Multiple varieties of astilbe are available for you to choose from, with flowers covering a broad spectrum of colors. The foliage varies too, ranging from a deep green to a darker brown tone and everything in between. When it comes to gardening in a shaded location, many of us turn to classic fallback options like hostas and foxgloves. Astilbe is a perennial that blooms for up to three weeks, producing elegant spikes or clusters of flowers....
True sedges, those plants in the Carex genus, generally do well in wet or depleted soils and are perfectly happy with the barest amount of sunlight. Some are even perfect as a lawn replacement for those shady spots where grass won’t grow. Some plants get all the attention, with their massive flowers or bold foliage colors. Then there are the humble workhorses doing their job without any fuss or muss, making our lives easier and our gardens prettier....
Dichorisandra thyrsiflora flaunts its violet blue flowers and deep green foliage like an ambidextrous samurai wielding twin katanas… or maybe a Scottish Highlander brandishing two claymores… or a Ghilman with dual scimitars, perhaps. Dichorisandra thyrsiflora With some species, the blooms are the focal point. And with others, the glossy green leaves take center stage. It’s nice when ornamental plants can offer both floral interest and bold foliage in equal parts – and blue ginger is one such plant....
Regularly growing to over ten feet, often taller than it is wide, this shrub also has the potential to grow into a small tree. Older, more established plants can sometimes top 20 feet tall! Heteromeles arbutifolia Otherwise known as toyon, California holly, or Christmas berry, Heteromeles arbutifolia is an excellent slope-stabilizing and habitat plant, host to myriad insects including pollinating butterflies and moths. An iconic staple of California chaparral and oak woodlands, this evergreen shrub grows most commonly on north facing slopes, hill bottoms, and canyons....
If you keep it moist but not soggy, instead of drooping in the heat like so many annual flowering vines, it will reward you with a growth spurt in early summer, and with blooms and pods all summer long. Lablab purpureus Gardeners with day jobs aren’t the only ones who multitask. The fast-growing hyacinth bean vine functions as an ornamental plant, food source, and butterfly magnet, and even works as a beautiful privacy fence....
The flowers are nectar-rich and attract bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators. Plants can live up to 20 years in the right growing conditions. Do you think it’s even possible to have too many lavender plants? A fragrant favorite in flower beds and herb gardens, this striking perennial is versatile in many settings, from formal borders to naturalized wildflower gardens. The pretty flower heads are mostly available in shades of mauve to purple, but there are blue, pink, and white varieties as well....
While factors such as nutritional deficiencies and fungal infections can produce these symptoms, yellowing leaves on kale are usually due to bacteria. Although kale plants are usually extremely healthy and rarely contract diseases in a home garden, sometimes they can suffer from infections. Your best way to prevent this is to keep your plants healthy and grow them under the appropriate conditions, i.e., full sun and cool temperatures. Covering your seedlings with floating row covers will keep out pests and keep water containing pathogens from splashing onto your kale plants....
And many hours toiling over your flowers and veggies without protection can leave you susceptible to sunburn – and its damaging effects on your skin. Time spent in the garden is often time in the sun. And if you aren’t prepared for the heat, it’ll kick your booty! The seasoned gardeners out there are probably nodding along with me right now, but for those first breaking ground on their backyard, garden plot, or allotment, this might come as news to you....
We list the 5 main reasons flowers might not appear when you expect them. You planted your pumpkin seeds and felt that buzz of excitement when they germinated and poked through the earth. They grew into robust vines with huge leaves, but right around the time when you expected flowers, none came. What in the world? If you’re wondering why your pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) isn’t producing flowers, you’ve come to the right place....
Flower heads are approximately one inch in diameter and consist of a single layer of sparsely arranged blue rays surrounding a yellow center disc. Symphyotrichum oolentangiense Ornamental sky blue aster, Symphyotrichum oolentangiense, formerly Aster azureus, is a native herbaceous perennial that readily naturalizes in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 8. It toils away all season long, forming branching foliage. Then it bursts into masses of blue, daisy-like flowers, just in time to bridge the gap between summer’s waning blooms and fall’s spectacular leaf show....
