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by Matt Gibson Properly caring for your garden shears can make a big difference in the life and usefulness of your tools. That’s good news for the majority of us gardeners who have a pair or two of abandoned garden shears that have been collecting dust and losing their edge ever since the last time we pulled them out of the tool drawer. Most garden shears are pretty beat up and dirty, tossed into the back of a tool shed, or into a tool satchel that’s overstuffed with other tools that could use a bit of attention (at the least) or a full on replacement or refurbishment....

Coffee plants, known for producing coffee beans can make an attractive garden plant. Most of us like our coffee as a source of our daily caffeine content. Well, we are here to let you know how coffee planting is easy and how you can have your own coffee tree. The chosen garden option is arabica coffee variety. It makes up more than 70% of the world’s coffee with robusta making up around 25%....

QUESTION: I’m growing onions and several onion alternatives in my garden. I’ll harvest more than I can cure and use. How do you keep onions from rotting? – Tim S ANSWER: As onions are one of the most often used kitchen ingredients, it is unfortunate that they tend to go soft or start sprouting before you get around to cooking with them. It is in the best interest of anyone who cooks to learn how to best store onions to keep them from rotting....

Fast-growing plants that are easy to cultivate and fun to grow, the large bare bulbs produce flamboyant, colorful flowers in a matter of weeks. Amaryllis are gorgeous tropical perennials of the Hippeastrum genus, traditionally forced to bloom indoors over the winter holiday season. And with the right care after flowering, these showy ornamentals will last for years. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

In this article, we will discuss how to propagate amaryllis from seed, and the advantages of doing so. The large, eye catching blooms of amaryllis, Hippeastrum x hybridum, can add astonishing color to the garden and make for perfect indoor displays. Suitable for outdoor cultivation in USDA Hardiness Zones 9-11, the flowers can be forced to bloom indoors and are a popular addition to winter holiday decor. Amaryllis can be propagated by the home gardener in a three ways: separating offsets, dividing bulbs, and growing from seed....

The vulgare species is the sole member of the Foeniculum genus. Foeniculum vulgare Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare, is an aromatic Mediterranean herb in the Apiaceae (Umbellifer) family that includes carrots, celery, dill, and parsley. The edible yellow blossoms, seeds, feathery leaves, pollen, roots, and stems have long been prized for their robust, anise-like fragrance and flavor, and their usefulness as ingredients in cooking, magical potions, and traditional medicine. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

by Bethany Hayes Growing fruit trees feels like a daunting task, but one of the easiest fruit trees for beginners to grow is figs. Figuring out how to grow fig trees is a lot easier than you imagine. These trees grow in warm locations and some cooler regions, depending on the cultivar you select. These trees are large, beautifully shaped, and provide plenty of shade. They look lovely on your property....

Flowers Are you considering adding some desert bluebell flowers to your home or garden? These plants are a favorite amongst many gardeners due to their beautifully colored flowers. In this article, gardening expert Madison Moulton explains how to plant, grow, and care for Phacelia Campanularia. By Madison Moulton Last updated: February 18, 2022 | 14 min read Take a walk around the California deserts Mojave and Sonoran in spring and you may notice giant carpets of purple-blue flowers nestled around the rocks....

Gladiolus corms multiply and naturalize over the years, creating colorful drifts in USDA Hardiness Zones 7 to 11. Elsewhere, they can be grown as annuals and either discarded or lifted for winter storage at season’s end. Gladiolus spp. Gladiolus is a genus of ornamental perennial flowering plants in the iris family, Iridaceae. The plant grows from a corm, which is a thick underground stem that stores food and resembles a flattened bulb....

