my garden favorites

One of the cutting tools I reach for again and again, for the branches that are too thick for hand pruners.

Another everyday workhorse. Stainless, comfortable in the hand, and it has not bent or rusted on me.

Good for breaking up and working soil without turning it into an afternoon project.

Just make sure you use this temporarily. It is not meant to stay tied to a plant long term, there are different products for that. This one is quick and easy.

Best for: Training trees, climbing roses, and tomatoes.

My go to for tomatoes and climbing roses. These are great to quickly train something, and so much cheaper than other products for the amount that you get. I use them any time I need to gently redirect or secure a plant. Less sturdy than the previous product, but quicker to use, and they are easily repairable if they separate.

A very gentle way to tie plants. It is much less likely to damage them and can even be used to repair. I use this to train my Japanese maples gently, because I don't want to damage their trunks or branches.

A great heavy duty wire to have on hand. I use it to secure my biggest climbing roses to trellis. It can technically damage the canes, but I haven't really found that to be the case in any serious way. I use this to keep my big strong climbing roses in bounds, where I want them.

Perennials, young tomatoes, basil, anything that is young and needs a little support does well with these. I use them on my Russian sage to make it stay more vertical. They are so good to have on hand when plants look floppy and don't have enough strength yet to support all of their new growth. Mums do well with these.

A different version to keep perennials, basil, peonies and mums a little tidier and more upright looking. This is the secret that arboretums and professional garden spaces use to make their pictures and garden beds look flawless. It will help any scrappy looking plant have a little more structure.

This is a game changer. Every summer a few plants struggle and it is so stressful. I bought this huge amount, but have cut it into little pieces over time to cover plants. I am convinced having this on hand has helped so many plants make it through their first year here. I have it on three plants in my backyard right now. Usually people recommend 50%, but I find this to be a great emergency shade cloth when things look scorched or stressed.

And the 50% shade cloth as well. A game changer for us, and it is a buy-it-for-life type item, truly.

I got these in 2024 and they are still going strong. I bought two, and I have now combined them into one long bed. Easy to change the layout if you want, and they've been doing great for over two years now.

My go to weed pulling tool. It takes a second to figure out how this works, but it is so much better for your back than bending over constantly.

My winter faucet covers. I have two longer faucets, and these cover them and have lasted a while.

A cute watering can I have had for years. Everyone needs a cute watering can.

This is the one that leads through the pathway to the deck. It has held up so well and was so easy to put together. For the price, this is a great game changer to the look of your space. I am sure you can find sturdier ones out there, but if you anchor this into the ground, it'll be a great addition. Only in the most extreme storms has it shifted around, and it was easily put back in place. When I went back to look this up, I was shocked at how cheap it is. Great bang for your buck here.

Going strong since 2021, this is the arbor that leads into my sideyard. It has lasted the test of time and remains unfazed by our heat and cold. I have it staked into the ground and it has never fallen over, although to be fair it is in a protected area in the sideyard.

These are good for a year-one climbing rose, vines, anything that you want to train vertically. Good deal for the four of these. I've had them in my garden since 2022 and they still look great. Not big enough for a huge, strong climbing rose, but perfect for small vines and roses.

A shorter version that is also very sturdy and looks high quality.

A sturdy obelisk for the price. Don't get plastic ones. When your tomatoes or roses or whatever you are growing on them get big and strong, plastic will not support your plants. This one does. I have four of these now, because I made the mistake of buying the plastic ones and over time have replaced them with these.

Another one I have purchased that I love. The description says bronze, and it is bronze, but I feel like they look black and match all my other ones enough.

These secure my garden arbors into the ground well, and I find myself using them in other places in the yard when I need to support a structure. Good deal for the price, in my opinion.

There are more expensive products out there, but this one has done well for me so far. I only keep this up for a few months when it is very hot out, so I can't speak to how it would do all of the time. For me, this is a cheap summer umbrella I use and then put away.

This has lasted forever and looks great, honestly. I've kept it outdoors 365 days a year for years. I could restain it now, as I have had it for five years, but what a high quality bench that looks really expensive for the price.

My indestructible string lights that give a great vibe in the garden at night. I didn't want ones that were too cool toned. These are warm and bright and very effective. I've had them for years with no issues, other than my own haphazard way of putting them up in my courtyard.

I have six of these hanging baskets. They are very sturdy and have lasted years. I don't always have hanging baskets out, but when I do I think these look particularly classy and match my yard.

I purchased this in 2021, and this is the updated version. So many people compliment this little fountain. I have it in front of a wall of faux boxwood, just because it's so hot and difficult to grow something in that spot. A great focal point in my courtyard that looks vintage, even though it isn't.

This is the good stuff. When my live oak tree had borers on it, this eliminated them. When I am on top of it, I try to apply this to all the trees and shrubs in my yard yearly. I have purchased it five times. I like keeping one in the garage in case I see weird pest issues and I'm not sure what to do. This is the go to product for me, and I don't really use a lot of pesticides. I find this preventative approach to work better.

A great go to fertilizer. It smells terrible and it is concentrated, so you want to water it down, but I have actually had this as my primary fertilizer for my houseplants since 2022. It lasts forever. You add a little bit to your watering can and it will help feed your plants. Such a great deal when there are so many fertilizers out there you can spend money on.

If you have a plant that is yellowing and you think it is iron deficient, that is very likely in our clay soil. I use this to help my plants that end up like that, most recently my Chinese fringe trees. It really does seem to help amend the soil.

Elevate your containers so they don't get as overheated in the summers. A game changer for the containers on my deck and courtyard when the heat comes in. It also helps them get better airflow because they are slightly elevated.

Holly-tone is great because our soil is not acidic, and this is targeted towards helping plants that crave that acidic soil. Use it on holly, camellias and azaleas. It is very versatile and I always have it in my garage.

I want my roses to bloom as much as possible while keeping them healthy, and roses need a lot of fertilizer. This is my go to. It is top rated for a reason, it really does a great job. Try it out.

The Tomato-tone is good too. If you want great tomatoes, use this to get them going. It does make a big difference in how much fruit you get out of them if you start early and follow the recommendations.

Citrus also needs fertilizer to produce fruit. I keep this in the garage and every six weeks or so put out a small amount. I think if you commit to buying a citrus tree, you might as well commit to fertilizing it to maximize how much fruit you get.

This is one of the foundational products I use to water my yard, with emitters throughout. I have purchased this three times.

My current drip water timer. It is simple, it works for me, and it does not leak. Good deal in my opinion.

A product I always use to cut holes in the drip, which happens quite a bit the more you do it. Necessary to pair different drip lines together.

A more premium mix that I have had great results with as well.

Important to put over the top of your seeds to help retain moisture. This practice does work, and I think it is worth trying to help you get better germination and long term results.

Very effective and easy to adjust the height. There are a lot of cheaper options, but they typically don't have enough power to really get your seeds started inside. Consider this one, and consider the strength of the lights and your specific set up when you purchase.

Hands down my favorite gardening book. I have learned so much from this book and from Linda herself. This is a great gift because it is full of very relevant information (she gardens in Oklahoma) and it is beautiful to flip through.

It is also just a beautiful coffee table book. I have it on display in my entryway. I find the way she laid out this book to be very easy to reference.

I love Linda Vater so much. I don't always use this book as a journal in the way she laid it out, but I do use it to sketch and plan, and I love the idea of being organized enough to have a five year journal. As always, great information from her.

These look great and are a very convincing boxwood flanking my front door.