Did you know that May 19 is Plant Something Day? The weather is warming up and gardeners are itching to get growing! Do you remember those days from years ago when May baskets were added to a friend’s doorway on May Day, the First of May? I remember those days, fondly, and it saddens me…
Today’s featured flower is the Red Emperor Tulip. I love tulips. I have a big patch of these perennial bulbs in my front garden bed and they are gorgeous. They don’t last long but the show that they put on is just incredible for a few short weeks. Emperor tulips are old hybrids, but have…
Do you have a shady garden and don’t know which plants will grow in it? Try adding one of these plants that like shade. This list has 18 types of shade garden plants, including annuals, perennials, and shrubs. All of the plants will thrive outdoors with full shade and partial shade. Each shade garden plant…
Want to add a bright pop of color to your garden but don’t know where to start? Try incorporating one of the pretty yellow flowers below into your favorite garden bed. There are 15 types of yellow flowers in the list. Some are uncommon varieties, while other are more popular yellow flowers. Each of the…
Are you an avid gardener? If you are, you may have wondered about the various seed types available for planting. The vegetable and flower growing season is getting closer with each passing day. Here in NC, we have had unseasonably warm weather. It SEEMS that spring has sprung but I still don’t dare really get gardening…
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…
Many garden vegetables need full sunlight to grow and produce well. However, not all vegetables require full sunlight. This vegetable sunlight chart is a useful resource to tell you whether your vegetables should be grown in low, medium, or full sunlight. If your vegetable garden doesn’t get 6-8 hours of sunlight daily, don’t despair. There…
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….
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…
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…
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 very easy to grow. They are one of the most popular annuals and most people…
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…
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 spring…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…