For most of us, the home garden is the epicenter of our attempt to live a greener life, and one of the few places where the only invited guest is nature itself. The things we grow there are the purest and safest possible. The problem is that the things we grow them with often aren't. Here are some ideas of how to help you stay away from toxic tools in the garden.

Succulents and cacti are very popular plants in gardens all over the world, in part because they can survive in so many different climates. They're beautiful to look and nearly indestructible. Hacking your own homemade soil for these uniquely beautiful plants is easy to do if you follow the formula below; it may be used for indoor or outdoor containers or in planting beds. No matter what kind of cactus or succulent you're growing, the rules are pretty similar among the different species. Here are the general rules for growing top-quality succulents.

Be prepared for when the weather gets steamy. Get tips on how to keep your garden alive when extended periods of hot, dry weather arrive. A drought can be a gardener's worst nightmare. When a hot, dry weather pattern sets in, it affects your landscape in many ways. There is nothing you can do to prevent a drought, but there are some strategies you can employ to minimize the impact on your garden. Learn best tips for gardening in drought conditions.

Soil texture refers to the size of individual soil particles and is determined by the relative proportion of clay, sand, and silt. Testing the texture of your soil helps you understand more about how the soil holds moisture and encourages root growth and development. Your most important task as a gardener is to gain an understanding of soil. Knowing your soil type determines which plants will thrive and to choose the plants best suited to your garden, so save yourself heartache and miserable plants by spending a little time getting to know the soil in your garden and how to make the most of it.

Lilies surely are the most glamorous of flowers, combining their wondrous colors and patterns with a grace and elegance unmatched by any other plant in our gardens. The majority have scent, powerful enough to make you weak at the knees. To find a bulb that is so easy to cultivate, reliably produces spectacular results, year after year, and brings a touch of exoticism wherever it is grown, has to be horticultural happiness. Many of us plant lovers have limited space in our gardens. You may live in an apartment, with no yard, or you may have already filled your flower beds to the brim. Yet, you find yourself drawn to the exotic look of lilies and, as a result, wonder “can you grow lily plants in pots?” The answer is yes. As long as you have enough space on your porch, patio or balcony for a medium to large pot, you can grow potted lily plants. Read on to learn more.

While spring-blooming daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, and other fall-planted bulbs are great additions to any garden, summer-blooming bulbs also deserve a featured spot in the landscape. Planted in the spring, these summer beauties require very little maintenance and can be tucked right into existing garden beds. Planting spring bulbs means a lush garden, filled with fragrance and color all summer long. This post will walk you through the steps of how to soak bulbs and how to plant bulbs in spring for a great summer garden.

Common coffee grounds have many beneficial effects in the garden. Whether you make your cup of coffee daily or you have noticed your local coffee house has started to put out bags of used coffee, you may be wondering about composting with coffee grounds. Are coffee grounds as fertilizer a good idea? And how do coffee grounds used for gardens help or hurt? Today I’d like to tell you more about coffee grounds and gardening.

Gardeners know that the health of plants is related to several factors: light availability, temperature, soil pH, and fertility. All are important to the health of plants, but most important is the amount of water available to the plant, which is referred to as percolation in soil. Why is soil percolation important? Running a percolation test is the best way for you to discover how well your soil absorbs water, which in turn enables you to determine what soil amendments you need for your garden. There are many expensive procedures to help discover the percolation rates for your septic drain field, for example, or for any other larger draining systems. For the average homeowner, however, it is easy to successfully hack your own homemade percolation test. Discover what soil percolation is and how to test soil percolation.