Broccoli is one of the easier vegetables to grow in a garden bed or a vegetable container garden, but the harvest window is short. Cut the head too early and you leave yield in the ground; wait too long and the buds open into yellow flowers that taste bitter. Timing matters more than variety selection […]
Scented-leaved geraniums reward a touch with a burst of fragrance, from rose and lemon to mint, apple, and nutmeg, depending on the variety. These plants belong to the Pelargonium genus and sit in the same group as the familiar garden geraniums, but their foliage, not their flowers, is the main event. Rose-scented types are the
Removing grass from your yard is one of the most physical jobs in landscaping. You may want to install a pathway, create a garden plot, dig a pond feature, or lay cable for landscape lights, and every one of those projects starts with clearing the turf. The job becomes easier when you follow a routine
Bergenia, also known as pigsqueak and leather bergenia, is an herbaceous perennial that earns its keep with big, glossy leaves and spring flowers. It thrives in mild climates, tolerates shady conditions, and asks for little beyond soil with high organic matter. Gardeners who already manage woody ornamentals such as daphne shrubs will find bergenia an
Shaded gardens earn a reputation for being hard to fill, but more plants tolerate low light than most homeowners realize. The trick is matching each plant to the exact amount of sun the spot receives and grouping plants with similar needs. The same compatibility rules that govern plants to never grow near tomatoes apply in
Deer browsing is one of the most common frustrations in residential landscaping. No plant is truly deer-proof: when natural forage runs short, deer will sample almost anything, including ornamentals they usually ignore. The practical response is to play the odds through plant selection, filling the yard with species deer rarely touch while avoiding the favorites
A patio, pool deck, or seating corner becomes a different place when the plants around it carry scent. Fragrant plants do what candles and citronella cannot: they release perfume continuously, often intensifying at night when the air cools and breezes pick up. The best smelling plants for a garden cover every situation, from a shrub
A sunny planting bed is one of the easiest places in the landscape to get color, and flowering shrubs turn that sunlight into months of bloom with far less upkeep than annual flowers. Shrubs that thrive in full sun need six to eight hours of direct light, ideally between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and
Weed season starts as soon as soil warms, and so do the mistakes. Weeds steal water, nutrients, and light from grass and garden plants, and they undermine the outdoor space you have worked to build. Most homeowners reach for whatever is in the garage, which is exactly where the trouble begins. Landscape professionals see the
Cissus discolor, also sold as Cissus javana and commonly called the rex begonia vine or tapestry vine, is a climbing perennial from Southeast Asia that carries two-tone foliage: green leaves striped with silver, purple undersides, and red-tinged stems. Gardeners often mistake it for a rex begonia because the leaf shapes and colors look alike, but
