Design Happens

Have you seen the new HGTVGardens site? It’s a proud new addition to our family — and let me tell you — it’s pretty amazing. It has all you need to know about getting started with gardening and goes way beyond that.

I like to start out with the user-friendly plant finder, which has a list of thousands of varieties. The plants are conveniently organized alphabetically, but not sure which plant you want? No problem — you can search by zone and type, and each plant is listed with recommended light and moisture levels.

The site is especially helpful for those trying their hand at an edible garden. You can learn which vegetables and fruits work best in your zone. Once you’re successful growing them, the experts show how you can take your plants from garden to table, which includes several recipes — most importantly dessert (ice cream, anyone?)!

If you want to incorporate gardening into your daily lifestyle, they’ve got you covered there, too. Learn how gardening can help with depression, naturally dye your clothes using beet juice or make homemade beauty products.

So, what do you think so far? Once you’ve checked out the site, let us know what your favorite feature is.