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In recent years, Growing Hydrangeas in Pots has become popular. Flowering from spring to autumn, these flowers come in white, pink, purple, red, and blue, depending upon the variety. You can grow Hydrangea easily indoors or outdoors in containers, with the right combination of soil, water, and sunlight. Botanical Name: Hydrangea USDA Zones: 4-10 Soil pH: 4.5-7.5 Check out our article on landscaping with Hydrangeas here Best Hydrangea Varieties for Pots Hydrangeas can be great container plants, provided you pick the right variety!...

Strawberries are one of those fruits that are really best right off the plant. The ones at the store rarely compare. Is there anything better than pulling a plump strawberry, warmed by the sun, right off the plant and popping it in your mouth? And is there anything worse than biting into that fruit and discovering that you picked it too late or too early? We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

What many people don’t realize, though, is that there are multiple types of boxwood you can grow – many of which are cold-hardy and can be cultivated by northern gardeners, too. Buxus spp. If you’re looking for a plant that’s terrific for topiaries, great for hedges, and even attractive when left untrimmed, the boxwood shrub is perfect for you. A long-time favorite of Southern gardeners, boxwoods have been grown in the States for centuries....

As so-called “dynamic accumulators,” dandelions can be used to produce a nutrient-dense homemade fertilizer without a lot of effort – it’s surprisingly easy! If you enjoy organic gardening solutions, making dandelion tea fertilizer is a great way to create your own cost-effective products while being self-sufficient. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. The process mostly involves putting the weeds in water and aerating the mixture from time to time, to allow for proper fermentation....

I’ve killed more plants than I care to admit by failing to give them the right amount of water. Can you relate? Who hasn’t had a hard time at some point with trying to keep their plants watered appropriately? If you regularly forget to water or you keep giving your plants too darn much, get yourself a soil moisture meter. These garden tools take the guesswork out of watering for happier plants....

He perched on the edge of an empty birdbath, telling me in no uncertain terms that there should be water in it. Are you looking for a decorative addition to your property? A birdbath is a great choice that’s pretty, functional, and fun. When spring arrives in my corner of Pennsylvania, I’m surrounded by woodpeckers, warblers, and finches – their hammering, singing, mating, and nesting is in full swing. One particularly warm afternoon, I was daydreaming in my back garden when I was scolded by a feisty house sparrow....

If not using one of its non-scientific names, many gardeners simply call the plant “mina lobata.” Ipomoea lobata Shooting up almost as quickly as one of its many nicknames, firecracker vine can grow close to 10 feet in a month, racing up trellises and fences and launching attractive red, banana-shaped flowers that gradually fade to a cream color. Properly known as Ipomoea lobata, firecracker vine is also known by two former scientific names, Mina lobata and Quamoclit lobata and by a colorful array of other nicknames including Spanish flag and exotic love vine....

It features small flowers on tall stems, floating above a sea of textured leaves, all in shades of green and white. Anemone cylindrica Native to the Canadian province I grew up in, and every province I’ve lived in since, candle anemone is one of those seemingly unexceptional plants that I would recognize everywhere but never took much notice of beyond that. My siblings and I used the seed fluff to line the beds of the baby mice we found....

Are you with me? Let’s take a look! Weeds – those opportunistic, unwelcome plants that can effortlessly outcompete your edibles and ornamentals. If only there were an easy way to keep them at bay! Well, unfortunately, there isn’t. They are really good at what they do. But there are some things you can do to make the job of weeding a lot less cumbersome and time-consuming. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

The answer depends on a few different factors, such as the growing medium, container type, time of year, and – above all – the type of orchid. With their elegant flowers, orchids make enchanting houseplants. And since proper hydration is a must in order to keep them healthy and to encourage blooming, you might be wondering how and when to water them. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

You can find out more about growing crocus in our complete guide, but in this article, we’ll be focusing on when to plant this hardy member of the iris family. There’s nothing like waking up one late-winter day to a field of gorgeous crocus blooms in your own backyard. But when, exactly, do you have to plant crocus bulbs, technically called corms, in order to see a bounty of flowers?...

