Using Weeping Trees to Their Best Advantage

A few years back, weeping trees were the darlings of the gardening world and no landscape was complete without one (or sometimes many). Theres no denying they are eye...

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening]

The Language of Flowers

Flowers have held meaning for centuries. You know a rose says love, but how about expressing yourself with violets for modesty, peonies for shame or daisies for innocence? The language and meaning of the flowers in you garden or bouquet can be as involved or as fun as you choose to make it.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Summersweet-Clethra alnifolia

Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia)

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

What Zone are You? Gardening Term of the Month.

One of the first questions gardeners ask other gardeners is What zone are you? This is no simple tree-hugging term. Your gardening zone determines what plants will...

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening]

Using Cornmeal as a Fungicide

Researchers at Texs A&M have discovered that cornmeal has powerful fungicidal properties and is effective on all kinds of landscape fungus problems, from turf grass to black spot on roses. Heres how to apply cornmeal to treat fungus problems in your garden.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Deer Resistant Plants

If deer are in your area, sooner or later they will find your garden. Plant wisely by choosing deer resistant plants. Use the lists here to help find plants deer don't like.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Choosing Garden Ornaments

What makes a garden statue look like it belongs there and another look completely out of place? Most of us tend to purchase garden art that is just too small and so then we buy a lot of it. Of course, like all art, personal preferences should always be considered. But there are some simple guidelines for choosing garden ornaments that complement your garden and that you won't have to keep explaining over and over to your friends.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Alkaline Soil

If your garden soil tested low in pH or alkaline, what does that mean?

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Roses from Cuttings

Ever wonder if you could root and grow branches from your favorite rose bush? With a little care, roses root very easily. You won't always get exactly what you started with, but it's fun trying. And here's how.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

New Year's Resolution

The American Phytopathological Societys tips for how to have a healthy garden. Who better to give us advice on how to keep plants healthy than the folks who study plant diseases for a living?

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Flowering Plants for Dry Areas

Its a smart idea to study up on which plants can adapt to dry areas, because sooner or later every garden will experience a period of drought. While water is crucial to growing healthy plants, there are many perennials that can withstand periodic dry spells, if they are given a chance to become established before they are severely stressed.. Here are 10 perennials that may surprise you with their drought tolerant constitutions.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Fragrant Abelia

Fragrant Abelia

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

No Fruit on Your Fruit Tree?

There are many reasons fruit trees can take years to begin bearing fruit. Home fruit growers need to make sure their fruit trees are given the right care and growing conditions.gardening fruit apple trees home backyard orchard not setting fruiting gardens

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Soilless Potting Mix

Starting plants from seed is a lot of fun, but its not so much fun to watch them wither and die shortly after germination. One way to gain an advantage is to use a sterile potting mix, because you never know what problems come along with soil from the garden. If youre going with a potting mix anyway, you might want the further advantages a soilless mix brings. Heres a rundown on whats in the potting mix if you leave out the soil, and why youd bother to in the first place.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Eggplant

Eggplants are sun and heat loving vegetables, in the same family as tomatoes, peppers and potatoes. Eggplant actually does come in a small, white egg-shaped variety. Most Americans have never seen one, so the name seems inappropriate. There is actually a great variety of eggplants, many much easier to grow in the home vegetable garden than the large, oblong, purple varieties we are used to.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Black Foliage Shrubs

Shrubs add four season stucture to a garden. They are considered the bones of a garden's design. Elderberries (Sambucus) have long been garden favorites because so many shrubs in the species Sambucus offer great foliage, fall color and wonderful berries. Sambucus Black Beauty (Sambucus nigra Gerda PP12305, Canadian BRAF) and Sambucus Black Lace (Sambucus nigra Eva ppaf) are two recent introductions that add depth and interest to any garden with their deep purple, almost black foliage.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Outdoor Houseplants

It is possible to pot up some of your favorite garden plants and bring them indoors as houseplants. Many tropical and tender perennials are capable of growing well in the house, if given the right growing conditions. Growing these plants as houseplants requires good light and humidity. If you’re home has what it takes, here’s a list of potential houseplants that may be growing in your garden.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Gardening Picks & Pans

Garden trends reflect whats new in gardening. The best garden trends also point us toward better ways of gardening: hardier plants, less toxic garden maintenance, less wasteful gardening methods. Here are 10 Gardening Picks and Pans that highlight the best and worst gardening trends and how to use them to improve your own garden.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Pruning Evergreens

Evergreens such as fir, pine and spruce trees require little pruning, except to control their size or improve their fullness. Evergreen pruning should be done at the right time, while the tree has candles or new growth or the tree could end up misshapen.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Backyard Pond in Virginia

Backyard Pond in Virginia

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Whats a Soil-less Potting Mix?

Starting plants from seed is a lot of fun, but its not so much fun to watch them wither and die shortly after germination. (Trust me.) One way...

