How to Plant and Grow Shallots

Are you a celery fan? Done right, it’s satisfyingly flavorful with a pleasing texture that leaves you wanting more.But it can be difficult for the home gardener to achie

When you think of your favorite winter holiday decorations, do you imagine glossy, pointy holly with bright red berries?I know I do. And if you’ve ever wondered if you could

Also called double late tulips or double hybrids, peony tulips (Tulipa x hybrida) are round and layered with scores of ruffled petals, which makes them resemble a real peony (Paeonia lactiflora).But the two are entirely different flowers.

Ah, garlic. I have a complicated relationship with this fragrant bulb, often called the “stinking rose.”Back when I was a child, I had seve

Some say the plants in this genus are commonly called the peace lilies because the white spathe of their flowers looks like a flag of surrender.I think the combination of columnar central spadix an

Johnny-jump-ups are one of my favorite flowers because they pop up everywhere, placing them among the easiest blooms to grow. They’re determined to flourish.Here’s an example: One year, I grew a container of t

Those of us in cold USDA Hardiness Zones 2 through 5 seem to have the gardening odds stacked against us.We must meticulously plan our gardens because ou

While its primary common name makes it sound like this plant comes from the Caribbean island, Cuban oregano is a plant known by many other names as well, including Mexican mint, Spanish (or French) thyme, and Indian borage.Here’s the funny thing: Cuban oregano is not true ore

There’s nothing like waking up one late-winter day to a field of gorgeous crocus blooms in your own backyard.But when, exactly, do yo

When I moved into my little Alaskan house almost two years ago, it was newly built and knee-deep in a muddy, mostly barren yard.The first thing I did that spring w

What’s round, pear-shaped, or oblong, and often a rich purple color? If you live in the United States, English-speaking Canada, Australia, or New Zealand, you know it as eggplant (Solanum melongena).Or maybe “guinea squash,” if you

Have you always loved the look of ivy climbing a brick or stone wall?While most of us can’t recreate that look at home – and p