Even among plants, ferns are well-known for their greenery. Since they don’t flower, their fronds are all that they have, ornamentally. Which is fine, because a fern’s green foliage is just what the doctor ordered… most of the time. Dryopteris erythrosora It’s no contest – green is the color most often associated with plants. And it’s easy to see why – what with green being the color of chlorophyll, it’s no wonder our language is peppered with common phrases like “going green” and “green thumb....

Lifting and trimming the roots rejuvenates existing clumps for improved flowering, and you’ll have plenty of leftover rhizomes to transplant to new locations. Named for the rainbow goddess of Greek mythology, irises are tall, elegant perennials that produce an amazing assortment of showy flowers in sumptuous colors and have a sweet floral scent. Once established, plants form large, attractive clumps as the fleshy rhizomes creep and spread. However, when the roots become overcrowded, the center of the clump can die out and flower production dwindles....

A few years ago, I went to what’s still my favorite-ever wedding. My friend Lynda was getting married, and she is such a fanatical gardener – she was weeding in the dark until late the night before to ensure everything was perfect for the hundreds of guests. Like dear friends, sometimes the dahlias that stretch towards the sky to lofty heights in our gardens could use a little support. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

Fortunately, there are several species and cultivars that are hardy enough to survive – and thrive – in these areas. Are you pining for elegant vines with sumptuous flowers, lively colors, and a carefree habit, but live in a region with short summers? Look no further than the reliable charm of clematis. If you have long, cold winters and want to make the most of a short growing season, these vigorous climbers provide an easy way to add color and texture to your garden....

Wonderfully low maintenance, they’re simple and easy to cultivate and propagate readily from cuttings, seed, or root division. Edible herbs are some of the most rewarding plants to grow. They add delightful beauty and fragrance to the garden and deliver amazing flavors for beverages, the grill, and your favorite recipes. Highly aromatic with pretty flowers, they also attract helpful pollinators to the garden, like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. And they make the best companion plants, adeptly driving away pests from flower beds and vegetable crops with their intense essential oils....

This disorder is caused by a fungus that thrives in warm, damp places. It is common in the nurseries that propagate these plants, so it could be lurking in your pot without your knowledge. In addition to their dramatic good looks, amaryllis plants are generally tough and resilient. This makes them ideal presents for gardening newcomers, and they make a colorful addition to holiday decor. However, even when they receive the best of care, amaryllis plants (Hippeastrum spp....

Hailing from southern Africa, the four main species in the genus are A. africanus, which has long, curved leaves, A. praecox and A. orientalis, the most commonly grown species, and last but not least, A. inapertus with its deep-blue, pendulous flowers that remain almost completely closed. Agapanthus, aka lily of the Nile, provides a glorious display of color in borders and beds. The blooms grow off a central stalk that ends in an umbel containing about 20 to 30 tube-shaped flowers....

This article focuses on five easy ways to propagate more shrubs from the ones you already have. Forsythia is an iconic shrub in USDA Hardiness Zones 5-8, where its late winter to early spring blooms shatter winter’s icy grip with their bold yellow blossoms. In our guide to growing forsythia, we discuss all you need to know to cultivate this classic in your landscape. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

In this article, we’ll introduce you to this unique plant, and provide guidance for its cultivation indoors. Beaucarnea recurvata Have you been wanting to grow a palm in your home, but wondering if you could keep up with the misting and watering required to satisfy the typical palm’s need for moisture? If so, here’s a plant for you! The ponytail palm, Beaucarnea recurvata, has tropical-style foliage, but doesn’t require a wet environment to thrive....

Though this is often the case with some of the best varieties of homegrown produce in terms of flavor and texture, you may need to put in a little extra effort as a gardener to get your best crop yet. Here’s a riddle for you: With juicy and crisp ‘Honeycrisp’ apples being in such high demand that they often fetch two to three times the price of other types, why did Bloomberg publish an article called “The Curse of the Honeycrisp Apple” in 2018?...

