A plant that reliably covers a bare slope or fills a shady corner in one season is a tempting buy. Some vigorous growers, though, do not stop at the space they were given. Within a couple of seasons they send runners under the lawn, seedlings across the beds, and shoots up through neighboring plants, turning […]
Pothos is one of the most forgiving houseplants you can grow, trailing heart-shaped leaves from shelves, cabinets, and hanging planters in shades of green, gold, and silver. Left alone, the vines stretch, shed their lower leaves, and thin out until each stem ends in a small cluster of foliage. A quick trim fixes that. Cutting
Purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) are the sturdy daisy-like perennials whose lavender petals circle a raised, copper-brown cone, and they have earned a place in gardens from prairie-style plantings to cottage borders. The plants tolerate heat, shrug off drought, and need six or more hours of direct sun in well-drained soil that is neutral to slightly
Baby’s breath (Gypsophila spp.) is the cloud of tiny white flowers that fills the space between roses in a bouquet, and it earns its place in the garden as well as the vase. The plant grows 2 to 3 feet tall and wide, wants full sun, and asks for little beyond well-drained soil that is
Zinnias earn their place in summer gardens by blooming from early summer until frost. They ask for full sun, well-drained soil, and regular deadheading, and repay the effort with months of color. Companion planting takes that performance further by pairing zinnias with neighbors that pull in pollinators, mask the scent of vulnerable foliage, or grow
Spurge weed is a low, fast-spreading plant that appears in the most neglected parts of a property: cracked driveways, packed footpaths, and thin lawn edges. The name covers several species in the Euphorbia genus, and nearly all of them share the same survival strategy. They tolerate poor, dry, compacted soil, set seed within weeks, and
Jasmine belongs to the Oleaceae family, the same plant family as olive and lilac, and the genus Jasminum contains more than 200 species of perennial shrubs and vines. Native to Africa, Asia, and Australia, jasmine grows in tropical and subtropical regions and has spread worldwide because of its scent. Flowers open in shades of yellow,
The fishbone cactus (Disocactus anguliger) is a tropical epiphyte prized for its flat, zigzag stems and its tolerance of lower light than desert cacti. It grows wild on tree branches in the humid forests of southern Mexico rather than in arid soil, which is why its care routine reads more like a fern’s than a
Peruvian lilies, known botanically as Alstroemeria, are flowering perennials native to the mountain regions of South America. They resemble true lilies but stand apart for their toughness and long-lasting blossoms, which brighten garden beds and cut vases for weeks at a time. Most cultivars grow between 20 inches and just over three feet tall, and
Building your own bird feeder is one of the cheapest ways to turn a backyard into a birdwatching spot, and the project needs almost no skill or money. A working feeder can be assembled from a plastic bottle, a cardboard tube, a teacup, or a few scraps of wood in a single afternoon, which makes
