Creeping phlox is a low-growing, mat-forming perennial that turns a bare bank into a carpet of spring color. The plant stays 6 to 12 inches tall while spreading 9 to 18 inches wide, and its stolons root as they travel, so a handful of starts fills a sunny slope in two or three seasons. Gardeners […]
Banana trees are flowering plants in the Musa genus, which holds more than 80 species. Despite the common name, they are not true trees: the fleshy upright trunk is a pseudostem built from tightly rolled leaf bases, and the plant is botanically a giant herb. Large, oblong, bright green leaves grow from the top of
String of pearls (Curio rowleyanus) is a vining succulent that earns its name from the tiny pea-shaped leaves strung along its trailing stems. Each stem spills over the edge of a planter or hanging basket, and a mature plant can look like a curtain of green beads. It grows fast, adding five to fifteen inches
Blanket flower (Gaillardia) is a fast-growing, short-lived wildflower with daisy-like blooms in orange, red, yellow, white, purple, and peach. Plants mature at about 24 inches tall with a 20-inch spread and flower through the warm season in full sun. The common name comes from the way the blooms cover a bed, much as a blanket
Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) is an herbaceous perennial or biennial that most gardeners plant as an annual. It grows slowly, which rewards patience, and it asks for little beyond a sunny spot and well-drained soil. The clustered blooms in red, pink, and white pull in pollinators, which is why the plant shows up so often
The corn plant, Dracaena fragrans, is one of the most forgiving houseplants you can own. It grows slowly, tolerates low light, and asks for little beyond consistent watering and a warm room. Its name comes from the long, arching leaves that cluster around a cane-like stem in a way that resembles a corn stalk, and
Sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas) grows fast, trails hard, and fills a container in a single season. Gardeners know it as a classic “spiller” plant: long tendrils of heart-shaped or deeply lobed leaves in lime green, chartreuse, bronze, purple, and burgundy pour over pot rims and knit together hanging baskets. The plants are cultivars of
Miniature roses are compact rose plants bred to stay small while producing true rose flowers in the same range of types and colors as full-size bushes, including familiar names like Petite Knock Out and the floribunda cultivar Midnight Fire. They grow quickly in spring, bloom repeatedly through the season, and reach a mature height of
Goldfish plants (Columnea and Nematanthus species) earned their name from the masses of red-orange flowers that bloom in spring and summer and look like tiny leaping fish. These trailing houseplants grow best in humid air, bright indirect light, and well-draining acidic soil, with temperatures held between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The same window that
Coleus plants (Plectranthus scutellarioides) earn their place in nearly every garden plan because they stay easy to grow while delivering vivid foliage from spring until frost. The plants tolerate sun or shade, adapt to almost any soil type, and keep their color when other annuals fade, which is why breeders keep releasing new leaf patterns,
