Fan flower (Scaevola aemula) is an excellent warm-weather plant that is often grown as a summer annual. It is useful to grow in window boxes, hanging baskets, containers, or as a border plant. Even if you are a seasoned gardener, you may not have heard of scaevola. It is a relatively new-comer to the garden …
Gardening Tips
Taking care of aloe vera plants is easier than you might think. This succulent thrives with minimal attention, making it the perfect plant for beginners and seasoned plant lovers alike. Not only is aloe vera a beautiful addition to your garden, but it also has a soothing gel inside that treats burns, cuts, and minor skin …
We are right in the middle of the hottest part of the summer. The early spring bloomers are finished, and now it is time for the tough summer blooming plants to be the stars in the garden. Summer blooming plants have to be able to withstand the high temperatures that come with summer. They also …
Hydrangea color change is always a surprise to gardeners. You buy a plant with blue blooms only to discover later that the blossoms are now pink. Why does this happen, and what can you do about it? Hydrangeas are a very popular garden plant. They are a perennial shrub that comes in a variety of …
These 26 low light indoor plants are easy to care for and don’t mind growing in lower light situations. This makes them ideal for rooms with limited light, especially during the winter months when the sun is lower in the sky. These easy-care low light houseplants will not only grow, but actually thrive in less than …
Do you use baking soda for plants? Baking soda in the garden can be used in lots of different ways. Many of us think of baking soda in conjunction with various indoor “green cleaning” techniques. It has so many uses in the house that it makes sense that it will work outdoors too. We all …
Most gardeners may have heard the term “deadheading” when talking about flowers, but what is deadheading? Plant deadheading, also known as “grooming a plant” and “pinching flowers,” is a term used for the process of removing faded or spent flowers to keep the plant tidy and to encourage new blooms. Deadheading flowers is a task …
This list of flowers that don’t need deadheading is a helpful tool for gardeners interested in reducing time spent on garden maintenance. Deadheading is the process of pinching off faded or spent flowers. It makes the plants look better and encourages them to rebloom. Many plants like to be deadheaded, but there are also plenty …
Every morning I take a garden walk to see what is growing and what needs tending. Today, I spent the morning deadheading daylilies. I have clumps of daylilies – hemerocallis – that have naturalized into plants with numerous blooms on them. Some of them have 12 or 13 blooms out in a day. Since daylily …
It’s time to learn about growing heirloom seeds! Heirloom vegetable seeds have so much going for them. They end up giving you plants that you can’t go to a big box store and buy, they cost less than hybrid vegetables and you can save your own seeds from one year to the next. Have you …
Nephrolepis Exaltata Bostoniensis is one of the most popular indoor plants, and can also be grown outdoors in some parts of the country. Care of Boston Fern means providing extra humidity to keep the fronds fresh and fluffy and not giving the plant too much sunlight. Luckily for gardeners who don’t seem to possess a green thumb, …
Asiatic vs Oriental lilies – are they the same? This is a question that I often get asked by readers. These two types of lilies look similar and share many common traits, but they are two different types of hybrid lilies. Both of these lilies are grown commercially and are popular in cottage gardens. These …
What can you do if you don’t have the time or space for composting in the traditional way? This is where trench composting is your friend. Most organic vegetable gardeners are aware of the benefits of having compost pile. Even so, one of the most common vegetable garden mistakes is forgetting to add compost to …
When the weather outside is too cold for gardening, flowering houseplants bring a touch of the garden into your home. Blooming indoor plants add color and decor to any indoor setting and are cheerful year round. My first attempt at gardening started with houseplants. I remember coming home one day to the aroma of the …
This neat garden tool storage DIY project not only looks great in the garden, but is functional and weather-proof, too. This means that you can have your tools handy, no matter the weather outside! Are you wondering what to do with an old mailbox? For me, the best way to store garden tools is inside …
These cold hardy vegetables are perfect for the cool weather of early spring. Now is the time to get them planted. Many of us have very cold temperatures going on right now but it’s never too early to plan ahead for vegetable gardening. With spring right around the corner and daylight savings on the horizon, …
One of the biggest pleasures that my garden gives me is its ability for attracting butterflies to it. With the right nectar plants, a garden can be swarming with these fluttering friends all season long. But it is not just the plants that attract butterflies. There are a few other things that you can do …
This tutorial shows how to clean a bird bath in just 30 minutes. All you need are a few household supplies. Clean bird baths will not only attract more birds to your garden, but they can also serve as a water source for pollinators like butterflies and bees. Dirty water can become a breeding ground …
These tips for the care of caladium plants will help you get the most out of them. Caladium tubers are one of the stars of a shade garden because of their brightly colored tropical foliage and rare flower appearance. If you have a shady patio location, caladiums can be grown in pots or containers. In …
To choose cottage garden plants, think of tall flowering perennials, self-seeding annuals, and hardy biennials to give your garden just the right look. English cottage gardens have a very romantic feel to them. The look may seem haphazard but is actually planned. A cottage garden has a very distinct style that throws formality out the …
There are many types of perennials, from tender types, which need to be grown in the southern part of the USA, to very hardy perennials that keep coming back after a freezing winter outside. Budget conscious gardeners have a very good friend when they turn to growing perennials. What is not to like about a …
I love to get new plants for free by taking cuttings of some of my existing indoor plants. Purple passion plant cuttings root very easily and I’ll be showing you how to propagate it today. Gynura Aurantiaca – also known as purple passion plant or purple velvet plant is an easy to grow houseplant with …
Many garden vegetables need full sunlight to grow and produce well. However, not all vegetables require full sunlight. This vegetable sunlight chart is a useful resource to tell you whether your vegetables should be grown in low, medium, or full sunlight. If your vegetable garden doesn’t get 6-8 hours of sunlight daily, don’t despair. There …
Are you tired of your fresh flowers wilting after just a few days? Do you want to know the secret of how to make flowers last longer in a vase? Look no further than vinegar for flowers! Using vinegar in flower water can help you keep your cut flowers looking fresh and vibrant for several …
If you have never tried to grow sweet potatoes before, you are in for a treat. Starting sweet potato slips is easy to do and lots of fun. Slips are the rooted sprouts that grow from an actual mature sweet potato. They are used to grow new sweet potato plants. Growing sweet potato slips is a …
If you grow irises, you’ll get to the point when dividing them becomes necessary. There are four telltale signs that will let you know when it’s time for transplanting iris. If you notice fewer blooms, overcrowded clumps, and rhizomes pushing out of the soil, these are indications that your irises need more space to grow. …