While it might seem like a costly endeavor to fill your yard with roses, there is actually an easy, and practically free, way to take one bush and turn it into many. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Each season, rose bushes form buds which open into fragrant blooms that are pollinated by butterflies, bees, and wasps....
This plant goes by other aliases such as firebush, hummingbird bush, and scarlet bush… but whatever you choose to call it, H. patens is well known for its striking vegetation and ability to attract beneficial pollinators. The orange-red tubular flowers bloom as terminal clusters in spring and continue through fall, providing a rather lengthy period of floral interest. Showing up on the pedicels in place of the flowers are red to black, fleshy berries, which are quite attractive to songbirds....
These tropical species are fast growers, so if you want to add a lot of vegetation to your home fast, without too much fuss, these houseplants will make excellent plant companions. They are certainly proving to be excellent for me. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. But then I decided to move overseas, and every houseplant I owned needed to be rehomed....
But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve discovered a keen appreciation for these gardens and the plants that call them home. Perennials like heuchera and painted ferns opened up a previously unappreciated collection of foliar colors, while flashy and bright annuals like torenia added lovely splashes of color. Of all the plants in the shade garden that earned my affection and appreciation, the astilbe (A. x arendsii) comes in at the top of the list....
The outer leaves are beautiful shades of light purple or green, and seem to open out like supporting ballerinas arching back to reveal the star of the show – the compact-headed, bulbous-bottomed central stalks and leaves. Like good supporting dancers, those outer leaves are pretty, but everyone wants to get to the main act – the sweet, juicy center. Steam them, braise them, stir-fry, or cook them in soup, they’re delicious!...
Maybe one that is not only a beautiful demonstration of your skills, but a way to produce full-sized fruits that you can actually eat, is up your alley? Many people don’t realize that the art of growing bonsai trees isn’t about nurturing dwarf specimens. It’s the process of confining a full-sized species into a very restricted space. Nearly any type of tree can be grown as a bonsai, and that includes trees that grow totally normal-sized fruits....
A member of the large Asteraceae family, close cousins include asters, cosmos, daisies, dahlias, marigolds, sunflowers, and zinnias. Often referred to as “mums,” they received their Western name from Swedish botanist Karl Linnaeus, who compounded the Greek words for “gold” (chrysos) and “flower” (anthemon) to describe their luminous beauty. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....
Those of us who live in colder climates especially love this bush, but it can grow almost anywhere. It is cold and heat hardy, not susceptible to spring frosts, tolerant of a variety of soils, loves a sunny spot, and is not demanding when it comes to maintenance. As if that’s not enough, she is also gorgeous. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....
However, it’s hard to beat these sweet little plants when you’re looking for a space-filler that adds a generous dose of colorful single or double flowers in pink, white, or red. And while some varieties have green foliage, the types with bronze-reddish leaves add another eye-catching punch of contrast to flower beds. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....
For the sweet potato is not related to regular potatoes. Not in any way, shape, or form. Not even third cousins twice removed. No matter. A vegetable by any other name would taste as sweet, and whatever its name, Ipomea batata is tasty, easy to grow, and easy to harvest, once you understand the particulars. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....
But diagnosing the source of the infection can be challenging. This guide will help you to distinguish between the fungi, water mold, and viruses that could be afflicting your plants. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Fungi Asparagus plants are vulnerable to a wide array of fungi, some of which prefer cool, moist weather, while others attack in warm, dry weather....
These evergreen shrubs are the ones that we perpetually reach for to fill arid, windy, salty, polluted, or eroded spots, where deer wander through like they own the place. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. They work in containers flanking a driveway or hedges or screens against a windy hillside. There’s quite a lot this classic beauty can do....
In the meantime, let’s learn a bit about growing chilies, and why you should consider adding some spice to your garden. Members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae, most cultivars originate from Capsicum annuum, a plant native to Mexico. One of the most fun things about growing chilies is their color-changing properties. Usually — but not always — peppers start out green and then morph into yellow, orange, red, or purple....
Also known as “German turnip” in English, this veggie looks like an above-ground turnip, but it’s actually a cultivated form of wild cabbage, and a member of the same species as broccoli, cauliflower, and kale. The botanical name for kohlrabi is Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes, which means it’s part of the Gongylodes Group. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....
When bok choy bolts, the leaves and stems can become tough and woody. The plants will stop growing, focusing their energy on setting seeds instead. The flowers may be pretty, but they signal the end of your bok choy, or pak choi, as it’s often called. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. To learn more about how to grow this tasty brassica, check out our guide....
Somehow, hearing their shrill solos made the sun seem even hotter than it was. But we aren’t talking about those annual summertime vocalists in this article. We’re talking about the miracle of periodical cicadas, when every 13 or 17 years, thousands of these noisy bugs emerge in the late spring, and sing all at once. 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 you just love the glorious profusion of new life as gardens and landscapes wake up from their long sleep? The days get longer, flowers and trees blossom, and birds, butterflies, and cute critters return from their winter respite. And, oh yes… so do the pests. Pests like carpenter bees. With their giveaway, dime-sized holes that they chew in your wooden structures to build nests. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....
Fragrant and flavorful, they’re wonderful for fresh eating, desserts, or made up into preserves. Harvested from mid-summer to mid-fall, depending on the cultivar, many varieties make excellent keepers and can be stored for months given the right conditions. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. And they need to be handled gently to avoid damaging the soft-skinned flesh....
The infections can range in severity from the unsightly but not usually fatal, such as powdery mildew, to the almost uniformly fatal bacterial soft rot. Some of these pathogens live in the soil where they can readily attack the roots of your crop, and many others lurk in the cruciferous weeds growing nearby. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....
Not only is a fresh-picked, homegrown tomato extraordinarily tasty, especially when compared to the supermarket variety, Solanum lycopersicum is easy to grow, and thrives almost anywhere. Just a few plants will provide enough fruit for your entire family. Because they flourish in the summer heat, they are a summertime favorite in gardens across the country. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....
