Jan 29
Ranunculus flowers have the kind of blooms that almost look too perfect to be real. Their densely layered petals form rounded, rose-like flowers in shades ranging from creamy white and soft blush pink to yellow, orange, coral, red, and deep burgundy. Add their slender stems and delicate green foliage, and it is easy to understand …
Jan 20
Few shrubs can match a mature rhododendron in full bloom. Dense clusters of pink, purple, white, red, lavender, or occasionally yellow flowers can nearly cover the evergreen foliage, transforming a partly shaded corner of the garden into one of spring’s most impressive displays. Rhododendrons can also live for decades when planted in the right place. …
Jan 20
Gardenias have a reputation for being demanding, but their needs are actually quite specific rather than mysterious. Give them acidic soil, excellent drainage, consistent moisture, sufficient light, and protection from severe cold, and these glossy evergreen shrubs can reward you with some of the most fragrant flowers in the garden. The classic gardenia, Gardenia jasminoides, …
Jan 20
Four O’Clock flowers are old-fashioned garden plants with an unusual schedule. While many summer flowers begin closing as evening approaches, Mirabilis jalapa is just getting started. Its trumpet-shaped blooms typically open during the late afternoon or early evening, releasing a sweet fragrance and remaining open through much of the night. The flowers make Four O’Clocks …
Jan 19
Clematis has earned its reputation as the “queen of the vines.” Few climbing plants offer such an extraordinary range of flowers, from enormous dinner-plate-sized blooms in purple, pink, red, blue, and white to clouds of smaller bells, stars, and nodding flowers that can cover fences, trellises, arbors, shrubs, and garden walls. The vines themselves can …
Dec 21
Regenerative gardening begins with a simple change in perspective: instead of treating the garden as a collection of plants that constantly need fertilizer, irrigation, pesticides, and correction, you begin treating the entire yard as a living system. The soil beneath a perennial bed is not merely something that holds roots upright. It contains minerals, organic …
Jul 16
Few flowers are as instantly recognizable as a daisy. A ring of colorful or white petals surrounding a contrasting center creates one of the simplest flower shapes in the garden, yet plants described as “daisies” are remarkably diverse. Some grow as hardy perennials that return for years. Others are tender perennials grown as annuals in …
Jun 03
Wax begonias are among the most dependable flowering plants for beds, borders, containers, and partially shaded gardens. Their compact growth, glossy foliage, and almost continuous production of small pink, red, or white flowers make them useful from late spring until frost, often with remarkably little maintenance. They are also more versatile than their old-fashioned reputation …
May 20
Snapdragons bring something unusual to the flower garden: tall spikes of intricate blooms that thrive during the cooler parts of the growing season when many heat-loving annuals are only beginning—or already starting to fade. Their flowers come in nearly every warm and pastel shade imaginable, including white, yellow, peach, orange, pink, red, burgundy, lavender, and …
May 06
Sweet peas are among the most fragrant flowers you can grow from seed. Their delicate, ruffled blossoms appear in shades of white, cream, pink, rose, lavender, purple, blue, red, burgundy, peach, and numerous bicolors, often filling the garden with a noticeable perfume during the cooler part of the growing season. The classic annual sweet pea, …
