caution with metal bowls. A thin, cheap metal dish in direct sunlight can quickly reach temperatures that are painful to avian feet. However, heavy-duty cast iron or shaded aluminum baths can work under dense tree cover with a cooling element. There are also some excellent plastic and resin options, such as the popular Best Choice Vintage Fleur de Lis Standing Bird Bath from Amazon. With these elements in hand, you’re ready to deploy the secret weapon for thirsty birds: the giant ice cube!

Using the Tupperware Trick

Now, our ice cubes are designed to fit into glasses and beakers. These small pieces of ice would cool off the bird bath water, but only for a short period of time. Just set an ice cube on the deck in the next heatwave and see how fast it turns into a puddle of water. Instead, you need to make a large ice cube, specially for the birds. For this, you need to use a tupperware or other large, plastic container. It’s all about the surface area-to-volume ratio. Tiny household ice cubes melt in mere minutes under a hot July sun because of their high surface area. However, a dense block of ice in a standard 32 or 64-ounce Tupperware container has a much lower surface area relative to its thermal mass, so it takes a lot longer to thaw.

Ensure your container is made of flexible, freezer-safe plastic, so the frozen block slides out easily after a quick rinse under the tap. If you haven’t got any Tupperware, you can pick up packs of mixed-size food storage containers online. The Rubbermaid EasyStore 18-Piece Set from Walmart is a good option for freezing large, easy-release blocks of ice. You can also get GladWare DeepDish Containers (64 oz) in packs of three from Amazon. Fill your tub with water and freeze it overnight. In the early morning, add your giant ice cube to the bird bath. As it slowly melts, it will create chilled water for your wild birds to enjoy.

Variations on the Tupperware Trick

Alternatively, you can use small plastic water bottles to freeze the water. By freezing water inside sealed, reusable plastic bottles, the cooling effect is transferred directly through the plastic barrier without raising the water level of your bath as it thaws. Fill each one up about three-quarters of the way before you freeze them. This gives the water room to expand as it freezes. In the morning, change out the water in the bird bath. Then take out one or two bottles and lay them directly in the water. These act as big ice cubes, cooling the water in the bowl for hours. Later in the day, switch these out for new bottles and refreeze the old ones.

For an extra touch of summer fun, use your giant ice cubes or bottles of ice alongside a floating solar aerator. A solar-powered floating fountain will create sparkles and splashes to attract your birds. Furthermore, mosquitoes require still water to lay their eggs, so a moving, chilled bath disrupts their breeding cycle. Try the Mademax Solar Bird Bath Fountain Upgrade from Amazon, which can be dropped into an existing bath and runs without wiring.

Other Summer Bird Bath Essentials

Your giant ice cube will keep water cool for longer and save you loads of time at the faucet – but it’s still important to keep an eye on the general cleanliness of things every few days. Make sure your bird bath is kept free of organic debris, bird droppings, and algae. It’s a good idea to scrub your bird bath once or twice a week using a stiff brush, such as the Songbird Essentials Bird Brush from Amazon. Use a simple solution of nine parts water to one part white vinegar. Rinse and dry completely before refilling.

For a more relaxing way of keeping your bird bath water clean, try placing a copper disc into the bowl. You can pick these up inexpensively online. Our team loves the Melbree Bird Bath Purification Discs, also available from Amazon. They are a simple way of preventing algae buildup, helping to keep the basins cleaner for even longer.

Shop Bird Bath Extras

Ready to finetune your summer bird sanctuary? These curated backyard essentials are guaranteed to keep your feathered friends happy, hydrated, and returning to your yard even when summer temperatures spike. Slide these avian treasures into place as summer heats up, so birds know your backyard is the place to be!

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The Fiskars SmartFit Steel Bypass Pruner P68 is a classic, lightweight model of one-handed pruning shears, designed to perform a wide range of pruning tasks toward the easier-going end of the pruning spectrum.

These shears can delicately prune soft plants, remove dead flower heads, cut woody shrub branches, and – with a bit of effort – cut relatively thin tree branches. Do bear in mind that the P68 has a maximum cutting width of 5/8", which will limit your options when it comes to pruning trees.

One of the key reasons to choose this pruner, rather than another pair of bypass pruning shears, is affordability. The P68 costs far less than high-performing alternative models such as the Felco No. 6 pruners, which we also reviewed here.

Despite their reasonable price, Fiskars pruners have some great design features that earned the brand a place on the list of the best pruners experts recommend. The blades on this particular pair of Fiskars pruners are made with hardened steel – ideal for long-term performance with minimal upkeep required. Meanwhile, the handles are made with a combination of durable, lightweight aluminum and soft-surfaced plastic, ensuring easy, comfortable usage.

We assessed this pruner by using it to perform a variety of pruning tasks around the yard. In keeping with the tool’s advertised capabilities, our test activities included deadheading, cutting soft plant stems, and pruning slender tree branches.

The UK equivalent to the P68 is the Fiskars Solid Bypass Pruner P121. The two models are similar in most respects, although UK readers should note that the P121 does not feature the "SmartFit" lever used to adjust the width of handle opening on the P68. A Fiskars P121 is shown in the testing photographs.

Overview

Finnish brand Fiskars is one of the biggest-names in affordable cutting tools for the home and garden. Founded in 1649, the company has a remarkably long history of designing and making useful, accessible products – especially scissors and shears.

The SmartFit Bypass Pruner P68 continues Fiskars’ fine tradition, offering a great combination of effective design and economical manufacture. A good pair of bypass shears is one of the 3 types of pruners every gardener should have and these are a good beginner model.

It’s usually possible to get hold of a Fiskars P68 for less than $20, from big box retailers such as Lowe's and Walmart. Readers in the UK who are seeking a similar option that’s available in their region can turn to the Fiskars Solid Bypass Pruner P121 on Amazon, for example..

Key Specs

Performance

The Fiskars P68 is designed for all-purpose pruning, from delicate tasks like deadheading to cutting relatively thin tree branches and twigs. So, our reviewer tested the shears by using them to perform a variety of tasks around the yard.

We started with the relatively tough task of cutting tree branches. The P68 proved capable of doing this type of work, although we had to put in a little more effort than was necessary when doing similar tasks with higher-spec bypass pruners. Nonetheless, the P68 cut a variety of tree branches effectively.

The P68 also proved capable of carrying out lighter pruning work, such as deadheading and cutting the stems of tender plants. We were satisfied with the clean, hygienic cuts the P68 made across the stems.

All things considered, the P68 is by no means the right pruner for every pruning task. However, this tool is a good option to cover most of the bases, from precision plant pruning to light tree pruning tasks.

This is an affordable model of pruner and you will usually get what you pay for, when it comes to product quality. The P68 won’t last you a lifetime, but based on our hands-on testing, these shears could indeed give you effective pruning in the short-to-medium term.

Should You Buy?

Buy It If...

Don't Buy It If...

How Does It Compare?

While we would gladly recommend the Fiskars P68 to users who value affordability and versatility, some other readers will be better served with an alternative model.

How We Tested

Our reviewer tested the Fiskars SmartFit Steel Bypass Pruner P68 by using it to prune various plants around the yard. He tested the shears on a wide range of plants, from marigolds with juicy stems to half-inch-thick crabapple tree branches.

There’s just something undeniably charming and romantic about a wood trellis full of roses or jasmine. It can instantly add a bit of atmosphere to a garden wall, turn a bare fence into an enchanting privacy screen, and give vertical gardening all the height and structure it needs to do its best work.

In a smaller outdoor space, trellises in particular are one of the most powerful tools you can have. You can train climbing roses up a frame that seriously draws the eye upwards, as well as making a courtyard feel larger and even creating a habitat for pollinators or nesting birds. A wall covered in fragrant jasmine or flowering clematis is a completely different garden to one without.

But the real truth about wooded trellis is that it just doesn’t last. The softwood versions you find in most garden centers at a budget-friendly price often need replacing every 3 to 5 years, as they can rot, crack, swell when they get wet, and eventually become more of a liability than a supporting act in your garden.

If you’ve ever had a climbing plant that you spent years training come crashing down around you due to a wooden trellis that just gave up, you’ll understand the appeal to a more permanent solution. So, what is that solution?

The 7 Best Metal Trellises to Buy Right Now

Forget wooden trellis; the new trend is metal. Because, yes, powder-coated iron and steel trellises have really gone up in popularity due to the fact that they look just as pretty, support heavier climbing plants like roses and wisteria (without the structural drama), and will stay standing for decades with little to no maintenance.

Whether you prefer a more modern panel, a cottage-style arch or an ornate Victorian design, there’s a metal trellis for you. And the best part? Most of them are available online these days and can be delivered straight to your door.

If you want more information before you start your shopping, check out our pick of the beautiful trellises that turn climbing plants into garden stars.

1. Amagabeli Garden Trellis

This is truly the workhorse trellis for gardeners who want the best coverage but at a reasonable price. It has a 4-panel pack, meaning you can line a full fence section, create a garden screening arrangement, or put them in raised bed corners for a beautiful, structured look.

These are made from thick welded iron wire with a rust-resistant black powder coat, and they’re built to withstand the weight of super heavy climbers like rose or clematis without bending.

You can put a clematis in a pot at the base and train a climbing rose up the top half for a really luxurious, layered effect. It’s best suited to cottage gardens, raised beds, and any fence or wall that needs a real proper covering rather than a simple decorative accent.

2. H Potter Trellis

If you want something that looks like it belongs in a walled kitchen garden on a country estate, but still prove durable than wooden trellis, this is the option for you.

Weighing in at 60 pounds, H Potter's scrollwork iron trellis is a really substantial piece of garden architecture. The charcoal brown powder coat with its hand-rubbed faux finish gives it an antique, weathered quality that looks so romantic behind climbing roses, clematis, or honeysuckle.

It's beautiful enough to stand alone as garden art through winter when plants are dormant, and serious enough to support heavy perennial vines for years to come.

Cover yours in this non-invasive flowering vine that keeps homes cool and hummingbirds happy all summer long, we say!

3. Macteyia Wire Lattice Grid

The Macteyia wire grid is clean, modern, and super versatile, making it the go-to when you want a garden where the plants take center stage rather than the structure behind them. As such, it is an ideal backdrop for large-flowered clematis, jasmine, or sweet peas.

At almost six feet tall, it's a proper garden screening tool. You can use two panels side by side to create a privacy divider on a patio, or line them along a fence for a fast but fancy-looking vertical garden look.

The integrated ground spikes can be anchored directly into your soil, and the panels disassemble for easy storage during the colder months. It’s best for contemporary and minimalist garden styles, patios, and container gardening setups where a chic backdrop is needed.

4. SCENDOR Cupid Arrow Design

The SCENDOR Cupid Arrow trellis is the perfect sweet spot between decorative and functional. The ornate arched top gives it enough personality to work as a garden focal point on its own, while the open lattice body gives climbing roses, wisteria, jasmine, and morning glories plenty to work with.

Forget wooden trellis; this one works especially well in pairs of two, flanking a garden gate, framing a seating area, or creating a bit of symmetry along a path.

It looks lovely in romantic, cottage, and traditional gardens, or as a structured focal point in a mixed flower border.

5. Amagabeli 4 Pack Garden Trellis 46" x 15"

At a little less than 4 feet tall, the Amagebeli is the trellis for containers, raised beds, and smaller spaces where a full-height panel would be way too much.

Buying a pack of four means you have options; you could create a square support for a climbing rose in a large container, line the corners of a raised bed, or create a low divider along a patio edge.

These wooden trellis alternatives are best for container gardening, balconies, smaller gardens, and for anyone who wants a decorative trellis that also works as a plant support.

6. SCENDOR Black Metal Trellis

This SCENDOR trellis is compact, budget-friendly and well-made, making it a logical pick for gardeners who are looking for a reliable trellis without breaking the piggy bank.

At 45 inches tall, it strikes a perfect balance between a full-height panel and a small pot support. This means it’s useful for smaller climbers like clematis varieties, sweet peas, or even training young climbing roses in their first season.

This wooden trellis alternative is not at all flimsy, which you would assume at this price, and the integrated ground spikes push directly into soil without any tools.

It works best for beginners, balconies, first-season climbers, and anyone who wants a solid entry-level metal trellis for a good price.

7. Pure Garden Trellis

This Pure Garden trellis is a solid option for gardeners who want a versatile, everyday trellis that works well in flower borders, against a fence or in a large container.

It’s a classic design with an arched top and open lattice and is suitable for clematis, climbing roses, jasmine, sweet peas, or a run of cucumbers on the deck.

While it doesn’t have the architectural presence of the H Potter or Amagabeli options, at this price point it's a reliable, attractive choice for a first trellis or a supplementary panel in a larger scheme.

Climbing Plants to Pair With Your New Trellis

Should You Bother Treating Wooden Trellis?

