Winter can inflict damage on plants. Covering shrubs is often part of a larger overwintering strategy for protecting them. Delicate shrubs should be covered but even some hardy shrubs benefit from coverage. Find out if you need to cover shrubs in winter, which shrubs to cover, and how to do it. Meet the Expert David […]
In the United States alone, about 70 million poinsettias are sold every year around Christmas. But most of those poinsettias are treated like short-term decorations and thrown in the trash after the holidays. However, poinsettias are actually long-lived perennials that can be rewarding to grow as houseplants or in the garden. If you love the […]
While winter may seem like an ideal time to prune wayward stems and trim bushes into tidier shapes, pruning certain shrubs in winter can damage delicate branches or remove flower buds and reduce blooming in spring. “Plants and trees do better if you prune them at a particular time that is favorable to their growth,” […]
Growing trees for your landscape is a gardening challenge that offers great rewards. Adding an evergreen for a living or cut Christmas tree is a fun, learning project and your entire family can contribute, from planting a seedling to placing ornaments on the branches. Like most gardening endeavors, this one requires patience. Benefits of Growing […]
Many perennial and biennial herbs live throughout the winter, despite freezing temperatures. These include some “Mediterranean” herbs, which you may not immediately think of as being cold-hardy. But certain herbs have developed adaptions that do make them more winter-resistant. Having small leaves is one example: a smaller leaf presents a smaller surface area to the […]
If you haven’t yet tried forcing bulbs, it’s rewarding and easy enough for children. Look for packaged kits at retail stores in early autumn or purchase bulbs at your favorite nursery or online supplier. Most spring-blooming bulbs can be successfully forced when done correctly. Here are some holiday favorites along with other popular bulbs including […]
Christmas cacti are known for their elegant, arcing foliage and vivid tropical blooms that appear in late fall or early winter. Along with Thanksgiving cacti and Easter cacti, they’re also very long-lived plants that have been known to survive for 100 years or more—so it’s no wonder that these plants need occasional pruning to look […]
Squash bugs haven’t appeared in my vegetable garden in a few years—but that wasn’t always the case. Several years ago, I lost my summer squash to a nasty invasion of squash bugs that continued to plague my cucurbits for the rest of the growing season. That fall, I did a deep dive into finding effective […]
Peppers are tender, tropical, warm-season vegetables that tend to be grown as annuals unless you live in a region with year-round mild temperatures. If you want to enjoy a harvest of these veggies as early on in the season as possible, read on to learn how to overwinter pepper plants rather than germinating from seeds […]
Whether you grow hardy or tropical hibiscus, you can enjoy the huge, trumpet-shaped flowers year after year with a bit of extra care in autumn to protect against harsh winter weather. Although it’s not normally fit for cold weather, we’ve gathered all the know-how so you can make bring your hibiscus into the next year […]
