Posts by Alexander Whaley

I’ve installed more railing planters than I can count, and I’ve also had to fix the mess when they go wrong. If you’ve seen rusty streaks on concrete, wobbly brackets, or water dripping onto...

I garden on a twelfth-floor balcony that funnels wind like a subway tunnel. My first season, I watched herbs snap and petunias shred within a week. After a lot of trial and replacement, I found tough...

I started using terrariums because my windowsills were full and my cuttings kept drying out. The first time I tucked a wilting fern into a glass jar, it bounced back in a week. If you garden in an...

My first air plant bloom was thrilling for exactly two weeks, then the spike browned and I panicked. Friends messaged me the same photos I had taken: a crisping inflorescence and pups peeking from...

I used to soak air plants for ages and worry about their scraggly roots drying out. Then I learned those roots aren’t for drinking at all — and my plants stopped rotting overnight. In this guide,...

I’ve watched more than one cute desktop terrarium turn into a jar of stretched, floppy succulents. The plants weren’t “sick” — they were starving for light. Once I understood how glass,...