Blake Harrison
About the Author
Blake has 14 years of hands-on gardening experience and a strong interest in the tools and techniques that separate a garden that struggles from one that thrives. She focuses on garden planning and seasonal maintenance, and hier writing tends to be direct; she'd rather tell you what actually works than hedge for every possible situation. In his workshop, she builds and customizes garden tools, which has given her a specific understanding of how equipment performs under real conditions and what most off-the-shelf options get wrong.
Blogs by Blake Harrison
You have already decided you want a pyracantha hedge. The problem is finding one clear answer. Which variety should you buy? How many plants do you need? What will it
Most gardeners want a shrub that earns its keep all year, not just pretty in spring, then forgotten. It should hold color through winter, work as a barrier, and feed
Weeds usually tell you what’s going on with the soil, if you’re paying attention. Even a lawn you mow, feed, and water on schedule will sprout the odd weed. That’s
A patch of bare soil after scarifying looks worse than it usually is. In most cases, that’s normal. Scarifying rips out old thatch and moss, not healthy grass, though the
Every crowded garden is hiding the same simple fix, and most people never think to look up. So what is a trellis, exactly? It’s an open frame that gives climbing plants somewhere to go besides
Lawns on flat ground are generally easy to manage, but slopes are not. If your grass looks thin and patchy on the incline while the rest of the garden is fine, the slope itself is
People who try composting and quit didn’t fail because they were lazy. They failed because they started with the wrong system for their life. They bought a big outdoor bin with no yard, set up
Starting a compost pile sounds simple until you toss in the wrong item and end up with a messy, smelly mess that attracts pests. I learned this the hard way early in my gardening career.
You’ve chosen the right plant, prepared the soil, and planted with care. Then a heavy rain sets in and washes part of it away. Sloping gardens need careful plant choices to prevent growth problems. The