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening]

Growing Phormium

Phormium is a spiky, sword-leafed evergreen perennial that is used as a garden focal point or specimen plant. Some are small enough to use in containers, others can reach several feet in diameter and 7+ feet tall. Phormium arent hardy in many areas, but can be brought indoors for the winter. Growing Phormium is easy, if you give the plants what they want.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Seed & Plant Exchanges

Some people have a wealth of plant seeds left over at the end of the gardening season. Some folks can never find the seeds for the garden plants they want at the beginning of the season. It's a match made in heaven. Whether you have seeds to trade or a seed wish list that's gone unfulfilled, these Seed Exchanges are worth a look.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Tomato Bounty

Tomato bounty growing in a Massachusetts vegetable garden.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Why do tomatoes crack

A common tomato growing problem is fruit that cracks or splits open as the tomato ripens. How can you prevent future tomatoes from cracking and is the cracked fruit still edible?

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Plants for a Small Garden

Every plant looks tempting in the nursery center or catalog. How do you know what will do well in your garden? There are some guidelines for what to consider when shopping for plants for your garden. While there are times to indulge yourself with whatever plant catches your fancy, when designing a small garden, every plant matters. Choose wisely.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Greenhouse Kits

It's so tempting. The idea of a greenhouse means gardening year round, a warm sunny spot to garden in February. Tropical plants that survive the winter... Greenhouses are the ultimate fantasy for gardeners, but they're also a big responsibility. One night without heat and all of your plants and seedlings could be goners. Your greenhouse will need heat, water, benches, venting, electricity. And that's just for starters. Here are some greenhouse kits and their pros and cons.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Blacked String Beans

Spice up your string beans with blacked seasoning. This receipe is excellent for a side dish or as an appitizer, with a cool yougurt dip.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Gardening Question of the Week Can You Root Store Bought Roses?

Here's a question DGato asked on the About Gardening Forum and it's probably crossed you mind once or twice, when you received a particularly nice cut rose. "Can store-bought...

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening]

Happy Kwanzaa! - Celebrate the Future with Corn

You dont often think about holidays being created, but thats just what happened 40 years ago when Dr. Maulana Karenga celebrated the first Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa has its origins in...

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening]

Sagina subulata (Irish Moss)

Sagina subulata (Irish Moss)

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Next Year's Garden

Garden design starts with thinking about how and who will use your garden and what constraints time, money and nature put on you. Thats the basis of good site analysis. Then you can start to consider the garden design elements of color, texture and form. The fun of garden design doesnt really begin until you know what you are working with and can start choosing plants, flowers, trees and shrubs to fill in the picture.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Merry Christmas!

Best wishes to everyone. May your days be merry and bright....

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening]

The Language of Flowers

Flowers have held meaning for centuries. The language and meaning of the flowers in you garden or bouquet can be as involved or as fun as you choose to make it. Here are some popular garden and bouquet flowers and their meanings, to get you thinking:

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Raised Bed Kits

Raised bed gardening refers to gardening in soil that has been mounded or contained higher than the surrounding soil. Raised bed gardening is an old gardening practice, but its currently growing in popularity again because it offers several advantages to simply growing your plants in level ground. Here are some easy kits for building your own raised bed.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Would It Be Christmas Without Evergreens?

Do you ever wonder how some of our Christmas decorations came to be such traditions. What on earth possessed someone to say, Lets bring a tree indoors and drape...

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening]

Lighting for Houseplants

Determining how much light an indoor plant needs is about as vague as determining how much water it needs. However, most houseplants dont like to be placed in the direct sun of a windowsill. Strong sunlight may actually burn their leaves.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Xeriscape Gardening

Xeriscaping doesnt mean deserts and cactus or even a drought plagued, barren landscape. Xeriscaping is a method of gardening that involves choosing plants that are appropriate to their site and creating a landscape that can be maintained with little supplemental watering. Here are the seven steps of xeriscaping, common sense guides to gardening in harmony with your site that can be applied to any type of garden design.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Tulips in the Snow

Photogrpahs taken by About Gardening readers from around the country, of their own gardens in winter.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Watering Houseplants

The #1 killer of houseplants is over watering. Theres not much a gardener can really do for houseplants, so they provide TLC by watering every chance they get.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

FeaturedHydrangeas

Hydrangeas are experiencing a resurgence of interest by both gardeners and breeders. Here are two recent introductions generating a good deal of interest are Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight' and H. macrophylla Lady in Red.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Top Cut Flowers

Repeat blooming annuals are favored for cutting gardens, but many perennial flowers do wonderfully well as cut flowers. What makes for a good cut flower is a stem that is long enough and sturdy enough to hold the flower in an arrangement and a flower that lasts and looks good for several days. That gives the gardener a wide choice for choosing flowers to grow in a cutting garden. The following lists offer suggestions for great cut flowers.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Gardening Basics

Starting a garden should be a pleasure. But it does help to have a little knowledge of how to go about making a garden. Here's a quic selection of articles to give you confidence in creating your won garden.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Asparagus Feature

Asparagus is one of the few perennial vegetable crops for the home garden. Plant it once and it keeps on gorwing. There is some up front work to be done, before you can enjoy the harvest, but a well-established asparagus bed can produce for decades. Heres how to grow great asparagus.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Shade Garden Perennials

Shade gardens can be woodland retreats or bursts of color. Many shade garden plants often considered sun lovers actually prefer some shade in hot areas or the peak of summer. Of the many plants that will grow well or even thrive in shade gardens, the following list are top shade garden performers.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

It's Winter! And the Garden Never Looked Better.

