What we cover
The library runs across eight topical hubs: perennials, shade plants, ornamental grasses, climbing plants, container gardening, raised bed gardening, plant care and troubleshooting, and the tools and soil amendments that make the work easier.
Total count, as of Issue No. 12: 137 in-depth articles, all reachable from the home page or the relevant hub.
Editorial standards
The site runs on six rules. They are not aspirational. They are the rules we use to decide whether a draft is fit to publish.
Trial bed first, internet second
Every recommendation is something we have grown, killed, or deliberately left out of a bed for at least two full seasons on our zone 5b lot. If a plant has not made it through a real winter with normal fall care, it does not get recommended here, no matter how pretty the catalog photo is.
Sources on the page, not behind it
We cite the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, the Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, the Royal Horticultural Society plant selector, the USDA NRCS Plants Database, and extension publications from the universities of Minnesota, Cornell, Penn State, and Oregon State wherever the data shapes a recommendation.
Specific numbers, not vibes
When we say a plant blooms for weeks, we mean it, and we name the months. When we say it survives a zone 5 winter, we mean the plant tag lists USDA zones 3-8, not 6-9.
Plain language, no fake authority
We use scientific names at first mention of a plant because that is the most reliable search term for our readers, but we do not use them to show off. No one here has a degree they put after their name on the page.
No paid placements in the picks
We do not run sponsored posts, do not take review units from retailers, and do not link to affiliate programs we would not use ourselves.
Disagreeing with the consensus is allowed
A lot of common advice does not hold up at zone 5b. We say so, with reasons. If a beloved plant is overrated for cold-winter gardens, we name it.
How a guide gets written
- Drafted in the trial bed. The writer grows the plant for at least two full seasons before recommending it.
- Cross-checked against authoritative sources. Hardiness range, mature size, native range, and bloom period are confirmed against MBG Plant Finder, RHS, or USDA NRCS.
- Reviewed by the other writer. The second writer reads the draft against their own trial-bed notes.
- Updated when wrong. Guides get a visible update note when a recommendation is revised.
Where the journal came from
The short version:
- The journal started in 2018, in the second spring after the trial bed went in. The first issue was a single printed zine mailed to twelve friends.
- We added the website in 2020 to make the notes searchable for ourselves, then left it up because other zone 5 gardeners kept finding it useful.
- The current run covers eight topical hubs and 137 in-depth guides, all linked from the home page and cross-referenced where the topic overlaps.
- Two writers, one shared lot, eight years of continuous notes. The 2026 calendar year is Issue No. 12.
What we will not do
We will not run listicles or "10 plants you have never heard of" content. We will not recommend a plant we have not grown. We will not take sponsored posts.
Who writes the guides
Two working gardeners. Profiles and full article lists are on the author pages.
- David Chen - ornamental grasses, climbing plants, plant care, garden tools, soil science, pruning
- Margaret Sinclair - perennials, shade plants, container gardening, raised bed gardening, soil amendments
Sources we lean on
The databases and services behind most of our recommendations:
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) - the standard for hardiness ratings.
- USDA NRCS Plants Database - native range, conservation status.
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder - 7,500+ cultivated plants.
- Royal Horticultural Society Plant Finder - global cultivar data.
- University of Minnesota Extension - cold-climate guides.
- Cornell University Garden-Based Learning.
- Penn State Extension.
- Oregon State University Extension.
- Pollinator Partnership.
- Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
- Chicago Botanic Garden Plant Evaluation Notes.
Get in touch
Have a question we have not answered yet? Reader notes are the main thing that shapes what we write next. Mention your zone, soil, and the specific problem, and we will usually write back within a week.