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Shrubs are available in a range of sizes and shapes with a clean, contained profile that requires little maintenance. Rhododendron spp. Beloved for their delightfully bright and long-lasting flowers, azalea shrubs make a dazzling statement in the spring garden. But there are also varieties that flower in early summer and early fall. So, with a bit of planning, and a large enough garden, you can enjoy those delicious blooms for up to eight months!...

Plant lettuces with companion marigolds, the super flower of pest deterrents. It’s hard to beat the taste of a crisp green salad made with ingredients fresh from the garden. Easy to grow, lettuce and mixed greens ask little of the gardener, but deliver delicious flavors and nutrients for our enjoyment and good health. Known as cool-weather crops, they thrive in the warm days and cool evenings of spring, and in the late summer/early autumn season as well....

Lifting and storing is a simple process, but there are a few important steps to ensure you have healthy, vibrant tubers for spring planting. When you start growing dahlias, it’s impossible not to fall in love with their remarkable flowers. These tender perennials are easy to cultivate, and they put on a fantastic display of glorious blooms from early summer until they are felled by a hard frost. And after cold weather settles in, it’s time to dig up and remove the tubers for winter storage, to plant out again in spring....

When it comes to propagating these living Christmas trees, you have a few options. I’m going to provide detailed instructions for three of these methods here. Norfolk Island pine trees have a strong association with the Christmas holiday season – but these conifers are houseplants that keep giving all year long! And when you propagate your own, they give even more! We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

For the past few years, cucumbers, squash, and zucchini have wilted in my garden – no matter what. My best guess is that my soil is infected with a virus, be it phytophthera or some other crippling condition. Since then, I have planned to build a raised bed for cucurbits, which would give me some fresh soil to try growing them again. Well, I finally got around to it! I built a raised bed out of dog-eared cedar fence posts and pressure treated 2x2s....

Having shrubs with elegant, white flowers is an ideal choice to brighten up your garden area! As the color symbolizes purity, light, and goodness, it brings a certain touch of tranquility to space. If you are searching for bushes with white flowers, then take a look at the article below! Check out our article on the best shrubs for containers here! 1. Korean Spice Viburnum USDA Zone: 4-7 Botanical Name: Viburnum carlesii...

There was no symmetry or attempts at order here; we planted at random to make the most of our purchase. Little did I suspect that with pansies, you don’t need rhyme or reason. Pansies can be planted in one mass of color, or thrown together into a mix resembling scattered Skittles, and they’ll reward you with incredible displays of color. Here’s a very short story about why I love pansies:...

Of course, as soon as you say something like that, you’ll go outside and notice that your bleeding hearts are covered in some sort of fungus, or they’re wilted and yellowing Maybe I should be knocking on wood right now. With their delicate flowers and lacy foliage, you might assume that bleeding hearts are super fragile and prone to diseases. But, as the saying goes, you can’t judge a book by its cover, and these plants are actually surprisingly resilient....

In this article, you will learn all you need to know to grow, harvest, and use this plant. Curcuma longa If you’ve ever feasted on Indian food, you’ve undoubtedly enjoyed the pungent flavor and golden color of turmeric, Curcuma longa, aka Indian saffron, an herbaceous perennial in the Zingiberaceae family of plants that is related to ginger and cardamom. A chemical compound called curcumin found in the fleshy rhizomes of this plant is responsible for the bright hue, as well as numerous potential health benefits....

When winter winds whistle and you’re toasting yourself by the fire, don’t forget about your trees — they definitely need some preparatory love before Jack Frost bites. In gratitude for the bountiful shade these leafy lovelies provide you all spring and summer, give your trees a leg up in their battle against winter’s worst weather. Even if you live in a place where winter days are more mild than malevolent, winter is a good time to give your trees a little extra attention....