Just about one year ago, I first posted this photo gallery of winter gardens. I was reminded of it last month, when I asked if winter interest...

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening]

Raised Bed Gardening

Raised bed gardening refers to gardening in soil that has been mounded or contained higher than the surrounding soil. Raised bed gardening is an old gardening practice, but its currently growing in popularity again because it offers several advantages to simply growing your plants in level ground. Here are some tips on why raised bed gardening should be considered and how to get started with a raised bed.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Homemade Seed Packets

Seed savers have a ready made gift or party favor idea. If you save seeds from your favorite plants, you know very well that there is always more seed than you need. Create a great gift for another gardener, especially one whos always envied your garden, by packaging up seed and presenting it in a decorative way.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

The Amaryllis Experiment

I wrote recently about watering your paperwhites with alcohol to get them to grow sturdier and not fall over. Well Harry Brindley, over at slappHappe, gave it a...

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening]

Growing Hot Peppers

Chili peppers have the distinction of being welcome I both vegetable gardens and flower borders. While hot peppers may seem exotic, they are very easy to grow almost anywhere, even indoors. The assortment of hot peppers, whether Jalapeno, Serrano, Cayenne, Habanero or Thai, offers something for every garden and every pallette.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

How Much Mulch?

Knowing how much mulch or amendment to purchase for your garden is always a bit of a guess, but you can make it an educated one by using a couple of easy measurements and calculations. Here's how to know how many bags, pounds or cubic yards of mulch will actually give you 3inches of coverage.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Prechilling Bulbs

Many spring flowering bulbs can be forced into bloom during the winter, but most will need a period of cold temperatures to stimulate growth and flower production. This period of precooling varies with the type of bulb, as shown on the Prechilling Chart.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Make Scented Sachets

Your garden may be good enough to eat, but those wonderful fragrances can be put to use on less fattening senses. Dried flowers and herbs tucked into bags and pillows have a fragrance that will let you travel back to the glory days of your garden. Herbs, especially, hold on to their fragrance. Use you sachets to scent a draw, the clothes in the dryer or tuck one under your pillow. They make great gifts too.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Pest ID Web Sites

When insect pests attack your garden plants, the first line of defense is to identify the insect. To control insects in your garden, you need to know what kind of insect you are dealing with, what plants it favors and what time of year to expect it. These web sites provide photos for identifying pests and most also give info on controlling the garden pests.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Deer Resistant Plants

If deer are in your area, sooner or later they will find your garden. Plant wisely by choosing deer resistant plants. Use the lists here to help find plants deer don't like.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

In Praise of Snow - Its Free Winter Mulch.

Mulching may not be on your list of things to do this time of year, if you live in a cold climate. But you might want to rethink that....

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening]

Fungus Gnats

Fungus gnats are more than annoying pests flying around your new plant seedlings and cuttings. Fungus gnats can do serious damage to young plants and should be controlled before their population becomes too large. There are effective biological control measures you can take to detect, deter and control fungus gnats around your growing plants.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Gardening Websites

Gardening online is one of the best tools a gardener has. Here is a list of 10 information packed garden diagnostic web sites to answer all your gardening questions.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Tomato Blossom Drop

Blossom drop is a common tomato growing problem that can be extremely frustrating to the home gardener. Otherwise healthy looking tomato plants set flower blossoms, only to have them dry up and fall off the plant before a fruit is formed. Blossom drop can be attributed to several causes, most often related to either temperature and / or stress.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Garden Soil

Organic matter does so many wonderful things for a garden, its just silly not to take advantage of it. Good soil means less work for the gardener. The soil will feed your plants and help them ward off diseases and insect pests. What does organic matter mean and how can you get some? Read on...

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Stumped for a Last Minute Gift? Give Them Your Garden.

Let's face it, whether it's hollyhocks or hot peppers, none of us can resist stashing away a few pods full of ripe seeds from the plants were particularly fond of....

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening]

What are Rose Hips?

Rose hips are the seed pods of roses. We dont often see them anymore, because we tend to prune the faded rose blossoms to encourage more flowers. However if you leave the spent flowers on the rose bush at the end of the season, you should see these small, berry-sized, reddish seed balls, left on tips of the stems. Rose hips are actually very ornamental and birds enjoy them too. They are also edible and a good source of vitamin C. Heres how to harvest and use your rose hips.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Top Plant Varieties

Need a clay buster? A rose for shade? What to try growing some of those heirloom vegetables you've heard about? Wish your annuals would self-seed? These lists will give you some top plant varieties, whatever your garden needs.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Indeterminate Tomatoes

Most of the tomato varieties grown in home gardeners are considered indeterminate varieties, or vining tomatoes. They continue growing until they are killed by frost and keep setting fruit throughout the growing season.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Gardening Question of the Week - When Do I Prune if My Plants Dont Go Dormant?

