It may feel as though you were just setting up your backyard for the summer, but now that fall is on the horizon, it's time to think about prepping your space for the next season.
06.08.2024 - 09:40 / balconygardenweb.com / Editorial Team
These assassins of the plant kingdom are so toxic that a nibble can be the last thing you taste! This article will help you identify and steer clear of fatal flowers that can even kill a human.
Botanical Name: Nerium oleander
This popular evergreen shrub may entice you with its 20-foot tall stature, rough, lanceolate leaves, and colorful, fragrant, funnel-shaped flowers that are so easy to grow and manageable. But it’s a trap! All parts of it contain a compound called cardiac glycoside that is toxic to humans, dogs, cats, livestock, and birds! Pollinators like bees and butterflies, however, flock fearlessly to its pink, red, and white flower clusters.
A common flower in landscaping because of its ability to tolerate poor soils, it does pose a risk to those with children or unaware of its deadly traits!
Botanical Name: Atropa bella-donna
If only it looked as deadly as its name! If you spot a drooping, purplish wildflower growing in the wastelands of Europe, turn around and walk away. This plant has alkaloids like atropine and scopolamine that are toxic to humans, pets, and livestock.
Aptly named after Atropos, the Greek fate that cuts the thread of life, it was used by women in the past to dilate their pupils for cosmetic purposes.
Botanical Name: Brugmansia
Next on our list of flowers that are fatal to humans is an evergreen tropical shrub or tree with beautiful pendulous blooms that comprise tropane alkaloids. If any of the parts are ingested, leaves, flowers, or seeds, these alkaloids can lead to life-threatening symptoms and even death.
Moths and bats pollinate Angel’s Trumpet due to its fragrance and nocturnal blooming, but it is toxic to pets and livestock as well. Moreover, it has been identified sitting under it in a
It may feel as though you were just setting up your backyard for the summer, but now that fall is on the horizon, it's time to think about prepping your space for the next season.
The glossy mahogany-brown nuts of the horse chestnut or conker tree, are commonly known as conkers, after the game played with them by generations of children. However, unlike the nuts of the similarly named but unrelated sweet chestnut tree, conkers aren’t edible to humans unless cooked. However they are widely used for crafts such as model-making as well as games.
With fresh yellow petals and near-black centers, Rudbeckia hirta is a pioneer plant that blooms profusely from early summer to late fall. So, adding flowers that look like black-eyed Susans means you can enjoy golden abundance and a seamless line-up of cheery blossoms through the seasons.
The physical structure of these flowers closely resembles an artistic representation of a heart and, hence, will be a unique addition to your plant collection. The best part is that along with their peculiar beauty, they are also easy to grow! So let these flowers be the “heart” of your garden!
Scent is powerful, triggering memories from long ago and transporting us to faraway places. In the garden, fragrant perennials often connect us to childhood walks through our grandparents’ gardens or summer days spent gathering bouquets. Aromatic flowers and foliage also play upon our emotions. Some scents are soothing and can be used to enhance outdoor seating areas to help us unwind after a long day. When planted near the front door, fragrant perennials make an alluring first impression. Fragrant blooms also attract a diversity of pollinators to the garden.
Just like how a little cortisol keeps us on our toes, a little stress can bring out the best hues in your succulents! We share varieties that respond to changes in their habitat by changing colors. If you want rainbow foliage in your home with the least effort, these are perfect!
We’ve all been here—when we casually step out to admire a bloom-filled garden in shorts and cuppa in hand, only to be ravaged by bloodthirsty mosquitoes! But this fear ends now! We give you plants that mosquitoes really hate—grow them and naturally repel these dreadful twilight monsters!
There are plenty of performance interior paints and coatings for walls, trim, and furniture that are purportedly durable against scuffs and cracks, and that boast waterproof, water-resistant, or water-repellent properties. While these qualities render them suitable for spaces and surfaces that come into contact with water and cleaning agents—such as a kitchen, bath, or tabletop—they aren’t necessarily durable for painting the exterior, or any exterior component, of your home.
Maybe you’ve already been living your best brat summer, or maybe you’re finally hyped up enough to give it a go—either way, we’ve got the plants to make all your techno-tinted dreams come true. Lime green is definitely having a moment, and if you aren’t familiar, Charli XCX’s hit album, “Brat,” has inspired everything from memes to fashion trends to presidential campaigns to countless TikTok videos. But we’re here to turn pop culture into plant cultivars, so get ready to infuse the now world-famous album cover’s green hue into your plant palette. Read on for the leafy lovelies you can add anywhere from bookshelves to backyard borders that will wrap up your summer with a botanical banger.
While most plants struggle to survive when it’s time for frost, these ones thrive! So, as you layer up in wool and fur and ready your fireplace, these plants shed their shyness and burst into the prettiest blooms in fall; some of these even continue their show in winter! We present to you the best cool-season flowers that love chilly weather. Dig in!
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Chances are, if you have a lawn, you have crabgrass! This fast-growing weed thrives despite heat, humidity, or drought conditions. “It’s a prolific seed producer,” says Clint Waltz, PhD, turfgrass extension specialist at theUniversity of Georgia. “If you do nothing about it this year, expect a higher and more dense population of crabgrass next year.”