How to Grow and Care for Saucer Magnolia Trees

My family didn’t grow asparagus when I was a child. We found it. My dad had a sharp eye for the tender green spears that grew wild along roadsides near our home in Piqua, a wisp of a town in southeastern Kansas. He could spot even a single spear when he took the family on Sunday afternoon drives, stopping our Plymouth Fury to gather the crop.

I had never met a fava bean until I moved to Northern California in the early 1980s and started my market garden. I noticed that the local Italian folks seemed to love these strange, giant, puffy-looking beans, so I decided to try growing them. The real eye-opener came when I took my crop to the farmers’ market. It wasn’t just Italians who were enthusiastic about them; I was amazed at how excited customers of Middle Eastern descent got over the favas. They bought bucketfuls! So I figured favas must be a great vegetable.

There is much to love about passion flowers (Passiflora spp. and cvs., Zones 6–11). There are over 550 different species in the genus; some are shrubs and trees, but the ones that are most familiar to gardeners are the tropical-looking, tendril-bearing, climbing, flowering vines. These are the passion flower varieties that fall into my category of favorites. Some of these beauties even produce deliciously complex-flavored, fragrant, sweet-tart fruit.

Monstera andansonii is officially known as the Mexican breadfruit plant although it’s more commonly known as the monkey mask plant. There are a few theories as to where this name comes from – that the shape of the leaf and its hole resembles a monkey’s face, or that monkeys use the leaf to hide behind, like a mask, peering through the holes. It’s a tropical perennial that makes a bold and beautiful house plant in the UK. Monstera adansonii is less vigorous than its relation Monstera deliciosa, and a good choice if you love architectural foliage plants but are limited on space.

There’s a new product that seemingly everyone has been turning to lately: microcement. In the season of the home remodel, it’s no surprise that homeowners are looking for new ways to upgrade their style this summer. It’s the perfect time for outdoor or indoor projects, and microcement can cover both.

There are so many great gardening hacks out there. From using eggshells as fertilizer to creatively sourcing free plants, we all know you can create a stunning outdoor space with plenty of things you can't buy at your standard garden center.

Q: We have anemone in our front garden. It has spread uncontrollably, and we want to get rid of it. We have tried digging it up, pulling the new shoots and spraying Roundup, all to no avail. What do you suggest? RK, Co Dublin

Fuchsias originate from South America

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Most of us think of honeysuckles as twining climbers with pretty, scented tubular flowers, perfect for covering walls, fences and pergolas. But there are also evergreen, shrubby types that make an excellent honeysuckle bush, hedging or topiary. Both belong to the genus Lonicera and there are many different cultivars, hailing from Europe, Asia, the Mediterranean and North America. Lonicera periclymenum (wild honeysuckle, common honeysuckle or woodbine) is native to the UK.

Butterflies are drawn to the scent of nectar, fragrant blossoms, and bright, bold colors. So, if you’re building a garden to tempt these stunning pollinators, it has to be one with extraordinary foliage and sweet fragrances, and these Climbers and Vines are exactly that.

The bamboo palm (Rhapsis excelsa) is an elegant evergreen fan palm. It has bamboo-like stems and fronds of long dark green leaves with blunt ends, making it an unusual, yet attractive, house plant. Several other house plants are also referred to as the bamboo palm, including Dypsis lutescens (also known as the Areca palm, golden cane palm or butterfly palm) and Chamaedorea seifrizii.