Plant Care Archives

Summer #HouseplantVacation is Over

5 Easy Steps on When and How to Bring Your Houseplants Inside. They look so good! If you’ve been using your houseplants outside this season, by the end of the summer, many of those indoor/outdoor plants are looking their very best, having enjoyed elevated levels of warmth, light, humidity, and fertilizer over a long season....

Creating a Successful Apple Orchard - National Garden Bureau

Create A Successful Apple Orchard: How To

There is a difference between planting an orchard that survives and one that thrives. To create an orchard that grows well and produces quality apples, a number of considerations should be addressed before any trees are planted. Chose the Right Site The site chosen for an orchard can mean the difference between a crop and...

Fabulous Figs: How To Grow Your Own in Your Yard - National Garden Bureau

Fabulous Figs: Grow Your Own

Garden Planning & Design, How-to, Plant Care & Maintenance

In the Garden of Eden, it was apples; nowadays it’s the plump, moist, luscious fig that’s a nearly irresistible temptation for fruit-lovers. According to historical records, fig trees had shown up in the New World by 1579; in 1769, Spanish Franciscan priests were growing them in what is now San Diego, California. How do you...

4 Hydrangea Myths Busted

How-to, Plant Care & Maintenance

Gardeners are waking up all over the country. How do I know this? I am seeing all sorts of garden-related info flash across my devices, from Yahoo News to horticultural sites, to personal blogs. But what gets most of my attention these days is all of the bad info about hydrangeas. So let’s do some...

The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Peperomias (Plus Popular Varieties)

Indoor Gardening, Plant Care & Maintenance

Why Grow Peperomias? Peperomias are part of the Piperaceae plant family which contains a number of delightful and popular houseplants. Commonly called “Radiator Plant”, there are more than 1500 species of Peperomia with most of them hailing from tropical Central and South America. Peperomia plants are grown for their beautiful ornamental foliage and the shape...

10 Gardening Gaffes To Avoid in the New Year

Plant Care & Maintenance

What’s the difference between a new gardener and an experienced one? The experienced gardener has killed way more plants, the saying goes. That truism speaks to the fact that gardening is a highly trial-and-error venture – and one where some plants are just going to struggle and die no matter what you do. The good...

Fall time in the garden / National Garden Bureau

Fall Foundation

Plant Care

Fall...Setting in motion the foundation for thriving in plants and people. Through the years people have asked me, “What’s your favorite season”? In my youth, the Spring of my life, I told them, Winter. In the Summer of my life, I told people it was Fall. Now that I am in the Fall of my...

Epsom Salts in the Garden is it good or bad?

Epsom Salts for Tomatoes? An Expert Weighs In

How-to, Soil, Compost and Mulch

Epsom salts in the garden…good or bad? The Good News: Epsom salts CAN have a purpose in the garden. The Bad News: Epsom salts straight out of the package, as a granulated product in the soil, can be highly detrimental to plants! The Right Way: ALWAYS dilute Epsom salts in water before using. Use this...

Hydrangea Danger Zone

How-to, Plant Care & Maintenance

Oh, no! Something else to worry about? Yes, I’m afraid there is. What is the Hydrangea Danger Zone™? Right now you and all other gardeners who grow hydrangeas could be in the Hydrangea Danger Zone. It’s that time between the fall when your “old wood” hydrangeas set their flower buds, and the coming spring when...

Victory Garden 2.0 Soil Basics

How-to, Soil, Compost and Mulch

Building Your Garden from the Ground Up: Basic Tips for Improving Garden Soil Quality You’re dreaming of spring, eager to grow a gorgeous garden filled with fresh food and beautiful blooms. But before you sow your first seed or order perennials from your favorite nursery, take the time to dig deep into your soil. Understanding...