More than one person has written to ask, My winter has been very mild and several plants that need dormant pruning dont seem to have gone dormant. Will it...

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening]

Waterproof Gloves

Gardening gloves are a very personal choice. Some gardeners can't work with them, others have several favorite pairs for different garden jobs. Here'a pair of gardening gloves that bridge the season, protecting your hands from the cold as well as some of the rougher jobs in the garden.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Time to Prune the Roses? Lucky You!

While many of us are skating down the sidewalk, its nice to be reminded that some lucky gardeners are gearing up to prune the roses. Natasha Levitan walks us...

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening]

Garden Book - Did You Know...?

"Did You Know...? Wise Words & Advice for Gardeners & Floral Designers" is a wonderful book chock full of ideas that will leave you thinking, "Of course! Why didn't I think of that?" Gardeing advice from the basics of soil and water, through growing and displaying. All practical, easy to do and garden friendly.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

10 Tips for Cutting Roses

Roses make exceptional cut flowers. Selecting rose buds at the right stage and conditioning the roses once cut will extend their vase life and your pleasure. Whatever your rose preference, enjoy your blooms even longer with these tips for cutting roses.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Companion Planting

Companion planting is an age old gardening technique of pairing two or more plants to gain some type of benefit,: vigorous growth, higher yield, repelling pests or attracting predators of common pests. Some companion plantings work, others disappoint. But the idea of strength in diversity is never truer than in the garden and thats what companion planting provides. Here are some tips for attracting beneficial insects and for companion planting with herbs to repel insect pests.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Popular Plants and Ideas for Winter Landscapes

For you gardeners who are snowed in today and looking hard for a distraction from the Christmas goodies popping up on the table, take a tour through David Beaulieus ...

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening]

When to Start Seed

Growing plants from seed is an easy, inexpensive way to get more plants. The hard part is often knowing when to start the seeds. Here's some recommended timing to get you on the right track for seed starting.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Preventing Salt Buildup

Giving your potted plants just enough water so the soil gets wet, but no water runs through the bottom of the pot can lead to salt buildup, which can inhibit the growth of your houseplants.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Edible Flowers

Edible flowers aren't a new phenomonon, but garnishes of fresh flowers tend to intimidate diners. No one is really sure if the flowers are there for decoration or to be eaten. It's hard to find edible flowers to purchase, but quite easy to grow most of them in your garden. Since flowers are best when eaten soon after harvest, growing your own edible flowers makes even more sense. Here are some tips.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Hellebores

More and more species of Hellebores are available in garden centers and catalogs. The Christmas Rose, the Lenten Rose and the Stinking Rose are all relatively easy care perennials for your winter and spring garden.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Fragrant Abelia

Fragrant Abelia

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Cut Flower Care

Keeping cut flowers blooming and looking fresh starts by choosing healthy flowers and then handling them well. The cut flower care tips outlined here can help keep your bouquets beautiful for weeks.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Acidic Soil

You've had your garden soil tested and you've been told it's acidic. Now what?

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Last Minute Gardening Stocking Stuffers

Sometimes the hardest gifts to think of are the stocking stuffers. What's small enough to fit in a stocking, yet substantial enough to be a gift? Here are...

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening]

Organic Gardening Essentials

p]The key to organic gardening is keeping a healthy balance in your garden. Prevent problems, rather than treating for them after the fact. Healthy plants are better able to withstand pests than stressed plants. And your plants will be healthy if they are given what they need to grow well and if you are growing a diversity of plants. Here are some more tips to help you garden organically:

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Lilium orientalis - Lily

Lily 'Casa Blanca'

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

The Christmas Rose is a Rose is a Rose - or is it?

The Christmas Rose is actually a buttercup. Hellebore niger, known as the Christmas Rose, also has the frustrating tendency of not blooming until Easter - making it all the more...

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening]

Gaillardia, Blanket Flower

Gaillardia, Blanket Flower Photo

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Is That Gorgeous Poinsettia Really Poisonous?

Remember when we played on metal slides that sat in the hot sun all day and ended in a slab of concrete? Todays kids will never know that...

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening]

Gardening Question of the Week: My Forsythia Started to Bloom Late in the Fall. Will it Still Bloom Again Next Spring?

Forsythia set their buds on 1-year old branches and begin to do so shortly after flowering. Thats why you need to get out there and prune your forsythia early;...

