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He succeeded masterfully, and today, Buck roses are known as long flowering, pest and disease resistant, exceptionally winter hardy, and low maintenance. Once upon a time, a young boy discovered a passion for roses while corresponding with a pen pal in Spain for a school project. That boy went on to become one of the most famous breeders of hardy roses that the world has ever known. Oh, and by the way, this man was allergic to his beloved shrubs and had to routinely take shots to be able to work with the flowers that would make him (somewhat) famous....

Read on to discover how easy it is to grow strawflower in your garden, enjoy cheerful blooms from summer to frost, and have a steady supply of long-lasting flowers for fresh and dry floral arrangements. Xerochrysum bracteatum Strawflower, Xerochrysum bracteatum, is an annual in the Gnaphalieae group, which is in the huge Asteraceae, or Compositae family. It is related to thousands of other plants, including the aster, daisy, and sunflower....

Yeah, it’s that lucrative, folks, and the giant squash-growing profession is popular around the world. Is it your dream to grow a pumpkin so big you could crawl inside of it? Then I have good news for you: your dream is completely attainable. All it takes is a dedicated space, the right nutrients, and lots of sunshine. And if you’ve heard of gardeners feeding milk to their pumpkin in order to make it grow to enormous proportions – stay tuned to find out whether this method works or not....

Though there aren’t many pests that are common on jade plants, infestations do occasionally pop up and ruin the perfection that these easy-care succulents are known for. I always think jade plants look like mini trees, their thick stems bejeweled with plump glossy leaves. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Let’s keep yours that way....

But then I noticed that my freshly planted willow tree looked strangely sparse, like an eyebrow plucked at random. I’ll never forget the morning when I first woke up to the sight of a moose lying down in my backyard. Well, two moose, actually. Young, fuzzy, and huge. Having only recently moved into my small Alaskan home, I’d seen moose tracks in my yard plenty of times, but never the giant animals themselves....

But did you also know that scientists have long known that plants may filter toxins from the air we breathe inside our homes? Plants add vitality to indoor spaces. There’s something refreshing about having greenery and flowers inside that elevates the mood, especially on dreary days. However, this may not be due solely to their beauty. You may know that when plants convert sunlight to energy in the process of photosynthesis, they contribute oxygen to our indoor environments....

A. rubrum is one of the most popular ornamental shade trees in the United States, so we thought it best to whip up a little guide for all of you out there who might be interested in planting it. Acer rubrum Also known as the scarlet or swamp maple, the red maple has a special place in my heart. It’s the first plant that I could ever identify, and Acer rubrum was the first botanical name that I ever learned....

The grains you give them are important, but the greens and scratch materials they consume are just as critical. Chickens are such an integral and beloved part of today’s homesteads and family farms. It’s no surprise that more and more attention is being given to making sure that they are not only healthy, but happy as well. One way that you can show your feathered friends you care is by ensuring that they eat well....

But maybe you don’t have tons of space for hydrangeas, which have three main growth habits: shrubs that grow between three and nine feet tall, tree-like types that grow from eight to 15 feet tall, and lianas (woody vines) that can climb up buildings and grow up to 100 feet long. Have you ever dreamed of planting and caring for your own hydrangeas with their glorious clusters of color and vibrant leaves?...

Mexican white oak (Quercus polymorpha) is such an incredible tree that it’s even become a favorite of the vaunted University of Texas at Austin. In fact, the facilities services of the university recommend its landscape planners pay particular attention to this “university favorite” when it comes to selecting species for the 434-acre urban campus. Never heard of Mexican white oak or its aliases, Monterrey oak and netleaf white oak? Don’t feel bad....

Some members of the former Sansevieria genus have structures, colors, and growth habits that vary significantly from those of the best-known varieties with their tall, sleek, green leaves. If you’ve written off snake plants as contenders for a position in your indoor garden because they’re common, or you find the types available in most garden centers to be mundane, it may be time to reconsider. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

What a great idea to decorate the garden with a mosaic? Contrary to what you might think most of the mosaic projects here are easy and can be done using recycled materials such as old CDs, shells, pebbles or pieces of tile portions. 1. Tile Topped Stepping Stone for the Garden Just get some tiles of your favorite color and break them to create the mosaic style stepping stone. See the tutorial on BHG....

Their long stems, sparkling flowers, and strong, spicy scent are ideal in beds, borders, containers, edging, and rockeries as well as butterfly, courtyard, gravel, and zen gardens. Dianthus superbus A classic in the cottage and cutting garden, dianthus species are beloved for their sweetly spicy fragrance and bright, cheerful flowers that rise above cool, glaucous green foliage. Large pinks feature feathery flowers in intense shades of burgundy, lilac, pink, scarlet, and white with deeply cut, fringed edges that can be delicate and silky or wildly plumed....

I won’t lie, I first fell for heathers because they’re so low-maintenance, but once I discovered the range of colors in both the foliage and the flowers, I was hooked. Maybe you feel the same way? Andromeda, Calluna, Daboecia, Erica spp. For a tough plant that thwarts hungry deer, marauding rabbits, swarms of aphids, and even most diseases, heather has a delicate beauty all its own. While it comes from regions that sport some pretty inhospitable environments, heathers have learned to adapt to all kinds of areas....

Grown as an annual in much of the country, bat-faced cuphea is evergreen to the upper 20s°F and root hardy to the lower 20s°F. In some areas, it will die to the ground and – with heavy mulching – grow back from the roots. Cuphea Ilavea Don’t you just love unusual plant names? There are species with names like turpentine bush, and of course there’s snake plant and Persian shield, too....

You have a few options for how you can store fresh apples and you might even choose to turn part of your harvest into preserves. In this article, I’ll cover these various options. With winter coming on, there’s something reassuring about a well-stocked larder. And when it includes an abundant supply of apples for fresh eating and to turn into warm baked goods, that reassurance is especially sweet. But if you want your harvest of homegrown apples to last as long as possible and maintain their delicious flavor and crisp texture, it’s important to keep them in the ideal conditions....

A reliable and easily maintainable foundation for your garden is a few evergreen shrubs away, so let’s cut to the chase and start talking shrubbery! Gardeners worldwide are always looking for the newest, flashiest, most amazing plant to add to their collection. But that stunning thriller of a specimen gets lost without a solid foundation of shrubbery, and no material fulfills this duty better than an evergreen shrub. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

This nut provides a perennial substitute for wheat-based products that’s also environmentally friendly. Castanea spp. Chestnuts are a group of hardwood, deciduous trees, native to the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere where they thrive in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 8, with some variation in range depending on the species. Starchy, sweet, and flavorful, these nuts have been beloved by eager eaters for thousands of years, and cultivated as far back as 2,000 BCE....

Kalanchoes are members of the stonecrop family, aka Crassulaceae, along with other common succulents grown as houseplants like jade. Kalanchoe spp. There are many succulent plants that are hard to kill and easy to care for. And then there is kalanchoe. Species in the Kalanchoe genus are both hardy and low-maintenance, but they also take the whole notion of “tough plant” up a couple of notches. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

Also known as the crinkle leaf plant, key lime pie plants are distinctive-looking and unique, which really sets them apart from the succulents we’re so used to seeing. Adromischus cristatus Everybody and their mother seems to own a succulent or two. And why wouldn’t they? Succulents are easy to care for, extremely portable, and can handle the harsh growing conditions that would bring other plants to their proverbial knees. But as exhibited by the nonstop stream of superhero flicks that grace the silver screen nowadays: with great popularity comes the potential for great burnout....