When is a watermelon ripe? Knowing the answer to this question ensures that you enjoy the sweetest, juiciest fruit from your garden. By learning the key signs of watermelon ripeness, you can avoid picking too early or leaving melons on the vine too long, and instead harvest them at peak flavor. Look at the tendrils …
Outdoor Plants
The Chinese lantern plant is a unique and attractive addition to any fall garden. If you’re new to gardening, you’ll be happy to know that these plants are quite easy to grow. This hardy perennial is primarily grown for its distinctively shaped and vibrantly colored orange or red pods, which resemble tiny lanterns. These brightly colored …
Heirloom pumpkins are an exciting choice for beginning gardeners. Unlike the typical orange pumpkins that we all love to carve, heirlooms offer a fascinating variety of new pumpkins to choose from. These pumpkins are often prized for their unique shapes, colors, flavors, and historical significance. Keep reading to discover what makes heirloom pumpkins so special. …
Do you love getting new plants for free? This project is for you! It is super easy to propagate spider plants from the babies that the mother plant sends out on the ends of its long, arching stems. The offsets of Chlorophytum comosum – AKA spider plant, airplane plant, ribbon plant, and St. Bernard’s lily, can …
A small-space vegetable garden lets you grow fresh produce when you don’t have room for a traditional vegetable garden. With the right setup, patios, balconies, and decks can all be spaces to grow vegetables. You’ll need containers with good drainage and a quality potting mix. Your area should receive at least 6 hours of sunlight each …
Try growing Astilbe for beautiful, showy flowers that majestically sit above fern-like leaves. This perennial plant thrives in partial to full shade, making it a favorite plant for shade gardens. Its ability to grow where other plants struggle makes it the perfect choice for low-light areas. Pair astible with other shade plants such as hostas …
Herbs bring fresh flavor to recipes and are easy to grow, but not all herbs have the same life cycle. This list of annual, perennial, and biennial herbs will help you select the perfect herb for your garden. Annual herbs complete their life cycle in one season, biennial herbs take two years to grow, and …
If you are looking for an easy-to-grow vegetable, ranking second in popularity after tomatoes, try growing green beans. Green beans are also called French beans, string beans, and snap beans. They come in two types – bush beans and pole beans. Snap beans are a great vegetable for beginning gardeners. Even kids can get involved. …
Shasta daisy care is easy, making this a popular perennial for gardeners of all levels. Their sunny yellow centers and crisp white petals brighten borders, flower beds, and cottage gardens with minimal effort. The plant thrives in full sun and well-draining soil. It will reward you with more blooms each year as it naturalizes in …
Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Candy Stripe’ is a low-maintenance annual with large, single white flowers that are striped with dark pink edges. It is a popular plant in English cottage gardens. This plant has a long blooming season, flowering from early summer into fall. It’s great for cut flowers and looks nice in container gardens, too. Keep …
A cottage garden blends beauty and practicality in a relaxed, welcoming way. It’s a mix of flowers, herbs, and edibles that feel natural yet intentional. In this guide, you’ll learn simple ways to create the look of a cottage garden in your yard. We’ll discuss edging ideas and features that make the style so popular. …
False indigo plant (Baptisia australis) is a long-lived native perennial that adds height and color to garden beds. After blooming, blue false indigo develops black seed pods that add visual interest and food for birds in the winter. It is deer and rabbit-resistant. Baptisia plant also attracts hummingbirds and beneficial insects like bees and butterflies. …
Propagating hydrangeas to get new plants for free can be done in several ways – hydrangea stem cuttings, tip rooting, air layering and division of the mother plant. Growing hydrangeas from seed is also possible, but not as widely done as other forms of propagatio In today’s article, I will show how each of these …
Growing herbs for kitchen gardens is so easy to do that any home cook can have a supply of them on hand all the time. Why pay retail prices for herbs? There is nothing quite like growing herbs to add tons of flavor to recipes. They add a fullness of flavor that dried herbs just …
Hosta ‘Stained Glass’ is a standout variety of hosta that adds color and texture to shady garden spots. Its bold leaves and unique variegation make it easy to recognize and fun to grow. In this post, you’ll learn what makes this plant different from other hostas. We’ll cover its leaf color, flower features, and growth …
Keeping your garden thriving during the hottest months can be a challenge. These summer garden tips will help you keep plants healthy and productive. From smart watering habits to protecting your soil, small changes make a big difference. Your garden can stay vibrant even in the heat with the right strategies. Pests, weeds, and sun …
Learn everything you need to know about growing chives in pots, including planting instructions, care tips, and pest control. Although you can grow chives in the soil of a vegetable garden, growing potted chives is a great option if you live in an apartment, want to grow herbs indoors, or prefer having an outdoor deck garden. …
Gloriosa lily (gloriosa rothschildiana) is a climbing tender perennial that is sure to catch the eye of anyone who likes dramatic flowers. The flame-colored red flowers have scalloped yellow edges and swept back petals. If you have a bare trellis or a wall in your garden that needs spicing up, plant gloriosa and prepare yourself …
If you want to add flavor to your cooking try growing oregano. This perennial herb is easy to care for, even for beginners. Oregano is a fast growing herb with a long producing season. You can use the fresh leaves in recipes, or preserve them for later by freezing and drying them. Learn everything you need …
If you love beautiful perennials, you’ll probably have some irises growing in your garden. This may prompt you to wonder, “When do irises bloom?“. The answer to this question varies. Iris blooming season can be any time from late winter to early fall, depending on the type you grow. Ironically, irises can be one of …
Dinner plate dahlias are showstoppers in the garden, known for their giant, vibrant blooms that can span up to 12 inches across. Growing them successfully requires attention to sun, soil, and consistent care. These dahlias thrive in full sun and well-drained, nutrient-rich soil. They need regular watering and benefit from a feeding schedule throughout the …
Do you have a problem with radishes not growing bulbs? This is a common issue in a vegetable garden. What causes this to happen? Radishes – raphanus sativus – have edible greens which can be used in salads, but the main reason they are grown is for their crunchy and spicy round root. Expecting to …
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 …
This list of hosta companion plants will help you fill in your shade borders with other plants that like refuge from the sun. Hostas are well known for their delightful foliage that looks wonderful as border plants or in mass plantings. But what do you grow with them? The answer is easy if you know …
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 …
I have a new favorite flower – it’s my beautiful mandevilla vine! This stunning plant is now covered with gorgeous pink flowers that have been blooming for months and shows no signs of slowing down. One of my favorite places to sit outside during the summer is on my back deck overlooking my garden beds. …