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening]

Staking Perennials

Many perennial flowers need to be staked or supported as they grow, to keep from flopping. Staking should be done before the plant is full grown and before it sets flower buds. Early spring plant staking will provide a more natural look and not disturb flower production or growing roots.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Cactus & Euphorbia

Euphorbia plants are good choices for dry areas. Their foliage looks good all season and the flowers are as succulent as the leaves.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Bok Choy F1 'Baby Bak Choy'

Bok Choy F1 'Baby Bak Choy'

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Growing Green Beans

Often called green beans or string beans, the common garden bean can be both stringless and colors other than green. But its the green bean that everyone recognizes as one of the most frequently prepared vegetables. Hot, cold, even raw, string beans are versatile in the kitchen and very prolific producers in the garden. They are also easy to grow. Here are some tips.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Palmate Leaves

Leaves that are distinctly lobed, like a maple leaf, are called palmate. Their shape is evocative of an open palm with the fingers outstretched.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Saving Tomato Seeds

Many plant seeds can be saved simply by collecting them as they dry. Tomatoes take a bit more work. The tomato seeds are enclosed in a gel like sack that contains growth inhibitors, preventing the seeds from sprouting inside the tomato. The best way to remove this gel covering is to allow the fruits to rot and ferment. In nature this happens when the fruit falls off the plant. For seed savers, we're going to speed up the process.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Folding Pruning Saws

For all the special garden pruning tools available, sometimes nothing beats the common old saw. The reason for buying a special garden pruning saw is that these are designed with sticky, gummy plants in mind. Your shop saw will probably just get stuck and/or bind if used to cut branches. There are convenient folding saws that tuck into your gardening bag to have ready whenever the need arises. Here are some things to look for in a folding pruning saw and some saws of note.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Poinsettias. How to Care for them Through the Holidays and Beyond...

December 12th is National Poinsettia Day. That's right, the US Congress gave the Poinsettia an official day of recognition. They are hard to resist at this time of year, especially...

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening]

What is a Hybrid Garden Plant?

Most garden plants, including flowers, vegetables, trees and shrubs, are hybrids, or crosses between two other plants. Hybrid plants are created to infuse qualities and traits valued in two separate parent plants into one garden plant.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Herbaceous perennials

Perennial plants are often called herbaceous, meaning they have soft or succulent green stems that will die back to the ground in the winter.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Fungus Gnats

Fungus gnats are more than annoying pests flying around your new plant seedlings and cuttings. Fungus gnats can do serious damage to young plants and should be controlled before their population becomes too large. There are effective biological control measures you can take to detect, deter and control fungus gnats around your growing plants.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

WinterBouquet

There's not much gardening to do in winter, but gardeners can still enjoy a breath of spring with cut flowers. Have some fun here finding out your floral signature and creating flower recipes.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Espalied Fruit Trees

Small Space Gardening - Espalied Fruit Trees

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Raised Bed Gardening

Raised bed gardening refers to gardening in soil that has been mounded or contained higher than the surrounding soil. Raised bed gardening is an old gardening practice, but its currently growing in popularity again because it offers several advantages to simply growing your plants in level ground. Here are some tips on why raised bed gardening should be considered and how to get started with a raised bed.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Happy Chanukah! - In Praise of the Potato Latke

At first glance, it seems that traditional deep fried Chanukah foods are a reminder of how we used to be able to eat, before the food police made everything good...

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening]

Make Scented Sachets

Your garden may be good enough to eat, but those wonderful fragrances can be put to use on less fattening senses. Dried flowers and herbs tucked into bags and pillows have a fragrance that will let you travel back to the glory days of your garden. Herbs, especially, hold on to their fragrance. Use you sachets to scent a draw, the clothes in the dryer or tuck one under your pillow. They make great gifts too.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Narcissis (Daffodils)

Narcissis (Daffodils)

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Sweet Peas - Perfect for the Start of the Gardening Season.

Long blooming and fragrant, with an almost unparalleled range of colors, Sweet Peas (Lathyrus odoratus) seem at home in any garden. I like to plant them with my pole...

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening]

Salt Tolerant Plants for Beach Landscaping (or Snow-Plowed Roadsides)

Whether youre preparing for the snow plows or sitting at your beach house and laughing at those of us who are, salt tolerant plants are a need we have in...

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening]

Getting Your Amaryllis Ready to Flower

Theres nothing quite like an amaryllis; odd looking, yet appealing. Amaryllis are gorgeous for a welcome span in the winter and then pretty dull for the rest of the...

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening]

Cyclamen Season

Although many species of cyclamen are hardy, the cyclamen plants sold in greenhouses and stores during the holidays are considered houseplants and require different care than garden cyclamens. But...

