The Gardening Cook

Category: Outdoor Plants

  • Starting Seeds Indoors with Jiffy Peat Pellets – How to Grow Seeds in Peat Pots

    Starting Seeds Indoors with Jiffy Peat Pellets – How to Grow Seeds in Peat Pots

    Get a head start on spring gardening by starting seeds indoors with Jiffy Peat Pellets. These handy peat pots have the perfect soil for seedlings and they can be transplanted right into the ground as soon as the weather is warm enough. This step by step tutorial features a Jiffy Peat Pellet Greenhouse with perennial, […]

  • Renovation Pruning Forsythia Shrubs vs Hard Pruning Forsythia

    Renovation Pruning Forsythia Shrubs vs Hard Pruning Forsythia

    Forsythia bushes have a wonderful arching habit will makes them a great focal point when planted in a large garden bed. All shrubs need pruning, but what do you do when you have totally overgrown forsythia shrub? It’s either time for hard pruning or renovation pruning for them. Rejuvenating forsythia gives them a new lease […]

  • Hahn Horticulture Garden – Virginia Tech – Blacksburg, VA

    Hahn Horticulture Garden – Virginia Tech – Blacksburg, VA

    Today we will visit Hahn Horticulture Garden in Blacksburg, Virginia. Garden tours are one of my favorite things to do when I am on the road. I love touring Botanical Gardens that I have not previously visited and sharing details and photos of them with my readers.  This Horticulture Gardens are set on 6 acres of […]

  • Growing Astilbe – False Spirea Plant- How to Grow and Care for Astilbe

    Growing Astilbe – False Spirea Plant- How to Grow and Care for Astilbe

    Try growing astilbe for beautiful, showy flowers that do well in a shady garden bed. This perennial has feathery flowers that sit above the fern like foliage in a majestic way. These tips will show you how to grow astilbe and bring color to your shady perennial garden beds. Most shady garden beds are filled […]

  • Earth Day Activities – Crafts, Food and Fun for April 22

    Earth Day Activities – Crafts, Food and Fun for April 22

    Ever since it was established in 1970, people around the world take part in Earth Day Activities as a way to celebrate National Earth Day on April 22. This day is now a worldwide event where more than 1 billion people take part in a day of action. Here are some things that you can […]

  • Growing Cilantro – How to Grow, Harvest and Use Fresh Cilantro

    Growing Cilantro – How to Grow, Harvest and Use Fresh Cilantro

    Growing Cilantro is quite easy as long as you take care to keep it away from the hottest heat. Love it or hate it, cilantro (Coriandrum sativum) is still one of the most popular herbs for kitchen gardens . Cilantro is a staple of Mexican and Asian cooking. It makes a great garnish and is best served […]

  • Echeveria Neon Breakers – Grow this Amazing Succulent for Great Color

    Echeveria Neon Breakers – Grow this Amazing Succulent for Great Color

    Echeveria Neon Breakers is a Renee O’Donnell hybrid of the succulent Pink Frills crossed with an unknown parent. It is a drought tolerant succulent with green leaves that have pretty pink frilly edges and deep margins. Succulents like echeveria are drought smart plants that are super easy to grow and make fantastic houseplants.  Be sure […]

  • Hosta Minuteman – Tips for Growing Plantain Lily

    Hosta Minuteman – Tips for Growing Plantain Lily

    Hosta Minuteman is a delight in a shade garden with its deep white margins. It makes a great container plant and will stand out against other plain green hostas in any shady garden spot. This plant is one of the few hostas that don’t mind more sun as long as you take care to keep […]

  • Growing Chives – How to Plant, Grow and Harvest Fresh Chives

    Growing Chives – How to Plant, Grow and Harvest Fresh Chives

    Growing chives is very easy to do. These tips will show you how to plant, grow and harvest this tasty herb. Chives are a perennial herb found throughout the world. They are a very versatile herb that can be grown in herb garden beds, in patio containers and flower pots. This popular herb is a […]

  • Preparing Spring Flower Beds – Leaf Mulch – Soil Testing – Lasagna Garden Beds

    Preparing Spring Flower Beds – Leaf Mulch – Soil Testing – Lasagna Garden Beds

    These tips for preparing spring flower beds will make things much less hectic when the warm weather arrives in a few weeks (or months!) Spring is just around the corner and daylight savings on the horizon, we’ll soon be wanting to start planting for flowers and vegetable gardening.  The weather is so cool now, and […]

  • Harvesting Watermelons – When is a Watermelon Ready to Pick?

    Harvesting Watermelons – When is a Watermelon Ready to Pick?

    How do you know when your watermelon is ready? There are lots of tips that will help you with harvesting watermelons. Just remember that patience is a virtue with this summer favorite.Home grown watermelons are one of the real sweet treat pleasures of summer.  Vegetable gardening is a love of mine and watermelons are one […]

  • Growing Columbine – How to Grow Aquilegia for Unique Bell Shaped Flowers

    Growing Columbine – How to Grow Aquilegia for Unique Bell Shaped Flowers

    Growing Columbine – aquilegia in your garden will reward you with delightful dangling bell shaped flowers that come in almost every color of the rainbow.  This hardy perennial is easy to grow and much sought after by many gardeners.  Since they self seed readily, you will never be without them once you have them planted. There is […]

  • Oddities of Nature – Crooked Vegetables – Funny Fruits and Scary Shaped Trees

    Oddities of Nature – Crooked Vegetables – Funny Fruits and Scary Shaped Trees

    Plants, vegetables and trees can grow into the most amazing shapes. These oddities of nature show that twists, bends and outgrowths can turn an ordinary plant into something that looks totally different.  This inspiration for this post came from a morning breakfast jaunt. After breakfast Richard and I were driving around and we came upon […]

