Plants Ideas, Tips & Guides

In the rhythmic dance of nature, gardens become living canvases, where flowers and plants weave a tapestry of colors, scents, and textures. There is a verdant realm of unique and captivating ways to adorn outdoor spaces. Let’s start our botanical journey as we explore unconventional methods to embellish gardens, turning them into enchanting sanctuaries that delight the senses like the same-day bouquet delivered to our doorstep.

The fragrant blooms of sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) give this flower its name. This cool-season annual is known for its profusion of white flowers. There are also lavender, pink, and purple blooming varieties available. It pairs well with other spring flowers like pansies, violas, dianthus, snapdragons, etc.

Chilly months pose a challenge to grow plants outdoors, but you can definitely start some beautiful ones indoors! The specimens in this list look stunning and propagate easily, too!

White ZZ plants are not exactly “White” but have a tint of yellow and white on the leaves, which makes them appear very different from the regular green and rare black types.

Today we’re in Phoenix, Maryland, visiting Sally Barker’s beautiful garden:

Picking the right flowers for herb garden can be a vital to use Allelopathy, Pest Management and Polyculture. Let’s have a look at them in detail.

Popular for their striking vivid flowers, these plants also have some doppelgangers growing in the wild! Welcome to the world of weeds that look like hollyhocks!

If you are not sure whether indoor plants attract bugs or not, and don’t have any idea on how to spot them on your green friends – well, we are here to help!

27 of the Best Dahlia Varieties for Your Garden

If you've always wondered how to fully bring the outdoors into your home, designers are here to help. Below, pros weigh in with handy tips for how you can add natural touches to your space, whether it's large or small.

I am hoping for some coloured Heucheras for Fathers day later this year – well hope is free!

Six DVD’s in a boxed set ‘A Year at Kew – The Collection’ (Series 1-3) with Alan Titchmarsh is available from Amazon  in time for a Christmas gift. Over 1000 minutes of gardening in a month-by-month journey via the BBC through the world’s greatest botanical garden.

From the lone Irish yew tree, first discovered growing in Co Fermanagh in the 18th century, whose countless offspring now flourish in gardens all over the world, to the great Irish gardeners, garden makers, planthunters and plantspeople who have made valuable contributions to the world of horticulture, we have many reasons to be proud of our unique gardening tradition. Here are some suitably horticultural ways to celebrate Ireland’s “40 shades of green”.

We bought an old house and have been working extra hard on a self-build extension and house renovation for the last seven months. We have installed a big fixed window pane with the idea of looking out on to a lovely green back garden, but at the moment it is just a mound of earth, derived from the dig to get foundations done. What can I place here that will green quickly and also be bee and bird friendly and give us some nice colours and view for this summer? Would a wild flower meadow be the way to go until we figure out what to do with space or what can you recommend that is eco and purse friendly? RH, Co Dublin

My book de Jour is ‘Fifty Favourite Roses’ Michael Gibson. A second reading has given me some new insights and some varieties to look out for: 5 petalled Tea Roses Dainty Bess,  Mrs Oakley Fisher (golden) and Ellen Willmott (white) rugarosa Robusta and colour changing Mutabilis

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Whenever I am working to resolve water problems in a landscape, I must acknowledge that water will always win. The best we can do is creatively direct it toward the areas where we would like it to end up, with a focus on minimizing erosion damage and retaining as much water as possible for use on site. Plants can be part of the solution, and some erosion control systems even double as useful outdoor spaces like patios and walkways. Here are a few ideas to get you thinking about how you can manage rainwater in your own garden.

How to Protect Flower Bulbs From Rodent Damage

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From the eye-catching Edelweiss that thrives in the majestic Alps to bright and playful Cornflowers that are a common sight in the lush countryside, all German flowers have a story to tell, which we will discover in this article!

My career in ornamental horticulture has led to the development of a working theory: Ornamental grasses are an acquired taste for most gardeners. This theory grew from personal experience (my tastes have changed significantly since growing up gardening on the Front Range) and from similar opinions expressed by several folks I’ve coached. I think this delayed appreciation stems from a realization that grasses can excel where perennials fail. Ornamental grasses may lack flash, but they offer four-season appeal, eye-catching forms and textures, and superior tolerance to harsh weather; in addition, they give gardens an immersive feel thanks to their penchant for gentle movement.