If you already have a wooden trellis that is sentimental for you, there is a way to extend its life. Paint or treat it once a year with an exterior wood preservative. Look for products that have copper or zinc naphthenate, which penetrate the wood rather than just coating the surface. Do this in dry weather and allow it to cure fully before training any new growth over it. A good-quality pressure-treated softwood trellis can last 8 to 10 years rather than the usual 3 to 5 if you maintain it properly.

That said, every year you spend maintaining a wooden trellis is a year you're not spending in the rest of the garden. Metal doesn't rot, doesn't warp, doesn't need painting, and will still be standing long after the plants growing on it have come and gone several times over.

If you're starting fresh, spend the money once on something that lasts. Trust me when I say you’re future self will be thanking you.

The finger test says everything is fine. Push into the top inch of soil and it comes back cool, damp, maybe clinging a bit. Yet the plant above it is drooping by the afternoon, leaf edges going crisp at the margins, and the obvious conclusion – that it needs a drink – leads to more water, which somehow makes it worse.

Wet soil and a thirsty plant are not a contradiction. Watering the garden well means getting moisture into the roots, and there are several ways that hand-off can break down even when the soil around them is holding plenty. Damaged roots can't pull it in. Compacted or water-repellent compost lets it slide right past. On a brutal afternoon, leaves can lose water faster than any root system could resupply.

3 Signs a Plant Is Thirsty in Damp Soil

Three signals tend to show up when a plant is dehydrated in damp soil. Any one on its own might mean something else, though together they make a fairly clear case.

1. Wilting That Doesn't Recover Overnight

Wilting through the hot part of the day is normal enough, and a plant that firms back up by evening is just riding out the heat. The trouble is the one still drooping the next morning, before the sun has done anything to it. Overnight is when a healthy plant catches up, refilling its tissue while transpiration slows to almost nothing. When it doesn't, the roots aren't delivering, and the soil moisture around them has nothing to do with it.

2. Crisp Leaf Margins on New Growth

Brown, papery edges creeping in around the margins of leaves, particularly the newest growth, while the soil sits damp. Those margins are the last stop on the plant's plumbing, so when water gets scarce inside the plant they're the first tissue to be sacrificed. Whole-leaf yellowing usually points somewhere else – overwatering, or a nutrient problem. It's the dry rim on an otherwise green leaf that suggests the water simply isn't arriving.

3. Water That Runs Straight Through or Beads on Top

Pour water on and watch what happens. Either it disappears in a couple of seconds, or it sits there beading on the surface and rolls off the side. Opposite behavior, same underlying problem. Compost that has gone completely dry can turn hydrophobic on you, the surface going waxy enough that moisture just sheds off it. Put that in a container and the water does something less obvious – it slips down the gap between the shrunken root ball and the pot wall, out the drainage hole, and you never see it touch a root. The soil seems wet, but the root ball inside it is bone dry.

Why It Happens

Roots are the common thread. Anything that damages them – rot from a pot that stays saturated, a bad transplant, insects working underground – leaves the plant with less capacity to pull water in, even while it's sitting in it. Root rot is the ironic one, since it comes from too much water and produces symptoms that look exactly like too little.

Heat does something different. Past the mid-90s Fahrenheit (35C), transpiration through the leaves can outrun what the roots can supply no matter how healthy they are, and the plant wilts as a stopgap while the soil stays moist. Soil compaction plays its own part, squeezing out the air pockets roots need to function. If the top of the soil keeps reading damp while the plant argues otherwise, a long-probe moisture meter from Amazon settles it by reading down where the roots actually live.

How to Fix It

Water-repellent soil needs rewetting, not more water. For a container, set the whole pot in a basin of water and leave it for half an hour or so, until the surface goes dark and the bubbling stops – that's the root ball taking it back on. In beds, the same principle applies more slowly: several light passes spaced fifteen minutes apart, letting each one soften the surface for the next. Something like Scotts EveryDrop wetting agent from Home Depot breaks the surface tension and helps water move in instead of running off.

Root problems are less forgiving. Slide a struggling potted plant out and look – healthy roots are pale and firm, while rotted roots ones go brown, soft, and smell sour. Trim off what's dead, repot into fresh mix, and cut back a portion of the top growth so there's less foliage for the reduced root system to support. For heat-stressed plants with roots that are fine, the answer isn't at the roots at all. Shade through the afternoon does more than any amount of watering.

Watering Better Through the Summer

A few habits make the whole problem less likely. The best time to water is early, while the soil is cool and what goes down has time to move into the root zone before the day pulls it back out. Go deep rather than often, since a long slow soak reaches roots that a daily sprinkle never will, and this soaker hose from Walmart delivers it at ground level without wetting the foliage. Mulch on top slows evaporation and keeps the surface from baking into a crust.

Check before watering rather than on a schedule, and check deeper than a fingertip reaches. Two inches (5cm) down tells you more than the surface ever does. Container plants in July might need water twice a day while the bed beside them wants a soak once a week – same weather, entirely different situations. When in doubt during a heat wave, look at the plant in the morning rather than the afternoon, since that is when it tells the truth.

We have enough to do in the summer months, from daily watering chores and weeding to keeping bird feeders full. So saving time wherever we can is always a win. The last thing a gardener needs is yet another maintenance task on that never-ending list when you’d rather spend more time enjoying the garden.

One of the best parts of creating your very own backyard oasis is attracting and watching birds. Along with providing food and shelter, adding a bird bath is one of the most helpful things you can do for feathered visitors. But as temperatures rise in summer, bird baths get dirty fast. Keeping on top of algae buildup, cloudy water, and frequent scrubbing turns this relaxing hobby into another chore.

Fresh water is vital for keeping birds happy and healthy, but luckily, there is a simple way to cut down on maintenance and give you more time to enjoy your backyard visitors. Say hello to the Mellbree Bird Bath Purification Disc. This affordable Amazon find harnesses copper's natural properties to help keep bird bath water cleaner for longer.

How Copper Bird Bath Discs Work

Inspired by the old trick of adding a copper penny to a bird bath, these discs offer a more effective way to help keep water cleaner. Copper is naturally antimicrobial and slowly releases tiny amounts of copper ions into the water. These can help inhibit algae and other microorganisms, so the bird bath stays cleaner for longer.

While it won't eliminate the need to periodically empty and scrub your bird bath, it can help keep the water cleaner and clearer between refills, reducing the amount of scrubbing needed throughout the summer.

Costing just over $10, it’s a budget-friendly solution, and this two-pack from Amazon offers even better value. Use both if you have more than one bird bath, or keep one and share the other with a neighbor or friend. Chances are, they don’t enjoy scrubbing bird baths any more than you do. It also makes a thoughtful gift for any gardener and is something they’re unlikely to already own.

For even better results, pair a copper disc with a small solar fountain, like this Mademax design. The moving water helps increase oxygen levels, making it more difficult for algae to establish while also attracting more birds to your garden.

A bonus is that moving water discourages mosquitoes from laying their eggs, creating a healthier and more inviting bird bath for your backyard visitors. Better yet, the copper disc won't interfere with bird bath fountain pumps or bird bath heaters, so you can use it year-round.

How to Install

I found the disc incredibly simple to install. It only takes a minute to set up, making it one of the easiest upgrades you can make to your bird bath.

Start by giving your bird bath a thorough cleaning, removing any algae, bird droppings, and debris such as fallen leaves. Refill it with fresh water, then peel off the blue protective film from the copper disc. Place the disc in the bird bath with the three raised nodules facing down so they rest against the bottom of the basin.

That's all there is to it. It's almost surprising how such a small, simple disc can make caring for a bird bath so much easier. With almost 3,000 five-star reviews on Amazon, it seems like many gardeners are happy with the results and appreciate how easy this little upgrade is to add to their backyard bird setup.

While the copper disc won't eliminate the need for some maintenance, it can help keep the water cleaner for longer, meaning you'll likely spend less time scrubbing during the summer months. Instead of frequent deep cleanings, routine maintenance may be as simple as removing leaves and other debris, giving the bird bath a quick rinse when needed, and refilling it with fresh water for your feathered visitors.

Compatibility

As a word of caution, while this copper disc is compatible with most bird bath materials, including ceramic, concrete, stone, and properly coated metal, there are a few considerations for metal basins.

If using the disc in a metal bird bath, the inner protective coating must be fully intact and free from scratches, peeling, or damage. Exposed metal surfaces, such as stainless steel, iron, or other alloys, may react with copper ions in the water and increase the risk of galvanic corrosion. A damaged or deteriorating coating can also accelerate copper oxidation, so it’s best to avoid using the disc in any metal bird bath where the protective finish is compromised.

Build a Better Backyard Bird Oasis

A bird bath is just one part of creating a welcoming space for backyard birds. To make your garden even more inviting, consider adding a few simple upgrades that can help attract more feathered visitors and create a backyard habitat they’ll enjoy.

If summer heat bothers you in July, just think what all those scorching daylight hours do to a mama or papa hummingbird. We’re always glad to see them back in summer, but do you ever stop to think about the stress and strain of the hummingbird lifestyle in summer?

In July, the chicks are hatched and hungry, and the parents need to get them fed and to feed themselves. But that’s not all. Hummers have to get regular water as well, defend their nests, and teach their young how to feed.

While it’s great to ask how to attract hummingbirds to your yard, the more important question is how you can help them get through this hot period and prepare for the Great Hummingbird Migration that begins in August. To paraphrase President John F. Kennedy, “Ask not how to get the hummingbird show into your yard, but what you can do for these tiny creatures.”

Here are the five most important steps each of us gardeners can take to help out these gorgeous, hovering superbirds in July.

1. Change Out Feeders Every Few Days

Did you know that hummingbirds need to eat at least every hour, and sometimes as often as every 15 minutes? You have probably admired their navigational abilities and how they can fly sideways, backwards, and hover. These adaptations help them get to all of the nectar available – each bird can visit over 1,000 flowers each day! But these acrobatics are also very energy intensive.

Hatchlings need almost as much food as adult birds, but, in July it is often the mother that provides. She brings not just nectar but also insects to the babies, leaving and returning to the nest at least 200 times a day. That makes hummingbird feeders important in keeping the mother bird’s energy up.

So make up the hummingbird nectar properly – sugar and water is fine or you can buy premade nectar from Amazon. But the trickier part is to remember to change the food well before it’s gone. You need to clear out old food, clean the feeder to keep it free from harmful bacteria, and replenish it. The food spoils faster when it’s hot, so a daily cleaning in July is not out of the question. Clean at least twice a week.

2. Install a Misting Water Feature

Providing liquid food is great, but hummers also need to cool down. While a bird bath works fine for bigger birds like robins, hummingbirds rarely dip into a bath. What they really love is mist. You may see them outside in the morning, appreciating the rising fog and morning dew.

So July is a great time to install a small water fountain in your bird bath for your hummingbirds. There are even solar-powered fountains for birds available for under $10 on Amazon.

Hang the fountain in a shady location and watch the birds flock over to cool off. One option to consider is the weeping fountain, where a thin sheet of water moves over the edge of a concrete basin. You want the water shallow enough to be safe for the tiny birds.

3. Protect Hummingbird Nests

Who among us wouldn’t love to be able to peek into a hummingbird nest to watch the eggs turn into hatchlings? Resist that impulse even if an accessible nest appears in your yard. Make sure nobody – including your kids – removes branches or a leafy canopy in order to get a better view.

Like every species on earth, hummingbirds have enemies – and they are so small that, despite the fierce energy of competing male hummers – they are largely powerless to fight off attackers. So help them by leaving up branches and other protections. Keep the cat inside and the kids under control when you are hosting a hummingbird family and turning your yard into a hummingbird hangout.

4. Move Potted Flowers to the Shade

If you're anything like me, you think as much about your hummingbirds as you do about yourself when you are planting containers for the patio. I always make sure to plant trumpet-shaped and tubular flowers that hummingbirds adore in pots on the porch.

What I only recently learned was that, as summer heat rolls in, hummingbirds need to spend more time in the shade than the sun. They may perch in shade or, if there are nectar-rich plants in the shade, they prefer these to flowers in the sun.

Now I always take the time to move some flowering container plants into the shade in the heat of summer. Even dappled shade from a landscape tree works well. I’m also trying to select flowering shrubs that are dense for the backyard since they carry their own shade on the interior of the plant.

5. Add Perches for Hummingbirds

You can even go one step further and provide perches for hummingbirds in shaded spots, like an adorable DIY hummingbird swing or a hummingbird perch from Amazon. But this idea is more than just cute. It can really help the birds in a heatwave.

During a heatwave, few of us rush outside to tan. It’s just too hot to be comfortable. The same is true for hummingbirds. They seek out shade to get out of the sun, hide from predators, and conserve their energy. Hummingbird swings and perches can fill that need. Hang them from low tree branches in a shady spot, then watch and wait for the hummingbirds to come.

Watering a plant less might sound like neglect, but done deliberately, it does the opposite. The right approach pushes roots deeper and builds real resilience, so a plant can ride out a dry spell that would have wilted it before.

