A backyard retreat is a special place where you can relax and escape the stress of the day. One of the best ways to create a backyard retreat is to choose the right plants. One of the most effective ways for many people to relax and find their happy place is by gardening. Growing herbs and vegetables has many therapeutic benefits that can help you find your center, recharge, and feel better. Few things can be as relaxing and tranquil as gardening. Growing plants and being surrounded by plants helps one practice patience and enjoy the moment. Gardening doesn't require a lot of space to have an impact. A small garden space, a back deck or a balcony makes a great backyard retreat. You can get the benefits of having a relaxing and tranquil garden almost anywhere. Planting and growing herbs, like the ones listed below, will get your new garden off to a good start. Editor’s Note: This story is a companion piece to Create a Stress Reducing Outdoor Retreat. So please read that story, … [Read more...] about Backyard Retreat: How to Choose the Right Plants
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Best Gardening Podcasts for Fun and Inspiration
The best gardening podcasts can entertain, inform, and inspire you. You might be a beginning gardener or a professional landscaper. Either way, there is plenty you can learn from the best gardening podcasts. How many garden podcasts are there? More than the number of ripening fruits on a healthy cherry tomato plant. Way more. Each of these best gardening podcasts offers a wealth of ideas, tips and tricks to help you become a better gardener. Here are some of the best gardening podcasts that you can listen to right now. And don't forget to check out the Home Garden and Homestead Store on Amazon to find great garden and home products. Best Gardening Podcasts: Plantrama The co-hosts of Plantrama, Ellen Zachos and C.L. Fornari, like to say that this is the podcast where there are no stupid questions…as long as the topic is plants. From houseplants to holly, cacti to cannabis, or roses to radishes, each weekly episode covers the world of plants. Zachos and Fornari deliver … [Read more...] about Best Gardening Podcasts for Fun and Inspiration
Grow Glass Gem Corn for a Colorful Harvest
Want to grow Glass Gem Corn? If you are looking for the most colorful corn variety of all time, Glass Gem Corn is it. What exactly is Glass Gem Corn? Think of it as Indian corn on steroids. Or LSD. Or both. But it grows like other common corn varieties. So, if you’ve grown yellow corn or sweet corn or white corn, you can grow Glass Gem Corn. (Don’t worry, I will give you some basic tips about how to grow corn below.) Why grow colorful Glass Gem Corn seeds? Well, the dried kernels make great popcorn. You can grind the kernels into a multi-colored cornmeal. Or you can grow it for a showy fall decoration. (The kernels are simply too hard to eat them off the cob.) How Glass Gem Corn was Born We wouldn’t have glass gem corn today if it weren’t for the efforts of two men—Carl Barnes and Greg Schoen. So, my hat is off for both gentlemen and their love for colorful corn. Carl Barnes, a part-Cherokee farmer in Oklahoma, began gathering heirloom corn seed varieties as an homage … [Read more...] about Grow Glass Gem Corn for a Colorful Harvest
Tree Watering Made Simple: The Root Quencher Story
The Inventors of the Root Quencher Want to Spread the Word about Deep Tree Watering to Save One Million Trees. Trees are the anchors of a landscape. Their awe-inspiring size and stature are the first things we notice about a property. But trees need special care, and trees need deep watering to stay healthy and beautiful. Quite simply, when trees don’t receive enough water, they become stressed. And when tree roots don’t receive periodic deep waterings, trees can die. Robert Summers and Maria Caceres know first-hand how devastating it can be to receive bad news about water-stressed trees. They consulted an arborist about the 50-year-old trees planted by Robert’s father on the family-owned property in Pasadena, California. The prognosis was not good. Many of the mature trees in the landscape were dying and aging out. They would have to be replaced. Robert and Maria rejected that idea. Rather than cutting down the trees, they embarked on a concerted effort to revitalize their … [Read more...] about Tree Watering Made Simple: The Root Quencher Story
Beware of Fake Seed Scams Online this Spring
Fake seed scams and fake plant scams are on the rise. Here's what to watch out for so you don't get scammed. Gardening season is the time of year for fake seed scams online. Why? Because gardeners everywhere are busy ordering plants and seeds for the growing season. And that’s when fake seed scammers are hard at work. There are many benefits of ordering your seeds online—such as getting rare heirloom varieties that aren’t available in local stores. However, the industry has its share of scammers, too. So, make sure you know what to watch out for to avoid fake seed scams. How to Avoid Fake Seed Scams Online Colorful or unusual plants can be found just about everywhere online this time of year. And while many of these are 100% real, such as ‘Glass Gem’ corn and burgundy broccoli, many others are not. Avoid disappointment by following these online seed ordering tips: If it looks too good to be true, it probably is Ads selling seed packets of tie-die roses, bright … [Read more...] about Beware of Fake Seed Scams Online this Spring
