Plants

Grow edibles and ornamentals successfully—here’s how.

Dramatic Gryphon Begonia Makes a Beautiful Foliage Houseplant

November 26, 2013 | Maria Woodie | 0

Virtues: We love ‘Gryphon’ begonia for its large, palmate, rich green foliage that’s splashed lavishly in silver. The undersides of the bulky leaves and the slender stems are an eye-catching deep orange-red hue.

The Best Vegetable Varieties for a Home Greenhouse

November 26, 2013 | Gardening Jones | 0

If you have ever considered extending your edibles growing season by using a greenhouse, this is a word you might want to add to your vocabulary: parthenocarpic. Okay, so it may not come up in an everyday conversation, but then …

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Blue Shag Pine Brings Soft Year-Round Texture to the Garden

November 18, 2013 | Maria Woodie | 0

Virtues: We love Pinus strobus ‘Blue Shag’ for its lustrous, dense foliage that creates a spectacular, “shaggy” display of beautiful blue-green bundles of short needles, soft to the touch.

Lessons Learned in One Year in a Vegetable Garden

November 18, 2013 | Gardening Jones | 0

It has been just a year now since we were given the wonderful opportunity to meet with you here each week. And it has been an exciting year in the garden.

Arugula, a Quick-Growing Garden Green With a Spicy Kick

November 12, 2013 | Maria Woodie | 0

Virtues: We love arugula for its vibrant green leaves that are jam-packed with zesty flavor; whether eaten raw, used as a culinary herb, cooked like spinach or added to salads and other delectable dishes, arugula adds a kick of peppery …

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Eating the Fruit of Flowering Quince

November 12, 2013 | Maria Woodie | 0

My flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa) seems to have set and ripened fruit. Are these edible? What can I do with them?

Plant Matrona Sedum for Cold-Season Interest

November 5, 2013 | Maria Woodie | 0

Virtues: We love Sedum ‘Matrona’ for its stunning, blush colored flower heads that bloom atop of stout, radiant red stems in late summer lasting into fall. Beneath the large flower heads you will find a spectacular display of lush, silverish-green …

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Forest Pansy Redbud Is a Garden Tree with Fall Color

October 29, 2013 | Maria Woodie | 0

Virtues: We love Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’ for its clusters of stunning rosy-pink flowers that bloom profusely atop of thin, bare branches in late winter through early spring, just before the foliage emerges. In late-spring, brilliant scarlet-purple leaves cover the …

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Rhapsody Blue: a Compact Reblooming Bigleaf Hydrangea

October 22, 2013 | Meghan Shinn | 0

Virtues: Rhapsody Blue is a hydrangea in the Let’s Dance hydrangea series from Proven Winners ColorChoice Shrubs. Like other hydrangeas in this series, Rhapsody Blue has a compact habit and it sets flower buds on both “old” and “new” wood, …

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The Exotic-Looking Crown Imperial Flowering Bulb

October 15, 2013 | Maria Woodie | 0

Virtues: We love Fritillaria imperialis for its striking, eccentric flowers that bloom in spring atop tall, sturdy stems in beautiful hues of oranges, yellows or reds. The large, unique, bell-shaped blooms dangle from a pineapple-like tuft of bright green leaf-like …

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Moving Houseplants Back Indoors in the Fall

October 15, 2013 | Maria Woodie | 0

Once the warm summer nights begin to turn a little chilly in the fall, it is time to move houseplants indoors to keep them from dying during winter’s harsh weather.