Japanese maples are beloved for their interesting leaves, beautiful shape and vibrant color. They grow easily further south, but warming temperatures are allowing hardier varieties to thrive in New England.

By now most gardeners have planted their bush and pole snap beans. These beans come in green, yellow or purple colors and are probably some of the easiest veggies to grow. With the hot weather returning, there are other beans that will not only enjoy the heat, but need it. Let's talk about sowing edamame, yard long beans and lima beans now to take advantage of the heat and long days. I'll talk about varieties, planting techniques and where to grow them.

Late spring's warmer temperatures, frequent sun and soaking rains provide the perfect growing conditions for home gardens. Charlie Nardozzi answers lots of gardeners' questions about their plants, trees, weeds and no-dig methods.

Home gardeners have been placing certain flowers and vegetable plants together for decades. (I see you, marigolds near tomatoes!) Now, scientific research shows companion planting can be beneficial.

"Glads" are tall, showy perennials and are part of the iris family. Their tall stems flower with multiple blooms along the stalk and come in many colors and heights.

Wetter weather suits some garden critters, like slugs and snails. Slugs, especially, will eat your basil, lettuce, marigolds and more. Certain pesticide-free techniques can save your garden from becoming a slugfest this summer.

Some garden plants grow quite large and take up lots of space, like cucumbers and pumpkins. But summer squash — like zucchini and yellow crookneck — can be grown vertically if you have limited real estate in your garden.

Their heady fragrance can transport you; plant tall or smaller flowering shrubs for color and scent all season.

The trend of "No Mow May" follows the logic that leaving your whole lawn unmowed for the month can help pollinators. The birds, bugs and bees will use the overgrown weeds and flowers as food and shelter. Instead of doing this for a month then mowing it all down, consider dedicating a small portion of your yard to pollinators for the whole season.

This Earth Day, embrace some more Earth friendly gardening practices, like reusing plastic pots, forgoing pesticides and planting pollinator friendly lawns.