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 in on my back deck overlooking my garden beds. …
If you are looking for an easy to grow vegetable that ranks right up there in popularity with tomatoes, try growing green beans. Growing string beans is so easy that even gardeners with a brown thumb will be successful. The key is to wait until the ground is nice and warm. Even kids can get …
Growing tulips is a treat for gardeners who love a big splash of color in the spring. No plant ushers in the start of warm weather in a more dramatic way than tulips, so it is worth going the extra mile to have them growing in your garden. Tulips, native to Turkey and then imported …
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 …
The common name of this pretty perennial says it all – candy corn plant has blooms that look quite similar to the popular candy that we love to eat in the fall! It wouldn’t be fall without a candy corn martini, or a candy dish or two loaded with candy corn. Good news for gardeners …
Propagating hydrangeas to get new plants for free can be done in several ways – hydrangea cuttings, tip rooting, air layering and division of the mother plant. Who doesn’t love the look of a lush, green hydrangea bush in their yard, just full of those gorgeous and huge blooms? Some varieties, such as climbing hydrangea …
If you enjoy walking trails that immerse you in a tranquil lake scene, with 113-acres of lovely themed gardens, the Springfield Botanical Gardens are for you. My husband and I spend the summer touring and writing about botanical gardens around the country. We recently spent some time in Missouri and discovered this little gem of …
The Shasta daisy has lovely summer blooms. Caring for Shasta daisies is easy. It is a fairly low maintenance perennial plant that naturalizes to give more and more blooms each year. It is a great plant for filling in garden beds and bare spots in your garden. Is your birthday in April? You are probably …
This giant hosta variety is called Blue Angel Hosta. This plantain lily is one of the larger mounding varieties that is perfectly happy in the shade. A recent trip around the JR Raulston Arboretum provided me with a chance to look at their magnificent collection of hostas. I have a large collection of hostas in …
This variegated hosta is called Hosta Stained Glass. It is a sun tolerant hosta variety that adds a vibrant and dramatic punch to any semi sunny border or garden bed. My husband and I love to tour botanical gardens, such as the JR Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, North Carolina. This botanical garden features plants that …
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 …
Many beginning vegetable gardeners make the common gardening mistake of starting too large. If you don’t have a big yard with room for a large vegetable garden, try growing a vegetable garden on a deck. Vegetable gardening is one of the great pleasures of the summer months for many gardeners. But for many of us, …
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! The holidays have come and gone and most of us are hunkering down for the colder months of the year. But wait – now is the perfect time to think …
The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens has something special in store for both animal lovers and those interested in botanical gardens. This 135 acre zoo and botanical garden was founded in 1966 and is home to more than 1,400 birds, amphibians, mammals and reptiles. Comfortable shoes are a must, since there is a lot …
If you are passing through San Angelo, Texas, be sure and fit in a visit to the International Waterlily Collection. You will get a chance to view the premiere collection of waterlilies found anywhere in existence. Water lily, from the family Nymphaeaceae, comprise 58 species of freshwater flowering plants, native to the temperate and tropical …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, Maine. have a children’s garden that is one of the best I have seen. Botanical Gardens vary greatly from one place to another, but each seems to have its own special theme. My husband and I tour the country, in the summer months, visiting garden centers around the …
If you like the idea of a plant that flowers in winter while there is still snow on the ground, try Growing Hellebores. Lenten Rose is another name for helleborus. The blooms come in lots of different shades and shapes. I first heard of Hellebores perennial several years ago when I spent a season trying …
It’s that time of the year. Pumpkins, Indian Corn and autumn plants all help to make this front porch decor for fall a hit with visitors! Each year, I use supplies from the previous porch but mix them up a bit to make my fall front porch decor a little extra special. This year, I …
Sicklepod (Cassia Senna obtusifolia) is an annual legume that appears in the spring with yellow flowers and long pods. It is invasive and can cause havoc in cotton, corn and soybean fields. Read on to get some tips for controlling sicklepod. Sometimes plants appear in your garden by way of seeds in new mulch for …
This slug resistant hosta is called hosta wheee! As the name suggests, the look of this fun plant is whimsical with an extremely ruffled foliage habit. A recent trip around the JR Raulston Arboretum provided me with a magnificent look at their collection of hostas. I have a large varieties of hostas in my shade …
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 …
Growing Sunflower plants is one of the really fun parts of summer time gardening. These cheery sun-facing flowers are a delight to gardeners who wish to attract birds. These big annuals are very easy to grow, which makes them a very popular plant to get children interested in gardening. Kids will love seeing just how …