Make a Vertical Garden from Cheap Suet Basket Birdfeeders

Whenever I try feeding birds with those cheap suet basket feeders, I either end up with a gooey mess or find that some squirrel has run off with the thing within hours. However, I’ve also found that they make great planters for succulents and epiphytic plants. Who knew? Best of all, making them is so easy that my toddler could (and did) do it. Here’s how to make your own low-maintenance vertical garden on the cheap.

Turn a Shower Caddy into a Vertical Garden

Want to add a little bit of romance to your boring shower? All you need is a hanging shower caddy, a plastic loofah, orchid bark and a few other epiphytic 'air' plants to turn a well-lit bathroom into a tropical spa getaway. Here's how to make your own!

Make this Glowing Houseplant Combo

Some plants survive on neglect with dull and wrinkled leaves, while others seem to glow. Such is the case with this dazzling living flower arrangement that I planted last fall with 'window leaved' Haworthias and a flaming orange 'Wild Tiger' bromeliad burning bright in a bowl of black sand. This combo thrives both indoors and out with lots of sunlight and casual watering. Here's how to make your own in 15-30 minutes.

Before and After my Slate Path

A garden isn't much fun if you're the only one who gets to enjoy it. "Come look at my new planting of ferns!" I would call enthusiastically from the back of the garden to my wife, who timidly stood at the edge of the patio in her nice shoes, clutching onto our baby. "Uh huh! I can see them from here!" she assured me. I can't say I blame her for not venturing from the safety of the concrete into the weeds, mud and exposed roots beyond.

Grow a Miniature Forest in a Wood Bowl

My seven-month old son loves windows to his exciting new world. If I put him on the floor, I can pretty much count on him scrambling to the sliding glass door with squeals of delight exclaiming "Hey! Hey! Hey!" as he stands up and plants his palms on the glass and gazes upon a realm of possibility and excitement. Stay with me now... I'm going somewhere with this.

Make this Living Flower Arrangement

If you've ever received an orchid, bromeliad or Christmas cactus as a gift, only to find that they're bloomless and boring the rest of the year, then let me show you how to combine them into an easy and long-lasting living flower arrangement! Since my Easter cactus was just blooming last week, I've decided to share this whole container garden 'recipe' from my book so that you can make it yourself.

How to Combine Houseplants for Easy Indoor Gardens

A combination of houseplants is easier than a bunch of individual plants, especially if you choose the ones that actually like the same amounts of sunlight and water. It's also a lot more rewarding to tend to an lush and well designed indoor garden than it is to merely keep that one sad Dracaena in the corner alive. While my book Plant by Numbers goes into much more detail with plant lists, substitutions, design tips and care guidelines, I'll get you started by showing you how I made the combo pictured here.

The Parable of the Banyan (Or, How I Planted a Tree in a Rock)

Following the loss of my mother two years ago, I received a mysterious package containing a bonsai Schefflera from an unknown, yet incredibly thoughtful benefactor. I was humbled by the generous gift, but since I was admittedly a little off my gardening game at the time, I forgot to water the new bonsai for a week and found two dead stems staring me in the face. The one surviving stem had a lot to teach me.

6 Ways to Garden Like a Billionaire - On a Budget

How many times have you opened up a magazine for garden ideas only to be discouraged by photos of unattainable gardens owned by the wealthy? Last week I had the honor of travelling with my friends in the Troy-bilt #Saturday6 to plant a community garden and visit the extraordinary formal gardens at Vizcaya, but rather than just give you a tour, I'd like to use the experience to share some tips you can use to make your own garden spectacular, even if you're short on time, money and space. Use your imagination, people!

How to Eat a Passionfruit and Grow the Seeds

If you’re lucky enough to score a passion fruit at a specialty grocery store or on a trip to South Florida, rejoice. Do a little happy dance when no one is looking, buy the leathery and wrinkled egg-shaped fruit at whatever exorbitant price it commands and try to drive home safely despite your giddy excitement, resisting the urge to text your friends about your fabulous foodie find until you’ve arrived at your home in one piece.