It sounds like wishful thinking, or a shortcut for people who forget to water. But there's real science behind the idea that plants can be coaxed to get by on less. The trick isn't a special product or gadget – it comes down to how and when the water gets there, and what that teaches a plant's roots over time. Change the watering habit, and you can shift how a plant handles dry weather.

Not every plant will cooperate, and the whole approach leans on choosing drought-tolerant plants with the genes for it to begin with. Still, a lot of ordinary garden plants have capacity they never get to use, simply because they're watered too often to develop it. The idea is to coax that capacity out – not to force a plant past what it can handle.

What Drought Training Actually Means

What’s being trained is the root system, not the plant itself. When water always sits near the surface, roots have very little reason to grow deeper, so they stay shallow – and a shallow-rooted plant wilts the moment the top inch (2.5cm) of soil dries out. Water deeply and less often, and the roots will normally follow the moisture down instead, building a deeper network that draws from a much greater reservoir of soil.

There's a second piece to it, as well. Plants grown just a touch on the dry side can often adjust how they manage water, developing a slightly thicker and waxier coating on their leaves, tightening control over stomata – those pores that release water vapor. This helps them hold moisture for longer.

None of this rewrites a plant's genetics, though. A thirsty species stays thirsty at its core, so training helps build resilience within a plant's natural range rather than turning a water-lover into a desert survivor.

The Deep-and-Wait Method

The method is almost boringly simple: water them deeply, then wait. A deep soak means wetting the soil down 6–12 inches (15–30 cm), and not just dampening the surface, which draws roots downward after it. This is where a soaker hose helps (I recommend this Gilmour one from Amazon), trickling water out slowly enough to soak in rather than sheet off the top.

Then comes the more difficult part for most gardeners – leaving it alone until the soil has dried out several inches down.

Knowing when it's time is where a quick check pays off. Push a finger a few inches (7–8 cm) into the soil: if it's dry down there, water, and if it's still cool and damp, wait a while longer. If you'd rather not dig around, this trusty Xlux soil moisture meter reads it in seconds.

One word of caution: don't slash an established plant's watering overnight. Ease off gradually over a few weeks so the roots have time to adjust and grow, instead of getting shocked into dropping leaves. The goal isn’t to let plants repeatedly wilt – severe drought stress weakens growth and can lead to pests or disease. You’re aiming for mild drying between deep waterings, not prolonged dryness.

Deep Watering Tools

Plants That Can Be Trained to Need Less Water

This technique works best on plants built to handle it. Established trees and shrubs are the most ideal, along with deep-rooted perennials, since they have the root architecture to reach down and use the moisture below. Native plants matched to the local climate tend to respond well, as do your ornamental grasses and Mediterranean herbs like rosemary and thyme, since they evolved in lean, dry ground. Most succulents barely need any convincing at all. Their drying out between drinks is closer to their natural rhythm than constant moisture is.

The one word that matters most here is “established”. A plant needs a mature, healthy root system before you start pushing it to stretch, which usually means at least a full season in the ground. Lawns fit the same pattern: watering deeply once or twice a week, rather than a daily sprinkle, drives grass roots down and produces turf that stays green far longer between rains.

Plants That Won't Play Along

Plenty of plants will only suffer under this approach, so it helps to know which before you experiment. Seedlings and anything newly planted need steady, consistent moisture to establish, and withholding water there isn't training – it's just stress that stunts or kills them. Moisture-lovers won't adapt either. Ferns and many tropical houseplants are wired for constant dampness, as is anything native to a bog or streambank, and letting them dry out only brings crisping leaves and slow decline.

Food crops are their own case, though. Most vegetables actually need even, reliable watering to produce well, and letting tomatoes swing between bone-dry and soaked gives you cracked fruit and blossom-end rot, while leafy greens turn bitter and bolt under drought stress.

Container plants are the other exception, for a purely physical reason – a pot doesn't hold enough soil volume for roots to grow as deep as they would in the ground, and they lose moisture faster. The deep-and-wait method that works in the ground just leaves a potted plant dry and struggling.

Setting the Whole Space Up to Need Less

Training plants goes further when the whole setup supports it. A few inches (5 to 8cm) of mulch over the soil slows evaporation and keeps roots cooler, so whatever moisture is down there lasts longer between waterings. A couple bags of shredded mulch, like this CountryMax shredded hardwood, will cover most beds and break down into the soil over time, improving its structure as they go. Working compost in does something similar from below, since soil rich in organic matter holds water like a sponge instead of shedding it.

Grouping plants with similar water needs is another quiet advantage, since it keeps the thirsty ones from dragging the tough ones onto a heavier schedule than they need.

Beyond that, the honest shortcut is matching plants to the spot in the first place. A garden built around species suited to the local rainfall barely needs training at all, because those plants were already going to thrive on less.

With an 8-inch bar, the DeWalt 20V MAX 8 in Brushless Cordless Pruning Chainsaw is your go-to for smaller jobs around the yard, whether it be pruning small branches or splitting firewood to a better size. Just because it’s small doesn’t mean this DeWalt chainsaw has less power or capabilities. In fact, its power output impressed me (just as every other DeWalt tool does!), and its cutting capabilities were superb.

Although it’s compact and lightweight, I don’t think you can use this chainsaw with one hand. At least I couldn't, and I felt safe and secure. And if I were left-handed, I don’t think I could use this chainsaw comfortably.

I tested all the different features of this chainsaw on the trees in my own backyard and shared my findings below. Keep reading to see who this mini chainsaw ideally suits and why it’s one of the best chainsaws to have on hand.

DeWalt DCCS623B: Key specs

DeWalt DCCS623B: Price & availability

Although this is a pretty small chainsaw, don’t expect it to come cheap. The DeWalt 20V MAX 8 in Brushless Cordless Pruning Chainsaw is sold for about $229 with the battery and charger included, but you can buy it without the battery for $144. Oil is not included with the purchase of this chainsaw.

It’s not sold on the DeWalt site, but if you click “Buy Now,” you can see that this tool is sold through reseller sites such as Amazon and Home Depot.

The price tag on this tool doesn’t surprise me. DeWalt is a little pricier than most brands, but that's because the quality of the tools they produce.

Score: 8 out of 10

DeWalt DCCS623B: Setup

Upon removing the DeWalt 20V MAX 8 in Brushless Cordless Pruning Chainsaw from its cardboard box, I thought it was quite compact. It came fully assembled with a sheath over the 8-inch bar.

At first, I thought the chainsaw could be used one-handed, but when I picked it up, I realized that due to the positioning of the triggers and the weight, I could not safely use it with one hand. Maybe someone with a larger hand and stronger than me could, but that's still pushing it.

The chainsaw came with a 20V battery and charger. The battery took about three hours to charge fully. No oil was provided, so I used some oil that I had on hand to fill the small oil container.

I also noticed right away that the chainsaw didn’t have a kickback brake but, rather, was outfitted with a tip guard. This was the first chainsaw I would be testing with a tip guard.

Score: 7 out of 10

DeWalt DCCS623B: Design

While the DeWalt 20V MAX 8 in Brushless Cordless Pruning Chainsaw is compact and lightweight, it’s not light enough to comfortably hold it with only one hand. That being said, the hand grip is comfortable and has a trigger. There is a button on the left side, above the trigger. The button and the trigger must be pushed and pulled simultaneously to start the machine. Unfortunately, because the button is on the left side, it is unlikely that a left-handed person could use this tool (unless they're willing to hold it like a right-handed person).

Another handle is placed right on top of the main handle. It’s like an extension of the main handle, only a bit thinner. I wish it were perpendicular to the main handle so I could better place both my hands for a more comfortable and secure grip.

The oil cap is on the left side of the tool's body. There is an opaque viewfinder on the oil chamber, but it’s not clear enough to tell the oil level easily. Not to mention, the oil cap is easy to screw off, but it takes a little bit of finesse to screw it back on.

The battery is placed at the back of the chainsaw. An eight-inch bar extends out the front. There are some plastic built-in ridges on the front of the chainsaw. They’re a version of bumper spikes.

This chainsaw comes with a sheath that clips together over the bar. Built into the sheath is a spot that holds a tension tool that can be used to adjust the tension of the chain. The DeWalt mini chainsaw doesn’t have a kickback brake. Instead, there is a removable metal tip guard on the front. DeWalt says it’s designed to “provide stability during upcuts.” They can also reduce kickbacks. A lot of people don’t like them because they can get in the way of cutting if you're not used to them.

Score: 8 out of 10

DeWalt DCCS623B: Performance

I was hoping that I could use this mini chainsaw with just one hand. It’s only 8.4 lbs., but I could tell right away that using only one hand would be a bad idea.

After fitting the battery to the chainsaw, I took it into my backyard and found a variety of limbs, branches, and logs that ranged from 1.5 to 7 inches in diameter. The chainsaw didn’t vibrate that much in my hand, and it had an 84-decibel output, which is about what I expect from battery-powered chainsaws.

I started by cutting some trees between 4-6 inches (10-15 cm) in width and was amazed by the quality. Every time I use a DeWalt product, they’ve been consistent in great power output. This mini chainsaw was no different. It sliced through trees with ease and little effort on my part. I only had to guide the chainsaw, and it did all the work for me. This surprised me a bit because the chainsaw only uses a 20V battery. That goes to show that you don’t always need a 40V or 60V battery to get good performance.

The chainsaw also did well with logs and larger branches, as long as they were less than 8 inches, of course. For smaller branches, I had to use the chainsaw on the part of the limb closest to the trunk.

Like I said, I wish I could have used this chainsaw with one hand, but I found it a lot more comfortable to use two hands because I had more control. There is a second handle above the main one, but it didn’t feel comfortable to put my left hand there for control, so I put it on the main handle. Perhaps if that second handle were perpendicular to the main handle, it would have made for a better design.

The plastic bumper spikes were really not noticeable. I don’t think they make much difference in my control of the chainsaw. The tip guard didn’t get in my way when cutting, perhaps because I was mindful of it. If I had cut anything that was exactly 8 inches, it might have been a slight issue, but I mostly cut things that were 7 inches or smaller.

If you’re looking for a small chainsaw to do quick jobs around the yard, this DeWalt mini chainsaw is a great choice. The battery lasts a long time, and the tool itself cuts quickly and smoothly. Once again, I’m impressed with DeWalt.

Score: 8 out of 10

Should you buy the DeWalt DCCS623B?

 Buy it if… 

 Don’t buy it if…  

How does the DeWalt DCCS623B compare?

If you want a small chainsaw but one that can tackle small to medium jobs, go for the DeWalt 20V Max XR DCCS620P1 12 in Battery Chainsaw, available on Amazon. The 12-inch bar means you can handle larger tree limbs. Plus, it has a kickback brake and is only $30 more.

The Zeeksaw 8-inch Cordless Mini Chainsaw, available on Amazon, also has an eight-inch bar, but it’s designed to be held with one hand. It doesn’t hurt that the chainsaw has a built-in tension tool and is way cheaper, to boot.

Let’s say you don’t necessarily need an 8-inch bar. If you have small jobs, go for the Milwaukee M12 Fuel Hatchet on Amazon. The lightweight chainsaw has a built-in tensioner and can cut tree limbs less than 6 inches in diameter. Unfortunately, it’s a bit expensive for such a small chainsaw.

How I tested the DeWalt DCCS623B

I tested the DeWalt 20V MAX 8in Brushless Cordless Pruning Chainsaw in my backyard a few times. It’s the fifth chainsaw I’ve tested and the smallest one. I made sure to test it on trees and pre-cut logs that were less than 8 inches in diameter. Every element of the chainsaw was tested to provide a full review.

• First reviewed: January 2024

If you have a long, narrow garden, it's likely that your outdoor space feels as if you have far less square footage than you actually do. While the planning stage is important when designing any outdoor space, it's especially important when you're working out how to make the most of a plot that's far longer than it is wide. Because there are plenty of clever ways that landscape designers use to make these corridor backyards feel far larger, that you can achieve yourself.

The challenge with this yard shape is to interrupt the view that runs down the garden to the end of the plot, so everything isn't seen immediately. By not revealing the whole of the garden as one continuous design, you add elements of exploration, surprise and mystery, making a garden more interesting and distracting from the plot's shape.

Reconfiguring the space creatively to offer partial glimpses beyond with carefully conceived sight lines is just the first step. Visual tricks that distort perspective to make the garden feel wider, and draw the eye across the space rather than straight down it, are also key. Using airy plants to create natural screens bring movement as well as staggering views, and dividing a long garden into distinct areas with different purposes brings outdoor living benefits, too.

So, if you're wondering how to design a long narrow garden to make the most of your space, here's all the inspiration you need.

1. Zone the Space to Distract From its Shape

Landscape designers often break up a long narrow garden into separate spaces or 'rooms', each with a different purpose such as a dining space and outdoor kitchen (like this design by Will Williams), relaxation area, zone for quiet contemplation, or utility space for tools and a shed. The size and shape of each 'room' should support and reflect the importance of the purpose it will be used for. Alternatively, the different areas can be compartmentalized according to what you grow in them, such as a vegetable garden, shade garden or wildflower patch.

