Without a doubt, these odd little grape-sized members of the gourd family were one of my absolute favorite crops to grow. After growing them twice, I learned quite a bit about them, and I’m happy to share it all. Melothria scabra About 10 to 15 years ago, no one I knew had a clue what a Mexican sour gherkin was. If you had asked how to grow mouse melon, cucamelon, or sour cucumber, you might have gotten some strange looks....

This has led to active breeding programs that have created hybrids in a wide variety of colors in both the flowers and leaves, and sizes ranging from two-foot beauties bursting with bright red, saucer-sized flowers to 10-foot-tall sub-shrubs. Hibiscus spp. When you think of the majestic hibiscus flower, your mind may turn instinctively to the medium-sized shrubs with their showy display of large, bright flowers popular in Southern and tropical gardens....

The answer is simple: ginger is a tropical plant, and it’s fairly hard to grow in regions that are less warm and humid. Zingiber officinale We all know ginger – a tasty culinary herb (or, more accurately, a spice) that you can buy practically anywhere. Whether you’re using the whole root, paste, or powdered form, it’s a spice any seasoned cook will reach for, especially when they want an easy way to add a dash of Asian flavor to their dishes....

The common names go on and on, but whatever you choose to call M. virginica, it’s time to dig in! Mertensia virginica Gentlemen’s breeches or old ladies’ bonnets. Wait, are we talking about old fashioned clothing on a gardening website? Eastern bluebell, Virginia cowslip, or Roanoke bells. Phew, it is a plant. Exactly what you came to learn about, right? Don’t worry, we’ve covered the basics of everything you could ever want or need to know about how to grow, propagate, and care for the shade loving, blue bloomed North American native also known as blue and pink ladies, smooth lungwort, or chiming bells…...

In our guide to growing peonies, we discuss all you need to know to grow your own plants. The peony, Paeonia spp., is a flowering perennial for USDA Hardiness Zones 3-8 that thrives in full sun. It blooms in springtime, and sometimes early summer. 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....

If you’d like a review of the entire green bean growing process, make sure you read our complete guide. Growing beans at home in the backyard garden can be a real confidence-booster when you are a beginning gardener. But if you pick your crop too early, your harvest will feel a bit insubstantial. If you wait too long, on the other hand, you will end up with a mouth full of unpalatable stringiness....

I’ll cover the details about this poisonous plant here, and provide some common-sense precautions for safe enjoyment. Here’s what to expect: With their vibrant blooms, and ability to withstand salt spray and drought, oleanders are highly desirable flowering plants. But these shrubs also contain cardiac glycosides, which are poisonous. If humans or animals eat the blooms, leaves, stems, or roots, they can suffer a host of serious, or even fatal, reactions....

In our guide to growing blueberries, we cover how to cultivate these plants in your home garden. Nothing beats homegrown blueberries. Well, except for maybe one thing… more blueberries! If you want to expand your berry patch – or get started growing blueberries – sure, you could go buy plants from a nursery, but why not try propagating your own bushes? Doing your own propagation at home is so rewarding, not to mention cost effective....

How much water do these tropical indoor plants require? I’ll delve into that, along with some tips for setting yourself up for success right from the start. Anthurium species grown as houseplants can offer two distinct types of visual appeal, but all benefit from the same watering strategy. This genus includes around 825 species, and the popular A. andraeanum and A. scherzerianum are prized for their colorful, heart-shaped spathes. With other types, including A....

If I had to condense all of this into a one-bite experience, here’s what it would be: the taste of a juicy, homegrown raspberry from my grandpop’s garden, just-picked and still warm from the sun. When I think of summertime, I imagine long-awaited outdoor music festivals, ice-cold cocktails on a sunny patio, and curling up in a hammock with a good book, while butterflies flit and flutter by on gentle breezes....

