Month: April 2020

Everyone loves lilies. With large, showy blooms, lilies add striking elegance to the yard and garden from early to midsummer. Grown from bulbs, lilies are perennial flowers that will return year after year and require minimal care, provided that you plant them in the right place.  Lilies have six plain or...

Grow dahlias for gorgeous, colorful flowers that bloom from midsummer through autumn, when many plants are past their best! The tubers are planted in the ground in late spring. In colder zones, you do need to dig up and store the tubers in the fall if you wish to...

Dill is an annual, self-seeding plant with feathery green leaves. It is used most commonly in soups and stews (see sour cream dill cucumber salad recipe) or for pickling. Dill weed is easy to grow. If you’re planting dill for pickling, plant every few weeks into midsummer to ensure...

Cilantro is a fast-growing, aromatic, annual herb that grows best in the cooler weather of spring and fall. This herb is used to flavor many recipes and the entire plant is edible, though the leaves and seeds are used most often.  CILANTRO VS. CORIANDER Cilantro and coriander are different parts of the...

Spinach, a super–cold-hardy leafy green, is a popular crop that can be planted in very early spring, as well as in fall and even winter in some areas. Spinach has similar growing conditions and requirements as lettuce, but it is more versatile in both its nutrition and its ability to...

Everyone seems to love juicy watermelon in the summertime. Native to Africa, melons need warm temperatures (up to 80°F during the day) and a long growing season. They are a true refreshment on a hut summer day. See watermelon basil agua fresca or healthy watermelon dessert pizza recipe. Gardeners in...

These attractive, broad-leaf evergreen trees grow 15-50’ tall. They are pyramidal in shape and are known for their striking red berries and deep green, leathery leaves with sharp points. American holly trees are terrific landscape plants. They are great for habitat, too. The dense foliage provides cover for small...

Arborvitae (Thuja) are one of the most versatile and attractive trees or shrubs found in the landscape. They are useful as hedge material, in pots or as interesting focal points for the garden. Planting an arborvitae hedge provides security and a beautiful screen. This easy to grow evergreen comes...

A versatile and hardy flowering vine, clematis is a well-behaved favorite and an excellent choice to adorn an arbor, trail from a trellis, or climb a tree. With more than 250 species to choose among, clematis vines flower in shades of purple, blue, white, pink, and burgundy in temperate...

In the wild, Dischidia pectinoides has struck a deal with ants: Pollinate me and I’ll give you shelter. Fortunately, this room-and-board arrangement stops at the doorstep. The Ant Plant is the perfect bathroom dweller. It loves a bit of filtered light and humidity and doesn’t need soil—it’s an epiphyte. The Ant Plant...