Gardenig in Usa. Tips & Guides

With delightful pink blooms and stunning leaves like butterflies, purple shamrock (Oxalis triangularis) is a perfect houseplant if you can keep it full and bushy! But even this easy plant can get leggy and lackluster. That’s why we show you how to prune it like a pro!

David Patterson / Interior Designer: Nadia Watts

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Learning how to make your own cucumber beetle trap can save you a lot of trouble and prevent the need for pesticides. In this article, I’ll share the easy DIY cucumber beetle trap I’ve been using for years. It doesn’t cost much to make using only simple household materials and only takes a few moments of your time to set up. Meet the cucumber beetle Cucumber beetles are common pests of all cucurbits, including melons, like watermelon and cantaloupes, g

You cannot compare the wet weather we have had in the last 9 days or so with the destructive hurricanes experienced by parts of the US, but we have an amateur weather monitor here and I have kept records for over ten years, so can tell you that this is the wettest month we have had in that time, with 161mm (6.3″). To put this in perspective, our annual rainfall varies from around 24-32″, although bear in mind these are amateur records. Living on a hill, we are in no danger of flooding, but there is a river valley at the foot, with lakes from collapsed coal mining, and the road there does tend to flood after prolonged rain, necessitating a detour, but oddly this has so far been minimal, as it has been in the local town, where this first river flows into a second, larger one. What is happening both up and downstream can of course have an impact.

South Carolina is home to three big, yellow spiders, and as summer heats up, they get more and more noticeable. One of these spiders is the Joro spider, a non-native species first found in northern Georgia in 2014. The Joro spider is now present in the Upstate and parts of the Midlands in South Carolina. These spiders can be nearly 3” across with their legs spread.

Nodding Ladies’ Tresses (Spiranthes cernua) is a beautiful terrestrial orchid native to the Eastern United States and Canada in USDA planting zones 5a to 9b. In Greek, Spiranthes is derived from the Greek words speria (coiled) and anthos (flower), and the species name cernua is Greek for cernuus, referring to the drooping flowers. The Greek or Latin derivates of scientific names often describe specific characteristics of a plant.

Rudbeckias in Clare Foster's garden

On a recent hike in the foothills just southeast of my house, I couldn’t help but notice crisped, curling leaves on big flower cinquefoil ( Drymocallis fissa ) and the drought-tolerant mountain mahogany ( Cercocarpus montanus ), which took me back to the drought of 2001/2002, widely considered the benchmark drought for my area. Though I was a kid, I vividly remember the sense of collective worry and ensuing water restrictions, browning lawns and gardens, and tinder-filled natural spaces. The lack of water is sure to stress out plants, but there are several ways that you can get your garden through a drought without wasting water unnecessarily.

September is Whole Grains Month. Grain foods include rice, corn, oats, wheat, barley, millet, and sorghum. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans says that we should attempt to make half of the grain foods we eat whole grains. Let’s learn more about whole grain foods and their importance in your daily eating habits.

Carson Downing

For years, right around back to school time—and sometimes, even earlier—supermarkets, coffee shops, and some seriously unexpected places start deluging Americans with all things pumpkin spice. Ever since Starbucks debuted its pumpkin spice latte in 2003, countless copycats and pumpkin spice products have made this trend as much of a mascot of fall as leaf piles, football, and apple orchards.

Happy Friday GPODers!

When blankets of green suddenly pop into a canvas of colors with the prettiest flowers, it is truly a sight to behold! The ground covers on this list aren’t just easy to grow; they thrive in the shade and produce mesmerizing blooms even in dimly lit spaces! Let’s dig in.

Planting milkweed seeds is a great way to get a lot of milkweed plants for your garden. Milkweed isn’t difficult to grow from seed and the plants are beautiful, long blooming, and support many species of pollinators, including monarch butterflies. In this article you’ll learn four easy techniques for planting milkweed seeds and get tips on caring for the seedlings. Why grow milkweed? Gardeners know the value of growing milkweed in their gardens. These are beautiful perennial plants that add b

Hostas are perennials that can be planted across borders and inside containers. They are grown for their attractive foliage. But none of the varieties can tolerate full sun. They preferred shaded spots and moisture. If you want hosta like foliage in your outdoor garden, check out these full-sun hosta alternatives.

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Sometimes, we want to refresh our clothes and linens beyond just setting a normal washing machine cycle.

Welcome to an exploration of flowers that start with the letter “C”. This list covers a fabulous range of blooms, from the classic Carnation to the striking Calla Lily.

