Winter flowering plants bring a blast of color to your yard and garden when you need it most – when the temperatures are really cold and not much is growing. It’s cold outside for most of us in the USA, but that does not mean that we have to sit idly by and wait for …
Outdoor Plants
These Christmas plants will have your home full of color, beauty, and good cheer this year. Even though the outdoor garden season has ended for many of us, that doesn’t mean that holiday plants can’t be front and center right now. December 12 is National Poinsettia Day. It is fitting that the most popular Christmas …
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. …
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 …
Learn how to grow irises with our handy guide. This popular flowering plant is an early spring bloomer, which is easy to care for. Irises have showy flowers and are popular in cottage gardens. They come in many colors, shapes, and sizes. They are deer-resistant and attractive to both birds and butterflies. With more than …
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. …
Green beans are a popular vegetable garden plant, second only to tomatoes in popularity. However, before you decide to grow them, it’s important to understand the differences between pole beans vs. bush beans. There are many varieties of green beans, but all can be categorized into one of two ways: bush beans or pole beans. …
Hydrangeas are the rockstars of summer gardens, but with uncontrolled growth, these perennials can become unruly. Knowing when to prune hydrangeas is important if you wish to maximize your blooms each season. Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all answer for when to prune this summer shrub. However, if you know what type of hydrangea you are …
As the heat of summer approaches, many vegetable gardeners face a familiar problem – tomato sunscald. This phenomenon, caused by too much sunlight and made worse by improper pruning practices, can pose a significant threat to your tomato yields. Tomato plants love sunlight, but sometimes it can be a case of “too much of a …
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. …
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 …
As a tomato enthusiast I know, firsthand, the frustration of discovering black spots on tomato leaves. There’s nothing quite like the anticipation of seeing those first ripe fruits, only to be disappointed by unsightly blemishes on the leaves. After encountering this problem in my own garden, I did some research and discovered the various causes …
Even when I spend a lot of time and energy on my vegetable garden, I often encounter some problems that I wasn’t expecting. This year, I came across some tomato plant leaves curling for the first time. Walking around my garden, expecting to find a lush harvest of plump tomatoes, and discovering a plant with curled leaves …
Selaginella kraussiana ‘variegata’ (and its cousin varieties) are Christmas plants that are also known as frosty ferns. They are relative newcomers to the holiday plant scene, and popular because of their lightly frosted white tips. If you are bored with the tried and true plants for Christmas, such as amaryllis, Christmas cactus and poinsettia, try growing …
Halloween is coming soon and, since black is a color associated with this holiday, I thought it would be appropriate to do a post on black plants. Adding these specimens to your roster of garden plants adds a dramatic look that will transform any outdoor space into a goth garden. Many of these plants can …
These tips for growing calla lilies will let you experience their beauty in your garden at a much less cost than from a florist. Have you ever priced single calla lilies at a florist? If you have, you will have discovered that they sell for up to $10 a STEM. Why pay those kind of …
Tomato bottom rot is a problem that many vegetable gardeners face. What causes that ugly black rot on tomatoes? There is nothing like biting into a lush, ripe garden tomato that you have spent months growing. Discovering those prize tomatoes with large rotten areas on them is no fun, though. However, sometimes those luscious tomatoes …
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 …
This list of cold hardy succulents includes plants that can take cold temperatures that would kill their more tender cousins. There are three main varieties of succulents that can thrive in freezing temperatures – sempervivums, sedum stonecrop, and delosperma. Most types of these varieties will tolerate temperatures as low as -20° Fahrenheit (some even to …
There is one thing that you can be sure to find in flower shops and nurseries early in spring each year. The trumpet-shaped flower of the Easter Lily – (lilium longiflorum) – is a well known Easter plant decoration. These beautiful perennials are forced to bloom around the time of the religious holiday, but this …
If you are searching for a versatile and drought tolerant ground cover, look no further than liriope. It is tough, easy to care for and can be used to cover a garden area quickly. It is also called monkey grass or creeping lilyturf, looks great in planters and makes a great border plant. Liriope plant …
Dinner plate dahlias are not plants that one would call shrinking violets. They are impressive in a garden and make wonderful cut flowers for arrangements. These majestic plants command attention in a garden bed and also need plenty of room to grow and flower. Keep reading for tips for how to grow these magnificent dahlias …
Growing a forsythia hedge allows you to add privacy and beauty to the borders of your yard. While not a quick project, it is one that brings beautiful dividends over time. With its abundance of bright yellow flowers and early bloom time, forsythia adds a burst of color to your lovely garden each spring. This …
These meditation garden ideas show how easy it is to provide a soothing and peaceful setting in your backyard, to include a lovely place to unwind after the stresses of daily life. Many botanic gardens, such as the Los Angeles Botanical Garden and Memphis Botanic Garden, have Japanese themed gardens that incorporate areas for meditation …
Gardeners and lovers of flowers alike love columbines. This wild version called eastern red columbine – the name is derived from the Latin word for eagle. Wild columbines grow across North America from Canada to Florida and from Texas to the Dakotas. Red columbine grows easily from seeds. Columbine grown from seed will not bloom in …
These varieties of coneflower will have your garden blooming in style all summer long! Echinacea, also known as coneflowers, are native to eastern and central North America, where they originally were found on prairies and open woodlands. They are a popular cottage garden plant that is robust and very hardy. The plant can easily be …