Margaret Roach
- Publisher and Blogger, A Way To Garden
- Host, MARGARET ROACH A WAY TO GARDEN
- Contributor, The New York Times
Sharon
Ex-Martha exec, now just mad gardener, rural nature addict, award-winning writer & podcaster, creator of awaytogarden.com and matching book & podcast
Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Margaret Roach
What You Need to Know About Greenhouses Before You Buy One
Real Estate|What You Need to Know About Greenhouses Before You Buy One https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/03/realestate/garden-greenhouse-guide.html You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. When Leslie Halleck was shopping for a home last year in anticipation of relocating from Texas to Oregon, one feature of the place she eventually purchased stood out: It had a great spot for a home greenhouse.
How to transform a pond into a hotbed for biodiversity
“Looks messy, helps frogs.” So read the subject line atop a recent issue of The ARC’ives, the newsletter of the Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy, which described how a wetland under restoration may at first look messier — as invasive plants are removed, for example, or prescribed burns are conducted — before the system starts to heal. Messiness can signal a new beginning, and much more.
The High Line Unveils Its Newest Garden
There has been no official fanfare yet about the High Line’s newest gardens, no ribbon-cutting or fête. But catbirds and mockingbirds swooped in almost before the plants were in the ground to have a look — and a feast of winterberries. The designer of the High Line’s naturalistic plantings, Piet Oudolf, flew in from the Netherlands for a visit last week, too, to check on the progress of some recently planted areas.
An expert’s advice for indoor plant care
Like the doctor at a party barraged by other guests’ health issues, August Laska is used to being asked for advice, whether he’s on duty or not. Except with him, it’s about houseplants, and not just sick ones. When Laska founded The Old Yew Plant Shop in New York in 2021, he quickly learned that answers are a very in-demand item, even if they aren’t stocked on the shelves with price tags affixed.
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Turn Your Backyard Pond Into a Hotbed of Biodiversity, Even in Winter Create a “water garden” to support the vulnerable creatures, animals and organisms that make up your hyperlocal food chain.
Harvesting seeds now means more resilient plants later
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... By Margaret Roach For The New York Times A forgotten patch of spring-sown arugula is bolting. A cucumber hidden among its own foliage is heading toward too fat to eat, its skin starting to discolor. Neither, though, need be a lost cause. Could the vegetable garden, with past-prime hints like those alongside its bounty of ripe tomatoes, be trying to tell us something, reminding us of its alter ego as a seed garden?
Harvesting seeds for more resilient plants
A forgotten patch of spring-sown arugula is bolting. A cucumber hidden among its own foliage is heading toward too fat to eat, its skin starting to discolor. Neither, though, need be a lost cause. Could the vegetable garden, with past-prime hints like those alongside its bounty of ripe tomatoes, be trying to tell us something, reminding us of its alter ego as a seed garden?
The Doctor Is In: Advice on Giving Your Indoor Plants the Best Care
The Doctor Is In: Advice on Giving Your Indoor Plants the Best Care The owner of two Manhattan plant shops finds that education is the biggest part of his business. tending to houseplants and their owners.
A forgotten patch of spring-sown arugula is bolting. A cucumber hidden among its own foliage is heading toward too fat to eat, its skin starting to discolor. Neither, though, need be a lost cause. Could the vegetable garden, with past-prime hints like those alongside its bounty of ripe tomatoes, be trying to tell us something, reminding us of its alter ego as a seed garden?
How to keep the vegetables coming
I've ordered a packet of Hakurei salad turnip seeds, and the newly installed calendar app on my phone has been informed of what I'll need to do with them and when, so it can remind me. Admittedly, neither salad turnips nor digital calendaring (make mine paper, please) is my usual fare. But after an advance look at Jean-Martin Fortier's first book geared to gardeners -- not his usual farming audience -- I'm rethinking things.
An Artist Uses Plants as Her Muse
(In the Garden) With several hundred thousand species of plants worldwide categorized within some 600 families, one could forgive even the best-credentialed botanist for occasionally finding the full taxonomic landscape a bit staggering. Wendy Hollender didn't study botany, but she has made a career of studying plants ever so closely.
