About a decade ago, I started selling rain gauges at wholesale garden trade shows. Surrounded by landscape and nursery experts at every turn, I took full advantage of their expertise, peppering them with questions about grasses, annuals, perennials and ponds. I'd run back to my hotel room each night and write down all my new-found knowledge.

I loved gardening before I started selling garden products, but I think I learned more while standing around inside huge urban convention centers than I ever could have, just digging in the dirt on my own. 

The home and garden articles presented here are reliable and practical, written to help you grow healthy plants and enjoy your backyard without spending a ton of time or money.