With this style of design, it's really important that you don't fully enclose each 'room' but give a hint at what's going on further down the garden. The open-slat pergola defining the cooking and dining space in this garden is a perfect example. The idea is to create anticipation and offering a distraction from the narrow dimensions, without giving it all away at once.

2. Use Curves to Create a Meandering Journey

Another way of breaking up a long narrow plot is to introduce curves like this garden created by landscape designer Tom Hoblyn. An offset winding path in a pale sand or gravel tone is a great way to draw attention away from the linear boundaries and create more of a meandering journey through the garden. The curved theme in this design is continued with flowerbeds and raised beds.

An offset path is an easy idea to replicate, and one of the most effective landscape design tricks for a long, narrow garden. Think about adding a curving path to your garden together with raised beds and flower beds that have curved edges too, so they smudge the straight lines and layer up interest with grasses and tall, airy flowering plants.

Curves slow down movement through any space and create a more naturalistic, fluid, explorative feel compared to a straight view of the garden, too. They work particularly well in a long, narrow garden because your eye will naturally follow the curves from side to side, creating the illusion of wider plot.

3. Repeat Circular Shapes to Bounce the Eye Around

Circles are often used in rectangular, square and long plots to soften linear boundaries and introduce flow to the design. You can test this out for yourself by looking at this garden for a few moments: it's likely that your gaze from sphere to sphere. You probably looked across the image from fence to fence, too, rather than focusing on the summerhouse at the end of the garden first.

To create this effect in your garden, simply place multiple circular features so they overlap. Incorporate landscape features such as circular lawns, island flowerbeds, dining circles and round patios into the design, then add plants and accessories with circular or spherical shapes. Here, the table and hanging chair add to the strong circular look that's picked up in the planting by globe alliums and clipped evergreen balls.

Stylish Circles

4. Downplay Boundaries with a Dark Color

When it comes to color ideas for a long narrow garden, consider dark shades for boundary walls and fences, like the one featured in this design by Angus Thompson. Disguising a boundary with dark paint is just one of many clever tricks landscape designers use to make a small garden yard look bigger that you can DIY yourself.

Dark colors absorb light rather than reflecting it, so black or other dark colors visually push back the boundaries of your yard, making the space feel more open. Dark foliage will also contribute to this effect, tricking the eye into thinking a space is bigger than it really is, and this is such an easy way to bring depth and spaciousness to any garden. As well as retreating into the background, a dark boundary will highlight planting, too. For a durable black paint that delivers long-lasting color and protection try Evolve Barn and Fence Black Paint, available here at Amazon.

While black fences blend into the background shadows, making it difficult to see exactly where the garden ends, by contrast light-colored fences clearly define the perimeter of your garden, and draw attention to any limitations. So, by using a lighter tone for the end boundary at the bottom of your garden, too, you'll magically make a long plot appear squarer.

6. Stagger Planting to Create Natural Screens

Using planting as a screening device on alternating sides of the garden obscures the line of sight, causing the boundaries of a long narrow garden to disappear. It's a form of creative screening that has multiple uses, and no one will have a clue where the garden starts and stops.

It's a case of thinking diagonally. The idea is to alternate wide, generous planting beds with lavish planting on each side of the garden, so your attention moves from side to side. Staggered planting beds will also blur hard boundary edges and restrict views down the garden. It's a good way of including natural landscaping ideas, where everything can become a little more relaxed. Tall but airy plantings of ornamental grasses and flowering perennials such as Gaura 'Whirling Butterflies' will let light pass through so the garden doesn't feel blocked in.

Another method of adding planted dividers to the garden is with trellis ideas that cut across the width of the space. Clothed with fast-growing vines that won't scramble out of control like jasmine and honeysuckle, they'll create leafy screens.

7. Place Containers Strategically to Play With Scale

Pushing plants out to the edges and leaving an elongated rectangle of lawn down the center of the garden simply emphasises its long, narrow shape. Instead, try drawing attention away from the boundary with supersized containers, strategically placed away from the garden edges. Potted up with big shrubs or small multi-stemmed ornamental trees such as Japanese maple, these will be become focus garden features.

There are many beautiful drought-tolerant perennials that thrive in containers, too, or ornamental grasses typically do well in large pots. As they mature, the stems will help to obscure the sight line too. Or how about combining the two, with a small tree underplanted with smaller perennials? Containers are a great opportunity to add plants that you might not want to plant in the ground in a smaller garden, such as this clumping bamboo from Nature Hills. It grows up to 10 feet tall, making it perfect for screening, but flourishes in a container.

Do go big though, as a big plant in a big container plays with the sense of scale in a narrow garden, bringing the vibe of a much larger plot.

Another landscape-designer trick with containers in a long, narrow garden is to place a second pot that's smaller but of the same design closer to the house. Your brain will presume the containers are the same size and your garden will instantly feel shorter and wider.

Small Trees That Are Happy in a Large Container

8. Create an Inviting Destination Point

A common design trick with this shape of garden is, rather than positioning the focal-point outdoor living patio or deck directly next to the house or at the end of the plot, locate it two-thirds of the way down. As well as encouraging your gaze to stop travelling down a long garden at this point, positioning a main seating and relaxation area here, with a comfortable outdoor sofa and a fire pit to gather round, allows you and your family and guests to enjoy several different views of your backyard – all of which are shorter than if you were sitting at either end of it.

Frame the space with a pergola, add a DIY water feature or choose a wow-factor accent plant that landscape designers love, and the destination seating area becomes even more of a garden focus.

The stunning planting and curved seating area in this design by Tina Worboys is the perfect example of how to create a destination seating area that doubles as a garden feature.

It's a good idea to add a further, smaller destination point at the end of the garden, and perhaps one just outside the house, too. These should be quiet, cosy spaces to linger and relax. Think of a nook where you can get away from it all and enjoy a moment's solitude, a surprise element in your garden design that is slowly revealed.

9. Use Repetition to Pull the Design Together

Repeating planting, colors, shapes or landscaping materials adds cohesion to any garden, but that's a particularly important factor in a long, narrow garden design, especially if you're compartmentalising it into different zones or 'rooms'. Planting with repetition brings harmony, and is a trick that landscape designers use in practically every garden to pull the design together.

Planting with repetition also punctuates the garden, especially if you combine it with the new color rules used by landscape designers when choosing a planting palette. This encourages you to make connections and pause on your journey through the garden, again creating a meandering path rather than a linear one. As garden design tips go, it's a super-easy technique to capitalise on that will add a professional looking finish, too.

Now find out about the key garden trends for 2026 to give your refreshed garden design the edge.

This summer's heatwave means it’s getting too hot to garden comfortably, yet your plants need extra TLC to survive the intense conditions. The solution? These pro gardening tips that will not only cut chore time but help your plants through this hot spell.

From smarter watering to avoiding heat-stressed plants, protecting rapidly ripening fruit from birds to keeping your borders flowering abundantly, these 10 pro gardening tricks mean your garden will flourish with minimal effort from you. A heatwave isn’t the time to be doing any jobs that stress plants, either, so leave your essential July pruning until this heat dome has passed. Pause July tasks that involve more work for you, too, such as sowing seeds in midsummer for a fresh burst of color, and concentrate on helping your garden survive the heat.

Once you see how much time these gardening cheats save, and how much happier your plants are, I’ll wager you stick with them even once this heatwave has passed. After all, there’s World Cup football to be watching!

1. Deter Birds With Reflective Tape

Protecting soft fruit such as strawberries, raspberries and tomatoes from garden birds typically involves erecting a fine mesh net over your plants. It’s very effective at keeping your fruit safe but boy, it’s a faff when you need to remove the mesh so you can pick it. And in hot weather, fruit ripens so quickly, that you may find yourself having to harvest every day.

Tying strips of reflective tape such as this from Amazon to sticks or canes stuck in the ground is a great alternative to mesh. No, it won’t protect 100% of your fruit, but it does a pretty good job and it’s far cheaper and much less hassle. Freed from the mesh net, your plants will enjoy more airflow, too, meaning less stressed plants and better harvests post-heatwave.

2. Leave Lawn Clippings as a Mulch

Those grass tips you snip off your lawn whenever you mow are packed full of nitrogen, and they can be left in place to rot down and feed your lawn for free. They’ll also act as a mulch to hold in moisture.

There are a couple of provisos: you need to mow when the grass is dry and, unless you have a mulching mode on your mower, you need to mow regularly so the clippings are short. That shouldn’t create any more work as grass growth slows in dry conditions. It’s a smart move to raise your mower height a notch, too, as slightly longer grass blades will encourage deeper roots that are better able to find moisture. Both of these are simple mowing switches that lead to a healthier lawn.

3. Plug Border Gaps With Hanging Basket Plants

The edges of beds, and in particular raised beds, can dry out very quickly in a prolonged heatwave, making it near impossible for smaller, shallow-rooted perennial plants to survive. You may also get border gaps where perennial growth is more compact than usual due to the heat. A smart solution is to use hanging-basket plants to temporarily fill these bare spots.

Bred to survive life in the arid, exposed environment of a hanging basket and bloom profusely for months on end, these will tolerate heat where others keel over. You can use trailing petunia, calibrachoa and impatiens as groundcover or let stems cascade over raised bed edges, and if you use a bulb planter, it’s super-quick to add plug plants to your garden. Head down to your local garden center and see what bedding plants it has to offer.

4. Weed With a Stirrup Hoe

It’s tempting to ditch weeding altogether in this heat, but believe me, those weeds will be taking full advantage of this hot weather wherever you’re watering. Not only does this mean super-speedy growth, those pesky weeds will be sucking up valuable moisture that could be helping the plants you want to grow to flourish.

The solution is to do a weekly three-minute weed with a stirrup hoe, sometimes called a scuffle hoe, like this tool from Amazon which has an adjustable handle that can be shortened for use on raised beds. A stirrup hoe has a metal loop that you pull through the soil to slice through weeds' roots, which means you can simply leave the toppled weeds where they fall. If you do this every week, it’s really effortless as the hoe head is small enough to whizz around the plants you want to keep.

5. Embrace Chop and Drop

Chop and drop is a relatively new practice that’s become hugely popular in Europe. It simply involves cutting out the compost heap middle-man and dropping pruned plant material directly onto the soil, where it will slowly rot down and provide nutrients. While this method is primarily used when cutting down old herbaceous stems at the end of the growing season, it works equally well when you’re deadheading. So when you're snipping off faded flowers, leave them where they fall.

The benefit of this isn't just saved time, but the fallen organic material will help to reduce evaporation and lock moisture into the soil.

6. Water Earlier to Halt Evaporation

Efficient watering is key in your efforts to help plants survive a heatwave. Irrigate your plants when the sun is high in the sky and the soil has heated up and you’ll lose between 20% and 50% of that water to evaporation. Get out the hosepipe early in the morning, when air and soil temperatures are far cooler, however, and much less water will evaporate. That means you can water for less time and your plants will enjoy the same level of hydration.

Keeping the water stream directed at the soil, rather than as a shower that covers the whole plant, also reduces evaporation.

7. Bury Flowerpots in the Ground

Another trick you can employ to reduce the amount of time you spend watering is to make your own ollas by burying flowerpots in the ground. Pronounced ‘oh-yah’, an olla is an ancient irrigation method that buries porous vessels filled with water to slowly deliver moisture into the soil. This not only cuts evaporation to almost zero, but it’s far faster to aim the hosepipe stream into a pot than it is to try not to disturb the soil too much as it slowly absorbs the water.

Plants will naturally grow their roots towards this reliable, more consistent water source, too. Terracotta pots with saucers such as these from Amazon make great ollas and the bigger they are, the longer they’ll last between filling. Seal the drainage hole with an exterior silicone sealant such as this from Amazon, then bury with the pot rim just above the surface and use the saucer as a lid.

8. Dampen Down Your Greenhouse Every Morning

A bucket of water thrown over the greenhouse floor, or a quick spray of the hosepipe, can save you a ton of time dealing with heat-stressed plants. As the water evaporates, it acts as a natural air conditioner, cooling the air by several degrees. This process also adds moisture to the air, which slows how quickly plants lose water through their leaves, keeping plants hydrated and less stressed, so they’re far better able to deal with all manner of threats.

Daily dampening down also deters red spider mites that typically thrive in the hot, dry air of a greenhouse and suck sap, damaging leaves and potentially killing plants.

9. De-Stress Sun-Baked Patio Pots

Heat-stressed plants need a heap of TLC to keep them alive so, rather than fire-fighting and watering them morning, noon and night, take some preventative action to lower their needs. First, move pots into a partially shaded area to give them some respite from the sun. If that’s not possible, plant parasols such as these angle-adjustable umbrellas from Amazon can create much-needed midday shade, or hang up a sail shade.

Adding a moisture retention mix such as Miracle-Gro Water Storing Crystals, also available from Amazon, to the soil will help keep the plant hydrated between waterings, as will topping pots with clay LECA pebbles to hold onto water.