Grow the Garlic, Leeks and Onions in your Fridge

If you ever wanted to try your hand at gardening, those unused veggies in your kitchen are a great place to start. Just think: you can plant a whole garden from kitchen scraps that would otherwise go in the trash! Growing garlic, leeks, shallots, garlic, elephant garlic and other pungent members of the Allium genus is so easy that a kindergarten class can do it, but follow these simple tips to get the most bang for your buck.

Make a Living Mistletoe Kissing Ball!

I've been making 'Rainforest Drops' for years and have even included them as one of the 50 projects in my book Plant By Numbers, but only recently did I realize that these living balls of mistletoe cactus bear a striking resemblance to the 'kissing balls' of mistletoe that have helped people score make-out sessions since the Victorian age. The unfortunate thing about real mistletoe is that it doesn't last long and also happens to be poisonous. Mistletoe cactus, on the other hand, will last for years and is non-toxic.

How I Hatched these Adorable Lizards

Remember the excitement you first felt upon planting a seed and watching it sprout into a living plant? Now imagine planting that seed and looking down to find a bright green baby lizard watching you warily with its own two eyes, blinking softly and flicking its tiny tongue as it smells the world for the first time. That was pretty much what I experienced after 'planting' and hatching four lizard eggs and releasing them into the garden. Here's how you can perform your own living science experiment.

Container Garden Artisan: Candice 'Sweetstuff' Suter

Today’s container garden artisan is none other than the sensational Candice ‘Sweetstuff’ Suter of Sweetstuff’s Sassy Succulents, who is probably best known for upcycling unusual things into succulent stuffed works of found art. No object is safe from Sweetstuff and her playful ingenuity; birdcages, barbecue grills and handmade pottery are all fair game! Read on to learn more about Sweetstuff and to take a peek at some of her colorful projects.

Container Garden Artisan Kris Blevons

While I'm working on the book, I thought it would be appropriate to share the work of other 'Container Garden Artisans' so that you can see all of the different ways to artistically combine plants. First up is Kris Blevons, who manages the boutique chic Oak Street Garden Shop in Birmingham Alabama. Her arrangements are filled with drama and thoughtful touches, and range from bountiful blasts of orchids and curly willow to modern pairings of snake plant and Tillandsia. You guys are in for a treat!

Handcrafted Velvet Paper Roses

This year I opted for a more indie take on the tired tradition of giving the obligatory dozen red roses for valentines day. Mrs. Rainforest Gardener and I both love roses and all, but the annual spectacle of a million desperate men dutifully standing in line and grudgingly forking over twice as much for sloppy seconds somehow cheapens the idea. When I saw Julie Godzicki's paper roses on Facebook however, I sensed a revolution... or at least a great gift idea.

DIY Coral Reef Succulent Container Garden

Sometimes the coolest plants are the ones that don't really look like plants at all, making you crane in for a second look. A lifestyle of hardcore survival has endowed succulents with a dazzling assortment of wacky forms in every color imaginable, making some look more like sea anemones or coral polyps rather than proper and well behaved plants. This container was created for my book (tentatively titled) Plant By Numbers, but today I'll show you how to make one of your own.

Shoot Beautiful Plant Photos for $1



Is it too cold or dreary outside for garden photography? You'd be surprised at the gorgeous plant shots you can get with nothing more than your camera, your favorite indoor plant and a one dollar purchase from the drug store. Here's a hint: You probably haven't used it since the science fair.

7 Garden DIY Ideas from the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens

To announce the winners of my gardening giveaway and thank the many people who entered, I'd like to share some very cool DIY gardening ideas that come courtesy of the brilliant staff of the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. There's a keyhole garden, a fairy house with a living roof, a vertical cinderblock succulent garden and so many more ideas that promise to defrost your gardening creativity in the coming winter months.

I'm Giving Away Gardening Prize Packages!

Close your eyes, hold out your hands and get ready for some groovy gardening gifts. Thanks to some very generous contributors, we're giving away well over $200 worth of gardening prize packages to four lucky readers! From a vertical gardening prize package to a collection of gardening books, we're giving away something for everyone! Just leave a comment to enter.