Gardening

With a name like butterfly bush, it’s easy to see why Buddleja is such a popular landscaping plant. After all, who wouldn’t enjoy more of these beautiful insects in their …

Hostas are clearly the most popular plants in the shade garden. And why wouldn’t they be? They’re probably the easiest perennial to grow. They have beautiful lush foliage, in sizes …

When it comes to Christmas cactuses, there is one complaint I hear time and again: “I can never get mine to bloom.” That’s understandable, considering these plants need special care …

Christmas and other holiday cactuses are classic houseplants that, when given the right care, can live for generations. Lucky for us, that care is easy enough to give. Holiday cactuses …

We all remember making pine cone bird feeders as kids, whether it was at home or school. But did you know these easy and inexpensive feeders are actually an excellent …

Normally, if you clicked on an article with a similar title here at Rural Sprout, you would be looking at your plants for symptoms. However, we want to make gardeners …

I did not receive these raised beds for free from Vego Garden. I bought them myself because, after several weeks of research, they were the brand I liked most. I’m …

I have a couple of friends who are very much into board games. They seem to remember the rules of 15+ games by heart and juggle an impressive number of …

One of the highlights of coming back home from my late summer vacation is getting to interact and reconnect with my own garden. I did not have a gardening-free vacation, …

As the gardening season comes to an end, we’re faced with the task of clearing up before winter arrives. While the general rule for generations has been to tidy up …

Spring flowers are always a breath of fresh air after a winter of dark, dreary colors. There’s nothing more delightful than the bright yellow of daffodils, the blue-purple of grape …

Urine is an excellent natural fertilizer and among the very oldest ways to create fertile soil. After all, pee plays quite a crucial role in the earth’s nitrogen cycle. Mammals …

As the leaves change color and fall from the trees, most of us are busy closing up our gardens for the season. But don’t put your garden tools away just …

If this is your first year feeding hummingbirds, first of all, welcome to the club. They’re pretty great, right? But as summer turns to autumn, you’ve likely begun to notice …

September is often an odd month. If you’ve got school-aged children, you go from a noisy house to a silent one. At least, until they start bringing germs home from …

One of the great things about hostas is how low-maintenance they are. Of all the perennials in your garden, hostas are probably the closest thing you’ll find to a set-it-and-forget-it …

Mulching flower beds is a sure sign that warmer weather has arrived each spring. Suddenly, everywhere you look, it’s nothing but flower beds sporting a fresh layer of dark brown …

Agapanthus, often called the “African Lily,” is immediately recognizable with its stunning, spherical clusters of blue or white flowers that bloom on tall stalks above lush, green strap-like leaves. They’re …

When you think of planting perennial flowers, spring might automatically come to mind: birds creating a cacophony of noise, gusty breezes drying out the mud, and the excitement of new …

I don’t grow a garden without mulch. Period. Putting down a protective layer over the bare soil in my garden provides a multitude of benefits. Unfortunately, after three successive seasons …

There are plenty of reasons to love growing determinate tomatoes. As bush-type tomatoes, they are biologically limited to a height of around four feet. They grow until the terminal bud …

Houseplants are wonderful in and of themselves. They provide a lot of beauty and liveliness to our homes and offices.  But what if your houseplants could also provide you with …

Agapanthus is one of the few plants I can think of where the word “regal” is well and truly fitting. You have a plant with a full crown of emerald …

If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing about the plants that you grow, what would that be? Predictably, my answer to this question varies with the …