Dill (Anethum graveolens) is a culinary herb grown as an annual for its leaves, seeds, and flowers, which season pickled foods that are often jarred, canned, and stored for winter. Its feathery foliage tastes like a cross between celery and fennel, and the plant is native to Europe and Asia. In the garden, dill pulls […]
Keeping grass green and lush takes steady work through the season. Watering, mowing, and weed control keep the turf healthy, but none of those tasks replaces grass that thins out or dies back in patches. Overseeding adds new seed over the existing lawn to fill bare spots and thicken the stand, and the timing for
Gardening from seed tests patience, but it does not have to test it for an entire season. A group of fast-growing flower seeds goes from sowing to blossom in 60 days or less, which means color can arrive within two months of a spring planting. Most of these are warm-season annuals that germinate quickly in
Columbine (Aquilegia spp.) is a short-lived herbaceous perennial whose nodding, spurred blooms look like jester’s caps held above airy, fan-shaped foliage. A member of the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae), it brings a light, open texture to spring borders and woodland edges. The plant grows 1 to 3 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide, blooms
Annual vinca (Catharanthus roseus), also called Madagascar periwinkle, is a tropical perennial that most gardeners grow as an annual. Its dark green, leathery foliage and flat, five-petaled flowers echo impatiens, but vinca is not a shade plant. It thrives in full sun and keeps blooming through heat that wilts most bedding annuals. Set out after
Roma tomatoes are a group of paste varieties bred for sauce and canning. Compared with juicier types such as beefsteak, they hold less water, carry a thick fruit wall and skin, and produce firm, dense flesh with fewer seeds. That combination makes them ideal for cooking down, which is why they are also called paste
Borage (Borago officinalis) is an easy, fast-growing annual herb with vivid blue, star-shaped flowers and a flavor and scent that recall fresh cucumber. Gardeners grow it as a culinary herb and as a flowering plant that pulls pollinators into the vegetable patch, where the nectar keeps bees working nearby crops through the season. The plant
Bermuda grass is the workhorse of warm-climate lawns: a fast-growing perennial that stays green through hot summers, endures drought, and bounces back quickly from foot traffic. Golf courses, athletic fields, parks, and backyards all rely on it, and it thrives in the full sun of southern yards. The catch is that a Bermuda lawn needs
Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) ranks among the most popular cool-season lawn grasses in the northern United States, and at certain times of year its blades carry a bluish-green tint. The name is only half accurate: the grass is native to Europe and northern Asia rather than Kentucky, and it performs best where summers stay mild.
Flowering vines such as clematis and climbing hydrangea bring color, fragrance, and cottage charm to a wall or fence, and that appeal explains their popularity. The problem is that several fast-growing vines expand so quickly in height and stem thickness that a decorative planting becomes a structural hazard within a few seasons. Some species climb