Grouping pots of plants with the same watering needs together will also save you time – both when you're watering and when you're explaining to neighbors what needs watering, when, if you’re off on vacation.

10. Grow Basil Alongside Tomatoes

Recent research has shown that basil releases volatile compounds that prime a tomato plant’s defence mechanism. So, a tomato plant with a basil plant alongside it will react faster and more vigorously to a threat than one without. So much so, that planting basil with tomatoes can increase yield by 20%. In hot weather, plants are more susceptible to both pests and disease, so beefing up their response will save you a ton of time dealing with problems later on down the line.

Greek basil (Ocimum minimum) is the variety used in the tomato stress reponse study and seeds are available from Amazon.

11. Replace Needy Plants With Low-Maintenance Lovelies

Ok, so this isn't so much a cheat as a change of attitude – but as far as gardening tips for a heatwave go, it's perhaps the most important. More and more of us gardeners are turning towards drought-tolerant plants that practically grow themselves as trad water-dependent plants such as hydrangeas start to struggle in our increasingly hot summers. If you're wondering how to help plants survive a heatwave, then perhaps it's time you did too.

I operate a strict no-diva policy in my garden: I only add low-maintenance plants and if one I inherited starts to struggle, I don’t wait for it to die, but dig it up and advertise it for free on my local online marketplace group so a gardener with more time on their hands can bow to its needy ways. And honestly, that's been the biggest time-saver of all.

I hope all these pro gardening tips save you time and stress in the garden, so you can put your feet up in the shade.

Mulch put down in spring feels like a one-and-done job, and for plenty of gardeners it is – right up until midsummer, when the beds start looking thin and the ground dries out faster than it used to. That layer that was 2 to 3 inches (5-8 cm) deep back in April has a way of settling and quietly vanishing by July. Whether it calls for another bag or two really depends on what's left on the ground.

Any solid guide to mulching will stress that organic mulches are meant to break down over time – that's the point. They not only hold in moisture and cool the soil, but they also add organic matter into the soil as they break down. The catch is, though, is that they don't last forever. So a midsummer mulch refresh is often the price of that slow-release payoff.

Not every landscape needs another layer of mulch in the middle of summer, though, and heaping more where there's already plenty brings its own set of headaches. I'll help you know if your garden needs another layer of mulch, how much to add, and the best type to refresh gardens in midsummer.

Why Does Mulch Disappear?

A few different elements eat away at mulch over the course of the summer season. Living organisms in the soil break down the lower layers of mulch over time, which is actually a good thing. The mulch turns into exactly what your plants want and need to thrive.

But the surface layer of your mulch is another matter. Sun bleaches and dries it out, and hard rain packs it down flat. Week by week, a fair amount of mulch gets kicked around by normal tending and foot traffic or blown clear of the bed by the wind, too.

How fast this occurs comes down to the cause and the type of mulch you used. Shredded bark and wood chips hold up for a good while, often a full season or longer. Lighter materials – think straw or grass clippings – break down quicker and sometimes they're almost gone by high summer. Stone and gravel mulches don't break down at all, though they don't feed the soil either, which is why most flower and vegetable beds benefit from an organic mulch.

Do You Need to Reapply Mulch?

A simple test to check if you need more mulch and when to mulch in summer only takes a few seconds. Just push a ruler down through the remaining mulch until it hits soil and see how deep the layer actually is. Anything under an inch (2.5 cm) or so isn't pulling its weight anymore. It won't hold in much moisture or do much to smother weeds. Bare patches where the dirt shows through are the other easy giveaway, since that's where water evaporates fastest and weeds find their opening.

Weeds tend to reveal on a thin layer of mulch, too. A bed that was clean in spring suddenly throwing up seedlings usually means the mulch has worn past the point of blocking them.

Moisture is the other tell. If the ground under the mulch dries within a day of a good watering, the cover is too skimpy to hold much moisture. A basic soil moisture meter from Amazon takes the guesswork out of this, though honestly a finger pushed a couple inches (5 cm) into the dirt works nearly as well.

How Much Mulch to Add

The goal is a finished depth of 2 to 3 inches (5-8 cm), not two to three inches of fresh mulch piled on whatever's already sitting there. Topping up means adding the difference and nothing more.

If an inch (2.5 cm) of mulch is still holding, another inch or so brings it back where it should be. Too much mulch, anything deeper than 3 inches (8 cm), and it starts working against you by holding too much water against plant roots and preventing the soil from breathing.

Keep the fresh mulch layer pulled back a couple inches (5 cm) from plant stems and the base of shrubs or trees. Mulch heaped straight against bark traps moisture where it isn't wanted and invites rot. Those mulch volcanoes you see around trees are a common mulching mistake and are actually really bad for trees.

Spread and level out mulch with a rake. A sturdy landscape rake from Amazon spreads a bag evenly in a fraction of the time of doing it by hand and keeps the depth consistent across the whole bed.

Best Mulch for a Midsummer Refresh

For a summer top-up, you want a mulch that holds moisture well and stays put through thunderstorms. Shredded bark and wood chips are hard to beat for use around shrubs and perennials. They knit together and resist blowing away, and their slow breakdown process helps them last right into fall.

Vegetable beds do better with an eco-friendly mulch like straw or shredded leaves, which stay light and work into the soil easily once the season winds down. But matching the new mulch to whatever's already there keeps your landscape looking cohesive.

One task worth doing regardless of the type of mulch you use: soak your garden beds first. Laying mulch over dry ground just locks in that dryness, which defeats the whole purpose. A bag or two of organic shredded bark mulch from Amazon covers most average-sized beds and a good watering beforehand means the fresh layer of mulch seals in moisture.

Most vegetable gardens are fed on a loose schedule: a scoop of granular in spring, maybe a mid-season boost, whatever the instructions on the bag suggest. That works fine most of the time. But what many gardeners don't realize is that when you fertilize plants matters nearly as much as what you feed them. The gap between a well-timed dose of fertilizer and a badly-timed feeding shows up fast, sometimes as scorched roots and sometimes as a plant that sulks for a week instead of taking off.

Figuring out the best time to fertilize plants isn't complicated, though. Plants only draw on nutrients when they're actively growing and the soil around their roots is damp enough to carry those nutrients. Feed during that window and the plant takes up nearly everything on offer. Feed outside of it and a good share of that fertilizer either sits there unused or, worse, harms the plant it was meant to help.

Here's exactly when to fertilize your vegetable garden for a bigger harvest and thriving plants. Plus, find out the worst time to feed plants.

Best Time to Fertilize Vegetables

The best time to fertilize a vegetable garden is when plants are actively growing and the ground is already damp. For most vegetables that is sometime between early establishment and fruit set. At that point, the plant moves from building leaves to filling out fruit and it stays hungry the whole way through this process.

If you fertilize during this phase, the nutrients get pulled up and put to work almost right away. Fertilize plants on a cool, overcast morning and it helps even more since your veggies aren't spending everything they have just trying to survive the heat of the day.

Morning is the friendliest time slot for fertilizing before the heat builds. The soil is usually still holding moisture from overnight, the roots are awake, and there's a long stretch of mild conditions ahead for the plant to use the nutrients you're giving it.

Watering first or feeding the day after decent rain makes a real difference. Nutrients need water to travel and dry soil just leaves them stranded up top. A balanced liquid fertilizer from Amazon works quickly since it's already dissolved in water and ready for the roots to absorb.

Why This Is the Ideal Time

Fertilizing your vegetable garden on a damp morning during a period of active growth isn't only about being tidy. It changes how much of the fertilizer your plants can actually reach.

Nutrients provided while roots are active and the soil is moist get absorbed better, instead of washing past the root zone during the next hard rain. That means less waste, and less runoff that carries nutrients somewhere they were never meant to be. More of what you paid for actually gets to the plant.

There's a knock-on effect on growth, too. A plant fed steadily through its hungry phase grows at an even pace, which usually means better fruit and fewer of the soft, sappy shoots aphids attack. Provide too much nitrogen too late in the season, though, and the plant puts out lots of leaves when it should be ripening fruit. The feed technically worked, but it aimed the plant at the wrong goal.

Worst Time to Fertilize Vegetables

Here's the main lesson to take away when it comes to fertilizing vegetables: never feed a plant that's already stressed from heat and dry soil. It may seem almost backwards – the plant looks like it's suffering, so surely a boost of nutrients would help? It won't. Fertilizer is essentially salts and salts in dry ground pull moisture the wrong way, drawing it out of the roots instead of into them.

If the top few inches (8 cm) of soil feel bone dry, that's the signal to hold off. A soil moisture meter from Amazon helps you tell if you're soil is too dry in seconds, if the surface moisture is hard to read. For a wilting, sun-baked plant, feeding is a fast track to fertilizer burn or scorched root tips and crispy leaf edges that appear in just a day or two.

Follow the same precaution when feeding any plant that is visibly struggling – that includes wilting in the heat or new plants suffering transplant shock. Feeding rarely fixes those issues. More often it stacks stress onto a plant that is already maxed out.

It's better to solve the problem first, usually by watering your vegetable garden, and let plants steady themselves before adding fertilizer. A hungry plant can perk back up in just a few days. A burned one takes a lot longer to come back.

What to Do If You Missed the Window

Missing the ideal vegetable fertilizing window isn't a huge deal. The right fix is rarely to pile on extra fertilizer to catch up. That's how one missed feeding turns into a case of fertilizer burn.

Instead, water your vegetable beds deeply and let them settle. Wait for a mild morning, then feed at about half the usual strength. Half-strength fertilizer at the right moment does more than a full dose forced at the wrong time.

Gentler options carry less risk when you're playing catch-up, too. A diluted liquid feed watered in or a thin layer of compost worked over the surface releases slowly and won't shock plants. A long-neck watering can from Amazon makes it easy to get a diluted feed right to the base of each plant without splashing foliage in the midday sun.

After that, it's mostly patience. Your vegetable garden catches up on its own clock, not yours, so rushing the process rarely ends the way you hope.

July days are often scorching hot. You’re more likely to be hiding out inside than working in the garden, but your backyard birds don’t have any other options. This month can be tough on birds due to the extreme heat and drought conditions, but also because parents are feeding fledglings and young birds are learning how to survive.

Attracting birds to your backyard is a worthy goal, but it’s only the first step. You also need to ensure conditions are optimal for them during the hottest, driest part of the summer.

It doesn’t take expensive gear or a lot of time to improve your wildlife ecosystem. These six simple fixes will transform your yard into a safe summer refuge.

What Backyard Birds Need in July

Your backyard birds have a few basic needs that are especially important in summer:

• Fresh, clean, and cool water
• Reliable food sources
• Shade and shelter
• Safe places to rest

Summer visitors, like robins, cardinals, chickadees, house finches, mourning doves, hummingbirds, and more, need these resources more than ever. Adding to the challenges of heat and dry weather, many birds are actively feeding fledglings. Small changes to your yard now will help adults conserve energy and give fledglings a better chance of surviving the season.

1. Adding Moving Water Sources

Clean water is a must for birds at any time, but especially in July when many natural sources dry up. They use water for drinking and cooling themselves. Birds are naturally drawn to moving water by its sound and appearance. Moving water in your yard will act like a magnet, guiding birds in the area to a much-needed water source.

A fountain is a great solution, but not strictly necessary if you don’t want the expense. A more cost-effective solution is to add a solar fountain insert to an existing bird bath, like this Mademax one from Amazon.

Alternatively, add a wiggler, a little device you put in the water to agitate it and create a rippling surface that has the benefit of deterring mosquitoes from breeding.

Another option is to add a mister attachment to a garden hose, like this Homenote mister. The birds will be drawn to the mist. Place it under a shrub or tall perennials. The water will collect and then drop from the leaves, another attractant for birds.

2. Use Heat-Friendly Foods

Both adults and fledglings need a lot of energy this time of year, but the heat of July can spoil some of the foods you might normally use, like suet.

When feeding birds in summer, you need to switch to foods that stand up to the higher temperatures. Some good options include black oil sunflower seeds, hulled sunflower chips, white millet, unsalted peanuts, nyjer seeds for finches, and mealworms for bluebirds and wrens. Use smaller amounts of food and replenish more frequently to reduce the risk of spoilage.

Your backyard birds spend nearly all day collecting food in July to feed themselves and their fledglings. By providing heatproof food in one or more locations, you reduce the need to fly far or search for food. This helps adults conserve energy and better feed their young.

Best Summer Bird Food

3. Prevent Deadly Window Collisions

Any bird can be easily confused by the reflection of trees and sky on windows and is at risk of a collision. Young birds that are just learning to fly in July are at greater risk. Collisions with windows are often fatal for birds, both old and young, so take steps to keep them safe. Even if a bird seems fine after a strike, it might have serious internal injuries.

Window decals are inexpensive and simple to use. They adhere to windows and break up the confusing reflections. You can find decals specifically designed for this, like these attractive Anti-Collision Window Bird Stickers from Amazon, which can be applied and removed without leaving a residue on the glass. Another option is to hang strings or cords outside windows.

