If you asked me to think of a smell I associated with plants, my first thoughts would fly to scented garden darlings such as jasmine, honeysuckle and fragrant roses. It …

Creating an ecological garden is a lofty pursuit indeed, but an immensely worthwhile one. With the 12 principles of permaculture to guide us, there are plenty of things we can …

It’s about this time of year that every gardener gets what I refer to as “the green itch.” The holidays have come and gone. Things have gone abruptly quiet, and …

When the dark nights draw in and the winter months begin in earnest, my favorite thing to do is get cozy on the couch and take a well-deserved break. It’s …

Saving seeds from your own garden is a valuable skill that every gardener can easily acquire and learn, even in their first growing season. Storing them, however, is a slightly …

I first ran into the concept of using soil blocks when binging market gardening videos on YouTube. Like most home gardeners, I’d originally been introduced to seed starting in cells …

You’ve taken down and disposed of your Christmas tree. The Christmas cookies are long gone. You’ve vacuumed up the confetti from New Year’s Eve. And your Christmas cactus blooms look …

Yellow leaves on your houseplant are aggravating. Why are you yellow? Are you dying? Have I killed you? Is something else killing you? What’s going on? And have you ever …

It always starts the same way – we buy a small houseplant or start a cutting with plans of tending it into this massive, bushy plant. We picture a hanging …

With inflation and rising energy costs, Christmas can feel like a daunting expense at an already costly time of year. Granted, it’s often unnecessary as celebrating the holiday doesn’t need …

Wintergreen – Gaultheria procumbens – has been showing up this holiday season in all the stores. With its bright red berries and glossy red and green leaves, it’s a natural …

If you’ve read this article in the past, chances are pretty good you’ve got an amaryllis bulb from the previous holiday season. But what do you do with it now …

The most important thing you can do to get your Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera) to bloom each year is to ensure it goes through a proper dormant phase with shorter days …

I’m always nervous when I have to repot a cactus. I despair. Then I prepare. Then I collect everything that could ever be of use to transplant my cacti safely.  …

If you have a holly bush or tree, then you’ve probably noticed the leaves tend to be, for lack of a better word, “stabbier” toward the bottom of the tree. …

Would you like to see a really cool plant? Because I would very much like to show you the coolest-looking plant I found. It’s definitely the weirdest plant I’ve bought …

To make sure your Christmas tree lasts throughout the holidays, always add half a cup of sugar to your Christmas tree water. No, no, no, everyone knows it’s a can …

The most common complaint from Christmas and other holiday cactus owners is they can never get their plants to bloom. But a close second is having a Christmas cactus drop …

I often see peace lilies make it to the top of lists of houseplants that thrive on neglect. I believe – and you can disagree – that no plant thrives …

Over the years, I’ve come to appreciate the mild winters we enjoy in the southern United States. However, I’ve also learned the importance of being prepared for those occasional cold …

If you’ve been gardening in the United States, you’ve probably consulted the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map at least once. The PHZM or, as gardeners lovingly call it, the USDA …

Is it just me, or are poinsettias showing up in stores earlier each year? I went to the grocery store last week and was met with a wall of red …

In your houseplant-keeping journey, you’ve probably noticed that your foliage plants are all some variant of green. Emerald green, yellow-green, pale jade green, sage green; you get the idea. Pink, …

Hoyas are an attractive tropical houseplant with shiny, thick leaves, which are the obvious inspiration for its common name – wax plant. It’s this beautiful, lush foliage that makes it …