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From choosing the best to carving and proper care, the following 9 tips will help you keep your decorative masterpieces fresh for a festive Halloween night. It’s almost Halloween, and that means pumpkin carving! But what can you do to keep those gorgeous creations from turning into a pile of mush within a matter of days? We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

As a home gardener, it’s important to know what to be on the lookout for, and what you can do to protect your trees, cull infection, and prevent further spread. We’ll cover all of this and more. Chestnuts are beautiful trees, providing shade and multi-season interest as well as edible nuts and high-quality wood. They can be productive for decades, and typically grow to impressive heights. Unfortunately, like most plants, they are susceptible to a number of diseases....

What is spaghetti squash? Spaghetti squash (Cucurbita pepo) is a type of winter squash. Members of the winter squash family are known for their hard rinds and long shelf-life. Other types of winter squash include acorn, butternut, delicata, and buttercup squash, among others. Winter squash require a fairly long growing period to mature, and the fruits are harvested late in the growing season. They will last for months if stored at room temperature in a cool, dry environment....

Botanically called chlorophytum comosum, a spider plant looks gorgeous, requires minimal care, and can grow for an extended period. It is also a natural air purifier, proven in many scientific studies, and a known Feng shui plant. The best part is, Growing Spider Plants in Water is also possible, and even a novice gardener can do it easily! Check out our article on the best spider plant types here Origin The spider plant is originally from South Africa and was very popular in Victorian-era households....

If you let a blossom stay until it turns brown and forms a hip, the plant often thinks it’s time to start putting its energy into developing seeds so it can reproduce. You constantly hear gardeners saying that you should deadhead your roses. But what does that really mean? And how do you do it? And for that matter, when should you break out the pruners? I can relate. When I first started growing roses, I felt totally overwhelmed....

Whether you’re acquiring this beauty for yourself, or for someone else as a not-so-subtle declaration of romantic feelings, the heart fern is an amazing plant to add to your collection. Hemionitis arifolia Want a plant that makes a big statement without a big footprint? Then the heart fern is the pteridophyte for you. Taking up less than a cubic foot of space at maturity with glossy, heart-shaped leaves, Hemionitis arifolia is an unusual yet stunning specimen....

If you’ve ever driven past or visited a farm with rows of tall blueberry shrubs, those were probably highbush plants. Of all the available species and varieties, northern highbush is the most common type cultivated commercially. Vaccinium corymbosum To heck with apples, eating some blueberries each day is what keeps the doctor away! Or at least that’s what professor of nutrition and epidemiology Dr. Eric Rimm and his colleagues at Harvard Medical School announced, based on the results of a study published in 2013....

Rhubarb, whose edible stalks sort of look like rosy celery, is tart. Extraordinarily tart. Think Granny Smith apple times 100. Rheum rhabarbarum I have faint memories of a neighbor woman down the street from our house in Northern California sharing great bundles of homegrown rhubarb with our family when I was quite wee. That was approximately 300 years ago, and I don’t think I’ve heard much about rhubarb since. I suppose smarter people than I have expounded on why this sour vegetable has fallen out of favor, but if I were to hazard a guess, I might lay the demise of its popularity at the feet of our sweet-obsessed culture....

Whether you’re hoping to pot up a few to nurture on a sunny windowsill, or you have a patch of sandy ground in full sun that’s just begging to be filled, the following tips will help you to become the best succulent parent on the block. Have you always wanted to grow your own succulents? You’re not alone. Some varieties have always been in vogue (like aloe, or hen and chicks) while other more unusual species have gained huge popularity today (like living stones)....

This guide will break everything down to its most basic parts so you can jump in without feeling like you’re in way over your head. Whether you’re looking to dip your toe into the big world of bonsai or you just nabbed a cute little tree on impulse at the store, you’re probably wondering how to handle your first plant. At its most basic, bonsai is a beautiful example of the intersection of art and horticulture....