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening]

Watermelon F1 'Tri-X Sunrise'

Watermelon F1 'Tri-X Sunrise'

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Forcing Flowering Shrubs

Forcing spring bloomers is an easy task. The hardest part is probably getting yourself outside in the cold, snowy weather. Some traditional trees and shrubs to try include: crab apple, flowering quince, forsythia, magnolia, pussy willow, witch hazel, and fruit trees such as cherries, pears and apples. Here are some simple steps to success in forcing spring flowering trees & shrubs.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Sagina subulata (Irish Moss)

Sagina subulata (Irish Moss)

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Gardening Quick Tips

Great gardeners seem to know all the little secrets for making plants happy. Luckily, gardeners love to share almost as much as they love to talk about their gardens. Here's a collection of quick gardening tips and ideas to make your garden better. Feel free to share your gardening quick tips too.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

December in the Garden

In the warmer zones, December is the start of pleasant weather and a chance to enjoy planting cool season vegetables and flowers that dont tolerate your summers. Northern gardeners should use this period without leaves to scout for egg masses and other signs of trouble on trees and shrubs. Here are some more regional gardening tips for the beginning of winter.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Sambucus Black Beauty

Photo of Sambucus Black Beauty.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Garden Books

Next to actualy working in their gardens, gardeners love to read and learn more about gardening. There are dozens of new gardening books each year. The following garden book reviews can help you find some of interest to you and your gardening needs.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Easter Lilies

Easter Lilies are a beautiful, fragrant symbol of the Easter season. A few simple tips will keep your lily plant blooming through the season and maybe even keep it going a few season longer. It is possible to plant your Easter Lily outdoors in the garden and have it rebloom. Success isnt guaranteed, but what do you have to loose by trying. Here are some Easter Lily tips for caring for your lily plant and keeping it going.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Annual Garden Plants

Annual flowers and plants only live for one growing season. But not all plants that are killed by frost at the end of the season are annuals. An annual plant must complete its life cycle in one growing season.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Geranium sanguineum

Geranium sanguineum Photo

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Garden Design FAQ

Gardening is often called the only living art form. Like any form of art, designing a garden is subjective. Although gardening successfully requires learning certain skills, in the end, a gardens beauty is in the eye of the beholder. There are no fixed rules to garden design. But there are a few elements of composition that will serve the garden designer well, when combining plants. And the only way to get good at garden design is to do it.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Perovskia (Russian Sage)

Perovskia (Russian Sage)

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Dividing Perennial Plants

The idea of dividing perennials can scare new gardeners. Division of perennials is an easily mastered gardening technique that is good for the plants and your garden. Most perennial flowers will need to be divided to remain vigorous and continue blooming season after season.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Using Cornmeal as a Fungicide

Researchers at Texs A&M have discovered that cornmeal has powerful fungicidal properties and is effective on all kinds of landscape fungus problems, from turf grass to black spot on roses. Heres how to apply cornmeal to treat fungus problems in your garden.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Containers in Small Gardens

Small Space Gardening - Containers

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Spittlebug

Spittlebugs are so named because the nymph can whip up a frothy covering to protect itself. All you are likely to see of spittlebugs is the foam on a plant leaf or stem joint. Spittlebugs look unsightly, but they dont really do much damage. To control spittle bugs,

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Fall Garden Tasks

Taking some extra time in the fall to prepare your garden for winter will make spring garden clean-up a snap. Removing diseased foliage and amending the soil will also make for a better growing garden next season. Its not too late to pamper your garden with some easy fall garden tasks.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

September in the Garden

September gardening can mean cool, crisp nights or hot, hazy, Indian summer days. Either way, theres no time to rest. Short season gardens need to be put to bed. Warmer zones are starting a whole new growing season. Even the southern hemisphere is back in the gardening groove. So here are some monthly gardening tips to get you bak out in the garden this September.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Bottlebrush

Bottlebrush - Fothergilla major

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Planning a Great Fall Garden

Fall gardening may be the best of all worlds. There's no spring rush to get things planted and pruned, the weather is pleasant enough to spend the day outside. Even the bugs are less of a pest. To insure that you have a great fall garden, you need to get the fall bloomers in the ground a few months earlier. Include at least a few fall blooming perennials in your garden bed, some shrubs with fall interest and don't overlook ornamental grasses, which often peak for the fall garden.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Pest ID Web Sites

When insect pests attack your garden plants, the first line of defense is to identify the insect. To control insects in your garden, you need to know what kind of insect you are dealing with, what plants it favors and what time of year to expect it. These web sites provide photos for identifying pests and most also give info on controlling the garden pests.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Buddleia, Butterfly Bush

Growing and caring for butterfly bush (Buddleia), a sub-shrub that quickly shoots up 5-6 feet early in the season and then blooms and attracts butterflies to your garden all summer.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Rudbeckia (Black-Eyed Susan)

Rudbeckia (Black-Eyed Susan)

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Growing Caladiums

Caladiums are tropical perennials grown for their spectacularly colorful foliage. Who needs flowers when the leaves are splotched and speckled with rose, cream, burgundy and flame red? Caladiums are heat lovers, but they can easily grow in cooler climates in summer and even make great houseplants. Learn the in and outs for caring for your colorful Caladiums.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Garden Soil

Soil is often viewed as the boring part of gardening. While garden soil will never be glamourous or even as interesting as choosing plants, there is a whole world under our Wellingtons that literally and figuratively is the foundation for our gardens. New gardeners are cautioned to put money and effort into improving their soil before they even consider planting, but few appreciate this wisdom. Here's why you should.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Pruning Evergreens