In this article, we introduce 11 of our favorite varieties to guide you in selecting the right shrubbery for your landscape. Forsythia is a non-native deciduous shrub best known for its profusion of bold yellow blossoms that appear just as winter yields to spring. There are 11 species in the Forsythia genus and numerous cultivated varieties that vary in height, growth habit, bloom time, and to some degree, color. In our guide to growing forsythia, we discuss all you need to know to successfully cultivate this sturdy, long-lived bush, suitable for USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to 8....

Read on to discover 11 of our favorite garden-themed books for the young folks in your life. One of my favorite places to teach children is in the garden, with the plants, animals, and insects that live there. Here we can magnify and measure, write and sing, experience the fragility of life, and be comforted by its cyclical nature. In this article, we depart from growing guides and troubleshooting diseases to inspire you to garden with your kids....

But it’s not magic, it’s just good old basic science. Because changing colors depends on the species you’re growing and the chemistry of your soil, not hocus pocus! With their large, attractive, and long-lasting flower heads, hydrangeas are wonderfully showy performers in the summer garden. Fantastic in the landscape or as cut flowers, the bold blooms of the bigleaf varieties are a standout in vibrant shades of blue, green, mauve, pink, purple, red, and white....

Home gardeners in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 8 can enjoy native species that may soar to five feet tall, as well as more compact hybrid varieties. The blue, pink, purple, and white blossoms of late-season perennial asters are a welcome sight as the growing season draws to a close. They renew the tired summer landscape and hint at the fall spectacle to come. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

Our guide to growing pomegranates has all the details on how to cultivate these trees in your landscape. In this guide, we’ll discuss when and how to harvest your homegrown fruit. Fruiting pomegranate trees, Punica granatum, are best suited to growing in hot, dry climates of USDA Hardiness Zones 7-11. The fruits can take between five and seven months – depending on the variety – to mature and ripen, ready for picking....

A friend of mine, Mary, loves gardening and cut flowers. It only makes sense that she has her own cut flower garden, which has actually inspired me. Mary not only keeps fresh flowers in her own home; but she also makes up gorgeous bouquets to take to the elderly shut-ins, who live in her neighborhood. Following Mary’s lead, I have started planting more flowers to use in bouquets. You can do the same....

In addition you may choose to grow some of your crops in containers to save garden space, or in the case of perennial vegetables, move them to a different location for winter protection. Even if you don’t have room for a regular garden, you can still enjoy growing and harvesting fresh vegetables all summer long by cultivating your crops in containers. If the sun shines for a good part of the day on a balcony, driveway, front step, patio, porch, or sidewalk, you’ve got prime gardening real estate for a container, or a collection of pots filled with vegetables....

In our cauliflower growing guide, we discuss all you need to know to grow and care for your own plants. Like its brassica relatives, cauliflower, Brassica oleracea var. botrytis, is prone to pests that pose a threat to successful cultivation. And in addition to the damage pests can do to developing heads, foliage, and roots, they may also be vectors, or carriers, of plant diseases that may be detrimental to an even greater degree....

In this article we’re going to take a look at 31 different types of marigolds, considering their various features to help you determine which ones will work for your particular flower beds or garden patch – as well as your aesthetic preferences. When you decide to grow your own marigolds from seed, your options might feel almost limitless. These beautiful and sunny annual flowers are available in an impressive array of bloom types, colors, and plant sizes – and all of them are gorgeous, so it can be hard to know which to choose!...

There are a number of reasons that may cause the leaf tips to turn brown, and in this guide we will go over the most common ones. Many of us love peace lilies (Spathiphyllum spp.) for their stunning white flowers, but even when they’re not in bloom, these houseplants are remarkably beautiful. I’d grow peace lilies even if they didn’t bloom – those glossy, elegant green leaves are pretty irresistible....