Even if you aren't fortunate enough to live next to a meadow of wildflowers, you can still capture their untamed beauty in a container or garden this summer by planting cosmos. Cosmos come in various colors, from burgundy to pink to white. Mix them up for a more natural look, like a wildflower meadow. Bonus: this colorful flower, native to tropical America, attracts birds and butterflies with its cheery blooms. Because of their wildflower characteristics, cosmo flowers are considered invasive in some environments. Cosmos are prime not only for containers but for creating a mass of color in borders or backgrounds or as a filler among shrubs.

Catalpa trees, with two species native to the United States, are known for their beautiful and plentiful blooms and for being the sole source of food for catalpa worms—caterpillars that strip the tree of its foliage and eventually become the catalpa sphinx moth.

How to Establish a Monarch Waystation in Your Garden Help monarch butterflies by providing essential nectar and host plants in your own Monarch Waystation. The amazing monarch butterfly journey

Including carbohydrates or carbs in meals can be confusing. What foods contain carbs? Which carbs are good for me? Which ones should I avoid?

Given how pricey they are in the market, growing this fruit may seem challenging! But with attention to a few details, it’s fairly easy and super rewarding! Homegrown fresh blueberries are a delight, especially when you have endless buckets to relish. Follow these tricks to double your blueberry harvest in containers or your garden!

Seeing hummingbirds delight at backyard feeders is one of the many joys of birders across the South, but making sure they are kept happy–and staying at your feeder–can be an overwhelming thought.

Header image: A suited astronaut uses a touch panel in the Dragon capsule. Image credit: SpaceX

An apple a day keeps the gardener happy and busy, but does it grow in Texas? Yes—but not all varieties! Some apple trees are well-suited to thrive in the Lone Star State’s subtropical to temperate conditions. Let’s find out the best ones for your Texan homestead!

When it comes to perennial vines, it’s hard to top the beauty of blue passion flower (Passiflora caerulea, Zones 7–11). This South American native plant is well-suited for the heat and humidity of the southeastern United States. One of the hardiest passion vines, it will reliably overwinter in Zone 7, or even Zone 6 when provided with extra winter protection. Learn more about choosing the right passion flower vine for your garden here.

Florida’s climate is one of its most important assets. Nicknamed the “Sunshine State,” Florida boasts a humid subtropical climate in the north and central sections along with a tropical climate throughout a majority of the south. The state's native plants are already well suited for its climate and soil conditions, so they can usually thrive without additional irrigation or fertilization.

Header image: Cilantro seedlings grown in 100% recycled glass material. Image credit: Andrea Quezada

Ladybugs, or lady beetles, are insects in the beetle family. There are about 5,000 species of these tiny insects, and most of them are quite helpful. Although best known as a red insect with black spots, ladybugs come in a variety of colors, and some have stripes or no markings at all.

There is no way to sugarcoat the challenges many of us in the Mid-Atlantic region have faced this summer. The inconsistency of rainfall and the extreme high temperatures have greatly impacted our efforts to garden successfully. Even with valiant efforts to apply supplemental irrigation, I have witnessed a wide range of plant material showing signs of drought stress that I have rarely witnessed in my 15-plus years of gardening in this region. To say it is cause for concern would be an understatement. As a result, in the last few months I have been repeatedly asked how we can prepare our beloved gardens to reduce heat and moisture stress for future growing seasons. One answer to this conundrum is to add organic matter to the soil in the form of compost.

When walking through my woods this time of year, I’m looking for cranefly orchids (Tipularia discolor) in bloom. It is a delicate perennial, terrestrial orchid that grows in deciduous woods. Cranefly orchids are found growing in decaying organic matter, and they grow best in moist, well-drained soil. It is the only Tipularia species that is native to the southeastern US and grows in USDA planting zones 6A to 9B.

Got pests? Encourage native ladybugs to inhabit your garden instead of buying wild-harvested ladybugs to manage unwanted insects. Purchased ladybugs are expensive and potentially disease-carrying, threatening native bug species already living in your garden and the surrounding area. Your best bet is to attract and encourage native ladybugs to thrive and flourish, which will responsibly deter unwanted pests.

If you're craving a pop of color in your home, Behr is here to help with their 2025 Color of the Year, Rumors.

We like it when anything and everything around us reminds us to rush to the garden and love up the flora in our space—even letters of the alphabet! Today, we’re focusing on trees that start with the letter R.