Adding elements to windows is one of the easiest ways to save birds in your yard. You can also position feeders in such a way as to prevent strikes. Keep food sources either within three feet of the window or more than 30 feet away from it.

4. Create Safe, Low-Lying Water Sources for Fledglings

As fledglings leave the nest, they spend a lot of time on the ground. Until they learn to fly, they can benefit from access to ground-level water. If you only have pedestal bird feeders, consider adding some shallow dishes of water or puddling areas on the ground.

Any shallow dish will work, but an easy solution you probably already have on hand is a plant pot saucer. Like this DIY bee water station, you just put a layer of pebbles in it, add water, and set it in a safe place. Water at ground level can put birds at risk for predation, so set it near or partly under a shrub so they can take cover as needed. If you have cats, keep them indoors during fledgling season and keep dogs leashed when in the yard.

If you want to watch the baby birds in action, then place a Birdfy smart bird bath on the ground, which sends 2K videos to your phone when they use it.

5. Create Cool-Down Zones

Birds can easily overheat as temperatures soar in July. You can help them cool down with strategic areas designed to provide shade and shelter. Any shady area will allow birds to lower their body temperatures, but the best areas are also safe and allow them to rest without being too exposed to predators.

Native shrubs provide some of the best shade for birds. The dense, low growth of a shrub is a safe spot and might also provide a food source for some species. If you have a patio, consider adding some potted shrubs near your bird feeders. Shrubs are also helpful near water sources, so birds can take cover if a predator is nearby.

Other garden elements that provide cooling shade include trellises and arbors with vines, small trees, layered beds with shrubs, perennials, and annuals at different heights, and stick piles. Provide several shady areas throughout your yard.

6. Add Ice to Your Bird Bath

Shallow bird bath water can get warm, or even hot, quickly in July. Birds prefer cooler water to get relief from the heat. In fact, they might not use your bird bath at all if the water is too warm. Ice is an easy way to keep water sources from overheating.

Freeze a big block of water using a yogurt container or Tupperware. Add one block of ice to the bird bath each morning. You can even add berries and seeds to the ice, which birds can access for food as it melts.

Alternatively, you can freeze water in an empty pop bottle and float it in the bird bath to lower the water’s temperature. Whichever method you choose to cool it down, be sure to clean out your bird bath regularly and to add fresh, clean water every day.

July Bird Care Essentials

July is one of the most demanding times of year for birds. Between high temperatures, dry puddles, and hungry fledglings, it can be stressful. Just a few thoughtful and inexpensive changes to your yard can make it much friendlier for your favorite backyard birds. Your outdoor space becomes more than just a garden. It’s a refuge for native wildlife.

Think you need an impressive country estate to help pollinators? Not so! Your perfectly ordinary backyard garden or urban patio can be enough to host a thriving ecosystem if you use smaller, high-reward plants. These compact, high-impact container champions offer massive value without requiring a football-field-sized space to call their own.

Anyone who has the desire to offer bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds the nectar they need can do so in a pollinator garden, no matter how diminutive the space. We’ve found the perfect plants to get you on your way – all of them small but mighty.

Choosing Pint-Size Pollinator Superheroes

When it comes to putting in a pollinator garden, think containers. These “pocket ecosystems” are ideal for smaller nectar-rich plants for obvious reasons: the shorter plants won’t get shadowed or elbowed out by taller or pushier rivals. And it’s easier to give plants in containers the soil (moist and well-draining) and the sunlight that they require. You can even move the containers around the patio as the seasons turn.

If you choose compact plants with tubular or open-stamen flowers, it’s easier for your pollinator friends to get their breakfast. If you wish to attract a specific pollinator species, pick the flower shape they prefer, e.g. deep, tube-shaped blossoms for hummers. But don’t be surprised to see a variety of different pollinators arrive.

Summer Container Planting Essentials

1. 'Blue Boa' Agastache (Anise Hyssop)

‘Blue Boa’ is an Agastache hybrid, offering showier flowers and better winter hardiness than the species plant. This cultivar, available from Plant Addicts, is loved for its aromatic leaves and frothy, lilac-blue blooms that attract the entire range of pollinators, from bees to butterflies to hummingbirds.

These bold, attractive plants are hardy in USDA zones 5-9 and need a sunny location and well-draining soil. Never plant any Agastache in clay soil or soil that retains water.

‘Blue Boa’ plants can grow to 3 feet (90 cm) high and half that wide. The pollen-rich flowers grow on 6-foot (2 m) terminal spikes, and the long bloom show lasts from June through September. Consider ‘Blue Boa’ for patio butterfly gardens or cottage gardens.

2. Dwarf Pentas (Pentas lanceolata)

Dwarf pentas – or Egyptian starcluster plants – top out at 1–3 feet (30–90 cm), forming a dome of lush green foliage. Popular varieties include the Lucky Star and Star Bright series – you can pick up a three-pack of Lucky Star plants in 'lavender', 'red' and 'pink' from National Plant Network at Walmart.

While they are hardy in USDA zones 10 and 11, dwarf pentas are often grown as annuals in cooler climes. Plant in a full sun location with good drainage.

The upright plant is topped by star-shaped flowers in a multitude of shades that range from white to crimson. The Egyptian starcluster flowering period is long, from summer through early fall, and the nectar attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

3. Large Firecracker Plant (Cuphea 'Vermillionaire')

The dense flowers of the large firecracker plant – bright orange tubular blossoms – are a magnet for pollinators, including butterflies and hummingbirds.

Available at Lowe's, Vermillionaire Large Firecracker Plant has a mounding habit and grows to 28 inches (70 cm) tall and almost as wide in both garden beds and containers.

It’s a low-maintenance gem if planted in full sun with well-draining soil. It is hardy in USDA zones 8-11, but is grown as an annual across most of the country.

4. Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima)

When a plant is this easy to grow, you suspect it may be invasive, and sweet alyssum is considered invasive in some areas, where it is best kept to patio pots. This plant forms shallow-rooted mats of foliage with mounds (to 9 inches tall) of well-branched stems with lance-shaped, gray-green leaves.

It is hardy in zones 5–9 but is often grown as an annual. It needs a full sun location in cooler climates and partial sun in warmer climates.

Sweet alyssum is easy to grow from seed – pick up a four-variety pack from Seed Needs via Amazon.

From spring to early summer, the foliage is completely covered with masses of tiny, 4-petaled flowers (to 1” long). The flowers smell like honey and attract many pollinators, including bees, flower flies, stingless wasps, and butterflies. Its abundance of blossoms and long bloom period make it a particularly good nectar plant for beneficial insects.

5. Greek Oregano (Origanum vulgare var. hirtum)

Yep, the aromatic, pungent leaves of this herb are the ones that you toss into your pasta sauce – usually after they are dried. But did you know that Greek oregano also produces pretty pink, mauve, or white flowers? Flowers appear in summer and early autumn and are compelling to bees and butterflies.

It's best to grow Greek oregano from seed, and you can pick up a pack from Isla's Garden Seed Company via Amazon.

Green oregano thrives in USDA zones 5-8 and grows to about 11 feet (30 cm) tall. It needs a sunny location and well-draining soil. It is remarkably drought-tolerant and free of insects and diseases.

6. Dwarf Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

We all know and love coneflowers, and compact versions offer a dwarf stature and a long summer bloom. Atop the rigid stems, you will find lovely coneflowers, daisy-like blossoms circling around the bronze central cones. Do these attract pollinators? Of course they do. Look for butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees (that come for the nectar in summer) and birds (that come for the seeds in winter).

Good dwarf coneflower varieties include Kim’s Knee High, Tweety, and Sombrero Poco Hot Coral coneflower, available at Woodies Garden Goods,

Coneflowers are hardy in USDA zones 3-8 and can grow to 2 feet (60 cm) tall and wide. They bloom all summer, from June to August, and work well in a meadow, native plant garden, or wildflower garden. Plant in a full or partial sun location in well-draining soil.

7. Calamint (Calamintha nepeta)

A member of the notorious mint family, calamint is an herbaceous perennial in USDA zones 5–7, growing to 18 inches (45 cm) tall and wide. It forms a dense mat that seems to spread indefinitely, with upright leafy flowering stems that rise above. The leaves are aromatic while the flowers are showy: white tubular blossoms that keep on keeping on from June to September.

Calamint, available to buy online at Woodies Garden Goods, is one of the best plants at attracting pollinators! It is appealing to hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies, including Monarchs!

Calamint requires sun and well-draining soil, ideally moist. It shows its mint connections with its capacity to spread this way and every way. The plants are tough and accept drought, dry soil, and rocky soil.

8. 'Lilliput' Zinnia Mix (Zinnia elegans ‘Lilliput’)

If you love zinnia plants but would prefer that they were smaller, take a look at the ‘Lilliput’ seed mix – available from Home Grown at Amazon. These fast-growing flowers are semi-dwarfed, topping out at 24 inches (60 cm) tall. They are bushy with wide growth and oodles of round, pompom flowers in a wide variety of solid shades.

Lilliput is an early-blooming zinnia, with flowers appearing in July and continuing to bloom through October. This is an outstanding and easy-care annual with bright flowers in deep red, pink, white, and purple that bees and butterflies love. Plant these zinnias in a full sun location with well-draining soil.

Whatever the size of your backyard, it's time to take a fresh look at the garden color palette you're using. Using color strategically is a staple of good garden design, making the very most of any plot. The right color combination can completely change your garden, making it less chaotic and more considered. So if your backyard feels cramped or cluttered, listen up! These new color rules are the solution you need.

The new color rules for landscape design are moving away from bold, contrasting tones and shifting towards calmer, more curated palettes that feel very modern. These color-based planting solutions work equally well in sunny and shady gardens, and are particularly useful for making a small garden feel bigger and drawing disparate parts of a bigger backyard together.

So, if you're looking for new ideas to make your garden design feel fresh and intentional, and are interested in ways to maximise your space, these modern designer tricks with color will set you on the right path. They're a great way to achieve a designer-look garden for less, and easy to implement yourself. Which new color rule will work best in your yard?

1. Prioritise Greens

We're often guilty of skipping straight past foliage tones to get to flower colors. But get the greens right first, and whatever the rest of your chosen color palette is made up of, your garden will feel calming, immersive, and continuous.

"Green is emerging as the defining color story of 2026," says Kevin Lenhart, landscape architect and design director at Yardzen. "Designers are layering tones from soft sage to deep forest across planting, materials, and furnishings to create depth and cohesion. Pops of color from flowering perennials, containers, and soft furnishings add moments of delight that echo the way color appears in nature: surprising, seasonal, never dominant."

Fabulous foliage was one of the biggest trends at this year's world-famous RHS Chelsea Flower Show. And no wonder, as research shows that exposure to the color green can soothe, heal, and rejuvenate our mental and emotional wellbeing. Make green therapy, also known as ecotherapy or nature therapy, central to your design ideas, and add sense-soothing elements to your garden, and you'll tap into the power of the natural environment to promote wellbeing.

2. Create a Monochromatic Base

A monochromatic color palette uses just one color, but many shades of it so it doesn't become monotonous. For example, if were to choose purple as your base tone, you would use multiple shades from palest lavender to deepest plums. And while it's perfectly possible to create an entire monochromatic color garden using just one tone, most modern designs simply use this rule as a starting point to ensure cohesion.

Designs with a monochromatic base shine in both compact and expansive plots. In an enclosed courtyard garden, the cohesion that using a base tone brings ensures a small area appears uncluttered. In a bigger garden, that base tone ties the various parts of a design together.

Taking advantage of different plant heights, shapes and structures as well as various shades lets you create depth and movement in the planting scheme. You can also use the various shades to create some clever optical illusions, such as planting lighter tones at the edges of borders to make beds seem bigger.

Your paving, fencing and garden furniture should fit into your monochromatic base, or at least have a neutral palette of cool cream and charcoal gray to keep the focus firmly on the plants, rather than opting for bright or warm colors that deflect attention.

3. Color-Drench For Impact

With the basics of your color palette established, it's time to build some highlights to create impactful garden moments. Layering up lots of different plants in the same bold, saturated shade by color drenching is a hugely effective way to make a focal point in your planting. It adds a very modern touch to a garden design, too, especially if the chosen tone extends beyond the planting with cushions, throws, and painted details such as accent walls. You don't need to use this rule across your whole garden, but perhaps color drench one central border, then use another rule to echo that tone elsewhere.

How landscape designers use this rule to garden with color in a contemporary space is far from dull. To add depth and interest to this one-color palette, they use a variety of contrasting flower shapes such as spheres and spires, and textures, too. The current color-drenching tone of choice is purple, which offers a wonderful array of textural blooms to choose from.

