Welcome To The gardening4wellness Blog
Climate-Resilient Gardening Blog
Digging into the science of cultivating climate-resilient gardens and turning it into practical garden advice.
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Greenwashing in Gardening: How to Shop More Intentionally
Learn how to spot greenwashing in gardening products, question eco-friendly claims and make more intentional, sustainable choices that reduce waste in your garden.
Do Eco-Conscious Gardens Need Fertilizer? The Answer Isn't Black and White
To fertilize or not? For eco-conscious gardeners, who love flowers, it is not an easy question. Learn how to determine if a fertilizer is synthetic or organic based on ingredients and how containers have different requirements that garden plants.
Should You Replace Your Lawn? The Real Pros, Cons, and a Smarter Way Forward
Should you remove your lawn? Explore the environmental pros and cons of lawns versus meadows, including carbon storage, cooling benefits, biodiversity, and low-input lawn alternatives for climate-conscious gardens.
Why I Don’t Use Synthetic Fertilizers on My Houseplants
I don’t use synthetic fertilizers on my houseplants. Here’s why—plant resilience, salt buildup, environmental cost.
Why Buying Different Plants Isn’t Enough to Build Climate Resilient Gardens
Buying drought-tolerant or native plants alone won’t create resilient gardens. Learn why changing gardening practices matters more.
Why Good Pruning Builds Climate-Resilient Trees and Shrubs
Good pruning builds climate resilient trees and shrubs. In a stable climate, plants may be able to compensate for these mistakes. In a volatile climate, the stress is too great.
Your Garden Is More Than Plants: Why Systems Thinking Matters Now
Shifting away from a mindset of “What should I add?” toward systems thinking approach, asking “What does this garden need?” is a subtle but powerful change. It moves gardeners from management toward stewardship, and from short-term solutions toward long-term climate resilience.
Extreme Weather and the New Reality for Gardeners
Extreme weather is reshaping the way we garden. Discover why it’s happening, the hidden footprint of gardening, and how regenerative practices offer a hopeful path forward.
Exploring New Water-Wise Habits: Another Step Toward Establishing a Climate Resilient Garden
Discover water-wise gardening tips, rainwater harvesting ideas, and smarter irrigation practices to build a climate-resilient garden that thrives year-round.
The Gift of the First Snowfall
The first snowfall is a gift. A quiet turning point in the garden year. For plants, trees, and even the hidden soil life below, snow is not a burden but a blessing, especially as shoulder seasons grow more erratic due to climate change.
Street Trees: Are Urban Heat Islands the Best We Can Do?
Tree canopies are an important part of the urban landscape and a critical part of climate resilient plantings. Many cities are doing a terrible job of protecting the trees. Often trees are located in heat islands. Can we do better?
Garden Ecosystems 101: Biodiversity, Climate Change & Regenerative Gardening
Your garden is more than beds and borders — it’s a living ecosystem. Learn why biodiversity, soil life, and regenerative gardening are key to climate resilience.
The Healing Power of Spring Gardening
Sunshine, soil and sanity. How spring gardening lifts your mood, strengthens your body and brings back a sense of hope after a long winter.
Gardening in an Era of Extremes: How Climate Events are Changing the Way We Garden
Heat domes, drought, ice storms and downpours. How extreme weather is changing our gardens, and the way we need to garden.
Why Eco-Friendly Gardeners Should Rethink Fertilizer Use
Fertilizers promise lush growth, but they can harm soil life, pollute waterways and add to emissions. Why eco-friendly gardeners should use less.
Feeling Overwhelmed This Garden Season? 5 Steps to Get Started (Even If You’re Not Ready)
Overwhelmed by your garden? Five gentle steps to ease back into the garden and find the joy again, even if you're not ready.
BOOK REVIEW: Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest
What does the term native plant really mean in a changing climate? Can you have an eco-conscious garden made up of natives and tropicals? My book review of Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest.
Create a Safe Haven for Birds in Your Garden
Climate change is disrupting birds' food, nesting and migration. How to make your garden a refuge with year-round food, shelter and safety.
Is your garden ready for unexpected weather events?
From downpours to drought, weather is becoming unpredictable. Practical ways to prepare your garden for extreme weather and build resilience.
Why Treated Landscape Ties Don’t Belong in a Sustainable Garden
Treated landscape ties look practical, but aging chemicals can leach into soil and groundwater. Why they don't belong in a sustainable garden.
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