Straw bale gardening has been popularized in recent years by Joel Karsten, the author of Straw Bale Gardens Complete, which details everything you need to know to get started growing in straw bales. I think many people have embraced this technique because it’s so easy to do, straw is widely available, and it allows you to grow food in small spaces or less-than-ideal sites. Straw versus hay I’m often asked about the difference between straw and hay and which material is the best to use in a vegetable garden....

So, to convince my still unconvinced husband, I did my homework and came up with 11 fun DIY gazebo kits, the best of what’s available to install a cozy structure of your very own in the backyard. One especially hot summer afternoon I sought refuge in the A/C, where I caught a crazy old movie called “The Gazebo.” And while Glenn Ford sweated out the discovery of a corpse in its foundation, all I could think of was how nice it would be to have one in my backyard – a gazebo, that is!...

Although growing hydroponically is soil-free, this doesn’t mean that there is nothing to support our plants. Table of Contents In most hydroponic systems, growers use different types of hydroponic media to help support their roots and maintain a good water/oxygen ratio. In this guide, I’ll give you a breakdown of the most popular types of hydroponic growing media. Every hydroponic gardener has their own preferences, so I’ll give you the advantages and disadvantages of each medium so you can choose the one that works right for your situation....

I’ll let you in on a little secret: Growing veggies in the winter isn’t that much different from growing them in the summer, but instead of battling the heat, you’ll be confronting the cold. Most gardeners know that brussels sprouts prefer cool temperatures, but these tiny wannabe cabbages take the concept of cold-weather gardening to the next level. With the right care, you can grow a fresh harvest all through the winter....

QUESTION: I’m noticing my lettuce plants starting to turn brown. Why is my lettuce dying? -Kim T ANSWER: There are many reasons a lettuce plant may start to die, which we’ve outlined here along with the signs and solutions for each. The more quickly you can work to assess the problem and find a solution, the better the chances of your lettuce recovering. Anthracnose: You can tell a plant is struggling with anthracnose by the watery spots that appear on the outermost leaves....

Here’s what’s in store: Succulent plants have unusual shapes, rich textures, varied colors, and showy blooms that make a dramatic impact in any container or garden setting. They are not a unique floral family, but diverse members of numerous plant groups. What they have in common is their water-retaining, fleshy leaves and stems. The cactus is one type with which you are probably familiar, but there are loads more! And don’t worry about your USDA Hardiness Zone....

Plants Are you decorating with poinsettias this season? These festive plants have become a holiday essential, and we want to help you keep yours looking beautiful for as long as possible. In this article, gardening expert Danielle Sherwood outlines 11 care tips for poinsettias in containers! By Danielle Sherwood Last updated: December 23, 2022 | 7 min read A symbol of the holiday season around the world, poinsettias are a fun and easy way to step up your winter container plant decor....

Visitors to your garden will be so impressed with your homegrown harvests! If you love mushrooms and have always been fascinated by the way they grow, it’s time to take the next step and grow your own. Foraging for mushrooms in the wild is fun, exciting, and also a wonderful way to incorporate a little exercise into your food-finding missions. But sometimes you want to be able to pick them a little closer to home – like in your own backyard, or even in your living room....

1. DIY Artificial Topiary Buying the artificial topiaries for your home can be very expensive, but this step by step DIY video here teaches you how to create them cheaply. 2. DIY Olive Topiary This olive topiary idea here can change the appearance of your interior. It’s quick, simple, and inexpensive. 3. Herb Topiary from Cuttings Choose cuttings of woody herbs to create terrific topiary specimens, this informative article at thecrownedgoat guides you about everything you need to learn to do this!...

Many species of Flowers Start with ‘E’, and in this list, we have compiled the loveliest blooms for your garden! They are all easy to grow and look stunning in every garden. Find out some beautiful flowers that start with ‘A’ here Flowers that Starts with ‘E’ 1. Evening Primrose Botanical Name: Oenothera Type: Perennial Blooming Period: Spring to Fall Evening Primrose is an easy-to-grow flowering plant with fragrant blooms that open up only during the day from spring until fall....