Essential Color-Drenching Purple Blooms

4. Chroma Layering to Create the Illusion of Space

Although it might sound like a technical concept, chroma layering is in fact the pretty straightforward practice of using colors of differing intensities to give the illusion of more depth. You can use this with varying colors, placing vibrant tones like orange, yellow and hot pink at the front of a border, and less intense shades like pale blue, white, gray and silver towards the back. You can also use chroma layering with a monochromatic palette, placing bolder, brighter shades at the front and calmer tones at the back.

Whichever, the more intense colors feel closer while the less intense shades appear further away, which has the effect of lengthening the view and making the space feel bigger than it is. As well as making a garden feel more spacious, this also creates a very modern look.

Chroma layering relies heavily on foliage as well as flowers. Darker purple foliage such as Smokebush 'Winecraft Black', available from Nature Hills, can be used at the back of a border, while leaves in a brighter zingy green such as those of Coral Bells 'Lime Marmalade', also available from Nature Hills, are placed towards the front.

5. The 70/30 Harmonious Living Rule

The 70/30 harmonious living rule has been big in interior design for a while now, used as a way of curating a more visually appealing space. Now the idea is shifting outside, and the principle works equally well when using color in a garden. The idea is that 70% of your color (plants and other design elements such as painted fences) forms a calming, harmonious backdrop for the remaining 30% of bright, bold color.

Sticking to this ratio means you can still use bright, impactful colors, while ensuring the garden remains calm, cohesive and considered. Using the 70/30 rule is also a great way to make your money go further, placing a few choice accent plants beloved by landscape designers among less expensive foliage plants.

6. Color Echoing For Continuity

Garden designers love to repeat color, form, or texture through a landscape to provide rhythm and unity. Color is an especially powerful tool when used in different parts of a garden as a linking device to create visual cohesion. This is one of the easiest garden design tips to put into practice, but also one of the most effective. It's known as color echoing, and involves choosing foliage, flowers, hardscaping or garden accessories in colors that mirror each other.

Weaving one color (or all the various shades of it, such as all the tones from deep magenta to palest blush pink) throughout your design leads your eye smoothly through a space, making a garden feel larger and more intentional. In this design, the color of a distinctive purple-leaved beech is picked up and echoed throughout the rest of the garden by dark purple granny bonnets, plum poppies, and Jerusalem Sage 'Amazone'.

Using the same tones in plants that soften hard landscaping is a particularly effective trick that landscape designers use. Another clever pro move is to use foliage for color echoing, as it's a more constant source. Unlike most flowers, foliage holds color all season long, sometimes even year-round. Plus of course, there's such diversity of foliage tone to draw on to play around with color echoing.

7. Color-Matching Tone and Aspect

There's a fine line between cohesion and monotony, so it's important to vary the moments of intensity in any garden design, to create a rhythm. Color matching tone and aspect is one way to achieve this. It involves positioning plants with bright, vibrant, warm colors like orange and yellow in sunny areas, and placing those with cool pastel tones such as white and pale blue in shady areas. You can also use it in conjunction with the monochromatic base rule, using brighter, bolder tones of a color in sunny areas and paler, lighter shades of the same color in shady areas.

This has the effect of creating an airy, open ambience, as the contrasting warm-colored sunny areas will feel further away from the cool-colored shady areas.

Use hardscaping to add to this rule, too. Sun-loving drought-tolerant plants like red hot pokers and gaillardia daisies in a hot, dry area pair well with gravel. In a shady area, a dark mulch will make ferns, hosta and astilbe appear lusher.

8. Color Wheel Asymmetrics For Balance

Modern garden design still pairs tones on opposite sides of the color wheel, but does so in a far more intentional, asymmetric fashion. Using opposite colors such as purple and yellow, blue and orange, or violet and lime green to make both shades appear more vibrant is one of the oldest garden design rules in the book. However, employing an equal level of the contrasting colors means they will all compete for your attention, which can feel overwhelming. For still-bright results with a soothing rather than stressful vibe, the new rule dictates we use an uneven split of 80% of one color and 20% of the other.

The idea behind this ratio is that it lets you create visual tension, depth, and highly intentional focal points, without overwhelming the senses.

Red Flowers to Pop Against Green

Whatever palette you choose, mix and match these new color rules to create a cohesive garden design that looks like it was created by a professional landscaper. Remember that there are many different ways to add more color to any garden, such as clothing a bare wall with a stunning clematis, or painting your patio pots in a shade to match your planting palette. Or how about sowing some pretty groundcover to keep weeds out of your borders, or adding a color-pop patio table?

Summers have always been the hottest, driest season, but these days, with a warming climate, temperatures can become extreme. Most of us have seen our gardens dry out during summer, especially during periods of drought and/or high heat and – other than watering in the early morning – there’s not much to do about it.

As your landscape gets toasty and the plants get dry, fire risk increases. And that's not to mention 4th of July fireworks. If you’ve leaned into drought tolerant plants in the backyard, the risk is even higher given the lower moisture content. Some plants that are resilient in extreme weather can be surprisingly flammable, and wise homeowners keep these species far from homes, sheds, fences and other structures during hot, dry summer weather.

7 Garden Plants That Are Surprisingly Flammable

Some plants and trees are notoriously flammable and proud of it. We all know that pine and spruce needles have high resin content, and so do their branches and trunks. Other plants are just as flammable but a little sneakier about it. So don’t feel bad if you’re just hearing about their flammability for the first time.

It’s important to identify these “secretly” flammable plants because you just don’t want them near buildings or fences in hot summer weather. And you definitely want to keep them away from stray fireworks. We’d like to introduce you to seven of them that create quite a blaze if they burn.

1. Wild Lilac (Ceanothus spp.)

If you live on the West Coast, you are very likely to have a ceanothus in your backyard. These are among my favorite native shrubs, with the striking indigo flowers that cover the canopy in spring and attract butterflies, bees and other beneficial insects. The leaves are lovely too, small, oval and a dark, blue-green color. But not all ceanothus look alike. The genus includes some 60 shrubs, mostly evergreen, including some that are prostrate, some that mound, and some that are upright to 6 feet (2m) tall.

Another benefit of ceanothus is its drought tolerance; I’ve hardly watered mine since the first year I planted them. But this characteristic also indicates that these native beauties are flammable. In fact, ceanothus leaves are coated with flammable oils and resins. These garden staples started out as chaparral plants and nature built them for fire; the ceanothus seeds require intense heat for germination.

Few of us who love ceonothus are likely to cut our trees down because of an elevated risk of fire. On the other hand, it just makes sense to position it in the back of the garden rather than near the house, garage or shed.

Just in Case

2. Blackberry (Rubus armeniacus)

Fresh blackberries from the garden are sweet and delicious, but keep in mind that blackberry bushes are so flammable that they can be a fire hazard. You should never plant them close to your home, and if you have them in your berry patch, be sure to keep them manicured.

Left unattended, the canes can shoot up to 15 feet (5m) tall. They stay upright even after they die, creating scaffolding for new growth. The dead canes create a ladder fuel situation where a ground fire can climb up into tree branches. Replace your blackberry canes with red flowering currents, thimbleberry and Pacific crabapple.

3. Common Holly (Ilex aquifolium)

Deck the halls alright, but don’t plant common holly near your home. Its dark green, glossy leaves are unmistakable, but they are filled with resin and highly flammable. In a wilder landscape, they can also create a dense understory that can function as a ladder fuel. In addition, common holly leaves produce a flammable vapor when heated, making stands of holly a fire risk.

It’s wise to avoid planting holly near your home and don’t leave large holly piles near any structure. If you want to replace the shrub, consider sword fern, vine maple, or ocean spray.

4. Rosemary (Rosmarinus spp.)

Many of us have planted rosemary in the garden because it is extremely drought resistant and can take a hot sun. But this plant is among the more flammable of the native plants. Its needle-like leaves are filled with oils and resins - and these remain even when the needles die and dry on the stems. That translates to a plant that is appealing visually, useful in cooking, but highly flammable.

Most gardeners I know keep a shrub or two of rosemary in the herb garden, and this does not seem like a significant fire threat. But resist any temptation to suddenly install an entire bed of rosemary just beside your home.

5. Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius)

Scotch broom is considered a common weed today, but it was brought into America years ago as an ornamental. It is rather pretty, with leaves composed of three oblong leaflets close to the stem, slender stems, and a cloud of bright yellow blossoms from March to June. .

But admire fields of Scotch broom from afar rather than planting up your garden. Dense, mature stands of broom create lots of dead woody debris with a high oil content. This puts them on the “most flammable” list of plants that do not belong anywhere near your home or out buildings. Instead, plant native grasses and beaked hazelnut shrubs.

6. Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

My grandmother used to wear lavender perfume, and the whiff of this fragrant flowering plant brings back memories to me. That’s one reason I added it to my herb garden; another is that it is as beautiful as it is fragrant.

But as those slender, flexible stems turn woody as they age and dead plant matter builds up within the plant. This makes your lovely, fragrant lavender plant flammable, very flammable. It is not recommended that you plant lavender near any structure on your property. Keep it more than 5 feet (2m) away from your home to prevent any fire problems.

7. Bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris)

Now this one surprised me. Bamboo flammable? Well it is and it isn’t.

Bamboos are vigorous and dramatic plants with a tropical air. Their graceful swaying canes and forever foliage add structure and movement to the landscape. You can find bamboo that will be happy in almost every growing condition. Some are running and some are climbing but all seem flexible and moist rather than dry and flammable.

Live bamboo canes are made up of cellulose, and include high amounts of silica and water with very few volatile oils. Live bamboo is hard - if not impossible - to ignite, but the same cannot be said of dry bamboo. The dried stems, leaves, and sheaths of bamboo are extremely flammable, and most large stands of bamboo include lots of dead stems and dried debris. All this dry bamboo can explode when burned, so keep any large planting well away from your home.

You don’t need to remove bamboo from your landscape, but you do need to maintain it, pruning out dead wood regularly and removing it from the area. If this seems like too much work, consider planting something else like

Tips to Reduce Fire Risk

You can reduce the risk of fire in your home and landscape by selecting plants wisely and maintaining your garden. Here are five tips to keep in mind.

1. Select plants that are fire-resistant, like succulents.
2. Prune back branches that approach your home.
3. Clean up and dispose of yard debris including dry leaves, canes, and branches.
4. Never plant shrubs within 5 feet (2m) of the home.
5. Choose mulch that is not flammable, like organic compost, instead of flammable mulch, like dried leaves or pine needles.
6. Cut out dead plants, shrubs and trees promptly and remove them from the property.

On a hot day, bees still need to stay busy in the garden. But they get thirsty doing it. A honeybee colony needs a steady supply of water right through summer, and not only for drinking – they use it to cool the hive and to thin out food for the brood. The catch is that the shallow puddles and damp ground bees usually sip from tend to dry up the moment a heatwave settles in.

You can help them with a quick DIY project. A pollinator water station is barely a project at all – at its simplest, it's a shallow dish with a few stones in it, filled with fresh water and topped up as it drops. You can throw one together in minutes from odds and ends already around the house, and it makes a real difference to the bees out working your flowers.

Why Give Bees Water in Summer?

Bees need water for more than a quick drink. On a hot day, a honeybee colony collects water and spreads it through the hive, then fans it with their wings so the evaporation pulls the temperature down. It's basically air conditioning, run on water. They also use the water to soften stored honey and mix food for the developing brood. When the mercury climbs, demand shoots up, and foraging bees spend real effort tracking water down.

Here's the problem, though: bees can't swim. They're light enough that the surface tension of an open bowl or birdbath can trap them. One badly judged landing on deep, smooth water and they don't get back out. A watering station gets around that by keeping the water shallow and giving them solid footing to stand, allowing them to drink safely.

What You'll Need

You don't need much to make your bee watering station:

• A shallow, wide container. Terracotta plant saucers are ideal, or even an old pie dish.
• Pebbles or glass marbles to break the surface
• A few wine corks, which float and double as landing rafts.

How to Make Your Bee Watering Station

None of this is complicated. Five minutes, maybe less, and you've got a working bee bath.

1. Start with a Low Dish

Set your container somewhere level. Depth is the thing that matters – an inch or two (2–5 cm) of water is plenty, since bees only need to reach the edge of it, not wade in. A saucer or low bowl beats anything deep with steep sides.

2. Add the Landing Spots

Fill the dish with pebbles, stones, or marbles until they mound up above where the waterline will sit. The idea is to leave plenty of dry, grippy surface for bees to stand on. Even a handful of clean gravel from the garden will work.

3. Fill it Up

Pour in fresh water until it pools around the stones but leaves their tops poking out, so bees land on the dry stone and sip from the shallow edge. Check it daily in hot weather; a dish this size can evaporate down to nothing by late afternoon, and the landing spots only work while they're above water.

Shop Bee Water Stations

If DIY isn't your thing, these bee drinking stations look great and come ready to fill.

Keeping the Water Clean and safe

Standing water and summer heat mean mosquitoes, so refresh the dish every couple of days rather than just topping it off – that breaks the breeding cycle before larvae get going. Give the stones a rinse when algae starts to film them over, and skip the soap, since any residue does more harm than the grime did. Rainwater is fine, and so is tap water; the source doesn't matter much.

