Panicle hydrangeas anchor residential landscapes because they bloom on new wood, shrug off cold winters, and hold their flower heads well into fall. The Strawberry Sundae cultivar (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Rensun’) takes that reliability and adds a color sequence: the conical clusters open creamy white, shift to light pink, and deepen to strawberry red by late […]
The loquat tree (Eriobotrya japonica) is an ornamental evergreen that also produces golden-orange fruit in spring. Native to China and Japan, where it is called biwa, the tree grows fast in the right climate, adding 1 to 2 feet per year, and it has spread across temperate regions worldwide. Unlike other stone fruits, loquats flower
Cherry tree bonsai bring the delicate pink blossoms of full-size flowering cherries into a container that fits on a windowsill or a small table. The Japanese flowering cherry, Prunus spp., adapts well to the pruning and training that bonsai demands, which is why it remains one of the most popular ornamental choices among growers at
Almond trees (Prunus dulcis) are among the oldest domesticated food trees, and the crop they bear is technically not a nut at all. The almond is a stone fruit, or drupe, like a peach or cherry: the edible kernel sits inside a hard shell, wrapped in a leathery green hull that splits open at harvest.
Hybrid tea roses are the classic florist rose: one large, high-centered bloom on a long straight stem, produced again and again from late spring to frost. Deep red varieties with velvety petals are among the most requested colors, because the blooms read well from across the garden and hold up in a vase. The care
Flowering almond (Prunus glandulosa), also called dwarf flowering almond, is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a rounded crown that lights up in early spring with double pink, and occasionally white, flowers. It is perennial in mild climates, thrives in full sun, and tolerates most soils as long as they drain. Gardeners who want a longer
Watermelon is the iconic fruit of summer, and a packet of seeds costs three to fifteen dollars, making homegrown fruit one of the season’s cheapest treats. The seeds of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) can go directly into the garden once the soil warms, or they can be started early indoors for an earlier harvest in short-season
Catawba rhododendron (Rhododendron catawbiense) is a slow-growing, multi-stemmed shrub grown for the large clusters of lavender flowers that cover it in late spring. It asks for shade, cool moist roots, and acidic soil that drains freely, which makes it a natural fit for woodland gardens and the shaded side of a house. All parts of
Sod is a layer of pre-grown grass, complete with soil and roots, cut into squares or rolls and laid on top of prepared ground. A lawn installed from sod looks finished the day it goes down, while a seeded lawn takes weeks or months to fill in. That speed is the main reason homeowners choose
The dragon lily, or dragon arum (Dracunculus vulgaris), is a plant that gardeners remember for decades. It grows from a tuber, sends up a 6-foot stalk with broad leaves, and produces a deep maroon spathe up to 2 feet long around a long black spadix. The bloom smells like rotting meat, which is exactly the
