No matter how chaotic it is, wildflowers will still spring up in the middle of nowhere. -Sheryl Crow
|
|
The Lilies of Summer
When the maroon and mauve blooms of my stargazer lilies open, the house is filled with their intoxicating fragrance. To keep them company, I grow many other kinds of lilies, adding bold splashes everywhere just as many of my spring-blooming perennial flowers are tired and faded. | |
|
|
How to Grow and Care for Milkweeds
The exclusive host plants for caterpillars of the monarch butterfly, milkweeds play a critical role in their life cycle. There are many species to choose from; select the best one based on your region and garden conditions. | |
|
|
Growing Cukes in Containers
In many ways, containers and cucumbers are a perfect match. Cucumbers love the warm soil a container provides, it's easier to keep an eye on their water needs, and the new, space-efficient varieties are fast-maturing and high-yielding. | |
|
|
Making a Water Garden
Bring an exotic touch to your patio, deck, or yard by making a small water garden in a tub. Use a plastic or glazed ceramic container or a plastic-lined, wooden half-barrel as the container, and add aquatic and marsh plants, and perhaps goldfish, for color and drama. | |
|
|
Looking in the Windows: A Few Haworthias
The Haworthias are a group of small succulents, close relatives of the aloes, from South Africa. In cultivation, they are almost always container plants, due to their size and lack of cold tolerance. They make excellent house plants given strong light. | |
|
|
Growing "Up" in the Garden
Growing plants vertically, on trellises, arbors, or fences, is the perfect marriage of practicality and aesthetics. They maximize garden space, minimize disease problems, and put beautiful plants in full view. | |
|
|
Marigolds Send Nematodes Packing
Gardeners have long known of the reported nematode-fighting qualities of some garden plants. French marigolds, in particular, are showing promise at reducing nematode damage to susceptible plants. | |
|
|
Together with AgroThrive"I always have a big garden but this year I decided to grow all cut flowers! I have 60 varieties of dahlias and very poor conditions but because of AgroThrive my garden is extraordinary. I see differences instantly." - Natalie C. from California, AgroThrive user submission.
Click here to shop.
|
|
Pinnate Boronia (Boronia pinnata)
Plant Habit: Shrub Life cycle: Perennial Sun Requirements: Full Sun to Partial Shade, Partial or Dappled Shade Water Preferences: Mesic, Dry Mesic, Dry Plant Height: 2-5 feet Plant Spread: 2-5 feet Leaves: Fragrant, Evergreen Flowers: Showy Flower Color: Pink Bloom Size: Under 1" Flower Time: Late winter or early spring, Late fall or early winter, Fall, Winter Uses: Cut Flower Wildlife Attractant: Butterflies, Bees Containers: Suitable in 3 gallon or larger, Needs excellent drainage in pots
| |
|
|
Tree Philodendron (Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum)
Plant Habit: Herb/Forb, Shrub Life cycle: Perennial Sun Requirements: Full Sun to Partial Shade, Partial or Dappled Shade Water Preferences: Mesic Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 9b -3.9 °C (25 °F) to -1.1 °C (30 °F) Plant Height: 10-15 feet Plant Spread: 10-15 feet Leaves: Evergreen, Broadleaf Fruit: Showy, Edible to birds, Other Flowers: Showy Flower Color: White Bloom Size: 6"-12", Over 12" Flower Time: Year Round Suitable Locations: Houseplant, Bog gardening Uses: Medicinal Herb, Provides winter interest Edible Parts: Fruit Eating Methods: Cooked Resistances: Tolerates dry shade, Humidity tolerant Toxicity: Leaves are poisonous, Roots are poisonous, Fruit is poisonous, Other Pollinators: Beetles Containers: Suitable in 3 gallon or larger, Needs excellent drainage in pots, Suitable for hanging baskets
| |
|
|
