The blossoms are big and flouncy, and are a staple of cottage gardens and the theme of many a botanical print and textile. Colors include pink, purple, red, white, and yellow. Flowers consist of single, double, or semi-double layers of petals that are often fringed or two-toned. Some are fragrant. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....
It grows from a rhizome and thrives in USDA Hardiness Zones 2 to 9. Native to Europe and Asia, its dainty bell-shaped pink or white blossoms are a fragrant delight in the spring garden. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Our guide to growing lily of the valley has all you need to know about cultivation....
And some native wildflowers are wide-ranging and highly adaptable, making them even easier for more gardeners to grow! I’ve narrowed down a list of 15 species of native wildflowers that are widespread across the continental United States and Canada. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. And with a wide range, that means these plants tend to adapt well to different conditions....
These veggies are so easy to grow, such fun to harvest, and so delicious to eat, it’s likely you’ll want to keep adding new types to your summer garden beds each year. But with literally hundreds of varieties out there, it can be hard to know which ones you’ll like best – and which will perform well in your garden. To help you decide which cultivars you may want to try in your own garden, I’ve compiled a list of 35 of the best bush beans available – including classic snap, stringless, filet, long podded, yellow, purple, and Romano cultivars....
It thrives in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 9 in sunny to partially shaded locations and prefers moist soil of average quality that drains well. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. A darling of cottage gardens, there are about 70 species and an extensive array of cultivated hybrids from which to choose. Flower heads range between one and four inches wide, with hybrid cultivars being the largest and native species the smallest....
There’s so much to love about the versatile little greens. Know what I don’t like about spinach? There are just so many darn good cultivars to choose from! I have stood at the seed display at my local nursery, paralyzed with indecision. Eventually, I just selected a half dozen packets at random and skedaddled out of there. You can never have too many spinach plants, right? We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....
A visual delight in their traditional shades of rich royal blue and violet, different species also offer pretty hues of pale blue, pink, teal, white, yellow, and bicolors. Mass planted, their effect is stunning. And they’re equally charming in beds, borders, containers, and rockeries – or scattered in lawns, woodlands, and naturalized settings. These reliable bulbs multiply quickly, adding to their impact each year. And they’re a breeze to care for, with little maintenance required....
The natural world is rife with toxins – many of them in some of our favorite plants – including the attractive and widely appreciated hellebores. Hellebore (Helleborus spp.), a member of the buttercup family, is toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. Thankfully, its foul taste often prevents them from eating it in large quantities. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....
It’s hard not to smile when you see them adorning peoples’ porches in the fall. But what’s even better is watching them grow into big, orange beauties in your garden. There’s something even better than that, though: watching the pumpkins grow alongside their best companions, each plant providing a benefit to the others. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....
But all that convenience won’t mean much if you don’t pay close attention to when and how to harvest this type of Lactuca sativa. The greens are tender, fresh, and crisp when picked at their peak. But they can get tough, wilt, or even rot if you don’t pick them in a timely fashion. This cool-weather crop can also bolt when temperatures soar, becoming bitter after sending up stalks and flowers....
A hardy bulb for USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 9, the daffodil, Narcissus, often sprouts from the snow-covered ground alongside other intrepid early-season companions, like the crocus, Siberian squill, and snowdrop. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. In our daffodil growing guide, you’ll find all you need to know to plant and care for bulbs of your own....
With its elegant, arching fronds, the areca palm adds a tropical flair to the living room all year long. Relatively low maintenance, these popular houseplants are nontoxic to dogs and cats, and with the right care will grace your home for many years. 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 Areca Palm?...
Or at least, an elephant that you’ll be happy to have in your room – I’m talking about your new favorite houseplant, elephant bush! We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. This nontoxic plant is an excellent alternative to jade as a succulent selection for households with small children or mischievous pets. Plus, there are several varieties available with different growth habits, making its appeal even broader....
Not a true grass at all, these tuberous-rooted perennials from the Ophiopogon genus belong to the asparagus family, Asparagaceae. They grow in attractively dense clumps with gracefully arching, narrow leaves of dark green to black, and are easily cultivated. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Colonizing slowly, they’re an attractive, non-invasive alternative to traditional sod and turf....
If you’re confused, that’s because there are other tropical fruits called pawpaw, including the papaya, Carica papaya, and the graviola, or soursop, Annona muricata. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Read on to discover a temperate zone fruit once so popular it was celebrated with song, and learn how to grow it in your home landscape....
The Cycad genus in the Cycadaceae family includes over 100 species, with the most common being Cycas revoluta or the king sago, the main focus of this article. Like ferns, these giant beauties have been around since before the dinosaurs, and their stunning display is truly evocative of an age long gone. In fact, they’re sometimes referred to as “living fossils,” dating back to the early Mesozoic Era without much change since then....
Imagine fifty deep red roses surrounded by dark green leatherleaf ferns. Gorgeous, right? But my favorite part was the liberal sprinkling of snowy white “gyp” nestled between the roses. That’s what my boss called baby’s breath, that white cut flower with the tiny blooms you’ll find in almost any bouquet. It was one of my favorite fillers. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....
And don’t rule yourself out just because you’re an apartment dweller, or don’t have the space or the energy to keep up with a full-size vegetable patch. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. It’s entirely possible to grow this cool-weather veggie, also known as pak choi or by its botanical name Brassica rapa subsp....
And there’s really nothing like watching bean sprouts emerge from the soil. While the smaller seeds of other garden plants may leave you guessing as to whether each tiny sprout is a weed or not, these seedlings leave no doubt – they are easy to recognize. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Before we get started, here’s an overview of what’s to come in this guide:...
I don’t get it. It can’t be the taste. They’re sweeter than carrots (they were once used to make sugar!) but with an earthy nuttiness and just a hint of a bitter bite. And they’re every bit as versatile as potatoes. Even better is the fact that these undemanding veggies are one of the few things that we gardeners can harvest in the dead of winter. When everyone else has put away the trowels and gloves and is pining for the days of fresh produce straight from the garden, parsnip lovers are dining on these freshly plucked treats....
