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Container garden design can be intimidating for beginners, but it’s not difficult once you learn the basics. In this post, I will show you how to arrange plants so you can create stunning summer flower pots every time. Container gardening is fun, and a great way to add beauty and color anywhere you want. But arranging plants in pots, and putting together good combos is very difficult for beginners. But don’t feel intimidated, designing and putting together stunning container gardens is easier than you think!...

Curly Spider Plant Care is easy as long as you know how to take the right care of it. Read ahead to know everything and more! If you want a spider plant with curled-up foliage, then this is it. The plant looks great in hanging baskets and tabletops and makes quite an impressive impression with its leaves. Let’s have a look at Curly Spider Plant Care. Botanical Name: Chlorophytum comosum ‘Bonnie’...

I fancy myself to be a pretty crafty person. I love to knit and sew and embroider, and whip out my glue gun when the mood strikes. But I had never really considered packaging up my dried garden bounty to give to someone as spices, or natural beauty products, or tea. I’ve been inspired by my friend Stephanie Rose who creates the most beautiful projects for her site Garden Therapy. I was even able to plant one of the seed collections (the Natural Beauty Garden Kit) she created for Garden Trends....

Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pungens) is a beautiful native American conifer. This extremely rustic silvery blue tree reaches the height of 9 – 21 m (30-70 ft) in its region of origin. Nice bluish green color, accentuated by the sharply pointed foliage makes it a perfect conifer for open landscapes and large backyards. Dwarf forms of blue spruce are also available that reaches only between 1.5 to 4.5 m (5-15 ft) tall and are suitable for small gardens, patios, and terraces....

What does a garden spider look like? Other common names include the yellow garden spider, the corn spider, the banded garden spider, or the writing spider (Argiope aurantia). A member of family Araneidae, this species is actually quite beautiful, if you care to look close enough. The large females have a distinctive black and yellow abdomen, and 8 black legs that are graced with red or yellow markings. The leg span of fully grown females can be up to three inches long from front to back....

Growing plumeria in pots is a great way to enjoy them no matter where you live. In this post, I’ll show you all you need to know in order to be successful. Learning how to grow plumeria in pots is a good option if you don’t have space in your yard, or you live somewhere that’s too cold to leave them outside year round. But caring for them in containers is a little different than it is for those planted in the ground....

Growing potatoes in your vegetable garden Soil conditions for growing potatoes How to Plant Potatoes How to Take Care of Potato Plants Potato Pests Harvesting and storage of Potatoes Common Questions and Answers About How to Grow Potatoes Are potato leaves poisonous? Are the eyes of a potato poisonous? Can any potato be a seed potato? Can I grow potatoes in wood chips? Can I just plant a potato? Can you chit potatoes in a cold frame?...

I’m not gonna lie – writing this guide has me hankering for a snickerdoodle. With each time I type the word “cinnamon,” my appetite only grows. Osmundastrum cinnamomeum The cinnamon fern is gorgeous, cold-hardy, and a breeze to grow. With practically no pest or disease issues, you won’t have to dote on or fret about it like you would other, wimpier plantings. Plus, you have the option to propagate spores, which is an enlightening experience for any gardener who hasn’t done so before....

A juicy American cantaloupe, that is, because I’ve never tried the European variety. There are differences, which we’ll talk about in a moment. Cucumis melo var. reticulatus Cantaloupe is like candy in melon form. For some reason, watermelon gets all the summertime hype. Some of that needs to go straight to cantaloupe, which in my unpopular opinion, is much tastier than watermelon. With a strange texture, slimy seeds, and an abundance of, well, wateriness, the watermelon just isn’t my type of fruit....

By Jennifer Poindexter Maybe you’re familiar with evening primrose oil as a supplement found on most grocery store shelves. The capsules are made from oil from the plant and are thought to help those who suffer from PMS, menopausal issues, or arthritis. But it turns out that entire herb is edible as well and can be used in a variety of ways around the kitchen. Although evening primrose has many reasons to be grown, some gardeners turn away from the idea....

by Matt Gibson Let’s grow sunflowers! Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) are not just an eye-catching summer flower that makes a natural choice as a showy standout in any flower garden. Sunflowers have many useful attributes aside from simply being pretty, and they are a common sight in gardens around the world for good reason. These flowers produce sunflower seeds by the truckload, and those seeds are a nutrient-rich snack that humans, birds, and other animals can enjoy....

