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Native to Europe and Asia, it was originally brought to the United States as an ornamental plant. As with many introduced varieties, its seed spread beyond garden borders and naturalized in surrounding woodlands and meadows. Unfortunately, it is an aggressive grower that competes with native plants, threatening natural ecosystems with its spread. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

While they all contain menthol, which gives them that familiar flavor, they’re not all the same. A lot of times, various types of mint are clumped together in one overarching category. There’s even some debate in the culinary world about whether cultivars like ‘Chocolate Mint’ really deserve to be classified individually. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

When you choose to plant sunflowers as a cover crop, you may get the added benefit of having beautiful flowers available for arrangements, and possibly seeds to harvest for the birds as well. 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 dive right into the topic, so you can get growing ASAP! (Pardon the pun…) Here’s what I’ll cover:...

So you might wonder, what are the advantages of starting these veggies from seed? The first reason that comes to mind is that starting your own tomatoes from seed at home is a good way to save money, leaving room in your gardening budget for other things. You can typically buy a packet of about 20 seeds for the price of one seedling. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

I dove in, inspecting the foliage for clues about who had caused the damage. Aha! A dead beetle rolled off a leaf as I rustled through, and landed on the ground. I took a photo and moved on, convinced this was a random attack by a now dead beetle, and I didn’t have to worry about a pest outbreak in the hydrangeas. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

Some can be mildly inconvenient and easy to prevent, while others can destroy crops and infect soil, leading to chronic crop loss if you don’t have the land available to rotate. If you’re growing your own salad greens for healthy, homegrown salads, it’s a huge disappointment when you discover your plants are showing symptoms of disease. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

It is a low-maintenance, robust plant that tolerates a variety of growing conditions, from dense clay soil to the juglone toxicity of black walnut trees. Occasionally, this sturdy shrub develops knot-like, woody deformities called galls that may appear either individually or in clusters along the stems. 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 guide to growing forsythia, we discuss all you need to know to cultivate this shrub in your landscape....

In this guide, we cover all you need to cultivate these unique, colorful flowers 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. It’s native to Central and northern South America, where its classic magenta blossoms dot the landscape. Related plants include love lies bleeding amaranth, cockscomb, and spinach. The bright flower heads resemble clover, with tubular bracts instead of petals....

A durable and reliable performer in beds, borders, and containers, the color and heady fragrance is simply fantastic when planted in drifts or used in a low barrier or informal hedge. And it’s a must-have in a variety of themed gardens as well such as butterfly, cottage, cutting, and rock gardens. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

In short, marigolds are marvelous. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Signet marigolds are in the same genus as other marigolds and share many similar features and care requirements as their cousins. In our comprehensive marigold growing guide, you can read more about general care requirements. Signet marigolds are very special – they have beautiful flowers and a rich culinary background....

What’s up with that? It’s likely that your plants are infected with a fungal disease called powdery mildew. This disease is very common and in many cases can be treated successfully. However, if it is allowed to spread, in severe cases the plants may drop their leaves and expose the fruit to sunscald. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

The only problem with this is that one day, your plant is as happy as a clam in its little container, but before you know it it’s pushing at the edges, ready to break out. When that happens – and it will eventually happen – it’s repotting time. At this point, you have two options: You can give your peace lily a bigger home, or you can divide it and make two smaller plants....

We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. I know I would spend far too much time trying and failing to swallow pills, for example, all the while looking as if I were in dire need of the Heimlich maneuver. And without an adequate supply of H2O, countless amusement parks would just be places where half-naked folks like to hang out in pool-shaped holes, trying to slide down insufficiently slippery surfaces....

Tall and topped with sprays of flowers, an arrow-straight stem with funky looking oval leaves, and crawling with caterpillars, beetles, and butterflies? Yeah, that’s the plant for me. You’re probably familiar with the common milkweed seen in meadows and roadsides across the country, but the milkweed family is actually huge. We’re going to take a look at some different cultivars used in gardens, and learn how to grow this plant....

Cuts on ornamentals may need to be coated with a tree seal just as those on roses and fruit trees do. On checking my tree seal I found it a bit thick for good spreading so using a strong wooden, ladle I added water, beating in a little at a time, until the black mixture was the consistency of honey. Then it could be painted on the wound with a brush without running down the branch....

Cucumbers, Cucumis sativus, definitely play that role. But if you’re wise, you can make them healthier, happier, and more productive by choosing proper companions as supporting players. This idea of companion planting is part science, part shared lessons handed down from home gardener to home gardener. The basic idea is to intently plan your garden spaces so plants that benefit each other end up growing close together – and those that aren’t able to get along don’t have to....

Cultivars bred to be resistant to this pathogen often lose effectiveness over time. Read on to learn what symptoms to look for and how to treat your infected plants. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. You can identify rust disease pathogens by the color that gives them their name. If your asparagus plants start looking like they have a layer of metal rust on them, you know you are in trouble....

Here is a breakdown of the different materials planters can be made from in order to make it easier for you to make the best choice for your needs. Where you want to keep the potted plant, your climate, aesthetic value, and ease of maintenance and cost are all factors you need to consider before you make a decision. Pressed Paper Pressed paper containers are a great choice when dealing with vegetables....

With a delightfully pungent taste and fantastic aroma, regular consumption of the stinking rose also has numerous health benefits. Plus, cultivating your own is easy. And it’s wonderful to have your own supply of heritage bulbs in your winter storage cupboard. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Dig them up too early and you have small bulbs, barely more than a clove....

My partner thinks cantaloupe isn’t any good. There. I said it. This dirty little secret is one that I’ve carried with me and fought against for years, often depriving myself of the (imagined) juicy delights of a sweet and perfectly ripened orange-fleshed melon – for fear of bringing one into the house that might be less than perfect. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....