We’re back for more of Cherry Ong’s visit to a great garden today, one that she saw on a tour organized by the Vancouver Hardy Plant Society last summer. This is a collector’s shade garden, full of lots of beautiful and unusual plants, including a stunning collection of Podophyllum (mayapples; hardiness varies, but mostly Zones 6–9).

Though you may find it hard to believe, but there are weeds that have a similar apperance to that of a tree! Don’t be in awe! Find the below!

Did you know that you can use shower curtains in your garden to add depth to small spaces, and cover a bland wall or fence? Here are some cool ideas for doing it right!

Be it their color, shape of the petals, patterns, or combinations – these flowers that look like butterfly will remind you of those fluttering beauties!

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Plant pots are a staple of the garden and are fantastic for displaying your favourite flowers and plants both indoors and out. They’re great for all types of gardens and allow those without the luxury of green space to display their work on balconies, decked areas, and conservatories.

The winding peaks and troughs of Arizona’s Verde Valley, weaving through jagged ochre mountains, dreamy cactus-clad deserts and deep volcanic canyons, make up some of the most iconic images of the American West. For thousands of years, the valley has been home to both the Verde River, one of Arizona’s only perennial wild rivers, and to Indigenous communities from the ancient Sinagua and Hohokam peoples to present-day tribes including the Yavapai, Hopi, Apache and Zuni. It is also home to 270 species of birds, 94 species of mammals and 76 species of native amphibians and reptiles. All this makes the Verde River key to the history, culture and ecosystem of central Arizona. 

As we bid adieu to the frosty winter, March arrives with a burst of color and a tantalising promise of warmer days. It’s the perfect time to dust off those gardening gloves and let your inner green thumb run wild (if you haven’t already).

Many children in my programs at the South Carolina Botanical Garden know an enormous amount about non-native honeybees. However, they are astonished to discover the vast diversity of native bees and their immense importance and efficiency as pollinators. In the United States, there are over 4000 native bee species. They range in size from the tiniest fairy bees (Perdita spp.) (found out west) to the giant carpenter bees (Xylocopa spp.). Here are some suggestions to increase children’s (and your) knowledge about our local native bees.

Oxalis triangularis, also known as false shamrock, is an eye-catching bulbous perennial that makes an excellent and long-lived house plant. Bold, dramatic foliage in shades of dark purple to wine-red creates a striking contrast to blush-white flowers borne in summer. The leaves are three-lobed, hence the name of shamrock which it resembles, though is not actually related to. Oxalis triangularis is native to from Brazil. Its leaves have extra fascination because they open during the day and close at night.

Poppies (Papaver spp. and cvs., Zones 3–9) are one of the most beloved and desirable garden flowers, but they aren’t as easy to please as many sources make them out to be. While there are those who will claim that they are the easiest flowers to grow since they often self-seed around the garden with abandon, poppies—especially the annual species—remain challenging to grow for many gardeners. Below I’ll go over some common annual and perennial poppy species, some recommended varieties of each, and how to make them thrive in your garden.

What is a Patio Rose if it isn’t a rose grown on a patio? Patio roses grow bigger and bushier than miniatures and are about 14 -24 inch high, yet they are perfectly formed. H.T. Bush and Floribunda roses grow bigger but Patio roses are easy and decorative.

Vines are a great way to add vertical interest to your ornamental flower beds, and native vines have the added benefit of supporting native insects. It sounds like a win-win, but vines can also be troublesome if planted in the wrong spot. The following four vining plants are native to the Southeast and thrive in a garden setting; plant them responsibly so they can be enjoyed for years to come.

We’re visiting another garden with Cherry Ong today, one that she saw on a tour organized by the Vancouver Hardy Plant Society last summer. This is a collector’s shade garden, full of lots of beautiful and unusual plants, including a stunning collection of Podophyllum (mayapples; hardiness varies, but mostly Zones 6–9).

Here are some amazing specimens, popular for their dark, almost black foliage. You may provide a stunning contrast to other plants and flowers by growing these Best Black Grasses.