Tag: growing

Asparagus is one of the first plants that greets us in springtime! It’s a perennial, which means that once it gets established, the tender spears will return year after year. Here’s how to grow asparagus—from planting through harvest. Thriving in areas with cool winters, asparagus is usually grown from 1-year-old...

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,...

Radishes are a hardy, very easy-to-grow root vegetable that can be planted multiple times in a growing season. Plus, they can be harvested as soon as three weeks after planting! Here’s our full guide on how to grow radishes in your garden. Its seeds can be planted in both...

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...

Rosemary is a perennial evergreen shrub with blue flowers. It is an aromatic and distinctive herb with a sweet, resinous flavor. This plant is ideal for a rock garden or the top of a dry stone wall. In warm areas with fair humidity, rosemary can grow into a shrub...