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Window Box Planters – How to Plant Window Boxes

Seeing how many ways there are to dress up your home with window box planters was inspiring. They are a fabulous way to create curb appeal and are easy to take care of. I have recently discovered a love for window boxes.  During my summer vacation, we toured 10 states and visited many Botanical Gardens. …

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Pruning Rosemary – How and When to Prune Rosemary Plants

Rosemary is normally quite easy to control if you keep it in a pot, but if you have it growing freely in the garden, it can easily get woody and shabby looking. This is when these tips for pruning rosemary are helpful. All garden plants need pruning at some stage, and rosemary is no exception. …

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Beech Creek Botanical Garden & Nature Preserve

Touring a botanical garden with children in tow can be a challenge. But this is not so with Beech Creek Botanical Garden and Nature Preserve. This delightful garden center seems tailor made for kids and is the perfect way to introduce them to flowers and nature! This delightful botanical garden is located in Alliance, Ohio and …

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How to Propagate Spider Plants from Babies

Love having 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 long arching stems.  Spider Plants – botanical name Chlorophytum – are one of the easiest of plants to propagate.  Keep reading to find …

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Tips for Dealing with Invasive Pests

Critters in the garden range from beneficial to invasive.  Some actually are listed by the US Department of Agriculture as invasive pests that need to be controlled.  See my tips for dealing with these unwanted bugs. This post was sponsored on behalf of the United States Department of Agriculture – Animal and Plant Health Inspection …

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Growing Hollyhocks – A Traditional Cottage Garden Favorite-

If you love plants with a long blooming season, you will likely have a fondness for growing hollyhocks. This lovely biennial is a popular garden favorite that flowers throughout most of the summer months. Hollyhocks (Puccinia malvacearum) are often found in cottage gardens.  They make a great background plant for shorter plants and come in …

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Balloon Flower – Tips for Growing Platycodon grandiflorus

Balloon Flower, or Platycodon grandiflorus, is also known as Chinese Bell flower. The common names of this pretty perennial plant come from the plump found flower buds that resemble hot air balloons or Chinese lanterns before they open. Blue flowers are unusual in the garden. Keep reading to find out how to grow this flower with a …

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Controlling Monkey Grass – How to Get Rid of Liriope

Depending on your point of view, you will either consider monkey grass a lovely ground cover or an unwanted weed.  If the latter is more of your mindset, these tips for controlling monkey grass will help you get rid of your unwelcome garden visitor. Check Craig’s list free advertisements on most weekends in the summer here …

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Natural Vinegar Weed Killer – The Organic Way

A common gardening mistake is not staying on top of weeding. This natural vinegar weed killer is easy to use that retail products, takes care of the job, and so much better for the soil. Do you love growing perennials but don’t like the weeds that need pulling? The next time you walk outside and …

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Dos & Don’ts Tips for Growing Great Tomatoes

Growing great tomatoes doesn’t happen just by putting a few plants into the ground and turning on the hose. But anyone can master growing great tomatoes by following a few simple dos and don’ts. In the world of vegetable gardening, there is nothing quite like the taste of fresh home grown tomatoes. The flavor of …

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Composting Tips – Tricks for Creating Nature’s Black Gold

These Composting Tips will take the mystery out of making compost for you. If you enjoy vegetable gardening or growing flowers, adding organic matter formed by composting will give you great results.  Did you know that forgetting to compost is a common vegetable garden mistake? Have you always thought that making compost is difficult? The …

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Soda Bottle Drip Feeder for Garden Plants – Water Plants with a Soda Bottle

There are many retail products available for watering plants at the roots, but this Soda Bottle Drip Feeder makes use or recycled materials and works really well. Drip feeders are a great idea for vegetable gardening projects.  Many plants prefer the moisture at their roots instead of from overhead sprinklers which can encourage some leaf problems.  It …

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Bleeding Heart – How to grow Dicentra spectabilis

There is something so romantic about the look of a Bleeding Heart plant. After all, what is more romantic that the heart shaped flowers of this amazing plant? If you love growing perennials, this plant is a must have for your shady garden spot. Dicentra Spectabilis is a clear favorite among American gardeners. It is native …

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Mosquito Repelling Plants – Keep Those Bugs Away!

Mother Nature has the perfect answer  for summer bugs- mosquito repelling plants! We can grow annuals, perennials and herbs that will keep the bugs away naturally. With summer comes lots of outdoor living.  Sadly, that can mean lots of mosquitoes. I don’t like to use chemical products so this natural solution is great for keeping …

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How to Grow Lamb’s Ear – (Stachys byzantina)

Remember going to the petting zoo with your kids and touching baby lambs? This the feeling of the leaves of Stachys byzantina, also known as Lamb’s Ear. If you love growing perennials, you need to give this hardy plant a try. It is easy to grow, has a lovely texture and the prettiest flowers on …

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Transplanting Monkey Grass – Division is Simple and Easy to Do

Transplanting monkey grass is a simple process if you keep just a few things in mind. As far as growing perennials is concerned, it is one of my favorite easy care plants. Liriope is commonly known as monkey grass or spider grass. It is a versatile and easy to grow ground cover that tolerates heat well …

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Add A Blast of Sunshine with Yellow Flowers for Water a Flower Day

Nothing quite brightens a mood like cheerful yellow flowers.  There are loads of annuals and perennials that bring this bright splash of color to your garden. The contrast of the cheerful color against the green leaves makes a fabulous play in a garden bed. Did you know that May 30 is Water a Flower Day?  …

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Growing Strawberries -Tips and Tricks for Best Success

One of the joys of summer time is the flavor of home grown strawberries.  Growing strawberries is very easy as long as you understand the type of plant that you are trying to grow. Of all the fruit plants, strawberries are one of the easiest to grow and so rewarding.  The taste of the berries makes …

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Summer Garden Tips & Garden Tour – Garden Maintenance in the Summer

My gardens are the big love of my life this time of the year.  I spend hours outside tending them.  I have 10 garden beds on a block that is about 1/2 acre and I do things to improve the look of them each year.   These summer garden tips will ensure that you have …

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Red Hot Poker – Growing and Caring for Torch Lilies

The red hot poker is a showy and dramatic plant.  If you love growing perennials that give color all summer long, this is the plant for you.  Other names for this showy plant are torch lily and poker plant. The botanical name for this plant is kniphofia uvaria and there are more than 70 known …

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