Evergreens such as fir, pine and spruce trees require little pruning, except to control their size or improve their fullness. Evergreen pruning should be done at the right time, while the tree has candles or new growth or the tree could end up misshapen.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Small Garden Focal Points

Focal points are used in garden design to draw and direct the eye. This can be difficult to accomplish in a small garden when every space is immediately visible and no space can be sacrificed. But its not impossible and creating a focal point (or 2) in a small space garden can actually make it appear larger.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Helleborus (Hellebores)

How to Grow Hellebores

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Growing Great Pumpkins

Growing pumpkins may seem as American as apple pie, but they have been grown around the world for centuries. Although orange is the commonly know color, pumpkins come in white, red, pink and blue and can be smooth, bumpy, oval, flattened or round. All pumpkins grow easily from seed and transplants. Here are some great varieties to try and some tips to grow pumpkins in what ever space your home garden can provide.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Ornamental Grasses for Fall Co

Ornamental grasses add interest and texture to a garden at any time of year. Fall foliage and colorful plumes make ornamental grasses standouts in a fall garden. The following list of ornamental grasses will add bold accents to your fall garden.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Ripening Green Tomatoes

There are always green tomatoes left on the vine in the fall. Deciding whether to pick green tomatoes is a tough call. And then theres the problem of how to get green tomatoes to ripen. Here are some tips to keep your tomato plants healthy into the fall season and for getting those green tomatoes to ripen on the vine or how to salvage the obstinate green tomatoes you actually have to pick while still green.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

My Monet Weigela

My Monet Weigela (Weigela florida 'Verweig')

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Iris

Iris (Bearded Iris)

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Echinacea

Echinacea profile. Echinacea or coneflower is an old fashioned prairie plant. Echinacea are hardy, adaptable and reliable repeat bloomers and are expecially popular with gardeners for good reason.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Hemerocallis (Day Lily)

Hemerocallis (Day Lily)

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Deutzia 'Chardonnay Pearls'

Deutzia 'Chardonnay Pearls'

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Sunflowers

Sunflowers make any day feel like a summer's day. They make look exotic, but sunflowers are extremely easy to grow. You can choose traditional yellow sunflowers or maybe try growing sunflowers in rich rusts and burgundies. Here are some tips for growing your own sunflowers.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Garden pests and Problems - Aphids

Aphids, shown here on the perennial garden plant Scabiosa, are a common garden pest.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Plants for a Small Garden

Every plant looks tempting in the nursery center or catalog. How do you know what will do well in your garden? There are some guidelines for what to consider when shopping for plants for your garden. While there are times to indulge yourself with whatever plant catches your fancy, when designing a small garden, every plant matters. Choose wisely.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Hydrangea 'Limelight'

Hydrangea 'Limelight'

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Soil pH

Gardeners are often told that a key to growing great plants is to check the soil's pH. What is meant by soil pH and why should it matter so much in the garden? Here's why...

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Clematis

How to Grow and Prune Clematis

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Garden Focal Points

The purpose of a garden focal point is to bring the garden into focus. What may start out as just a grouping of plants is given definition by a focal point. Viewers instantly know where to bring their attention. We'll demonstrate some techniques in the following photos, but placing a focal point, like garden design in general, is largely a matter of trial and error. The more you do it, the better trained your eye will become.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Growing Catmint (Nepeta)

Catmint (Nepeta) is extremely hardy, drought tolerant and virtually maintenance free. All this and nepeta repeat blooms sporadically throughout the summer. Such a wonderful garden plant should be more widely appreciated and used by gardeners. Take another look here, at the pleasure of growing nepeta and its usefulness in any garden design.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Forcing Bulbs

Many spring blooming bulbs can be forced into bloom in the winter months. Traditional cold weather bulbs will require prechilling to coax them into blooming.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Herniaria glabra

Herniaria glabra (Rupturewort, Green Carpet)

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Deer Resistant Plants

No plant is deer proof, but many are deer resistant. Deter deer from your garden by choosing plants from these Deer Resistant Plant lists.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Asparagus Feature

Asparagus is a sure sign that spring is here and the gardening season has begun. Asparagus,one of the few perennial vegetable crops, is a favorite garden vegetable around the world, in shades of green, white and purple. Here are some things to know for growing great asparagus in your backyard vegetable garden.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Over Winter Plants in Pots

If you still have plants sitting around in their pots or divisions you haven't found the perfect spot for and the season is getting late, you can still over winter them safely.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Gardening Question of the Week: Real Christmas Tree or Artificial? Which is the Eco-Friendly Choice?

Today's question comes up every year: Which is more environmentally friendly, a real Christmas tree are an artificial one? The National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA), although hardly unbiased...

