 If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water. Loren Eiseley
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Editor's note: this is our largest and most packed newsletter ever, because there was so much stuff to show. Believe it or not, we even trimmed content for this newsletter issue! The excitement around gardening felt higher than usual this January which means gardening in 2022 is going to be awesome. Looking forward to Springtime.
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How to Grow and Care for Aloes
Long appreciated for their medicinal properties, aloes have been cultivated by humans for thousands of years. These succulent natives of Africa and Arabia (about 500 species in total, plus a great number of hybrids) are practical in dry landscapes and produce colorful, tubular flowers which attract sunbirds (in Africa or Arabia) or hummingbirds (in the Americas). They vary in size from dwarves to giant trees and are generally well behaved container plants. Aloes usually flower once a year or more once they reach maturity. |
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Download and Print 2022 Calendar now available
In previous years we created this PDF file that contains the full year's calendar to help you organize your schedule. It's gardening-themed, has pages for each month along with each week, and has been a popular product. This year for the first time we have made it available as a completely free download for everyone to enjoy. Click the link and scroll to the bottom of the page to find the download for the PDF. |
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Let Us Grow Lettuce
There are few things that taste better to a vegetable gardener than the tender lettuce and greens of the season's first homegrown salad. There is a wide variety of lettuces and greens that thrive in cool spring weather. Now is the time to sow some seeds so you can soon be enjoying that delicious first harvest. |
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Broccoli Growing Basics
If you thought broccoli was a once-a-year, one-shot affair, think again. Just about any gardener in the United States can harvest crops two, or even three times a year. |
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Establish Your Own Wildflower Meadow
Creating a wildflower meadow takes a little effort, but the results are stunning and beneficial to pollinators. A meadow of mixed flowers and native grasses can replace your lawn, cover a slope, or enhance a roadside. |
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Winter Heaths
Winter-blooming heaths add a splash of color to gardens throughout winter. These hardy, low-growing plants produce a wide variety of bell-shaped or tubular pale pink, reddish purple, and magenta flowers for what seems like an eternity -- October and November into April and May. |
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The Cole Crop Family
Gardeners often group broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower and kohlrabi together as "cole crops". Cole is the German word for cabbage, hence the term "cole slaw". Cole crops are hardy and grow best in cool weather. An easy way to remember this is to think how much "cole" sounds like "cold" or "cool". |
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Qingchuan Arrow Bamboo (Fargesia rufa Green Panda™)
Plant Habit: Shrub, Grass/Grass-like
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun to Partial Shade, Partial or Dappled Shade
Water Preferences: Mesic
Plant Height: 6 to 10 feet
Plant Spread: 6 to 10 feet
Leaves: Evergreen, Broadleaf
Flowers: Inconspicuous
Suitable Locations: Houseplant
Uses: Windbreak or Hedge
Resistances: Deer Resistant, Pollution
Containers: Suitable in 3 gallon or larger, Needs excellent drainage in pots
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Money Tree (Pachira aquatica)
Plant Habit: Tree
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun to Partial Shade, Partial or Dappled Shade, Partial Shade to Full Shade
Water Preferences: Wet, Wet Mesic, Mesic
Plant Height: To 60 feet in its native habitat.
