These swallowtail nectar plants are great at attracting butterflies to your garden. They just can’t resist them! Nothing makes me smile more than going out into my garden and seeing swallowtail butterflies fluttering around. Did you know that planting certain plants will make sure that you have these pretty visitors to your yard? Swallowtail butterflies …
Gardening Tips
There are dozens of vinegar uses in the home. From soaking your sponges to keeping your counters free of ants, this product is a must have. Vinegar is a versatile and effective household product that is more useful than just for making salad dressing. There are many vinegar uses around the house and garden. One of the …
I, for one, and many of my gardening friends have noted the declining bee population. And those that do visit our yards are the bumble bees, rather than the honey bees. With all the talk of GMOs, pesticides, and large-scale farming, one has to ask the question, “How important are bees to our Food Supply …
Critters in the garden range from beneficial to invasive. Some actually are listed by the US Department of Agriculture as invasive pests that need to be controlled. See my tips for dealing with these unwanted bugs. This post was sponsored on behalf of the United States Department of Agriculture – Animal and Plant Health Inspection …
If you love plants with a long blooming season, you will likely have a fondness for growing hollyhocks. This lovely biennial is a popular garden favorite that flowers throughout most of the summer months. Hollyhocks (Alcea) are often found in cottage gardens. They make a great background plant for shorter plants and come in a …
Balloon Flower, or Platycodon grandiflorus, is also known as Chinese Bell flower. The common names of this pretty perennial plant come from the plump found flower buds that resemble hot air balloons or Chinese lanterns before they open. Blue flowers are unusual in the garden. Keep reading to find out how to grow this flower with a …
Have you ever wondered what you need to do to grow sweet tomatoes? Vegetable gardening is so satisfying, and homegrown tomatoes are at the top of my favorites list. The taste of homegrown tomatoes is nothing at all like those that you buy in the stores. Even the vine-ripened ones can’t compare in taste to the …
Since I don’t like to use chemicals in the garden, I have been trying to find natural treatments for poison Ivy prevention so that I don’t have to use poisons We have a patch of poison ivy that seems to keep re-appearing in one of my garden beds every so often. You have all heard …
A common gardening mistake is not staying on top of weeding. This natural vinegar weed killer is easy to use that retail products, takes care of the job, and so much better for the soil. Do you love growing perennials but don’t like the weeds that need pulling? The next time you walk outside and …
Growing great tomatoes doesn’t happen just by putting a few plants into the ground and turning on the hose. But anyone can master growing great tomatoes by following a few simple dos and don’ts. In the world of vegetable gardening, there is nothing quite like the taste of fresh home grown tomatoes. The flavor of …
These Composting Tips will take the mystery out of making compost for you. If you enjoy vegetable gardening or growing flowers, adding organic matter formed by composting will give you great results. Did you know that forgetting to compost is a common vegetable garden mistake? Have you always thought that making compost is difficult? The …
There are many retail products available for watering plants at the roots, but this Soda Bottle Drip Feeder makes use or recycled materials and works really well. Drip feeders are a great idea for vegetable gardening projects. Many plants prefer the moisture at their roots instead of from overhead sprinklers, which can encourage some tomato plant problems. …
Mother Nature has the perfect answer for summer bugs- mosquito repelling plants! We can grow annuals, perennials, and herbs that will keep the bugs away naturally. With summer comes lots of outdoor living. Sadly, that can mean lots of mosquitoes. I don’t like to use chemical products so this natural solution is great for keeping …
Transplanting monkey grass is a simple process if you keep just a few things in mind. As far as growing perennials is concerned, it is one of my favorite easy care plants. Liriope is commonly known as monkey grass or spider grass. It is a versatile and easy to grow ground cover that tolerates heat well …
The red hot poker is a showy and dramatic plant. If you love growing perennials that give color all summer long, this is the plant for you. Other names for this showy plant are torch lily and poker plant. The botanical name for this plant is kniphofia uvaria and there are more than 70 known …
These 25 fun succulent planters will show you that if it can hold dirt, it can be planted with a succulent! From teacups to wooden drawers, these planters are unique and a fun way to pot your succulent houseplants. Succulents are so versatile and easy to care for. They are very drought tolerant, perfect if you …
These astilbe companion plants like the same moisture and light conditions and will make a beautifully coordinated garden bed. Astilbe is a gorgeous perennial that is right at home in a shady moist garden. You can grow it alone, but a well designed garden looks better with more than just one type of plant. Keep …
Growing begonias is a little bit of a challenge but you should do fine as long as you follow a few tips. Begonias are a very plant worldwide. They are used as bedding plants and can also be grown as indoor plants. There are lots of different leaf types, colors and flower formations. Tips for …
If you go to the big box hardware stores around the holidays and during the winter months, you will most likely find African Violets for sale in a lovely variety of flower colors. Even though African Violets can be somewhat picky about care, they are still one of the most popular indoor plants grown. Keep reading …
Biltmore Estate Gardens are a highlight of a visit to this iconic estate in Western North Carolina. The gardens, while not classified as a Botanical Gardens per se, is a fabulous place to see plants of all types. My husband and I recently spent several days in the mountains of North Carolina with our daughter. …
Turn everyday items from around the house to make these creative garden art creations. Garden containers can cost an arm and a leg if you purchase it from garden centers. But this does not have to be the case. It is easy to create instant interest in the garden by making use of recycled or …
Coleus plants add color to a garden bed like very few other plants do. I am always looking for plants to give my garden a burst of color which will last throughout the season. I plant the normal flowering annuals such as pansies, petunias, zinnias and others. But there is one variety which gives huge …
Follow some of these plant propagation tips and you will have a whole slew of new perennial garden plants without the outlay of cash at the garden center. If you garden, you will know that the cost of buying new plants can get very expensive over time. You don’t have to spend a lot of money …
Don’t let pain stop you from your favorite hobby. These 11 tips for gardening with arthritis may be just the thing that you need, too, to keep enjoying your time in the garden this summer. Getting older does not mean that the love of gardening has to be abandoned. Everyone who reads my blog knows …
Mother’s Day is right around the corner and spring has us out in our gardens. That made me think about a project for ways to transform your garden with mom in mind. I’m sure many of my readers are looking for something wonderful to give to their mothers for this special day. After all, it …
If you garden a lot, you will likely have a run-in with poison ivy at some point. These natural ways to treat poison ivy will help you beat the itch. Leaves of three, leave them be. That is the old saying for dealing with poison ivy. If you garden a lot, you will most likely, …