Heide Braley

Garden Guides Editorial Policies

Garden Guides uses a knowledgeable team of editors, writers, and experts to create all our content. We dive deep into the ever-evolving conversations surrounding gardening and landscaping, striving to deliver the most current and helpful tips, strengthened by expert insight and tutorials from our talented team.

As we cover many fields of expertise, we make it a priority to ensure every beat remains fresh and comprehensive. Additional information on our editorial process available here.

Stories By Heide Braley

  • Produce
    Produce By Heide Braley November 4th, 2022

    The Best Way To Transplant Ivy Plants

    The Best Way to Transplant Ivy Plants. Ivy is a voracious grower and produces plenty of vines within a short time. Anywhere the vines touch moist soil; you can expect to find roots within a few weeks. Whether you have a potted ivy plant or a patch of ivy growing outside, the new little plants that form are excellent for transplanting. There is no special time for transplanting since as soon as the ivy encounters warmer temperatures, it will start growing again, even if it is the dead of winter.

    By Heide Braley November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • ...
    Flowers
    Flowers By Heide Braley November 4th, 2022

    How To Tell If A Lilac Bush Is Dead?

    How to Tell if a Lilac Bush Is Dead?. Sometimes after an especially harsh winter, you may look around your yard at your shrubs and wonder if they have survived. Lilacs are one of the shrubs that many Northerners covet for their early spring blossoms and sweet fragrance. During its dormant time, the lilac bush can look dead with its scraggly branches. However, there are a few things you can do to make sure it is alive.

    By Heide Braley November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Flowers
    Flowers By Heide Braley November 4th, 2022

    How To Preserve The Color Of Dried Flowers

    How to Preserve the Color of Dried Flowers. Drying your flowers is a nice way to extend the life of your garden. However, if your dried flowers end up turning brown in the drying process, you probably will not want to save or display them. There are a few tricks you can use to preserve the color of your blossoms. Even if you don't think they are as vibrant as freshly cut ones, they will be enjoyable.

    By Heide Braley November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Produce
    Produce By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022

    How To Dig Out Rhododendrons

    How to Dig Out Rhododendrons. Rhododendrons are a favorite plant of many gardeners on the East Coast. The high humidity and mild conditions with acidic soil contribute to easy growth. Moving a rhododendron is usually successful since the plant responds well to root and branch pruning. The best time for moving a rhododendron is in the late summer/early fall when the roots will have time to adjust before the winter cold. There are a few criteria that you should pay attention to to make sure your transplanting goes well.

    By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022 Read More
  • Flowers
    Flowers By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022

    How To Plant Rose Bushes From Your Dead Roses

    How to Plant Rose Bushes From Your Dead Roses. Roses are the most popular flowers of all and can be grown just about anywhere in the U.S., says Monmouth County (N.J.) Agricultural Agent Richard G. Obal. There are hundreds of varieties to choose from. Gardeners are developing new ones every year, so it is no surprise that the rose is our national flower. Start your own rose bushes from cut roses by following a few steps.

    By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022 Read More
  • Trees
    Trees By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022

    How To Support The Limbs Of Fruit Trees

    How to Support the Limbs of Fruit Trees. It is very satisfying to grow fruit in your own backyard. The availability and freshness are unparalleled. After the trees get large enough and start producing large quantities of fruit, whether it be plums, peaches, apples, nectarines or lemons, one of your main concerns might be how to make sure the branch is not overloaded and will not crack under the weight of the fruit. You can do a few things to address this problem.

    By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022 Read More
  • Flowers
    Flowers By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022

    How To Prune Overgrown Muscadine Grapevines

    How to Prune Overgrown Muscadine Grapevines. Muscadine grapes, also known as Scuppernong grapes or Southern Fox grapes, tend to grow wild in the southeastern parts of the United States. This grape is very high in antioxidants and, according to the USDA, "concentrations of these compounds (phenolic) present in the muscadine grape equal or exceed that known for other small fruit." Pruning muscadine grapes into submission produces better grapes and a healthier vine.