You may need different favorites for growing bird seed and planting containers, for example, or for attracting pollinators and creating centerpieces. Are you choosing sunflower cultivars to grow in your garden or in containers? I hope some of my favorites might become your favorites, too. I must warn you, though. When it comes to sunflowers, like I do when I see photos from my nephew’s engagement session or songbirds at my feeders, I continually pipe up with, “That’s my favorite!...

All you need to do is enjoy reading, and then make a choice – or two! Instead of pondering just how many pecks Peter Piper could pick, here’s a much more enjoyable way to spend your time: Figure out which variety of pickling cucumber would be best to grow in your garden. That will lead to you doing the picking, and then the pickling, and that’s a really fun prospect....

Here are the Best Blue Succulents with quirky shapes and sizes that will help you add a new dimension to your home and garden with an unexpected surprise! Check out the best indoor plants with blue leaves here Best Blue Succulents Do note that not all succulents here have a true blue shade. Some may have a tint with a green or gray hue to them. 1. Blue Glow Agave Botanical Name: Agave attenuata x ocahui...

1. Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘Let’s party!’ Robin Williams 2. Spring: The music of open windows. Terri Guillemets 3. “Come, gentle Spring! Ethereal Mildness! Come.” James Thomson Also Read: April Garden Tasks 4. Spring Comes: The flowers learn their colored shapes. Maria Konopnicka 5. It is dry, hazy June weather. We are more of the earth, farther from heaven these days. Henry David Thoreau Also Read: Garden Sign Ideas...

Native to the eastern Mediterranean basin, Asia Minor, and parts of the Middle East, the Dutch hyacinth, H. orientalis, is the common garden variety –not to be confused with the much smaller flowers of the genus Muscari, known as grape hyacinths. Hyacinthus Hyacinths are a perennial, bulbous spring flower from the genus Hyacinthus in the Asparagaceae or asparagus family. Sweetly fragrant with a delicate, fresh scent, each hyacinth bulb produces 4-6 narrow, upright leaves and 1-3 spikes of fragrant star-shaped flowers in colors of blue, lavender, purples, orange, peach, salmon, red, pink, yellow, and white....

Instead of buying jars of mass-produced sauce as an accompaniment to a holiday turkey, roasted cranberries are a staple on my Christmas table, but more about that later. Vaccinium macrocarpon Have you ever thought about growing your own cranberries, so you can always have a fresh supply for juices, smoothies, pies, and of course, your holiday table? I love using fresh cranberries in baking. Nothing beats fresh cranberry bread and muffins straight out of the oven....

That’s enough to make any container gardener salivate. But guess what? Do you have a patio garden? Swiss chard is one of those plants that seems positively made for growing in containers in small spaces. It doesn’t mind being a little rootbound, and it isn’t too fussy. On top of that, if you like having edibles that are ripe for the picking all over your yard, but you don’t want to offend any neighbors or the HOA, Swiss chard is your plant....

Better yet, this isn’t lettuce that traveled thousands of miles to reach your cutting board, and it will still be totally organic if your original purchase was organically grown as well. If you want to stretch your food budget, but you still crave organic, hyper-local produce – even during a global pandemic that’s keeping you at home – it’s time to gain some familiarity with growing lettuce from scraps. Okay, you’re not going to yield a huge harvest....

What about Christmas cactus? This tropical cactus, Schlumbergera spp., is a popular houseplant that blooms prolifically during the holiday season, under the right conditions. As anyone who has had the misfortune of rushing their precious pet to the veterinarian with kidney failure can attest, houseplants and cats can be a potentially lethal combination. And the holiday season can cause even more headaches for pet parents, with dazzling amaryllis flowers, poinsettia plants, and festive decor that may include evergreens, berries, and mistletoe to consider....

Before we dive into those sources, first we need to take a look at what protein is, and how it helps your body to function. Vegetarian and vegan diets have risen in popularity in recent years, but the looming question remains – how do meat-free eaters get enough protein? Fortunately, a variety of plant-based protein sources are readily available both on grocery store shelves and in our gardens! If you want to meet your daily protein needs without considering meat or animal products, you have options....