Hibiscus flowers are short-lived, usually lasting a day or two, but the plants make up for it by blooming continuously through the summer. With the right care, that flowering can stretch from midsummer well into fall, adding color after many other perennials have finished. The methods are straightforward: deadhead spent blooms before they form seed, […]
Robotic lawn mowers handle the weekly cutting chore on their own, returning to a charging dock when the battery runs low and resuming where they left off. They cut grass in small daily increments, mulching the clippings back into the lawn, and they work inside a defined boundary using either a buried wire or satellite
Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica) are among the most dependable spring flowers for shade gardens across eastern North America. These perennials grow from rhizomes, underground stems that store energy from one season to the next, and typically reach about two feet tall and wide. Their smooth leaves shift from grey-green to blue-green as the season progresses,
Onions (Allium cepa) are a biennial vegetable grown for their swollen bulbs, with hollow, blue-green leaves and a shallow root system that stays close to the soil surface. They need ample sunlight, well-draining soil, and a steady supply of nitrogen-rich fertilizer to size up properly. The chemical compounds in onions are toxic to pets, so
The English bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) is a wildflower bulb native to the British Isles, prized for vivid violet-blue flowers and a soft, sweet scent. Colonies bloom in mid- to late spring and hold color for up to five weeks before the foliage dies back and the bulbs go dormant by early summer. The plant fits
Bacopa (Sutera cordata) is a trailing perennial that most gardeners grow as a flowering annual. It carries small white, pink, blue, or purple flowers from early summer through autumn, set against oval, lightly toothed leaves, and it stays 4 to 6 inches tall while spreading 1 to 2 feet wide. The plant works alone in
Hydrangeas earn their place in gardens with showy clusters of flowers that appear at different times depending on the variety, the local climate, and how the shrub is cared for. Most hydrangeas bloom between late spring and early fall, but the exact window swings by weeks, and sometimes by a full season, between types. Even
Alocasia wentii, known commonly as the hardy elephant ear or New Guinea shield, is a tropical perennial from the Araceae family. Its arrow-shaped leaves, dark green on top and bronze-purple beneath, give it a sculptural presence that works in modern interiors. The plant responds to routine, not rescue, the same lesson behind the truth about
Peperomias belong to the Piperaceae family, a group of more than 1,000 known species native to the tropical and subtropical forests of Central and South America. Growers know them as radiator plants, a nickname earned from their tolerance for the warm, dry air near heating vents. Their compact size, thick succulent-like leaves, and slow growth
Vinca minor, commonly called periwinkle or creeping myrtle, is a low evergreen ground cover with glossy leaves and violet-blue flowers that open in early spring. Plants stay 3 to 6 inches tall while trailing stems stretch 18 inches or more, rooting at the nodes as they spread, and they thrive in sun or shade on
