Tillandsia is also known as an air plant. Air plants are a member of the epiphyte family. This plant needs no soil to grow and gets its nourishment from the air. Air plants have specialized leaves that draw in nutrients. An air plant can also have roots, but it uses these only to attach itself…
Surround yourself in nature in the 25,000 square foot gardens of Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory. This enclosed conservatory is an oasis nestled in the down town area of Fort Wayne, Indiana. The gardens feature tropical displays, waterfalls and a Sonoran Desert display with over 72 types of cacti. In all, the gardens boast over 1200 plants…
This gorgeous succulent arrangement started out life as a wooden drawer meant for tools of some sort. The upcycled junk gardening planter got a new coat of paint, some TLC and a few succulent plants and now looks as though it had been intentionally designed for the job. My husband loves to bring home junk…
Nothing is more attractive to a gardener than getting new plants without having to pay for them. And since succulents are a very sought after plant, it stands to reason propagating succulent leaves and cuttings is a popular project for many gardeners. Best of all, it’s easy and free! Succulents are very drought hardy plants…
Caring for echeveria is a task made for those gardeners with brown thumbs. These rosette forming succulents have spectacular flowers that would make you think they need a lot of special care, but these plants actually thrive on a bit of neglect. What is not to love about a succulent? These drought loving succulent plants…
Echeveria Neon Breakers is a Renee O’Donnell hybrid of the succulent Pink Frills crossed with an unknown parent. It is a drought tolerant succulent with green leaves that have pretty pink frilly edges and deep margins. This pretty succulent is very popular for many reasons. It has highly colored leaf margins, especially when the plant…
Kalanchoe millotii is a member of the crassulaceae family. It is a n ornamental succulent plant that is native to Madagascar. Since it is not particularly cold hardy, it is grown as an indoor plant in most areas of the country. This tender succulent will only tolerate a light frost. It is only hardy to…
Have you ever been in a garden setting and wondered how to identify a plant that you have just come across? So have I! That is where the PlantSnap mobile app comes into use. With this handy phone app, all you need to do is snap a photo of the plant, and PlantSnap will give you suggestions…
I just love using household items in my garden in a creative way. Today’s project is going to be to transform an old birdcage into a succulent birdcage planter. Succulents require very little maintenance and this makes them the perfect choice for this type of project. You can place the birdcage on an occasional table, hang…
Air plants are not only fun to grow, they are also fun to display. So many household items can be fashioned into containers for these sweet little plants that don’t need soil to grow. These air plant holders are cute. compact and perfect to display your tillandsia collection. These delightful little plants are very easy…
Life is meant to be lived outside! We spend so much time outside during the summer, and having a great looking lawn and pretty gardens makes sure that time will be far more pleasurable. These summer garden tips will ensure that you have an endless supply of color and lush green lawns all summer long.…
Succulents are so versatile and easy to care for. They are very drought tolerant, perfect if you have a “brown thumb” and look great planted in so many ways. These 25 fun succulent planters will show you that if it can hold dirt, it can be planted with a succulent! Planters can be very expensive to…
A few years ago, I used a group of cement blocks to make a corner planter for my succulents. I LIKED it but didn’t love it. It was more of a plant shelf than a planter and the succulents never quite gave it the look that I wanted. This past weekend, I took it all…
The term living stones seems to be a paradox? How can a stone be alive, you might ask? Lithops, a variety of succulent from South Africa, has the common name living stone. This interesting succulent has a shape that resembles a cloven hoof, and it looks right at home in any rocky or sandy garden…
Any one for a cup of coffee ~ terrarium style? I am always looking for household items to recycle into charming plant containers. Since the weather is cold outside, I am concentrating on indoor plants for the moment. This cute coffee pot terrarium is the perfect bit of household plant decor to have nearby when…
Here in North Carolina, spring and fall is a charm in the garden, but when the heat of summer arrives, many plants can take a real hit from Mother Nature. For the last few years, I have been experimenting more and more with succulents. These drought hard plants can really take the heat and can…
I love strawberry planters. The pockets on the side are perfect for plants that send out offshoots. Each little “baby” can fit into the protruding pockets to make their own little home. They are perfect for strawberry plants (of course!), spider plants and other plants like strawberry begonias. Today I am converting mine into a…
This post brought to you by Gilmour. The content and opinions expressed below are that of The Gardening Cook. Get A Successful Garden Make Over With 14 Easy Tips. It’s that time again. Time to transform one of my garden beds that just won’t seem to keep to a single design. I call it my…
I love recycling old materials into something new. A big collection of cement blocks got a new lease on life today. This cement blocks Plant Shelf project is the perfect way to show off a collection of plants and to add a focal point to a garden bed. Tidy up your Plant Pots with This DIY…
This year has been a series of set backs in my garden. It is almost the end of May and I’m way behind, but finally have some progress to show for all my work. Things that set me back were: My father’s death in February which resulted in two trips to Maine. A very long…
Facebook has so many great pages devoted to gardening, but the way the site now shows the content of pages, it is sometimes hard for them to get seen on news feeds. I thought it would be fun for the Garden Charmers (a GREAT Facebook page) to each share their own favorite Gardening page on…
Succulents are such neat little plants. They can withstand a great deal of neglect and still keep on growing. They have great flowers (if you have the right conditions and are lucky and have a green thumb) and are very interesting in their own right when it comes to shape and design. Creative succulent planters…
Re-potting my succulents and cacti was not as easy as I thought it was going be. I had a few that I had neglected for years waiting for just the right planter to put them in. They were a sad little group for sure. I figured that I’d have them re-potted in 2o minutes or…
The flowering of Sedum echeveria is a sight to behold. This drought tolerant echeveria has the most spectacular flowers that last for weeks. I often ask the fans of The Gardening Cook on Facebook to share their gardening photos. One fan who has often shared with us, Diamond Victoria, has a delightful echeveria about to…
Do you love succulents? If so, you may be interested in a contest that my friend Jacki from Drought Smart Plants is currently running. Great Succulent Contest from my Friend’s website. Succulents are one of my favorite plants. I lived in Australia for 15 years, this type of plant was very commonly grown there, both…
