The Swiss cheese plant, Monstera adansonii, takes its common name from the oval holes that open along the leaf edges as it matures, openings that recall the wheels produced in cheese-making regions from the Alps to the small towns along Wisconsin’s cheese trail. A native of the rainforests of Central and South America, this species […]
The prayer plant (Maranta leuconeura) earns its name every evening, when its oval leaves fold upward like hands in prayer and open flat again at sunrise. That nightly movement, called nyctinasty, makes the plant a favorite of anyone who likes a visible response from a houseplant. Beyond the folding, the prayer plant is a vigorous,
Lucky bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana) is one of the easiest houseplants to keep alive, which is why it shows up in offices, entryways, and kitchen windowsills around the world. Despite the name, it is not a true bamboo; the plant belongs to the asparagus family, and the thick green stalks sold in spiral, braided, and tiered
Wasabi, or Japanese horseradish, is the green paste that delivers the sharp kick beside sushi. Most of what is sold as wasabi outside Japan is actually European horseradish dyed green, so home cultivation is one of the few ways to taste the real rhizome. The plant is not an easy crop: it demands shade, cool
Cypress vine (Ipomoea quamoclit) is one of the fastest climbers in the home garden, unfurling feathery, fern-like leaves and tubular scarlet flowers within about a month of planting. It is classified as an annual, yet it self-seeds so dependably that many gardeners treat it like a perennial and watch it reappear every year with no
Few landscape decisions pay off as visibly as a tree that blooms pink in spring. Flowering trees turn a yard into a seasonal landmark, and the best selections keep blooming for weeks rather than days. Choices range from moderate trees like the Kwanzan cherry to small specimens that can be trained as shrubs, so there
Wallflowers (Erysimum) have a reputation that matches their name: they bloom in the cracks and crevices of old walls, spilling color over stone and brick where little else will grow. Gardeners use them as compact shrubs, groundcovers, and bedding plants, and they earn their keep in sunny, dry spots that drain fast. Their tolerance for
Fertilizing a lawn in fall is not a waste of time or money, but it only pays off when you test the soil first, choose the right product, and apply it at the right moment. Cool-season grasses spend autumn building roots and storing nutrients for spring, while warm-season grasses bank carbohydrates for their next flush
Container gardens fail for a handful of repeatable reasons: pots that are the wrong size, missing drainage, garden soil packed into containers, overcrowded roots, overfeeding, and ignored light. Each error is easy to fix once you can name it, which is why professionals treat the list as a checklist rather than a mystery. The pattern
Most gardeners who grow luffa, also called loofah, are after one payoff: a vine that produces natural sponges you can harvest, dry, and use for months. Luffa aegyptiaca is an annual member of the cucumber family, native to Asia, and it thrives in hot climates where vines can stretch 30 feet and palm-shaped leaves spread
