Lavender is one of the most beautiful and useful plants in the garden. It is a beloved plant that offers a trifecta of fragrance, medicinal benefits, and beautiful blue-purple flowers. In short, many gardeners want to know how to grow lavender plants. A stunning addition to perennial borders and informal hedging, lavender has plenty of devoted fans and garden lovers. Lavender plants offer a large selection of bloom times, colors, flower forms, and sizes. Truly, you can find a lavender plant suited for just about any garden situation. Lavender is a compact shrub-like perennial that is evergreen and deer proof. No wonder it finds its way into so many gardens and landscape designs. Growing lavender plants every year is essential to my garden. Contrary to popular belief, lavender flowers come in not only lavender-purple hues, but also shades of pink, white, and even yellow. I find many uses for the fresh and dried flowers, from culinary to sachets, lavender wands, … [Read more...] about How to Grow Lavender Plants
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Grow Your Best Garden Ever
Would you like to grow your best garden ever? Well, great gardens don’t just happen. They certainly do not magically appear in your yard. So, the sooner you plan and start your best garden ever, the sooner it will begin to manifest in your yard. A great garden is typically the result of careful planning. Most extraordinary gardens are created over a period of years using the garden plan. Add a few happy accidents that happen along the way, and you have the recipe for a special horticultural wonder that will be the envy of the neighborhood. Don’t Be Afraid of Small Failures Talk to experienced gardeners and garden experts, and most will freely admit to buying plants that did not survive in their gardens. Karen Park Jennings, the former president of Park Seed, once told me, “I’ve learned a lot by killing plants.” That’s part of being a gardener. Some gardeners will even admit that some of their favorite plants arrived as volunteers in their garden. One of the healthiest … [Read more...] about Grow Your Best Garden Ever
Best Greenhouse Heaters and Accessories
A greenhouse outfitted with one of the best greenhouse heaters and other accessories is a fabulous way grow plants all year long. Quite simply, a greenhouse turns a short growing season into a year-round growing paradise. A well-designed greenhouse—with the right greenhouse accessories and equipment—can provide the perfect growing environment for all kinds of plants. If you are planning to add a greenhouse on your property, this round-up of the best greenhouse heaters, equipment and accessories will come in handy. If you just purchased or constructed a greenhouse, consider adding these greenhouse products to make it a true indoor growing paradise 12 months a year. The Best Greenhouse Heaters The inside of a greenhouse naturally stays warmer than the outside temperature. But during colder weather, most greenhouses need a heating boost. Add more insulation for most greenhouses during winter months. A greenhouse heater is among the must-have greenhouse accessories to keep … [Read more...] about Best Greenhouse Heaters and Accessories
Best Roses for Backyard Gardens
The best roses are truly the superstars of garden flowers. They are revered all over the world for their beauty. As a lifelong gardener, it was difficult for me to select the 10 best roses to grow in a backyard garden. Many great roses didn’t make the cut. (Such is the downside of creating a Top 10 list!) All of the roses on my best roses list have edible petals. In fact, these roses have delicious edible petals. That’s one of the reasons they made this list of Top 10 Roses. (Just cut off the white part at the base of the petals, which can be bitter.) If you would like more information—including six recipes that use edible rose petals—read Garden Roses: Queen of Edible Flowers. A word about growing roses All roses need full sun, preferably at least 6 hours of sun per day. Roses prefer to grow in moist, rich, sandy, well-drained soil. Rose bushes also like to be mulched with a 3-inch-deep layer of organic mulch. Roses like to be watered deeply but infrequently—perhaps … [Read more...] about Best Roses for Backyard Gardens
Debunking Clematis Myths
There are plenty of clematis myths that need debunking. That’s because clematis, known as “The Queen of the Vines,” is actually easier to grow than most people think. Despite the profusion of flowers that a clematis plant produces, many gardeners think these wonderful plants are difficult to grow. According to clematis expert Deborah Hardwick, clematis has gotten a bad rap. “There are so many myths about clematis, and most of them simply aren’t true,” said Hardwick. “Clematis aren’t much different than other plants in that they need to be treated with a little care to get them established in a new garden setting. But give them moist soil, light fertilizer and enough light and they will reward gardeners with a flower show that few plants can match.” Please remember that the majority of clematis plants are vines, so to perform and look their best they need to climb up a sturdy Arbor or Trellis. A clematis in full bloom can be the perfect focal point in a garden. So, placing a … [Read more...] about Debunking Clematis Myths
