Seeds Ideas, Tips & Guides

Photography by Mangiwau / Getty Images

Mizina / Getty Images

On the United States Department of Agriculture's Plant Hardiness Zone Map, Zone 6 is a band stretching in latitude from eastern Massachusetts to northern Virginia, spanning much of the nation's midsection until it crosses the Rockies and heads north to the interior of Oregon and Washington. Zone 6 has an average annual minimum temperature of -5 to 10 degrees F, so plants need to withstand a solid freeze.

Planting pole beans should be on the to-do list of every vegetable gardener. Not only are they a reliable crop, but the vining plants are serious space savers and produce a far larger harvest than bush beans when given the same square footage. In this article you’ll learn when and how to plant pole beans, the best site for the vines, and how to care for the plants to ensure the best possible harvest of tender snap beans. Why you should be planting pole beans in your garden I grow a wide selection of vegetables like tomatoes, peas, beets, lettuce, a

Cosmos are sun-loving plants with a long flowering season. They fill borders with a profusion of flowers, ranging in colour from white through to pink, red and orange, and they have masses of feathery foliage.

Sometimes, the healthiest-looking seeds may not sprout, wasting your time. However, if you use these tips, you will know quickly if the seed is viable for germination and save a lot of waiting time!

Although June’s abundance of bloom and colour has moved on, July has brought its own striking sights throughout the garden – plants blooming for the first time, growing much taller than usual or otherwise making an impact in a way they never had before. I have already shown Clematis ‘Prince George’ a number of times this year, but it is now flowering literally from bottom to top and I can’t resist sharing it again (below). The individual blooms are delightful too, intriguingly crinkly (above).

How to Grow and Care for Queen Palms Syagrus romanzoffiana

Let’s face it: Mulching isn’t a glamorous job. It’s dusty, dirty, and can be downright backbreaking. But despite all the effort involved in the task, mulching your vegetable garden properly at the start of the growing season pays big dividends as the weeks progress. With a 2- to 3-inch-thick layer of mulch in place, trips to the shed for a hoe, cultivator, or hand weeder become few and far between; the hose stays coiled on its reel; veggie roots remain insulated from temperature extremes; and soil-borne fungal spores stay far away from plant leaves. There’s no doubt that the benefits of mulch are many, but the truth is that not all mulches perform the same.

Whether you are renovating a weedy lawn or overseeding existing turf, timing is critical to establishing a healthy, robust lawn. Proper timing ensures good seed germination and allows grass seedlings time to establish a healthy root system before the environmental stresses of summer or winter arrive. In turn, a healthy grass stand is better able to compete against weeds and requires less maintenance. We visited with a lawn expert to learn more about the ideal time to reseed lawns, factors to consider, and techniques for achieving a lush and healthy lawn.

How To Propagate Bird of Paradise Plants

The world has finally begun recognizing the value of indigenous, perennial plants in restoring diversity. Therefore, we have compiled a list of native American herbs and spices that lend stunning flavors, are replete with medicinal uses, and lure endemic wildlife back to your backyard.

As we enter the dog days of summer, many of us are buzzing about with trips to the beach, firing up the old grill, and celebrating our country’s independence. In between our attempts to pack as much into the warmer months of the year as we can, consider growing a plant that symbolizes the peak of the season like no other, the sunflower (Helianthusannuus, annual). Though considered in some circles a somewhat pedestrian plant that befits only the beginner gardener, there are many reasons why growing sunflowers are a boon to your garden. Learn all about how and why to grow annual sunflowers below.

Deadheading Petunias: How to Remove Spent Flowers

Most flowers take months to produce a single bloom, but not those included in this list! Compiled for the eager gardener, these quick blooms emerge within a month after planting their transplants. Start their seeds well in advance and transplant them at the right time to get quick blooms. Let’s explore!

Squirrels and chipmunks won’t just irritate you by knocking over plants and pots; these adorable mini monsters cause immense damage by digging up bulbs and burying nuts and seeds in pots. But we have just the right tricks to help you keep squirrels out of potted plants without harming them!

Struggling to extend your growing season and protect plants from adverse weather? A greenhouse can be a game-changer for gardeners, even those new to the concept. In this guide, we'll cover essential tips for setting up and maintaining a greenhouse garden effectively. 