A Methodic Way to Keep the Vegetables Coming
(In the Garden) I've ordered a packet of Hakurei salad turnip seeds, and the newly installed calendar app on my phone has been informed of what I'll need to do with them and when, so it can remind me. Admittedly, neither salad turnips nor digital calendaring (make mine paper, please) is my usual fare. But after an advance look at Jean-Martin Fortier's first book geared to gardeners -- not his usual farming audience -- I'm rethinking things.
An illustrator with a passion for botanicals
With several hundred thousand species of plants worldwide categorized within some 600 families, one could forgive even the best-credentialed botanist for occasionally finding the full taxonomic landscape a bit staggering. Wendy Hollender didn’t study botany, but she has made a career of studying plants ever so closely.
Rethinking the vegetable garden
I’ve ordered a packet of Hakurei salad turnip seeds, and the newly installed calendar app on my phone has been informed of what I’ll need to do with them and when, so it can remind me. Admittedly, neither salad turnips nor digital calendaring (make mine paper, please) is my usual fare. But after an advance look at Jean-Martin Fortier’s first book geared to gardeners — not his usual farming audience — I’m rethinking things.
An Artist Uses Plants as Her Muse
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. With several hundred thousand species of plants worldwide categorized within some 600 families, one could forgive even the best-credentialed botanist for occasionally finding the full taxonomic landscape a bit staggering. Wendy Hollender didn’t study botany, but she has made a career of studying plants ever so closely.
A Methodic Way to Keep the Vegetables Coming
A Methodic Way to Keep the Vegetables Coming An organic farmer reveals his system for sowing seeds, mapping crops and keeping your favorite lettuces, carrots and radishes sprouting from summer into winter.
Why It's Best Not to Rush a Garden
(In the Garden) Celebrated English landscape designer Dan Pearson really knows how to read the room -- the outdoor room -- drawing on an uncanny instinct for divining what goes where and a depth of patience many of us gardeners might well be wise to cultivate. He was already a leader in the naturalistic movement with an impressive global portfolio of projects when he came to Hillside, the place he now calls home, in Somerset, England.
Taking time to understand the garden
The celebrated English landscape designer Dan Pearson really knows how to read the room — the outdoor room — drawing on an uncanny instinct for divining what goes where and a depth of patience many of us gardeners might well be wise to cultivate. He was already a leader in the naturalistic movement with an impressive global portfolio of projects when he came to Hillside, the place he now calls home, in Somerset, England.
Why It’s Best Not to Rush a Relationship
The celebrated English landscape designer Dan Pearson really knows how to read the room — the outdoor room — drawing on an uncanny instinct for divining what goes where and a depth of patience many of us gardeners might well be wise to cultivate. He was already a leader in the naturalistic movement with an impressive global portfolio of projects when he came to Hillside, the place he now calls home, in Somerset, England.
An affection for plantings with big leaves
The longest journey may indeed begin with a single step, but the origin story of one of my formative gardening explorations started instead like this: The largest-leaf journey began with a single left turn into the parking area of a botanical garden, in response to a roadside sign irresistibly printed with “plant sale” and an arrow.
Sometimes, the Best Way to Explore a Landscape Is to Sit Down
(In the Garden) More often than not, something that needs doing in the garden speaks more loudly than the invitation to take a load off. Who can sit still in the face of weeds, or wilting? But well-chosen, carefully sited outdoor seating is a powerful design tool that can beckon seductively to visitors (if not always the chores-mad gardener). And to anyone who accepts its call, seating does something more: It offers an alternate view to the one taken in while exploring a space on foot.
Explore your garden by taking a seat
More often than not, something that needs doing in the garden speaks more loudly than the invitation to take a load off. Who can sit still in the face of weeds or wilting? But well-chosen, carefully sited outdoor seating is a powerful design tool that can beckon seductively to visitors (if not always the chores-mad gardener). And to anyone who accepts its call, seating does something more: It offers an alternate view to the one taken in while exploring a space on foot.
An Outsize Affection for the Biggest of Leaves
The longest journey may indeed begin with a single step, but the origin story of one of my formative gardening explorations started instead like this: The largest-leaf journey began with a single left turn into the parking area of a botanical garden, in response to a roadside sign irresistibly printed with “plant sale” and an arrow.