Leaves: Evergreen, Broadleaf
Fruit: Edible to birds, Other
Flowers: Showy, Fragrant, Other
Flower Color: Other
Bloom Size: 3"-4"
Flower Time: Year Round
Underground structures: Taproot
Suitable Locations: Street Tree, Houseplant
Uses: Shade Tree, Flowering Tree
Edible Parts: Fruit, Flowers, Leaves
Eating Methods: Raw, Cooked
Resistances: Humidity tolerant
Propagation: Other methods: Cuttings: Stem
Containers: Suitable in 3 gallon or larger, Needs excellent drainage in pots
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Shooting Star (Clerodendrum quadriloculare)
Plant Habit: Shrub
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun, Full Sun to Partial Shade
Plant Height: 10 - 15 feet
Plant Spread: 8 - 10 feet
Leaves: Unusual foliage color, Evergreen
Flowers: Showy
Flower Color: White, Pink
Bloom Size: Under 1"
Flower Time: Late winter or early spring, Late fall or early winter, Winter
Suitable Locations: Xeriscapic
Uses: Flowering Tree, Will Naturalize, Provides winter interest
Wildlife Attractant: Butterflies, Bees
Propagation: Other methods: Cuttings: Stem, Cuttings: Tip, Stolons and runners
Containers: Suitable in 3 gallon or larger, Needs repotting every 2 to 3 years, Needs excellent drainage in pots
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Variegated Teardrop Peperomia (Peperomia 'Orba Variegata')
Plant Habit: Herb/Forb
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun to Partial Shade, Partial or Dappled Shade
Water Preferences: Mesic
Plant Height: 4 to 6 inches
Plant Spread: 6 to 12 inches
Leaves: Evergreen, Variegated, Other
Flowers: Inconspicuous
Flower Color: Yellow
Bloom Size: Under 1"
Underground structures: Taproot
Suitable Locations: Houseplant, Terrariums
Uses: Suitable for miniature gardens
Resistances: Humidity tolerant, Drought tolerant
Propagation: Other methods: Cuttings: Stem
Containers: Needs excellent drainage in pots, Suitable for hanging baskets
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Honey Euryops (Euryops virgineus)
Plant Habit: Shrub
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun, Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Preferences: Mesic
Plant Height: 4 to 6 feet
Plant Spread: 2 to 4 feet
Leaves: Evergreen
Fruit: Other
Flowers: Showy, Fragrant, Other
Flower Color: Yellow
Bloom Size: Under 1"
Flower Time: Spring, Late winter or early spring
Underground structures: Taproot
Uses: Windbreak or Hedge
Wildlife Attractant: Butterflies, Bees
Resistances: Deer Resistant, Humidity tolerant
Propagation: Other methods: Cuttings: Stem
Pollinators: Bees
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Sponsored by National Garden Bureau National Garden Bureau Offers Marketing Tools for each "Year of the" Crop
National Garden Bureau (NGB) is making life easier for retailers and growers this spring! NGB has created, and is making available, trendy, creative and on-point marketing tools to help the industry promote the 2022 "Year of the" crops. These tools are designed to make your marketing life easier and allow you to reap the rewards from this highly successful national marketing campaign. Anyone interested in using these materials can simply register here to receive a link to download any of the following tools:
2022 "Year of the" Marketing Tools:
• Custom, hand-painted logos
• Pre-written social media posts
• Hundreds of photos of all six crops
• Power Point presentations including photos
• "Did You Know" presentations and graphics
• Printable posters
• 8" x 10" printable signs
• Fact sheets in PDF format
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 Photo by capenancy
"Bumblebee buffet on a fasciated tithonia bud"
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 Photo by arctangent
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 Photo by MargieNY
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 Photo by Valery33
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 Photo by Melissamaeday
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 Photo by celestialrose
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 Photo by sunnyvalley
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 Photo by Alchemist
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 Photo by kniphofia
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 Photo by daylilly99
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Sponsored by Bluestone Perennials Not only are these new for 2022 selections great for bouquets, most of them are also wonderful pollinator plants. Don't you just love a plant that does double duty in the garden? Each of these look great in a vase and in the garden, so cut a few to enjoy indoors and leave some for the pollinators. You especially can't beat the eye-popping color of Echinacea Double Scoop Raspberry, shown above. It's not fair to play favorites, but if we did, it would definitely top the list. Add some major flower power to your landscape, containers, and kitchen table. Click here to browse all cut flower recommendations.
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Active threads from our forums:
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The numbers from this week:
940 members joined.
4,462 posts written in our forums.
651 photos posted to the plant database.
842 plants added to personal inventory lists.
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 Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine. Anthony J. D'Angelo
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As we begin planning our spring gardens, many think about all the beautiful flowers they want to grow. However, did you know shrubs are the foundation of many landscapes? Shrubs do not have to be boring. 
