And cultivating a survival garden is not just about preparing for the worst. Growing enough food for your family has many wonderful benefits. It is impossible to know exactly what the future may hold, but if you want to be as ready as possible for a potential emergency, growing your own food is one of the most useful things you can do. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....
Also known as wild blueberries, these deciduous shrubs grow in dense groups, each spreading up to two feet tall and wide. Vaccinium angustifolium, V. myrtilloides One of my favorite summer activities is roaming through the woodlands near my home in Vermont, foraging for lowbush blueberries. A few summers ago, I decided to bring the berries to me and planted several V. angustifolium shrubs in my garden. Lowbush blueberries are sweeter and hardier than their highbush counterparts, and fairly easy to grow....
If you think I didn’t secretly pluck these unusual flowers to use them in my imaginary rock band when I was a kid, you’re wrong. Allium sphaerocephalon Ornamental blooming drumstick alliums are members of the same genus of plants that edible garlic, onion, shallots, chives, and leeks belong to. When you see these plants growing, you’ll know immediately why they earned the name “drumstick.” And they’re perfect for adding interest to the garden in summertime....
Certain species of honeysuckle, while lovely in their native habitat, have become invasive nuisances that are wreaking absolute havoc in some areas. Diervilla and Lonicera spp. With its honey-sweet fragrance, colorful blossoms, and graceful vining growth habit, it’s easy to fall in love with honeysuckle. So many people have a cherished memory of sipping the sweet nectar from the flowers, or reveling in the perfumed summer air. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....
Fortunately, they are easy to grow in containers, which can be particularly advantageous if you are worried about them spreading. Morning glories, Ipomoea purpurea, are quick-growing vines, popular for their colorful flowers that open each morning from summer until the first frost of fall. Reaching between six and 10 feet in height, this fairly aggressive plant can take over a garden if you aren’t careful. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....
By Jennifer Poindexter Do you have a desolate growing location that needs a little life added to it? You may need a low-growing, perennial flowering plant to liven up the area. If so, you should consider growing trilliums. These flowers produce unique blooms and beautiful colors. However, it’s vital you understand how to grow trilliums prior to planting them. If you’re new to growing this plant, you’re in the right place....
Types of culinary herbs When learning how to harvest herbs it’s important to think about the part of the plant you’re going to harvest. For culinary herbs, there are typically three parts we harvest – the leaves, the flowers, or the seeds. Some herbs like cilantro/coriander and chives are harvested for multiple edible parts. Leaves – Common herbs harvested for their leaves include types of oregano, basil, thyme, parsley, sage, dill, chives, and cilantro....
If you love natural sweeteners, I have great news for you. You can easily make your own homemade liquid stevia extract from the plant in your garden! Whether you are trying to go low-carb, or you just want to avoid processed sugars, DIY stevia extract is a great alternative. You can use it in drinks, baking, and all kinds of recipes. It’s the perfect way to satisfy your sweet tooth without all that sugar....
As painless as the process is, there are a few tricks you should know to ensure your success. To that end, this is what you can expect in the coming guide: One of my favorite things about pothos is how ridiculously, absurdly easy they are to grow. More than once, I’ve gone on vacation or gotten super busy and forgot to be the good plant parent I know I should be....
But when we talk about snapdragons (Antirrhinum spp.), it’s easy to become lost in the jargon. What is a butterfly snapdragon? Or a Group II plant? How does an intermediate differ from a summer type? And what the heck is a series?! Snapdragons are iconic. They have to be one of the most recognizable types of flowers out there. Who hasn’t walked past a patch and longed to give the little jaws a pinch?...
Table of Contents If you’re like me, storing seeds is a necessity. You may have particular flowers that you grow every year like geraniums, or a favorite kind of kale or watermelon that you love the taste of. But knowing how to store seeds is incredibly important, as poorly-stored seeds won’t germinate. No matter if the seeds are large or small, these seed storage tips will help you keep your seeds viable for long periods of time....
1. Create a Balcony Garden There is no better way to use your only outdoor space than creating a BALCONY GARDEN. You can create an edible garden on your balcony and grow your favorite vegetables, herbs and also a few fruiting plants or make an ornamental garden and plant your favorite flowers. The possibilities are endless, look at our Balcony Gardening page here to find out informative posts! 2. Outdoor Dining Area Your small balcony is a nice private space (and if not, learn how to improve the privacy of your balcony here), where you can save yourself from the prying eyes of neighbors....
When I was a kid in Williamsburg, Virginia, our family grew flowers and the occasional parsley or bell pepper plant. Solanum lycopersicum ‘Yellow Pear’ You never forget your first. Homegrown heirloom tomato plant, that is. Well, I haven’t, at least. It was a ‘Yellow Pear,’ purchased during one of the first years I lived in Knoxville, Tennessee. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....
QUESTION: What is the difference between a shrub rose and a bush rose? I’ve been looking at catalogs and they don’t explain. – Jenn W ANSWER: To fully answer this question, we must first start by understanding the rose classification system. The American Rose Society (also known as ARS) created three main classifications for roses. These classifications are old garden, modern, and wild or species roses. As you can imagine, the old garden and wild rose classifications filled up pretty quickly....
QUESTION: What is the best thornless blackberry I can grow? I want to add them to my garden this year, but I don’t know the difference between any of the varieties. — Walter C. ANSWER: There are several good varieties of thornless blackberry plants, which we’ve listed below. Which one is right for you really depends on what you’re looking for. Some gardeners want low maintenance plants they don’t have to stake, while others are in it for the sweetest berries....
QUESTION: What tool does every gardener need? Do I even need tools at all to garden or can I just do it with my hands? – Evelyn B ANSWER: This can be a tricky question because not everyone gardens the same. You have some gardeners who grow in smaller plots or containers. While other gardeners grow in large garden plots. Some gardeners use traditional gardening methods. Then you have other gardeners which use the no-till gardening method....
But when, exactly, do flowers in the Viola genus bloom? Pansies, violets, and violas are some of my favorite flowers. These perky, cheerful blooms all belong to the same genus, Viola, but they are diverse in size and color. Known for being prolific bloomers, they’re perfect for beginning gardeners because of how easy they are to grow, and valued by longtime gardeners for the same reason. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....
Table of Contents All right, I’ll ‘fess up… I like a good shortcut. Something that can save me time and energy is guaranteed to make me smile. Take for example the white ghost pumpkin. White pumpkins can be made into a jack o’lantern with a ghostly twist using a few strokes of a knife or paintbrush, then turned into a creepy snowman after Halloween is over, and then baked into a pie just in time for the next holiday....
If you’ve ever walked out to your garden to snip off a few sprigs of fresh herbs for your recipes, then you know how wonderful and satisfying it is to grow herbs. Well, perennial herbs are even better, because they will survive the winter, and come back year after year. Not only are they beautiful, you can plant them pots or the garden. Some even have medicinal properties. There are tons options on this list of perennial herbs for your garden, and it’s always fun to try something new!...
You’ll find at least one species that will work for you no matter where you are in the continental US, as well as some options for Canadian gardeners. If you have decided to grow milkweed to help monarch butterflies on their migratory routes, let me join our fluttery orange friends in thanking you! Since milkweeds are larval host plants for monarchs, increased plantings of these wildflowers will help populations of these regal butterflies in their efforts to make their grand migrations, a phenomenon which is in peril....