The Sheer Joy of Cut Flowers
(In the Garden) Sarah Raven had me at “Don’t pick and plonk,” her admonition not to cheat ourselves out of even a moment of delight a homegrown cut flower can give by hurrying it into the vase without some conscious aftercare. Thanks to “A Year of Cut Flowers,” the 14th and latest book from the celebrated British gardener, nursery owner and podcaster, I will never again carelessly cut a stem straight across.
Sometimes, the Best Way to Explore a Landscape Is to Sit Down
More often than not, something that needs doing in the garden speaks more loudly than the invitation to take a load off. Who can sit still in the face of weeds, or wilting? But well-chosen, carefully sited outdoor seating is a powerful design tool that can beckon seductively to visitors (if not always the chores-mad gardener). And to anyone who accepts its call, seating does something more: It offers an alternate view to the one taken in while exploring a space on foot.
The Sheer Joy of Cut Flowers
(In the Garden) Sarah Raven had me at "Don't pick and plonk," her admonition not to cheat ourselves out of even a moment of delight a homegrown cut flower can give by hurrying it into the vase without some conscious aftercare. Thanks to "A Year of Cut Flowers," the 14th and latest book from the celebrated British gardener, nursery owner and podcaster, I will never again carelessly cut a stem straight across.
The Sheer Joy of Cut Flowers
Sarah Raven had me at “Don’t pick and plonk,” her admonition not to cheat ourselves out of even a moment of delight a homegrown cut flower can give by hurrying it into the vase without some conscious aftercare. Thanks to “A Year of Cut Flowers,” the 14th and latest book from the celebrated British gardener, nursery owner and podcaster, I will never again carelessly cut a stem straight across.
Want a Riot of Color in Your Flower Beds? Definitely Make a Plan.
Speaking as a gardener who has admittedly incited a clash or two, Stephen Orr describes himself as “someone who thinks there are no bad colors, only colors used badly.” He’s been there, done that, but not for lack of careful planning. The artistic challenge of “color-scheming,” as he calls it, can put any gardener to the taste test, that oh-so-subjective judgment call hanging over every move we make in garden-making: Will it look good, and (shudder) what will visitors think?
Connecting with the botanical world
“You see, but you don’t observe,” Sherlock Holmes says more than once to Dr. Watson in an 1891 Arthur Conan Doyle short story. The fictional detective’s vintage admonition feels just right today because let’s be honest: Between rounds of weed pulling, pruning and mulching, how much of the exquisitely intricate order of things in the botanical world outside have we slowed down enough to truly take in?
It’s Time to Plant, but First Take a Crash Course on Cultivars
Nothing says goodbye to winter as definitively as a binge at the garden center, and (hallelujah!) it’s finally about that time. For those with native plants on their wish list, though, it might be helpful to briefly study up first. We’ve all heard about the power of native plants, but maybe the role of cultivars, shorthand for cultivated varieties, has been communicated less effectively.
Taking a Birder's Approach to the Botanical World
(In the Garden) kAmQ*@F D66[ 3FE J@F 5@?VE @3D6CG6[Q $96C=@4< w@=>6D D2JD >@C6 E92? @?46 E@ sC] (2ED@? :? 2? `gh` pCE9FC r@?2? s@J=6 D9@CE DE@CJ]k^Am kAm%96 7:4E:@?2= 56E64E:G6VD G:?E286 25>@?:E:@? 766=D ;FDE C:89E E@52J 3642FD6 =6EVD 36 9@?6DEi q6EH66? C@F?5D @7 H665 AF==:?8[ ACF?:?8 2?5 >F=49:?8[ 9@H >F49 @7 E96 6IBF:D:E6=J :?EC:42E6 @C56C @7 E9:?8D :? E96 3@E2?:42= H@C=5 @FED:56 92G6 H6 D=@H65 5@H?
Taking a Birder’s Approach to the Botanical World
“You see, but you don’t observe,” Sherlock Holmes says more than once to Dr. Watson in an 1891 Arthur Conan Doyle short story. The fictional detective’s vintage admonition feels just right today because let’s be honest: Between rounds of weed pulling, pruning and mulching, how much of the exquisitely intricate order of things in the botanical world outside have we slowed down enough to truly take in?