I will try not to be overbearing. But I’m also not going to let you banish excellent produce to the icy depths of that overflow chest freezer in the basement if you won’t ever use it to cook with in the future. Can you freeze fresh tomatoes? Short answer: sure. But this is one of those times when you should hold out for the long answer. While it’s technically possible to stash homegrown produce in your cold storage appliance until it can hold no more, there are often better options for preserving a glut of tomatoes....

Fortunately there’s a different way, and it can help take the guesswork out of figuring out how much to provide. That means healthier, happier plants. If you want to keep your plants alive, there are a few things you have to do: give them light, feed them now and then, and – of course – water them. Watering seems pretty straightforward to me. You fill a jug or can, bring it over to your plant, and dump the liquid in, right?...

The tropical garden is incomplete without these plants – and the pina colada too, if you ask me! Just like birds of paradise and hibiscus, cannas are the epitome of summertime flowers perfectly suited to hot, humid climates. Canna spp. You don’t have to live in a steamy climate to plant, grow, and care for canna lilies. Close your eyes and imagine a lush, tropical landscape. You probably picture palm trees, large fans of green leaves, and bright, dramatic blooms soaking up the sun....

Slow to spread on their own, once you introduce them into your space on new plants, tools, or supplies, these pests can be notoriously hard to manage. Pseudococcidae One minute you’ve got a happy, healthy succulent and the next you notice a clump of white fluff or some small, odd looking insects wedged in a crevice of your precious plant. They seem to appear from out of nowhere. When a sudden infestation of mealybugs occurred on my mom’s houseplants, though, everyone knew where to put the blame: on the cuttings I’d brought home from my university’s tropical greenhouse....

We will introduce you to the world of tomato disfigurement known as catfacing – a disorder that is not contagious, but can cause significant losses of yield. You nurture your tomato plants until you have beautiful fruit maturing on the vine. Upon closer inspection, you discover that something has gone terribly wrong. Your fruits have a hideous deformity! What is going on? Fear not – they are not under siege from a pathogen that could ruin your entire crop....

Planting a hedge is one of the friendliest ways to put a border around a property. Unlike fences, shrubs take time to grow, allowing you to ease into defining your space. In addition to creating privacy, hedging is a great way to divide gardens, line the borders of a driveway, and adorn your home’s foundation. The culture of planting trees and shrubs in dense, interwoven lines dates back thousands of years to the fields of farmers who needed to pen livestock and shield tender crops from seaborne winds....

Carrots are fragile plants and they frequently crack, usually down the length of the root. The primary cause of split carrots is sporadic moisture. Pulling up root vegetables is like opening presents on Christmas day. There’s a powerful feeling of anticipation and excitement about what the wrapping – or the soil – holds. There are few things more satisfying than pulling up a pristine, brightly colored, edible plant. While I’ve enjoyed laughing at uniquely shaped vegetables and have an odd love for intertwined roots, I’d much rather uncover something that looks like it came from the grocery store....

Read on to discover 15 plants that are either true annuals, or tender perennials commonly grown as annuals, with vivid hues that shout, “Welcome, fall!” The end of summer doesn’t have to mean the end of color in the garden. With bright annuals, you can rejuvenate the autumn garden and extend the growing season until the winter winds blow. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

For newbie gardeners, Growing Pineapple Indoors can be a little touch but it is not impossible! And for anyone who wants to know – Do Pineapples Grow on Trees, then this article is for you! Here are the best fruits you can grow indoors A Little History of Pineapples Most people think that it was the Hawaiians who first grew the fruit, but that’s not the case. Pineapples belong to the bromeliad family, which mainly originated in South America and were brought to Spain by the famous discoverer–Christopher Columbus in the year 1493, though pineapples were grown in Africa as well....