Established planting beds–perennial beds, mixed beds of annuals and perennials, and shrub borders–must be readied for each new growing season. This means amending the soil with aged compost, aged manure, fertilizers, and other soil amendments. The health of plants in a planting bed will directly equate to the health of the soil. Well-established planting beds […] More
The peak season for freshly harvested horseradish is early spring and late fall. Horseradish is a long, knobby root—it’s an herb, not a vegetable–that has no aroma until you scratch, cut, or grate it. The pungent odor and the hot taste of horseradish are due to a volatile oil—similar to mustard oil—that is released when […] More
A garden planting bed is home to your vegetables, herbs, and flowers. You want a planting bed in which plants will thrive and you want a planting bed that is easy to make and easy to maintain. Making a new garden planting bed should be a one-time investment in sweat equity. Once a new bed […] More
Vinca rosea (Catharanthus) is a colorful evergreen groundcover with colorful white and pink flowers. Vinca rosea is a perennial usually treated as an annual. It is sometimes called Madagascar periwinkle, but it should not be confused with the evergreen groundcover called vinca or periwinkle. Catharanthus is a good ground cover choice for summer an autumn […] More
Poppy flowers–members of the Papaver genus–are bright additions to the summer garden. Poppy flowers bear solitary or double cup-shaped flowers from 2 to 4 inches (5-10cm) across. Flowers often have a crepe-papery texture. Colors can be white, yellow, pink, red, orange, salmon, and purple. There are annual and perennial poppy flowers. Best known are the […] More
Angelica is a herbaceous biennial-perennial plant that is relatively easy to grow. It is a beautiful and versatile herb that can be grown in your garden or in containers. Angelica is a tropical-looking plant native to northern Europe and western Asia. It has divided and toothed bright green leaves that grow two to three feet […] More
Ice plant is the name given to several colorful low-growing plants often used as groundcovers—especially in mild winter regions, but also grown as houseplants in cold winter regions. These perennial plants are grown as summer-flowering annuals for window boxes and hanging baskets as well. Ice plants are commonly succulent perennials, subshrubs, or annuals. Almost all […] More
Gaillardias are short-lived perennials and annuals grown for their long-lasting brightly colored daisy-like flowers that appear from summer into early fall. Gaillardias bear single and double flowers in shades of red, red-orange, maroon, and yellow. There are about 30 species of Gaillardias. They are native to central and western North America. Most Gaillardias grown in […] More
Centaurea cyanus–commonly called Bachelor’s button or cornflower–is a hardy annual and member of the Centaurea genus which includes dusty miller and mountain bluet. Bachelor’s-button is one of the most popular annuals with its bright blue tufted round blossoms. Centaurea cyanus is a bushy plant with grayish-green, lance-shaped leaves, and dense thistle-like flower heads. It grows […] More
Buddleia or Buddleja — commonly called butterfly bush — produces a great profusion of mostly long, colorful racemes in shades of lilac and purple mostly. Flowers appear in tapered sprays at branch tips. The blooms attract butterflies. They are also excllent cut flowers with a long vase lift. Buddleia is an evergreen, semi-evergreen, or deciduous […] More
Kale is a leafy cool-weather crop that requires two months of cool weather to reach harvest. Kale is a biennial plant, a hardy brassica (member of the cabbage/mustard family). Mature kale leaves can be coarse but there are several types that are grown for their tender, palatable young leaves. Kale is an important leaf crop […] More
Erythronium has several common names: trout lily, dogtooth violet, adder’s tongue, and fawn lily. Erythronium is grown for its nodding pink, white, yellow, or cream lilylike flowers that bloom from late spring to early summer. Flowers are borne on leafless stalks. Each bloom has six petal-like tepals. In some species the tepals are strongly curved backwards. […] More
Stephen Albert