Gardening How-to Articles
Pollinators and Birds
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Make Your Garden a Haven for Insect Diversity
Create a habitat for pollinators as well as the amazing array of less beloved, but still important, insects out there. Read Make Your Garden a Haven for Insect Diversity
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Plant/Animal Relationships
Plants and animals evolved together, so they have complex relationships. Among them: plant/herbivore, plant/pollinator, plant/disperser, and other examples of mutualism. Read Plant/Animal Relationships
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Box Turtles in the Garden
These placid, plodding reptiles are gradually disappearing from landscapes across eastern North America. Gardeners can help ease their plight. Read Box Turtles in the Garden
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Butterfly Gardening in Fall
Learn how to create a simple, low-maintenance design that will lure monarchs, swallowtails, skippers, and other beneficial insects throughout autumn. Read Butterfly Gardening in Fall
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A Bird Habitat Garden—Plant Choices and Design Tips
Wild bird populations are threatened by habitat loss, global warming, collisions with buildings, and much more. You can help ease their plight by turning your city garden, or a portion of it, into a pesticide-free bird sanctuary. Read A Bird Habitat Garden—Plant Choices and Design Tips
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Native Bees
Honey bees are from Europe. The bee species native to North America are very different. They can be black, brown, or green, and the vast majority are solitary creatures that nest in cavities or soil. They are also important pollinators and could use your help! Read Native Bees
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Urban Beekeeping
Urban beekeeping is on the rise in the U.S., powered by such trends as the local food movement and the spread of inner-city community gardens. Read Urban Beekeeping
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Give Bees a Chance—The Mystery of Colony Collapse Disorder
In the United States, managed honey bees pollinate more than 100 commercial crops, including cherries, blueberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, coffee, and almonds. And these bees are dying. Read Give Bees a Chance—The Mystery of Colony Collapse Disorder
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Designing A Hummingbird Garden: 15 Ways to Keep Them Coming
Hummingbirds prefer openings in the forest and forest edge, and so are readily drawn to suburban and rural gardens that offer a mix of tall trees, shrubs, and patches of meadow and lawn. Read Designing A Hummingbird Garden: 15 Ways to Keep Them Coming
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Deer Deterrents That Work
Once roaming open fields and forests and controlled by natural predators, deer now must make their home near housing developments, office parks, and shopping malls, and their populations are growing. Little wonder then that they treat our gardens like buffet bars. Thoughtful plant choices, fences, dogs, and repellents help to keep deer at bay. Read Deer Deterrents That Work