Want a lively spring? Welcome the woodpeckers
Want a lively spring? Welcome the woodpeckers The birds eliminate pests before they become a problem and provide homes for others. The New York Times March 28, 2026 at 11:00AM Woodpeckers’ impressive beaks and ingeniously designed long, sticky tongues equip them for pest control. The Northern red-shafted flicker often forages for ants on the ground. (Paul Bannick) Comment Gift Share Listen Print Do you hear that? The avian orchestra is in full force this spring after winter’s relative silence.
How to Grow a Mainly Native Garden
(In the Garden) kAmxV> AC@323=J ?@E 2=@?6 2>@?8 82C56?6CD H9@ C6DA@?5 36EE6C E@ 2 7C:6?5=J DF886DE:@? E92? E@ 2 D4@=5:?8] x D@ AC676C[ Qw2G6 J@F 4@?D:56C65 E9:DnQ E@ Qs@?VE 5@ E92E]Qk^Am kAmp?5 >2J36 ?@ @E96C Q5@?VEQ 92D 366? D9@FE65 >@C6 =@F5=J =2E6=J E92? E96 =:DE @7 A=2?ED E@ 2G@:5[ E96 G2C:@FD ?@??2E:G6[ =@?8E:>6 ?FCD6CJ\:?5FDECJ DE2?52C5D E92E 2C6 ?@H F?56CDE@@5 E@ 42FD6 6?G:C@?>6?E2= 92C>]k^Am kAm(6VG6 366?
How to Grow a Mainly Native Garden
Real Estate|How to Grow a Mainly Native Garden https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/17/realestate/plant-this-not-that-native-garden-swaps.html You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. I’m probably not alone among gardeners who respond better to a friendly suggestion than to a scolding.
Hoping for a lively spring? welcome the woodpeckers
Do you hear that? The avian orchestra is rehearsing in anticipation of another spring, with more notes sounded each day after winter's relative silence.
Hoping for a Lively Spring? Welcome the Woodpeckers.
(In The Garden) Do you hear that? The avian orchestra is rehearsing in anticipation of another spring, with more notes sounded each day after winter’s relative silence.
Hoping for a Lively Spring? Welcome the Woodpeckers.
(In The Garden) kAms@ J@F 962C E92En %96 2G:2? @C496DEC2 :D C6962CD:?8 :? 2?E:4:A2E:@? @7 2?@E96C DAC:?8[ H:E9 >@C6 ?@E6D D@F?565 6249 52J 27E6C H:?E6CVD C6=2E:G6 D:=6?46]k^Am kAmx? E96 A6C4FDD:@? D64E:@?[ E96 >2=6 H@@5A64<6CD 2C6 DE2CE:?8 E@ 5CF>[ QAC@G:?8 E96:C G:E2=:EJ 3J >2<:?8 E96 =@F56DE ?@:D6 E96J 42?[Q D2:5 !2F= q2??:4<[ 2 $62EE=6\32D65 2FE9@C 2?5 H:=5=:76 A9@E@8C2A96C H9@D6 =2E6DE 3@@< :D Q(@@5A64<6Ci p *62C :? E96 {:76 @7 }@CE9 p>6C:42?
¿Quieres un lindo jardín? Acoge a los pájaros carpinteros
¿Oyes eso? La orquesta aviar está ensayando en previsión de otra primavera, con más notas sonando cada día tras el relativo silencio del invierno. En la percusión, los pájaros carpinteros machos están empezando a tamborilear, "demostrando su vitalidad haciendo el ruido más fuerte que pueden", dijo Paul Bannick, autor y fotógrafo de fauna salvaje de Seattle, cuyo último libro es Woodpecker: A Year in the Life of North American Woodpeckers.
¿Quieres un lindo jardín? Acoge a los pájaros carpinteros
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. ¿Oyes eso? La orquesta aviar está ensayando en previsión de otra primavera, con más notas sonando cada día tras el relativo silencio del invierno.
Hoping for a Lively Spring? Welcome the Woodpeckers
Do you hear that? The avian orchestra is rehearsing in anticipation of another spring, with more notes sounded each day after winter’s relative silence.
Hoping for a Lively Spring? Welcome the Woodpeckers.
