Watering Ideas, Tips & Guides

The carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua), also known as the locust bean tree, is a perennial tree native to the Mediterranean, where it has been cultivated for centuries. It has attractive, leathery, dark-green evergreen leaves, small scented flowers and edible pods. Carob seeds are so consistently similar in weight that they became a standard measure of weight for precious items such as jewels and gold. If a jewel balanced the scales with five carob seeds on the other side, it was said to weigh ‘5 carobs’, which became ‘5 carats’. This figure is still used today, with one carat equal to 200 milligrams.

Zinnias are easy to grow and have a long bloom time. They also attract plenty of pollinators, making them the top choice for any garden. So, if you need never-ending zinnia blooms in your garden, here are the best tricks!

The ponytail palm (Beaucarnea recurvata) is an eye-catching and low-maintenance house plant. Despite its name, it’s not a true palm but belongs to the Asparagaceae family. Originating from Mexico, it’s also known as Nolina (its former genus name), the elephant’s foot tree or bottle palm due to its swollen trunk base. Its unique appearance, resilience and ease of care make it an excellent choice for beginner and experienced gardeners.

Choosing a container for any plant might not seem a big deal, but it plays a crucial role in its health. While choosing a pot for spider plant, you need to take into account the spread of its roots and watering requirements. If you’re sure which one to go for, well, no worries, mate! We have got your back!

Like every other plant, if you aren’t going to take the right care of petunias, they will shrivel and die. If yours is going through a tough time, you can revive it with these tips!

Between all the cleaning solutions, products, and tech out there, it can be confusing to know where to start when it comes to creating a fool-proof cleaning arsenal. And when you’re short on space, it’s important to have less—rather than excess items. After all, the whole point of cleaning is to minimize clutter. 

How and When to Fertilize Basil

You don’t necessarily need a green thumb to have thriving houseplants. There are plenty of low-maintenance varieties to choose from. However, if you still find yourself in a situation where your houseplants could be doing better, it may be because you’re making common houseplant mistakes.

If you're in the process of making your big spring cleaning to-do list, you'll want to be sure that the following six spaces are accounted for in the process, experts say. There are often many forgotten parts of the home that definitely should be tackled to ensure that your space looks as sparkly clean as possible.

It’s April, that most magical of months, when nature’s life force quickens day by day and every tiny seed sown is a powerful spell racing to transform itself. With that in mind, below are 10 fast-growing, ultra-productive annuals that I wouldn’t be without, all of which can be raised from seed sown in the next couple of weeks.

If you’ve been looking for organic fertilizer to help your garden flourish this spring, you might need to look no further than your kitchen cabinets. Sourdough starter is an easy way to give your plants a well-rounded fertilizer that will help them grow and even prevent diseases.

Plastic bottles are often, but not always, great candidates for the recycling bin. However, there are other ways to give this item a second life before tossing it. It's good to get in the habit of looking for ways to make ordinary items multipurpose.

The internet is full of cleaning «hacks» that promise to change your life, but few of them actually end up being useful enough to incorporate into your cleaning routine. At The Spruce, it's our job to find those unicorns—those game-changers that leave your home sparkling clean using surprising methods.

How to Grow and Care for Thimbleweed Anemone virginiana

You can grow these herbs and spices from cuttings and divisions very easily without waiting too long for the harvest! A sunny windowsill will be more than apt for most of these!

Left: Arnold Turner / Stringer / Getty Images; Right: Claudia Totir / Getty Images

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The monkey puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana) is a large evergreen tree with a distinctive shape – its often horizontal branches are covered in spirals of sharp, triangular leaves. When mature, trees produce large cones at the tips of the branches. 

What is hydroponics?

To enhance the chances of plants sprouting, you need to ensure you follow the right set of rules to roll the green dices in your favour. These are some of the dumbest seed starting mistakes people do without realizing their consequences.

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There are many beautiful indicators of spring: light rain showers, the sun beginning to rise earlier and set later, allergies, and, of course, the blooming tulips. With their soft and elegant blooms and vibrant color variations, tulips instantly brighten up any space.

Spider plants are champions at surviving drought but that doesn’t mean you can water them any which way you want. Doing it in a wrong way will make them droop and die. So, what’s the right way to moisten that soil to ensure they keep on living for years? Read on!

Gardeners often find ingenious ways to solve problems. Below you’ll find tips from our readers that repurpose common household items to great effect. Get an edge on gardening and peruse all of our past gardening tips here.

If you’re searching for gardening gift ideas for Mother’s Day, look no further! A mother who loves to garden would appreciate any of these thoughtful gifts. After all, no mom really wants a new vacuum. Tell her you know what she truly likes by getting her something to start the 2024 gardening season off right. From plants to planters, helpful tools, and more, everyone is sure to find something for their mother on this list put together by Fine Gardening and its sponsors.

Well, that's the way it started… In the last year we renovated our house and there are too many things that are still waiting in our backyard to be reused (good luck with that… ).

South Carolina is blessed with year-round fresh green vegetables, and winter is for collard greens. They grow best in cool weather, and a brisk cold freeze makes them sweet. Collard greens are rich in vitamins and minerals, especially calcium. Just last week, I was fortunate to find a large bag with three healthy just-picked heads for just $3.00 at the farmer’s market and started planning my first-ever attempt at canning greens.

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We've been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our review process.

How to Plant and Grow Watercress Nasturtium officinale

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.

Home is where the heart is—and where all my favorite decor items are, too. Being a design writer means I take creating a comfortable, stylish home seriously. I’m well aware of the transformative power a cozy-as-can-be throw blanket or brilliant organizational item has.  In case you are in the market for decor that balances fun with functionality, I recently took stock of my favorite home items, ones with my forever stamp of approval. Some are investments, some are steals, and all make my house feel a little homier.  Scroll on for 12 of my must-have home products. 

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.

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!

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.