Fine Gardening Magazine

Written for passionate gardeners, Fine Gardening provides inspired ideas backed by detailed instructions for creating healthy gardens, outdoor rooms, and beautiful landscapes suited to the region. Horticulturists, nurserymen, and designers share their expertise on plants, care, soil, eco-friendly pest control, propagation, design, and landscaping.

Peonies vs. tomatoes. Discuss.

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OVER THE FENCE • READER COMMENTS AND OPINIONS

Fine Gardening Magazine

CONTRIBUTING THIS ISSUE

READERS’ TIPS • FROM ONE GARDENER TO ANOTHER

GARDEN SHED • TIME-SAVING GARDEN GADGETS

SUPER COOL PLANTS • FIND OUT WHAT THE EXPERTS ARE GROWING

HEALTHY GARDEN • SCIENCE-BASED INSIGHT FROM SOURCES YOU CAN TRUST

The Best NEW PLANTS for 2024 • Check out the most promising varieties hitting garden-center shelves this season

New plants for 2024 PERENNIALS

New plants for 2024 EDIBLES

How to get a SMALL SPACE TO WORK HARDER • Prioritize functionality when every inch is precious

Clever ways to maximize the utility of a small space • When designing a garden with a minimal footprint, you may find it helpful to rethink the sizes, locations, and traditional definitions of key elements. Here are a few examples of how I did this in my own backyard.

Why aren’t you growing Dwarf Tomatoes? • These plants are easier to manage and take up less space, while still producing tons of tasty fruit

RETHINK THE TOMATO CAGE • Keeping tomatoes upright increases circulation and helps prevent fruit blemishes, pest damage, and sunscald, encouraging overall health. But dwarf tomatoes don’t need as much support as their larger cousins. The amount of support you offer and the form it takes will depend on the size of your plant.

Make the most of A MIXED CONTAINER • Shop every aisle of the nursery to discover fresh new textures and unexpected focal points

Working with large containers • An oversized planter offers abundant space for assembling a unique medley of plants. Here are a few pointers for working with big containers.

DEER FOOD ALTERNATIVES • Stop inviting hungry critters over for dinner by switching to these high-performing, Bambi-resistant options

Expert tips for dealing with deer • I asked four horticulturists from around the country with decades of gardening experience how they deal with deer. Here are some of the strategies they use and advice they give for managing hungry herbivores in the garden.

A deer-resistant border without compromise

Designing for IMPACT OVER THE LONG HAUL • Use these three strategies to get the greatest visual return over the life of your garden

Superstar planting pairings • Many plants that deliver high visual impact are rambunctious. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they are aggressive, but when planted in masses (or sometimes singly) they can get out of control quickly, potentially swallowing up their neighbors or dominating a design. A helpful strategy I employ is pairing robust plants with partners that have a similar nature. This allows the players to keep each other in check without much intervention from me. The following are some of my most successful compatibility couplings.

PACIFIC NORTHWEST

SOUTHWEST

MOUNTAIN WEST

MIDWEST

SOUTHEAST

MID-ATLANTIC

NORTHEAST

DESIGN IDEAS • THINGS TO THINK ABOUT WHEN PLANNING OR RENOVATING A GARDE

THE USDA PLANT HARDINESS ZONE MAP • The zones stated in Fine Gardening are based on several sources and should be treated as general guidelines when selecting plants for your garden. Many other factors may come into play in determining healthy plant growth. Microclimates, wind, soil...