If you’ve typically grown turnips in the past for the roots, you’re in for a real treat. The greens can be sweet and tender or slightly bitter and dense, and you can eat them both raw and cooked. Brassica rapa var. rapa There are a few plants out there that rescue me from the end-of-summer blues. You know, that feeling that comes around when you know the growing season is coming to a close and the thrill of harvesting fresh veggies from the garden is ending....

Growing seeds inside is fun, and it allows us to get our hands dirty several weeks earlier than we can start digging in the garden. After spending all that time caring for seedlings indoors, it’s exciting when the time finally comes to plant them! But you can’t simply take them from their cozy indoor environment and plant them directly into the garden. You must first harden off indoor seedlings before planting outdoors, and this is a crucial step....

Some can be a nuisance because of their ability to inflict a painful sting, which in some cases may require medical attention. Maybe bees or wasps come to mind, but in fact, the insect pests I’m referring to are caterpillars. Keeping a tropical hibiscus healthy and safe from pests can be a challenge. Whether this tropical beauty is included in your landscaping plans or you’re already growing one, there are a few specific pests that you should be on the lookout for in addition to the common garden culprits, depending on your location – and it’s not necessarily because of the damage they may cause to these semi-woody shrubs or small trees....

Properly planting succulents is important, whether they’re indoors or outside. In this post, I’m going to show you exactly when and how to plant succulents for the best success. Succulents are very easy to grow and take care of, but it’s important to know when and how to plant them in order for them to thrive. If it’s not done properly, or you do it at the wrong time, it can be difficult for them to survive....

I’d like to help you start growing this helpful legume in a way that assists you with your own garden needs, while steering clear of rookie mistakes made all too easily when you grow alfalfa for the first time. Medicago sativa If you mainly associate alfalfa with pellets for rabbits and guinea pigs, you’re in for a wonderful home gardening surprise. Along with being a food crop for livestock and pets, this plant shines as an easy-care, affordable cover crop, especially when planted in the fall....

Vegetables Are you struggling to find the most efficient way of pruning your tomato plants this season? Tomato pruning can be a chore, but it doesn't have to be complicated. In this article, gardening expert and farm owner Jenna Rich walks through the six steps you'll need to follow when pruning your tomato plants this season. By Jenna Rich Last updated: October 4, 2022 | 5 min read I often hear people saying, “I let my tomatoes get away from me this summer,” or “I just don’t know how to control my tomatoes when I grow them, so I let them go wild....

An important part of gardening is knowing how to spread mulch. Whether you want to retain moisture with wood chips or protect the plants’ roots in winter with dead leaves, it’s great to know what works best in different situations. Knowing how much mulch to use helps too! Table of Contents Mulching can be a late spring activity, or it could occur when you transplant a tree in late winter. Applying mulch has many benefits; one of the most common is keeping weeds at bay....

These ants like to nest in warm, moist places in structures – near toilets, hot water heaters, pipes, and drains, and even behind paneling or under carpets! Tapinoma sessile Odorous house ants (Tapinoma sessile) are native to the continental US and are distributed from Mexico to Canada. These ants eat an unusually broad variety of foods, which often brings them into houses and in conflict with humans. They are one of the most common types of ants found in houses....

QUESTION: What do you do with monk fruit powder? I keep reading about it, but I don’t understand what you use it for. ANSWER: Monk fruit is a round fruit in the gourd family about the size of a lime, also known as Luo Han Guo in Asia, named after the monks in China who discovered it. The powder extract of monk fruit is used as a low glycemic natural sweetener that’s keto and diabetic friendly, and also considered a food that’s GRAS (generally recognized as safe) by the FDA....