    By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022 Read More
  • Flowers
    Flowers By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022

    How To Get A Vinca Vine To Bloom

    How to Get a Vinca Vine to Bloom. Vinca vines are also known by the names of Creeping Myrtle, Periwinkle, and Vinca minor. These vines will grow about six inches high and will send out vines about 18 inches long that will root and continue spreading, slowly forming a thick ground cover. They are identified by their evergreen leaves and striking purple-blue flowers. There are a few requirements the plant has that if met will keep it green and covered in the pretty blossoms.

    By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022 Read More
  • Trees
    Trees By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022

    How To Grow Peach Trees In Missouri

    How to Grow Peach Trees in Missouri. Peach trees are a bit of a controversy to the home fruit tree grower. They can produce fruit that is so sweet and delicious but at the same time the tree can be a real pain to take care of and is susceptible to several problems that can ruin the fruit. However, that being said, if you follow a few guidelines, you can grow peach trees in Missouri.

    By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022 Read More
  • Lawn Care
    Lawn Care By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022

    How To Dry Purple Fountain Grass

    How to Dry Purple Fountain Grass. Purple fountain grass is such a colorful addition to the perennial garden, that it is hard to think that such a gorgeous plant is going to die back over the winter. Of course, you can harvest some of the fronds and dry them for an attractive and striking dried flower arrangement.

    By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022 Read More
  • ...
    Produce
    Produce By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022

    How To Build A Garden On Top Of An Asphalt Driveway

    How to Build a Garden on Top of an Asphalt Driveway. Building a garden on top of asphalt is not as difficult as you might imagine. As long as you have enough sunlight and the spot is not too low, so water won't puddle under the garden, you should have some success. You might find that you actually prefer it to a ground level garden since the soil line is higher and you have to bend over less. A raised bed can also eliminate the risk of contaminated soil leaching chemicals into the garden.

    By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022 Read More
  • Produce
    Produce By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022

    How To Start An Asian Pear Tree From Seed

    How to Start an Asian Pear Tree From Seed. Asian pears are fast becoming a standard fruit in grocery stores across the world. In some markets they have been popular for several years as the growth of the tree has spread to new areas. You can start a tree yourself from the seeds of an Asian pear that you maybe have eaten, saving the core and the seeds. It is not much different than starting an apple tree except that you will not need to stratify the seeds if you use them fresh from an Asian pear.

    By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022 Read More
  • ...
    Produce
    Produce By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022

    How To Harvest Grass Seed

    How to Harvest Grass Seed. Grass seed harvesting does not have to be a complicated task. The most important factor is waiting until the seedhead has matured before detaching it from the plant. Cut too early and the seed will not be viable and will not germinate. Take time to let the grass grow and the seedheads to fully mature, and you will be rewarded with plump mature seeds.

    By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022 Read More
  • Trees
    Trees By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022

    How To Plant A Sawtooth Oak Tree From An Acorn

    How to Plant a Sawtooth Oak Tree From an Acorn. The Sawtooth oak (Quercus acutissima) tree will produce acorns within five or six years after acorn germination, unlike most other oak trees, which can take 25 to 30 years before they reproduce. This trait has made the tree a desirable seedling, as it will produce large 1-inch long acorns, which are excellent food for wildlife. It grows quickly, sometimes up to 3 feet per year, forming a useful landscape tree. If you have access to the acorns, you might try sprouting them and starting your own Sawtooth oak tree.

    By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022 Read More
  • Produce
    Produce By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022

    How To Plant Cedar Trees From Seed

    How to Plant Cedar Trees From Seed. Cedar trees can be planted from seed as long as their basic requirements are met. Things like stratification, moisture content and sunlight play an important role in the successful outcome of the planting. Several types of plants bear the name cedar, but not all are true cedars from the cypress family. The cedars discussed here are different genus types from within the Cypress family.

    By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022 Read More
  • Produce
    Produce By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022

    How To Compost Peanut Shells

    How to Compost Peanut Shells. Peanut shells are a great addition to a home compost pile. They provide a good source of fibrous woody matter that can break down in the compost pile and act as a carbonaceous agent. Composting is simply the product of controlled biological decomposition of organic material, according to the California Integrated Waste Management Board. It is the control part that you need to understand when it comes to adding things like peanut shells to your compost pile.

