Tag: gardening

Wandering Jew, also called spiderwort, is valued for the stripes of white, green, silver, and purple colors of its foliage. Planting Grow in all-purpose potting mix in either a pot or hanging basket.  Select a location that delivers medium to bright light. The room temperature should be between 55° and 75°F. Care Water...

Oregano is a perennial herb with rose-purple or white flowers and a taste reminiscent of thyme. Oregano’s taste is zesty and strong and is commonly used in Italian dishes. It is a hardy plant and makes for a good ground cover. Planting Oregano loves the sun, so ensure that your...

Mint is a perennial with very fragrant, toothed leaves and tiny purple, pink, or white flowers. It has a fruity, aromatic taste. There are many varieties of mint—all fragrant, whether shiny or fuzzy, smooth or crinkled, bright green or variegated. However, you can always tell a member of the...

African violets are small houseplants that produce clusters of white, blue, or purple flowers over fuzzy leaves.  African violets will bloom with lower light, though medium to bright indirect light is best.  Planting How to plant African violets You can use an actual African violet potting mix or an all-purpose...

The ideal lilac shrub has about 10 canes and produces flowers at eye-level—all the better to enjoy that sweet, haunting fragrance. Lilacs do come in seven colors, but most are familiar with the common lilac, Syringa vulgaris, which blooms in the northern states for 2 weeks in late May. However,...

With immense flower heads, hydrangeas flaunt an old-fashioned charm that is hard to resist. Unrivaled in the shrub world for beautiful flowers, the elegant ladies are easy to cultivate, tolerate almost any soil, and produce abundant blooms. Colors beguile with clear blue, vibrant pink, frosty white, lavender, and rose blossoms—sometimes...

If you want to steal a garden idea from feng-shui masters, lucky bamboo may be the answer. Lucky bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana, also called Dracaena braunii) actually isn’t bamboo at all. It’s a Dracaena from tropical western Africa with red roots, pointed leaves, and hollow green stems, often curled into shapes. For...

Cannas are among the most colorful summer bulbs as flamboyant as their tropical American ancestry with ruffled spikes tapering to refined buds. The gorgeous cannas boast immense, often-veined, paddle-shaped leaves and sheathing leafstalks in shades of green or bronze—and flashy blooms that stand tall on their stems. With their...

Ponytail palms are a unique-looking, long-lived indoor plant that thrives on benign neglect. They are very easy to grow, provided you don’t overwater them! Here’s how to grow and care for a ponytail palm in your home. Despite its name and palm-like appearance, the ponytail palm is not a true...

Sunflowers say “summer” like no other plant. Native to North America, sunflowers are heat-tolerant, resistant to pests, and simply beautiful. You can even harvest their edible seeds. Here’s how to grow them in your garden! An annual plant, sunflowers have big, daisy-like flower faces of bright yellow petals (and occasionally red) and...