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With a backdrop of dark green pleated leaves, plants bear a resemblance to hydrangea or viburnum, and generally reach a mature height of between one and three feet tall. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Here’s what’s in store: Cultivation and History The Greek word “helios” means “sun,” and “tropos,” turn. Heliotrope’s name is derived from its habit of turning to face the sun, a characteristic which all “heliotropic” plants exhibit....

Here in southern Vermont, the snow and ice continue to fall even after the spring equinox makes her remarkable debut, seemingly teasing those of us who are itching to get their hands into the soil and begin the process of waking up the earth. Planting onions and other alliums at the very end of the winter is one of the best cures for spring fever. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

A staple of Italian-American cooking, oregano is found in everything from pizza and grilled meats to salad dressings and sauces, with delicious results. In fact, we like it so much that, according to some sources, Americans consume more than 14 million pounds of this tasty herb every year. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

This pathogen attacks both cultivated and wild apples and crabapples. And it occurs in the all regions of the world that produce apples! Powdery mildews get their name from the white spores that are produced by the mycelia (fungal threads). The disease on apples attacks virtually every stage of the plant – buds, blossoms, new shoots, leaves, and fruit. The disease can be severe enough that no fruit form. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. What is Winter Mulching? Winter mulching is simply covering garden beds with a thick layer of organic material. This helps perennials endure repeated freezes and thaws, extends the harvest season of some annual crops, and protects bare soil from harsh winter conditions. While similar in some ways to the mulching that happens during the gardening season, winter mulching is done with the specific intention of protecting plants and soil from the harshness of winter and requires a more specific timing and care....

We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Don’t worry, we’ve got your back. This guide will make everything a bit more clear so you’ll be able to march confidently into the store and request their prettiest Group IV, double-flowered, multicolored series on offer. Ready to start your snapdragon education? Here’s what you can expect, coming up in this guide: Before you wade into the weeds, you might want to familiarize yourself with our snapdragon growing guide....

From the chives in the big garden pots, to the little pots of mint and coriander sitting on the kitchen windowsill, these experiences were the first to pique my interest in gardening. As more and more people are looking to branch out in their experimentation with edible crops, it’s becoming very clear that green finger fever isn’t just confined to the countryside. Urban agriculture is really taking off, with people growing food in the most improbable places: rooftops, balconies, windowsills, and every other little nook and cranny that is available to them....

These charming members of the Viola genus possess one quality that I just adore in plants: forgiveness. They can bounce back from nearly anything. One fall, I accidentally left my violets outdoors through a hard frost that I was sure would kill them. But they shook off the cold and perked right back up, happy as ever. I knew they wouldn’t love the below-zero weather that would come in the winter, so I brought them indoors for some winter cheer....

At least, not in this particular context. Maybe you’re only now hearing the term tossed around by other gardeners for the first time and you’re wondering what it means. I get you. Once upon a time, I was hearing that word for the first time, too. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Ready to get the skinny on this key gardening term and its potential effect on your harvest, so you’ll understand how to prevent and manage it?...

Luckily, gardening doesn’t have to end when summer does. There are plenty of ways to extend your harvest season so you can keep eating those garden-fresh veggies all through the fall! We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. 1. Cold Frames Cold frames are basically tiny greenhouses that can be mobile or stationary. The general design is a low to the ground wooden base with a transparent top that can be opened and closed....

In our guide to growing kale, we discuss all you need to know to cultivate this nutritious leafy green. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Here’s the lineup: Read on to discover the unique features of each of these delicious types of kale. Noteworthy tolerance of heat and cold are noted, and apply to mature plants, not seedlings, which are always vulnerable to temperature extremes....

Many of us are familiar with the tall vining types. These are the beautiful climbers, twining around supports and structures, adding pretty perfumed flowers to arbors, pergolas, porches, screens, and trellises. But there are also equally delightful shrub varieties. Typically smaller in stature, they have stiffer stems that can be trained onto upright structures or espaliered along fences and walls. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

They’re low-maintenance landscaping solutions to common problems and questions like: What should I plant on a slope that’s too steep for my lawnmower?What will grow under a shady tree with prominent roots?How can I create a uniform border along my driveway?What can I plant that I can walk on, without having to mow? And ground covers that bloom are not just functional – some are stunning! We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

And if you have an adventurous streak, there are a wide array of unusual varieties available to you, provided you have the right growing conditions. Whether it’s annuals for my garden patch or trees for my orchard, there’s a question I always ask myself before I consider adding a new fruit or vegetable: how easy is this to find at the supermarket? We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

There are many different species that go by the name “epiphyllum,” as well as thousands of colorful hybrids to tempt the houseplant lover or orchid cactus collector. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Here’s a peek at our list: We’re going to interpret the term “epiphyllum” broadly for the purposes of this roundup, including three different types of plants: members of the Epiphyllum genus, some species that were formerly classified in the genus, and epiphyllum hybrids....

As I always say, you can’t have too many plants! Honestly, I was shocked at the profusion of wonderful types of bergenia that are on the market. This is indicated by the 191 species, varieties, and cultivars that the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) deems worthy of its recommendation. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

Variegation creates a dazzling array of contrasting speckles, blotches, and veining for a unique and showy display. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. This article zeroes in on what causes croton foliage to fade and how to avoid it. Here’s what we’ll cover: C. variegatum prefers consistent moisture, good drainage, protection from intense sunlight, and stability....

Those mounds of green leaves are smothered by bright, cheerful blossoms all summer long, and it’s enough to lift anyone’s spirits. But the plants themselves seem to be pretty happy, too, judging by the fact that they so rarely seem to have problems. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Coming up, we’re going to look at nine different diseases that can cause problems with geraniums....

Native to South Africa, it is suited to outdoor cultivation in USDA Hardiness Zones 11 and 12. It may be cultivated as a houseplant in all regions and it is popular for being water-wise, not prone to pests or disease, and long-lived. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Characteristic traits include fleshy evergreen leaves, thick, branching stems, and an 18- to 30-inch indoor height....

But I have yet to order a dish at a restaurant and find fuchsia flowers – or berries, for that matter. Despite their delicious flavor, it seems that most people still think of fuchsias as a pretty decoration in the garden, not the source of a snack. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....