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By Matt Gibson When in bloom, American pennyroyal attracts a number of pollinators and other beneficial insects, including carpenter bees and dagger bees. Keep in mind, however, when using European pennyroyal that it can be a bit invasive, like its mint relatives, and may spread out into unwanted areas if it is not regularly cut back or contained with strong, deep borders to block its roots from spreading out. American pennyroyal, on the other hand, is not invasive, but still has pest deterring potential as a companion plant in garden beds....

And for many years, I thought Great-Grandma Edith was full of it. Streptocarpus subg. Streptocarpella sect. Saintpaulia Like many grandmas out there, my great-grandma grew African violets. She was head of the African Violet Society chapter in the city where I grew up and she assured young me, as she lovingly watered and cared for her elegant and clearly happy plants, that raising African violets was a piece of cake....

by Jennifer Poindexter Do you need an easy way to add color to your flower beds during the winter months? Have you considered growing the peacock iris? This flower blooms in winter and spring. Then it remains dormant during the winter months. It grows on long stems and produces white blooms with rich, blue accents. The peacock iris is native to South Africa. However, it can grow in most planting zones around the globe....

And so I started learning. I just needed to know why my landlord insisted so strongly on maintaining that pesky nettle patch. Urtica dioica When I first started gardening, I absolutely hated stinging nettle. I was living at a property with a huge patch of it growing directly across the path from my veggie garden, and those nettles didn’t like to stay put! Frequently, I would be out peacefully weeding my beds and daydreaming – until I was jolted back to earth by an unexpected sting, the effects of which could last for hours....

It’s a pretty hardy plant, especially if you do your part to keep it healthy – you can learn more about that in our guide to growing Swiss chard. Swiss chard is exceptionally beautiful on top of being delicious, which makes it doubly frustrating when the leaves turn up with unsightly holes or yellowing leaves. When pests attack, you need to take swift action not only to avoid damage to that picture-perfect foliage, but to prevent an infestation from taking your plants out entirely....

Houseplants Cebu Pothos plants are one of the less common pothos types, but they have become popular over the last decade. They look different than other varieties and have become more popular due to their hardiness and bright coloring. In this article, organic gardening expert Logan Hailey examines how to plant, grow, and care for Cebu Pothos plants. By Logan Hailey Last updated: June 3, 2022 | 12 min read With its silvery blue-green shimmering leaves and long trailing vines, the Cebu Blue Pothos has surely caught your eye....

One of the things that I like the most about winter sowing is that it takes the bulk of the work out of growing seeds. Instead of fussing with a bunch of equipment, you use mini greenhouses made of recycled plastic containers. But making all of those mini greenhouses does take some time. I also get tons of questions from newbies about exactly how to do it. So I thought it would be a good idea to show you how to prepare winter sowing containers, and give you some tips that will help speed things up for you....

Propagating Christmas cactus is simple, and a great way to get more of your favorite plant. In this post, I’ll tell you the different methods you can try. Then I will show you when and how to propagate them by cuttings or division. It may sound like it would be difficult, but propagating your favorite Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera) is actually very easy. Not only is it a great way to expand your collection, it’s also fun to share them with friends....

This fungus can inhibit a who’s who of fungal soil-borne pathogens, including Fusarium (wilts), Rhizoctonia (root rot), Sclerotinia (blight), and Pythium and Phytophthora (damping off). Trichoderma is a genus of soil-dwelling fungi found all over the world that are highly effective at colonizing many kinds of plant roots, and inhibiting fungi that cause many types of diseases. It was one of the first types of biofungicides commercially available. One strain in particular, T....

QUESTION: Is artichoke a fruit or a vegetable? Should I consider which it is when planning my garden? -Wyatt R. ANSWER: Artichokes are vegetable plants. Sometimes people wonder whether artichokes are fruits because they hear about artichoke plants producing flowers and equate flowers with fruit. However, many vegetable plants bloom: leeks, collard greens, lettuce, onions, garlic, and many other vegetable plants will produce flowers at the end of their growth period....

