Lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantina) earns its common name from the dense woolly hairs that cover every leaf, giving the plant a texture closer to suede than to any other perennial in the border. Gardeners grow it for that silver-gray foliage rather than for its flowers, which appear on tall spikes in summer and range from […]
If you see yellow leaves on your potato plants, take a close look before reaching for a treatment. The problem may be a lack of moisture during hot weather, insects, fungal disease, or herbicide overspray, but yellowing can also mean the potatoes are mature and ready to dig. Potato plants need healthy leaves to produce
Trimming a hedge is one of the most visible landscaping jobs on a property, and getting it wrong shows up fast: flat-topped rows that go bare at the bottom and thin out from the ground up. A correctly trimmed hedge stays full from top to bottom because the sides angle outward slightly, which lets sunlight
Cacti solve the humidity problem that trips up many tropical houseplant owners. These desert plants prefer dry air and average room temperatures, and most species grow well indoors when given soil with sharp drainage. Many types need only a few hours of direct sun a day, and their slow growth makes them forgiving choices for
Pumpkins are a familiar sight in North American gardens, a type of winter squash grown for jack-o’-lantern carvings, holiday baking, and fall porch displays. Most home gardens grow cultivars and hybrids of Cucurbita pepo, though Cucurbita maxima and Cucurbita moschata also produce edible pumpkins. The plants are low-growing vining annuals with large, coarse leaves and
Pill bugs and sow bugs are small land crustaceans that look like insects but belong to the same group as crayfish and shrimp. They survive by keeping their gill-like breathing structures moist, which is why they cluster wherever water collects and evaporation is slow. Controlling them around a house follows the same logic as any
Every plant parent has a story about a purchase that looked flawless at the garden center and declined within weeks. The problem is rarely effort; it is a mismatch between what the plant demands and what a home provides. Gardeners who research companion plants for strawberries before building a bed apply the same habit indoors:
Few containers reward planning as visibly as a hanging basket. Flowers that struggle in the ground because they trail, lean, or flop turn into the centerpiece of a porch when lifted into the air, and tiny or fragrant blooms finally sit close enough to nose and eye level to get noticed. The same plants can
Radishes are the fastest crop in the vegetable garden. Small varieties are ready to pull about 30 days after sowing, and larger winter types finish in about 60 days. The entire plant is edible, roots, leaves, and seed pods, which makes them a rewarding first crop and a reliable gap-filler between slower vegetables. They grow
Zucchini plants put out large, palm-shaped leaves that fuel a heavy summer crop, so damaged foliage is usually the first sign of trouble. Torn holes, yellow speckling, silvery trails, and sudden wilting each point to a different pest, and the right response depends on reading those signs correctly. The same logic that guides city planners
