The hum of bees is the voice of the garden. ~Elizabeth Lawrence
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Annual, Perennial... or Temperennial?
Many plants that are labeled and sold as annuals are actually perennial — just not in cold-winter climates. Examples include begonias, petunias, and sweet potato vines. The term "temperennial" has been coined to describe these tender perennials. | |
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How to Grow and Care for Eggplants
Long and thin or round and fat, eggplants range from egg- to melon-sized and come in a rainbow of colors, including purple, pink, white, orange, and green. They're used in hors d'oeuvres, main courses, grilled dishes, and pickled condiments. | |
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Pick a Peck of Peppers
Whether you grow them for enjoying raw in salads, cooked in your favorite stir-fries and Mexican dishes, or dried and made into ristras, you want a big harvest of peppers. | |
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Training a Climbing Rose
Climbing roses produce two kinds of shoots: the main structural canes and the flowering shoots, which grow from the canes. The long structural canes must be tied or woven into a support to keep the flowers off the ground. | |
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Creating More Garden Space
Do you envision a summer garden bursting with color and fragrance? When gardening space is more limited than the imagination, why not think about growing things in containers as well as in beds and borders? | |
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Bees and Wasps
People often confuse bees, wasps, and other flying insects as harmful. However, many are beneficial, acting as pollinators and pest control agents. Get to know their appearance and habits. | |
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Trumpet Vine
Trumpet vine is a true North American plant. Native to the Southeast, it grows in most areas of the continent, and few hardy vines can offer an equal amount of color and vigor. | |
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Yarrow (Achillea ptarmica 'The Pearl Superior')
Plant Habit: Herb/Forb Life cycle: Perennial Sun Requirements: Full Sun, Full Sun to Partial Shade Water Preferences: Mesic, Dry Mesic Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 3 -40 °C (-40 °F) to -37.2 °C (-35) Leaves: Fragrant Flowers: Showy Flower Time: Late spring or early summer, Summer, Late summer or early fall Uses: Medicinal Herb, Cut Flower, Dried Flower, Will Naturalize Dynamic Accumulator: K (Potassium), P (Phosphorus), Fe (Iron) Wildlife Attractant: Butterflies, Bees Resistances: Deer Resistant, Rabbit Resistant, Salt tolerant, Drought tolerant Pollinators: Self, Bees, Flies Containers: Suitable in 3 gallon or larger, Needs excellent drainage in pots
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Rose (Rosa 'Wife of Bath')
Bloom size: Large: 4-5" Petal count: very full: 40+ petals Rose bloom color: Medium pink Rebloom: Some Class: Shrub Growth Habit: Medium, 3-4 feet, bushy Fragrance: Moderate Hybridizer & year: David Austin, 1969 Optimal growing zones: USDA zone 5 and warmer Plant Habit: Shrub Life cycle: Perennial Sun Requirements: Full Sun Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 5b -26.1 °C (-15 °F) to -23.3 °C (-10 °F) Plant Height: 3-4 feet Plant Spread: 2-3 feet Leaves: Deciduous Flowers: Showy, Fragrant Flower Color: Pink Flower Time: Late spring or early summer, Late summer or early fall Uses: Cut Flower Wildlife Attractant: Bees Parentage: Madame Caroline Testout x (Ma Perkins x Constance Spry)
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Stringy Stonecrop (Sedum sarmentosum)
Hardiness: Hardy - Can Handle Freezing Temps Evergreen: Yes Growth Habit: Ground cover, Mat Forming, Trailing Soil Type: Dry, Well drained, Loamy / Medium, Sandy / light, Good draining potting mix Plant uses and characteristics: Border, Containers, Pest resistant, Average water needs, Does not like wet feet Plant Habit: Cactus/Succulent Sun Requirements: Full Sun to Partial Shade Water Preferences: Mesic, Dry Mesic, Dry Plant Height: 4 - 6 inches Plant Spread: 24 inches Leaves: Evergreen, Deciduous, Other Flowers: Showy Flower Color: Yellow Flower Time: Spring, Late spring or early summer Uses: Groundcover, Will Naturalize Wildlife Attractant: Butterflies, Bees Resistances: Deer Resistant, Rabbit Resistant, Drought tolerant Pollinators: Various insects Containers: Suitable in 1 gallon, Suitable in 3 gallon or larger, Needs excellent drainage in pots
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Compact Natal Plum (Carissa macrocarpa 'Boxwood Beauty')
Plant Habit: Shrub Life cycle: Perennial Sun Requirements: Full Sun to Partial Shade Water Preferences: Mesic Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 9a -6.7 °C (20 °F) to -3.9 °C (25 °F) Plant Height: 2 to 3 feet Plant Spread: 4 to 6 feet Leaves: Evergreen Fruit: Showy, Other Flowers: Showy, Fragrant Flower Color: White Bloom Size: 1"-2" Flower Time: Summer, Late summer or early fall, Late fall or early winter, Fall Suitable Locations: Houseplant Uses: Windbreak or Hedge, Groundcover Edible Parts: Fruit Eating Methods: Raw, Cooked Resistances: Salt tolerant, Humidity tolerant, Fire Resistant Containers: Suitable in 3 gallon or larger, Needs excellent drainage in pots
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Clematis 'Elsa Spath'
Raised by: L. Spaeth Country of Origin: Germany Growing Zones: USDA Zone 4, USDA Zone 5, USDA Zone 6, USDA Zone 7, USDA Zone 8, USDA Zone 9 Typical Plant Size: Other Pruning Group: Group 2 - Optional, light pruning after flowering Bloom Diameter: Large - between 6 to 8 inches Bloom Color (Tepals): Deep Blue hue Center Color (Anthers): Red anthers Bloom Shape: Single Preferred Light: Tolerates partial shade, Prefers full sun Suitability as Cut Flower: Excellent cut flower (strong stem, long vase life) Moisture Requirements: Average moisture requirements Recommendations: Good choice for beginners (easy to grow), Good choice for a container, Good choice for shaded areas or northern walls, Good choice for very cold climates Awards: Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit Plant Habit: Vine Life cycle: Perennial Sun Requirements: Full Sun to Partial Shade Plant Height: 6-10 feet Leaves: Deciduous Flowers: Showy Flower Color: Blue Flower Time: Late spring or early summer, Summer, Late summer or early fall Wildlife Attractant: Bees Containers: Suitable in 3 gallon or larger
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Photo by dreamzzz "Scent First Coral Reef"
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Photo by MargitVienna "Very reliable, strongly fruity scented, heahlty bush - I don't understand why D.A. Roses have discontinued this lovely rose"
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Photo by bumplbea
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Photo by RachaelHunter
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Photo by JozicaPL
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Photo by IrisLily
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Photo by sugarcane
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Photo by mom2goldens
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Photo by JoshuaCole
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Photo by Baja_Costero
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The numbers from this week:
329 members joined.
4,227 posts written in our forums.
1,153 photos posted to the plant database.
850 plants added to personal inventory lists.
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Earth laughs in flowers. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
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