Author's posts
Dec 02
Cosmos Care
Cosmos are cheerful, easy-to-grow flowers known for their airy foliage, daisy-like blooms, and remarkably long flowering season. Depending on the species and variety, cosmos can produce flowers in shades of pink, white, red, orange, yellow, burgundy, and chocolate. Two of the most commonly grown types are Cosmos bipinnatus, which produces the familiar pink, white, and …
Dec 01
Geranium Care
Geraniums are among the most familiar and dependable flowering plants for sunny gardens, containers, window boxes, and hanging baskets. Their rounded clusters of flowers appear in shades of red, pink, salmon, orange, white, lavender, and burgundy, often continuing from late spring until cold weather arrives. The plants commonly sold as annual geraniums are actually members …
Nov 30
Chrysanthemum Care
Chrysanthemums, commonly called mums, are classic fall flowers known for their dense blooms in shades of yellow, orange, red, bronze, pink, purple, white, and burgundy. They are especially popular in autumn containers and seasonal displays, but many types can also be grown as long-term garden perennials. The most commonly cultivated garden chrysanthemums belong to hybrids …
Nov 29
Aster Care
Asters are classic late-season flowers that fill gardens with shades of purple, lavender, blue, pink, and white just as many summer perennials begin fading. Their daisy-like flowers are especially valuable in late summer and fall, providing both garden color and an important source of nectar for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. The name “aster” covers …
Nov 28
Sedum Care
Sedum is a large and diverse group of succulent plants valued for their drought tolerance, low-maintenance growth, and ability to thrive in sunny, dry locations where many other garden plants struggle. Commonly known as stonecrop, sedums range from tiny ground covers only a few inches tall to upright varieties that reach 2 feet or more …
Nov 27
Goldenrod Care
Goldenrod is a tough, colorful perennial best known for its masses of yellow flowers that brighten gardens from late summer into fall. Native goldenrods are especially valuable in pollinator gardens because their late-season blooms provide nectar and pollen at a time when many summer flowers have already faded. Most goldenrods belong to the genus Solidago, …
Nov 26
Turtlehead Care
Turtlehead is a distinctive North American native perennial known for its unusual snapdragon-like flowers that resemble a turtle poking its head from its shell. Belonging to the genus Chelone, these dependable plants produce white, pink, rose, or purple flowers from late summer into fall, bringing welcome color to the garden when many earlier perennials are …
Nov 25
Russian Sage Care
Russian sage is a sun-loving perennial prized for its silvery foliage, airy lavender-blue flowers, and exceptional tolerance of heat and drought. From midsummer into fall, mature plants can become covered with clouds of tiny blue-purple blossoms held above aromatic gray-green leaves, creating a soft appearance that works especially well in cottage gardens, gravel gardens, pollinator …
Nov 24
Beautyberry Care
Beautyberry is a deciduous shrub best known for the extraordinary clusters of bright purple berries that wrap around its arching stems in late summer and fall. While its small summer flowers are attractive to pollinators, the fruit is what makes this shrub unforgettable. Against yellowing autumn foliage or bare branches, the intensely colored berries can …
Nov 23
Sneezeweed Care
Sneezeweed is a colorful late-summer and fall perennial known for its daisy-like flowers in shades of yellow, gold, orange, copper, and red. The most familiar species, Helenium autumnale, is native to much of North America and is especially valuable in pollinator gardens, meadow plantings, rain gardens, and sunny perennial borders. Despite its unfortunate common name, …
