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What is not to love about cabbage? Vibrantly colored, packed with nutrients, and quick to mature, these crunchy garden giants are a timeless classic that never seem to get old. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Cultivation and History Cabbage is a cultivar of Brassica oleracea and is the same species but a different cultivar of other popular cole crops such as cauliflower, broccoli, and kale....

Junipers grow in a massive range of environmental conditions, and they’ve been cultivated by numerous cultures throughout history as medicine, food, and for their ornamental value. Perhaps another reason that they’re so ubiquitous in gardens is that they’re so darn easy to care for when planted in the right spot. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

These versatile flowers can lend color to a shady corner of your patio or show off a riot of blossoms in a sunny patch of your garden. In areas where the temperatures tend to stay above 32°F, hardy fuchsias can come back year after year, growing up to eight feet tall, depending on the variety. 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 can these plants hide a myriad of ugly things (wire fencing, a run-down wall, the ugly side of a house…), they transform the area into a fairy-tale filled with color and fragrance. It’s my theory that the potential for that ridiculously glorious display is part of what intimidates many gardeners. They look like a lot of challenging work has to be involved, but that’s not really the case....

This is because it sets seed rather than producing spores. Another contradiction is that what we would typically call leaves are actually “cladodes,” or flattened stem portions. The true leaves are tiny scale-like protrusions you may not even notice. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. But as a potted plant, it’s a gem!...

Each year I eagerly anticipate leisurely walks among the brilliantly colored foliage that dots my local landscape. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Maples, Acer spp., staghorn sumac, Rhus typhina, and Virginia creeper, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, turn a fiery scarlet. And the multihued orange, purple, red, and yellow oakleaf hydrangeas, Hydrangea quercifolia, are rivaled only by the equally diverse hues of sassafras....

If you are new to growing this crop, you’ll need our guide to growing broccoli in your garden. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Let’s start with a brief overview of the conditions necessary for successful cultivation. Optimal Growing Conditions This cruciferous veggie, that I often call a prima donna, needs the following conditions to thrive:...

There are dozens of named cultivars and they come in a surprising array of growth habits. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Up ahead, we’ll take a look at some of the most common Japanese holly cultivars, as well as a few of the more exceptional ones that are worth seeking out: Japanese holly (Ilex crenata) is native to – you got it – Japan, as well as other parts of eastern Asia....

Of course, there are so many incredible varieties to choose from, it can be very difficult to know which ones to pick. I’ve made a list of 25 of the best watermelon cultivars – including picnic, icebox, personal-sized, and seedless varieties, as well as some with unexpected flesh colors. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

Depending upon which option you choose at planting time – seeds, crowns, or starts – it can take several growing seasons before the bed you’ve lovingly prepared will play host to those tender, delicious springtime spears. In the fall, when the garden beds begin to doze under piles of leaves in preparation for first frost, your asparagus may more closely resemble fern-like Christmas trees, sprouting foliage up to seven feet tall....

They taste as wonderful as they look! From green striped to crenelated yellow, they’re a feast for the eyes and the tummy. Grown from seeds referred to as “rare,” these treasured varieties have been lovingly passed down from generation to generation, and harken back to days when we had many more types of produce. And more kinds meant more genetic diversity, which made plants stronger, better tasting, and healthier. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

While the pork brings the flavor to the party, turnip leaves bring a nutritional punch. With few calories and many vitamins, these leaves should be on your short list of veggies to grow in your garden! We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. What Are Turnip Greens? Turnips are a root vegetable that grows well in most temperate climates....

The versatile squash can be blended or grated and baked into sweet bread, cakes, brownies, and muffins, slipped into pasta sauce, sliced into spears to be breaded and fried with garlic and parmesan, spiralized for a Thai peanut zoodle dish, added to a quick stir fry, and so much more. With so many culinary possibilities, gardeners are anxious to grow as much high-quality, powerfully flavorful zucchini as possible. Luckily, these vegetables are easy to cultivate and don’t require a whole lot of extra care and attention....

Dracaena houseplants are ideal for busy, absentminded gardeners. They are so easy to take care of, and they are likely to withstand occasional neglect. With many different species available in varying sizes and colors, you can find the perfect option for any space. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Cultivation and History Part of the Asparagaceae family, the Dracaena genus includes approximately 120 species, varying in size from small houseplants to larger shrubs and trees....

It is a cool-weather plant that grows as a tender perennial in USDA Hardiness Zones 7 to 10, and as an annual in other temperate regions. A. majus is the “type species,” or benchmark plant, in the Antirrhinum genus. There are approximately 20 species in the genus, including some from North America and northern Africa. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

Instead, I was greeted with a honey-sweet apple-like flavor and texture. I later learned that I had just experienced my first ‘Fuyu’ persimmon, one of the most common types grown in the US. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. It seems to me that they’re gaining popularity these days, with some varieties becoming more readily available in grocery stores....

When the fruit trees in question are pears, that adds extra intrigue. For one thing, they are the rare fruit that tastes far better if you don’t allow it to ripen on the tree. Pears are absolutely luscious picked while they are still firm, and then ripened at room temperature after harvesting. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

The fast-growing hyacinth bean vine functions as an ornamental plant, food source, and butterfly magnet, and even works as a beautiful privacy fence. And somehow it does all that with minimal soil requirements, almost no maintenance, and very little expenditure of Ye Olde Gardening Budget. This member of the legume family, formerly classified as Dolichos lablab, costs little to grow and requires only average soil. It will thank you for ample water and great drainage, though....

We’re all familiar with tulips and their cheerful, colorful blooms that herald the arrival of spring, and the promise of warmth and sunshine. In this article, we highlight the unique qualities of the parrot tulip, and offer tips for growing this spectacular flower successfully. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Tulip Essentials Spring blooming tulips grow from bulbs planted in the fall in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 7....

Parsley’s culinary applications are extensive, and it offers many outstanding health properties with beneficial vitamins, minerals, volatile oils, and antioxidants. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Cultivation and History In classical antiquity, it was used by the Greeks in the victory wreaths they made for athletic competitions, and the Romans would include it in bridal sprays to ward off evil spirits....