LEAF Ideas, Tips & Guides

Cut leaf evening primrose (Oenothera laciniata) is a native, biannual plant. It forms a rosette during its first year of growth and produces yellow flowers on low spreading stems in its second year. The pretty, yellow flowers open in the evening and close during bright, sunny conditions Flowering will last for over a month, and sphinx moths and native bees pollinate the flowers. Unfortunately, the plant also hosts the tarnished plant bug, a piercing, sucking insect that feeds on vegetable and ornamental herbaceous plants.

Tom Stearns is founder of High Mowing Organic Seeds in Vermont, with more than 20 years specializing in breeding, selecting and marketing of organic varieties. From microgreens indoors to baby-leaf to mini-heads and up to full-sized heads in the garden, we talked about timing, spacing and making lettuce happy—even which types hold up best in the heat (and ways to help all lettuce do better when summer arrives).Read along as you listen to the Jan. 14, 2019 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe to all future editions on iTunes or Stitcher (and browse my archive of podcasts here).success with lettuce, with tom stearnsQ. Over the years on the show you and I have talked about tomato h

Charley Eiseman and Noah Charney’s 2010 book is full of photos of all the oddball things you see outside (if you stop long enough to notice!): egg cases and cocoons and all kinds of webs; folded and curled-up leaves as if something’s hidden inside (it is!); and all manner of bumps, lumps, notches, and holes in foliage, bark, you name it. Even tiny previously unexplained pattern in the sand…and soil…a.k.a. tracks and signs of insects.“I’ve always been interested in everything around me,” says Charley, whose Master’s degree is from the University of Vermont’s field naturalist program. “Then someone gave me a digital camera right after I graduated from college, so I started paying closer attention to the little things.  And then I started wishing I had a field guide to tell me what all these signs left by insects and other invertebrates were—but it just didn’t seem to exist.”Charley and Noah took it upon themselves to create that guide, in “Tracks and Sign of Insect

I just call them all fancy-leaf begonias, but they divide into several structural groups:Fibrous-rooted ones have cane-like stems and often wing-like leaves. Rhizomatous types grow from fleshy, caterpillar-like structures inclined to spread over the pot lips or even stand upward. The extra-flashy Rex begonias, which are a little trickier if you get too cool or too hot since they may defoliate in protest, are rhizomatous. I fail with them; my conditions are not to their liking. There are also semi-tuberous and tuberous begonias, with swollen bases, but my collection doesn’t include any

It has joined the perfect long-handled shovel, another tool I just cannot seem to replace since mine broke years ago. Sigh.I am not a bruiser, nor is the person who helps in the garden part-time. We don’t try to rake gravel or too-heavy piles of wet, matted leaves, with a bamboo rake; we know it’s not the right tool for those jobs. But one recent spring we busted three brand new bamboo leaf rakes in their first month of use, raking borders and lawn. The crappy metal strap (above) that h

Much in the same way I deal with everything from tomato hornworms to adult Japanese beetles to Viburnum leaf beetle and tent caterpillars and even the occasional slug in a wet year, my approach to lily beetles is manual–as in pick and squish, or drown.You have to get the adults, and also the eggs, which start out tan and then go from orange to red when they are close to hatching. They can be found wherever there are copulating adults (which is anywhere that adult beetles are, it seems from their flagrant behavior), on the undersides of leaves in uneven lines like a bit of a tiny zig-zag. Squish!Since the beetles overwinter in the soil, the minute lily or fritillaria foliage emerges, there are hungry beetles to damage it, too–meaning if they’re in your area, you probably are already seeing holes. Even if you didn’t get started right away, beg

Gardeners in some areas of Texas where the species is endemic are smiling right now. “I’ve got them all over my backyard,” they are perhaps saying, because the species can be found growing as a self-sowing annual in parts of Florida and North Carolina and Texas, says the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.The H. argophyllus selection I grew in 2012 was a refinement of the straight species called ‘Japanese Silver-Leaf’ (which I expect was so named after being bred in that country, as numerous fine sunflower varieties have been—crossing the genetics of our various U.S. natives). My plants grew from about 5 feet to 7 feet.Various sources say one should hide its awkward-looking “legs” with some other mid

You can ask us anything, urgent or otherwise, on Facebook, or in comments on this website or on Ken Druse dot com, or by using the contact form on either one of our websites.Read along as you listen to the February 19, 2018 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe to all future editions on iTunes or Stitcher (and browse my archive of podcasts here).q&a with ken drusehow soon to start the cleanup?Q. Fro

Its story – how it got here, and what it’s doing and what is being done about it — is also the story of the unwelcome arrival of other invasive exotic organisms that have come to our shores unexpectedly, and found no natural predators or other mechanisms to keep them in check.I got a 101 on the beetle from Lisa Tewksbury, manager of the University of Rhode Island’s Biological Control Lab in Kingston, where she coordinates research on the lily leaf beetle among other invasives. Learn what’s being done by scientists seeking solutions other than chem

Mock oranges are old-fashioned shrubs—like many Spiraea, Kolkwitzia (beautybush), Deutzia—and for the most part not so popular any longer, at least not in American gardens. If you have seen an overgrown one, you’ll know why. Messy, rangy, or coarse are the words that come to mind. The other: they don’t have more than a single moment of interest each year, at flowering time. So why did I add one?This upright, gold-leaf Philadelphus (which tones down to yellow-green in summer and can burn in hot zones in too much sun) solves the latter problem. The yellow leaves make the ‘Aureus’ form, at least, a nice companion for a longer while each year than just the moment of bloom. The messiness problem can be solved with regular pruning so that the thi

