Blogs for gardening/landscaping with an "Apartment Therapy"-like vibe
May 6, 2016 1:28 PM Subscribe
I'm a new homeowner (1 year now!) and am interested in learning more about gardening after decades of apartment dwelling. There are a lot of garden blogs out there, and I'd like to start by reading some that have a similar vibe to a home design blog I'm very familiar with, Apartment Therapy.
What I like about AT is that it's geared for beginners but doesn't talk down to people, and that it has a contemporary design sensibility (even though I'm probably 25 years older than its intended audience). A lot of blogs feel like they're written for people who are a lot more experienced in gardening than I am, or designs that are out of reach financially forthe normal person. I'm interested in various topics: nuts and bolts of how to garden, what plants to pick for my region (Pacific Northwest/8b), practical concerns such as how to deal with weeds, how to pick the right plants for conditions like slopes and shady areas, and how to think about designing a garden and associated landscaping. I've already discovered the GardenWeb forums and /r/whatsthisplant, but I'd like to find a place to get new ideas and stimulate my creativity.
What I like about AT is that it's geared for beginners but doesn't talk down to people, and that it has a contemporary design sensibility (even though I'm probably 25 years older than its intended audience). A lot of blogs feel like they're written for people who are a lot more experienced in gardening than I am, or designs that are out of reach financially forthe normal person. I'm interested in various topics: nuts and bolts of how to garden, what plants to pick for my region (Pacific Northwest/8b), practical concerns such as how to deal with weeds, how to pick the right plants for conditions like slopes and shady areas, and how to think about designing a garden and associated landscaping. I've already discovered the GardenWeb forums and /r/whatsthisplant, but I'd like to find a place to get new ideas and stimulate my creativity.
Although she's in a different growing zone than you, I think you might enjoy Gayla Trail's blog, You Grow Girl. Her writing is really accessible and encouraging to beginners.
posted by amnesia and magnets at 1:53 PM on May 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by amnesia and magnets at 1:53 PM on May 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
Not blogs, but great resources I've found are first and foremost the OSU extension office! I've called them with questions ranging from asking about lawn-care to indoor growing of coffee plants. They're the best ever. EVER.
Grow PDX is a pretty great radio show on Xray.fm. Your local NPR station or LPFM station might have something even more specific to your area. You can give them a call too, but I've gleaned just as much information from listening as I have calling in.
Though mostly design oriented, Gardenista has a good '101' series on their site. You're going to run into some of the more advanced stuff on there, but there are certainly some good nuggets hanging out.
Don't underestimate your local nursery for advice too! On a slow, weekday morning, the people who work there tend to like to talk about your space.
posted by furnace.heart at 1:56 PM on May 6, 2016
Grow PDX is a pretty great radio show on Xray.fm. Your local NPR station or LPFM station might have something even more specific to your area. You can give them a call too, but I've gleaned just as much information from listening as I have calling in.
Though mostly design oriented, Gardenista has a good '101' series on their site. You're going to run into some of the more advanced stuff on there, but there are certainly some good nuggets hanging out.
Don't underestimate your local nursery for advice too! On a slow, weekday morning, the people who work there tend to like to talk about your space.
posted by furnace.heart at 1:56 PM on May 6, 2016
Sunset Magazine, tag line is Living in the West, always has lots of gardening articles. Sometimes they have special editions focused on an area or topic; many libraries have it if you want hard copies for a rainy afternoon.
posted by jrobin276 at 1:58 PM on May 6, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by jrobin276 at 1:58 PM on May 6, 2016 [2 favorites]
Oh, you might like Gaia's Garden - the author is local to you and it looks like there's some freebies on his website. The book is excellent, and the author seemed like a really nice guy when I met him.
posted by jrobin276 at 2:05 PM on May 6, 2016
posted by jrobin276 at 2:05 PM on May 6, 2016
Gains Garden is a VERY well respected book in the Permaculture community. I have it always on my bedside table for inspiration and I wholeheartedly second the reccomendation. Also I'm envious that jrobin276 got to meet Toby.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 9:20 PM on May 6, 2016
posted by WalkerWestridge at 9:20 PM on May 6, 2016
A lot of UK gardening advice is reasonable for the PNW, and the UK is relatively garden mad, so there's a lot of it. I'd start with the Guardian and see if there's a columnist or garden you want to follow.
posted by clew at 11:43 PM on May 6, 2016
posted by clew at 11:43 PM on May 6, 2016
I like Garden Betty--the sheer number of articles is a bit daunting, but they're very accessible, and I like her design sensibility. She's in Los Angeles, so not all the gardening advice will apply, but the vibe is definitely similar to Apartment Therapy.
posted by Nibbly Fang at 11:02 AM on May 8, 2016
posted by Nibbly Fang at 11:02 AM on May 8, 2016
I am nowhere near the PNW, but I do enjoy the A Dry Rain podcast on 'gardening in the Pacific Northwest and beyond'. Some episodes are more generally about gardening, others are really specific, like the types of plants that might best suit a particular situation or what you should be planting or doing in the garden this month.
posted by AnnaRat at 4:10 AM on June 9, 2016
posted by AnnaRat at 4:10 AM on June 9, 2016
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posted by peacheater at 1:48 PM on May 6, 2016