Zinnias are fast-growing warm-season annuals that bloom from midsummer to frost with very little help. The flowers come in a hot palette of pinks, oranges, reds, yellows, and purples, with new cultivars added every year and cool whites now part of the range. They need full sun, prefer nutrient-rich well-draining soil, and tolerate drought once […]
Gazanias, also known as treasure flowers and African daisies, are warm-weather perennials with large composite blooms in vivid yellows, oranges, and reds. Native to South Africa, they grow in USDA zones 9 through 11, demand full sun, and tolerate poor, dry soil better than most bedding plants. Gardeners usually meet them as low, spreading plants
Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) is a native North American fern that fills moist shade gardens with arching fronds shaped like the plumes of an ostrich. Each frond grows 3 to 6 feet tall from a crown of sterile leaves, while shorter, darker fertile fronds rise in the center of the plant to carry spores. The
Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a tall, native North American, warm-season perennial that anchors prairie-style gardens and erosion-prone slopes. Small teardrop-shaped flower seeds appear in summer with purplish-reddish tips, the blades shift to shades of yellow in fall, and the whole plant lightens further in winter. The grass stays upright through most weather and only flattens
Azaleas bloom any time from February through May, depending on the variety, the growing zone, and the weather in a given spring. Because the window is wide, the best gardens include a mix of early, mid, and late types so color carries across several weeks instead of one burst. Shrubs need protection from deer, insect
Spring brings hummingbirds back from wintering grounds in Central America, and live migration maps show the push north in near real time. The data comes from thousands of backyard observers who log sightings, giving researchers and gardeners a rolling picture of where ruby-throated, black-chinned, and rufous hummingbirds are in any given week. Knowing the arrival
Asiatic lilies are perennial bulbs that open showy, upright flowers in orange, yellow, red, pink, and white. They bloom in late spring or early summer, and unlike Oriental lilies, which flower for about four weeks in late summer and carry a strong fragrance, Asiatic types have little to no scent. The star-like blossoms spread petals
Trees are the slowest-growing plants in the landscape and the most enduring: a well-planted tree can outlive you. They add visual height, cast shade that cuts cooling bills, and provide habitat for birds. Planting one is more involved than setting out a shrub, but it is well within reach of a careful DIYer. The job
Cosmos are heat-loving annuals that are almost embarrassingly easy to grow: after the last frost, you can sprinkle seeds directly in the garden and wait. These classic cottage garden flowers reach full maturity in about two months, bloom quickly once established, and keep flowering through the fall. The flowers top long, slender stems and form
Garlic is a close relative of the onion, an edible bulbous plant native to Asia that has been grown for several thousand years. Above ground it grows flattened, grass-like leaves, and in some varieties a curling flower stem called a scape. Below ground it forms a firm bulb of four to 20 cloves wrapped in