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening]

Garden Design - Color

Color is arguably the most prominent factor in a garden design and often the first one considered. Good garden design involves knowing how to combine colors so that the final product has a cohesive and pleasing effect. Here are some tips to train your eye to see color and for combining color in the garden.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Isotoma 'Blue Star Creeper'

Isotoma fluviatilis 'Blue Star Creeper' (Laurentia)

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Garden Soil

Gardeners are constantly told to test their soil. What exactly is soil pH and why is it so important? Soil pH, in large part, determines how well your plants will grow. The good news is, it it easy to understand and easier to control. Read on...

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Gardening Quiz: Latin Plant Names are Greek to Me.

Gardening quiz. Have some fun understanding the meaning of Latin plant names.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Alkaline Soil

If your garden soil tested low in pH or alkaline, what does that mean?

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Organic gardening

What does it mean to have an organic garden? Does organic gardening mean you have to put up with insects eating your plants or unattractive flower beds? Actually, organic gardening just means trying to working with nature and to replenish as you deplete resources. Here are some basics...

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Acidic Soil

You've had your garden soil tested and you've been told it's acidic. Now what?

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Dicentra, Bleeding Heart

Bleeding Heart, Dicentra spectabilis

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Plants for Fall Containers

Create stunning fall containers with unusual foliage and flowers in the shades of autumn. Many fall blooming garden plants make wonderful container plants. Move them from your overgrown garden or shop for something new. You can create wonderful unique fall container gardens using foliage and flowering plants in the colors of autumn, if you just look around and notice what catches your eye in the landscape. Here are some favorites.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Garden Design Principles

Garden design is often broken down into design principles: Order/Balance/Proportion, Harmony or Unity and Flow, Transition or Rhythm. These categories contain the basic elements that, when combined together, constitute the generally accepted version of good garden design.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Happy Hanukkah! - In Praise of the Potato Latka

At first glance, it seems that traditional deep fried Hanukkah foods are a reminder of how we used to be able to eat, before the food police made everything good...

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening]

Lavender Rosemary Vodka, Anyone?

Who wouldn't welcome a bottle of 'homemade' flavored vodka, as a hostess gift? Your garden will become the talk of the party. About's Guide to Cocktails (now there's a job)...

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening]

Pot Bound Houseplants

Sooner or later a healthy, growing houseplant is going to out grow its pot, causing multiple growing problems from the plants inability to hold water to the roots circling and restricting themselves.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Indeterminate Tomatoes

Most of the tomato varieties grown in home gardeners are considered indeterminate varieties, or vining tomatoes. They continue growing until they are killed by frost and keep setting fruit throughout the growing season.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Beet F1 'Merlin'

Beet F1 'Merlin'

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Are You Growing Mistletoe?

Mistletoe, like cranberry sauce, makes its appearance at the holidays and then disappears for another year. But if mistletoe is such an attractive evergreen, how come we dont grow...

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening]

How Much Mulch?

Knowing how much mulch or amendment to purchase for your garden is always a bit of a guess, but you can make it an educated one by using a couple of easy measurements and calculations. Here's how to know how many bags, pounds or cubic yards of mulch will actually give you 3inches of coverage.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Humidity for Indoor Plants

Lack of humidity is a culprit in may indoor plant deaths, especially during the winter. You may first notice a low humidity problem as browning leaf tips on your houseplants. As a plant dehydrates, it can start to look withered, puckered or simply drop its leaves.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Ornamental Grasses for Winter

Ornamental grasses accent a garden any time of year, but they might just be at their most imposing in the doldrums of winter. Ornamental grasses provide structure, texture and drama to the gardenscape. Here are 10 of the best ornamental grass and grass-like plants for winter interest. Several are North American natives and all of them are very easy to grow. Many even do double duty by attracting birds to your winter garden, by providing shelter and food.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Marigolds

Marigolds are a formal bedding plant of garden designers. Marigolds are cheerful, compact yellow, orange and burgundy annuals with flower shapes that can resemble daisies, coreopsis and carnations.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

A Colorful Garden All Season

There are several ways to keep you flower gardening in colorful bloom all season long. Knowing how to prune, what to feed and a couple of ways to fool the eye will give you a garden of abundant flowers throughout the summer. Here are some tips to keep your garden in color all season.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Growing Phormium

Phormium is a spiky, sword-leafed evergreen perennial that is used as a garden focal point or specimen plant. Some are small enough to use in containers, others can reach several feet in diameter and 7+ feet tall. Phormium arent hardy in many areas, but can be brought indoors for the winter. Growing Phormium is easy, if you give the plants what they want.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Growing Rhubarb

Is rhubarb a vegetable? A fruit? An ornamental plant? Its a very ornamental vegetable that is usually prepared and eaten much like a fruit. All that and its perennial in many areas. Rhubarb is a cool season crop that is grown for its fibrous leaf stalks, which are a wonderful sweet-tart treat. These tips should help you get your rhubarb started right and growing well.

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Regional Gardening Guide for December Can You Believe It, December?!

I know that just about the last thing on anyones mind in December is gardening, no matter where you live. But just in case you need to get outdoors...

Read More...

[Source: About.com Gardening]