Not new to the garden, that is, but new this year, like ‘carpet rose’ ‘Magic Carpet’ above, which has come into flower just in the last week or so at the end of the shrub border. On this raised bank, it is perhaps the ideal type of rose to loll about here, but it does seem to start flowering several weeks later than all the other roses and probably even later this year. Campanula ‘Loddon Anna’, shown below with white Sweet William and a pink flowered Stachys officianalis, possibly ‘Cotton Candy’, is certainly later as she is normally in bloom along with alliums in May/June.

The European Union is set to impose new tariffs on a list of American goods this week, including a number of agricultural products. 

How to Grow and Care for Ceanothus (California Lilac) Ceanothus spp.

Savvy gardeners know that deadheading spent blooms keeps annuals and many perennial plants looking their best week after week. But not all plants require deadheading. Some plants continue to bloom their hearts out with little to no pruning, while others are self-cleaning, meaning spent flowers drop off naturally by means of wind, rain, or plant growth. These plants keep on blooming even when you don’t remove the old flowers. If you’re looking to save time in the garden, consider growing plants that don’t require deadheading to stay in bloom.

Whenever a flowering season arrives, you panic. Instead of frolicking in a garden full of blooms, you find yourself running away with itchy rashes, watery eyes, and convulsive sneezes! You’ve got a bad case of pollen allergy, and we’ve got the remedy! Here are the best hypoallergenic flowers with a low pollen count so you may enjoy allergy-free gardening.

One of the first things to get me hooked on gardening was an illustration of delphiniums in full bloom. The otherworldly beauty of their soaring flower spires in shades of peacock, sky and electric violet was mesmerising and I coveted them instantly. Too many decades later I feel the same way, except now I know how difficult they are to grow well.

When we think of grass, manicured lawns come to mind. But the grass is so much more than just pricey green decor! Many native flowering varieties are crucial hosts to beneficial pollinators and lend vivid textures to dull landscapes. With this list of grasses that attract butterflies, you can turn your garden into a gorgeous biodiversity hub!

If you’re a pepper geek like me, you start to anticipate the homegrown pepper harvest as soon as the seedlings are planted in the garden. Pepper plants start off slow and you may wonder how to make peppers grow faster so that you can start picking hot and sweet peppers as soon as possible. In this article you’ll get tips on encouraging quick growth from your pepper plants as well as an early harvest. Why it’s important to know how to make peppers grow faster Whether you live in a region with short seasons like me or one with lo

How to Grow and Care for Fothergilla Fothergilla spp.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

What I love about my vegetable garden at this time of year is that it is almost as full of flowers as it is with fruit and veg. Alongside the rows of beans, kale and lettuce, beds are edged with marigolds or zinnias, and there are obelisks of sweet peas at either end of a bed (or sometimes in the middle). I also let a hollyhock or two seed around, as well as opium poppies, toadflax, ammi and verbena. Growing flowers alongside vegetables – or companion planting, as it is known – is something I’ve always done. There is no particular science to it, but the flowers attract more pollinators, which will in turn help the pollination of your crops. They can also lure the less beneficial aphids and other pests away from the vegetables and fruit; blackfly, for example, will colonise Ammi majus, lessening the chances of an infestation on your broad beans. And, more than anything else, letting flowers creep around the edges of your vegetable plot makes it look so much more attractive.

July growing with Rachel

I was planning on taking the contents of whatever vase I created to Julie, whose Pilates class I have been attending for 12 years but who is stepping down as of today; however, she is poorly and unable to take the class so I will arrange to see her with a fresh bunch when she is well enough to mix with people again. I shall miss her weekly classes, but have always enjoyed those taken by her replacement, who has covered for illness and holidays and teaches a slightly different style, so all is not lost.

July growing with Cel Robertson

The Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday that it will approve new formulations of the herbicide dicamba. 

You've worked hard to create a garden that's expecting a bountiful harvest, but you've also worked hard to go on a much needed vacation. The last thing you want to happen is to come home to dead plants and a garden that's long past reviving, so how do you ensure your plants stay healthy and thriving while you're away? We spoke to an expert for their professional take on the things you should do to your garden before going on vacation so you come home to happy, healthy plants.

Any bird enthusiast will tell you that one of the biggest joys is seeing wild birds enjoy backyard feeders that have been lovingly hung and stocked with birdseed. Alternately, nothing can feel more frustrating than when birds aren’t using your bird feeder.

Damp paper towels are sometimes the only help you need to coax stubborn seeds into sprouting. If you think it’s a myth, check out this list of seeds that germinate best, yes, the best in paper towels, and try it out yourself!

19 of the Best Sunflowers for Pollinators