Poinsettias make an excellent holiday gift that, if treated properly, will hold their colorful bracts for many months, giving a long period of display. When given special care, poinsettia plants can be enjoyed for years to come. In recent years, poinsettias have been hybridized to produce numerous varieties with different colored bracts and have become extremely popular holiday decorative plants. As outdoor garden plants in frost-free zones, poinsettias can grow up 3 feet tall or more and range in color from bright red to pink or white. As indoor, seasonal plants most will typically grow from 8 to 12 in. […]
Category: Flower Gardening
How to Overwinter Perennial Mums
Garden mums, or Chrysanthemums, are the quintessential flowering plant that helps folks to usher in fall. They add a spot of hopeful color to the fall garden and provide grateful seasonal cheer to our home décor. Along with this seasonal cheer, mums also provide us with joy and positivity, which we can all use right about now. Many people treat their seasonal mums as a temporary decorative plant, only to dispose of it when their flowers finally fade. But know this, with some fall preparation and winter care, your mums can come back blooming year after year in your garden. […]
An Easy Guide to Growing Amaryllis
The amaryllis is a gorgeous flower with roots in Greek mythology. Amaryllis was a nymph who fell in love with a handsome shepherd named Alteo and sought to make him enamored with her. With this kind of a background story, it’s no wonder why the amaryllis flower is associated with love and romance. Regardless of the meaning behind this flower, it’s definitely a sight to have in your garden. So if you’re interested in growing amaryllis, then you’re in the right place. Here’s an expert guide to amaryllis growing so you’ll have great success with these flowers! What Is An […]
Wildflower Magic: Sowing Perennial Wildflower Seeds For Success
It sounds simple enough; open a packet, bag, or canister of wildflower seeds, sprinkle them out onto the ground, and “presto!” you have a giant patch of wildflowers blooming in a few short weeks. Not so fast. When To Plant Wildflowers First, you need to consider the optimal planting timetable for your wildflower seeds. Sowing at the right time will allow the seeds the best seasonal climate conditions to germinate well. In most zones, wildflower seed sowing season is in the fall, from mid-September to late November is best. This may seem counter-intuitive because after all most of us plant […]
5 Tips for Reducing Plant Stress
Vince Lombardi said, “Winners never quit and quitters never win.” Playing sports can be difficult and gardening can be thought of as a sport. All our plants are players and mother nature is our opponent. Weather events like freezing temperatures in spring, blistering heat in summer, drought, humidity, hail, diseases, and a plethora of insect pests work hard every season to defeat us and our plants. These kinds of stressful environmental conditions can slow growth, delay harvest, and reduce yields in the garden. They can also make plants more prone to pest and disease problems. We as gardeners can not […]
Fall Planting – Potted Perennials
Perennials can add color and foliage texture to your landscape, but be sure to make sure the perennial chosen is suited for the sun and moisture that the location receives. The soil also needs to be well-drained for the plant to thrive. Many perennials can be low maintenance and can add color in season. Most perennials are either spring, summer, or fall bloomers and the other seasons can add different foliage textures to your landscape. Growing Potted Perennials Soil Preparation Proper soil preparation is necessary for the long-term survival of perennial plants. If you have well-drained soil like sandy soil […]
Fall Bulb Planting Tips
With the weather cooling as we enter fall, it is time to start preparing for your spring flower garden. Fall is the optimal time to plant your bulbs so they are ready to bloom come springtime. Here are some tips when choosing, planting, and caring for your fall bulbs. Choosing Spring Blooming Bulbs For early blooms, try varieties of crocus, hyacinths, and be sure to add some snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) and glory-of-the-snow (Chionodoxa forbesii) which often bloom before the snow has even melted. The never-ending varieties of daffodils and tulips have such a wide range of bloom times that you […]
Iris Growing Guide
Irises are popular, easy-to-grow “old-fashioned” perennials. They are attractive plants for beds and borders but also make lovely cut flowers. Irises attract pollinators such as butterflies and hummingbirds. Learn more about growing and caring for your iris flowers. Types of Irises There are a number of different types of Iris with a dizzying range of colors, flower forms, and heights. The most familiar type is the bearded iris. Depending on the type of Iris, they grow from either a rhizome or bulb. Dutch Irises are considered bulbous types. Rhizome Irises The stems of the rhizome iris grow horizontally just beneath the […]
9 New Bulbs to Plant in Fall – Best Bulbs for Spring Flowers
Remember last spring when you spotted beautiful beds of spring tulips, daffodils and hyacinths blooming and you vowed to plant some in your yard? Well—now is the time to decide what you want and get those beauties planted. Actaea Daffodil Zone: 3 – 8 The Actaea Daffodil is an heirloom daffodil. It has a wonderful, sweet fragrance. The flowers are brilliant white with petite yellow cups that are rimmed with red and accented by green. Blooming in mid to late spring they are the perfect addition to your flower garden. British Gamble Daffodil Zone: 3 – 8 The British Gamble […]
4 Tips for Improving Garden Soil
Healthy soil results in healthy plants. Plants growing in a healthy soil ecosystem have easy access to air, water, and nutrients and are less prone to disease and pest issues. With our helpful information below, a little work, and patience, you can achieve healthy soil, no matter what type of soil you are starting with. Tip #1 Organic Matter The best way to improve any soil, whether a heavy clay soil or a well-drained sandy soil is to amend it with organic matter. What is Soil Organic Matter? Soil organic matter is the organic matter of the soil. It is […]