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 …
Outdoor Plants
Get a head start on spring gardening by starting seeds indoors with Jiffy Peat Pellets. These handy peat pots have the perfect soil for seedlings and they can be transplanted right into the ground as soon as the weather is warm enough. Some plants need a long time to mature. Others, like bell peppers, need …
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 …
Planting forsythia is all about timing and spacing. The two best times are early spring and mid fall depending on your hardiness zone. One of the earliest plants to bloom in spring is forsythia, but when should it be planted? Forsythia bushes delight us each spring with their burst of cheery yellow flowers. This deciduous …
Winter is coming to an end for many of us and the first signs of spring are everywhere. Growing pansies is a good way to bridge the change of seasons with one plant. They love the cool weather and are readily available at garden centers right now. The botanical name for the garden pansy plant …
Oxalis plant care is generally easy but some varieties of the plant can be considered a weed. Even so, it is a popular perennial plant that often shows up around St. Patrick’s Day. Another version (candy cane sorrel) is also commonly seen during the holidays as a Christmas plant, because of its candy cane striped …
For unbeatable spring color, try growing forsythia bushes. These easy care bushes require very little care. Nothing screams spring in your garden quite like Forsythia. With their vibrant yellow color, these perennials are one of the first bushes to flower in the spring. The shrub is very hardy, and relatively easy to grow. These tips …
There a many Spring Blooming Plants that arrive very early in the year. Some even peek through the last of the winter snow. Some early spring bloomers can even take the last of winter snow and cold temps and still start to grow. From bulbs, to annuals and perennials, the array of early spring bloomers …
April 14 is National Gardening Day. That means it is time to start thinking about ways to get your garden ready with these spring garden tips. Winter is hard on a garden and spring brings with it a host of tasks that need taking care of. With spring right around the corner and daylight savings soon …
These 20 seed starting tips will help you to get your garden going early this year. With seeds, it’s never too early to get gardening! There are some plants that need a long time to mature, and others, like bell peppers, which need extra time to turn red. Starting seeds indoors helps with these. I’ve …
I asked my Facebook fans to share their Winter Garden Views and also to tell me where they lived so we could all get an idea of how the country looks in January in various parts of the country. The weather outside does not lend itself to gardening right now unless you are fond of growing plants …
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 …
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 …