Read on to learn what signs and symptoms you can expect from a distressed pomegranate tree or shrub, and how to address problems when they arise. Some fruit trees are highly susceptible to disease and pest infestation, such as stone fruits like peaches and plums, or apples. Others, like the pomegranate, are far less likely to be stricken with serious diseases or ravaged by infestations. But there are a handful of pests and diseases to be on the lookout for....

In our guide to growing Christmas cactus, we discuss all you need to know to cultivate this tropical epiphyte indoors. Christmas cactus, Schlumbergera spp., is an umbrella term for several species and cultivated varieties of South American epiphytes that cling to trees and rocks for support in the wild, drawing sustenance from rainwater and bits of organic matter in their immediate environment. It is a popular indoor houseplant because of the profusion of blooms that appear between Thanksgiving and Christmas, depending upon the variety....

If you are looking for different Ways to Identify Houseplants, then you have arrived at the right place! Find out all about the best options here. Here’s everything you need to know about identifying a poisonous plant Best Ways to Identify Houseplants 1. Google Lens Simply snap a picture of the houseplant and open the picture using the Google lens. The app will provide all the details about the related plant!...

The nicest thing about outdoor rugs is that they come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, from small welcome mats to those large enough for a family-sized patio table and chairs. Adding an outdoor rug is one of the easiest, most interesting ways to spice up your outside space. And these additions to your patio decor also tend to be very affordable. Just as they do inside your home, an outdoor mat serves a number of purposes in your yard....

Let’s get started! I can’t tell you how much fun it is to create beauty from kitchen waste. I also really love free plants. With pineapple (Ananas comosus), you can have both. From the leafy top of a pineapple — the part you would normally discard or compost — you can grow a beautiful plant that may bloom and produce fruit. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

If you aren’t already growing this enticing crop in your garden, you really should be! Bunching onions are a cinch to grow, strong and enduring, and once established, they can supply a sharp and delicious punch of flavor to your cooking, year after year. Allium fistulosum One of my favorite summer routines is taking daily (or hourly) strolls through my garden, plucking and eating edible leaves as I go. Probably my all-time-favorite things to eat straight out of the garden are bunching onions!...

The tree produces clusters of 1-inch delicate flowers that produce a sweet, far-traveling fragrance. The flowers give way to round or pear-shaped yellow-orange fruits that are one to two inches long. Eriobotrya japonica As prized for its beauty as it is for its tasty offerings, loquat is unusual in that it flowers in the fall and produces fruit in late winter to early spring. Native to China, carefully cultivated in Japan for a thousand years or more, and beloved in the American South, Eriobotrya japonica is an evergreen tree that can grow to 25 feet tall and spread 15 to 20 wide....

Some compare the scent to grape Kool-Aid, soda, or gum, but the fragrance is deeper, richer, and more floral than the artificial aroma of processed food. Dermatophyllum secundiflorum The intoxicating fragrance of Texas mountain laurel is enough to cause drivers to slam on the brakes or dog walkers to abruptly stop short, giving poor Fido whiplash. Famed TV chef Emeril Lagasse used to lament the non-invention of “smell-o-vision.” I wish for “smell-o-website” so I could share with you the heavenly scent produced by the pretty purple flowers of these shrubs....

What Is Compost Tea? As the name implies, this is a liquid derived from ‘steeping’ or ‘brewing’ compost in water. It is nutrient-rich, especially in nitrogen and has beneficial micro-organisms in it. Gardeners know compost will enrich their garden soil and aid their flowers and vegetables to thrive. You can also make a tea from the material that is easy to brew and has many benefits for the garden and indoor plants....

They’ll produce an abundant crop of edible seeds you can consume fresh or harvest dry to stock the pantry. Dried and split, these popular legumes are the star of the traditional Indian dish toor dal, and they’re tasty in a range of other recipes as well. Cajanus cajan When you live somewhere warm enough to grow them as annuals or perennials, pigeon peas sure do come in handy. These legumes, Cajanus cajan, are one of the most beneficial vegetables to grow in your garden....