  • Pruning Forsythia – How and When to Trim Forsythia Bushes

    Pruning Forsythia – How and When to Trim Forsythia Bushes

    Pruning forsythia requires some basic knowledge of how the plant is meant to grow. Forsythia flowers give us one of the first splashes of color in early spring gardens. But to get that color and a well shaped shrub, it’s important to trim forsythia bushes correctly. Check out this article for more information on forsythia […]

  • Cryptanthus Bivittatus – Growing Earth Star Bromeliad

    Cryptanthus Bivittatus – Growing Earth Star Bromeliad

    Cryptanthus Bivittatus is a member of the Bromeliaceae family of tropical plants. It has many common names such as starfish plant, earth star and Red Star Bromeliad.  The bromeliad is a plant commonly grown in terrariums. This pretty bromeliad is native to Brazil and has a lovely star like shape made of stemless rosettes of […]

  • Liriope Muscari Variegata – Growing Variegated Lilyturf

    Liriope Muscari Variegata – Growing Variegated Lilyturf

    Liriope Muscari Variegata is an evergreen perennial that easily spreads to form a deep carpet of grass-like plants that makes a great ground cover or border plant. This form of liriope aptly has the common name “variegated lilyturf.” Variegated liriope is less invasive than the normal variety. Keep reading to find out how to grow […]

  • Bulbs to Plant in Fall – Get Spring Blooming Bulbs in Before Winter

    Bulbs to Plant in Fall – Get Spring Blooming Bulbs in Before Winter

    This list of 15 bulbs to plant in fall will make sure that next year gets started with a burst of color with very little effort on your part. If you enjoy the beauty of spring blooming bulbs, it takes a bit of early planning to get that look in your garden. I’ve also included lots […]

  • Kalanchoe Millotii- Ornamental Succulent from Madagascar

    Kalanchoe Millotii- Ornamental Succulent from Madagascar

    Kalanchoe millotii is a member of the crassulaceae family.  It is a n ornamental succulent plant that is native to Madagascar. Since it is not particularly cold hardy, it is grown as an indoor plant in most areas of the country. Keep reading to find out how to grow this fuzzy succulent. Succulents like kalanchoe […]

  • Growing Sago Palms – How to Grow a Sago Palm Tree

    Growing Sago Palms – How to Grow a Sago Palm Tree

    If you like growing indoor plants that have an exotic look, why not try growing Sago Palms?. This plant makes a great choice for those new to houseplants since it prefers drying out before you water it again. A sago palm tree – Cycas revoluta – is easy to grow indoors as long as you […]

  • Flower Bulb Types – Understanding Bulbs Corms Rhizomes Tubers

    Flower Bulb Types – Understanding Bulbs Corms Rhizomes Tubers

    How well do you know your flower bulb types?  Do the words bulbs corms rhizomes tubers and bulbets seem like Greek to you?  Read on and you find out what you need to know to be a bulb expert. Flowering bulbs are some of the easiest plants to grow. Some of the spring flowering bulbs, […]

  • Fall Foliage – Garden Fences and Gates in Autumn

    Fall Foliage – Garden Fences and Gates in Autumn

    Is fall foliage at its peak where you live? Here in NC, the colors are ablaze.  Fall blooming perennials and annuals are available, but nature gives us a pop of color each year naturally. In these photos garden fences and gates, surrounded by the colorful fall leaves, tell the story of the change of seasons […]

  • Fall Gardening Checklist – Tips for Fall Garden Maintenance

    Fall Gardening Checklist – Tips for Fall Garden Maintenance

    This fall gardening checklist will help you get ready for the gardening off-season. Learn about autumn garden care and how to winterize your outdoor space to make things so much easier when the garden starts blooming next spring. Getting out in the garden this time of the year is a great time to look back on […]

  • Fall Entryway Makeover- Decorate your Front Door for Autumn

    Fall Entryway Makeover- Decorate your Front Door for Autumn

    This Fall Entryway Makeover takes my front door and entry through from fall and right into Thanksgiving with natural elements and the rustic colors of autumn leaves, pumpkins and more. From the robust colors of the foliage to flowering mums and on to the multitude of pumpkins, Indian corn and gourds, Fall has it all.  […]

  • Window Box Planters – How to Plant Window Boxes

    Window Box Planters – How to Plant Window Boxes

    Seeing how many ways there are to dress up your home with window box planters was inspiring. They are a fabulous way to create curb appeal and are easy to take care of. I have recently discovered a love for window boxes.  During my summer vacation, we toured 10 states and visited many Botanical Gardens. […]

  • Pruning Rosemary – How and When to Prune Rosemary Plants

    Pruning Rosemary – How and When to Prune Rosemary Plants

    Rosemary is normally quite easy to control if you keep it in a pot, but if you have it growing freely in the garden, it can easily get woody and shabby looking. This is when these tips for pruning rosemary are helpful. All garden plants need pruning at some stage, and rosemary is no exception. […]

  • PlantSnap Mobile App – Tips and Tricks for Best Results

    PlantSnap Mobile App – Tips and Tricks for Best Results

    Have you ever been in a garden setting and wondered how to identify a plant that you have just come across? So have I! That is where the PlantSnap mobile app comes into use. With this handy phone app, all you need to do is snap a photo of the plant, and PlantSnap will give […]