Rose (Rosa 'Red Cascade')
Bloom size: Small: under 2" Petal count: double: 16-25 petals Rose bloom color: Dark red Extra Bloom Info: In clusters Rebloom: Good Class: Miniature Growth Habit: Very short, 1-2 feet, very bushy; true groundcover rose. Can also be grown as climbing miniature, 6-8 feet tall. Fragrance: Mild Hybridizer & year: Ralph S. Moore, 1976 Optimal growing zones: USDA zone 5 and warmer Plant Habit: Shrub Life cycle: Perennial Sun Requirements: Full Sun Plant Height: 1-2 feet Plant Spread: 6-8 feet Leaves: Deciduous Flowers: Showy, Fragrant Flower Color: Red Flower Time: Spring, Summer, Fall Uses: Groundcover, Cut Flower Wildlife Attractant: Bees Containers: Suitable in 3 gallon or larger, Needs repotting every 2 to 3 years, Needs excellent drainage in pots
| |
|
|
Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana)
Plant Habit: Herb/Forb Life cycle: Perennial Sun Requirements: Full Sun to Partial Shade, Partial or Dappled Shade Water Preferences: Mesic Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 5a -28.9 °C (-20 °F) to -26.1 °C (-15 °F) Plant Height: 6 to 8 feet, possibly 10 to 12 feet Plant Spread: 4 to 6 feet Leaves: Deciduous Fruit: Showy, Edible to birds, Other Flowers: Inconspicuous Flower Color: White, Other, Green Bloom Size: Under 1" Flower Time: Summer, Late summer or early fall Uses: Cooked greens Edible Parts: Leaves Eating Methods: Cooked Wildlife Attractant: Birds Resistances: Humidity tolerant, Drought tolerant Toxicity: Leaves are poisonous, Roots are poisonous, Fruit is poisonous, Other Conservation status: Least Concern (LC)
| |
|
|
Natal Plum (Carissa macrocarpa)
Plant Habit: Shrub Life cycle: Perennial Sun Requirements: Full Sun, Full Sun to Partial Shade Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 9a -6.7 °C (20 °F) to -3.9 °C (25 °F) Plant Height: 6 feet to 15 feet Leaves: Evergreen Fruit: Showy, Edible to birds, Other Flowers: Showy, Fragrant, Other Flower Color: White Bloom Size: 1"-2" Flower Time: Summer, Late summer or early fall, Fall Uses: Windbreak or Hedge Edible Parts: Fruit Resistances: Salt tolerant, Humidity tolerant Toxicity: Other Containers: Needs excellent drainage in pots
| |
|
|
Photo by gregnc
|
|
Photo by dirtdorphins
|
|
Photo by Neela "After 6 pm there is a narrow window when you can capture the bloom colors at their optimal saturation/ density. Although pretty during the day, blooms come alive and make you dance and sing at sunset!"
|
|
Photo by Valery33
|
|
Photo by GigiPlumeria
|
|
Photo by janelp_lee "Siberian Squill (Scilla siberica)."
|
|
Photo by kkaymci55
|
|
Photo by floota "SULTRY GIRLS"
|
|
Photo by Mieko2 "Apricot Whisper - slight rose fragrance"
|
|
Photo by Drdaninkc
|
|
Together with Victory Seed CompanyClyde's Garden Planner is a handy, easy to use, vegetable garden planning tool. This unique slide chart comes with local frost dates and presents gardening events in a "time phased" format. This makes it possible to see the entire vegetable planting, growing and harvesting period at a glance. The chart shows indoor and outdoor planting times relative to spring and fall frost dates for twenty two common garden vegetables. It will save you hours of research and greatly increase your chances of having a successful garden. In addition, the slide portion of the chart gives critical planting information for various vegetable seeds. A very cool and useful tool for only $5. Check it out at VictorySeeds.com.
|
|
Active threads from our forums:
Thread Subject
|
Forum
|
Replies
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The numbers from this week:
322 members joined.
4,119 posts written in our forums.
1,287 photos posted to the plant database.
657 plants added to personal inventory lists.
|
|
I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden. — Ruth Stout
|
|
|