(In The Garden) kAms@ J@F 962C E92En %96 2G:2? @C496DEC2 :D C6962CD:?8 :? 2?E:4:A2E:@? @7 2?@E96C DAC:?8[ H:E9 >@C6 ?@E6D D@F?565 6249 52J 27E6C H:?E6CVD C6=2E:G6 D:=6?46]k^Am kAmx? E96 A6C4FDD:@? D64E:@?[ E96 >2=6 H@@5A64<6CD 2C6 DE2CE:?8 E@ 5CF>[ QAC@G:?8 E96:C G:E2=:EJ 3J >2<:?8 E96 =@F56DE ?@:D6 E96J 42?[Q D2:5 !2F= q2??:4<[ 2 $62EE=6\32D65 2FE9@C 2?5 H:=5=:76 A9@E@8C2A96C H9@D6 =2E6DE 3@@< :D Q(@@5A64<6Ci p *62C :? E96 {:76 @7 }@CE9 p>6C:42?
Starting at Harvard and Falling for Your First Tree
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. In a time when we live ever more deeply embedded in the digital ecosystem, Harvard University’s seminar called “Tree” should be a required course for all. Its lessons are not delivered in a lecture hall, nor is there a hefty, Latin-filled botany textbook to wade through.
New Rules for the New Year
(In the Garden) kAmxEVD 2 C6=2E:@?D9:A[ :? >J 42D6 2 =@?8\E6C> @?6[ E92E 92D H62E96C65 >2?J 24EF2= DE@C>D] p?5 J6E E96 82C56? 2?5 x 7:?5 @FCD6=G6D =2E6=J 2E E92E DE:4<:6DE @7 A=246D E92E EH@ A2CE?6CD 42? 4@?7C@?Ei E96 >@>6?E H96? @?6 FEE6CD E@ E96 @E96C[ Qx E9@F89E x <?6H J@F]Qk^Am kAm%2<:?8 DE@4< @7 E96 725:?8 J62C[ E92EVD H92EVD :? >J 9625i x E9@F89E x <?6H J@F W3FE J@F 2C6 3692G:?8 D@ F?=:<6 J@FCD6=7X]k^Am kAm%92E 766=:?8 92D :?E6?D:7:65 6249 C646?E J62C[ 2D 7@C46D @9\D@\>F49 3:886C E92?
Choosing seeds with flavor in mind
Though we simply jot down “green beans” or “tomatoes” on our shopping list, the words only hint at what we’d really like. Italian-style Romano beans, with their big flattened pods, would be better suited than your average string bean to the ragù we might wish to simmer up slowly alongside some big, meaty Amish Paste tomatoes. If only. Lamentably, neither is a regular in the average produce aisle.
New Gardening Rules for the New Year
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Masses of signature plants like spring’s gold-flowered wood poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum) can tie a design together.Credit...Margaret Roach Supported by SKIP ADVERTISEMENT Listen to this article · 7:52 min Learn more Dec. 31, 2025 It’s a relationship, in my case a long-term one, that has weathered many actual storms.
How to keep your houseplants anything but basic
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... By Margaret Roach For The New York Times In an era when shelves of mass-produced houseplants tempt us at big-box stores and supermarkets alike, Robert Moffitt sets an example for an alternative model to consider.
How to Choose Seeds With Flavor in Mind
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Brandywine is one of the tomatoes that Kevin West grows each year in his Berkshire County, Mass., garden, where flavor guides his choices when seed shopping. Credit...Kevin West Supported by SKIP ADVERTISEMENT Listen to this article · 8:51 min Learn more Dec.
Como expandir a definição de planta para a casa e criar uma decoração botânica autêntica?
Numa época em que as prateleiras de grandes varejistas e supermercados nos tentam com plantas de casa produzidas em massa, Robert Moffitt estabelece um modelo alternativo a ser considerado. Moffitt, fundador da Haus Plant, um estúdio de design botânico em Los Angeles, questiona: em vez de comprarmos impulsivamente mais um daqueles tipos de plantas comerciais, que com frequência se tornam o que ele lamenta ser “um rápido descarte”, por que não expandir nossa definição de “planta de casa”?
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Margaret
Contact Margaret, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack