Watering Ideas, Tips & Guides

Fungus gnats are a common pest among houseplants. These small flies tend to go unnoticed at first, slowly building their populations by laying eggs on the soil of our container plants. Their larvae feed on fungi and organic matter in our potting soil and nibble on plant roots as well. As much as we'd like, they don't go away on their own. Over time, their numbers grow, and you begin to notice the adults hovering above the soil surface when you water your houseplants.

Christmas cactus is a beautiful succulent all throughout the year, but especially during the winter, you can coax it to produce abundant festive blooms in red, pink, white, and lavender!

African violets have stunning velvety blooms in an explosion of colors and patterns. More popular in the 60s, they are making a comeback as chic and vintage houseplants that thrive indoors!

If you love experiencing life through dreamy, rose-colored glasses, grow these pink-leaved outdoor plants in your garden for year-round color! Emerging in all shades of pink, your garden will look like something straight out of a fairy tale! Check it out!

In my vegetable garden, a winter greenhouse has become the heart of my cold season garden, providing me with homegrown vegetables and herbs from December through March. This unheated structure, which is also featured in my book, Growing Under Cover: Techniques for a More Productive, Weather-Resistant, Pest-Free Vegetable Garden, captures solar energy and shelters a wide variety of cold tolerant crops like kale, carrots, leeks, scallions, carrots, and spinach.In this article you’ll learn about the types of winter greenhouses, get my tips selecting which one is best for you, and discover my top crops to harvest in winter. Why use a winter greenhouse A greenhouse has so many uses in a vegetable garden. It allows me to extend the fall harvest, start s

African violets sure make for beautiful displays by themselves. Among so many different varieties, differing in sizes, flower colors, and even flower shapes, you can literally have a standalone collection of African violets in flower pots and it would look gorgeous.

Please be assured that the title is not intended to reflect how I feel about the vase, but more of an acknowledgment that a pink and white combination always makes me think of ‘coconut ice’, and I am very partial to coconut in cakes and confectionery although not in things like coconut water or any other drink, alcoholic or otherwise. Coconut ice, if you haven’t heard of it, is an old-fashioned confection made from coconut, sugar and milk, one half coloured pink, the other remaining white, and no doubt far too sweet for my taste these days.

Mums are a popular fall flower—they come in beautiful fall-inspired hues from rusted orange to sunset red. They also start to bloom in fall, when all the summer flowers disappear.

Want to make hummingbirds see red? Plant a firebush in your garden. Also called scarlet bush, it is not only among the easiest of plants to grow, but it also stays in bloom throughout the growing season with clusters of tubular red buds and flowers. Because the Southern growing season overlaps the spring and fall migration times of the ruby-throated hummingbird, and red is by far their favorite color, these blossoms will summon them to your garden.

Fall will be here before you know it, and we know what that means—it’s time to bring out thefall decor. Of course, exactly how to decorate your space for the season may be trickier than it seems. As you’re deciding which route to take, why not consult your zodiac sign?

Fiddle-leaf fig plants (Ficus lyrata) are loved for their large, green, glossy foliage, which makes them beautiful houseplants. However, caring for this plant can sometimes be tricky, mainly in fall and around the onset of winter when many gardeners notice their plant starts dropping leaves.

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Chrysanthemums or mums are a must-have for autumn décor. They are perfect for pairing with pumpkins and gourds, and steal the spotlight with an explosion of blooms in fiery red, orange, and yellow hues that echo the autumn foliage. You’ll also find vibrant pink, lavender, and even white mums to dress up containers and gardens. Mums are easy to care for but require regular watering to keep them flowering for many weeks. How much water plants need and how often you should water mums varies depending on where the plant is growing. Follow these simple tips to determine when to water mums and keep them looking their best all season.

It's back-to-school season, which means things could get a little messy in your home and of course, on your clothes. Arts and crafts are all fun and games until you can't get the glitter glue out of your beloved favorite dresses or blouses.

The fall armyworm is a native species that can’t tolerate cold very well. They only overwinter in South Florida and the southernmost regions of Texas. Since they can not tolerate cold, we typically have about four to five generations per year. They begin to show up in late May to early June, but the worst damage typically occurs in August. They migrate north yearly, but their populations are lower for some years, and their damage is minimal. Damage seems worse following droughts.

Chrysanthemums are one of the most popular flowers in the world, and they come in multiple colors. To enjoy most of them, follow these tips to boost their flowering. Each trick will help you ensure that these fall garden stars are in the best shape possible.

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

Green leaves are the energy engines that fuel our gardens. Without them there would be no flowers, no sugars for summer tomatoes, and no cooling or oxygenating the air while growing the mighty trees that give landscapes a sense of time and permanence. A gardener’s admiration of leaves can quickly fade, however, when faced with brown leaves blanketing everything from azaleas to annuals, and patios to pools. Leaves are suddenly a problem, something to manage—in other words, work.

When the season changes, your indoor plants’ needs also transform. So, why reduce watering in fall and winter? This modification benefits your plants and helps them confront the oncoming cold and less bright days. Let’s explore the details.

We’ve gathered tips and tricks that you can follow to extend the life of your orchid while keeping it healthy and thriving! Do this after buying an orchid, and you’ll be surprised. Let’s take a look!

The Atlanta Botanical Garden opened in 1976 adjacent to Piedmont Park at 1345 Piedmont Avenue NE in Midtown Atlanta. It now covers 30 beautifully landscaped areas with plans to add an additional 8 acres in the near future.

Have you ever thought about installing a pond in your garden? A pond can offer numerous advantages and serves more purposes than just being a decorative feature. Whether you have a spacious garden or a modest area, a pond can be a valuable addition. Here are five reasons why your garden might benefit from having a pond:

The changing of seasons is always a great time to take on a big home clean out in order to start off on a fresh, organized note. With the end of summer, there are a few specific products in particular that you may wish to part ways with, professional cleaning experts say.

When you picture the perfect fall-styled front porch, it’s safe to assume there are a few staples: a few pumpkins, gourds, and some potted mums.

Keeping up with a family’s worth of laundry is a chore no matter what the season, but when kids head back to school and everyone’s calendar fills up with work, class, and nonstop activities, it becomes a mountain of mess.

Your soil may not need it, your plants may not want it, and it's possible to use it incorrectly. But when properly applied, wood ash can be good for plants. This guide explains how to add wood ash to your garden for optimal plant growth.

From minimalism to sci-fi fandom, this plant’s symmetrical, coin-like foliage, slender stems, and glossy, lush green hues satisfy all sleek decor needs.

Venus fly traps (also called Venus flytraps or just a flytrap) are among the coolest plants you can grow. In their native habitat, Venus fly traps live for years. Unfortunately, they are often short-lived plants in cultivation, but this is only because most people don’t care for them properly. In this article, you’ll learn all the essential basics of Venus fly trap care. Varieties of Venus fly traps There is only one species of Venus fly trap, Dionaea muscipula, and it is native to a small

If you're considering painting your deck, be mindful that experts are extremely opposed to this practice for a number of reasons.

Do you have small black flies living in your house plant compost? Or hovering around your house plants? These are fungus gnats, also known as house plant flies and sciarid flies. They’re mostly harmless – adult gnats cause little or no harm to plants, but they can become a nuisance in the home. Their tiny worm-like larvae live in the top 5-8cm of compost, where they feed on algae, fungi and plant roots. Healthy house plants usually tolerate this minor root damage, but the larvae can harm seedlings or weak plants.

Looking for something unusual to grow in the garden? Look no further than chocolate cosmos, a tuberous perennial with velvety blooms and a decadent fragrance. With showy wine-red blossoms that perfume the garden with the distinctive aromas of chocolate and vanilla from mid-summer through fall, chocolate cosmos entices butterflies and curious gardeners alike. The blooms make fragrant cutting for the vase and plants perform beautifully in containers, where their scent can be enjoyed on patios and balconies. Bring the beauty and aroma of chocolate cosmos to your own garden by learning how to grow and care for these unique bloomers.

Pothos are great houseplants because they’re easy to care for. One popular way to grow them is in water so you can watch them grow right before your eyes. It’s fun and easy to have a green plant in your home without fuss this way. But don’t just do it in boring, transparent glass; use these wonderful Pothos in water ideas.

There are few sights more iconic than a garden full of colorful hydrangea blooms. These perennials make their reappearance in late spring and, depending on the variety, they could put on one stunning show or deliver lush flowers all summer long. But making sure you're set up for the most blooms possible means transplanting any new hydrangeas at the right time.

A vase full of fresh, bright blooms is all you need to dazzle anyone visiting your home. These can liven up the dullest spaces in a heartbeat but cost a pretty penny at the florist. So it’s natural that you want them to stay glorious and live as long as possible! While you can’t make them last forever, here is how to keep cut flowers fresh longer.