Globe amaranth, Gomphrena globosa, is one of 90 Gomphrena species of flowering plants in the Amaranthaceae family. Gomphrena globosa Globe amaranth is a tropical annual that features long-lasting, globe-shaped blossoms in a variety of colors. Ideal for beds, borders, and rock gardens, plants are drought tolerant and suitable for xeriscapes. In this guide, we cover all you need to cultivate these unique, colorful flowers in your garden. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

In addition to this perennial herb having revered healing attributes, it’s also a charming addition to gardens where it can grow into a graceful ground cover that’s deer-resistant. Hydrastis canadensis Goldenseal, Hydrastis canadensis, is a prized medicinal plant native to North American woodlands. Because this perennial has been among the top best-selling botanical supplements in the US for many years, creating high market demand, it is now at risk of extinction in the wild....

Dog food that is expired or stale can be used to transform the infertile soil. It is rich in nutrients that are known to boost plant growth. To multiply the effects of this dog food fertilizer, you can add clay cat litter and alfalfa pellets. Before going into the requirements and procedure, let’s understand how these ingredients help the soil: Dog Food: Nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, and calcium are released into the soil when dog food breaks down....

Watering indoor plants can create a real mess at times. It’s really easy to let a drip tray overflow or drip water all over your floor. This article will give you all the tips on watering your indoor plants without creating a big mess. How do you water indoor plants without making a mess? You can use non-draining pots, drip trays or you can water your indoor plants in a sink to avoid any mess....

Flowers If you've fallen in love with the beautiful celosia flowers, it's only natural to start considering how to add them to your garden! But you are also probably curious if they will grow back next season, or need to be replanted. In this article, we examine if celosia is considered an annual, biennial, or perennial plant! By Jason White Last updated: November 16, 2022 | 5 min read Perhaps you want to plant celosia or cockscomb, but you’re unsure whether you have perennials or annuals....

Do you like to make your indoor space look like a veritable jungle? If so, you’ll need to grow Monstera deliciosa. This giant-leaved climbing plant can really liven up your living room. Indoor specimens often grow to 4-5 feet in height. Those which grow in their native rainforest environments can often get to ten feet or more! These plants themselves aren’t edible, and in fact they’re poisonous. But they produce a fruit called the monster fruit, which is edible when ripe....

Overwatering is one of the most common houseplant problems but it can be difficult to tell the difference between an overwatered and underwatered plant. Knowing whether you are overwatering vs underwatering is essential if you want to keep your houseplants thriving. This article is going to explain how to easily tell the difference between the two and show you how to fix both. Underwatering plants causes dry leaves, brown tips, leaf drop, wilting, and leaf curling....

Reasons for pruning pepper plants As you’re about to learn, the reasons why a gardener should be pruning pepper plants depends on when the pruning takes place. If timed correctly, proper pruning encourages strong sturdy stems, good branching, reduced disease and pest pressure, fruits that ripen quickly and evenly, and for many pepper varieties, it also results in improved yields. Is pruning pepper plants necessary? Just like tomatoes, the answer is no; it isn’t necessary....

You may have consumed seaweed in the form of crispy snacks or wrapped around sushi, but did you know that seaweed fertilizers can also nourish the plants in your garden? Table of Contents Seaweed is a generic term that encompasses many different types of multicellular algae that grow in our oceans. This primitive plant group has over 10,000 species. Seaweed is different from the plants that we grow terrestrially two important ways....

Maybe you want to start a bunch of plants at once to create your own orchard, and you need to do it affordably, with reliable results – or you want to plant more than one tree for cross-pollination, which is recommended for bigger yields. There are several reasons why you might choose to grow your own pomegranate trees at home. Obviously, there’s the fresh factor – homegrown produce seems to taste better when it’s just been picked than store-bought fruit that’s been shipped from afar and left to sit, doesn’t it?...

What went wrong? It’s heartbreaking when your turnip plants look perfectly healthy above ground, but underground, something sinister is happening. You have an image in your mind of the picture-perfect roots that you’re about to dig up, after all those weeks of working and waiting. You can already imagine the earthy aroma as you pull the roasted vegetables out of the oven. But when you lift your prize out of the ground, the darn things are split or rotting!...