Cilantro is one of the fastest rewards in the herb garden. The thin green stems and flat, lacy leaves are ready for a first harvest about 30 days after sowing, and the seeds, sold as coriander, mature in roughly three months. One plant delivers two kitchen products, and the growing cycle is short enough that […]
Purple leaf sand cherry (Prunus x cistena) earns a place in the landscape on color alone. The shrub holds deep purple leaves from early spring through autumn, then shifts to a bronze-green shade before dropping them for winter. It grows quickly, tolerates a wide range of soils, and asks for little beyond sun and reasonable
Bells of Ireland (Moluccella laevis) is an annual that produces tiny, fragrant white flowers wrapped in apple-green, bell-shaped calyces clustered along upright stalks. The green bells, not the true flowers, give the plant its ornamental value, and they hold color for weeks in the garden and in a vase. The plant grows best in cool,
Snowball bush viburnum (Viburnum opulus) is a popular, easy-to-grow shrub with a dense, rounded growth habit and large white spring flowers. The blooms open apple-green, fade to white, and eventually blush rose, which makes the plant read like a hydrangea from a distance. Best planted in spring or fall, it grows quickly and carries dark
Irish moss (Sagina subulata) is a low-growing evergreen perennial that forms a soft green carpet in the garden. Despite the common name, it is not a true moss; it belongs to the carnation family (Caryophyllaceae) and has very different growing requirements from the mosses that colonize shady rocks and tree trunks. Mature plants stay 1
Spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum) earned their place as one of the most common houseplants because they tolerate neglect, grow in ordinary light, and produce endless baby plantlets on arching runners. The one question new owners ask before buying is about the cat: will this plant make my pet sick? The short answer, confirmed by the
Sundews are the most widespread genus of carnivorous plants, with more than 190 species scattered across every continent except Antarctica. Instead of the snap traps of Venus flytraps or the pitfall tubes of pitcher plants, they use strappy leaves lined with glistening, tentacle-like hairs. Each hair ends in a gland that secretes a droplet of
Coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) is the native answer to a common problem: everyone loves honeysuckle, but the invasive types have ruined its reputation. This southeastern United States native produces trumpet-shaped flowers in red, coral, orange, or yellow from late spring into summer, drawing hummingbirds and butterflies while its red berries feed songbirds in fall. Mature
Cherry tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme) are the most popular garden crop for a simple reason: they are quick, easy, and forgiving. The bite-size fruits need fewer days to mature than regular tomatoes, which matters in cold climates with short seasons and in hot zones where summer heat arrives before large fruit can set. Plant
Red salvia (Salvia splendens) delivers the kind of saturated scarlet color that other annuals only promise. Native to Brazil, it grows as a tender perennial in frost-free zones and as an annual almost everywhere else, producing dense spikes of red flowers from early summer until frost. The dark green, heart-shaped leaves form a tidy mound
