How Can I Get a Stump to Rot Quickly?

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!

Can You Grow Garlic From Seed?

Header image: A greenhouse filled with petunias engineered to glow continuously by the biotech start-up Light Bio. Image credit: LIGHT BIO INC.

Helen Norman

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.

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.

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.

There's a long to-do list that begins forming when you're preparing to sell your house, and one aesthetic element that always appears is repainting.

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.

How to Establish a Monarch Waystation in Your Garden Help monarch butterflies by providing essential nectar and host plants in your own Monarch Waystation. The amazing monarch butterfly journey

Well, obviously, you’re not growing these houseplants because they are toxic! But with this deadly and discomforting quality, why grow them indoors at all? Because you simply can’t resist them! Let’s find out what these plants are and why we can’t stop ourselves from loving them.

How to Make a Marigold Garland Make any celebration special with a string of colorful marigold blooms. Follow these simple steps to make a beautiful marigold garland! How to make a marigold garland