Fruit If you are thinking of adding a plum tree to your garden, but can't decide which type to plant, you've come to the right place! There are many different types of plum trees to pick from. In this article, we take a look at our favorite plum tree varieties with names and pictures of each! By Jason White Last updated: May 9, 2022 | 12 min read When you think of plums, you probably picture an oval-shaped purple fruit with a pit and a little bigger than a golf ball....

Do you know that most of the Most Common Household Things can be used in the garden in a variety of ways to make it better? Let’s have a look at them! Here’s how you can use newspaper in the garden Most Common Household Things You Can Use in the Garden 1. Cardboard and Newspapers Must you have cardboards and newspapers? You can use them to make pots for seedlings or in many ways....

Fruit Not sure when blueberries are in season based on where you live? Blueberries season a bit differently depending on your hardiness zone. In this article, gardening expert Liessa Bowen walks through everything you need to know about blueberry seasonality across all USDA hardiness zones! By Liessa Bowen Last updated: January 8, 2023 | 4 min read Blueberries are a wonderful addition to a sunny garden plot. They are fruit-bearing woody shrubs that are relatively easy to grow....

QUESTION: Why aren’t my peas flowering? What can I do to encourage pea plants to flower? -Patty R. ANSWER: There are several potential reasons your pea plants may not be flowering, and knowing the most likely causes will help you figure out what the problem is for your individual plants and take the necessary steps to correct it. Pea plants need sufficient light in order to develop flowers, so make sure your plants are located in a spot where they’ll get at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight each day....

Regardless of the cause, it’s best to prune out any yellow or brown foliage when you see it. It won’t recover, and keeping it in place is just a drain on the plant. People love peace lilies for their attractive, white, blossom-like spathes, but the foliage is also spectacular. And you definitely do not want yours to be marred by discoloration. Plants in the Spathiphyllum genus that grow wild in tropical parts of Mexico, Central America, South America, and Southeast Asia, can be cultivated outdoors in the US in Puerto Rico, southern Florida, and Hawaii....

If you don’t have a big outdoor space to grow your own food, you can still enjoy a fresh harvest by growing your own fresh and organic vegetables in a small space! Here are some fantastic Windowsill Vegetable Gardening ideas for you! Check out the best plants to grow on a kitchen windowsill here Windowsill Vegetable Gardening 1. Green Onions Fresh green onions can be a wonderful and delicious addition to your salad bowls and sandwiches....

Flowers Are you looking for some red lilies to line your flowerbeds this season? From bright red to deep maroon, there are a number of different lilies that blossom with stunning red blooms. In this article, certified master gardener Liz Jaros looks at her favorite red lilies, with names and pictures of each! By Liz Jaros Last updated: January 4, 2023 | 6 min read In nature, the color red can be either alarming or attractive....

Hailing from southern Africa, these classically beautiful flowers are simple to cultivate and are typically grown as annuals, but they can also return year after year as perennials in areas with mild winters. Tall-stemmed and elegant, calla lilies are loved for their chic and colorful trumpet-shaped flowers along with their handsome, upright foliage. With their classy good looks, Zantedeschia plants make handsome specimens when mass planted in cutting gardens, foundations, or island beds....

There’s a real advantage to being able to grow tomatoes for fresh eating in your own garden. These particular varieties don’t ordinarily pack or travel well, so they’re not always available commercially, or even at the farmers market. At the start of the new year, seed catalogs hold me spellbound, particularly as I try to decide which slicing tomatoes I will plant this year. I attempt to be conservative when selecting how many of these Solanum lycopersicum varieties will fit in my raised beds, especially since I also like to grow determinate paste tomatoes for canning, and maybe a cherry variety or two....

Command hooks are easy to fix, leave no sticky residues behind, and are made to withstand extremes of temperatures. They are particularly useful for hanging lightweight items or for temporarily hanging items in a location. Here are DIY Command Hook Ideas For The Garden to make the most of these hooks. Here are DIY Plant Risers for Indoor Plants to Make a Statement DIY Command Hook Ideas For The Garden 1....