    By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022 Read More
  • Trees
    Trees By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022

    How To Do Companion Planting For Peach Trees

    How to Do Companion Planting for Peach Trees. Anyone who has been around peach orchards for very long realizes that most commercial growers use many sprays to fertilize and keep pests away from their peach trees. One organic method of keeping the right bugs around and the wrong bugs away is with companion planting.

    By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022 Read More
  • Flowers
    Flowers By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022

    Life Cycle Of A Cactus

    Life Cycle of a Cactus. The mature cactus plant will produce flower buds in the spring. These buds will develop into flowers in a matter of time, some a few days and some a few weeks. Often these flowers will open and close with daylight.

    By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022 Read More
  • Produce
    Produce By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022

    How To Build A Compost Bin On A Slope

    How to Build a Compost Bin on a Slope. The idea of using a slope as a site for a compost bin is pretty practical. Compost needs good drainage, which the slope will provide, and often people are at a loss for ideas for what to do with a slope in their yard. If you are fortunate to have a south-facing slope, your compost pile will probably do well, but any site can work to some degree. You should try to build the compost bin level, or it might look haphazard and not attractive. This is a simple explanation for assembling a compost bin. You can get much more complicated if you wish.

    By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022 Read More
  • ...
    Trees
    Trees By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022

    How To Grow Apple Trees In Maryland

    How to Grow Apple Trees in Maryland. Apple trees can grow in Maryland and are grown by many people and orchards. Maryland averages between 29 million and 35 million lbs. of harvested apples each year of the total 95 billion lbs. grown in the United States.The coastal and Chesapeake Bay areas of Maryland are beautiful farm areas where apple trees grow easily. The western mountainous part of the state is expanding its apple tree count by using programs like the Maryland Correctional Enterprises' work crews to plant sustainable crops and trees.

    By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022 Read More
  • Trees
    Trees By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022

    How To Prune Eastern White Pine

    How to Prune Eastern White Pine. The Eastern White Pine is a tree that has spread throughout almost all of the United States, except for the southern and western coastal regions. If you have a sunny area that gets at least a half a day of sunlight, you can grow a Eastern White Pine tree. Their bluish green needles are soft to the touch and the branches are easy to trim for pruning.

    By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022 Read More
  • Lawn Care
    Lawn Care By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022

    How To Figure Ounces Of 2 Cycle Oil To Gasoline For Weed Eaters

    How to Figure Ounces of 2 Cycle Oil to Gasoline for Weed Eaters. The invention of two-cycle engines made worrying about running out of oil while using your weed eater a thing of the past. Now you simply add your oil to the fuel can, and every time you add gas to the engine, you are adding oil. Your only concern is figuring the proper ratio of two-cycle oil to gas.

    By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022 Read More
  • ...
    Flowers
    Flowers By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022

    How To Kill Evergreen Shrubs

    How to Kill Evergreen Shrubs. Homeowners usually choose evergreen plants for their year-round color and fragrant needles. Unlike deciduous perennials and shorter-lived biennials and annuals, evergreen plants retain green foliage through multiple growing seasons. These long-lasting shrubs and trees can be hard to kill, but a few things will do them in, whether intentional or not. You can decide which method you need to use, or, on the inverse, you can see which of these techniques might have killed your evergreens.

    By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022 Read More
  • ...
    Flowers
    Flowers By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022

    How To Grow Oregano From Cuttings

    How to Grow Oregano From Cuttings. Oregano (Origanum vulgare) is a low-growing herb with small leaves that pack a punch of strong flavor. The plant will produce seeds, but the easiest way to propagate oregano is through plant division or cuttings. Like the other plants in the mint family, many cultures use the leaves for medicinal and culinary purposes. Oregano is native to the Mediterranean and might not survive areas with harsh winters.

    By Heide Braley November 3rd, 2022 Read More