Ken is a longtime garden author and photographer, with many books to his credit including “The New Shade Garden” and “Natural Companions” and “Making More Plants.” He can be found at KenDruse dot com.Read along as you listen to the Oct. 29, 2018 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe to all future editions on iTunes or Stitcher (and browse my archive of podcasts here).the october q&a with ken druseQ. Uh-oh. I can hear in y

Radicchio, with its long heritage in Northern Italy, isn’t the only crop with Italian roots that the Uprising team is crazy about, so today we’re going to meet leaf broccoli and cardoon, and some traditional Italian beans and beets, too, that would be just as at home in your vegetable garden.Brian Campbell, with his partner Crystine Goldberg, owns Uprising Seeds just north of Bellingham, Washington, which was the state’s first certified organic seed company and features an assortment of exceptional vege

Curiosity has replaced panic, thanks to naturalist Charley Eiseman, co-author of the field guide “Tracks & Sign of Insects and Other Invertebrates” (affiliate link), who’s decoded some of nature’s beautiful little mysteries for us.Charley is a freelance naturalist, and when he’s not conducting biodiversity surveys for clients, he devotes himself to learning more about the natural world through an e-book he’s created on leafminers, and a North American Leafminer Project on iNaturalist that he started that has some 50,000 sightings submitted. (Above, a mine created by larvae of a moth, Stig

With awesome large and lush green leaves, the monstera looks simply fabulous in any type of decor. If you want to maintain it without a fuss, then learn everything about Split-leaf Philodendron Care here.

Ficus Lyrata Braid is one of the best ways to make this already beautiful plant look more stunning. Let’s have a look at the process of How to Braid Fiddle Leaf Fig easily.  

Have a look at the most lovely Heart shaped Leaf Plants that you can grow in your bedroom to invite romantic vibes indoors!

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Red raspberry leaf is a delicious herb with a ta

When I was working on my book, Grow Curious, I decided that I would include a pressed leaf or flower from my garden in random copies of the book. If you bought a print copy, please turn to page 87 to see if you got one.

You’ve seen it in stylish hotel lobbies and on the Instagram accounts of the trendiest designers. It’s the hard-to-miss, oh-so-dramatic fiddle-leaf fig, also known as the banjo fig, or the lyre leaf tree.These marvelous plants stand out indoors because o

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Here are some Awesome Round Leaf Houseplants that are easy to grow and will look cute in your plant collection!

Hoyas are popular houseplants known for their unique and beautiful flowers, but they also come in smaller varieties with small leaves that are perfect for those who prefer more compact plants. Small leaf Hoya Varieties or Mini Hoyas are great for indoor gardens, as they can fit in small spaces and are easy to care for.

Give your houseplant a lustrous makeover to boost your lively home decor with these excellentDIY Leaf Shiner Recipes for Lush & Glossy Houseplants that’ll leave your plant foliage with a shine like never before!

Do you want to know how to Unfurl Any Plant’s Leaf? Well, we have a super secret that we’ll reveal in this article! It works for all plants!

If you want to add a certain sheen to your indoor plant collection then include these Silver Leaf Houseplants for a touch of class and elegance.

The trend of fiddle leaf fig is not yet over. It’s still one of the most sought-after indoor plants even though it’s not an easy-to-grow plant but ficus lyrata has its charm. Place it in a boring room and it’ll become dramatic and lively, after all, there are not many 6-foot tall handsome houseplants.

Not so long ago my leaf heap was a neat and orderly affair, but as I’ve tidied beds and paths it has got a bit out of hand and every time I add more leaves a mini-avalanche ensues. I’m not too worried though, there isn’t much to add now and as it settles I can gradually get it back behind the barricades. By the time next autumn com

Among the many plants benefiting from this extended autumn is the lemon verbena bush.  I’ve been pushing my luck not harvesting it earlier, but so far it is still looking good.  I will pick th

From bold blooms to striking foliage, there are plenty of options for adding a pop of red to your garden. Here are some of the Red Leaf Plant varieties, all in a fun-loving manner.

I’ve temporarily moved my hurdles that keep critters off my raised beds and used them to corral my ever-growing pile of leaves. Over the years I’ve found that if I don’t do this, the heap sprawls into the surrounding area and I don’t get a decent depth of leafmould to excavate. Wire nettin

Take a look at the Best Round Leaf Succulents! From the mesmerizing Moonstones to the elegant Mexican Snowball, these plants boast a diverse range of round leaves that add an enchanting touch to any space.

These houseplants have smooth and velvety foliage that make them look stunning. Add them to your collection if you love to have exotic plants.

By using this creative and easy DIY, you’ll be able to make a leaf bowl on your own, which can be used in many ways! As the fall season is approaching, Making a Leaf Bowl is going to be a lot of fun and you can also involve your kids in this project!

Fern Leaf Cactus Care can be somewhat challenging, but it’s worth the effort as the plant looks so smashing with all kinds of decor!

Pothos can be a centerpiece of your home or garden with their enormous foliage. If you want to know about How to Get Big Leaves of the Pothos Plant, then we have all the information for you!

Rex Begonias has the most unique and intriguing foliage patterns. You can grow them indoors as well, but they are very expensive. But if you know How to Propagate Rex Begonias From Leaf Cuttings, you can make many of them and increase your collection and save money. All you need is one single leaf!