One thing to leave out: sugar or honey in the water. It sounds helpful, but sugar water pulls in wasps and can spread disease between hives. Honey from an unknown source may carry pathogens that hurt the very bees you're trying to help. Plain water is what they're after. If wasps or other insects start crowding in anyway, shifting the dish a few feet (1 m) usually settles things down.

Where to Position Your Bee Bath

Position matters more than you'd think. Set the station near flowers the bees already visit, so it's close to where they're working, and somewhere with a bit of afternoon shade so the water doesn't turn to bath temperature or evaporate by noon. A little morning sun helps them find it. Out of the wind is better too – a spot tucked beside a wall or a clump of planting gives some shelter.

Once bees find a reliable source, they come back to it and bring others, so keep the station in the same place and don't let it run dry mid-summer. Raised up on a low table or wall, it stays cleaner and out of reach of pets.

Change the water regularly, and you'll have happy bees who will help your garden stay healthy and blooming.

We’re seeing a huge trend in container ponds this heatwave summer, and no wonder! Floating solar fountains have made it so cheap and easy to create a stylish water feature that brings cooling sound and movement to our too-hot gardens. And now, next-gen solar fountains lit with LEDs are allowing us to take DIY microponds to the next level, with illuminated cascades of water that will pretty-up any patio, looking beautiful at night as well as bringing a cooling soundscape by day.

Making your own micropond with a watertight container and floating fountain is so quick to do, yet the soundscape and soothing water movement can transform a garden, creating a focus to make small gardens feel bigger or adding a pleasing detail to a larger backyard. As container garden ideas go, it’s a winner for sure! Water features you can install yourself without calling in a plumber or electrician are so cost-effective, too. And there are lots of clever ways to get creative with a cheap floating solar fountain, so you can fashion a unique feature bespoke to your garden style.

You can even make a budget water feature planter with a $25 fountain, adding beautiful blooms to the water show!

Not all LED solar fountains are created equal, though, so it’s good to understand a few basics before you start to DIY your cooling cascade of water. Luckily, everything you need to know to get a great result is right here, so you can get cracking and DIY an illuminated water feature this weekend. I've included plenty of product links so you know exactly what I'm talking about, but do support your local retailers too. Here’s exactly what to do, if you want to make a stunning water feature this weekend…

1. Choose a Watertight Container

Any container will work for a DIY water feature, as long as it’s wide enough to contain most of the fountain splashes, though obviously the bigger it is, the less frequently you’ll have to top it up. Containers purpose-made for a garden micropond are often expensive, but there are plenty of more budget-friendly options to try.

Pots intended for succulents don’t usually have a drainage hole, and a wide bowl planter such as this from Amazon makes a stylish alternative at a fraction of the price. It's also worth looking at planters intended for both indoor and outdoor use such as this well-priced half-barrel from Lowes, as they often don't have drainage holes either.

If you’ve already got an old plastic, resin or metal planter then it’s a quick and easy job to seal the drainage hole with a marine silicone sealant like this from Amazon. The same goes for repairing patches of damage on a vintage vessel to make it watertight. Being able to seal drainage holes and seams also opens up the world of resin containers such as this amazing urn that's on sale at Target. Have a hunt around your local hardware store, too: this steel tub from Ace Hardware would make an awesome micropond, as would this utility bucket from Home Depot.

2. Work Out How Powerful Your Solar Water Fountain Needs to Be

A floating fountain is powered by its solar panels and there’s a huge range in terms of quality and capability. The amount of energy the solar panels are capable of generating is measured in watts, which you’ll find in product descriptions as ‘W’ and it’s important to match this, which governs the force and shape of the spray, to the size of the container you're using.

While you want to enjoy a decent water flow and fountain height, it’s also vital to also think about minimizing water loss so you’re not forever having to top up your micropond. Water loss happens when the spray pattern is wider than the container, but also because of wind, so is affected by the height of the fountain, too.

A 1W or 1.5W solar fountain is typically designed to operate in a birdbath so will produce a pretty gentle bubble. If that's what you want, great. But because there are LEDs as well as a water pump to power, an illuminated fountain rated around 3.5W or 4W is best for most patio-sized containers. You’ll also find fountains at 5.5W and 6.5W which suit a larger diameter vessel if you're making a sizeable water feature.

Look at what material the solar panels are made of too. Glass panels are far more efficient than plastic, so will still generate plenty of energy on a partially cloudy day.

Best Solar Fountains For a Great Light Show

Most solar fountains come with a handful of interchangeable nozzles that create different spray patterns in varying heights and widths, too. By combining a powerful energy rating with a nozzle that gives a narrow spray, you can enjoy maximum water flow without too much water loss.

In a small or shallow container, it's also worth looking for a design with stabilising arms. These prevent the fountain floating close to the container rim, and so help to reduce water loss. While you're reading the small print, check the fountain has run-dry protection so it automatically shuts down if there’s insufficient water, and a filter to prevent debris from entering the pump.

3. Check the Fountain Has a Battery Before You Buy

Some solar fountains have a battery to store the energy generated by the solar panels so it can still operate when the sun isn’t shining, whether that’s because it’s nighttime or simply a cloudy day. Some fountains don’t, which means they’ll only operate when sunlight hits their solar panels. You would think that all illuminated solar fountains are fitted with a battery as they’re intended for use after dark, but that’s not the case.

So, do check the solar fountain has a battery, and that the battery's capacity is relevant to its wattage and number of lights, as this will dictate how long it will run for after dark. Depending on how many LEDs it has to power, a typical 3.5W fountain with a 2000mAh battery will likely run for around 3 hours after sundown, after a full charge on a sunny day. If you want a fountain with a lot of lights, or one that runs for a long time, look for a higher-capacity 3000mAh or 4000mAh battery.

Best Solar Fountains for Battery Capacity

4. Position Your Water Feature Well

Depending on the size of your water feature, it’s a smart move to position the container before filling with water. You’ll need a fairly sunny spot to ensure the solar panels get fully charged, but most quality fountains with a battery fitted only need 4-6 hours of sun for a full charge.

Choosing a position which gets a little shade for part of the day will reduce evaporation and the frequency your water feature needs topping up. It’s also a good idea to position your feature away from overhanging trees or plants that may drop leaves into the water.

Consider other light sources, too, as the darker the area is, the more the illuminated water cascade will stand out.

5. Add Some Decor, if You Fancy

How you choose to pretty-up your water feature is entirely up to you – and honestly, a container with a floating fountain is simply lovely as it is. But you could add a compact water plant such as lesser spearwort (Ranunculus flammua) or water forget-me-not (Myosotis scorpioides), both available from specialist supplier Pond Plants of America. How about adding a few rounded pebbles such as these from Amazon to the container itself, or around its base? And you’ll find all sorts of cute pond ornaments such as these floating faux water lilies from Amazon or this fishing tortoise figurine, also from Amazon, to add charm to your water feature.

A small wildlife ramp to ensure critters can climb out of your micropond, should they fall in, such as this from Amazon, is a must.

6. Fill With Water and Enjoy!

Now fill the container with water, pop the floating fountain in, and wait a few seconds for the sun to power it up. If you’re growing aquatic plants or want wildlife to use your micropond, it’s best to use harvested rainwater, otherwise tap water is fine. To enhance the reflections of the lights in the water, you can add a drop of black pond colorant like this from Amazon.

Then the only job left to do, once the sun starts to set, is to pour yourself a cooling drink, pull up your favorite patio chair, and enjoy your beautiful new garden water feature.

Keeping pots and hanging baskets watered through a hot summer can feel close to a full-time job. You make the rounds with the can first thing, and by mid-afternoon the baskets are dry at the edges and drooping. Heatwaves push it to twice a day, and the smaller containers wilt fast if you skip one.

The fix doesn't have to mean rearranging your day. A little know-how about when to water container plants goes a long way, and so does a soil additive called water-storing crystals. Mixed into the compost, they hold moisture down in the root zone and release it back as things dry. Containers stay damp longer between waterings, which is the whole point. They won't replace a watering can, but they do take the edge off the daily scramble.

What Are Water-Storing Crystals?

Strip away the packaging and water-storing crystals are a superabsorbent polymer, the same kind of material used in diapers. The garden versions are usually based on potassium polyacrylate, which soaks up many times its own weight in water and swells into a clear gel. Dry, the granules look like coarse sugar or grit. Add water and a single spoonful balloons into a fistful of squishy beads.

Worked into the mix, those swollen beads sit among the roots like tiny reservoirs. As the soil dries, roots pull moisture straight from the gel and the beads shrink back down; water again and they refill. That back-and-forth repeats for a good stretch – most potassium-based crystals keep working for two to five years before they break down and stop holding water.

Where Water-Storing Crystals Help the Most

Hanging baskets are where the difference shows up fastest. They're small and fully exposed and packed with foliage, so they dry out quicker than almost anything else out there. Crystals worked through the compost can widen the gap between waterings, sometimes by quite a bit, though how much you gain depends on the potting mix and the plant, and on how harsh the week turns. These water-storing crystals on Amazon are the standard potassium-polyacrylate type, and a small tub goes a long way.

Bigger pots benefit too, just less dramatically, since they hold more potting mix and dry slower to start with. Where crystals prove handy is around travel – a long weekend away in July no longer has to mean a ruined basket or roping in a neighbor for watering duty. They also even out the wet-then-bone-dry swings that stress container plants, holding moisture steadier between trips with the watering can.

How to Use Water-Storing Crystals (without overdoing it)

The one thing that matters most: follow the rate on the packet, and skip the urge to add extra for good measure. These granules expand enormously – a teaspoon (5ml) of dry crystals can swell to a cup (240ml) or more of gel. Overdo it and the swelling shoves the mix up over the rim, or lifts small plants clean out of the pot. Start light. You can always work a bit more in next season.

There are two ways to handle it. Stir the dry crystals straight into the compost, aiming for the lower half of the pot where the roots will end up, then water well and let them swell in place. Or pre-soak them in a bucket first, which takes the guesswork out of how much gel you're adding, and fold that through. Either way, blending them into a fresh bag of compost from Amazon at planting time beats trying to retrofit a pot that's already full and planted.

Water-Storing Crystal Cons

For all the convenience, crystals aren't a miracle, and the research on them is honestly a bit mixed. They buffer moisture rather than create it, so a pot baking in full sun will still dry out, just slower than it would otherwise. Hard water and heavy feeding chip away at their absorbency over time, since dissolved salts interfere with how the gel takes up water. And nothing lasts forever – once the beads degrade, you're back to plain potting mix.

Some plants are better off without them. Succulents and cacti are the obvious mismatch, along with lavender, rosemary and the woody Mediterranean herbs – all of them need to dry out between waterings, and permanently damp soil just invites root rot. Crystals suit thirsty summer bedding and moisture-loving annuals far better than anything built for lean, dry ground. It's a tool for the right job, not a default for every container.

Smarter Watering for Summer Containers

Crystals or not, a handful of habits keep summer containers in better shape. Water early, before the heat builds, so more of it soaks in instead of burning off the surface – evenings work too if mornings are rushed. Water deeply, until it runs from the drainage holes, not a quick splash that only dampens the top inch (2.5cm). It also helps to cluster pots together where you can, since grouped containers shade each other and lose less to the air.

Drop the rigid schedule and check the soil itself – a finger pushed an inch (2.5cm) down tells you more than any calendar. Reaching a high basket or the back of a crowded bench gets a lot easier with a long-spouted watering can from Amazon. And if the daily routine has worn thin altogether, you can sidestep additives with self-watering planters on Amazon, which hold a reservoir in the base that wicks moisture up as the soil dries.

There are a few things to consider when it comes to outdoor gardening tools. From budget and battery life to additional features and power, choosing a cordless electric lawnmower can be a minefield. If you're trying to choose between Greenworks and EGO, you might be struggling because both brands have many pros and cons.

Brand names can influence our buying choices, and both Greenworks and EGO are well respected within the power tool industry.

But how do Greenworks and EGO hold up regarding price, availability, battery life, and performance? We've done the hard work of comparing the brands for you with the help of some experts. Read on to find out more.

Greenworks and EGO are both heavyweight brands, but how do they differ? According to gardening expert Morris Hankinson, Greenwork offers a wide variety of tools, particularly for those with smaller gardens or those on a budget.

"EGO offers high-performance batteries, making them more suitable for professional gardeners or those with larger gardens."

He told us, "Greenworks has a universal battery system that can be used with different tools (lawn mower, trimmer, blower, or chainsaw, for example), making it very convenient for users looking to build an all-in-one setup with fewer battery swaps.

"EGOs are highly efficient, and their batteries are known for their long-lasting power, but they are specific to their platform."

Greenworks vs EGO: Price and availability

Greenworks and EGO offer a wide array of gardening tools, including mowers, hedge trimmers, blowers, pruners, and pressure washers.

The price of your gardening tool depends on its features.