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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 […]
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Planting in Compost – A Gardening Experiment (Updated)
Butternut pumpkin is one of my favorite types of squash. It is resistant to squash bugs and tastes wonderful when roasted. Instead of planting the crop in soil enriched with compost, I experimented this year by planting in compost to see what would happen. This type of planting works best in a rolling compost pile […]
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Attracting Butterflies – Tips to Attract Butterflies to your Yard Like a Magnet
One of the biggest pleasures that my garden gives me is its ability for attracting butterflies to it. With the right nectar plants, a garden can be swarming with these fluttering friends all season long. But it is not just the plants that attract butterflies. There are a few other things that you can do […]
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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 […]
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Growing Chervil – How to Grow Chervil Herb (And Some Substitutes!)
If you like to cook French cuisine, growing chervil is a good idea, since the fresh herb is hard to find at local grocery stores and Farmer’s Markets. Chervil is a delicate herb that comes from the carrot family. Close cousins are dill, parsley and fennel. Chervil is a native of Southeastern Europe, southern Russia […]
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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 […]
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Uses for License Plates – Using Number Plates in DIY Projects
There are dozens of uses for license plates if you just think outside the box a bit. The colors and designs lend them selves to loads of home decor projects, both inside and outside the home. Have you ever thought about using number plates in DIY projects? Using recycled items saves money on the projects […]
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Growing Dracaena Fragrans – How to Grow Corn Plants
Large, showy indoor plants are a delight in the home. Growing dracaena fragrans gives the feeling of being in a corn field. The striped yellow and green leaves bring a lot of softness to any corner of a room. It is not too hard to figure out why Dracaena Fragrans is called The Corn Plant. The […]
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Flowering Houseplants – 15 Blooming Indoor Plants
When the weather outside is too cold for gardening, flowering houseplants bring a touch of the garden into your home. Blooming indoor plants add color and decor to any indoor setting and are cheerful year round. My first attempt at gardening started with houseplants. I remember coming home one day to the aroma of the […]
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Zebra plant – Tips for Growing Aphelandra Squarrosa
Aphelandra squarrosa, also known as zebra plant can be a real challenge to grow. But the spectacular flowers and showy striped leaves make it worth the effort. If you love to grow flowering houseplants, zebra plant can’t be beat The flowers come in late summer and autumn on a tall flower stem that is long […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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, […]
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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 […]
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Herbs to Grow Indoors – 10 Best Herbs for Sunny Windowsills
Which herbs should choose for your indoor garden? Here are my top 10 picks for herbs to grow indoors. There is nothing quite like the taste of fresh herbs to really add a boost to your home made recipes. Many gardeners enjoy growing herbs outside during the summer months, but winter temperatures will kill them […]
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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 […]
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Growing Herbs Indoors – How to Grow Herb Plants Inside
I love growing herbs in my garden but most of them die off in the winter months. Since I use herbs for cooking all the time, my answer is growing herbs indoors during the winter. Some herbs are annuals and need to be planted each year, and others are perennials and will continue growing year after […]
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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. […]
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Cleaning Clay Pots – How to Clean Terracotta Pots and Planters
Cleaning clay pots this time of the year keeps my garden still in mind and makes sure that they are ready to use when it comes to for early spring bloomers in a few months. When the days get cooler and shorter, it is time to put the garden to bed for the winter. […]
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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. […]
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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. […]
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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 […]