Luke Miller

Credit: Carson Downing Select the right plants for the amount of shade your space offers. Use cool-colored flowers, variegated foliage, and contrasting textures to brighten shady areas. Add focal points like garden structures, art, or paths, and layer plants of different heights. Shade offers welcome relief from the sun's intensity, especially during the hottest days of summer. For gardeners, however, shade can feel like a limiting factor where not much will grow.

Credit: Victoria Pearson Key Takeaways Roses start blooming in spring and can go into fall, depending on climate, variety, and care. Growing repeat-blooming and continuous-blooming roses will flower the longest. Proper watering, sunlight, pruning, and fertilizing help maximize rose flower production. The primary reason to grow roses is to enjoy their colorful and often fragrant flowers.

Credit: Darya Komarova / Getty Images When it comes time to plant a tree in your yard, there are no species worthier of consideration than oaks. The botanical name is Quercus, which comes from the Celtic words quer, meaning "fine," and cuez, meaning "tree." So Quercus actually means "fine tree"—a fitting description for a genus of woody plants with so many aesthetic and practical benefits. Here’s what to know before planting one. 1.