Nan Schiller

I just finished reading the recently published gardening handbook, Midwestern Native Shrubs and Trees: Gardening Alternatives to Nonnative Species, by Charlotte Adelman and Bernard L. Schwartz. It’s available on Amazon, and I can’t wait to tell you about it.I first learned about Charlotte in another book I reviewed, The Humane Gardener

The New York aster, Symphyotrichum novi-belgii, is a showstopper in the late season garden, taking center stage as summer flowers fade to memories.We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our l

Tropical Christmas cactus is an easy-care houseplant with blossoms in shades of pink, red, white, and yellow that open during the fall to winter holiday season.The name is a catch-all term that inc

Cactus longhorn beetles, Moneilema spp., account for 20 of the 35,000 species in the large Cerambycidae or longhorn beetle family.We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you

Unlike tender annuals, cold-hardy herbs live beyond the growing season, going dormant in the winter and returning again in spring.We link to vendors to help you find r

Tropical garden croton, Codiaeum variegatum, is a striking foliage plant with bold, leathery leaves in shades of yellow, red, and green.Variegation creates a dazzling array of contrasting

Christmas cactus, Schlumbergera spp., is an umbrella term for several species and cultivated varieties of South American epiphytes that cling to trees and rocks for support in the wild, drawing sustenance from rainwater and bits of organic matter in their immediate environment.It is a popular indoor houseplant because of the p

Perennial asters are members of the large Asteraceae family of plants that includes chrysanthemums, daisies, and sunflowers.And while many have a bushy growth habit, only on

Chinkapin oak, Quercus muehlenbergii, is a type of chestnut oak. It belongs to the white oak group of the Fagaceae family of trees that contains beeches, chestnuts, and oaks.We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you bu

Croton, Codiaeum variegatum, a native of Australia and Southeast Asia, may be cultivated as a garden specimen or as a houseplant.We link to vendors to help you find relevan

I was visiting my daughter out West, and on one of our walks, we came upon what turned out to be prickly pear cacti growing on a hillside by the road.One of the flattened paddle-l

The peony, Paeonia spp., is a flowering perennial for USDA Hardiness Zones 3-8 that thrives in full sun. It blooms in springtime, and sometimes early summer.The blossoms are big and flouncy, and are a

Cover crops are fast-growing plants that we sow densely to cover fallow soil.Cover cropping is a common f

For an ornamental highlight in late spring to early summer, fill your garden beds and borders with the luscious blossoms of perennial peony (Paeonia spp.).The Paeonia genus is the only one in the Paeoniaceae family

There’s no better way to brighten up a dreary winter day than with a basket of bright flowers, or a vase of fragrant branches.We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If

Plants add vitality to indoor spaces.There’s something refreshing about having greenery and

Haworthias (Haworthia spp.) are fleshy-leaved succulents that require little water or maintenance to thrive.We link to vendors to help you find relevant products.

Bok choy, also known commonly as pak choi or sui bak choy, and botanically as Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis, is a non-heading cabbage that is native to China.There are dwarf types, called baby leaf bok choy

The panda plant is a fuzzy-leaved succulent suited to outdoor cultivation in USDA Hardiness Zones 11 and 12.We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you

Indoor gardening with terrariums is a fun and attractive way to incorporate plants into any home décor.In Victorian times, renowned physician

Are you pining for spring? Try growing Galanthus flowers. More commonly called snowdrops, they are some the first to bloom in the late winter and early spring.We link to vendors to help you find rel

Not just another pretty face in a lush and lazy garden, yarrow (Achillea) earns its keep in the worst soils with the least amount of water.If you’ve got barren areas crying out for color, it’s yarrow to the rescue!

Onions are a vegetable garden favorite. They are members of the large and diverse Allium genus that includes garlic and leeks, and are staples in recipes from countries around the globe.We link to vendors to help

Are you looking for a way to extend the use of your outdoor living space well into the winter? A patio heater, fire pit, or both might be just what you’re after!In this article, we’ll teach you everythi

Winter’s on its way, and that means frosty flakes will soon be falling here in the northeast.As autumn gives way to winter and the cold weather brin

Cauliflower, Brassica oleracea var.botrytis, is a vegetable in the Brassicaceae family that includes broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, collards, kale, and kohlrabi.It is a cool-weather crop often referred to as a “brassica”or “cole

The Christmas cactus, Schlumbergera spp., is not a desert cactus.It grows instead in the moist understories of South

Garden croton,Codiaeum variegatum, is a showy foliage species for cultivation in USDA Hardiness Zones 10 to 12 or it may be grown as a houseplant in any region.It has vibrant leaves in assorted shapes

Succulents don’t belong to one genus or flora family. They are various species from multiple genera with specific characteristics in common: fleshy stems and leaves that retain water under desert conditions.In addition to being “water-wise,” enthusia

Tropical garden croton, Codiaeum variegatum, makes a spectacular houseplant.A member of the genus Codiaeum in the Euphorbiaceae, or spurge, family, it

Cauliflower, Brassica oleracea var. botrytis, is a brassica, or cruciferous vegetable in the cabbage family.It grows best in cool temperatures in USDA Hardiness Zones 2 to 11.Companion plants are those that sha

If you are looking for a unique specimen for your houseplant collection, let me introduce you to Cephalocereus senilis, aka “old man cactus,” so named for its covering of white “hair.”We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy

For large, showy spring flowers in USDA Hardiness Zones 9 to 11, you can’t beat the hand-sized, lily-like blooms of amaryllis, Hippeastrum x hybridum.These tropical beauties can also be forced to bloom indoors

Baby’s breath spirea,Spiraea thunbergii, is an ornamental woody shrub in the Rosaceae family. It has gracefully arching stems and slender, slightly-serrated lanceolate leaves.The ‘Ogon’ cultivar, S. thumbergii ‘Ogon’, aka Mellow Yellow, is noteworthy for its early spring bloom

Birdhouse gourds make an ideal gardening project for the whole family. The hard-shelled hanging fruits are not edible but are wonderful for craft projects such as creating decorative homes for the birds. Learn how to plant and grow your own down below.We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from

The Christmas cactus, Schlumbergera spp., is a tropical ornamental plant that thrives in indirect sunlight with moist, organically-rich soil that drains well.These conditions replicate its natural s