It’s easy to see why this plant has become one of the most popular junipers of all time in the home garden. If you’re eager to make it a part of yours, this guide can help. Juniperus squamata ‘Blue Star’ The fabulous, unfussy ‘Blue Star’ juniper started out as a happy accident, and thank goodness someone stumbled across it. Now we’re all lucky enough to be able to use it as a part of our landscaping....
Incredibly beautiful, medicinal, and edible, it’s no wonder the birds and the bees love it too! Best of all, there isn’t much to getting a patch established, and once you do, it will reward you with vibrant color and life year after year. Monarda spp. One of my absolute favorite flowers, I look forward to the day each year when the bee balm buds open into magnificent scarlet blooms, bringing a whole crew of ravenous hummingbirds into my yard....
And the easiest and most efficient methods for vegetative propagation are via rooted stem cuttings, stem layering, and air layering. Azaleas make a magnificent addition to our gardens and yards, and when you find one that works for you, it’s natural to want a few more! These members of the Rhododendron genus are highly popular, with over 10,000 registered cultivars. This is great for selection, but unfortunately, plants started from the seed of hybrids don’t grow true to the parent plants....
Read on to learn what to look for and what to do if your tomato plants have big bud disease. If your tomato plants have enormous flower buds and little or no fruit develops, you should examine them more closely to see if they have the aptly named tomato big bud disease. While this disease can be a severe problem in subtropical areas of the world, it is less common in the US, and typically is a more minor concern for farmers and home gardeners here....
Natural Ingredients When you’re down and out with the aches and congestion of seasonal ailments, the plant world offers a wide selection of relief-giving ingredients – like the ones found in this soothing herbal tea. Even if you’re ultra-vigilant with handwashing during cold and flu season, it’s still difficult to avoid exposure to nasty germs and viruses – they’re in the air, and on practically every surface in public places....
We’ll cover how to top-dress early arrivals, revitalizing compact growth, dividing potted and garden growers, location, fertilizer and water requirements, how to propagate new plants, and mulching. Who doesn’t love herbs? They’re fun and easy to grow, delicious to cook with, and they offer amazing levels of antioxidants for good health and well-being. And they’re also among some of the earliest perennials to make an appearance in the spring garden....
A Japanese maple tree looks fantastic on its own, but just as no meal is complete without some savory sides to pair with the entree, no garden specimen reaches its full ornamental potential without the help of some strategically-selected plantings. Ah, the Acer palmatum. Delicate foliage, a graceful branching habit, stunning fall color… it’s got the full package. Most gardeners can find a spot for a Japanese maple in their garden without issue – it’s that versatile....
What’s It All About? This coffee-table book, published by Gibbs Smith, isn’t so much a how-to but rather an exploration of what’s possible. The Pacific Northwest is one of Mother’s Nature’s verdant playgrounds. While the deserts highlight her talent for architectural simplicity, and she lets her full range of colors show in the tropical rainforests, it’s in the temperate rainforest landscapes of Oregon, northern California, Washington, and British Columbia where it seems like she gave herself permission to have fun with every shade of green imaginable....
So I planted grass instead. When I moved into my little Alaskan house almost two years ago, it was newly built and knee-deep in a muddy, mostly barren yard. The first thing I did that spring was plant eleven trees – including three apple trees that have survived moose attacks, subzero temperatures, and high winds. I wanted to sow a field of wildflowers to go with the trees, but the mixed seed bag I bought at the nursery to test out in my flower beds produced blooms that just didn’t look wild enough for me....
In this article, you will learn all you need to grow and care for the alpine aster. Aster alpinus The alpine aster, Aster alpinus, is a short-lived cold weather perennial in the very large Asteraceae family that includes daisies, dahlias, and sunflowers. This herbaceous ornamental species is unique for having an early bloom time, low profile, and single blossom per stem. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....
