The Tucson sun is relentless. Despite our cloudless skies and abundant sunny days, many of us are reluctant to spend time outside in our yards and gardens due to the heat and brightness. Some shade is ...

In the desert, shade can be hard to come by. Trees for shade demand water throughout their entire lives, so growing for shade becomes difficult and costly. It also takes a lifetime to achieve. In the ...

Many gardeners love being outside in their garden on a beautiful sunny summer afternoon. But what if your garden is in a full-sun location and the air temperature is 95 degrees with a heat index of ...

When the summer heat rolls in, your garden can quickly become a sun trap — and not every corner is built to withstand it. There are parts of your garden that will benefit far more from the cooling ...

In early California life happened beneath the ramada. Native Americans created these brush covered shade structures in the center of every village. Similar arbors were built by the Spanish at mission ...

Haley Mast is a freelance writer, fact-checker, and small organic farmer in the Columbia River Gorge. She enjoys gardening, reporting on environmental topics, and spending her time outside ...

Is your yard starved for sun? Turn your backyard into a thriving oasis with these tried-and-true shade garden plants.

The first time I saw a climbing hydrangea, it was growing its way up the trunk of a majestic oak. I was smitten, and Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris also climbed its way to the No. 1 spot on my ...

We’ve had excessive heat this summer, and it appears more is on the way. Many gardeners have turned to shade cloth to protect their crops and tender plants. Shade cloth is an open-weave synthetic ...

Elizabeth has worked since 2010 as a writer and consultant covering gardening, permaculture, and sustainable living. She has also written a number of books and e-books on gardens and gardening. Haley ...