If you’re as bay-obsessed as I am, perhaps you’ve considered growing your own Laurus nobilis plants from seed. I can’t imagine my spice cupboard being devoid of the sweet, floral spice of bay leaves. It’s one of those flavors I find so essential in my cooking. No matter where I’m living, from a tiny loft in the middle of a city to a sprawling ranch in the mountains, I always have a potted bay plant with me....

This fast-growing native perennial blooms from late spring through early summer, attracting pollinators. The berries ripen in midsummer to early fall, providing native birds like towhees, robins, and thrashers with food. Frangula californica California coffeeberry, also known as California buckthorn, is an excellent choice for drought-tolerant wildlife gardens. This species can grow up to 15 feet tall and spread over 10 feet in width, making it ideal for filling large spaces....

Read more to learn all the ins and outs of harvesting and storing turnips. We’ll also share some unique recipe ideas. So, you planted a bed of turnips in your garden this season. You cared for your plants, thinning, mulching, watering, managing pests, and watching them grow. Now what? You may be wondering when you can harvest the roots. Can you harvest greens and roots from the same plants? And what do you do with the roots once you have pulled them out of the ground?...

It’s tempting to add a few of these lollipops to your cart, but thanks to the years-long process required to shape and allow a plant to mature, they can be pricey. Hydrangeas are perfect garden bushes. The plants are quick growing, low maintenance, and produce loads of bright, voluminous blooms. Naturally, they grow as multi-stemmed shrubs, and need occasional pruning to keep them in shape. But have you ever seen tree form hydrangeas at a nursery?...

All of the plants on this list reach four feet or more at maturity. And sometimes they’ll grow much, much taller. Each of these can act as a tree in your home, bringing a tropical, evergreen, or Mediterranean forest vibe to your decor. When you grow houseplants, you bring some of the outdoors in. But much of the time, houseplants are adorably short, trailing down a bookcase or with just a few leafy stems coming out of a small pot....

Our guide to growing peas in containers has all you need to know to raise a crop outdoors without a garden. Peas, Pisum sativum, are a cool-weather crop for USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 11. Those in zones that receive frost sow and reap in the spring, while those in the warmest zones within this range plant in the fall for a winter harvest. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

Retro-themed home decor never goes out of charm and if you also love such timeless arrangement, then check out these exclusive Pictures of Houseplants With Vintage Style Décor. Have a look at some unique vintage style plant decoration ideas here Pictures of Houseplants With Vintage Style Décor 1. Cast Iron Plant on a Wooden Floor A post shared by F I N N I S H by jes (@finnishbyjes) 2. Boston Tiger Fern in a Retro Planter A post shared by mads....

When you showcase the plants in a certain way, it adds to the overall look, enhancing their beauty considerably. Here are some of the best DIY Indoor Plant Display Ideas you can use that take very little space, making them perfect for urban homes. We have some great ideas to showcase houseplants here DIY Indoor Plant Display Ideas 1. A Perfect Plant Wall Get white floating shelves from any local or online store and hang them on a wall to display your favorite houseplants in an elegant way....

Let’s dig into the health benefits. Like their cousins collard and mustard, turnip greens are perhaps best known for appearing alongside some type of fatty pork. 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....

All ginger needs is filtered sunlight, warm and humid weather, and rich and moist soil. If you can mimic these conditions inside your house, you can grow it in just about any climate! Zingiber officinale Ginger is one of my favorite spices to have in high supply around my kitchen, and lucky for me, this tropical plant can easily be grown indoors all year, even during the long, cold Vermont winters....

There are ways to address the leggy growth that’s plaguing your plants. African violets are a treat when they’re happily in bloom. But when they’re unhappy, they can be downright strange looking. They can grow long stems and long petioles that make the plant look like an entirely different species. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

While there are a lot of variables involved, most gardeners in the continental US will be able to grow a fall garden if we plan it right! After a long summer growing season, when autumn rolls around, planting a fall garden might be the last thing you want to do. But autumn can be the perfect time for gardening. The soil is still warm and the milder temperatures more pleasant....

1. Little Farmer Basket Take a wooden wine box, and paint it with the color of your choice. Then, fill it with herbs, flowering plants, and gardening essentials like trowels and spade. You can also include some little treats inside to make one of the best creative DIY Christmas gifts for gardeners! Read this article for details. 2. DIY Basket Made from Garden Hose Here’s a unique way to transform your garden hose into a useful basket, with the help of zip ties....

Figurative language aside, a Strelitzia plant’s greenery is very important. But unfortunately, for whatever reason, the foliage and stems can get a bit out of sorts. Chlorosis, necrosis, structural damage… and while prevention goes a long way, sometimes these things just happen. A bird of paradise plant (Strelitzia spp.), as a whole, is a lot like a gorgeous opera performance. The beautiful flowers, with their appearance reminiscent of birds, represent the singer – the star, the show-stopper, the proverbial fat lady who sings when it’s over – while the leaves and stems are more akin to the orchestra, which provides the necessary aesthetic support....

Outside, these ants feed on dead insects and rodents, which can transmit diseases to humans. Solenopsis molesta Thief ants, Solenopsis molesta, certainly live up to their name. They are tiny, less than 1/32 inch long, and tend to locate their nests next to those of other ant species. This makes it convenient for them to steal food and larvae to feed the members of their own colony. These particular pests are one of the smallest species of ant around the world that commonly infest houses....

A perennial evergreen, S. montana has a much longer season than its close cousin summer savory (S. hortensis) – which you can read all about here. Satureja montana Herbs can offer an amazing array of benefits. And winter savory is no exception. From their intense flavors and fragrances to their uses in the garden attracting pollinators and repelling pests, these plants are beloved by cooks, gardeners, and herbalists alike. Kitchen herbs like parsley, oregano, rosemary, sage, and thyme are commonly grown in the home garden, but many enthusiasts miss out on the delights of winter savory....

The plants can produce fruits weighing several pounds, and they are primarily indeterminate in their growth habit. Among other things, they are late-maturing, large, and demand plenty of water. There is nothing like a big slab of juicy, tasty, meaty… tomato? That’s right, beefsteak tomato plants grow hefty fruits with pink, red, or orange flesh that taste great fresh, and fit perfectly on burgers or sandwiches. While growing beefsteak tomatoes is similar to growing other types, there are a few things you need to know to be successful in cultivating the big, often ribbed version of America’s favorite vegetable....

If you’re a dahlia enthusiast who loves surprises, I can highly recommend buying a budget bulk bag of unnamed, random tubers. Eager to add more plants to the dahlia beds? It’s easy to propagate new plants from cuttings. 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 already fun waiting for the dahlias you know and love to bloom, but there’s an extra thrill when the colors, shapes, and sizes are a complete mystery....

When tended with care, vases sparkle, smell sweet, and remain first-day fresh for a good five days. And, best of all, only you know the subtle changes they have undergone to keep them that way! Do you love fresh floral arrangements, but end up with a smelly, wilted mess after a few days? In my house, it’s kind of like the shoemaker’s kids having no shoes. Occasionally, I get behind in my watering… and that’s not good for a floral designer and garden writer....

This article will break down the concerns that often arise, and share steps you can take to mitigate potential problems. Ask a handful of gardeners if it is okay to compost tomatoes and you are bound to get conflicting answers. A question of great controversy, everybody seems to have a different opinion on whether or not this is an acceptable practice. The truth is that the answer can go either way, depending on a few factors....