As we enter the height of summer, a lot of gardeners are preparing for dry, hot weather. What types of plants should you grow to deal with drought? What types of plants do well in a dry place? Check out these articles for some suggestions.

Green gardening: Low on water? These plants don’t mind – This list of plants from The Seattle Times thrives in dry conditions. These drought-tolerant plants are also low maintenance and can look great all season long.

Gardeners go for high and dry planting – High and dry gardens conserve water. These water-wise gardens usually showcase native plants, which offer season-long color and need little maintenance.

Chicago-area gardeners thirst for rain barrels – Demand for rain barrels in many cities has outpaced supply. Gardeners, eager to conserve water and save on their water bills, have snapped them up as quickly as they come in. Makes sense, given how easy they are to install and how much money you can save by using rainwater.

Use ornamental grasses to add special dimension to any garden – During the summer, ornamental grasses can thrive in hot, dry weather. In winter, they offer stand-out structure under the snow.

Water saving garden for summer drought – This brief article offers quick tips to plant a drought-tolerant garden.

While gardeners love the respite that fall brings from the rush, rush, rush of spring and summer in the garden, fall has its own tasks that need to be done before the snow flies. One of the most begrudged fall gardening chores is dealing with fallen leaves. Thankfully, leaves aren’t too difficult to manage, and they can give a little back for all your hard work in the form of mulch or compost.

Leaves can smother a lawn and make sidewalks hazardous, so it’s best to deal with them as soon as you can. But how should you deal with your leafy bounty and what should you do with it? Here are some tips for dealing with fallen leaves.

1. Mow leaves to make an instant fertilizer. If you love your lawn, and don’t really need leaves for compost or mulch, run your lawnmower over the leaves. This will shred them into leafy bits, which will breakdown quickly and give your grass a little food.
2. Collect leaves for free and easy winter mulch. Dried leaves make a great mulch. Make sure you use dried leaves that have had a chance to decompose a little bit. This makes them have a little loft, so you don’t end up with soggy layers to remove in the spring. To gather leaves for mulch, you can use a rake, leaf blower or bagger attachment on your lawnmower.
3. Compost leaves for no-fuss spring fertilizer. Pile up your leaves in any convenient garden corner, then use them to top-dress your beds in spring. Your flowers and vegetables will thank you.

What if you don’t have any leaves, but would love to cash in on their fabulousness? Check your local free classifieds, Craigslist or Freecycle for people giving away bagged-up leaves.