Chocolate Cosmos: New and Improved
Among the garden plants grown for their scent, chocolate cosmos (Cosmos atrosanguineus) certainly stands out from the crowd. Yes, asContinue Reading
Category: Annuals
Grow Your Own Coleus Tree
Here is a DIY project for a laidback (because it requires little effort) but patient gardener (because it takes 18Continue Reading
2017: The Year of the Pansy
Each year the National Garden Bureau, a non-profit organization promoting the pleasures of home gardening, selects one bulb, one annual,Continue Reading
Successfully Sowing Begonias From Seed
As explained in the blog Begonias From Seed: For Experts Only, begonias are more difficult to grow from seed than almostContinue Reading
How the Poppy Became the Symbol of Remembrance Day/Veteran’s Day
In 1915, a Canadian doctor, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, wrote a poem, In Flanders Fields, following the funeral of aContinue Reading
Can You Harvest the Seeds of Hybrid Plants?
If you’re into growing plants from seed, especially vegetables and annuals, you’ve undoubtedly been warned you’re not supposed to collectContinue Reading
Turning Corn into an Ornamental
We rarely think of maize or corn (Zea mays) as an ornamental grass, but in fact decorative varieties have longContinue Reading
An Annual Palm?
You’ll be seeing it everywhere again this summer: people’s backyards, sidewalk cafés, and, especially, box stores. It’s a potted palmContinue Reading
Pelargoniums against Japanese beetles?
Not that I want to scare you, but… Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) season starts in late June/early July and ifContinue Reading
Castor Bean: the Fast Way to a Tropical Look
With its enormous palmate leaves and huge height (some cultivars can reach 10 feet/3 m!), castor bean (Ricinus communis) isContinue Reading