How To Store Rhubarb & Preserve After Picking

How to Grow a Ginseng Ficus Bonsai

Poinsettia, Euphorbia pulcherrima, is an attractive house plant with dark green leaves and leafy red ‘bracts’ that surround the green-yellow flowers in December and January. They’re commonly used to decorate the home at Christmas. Native to Mexico, poinsettias can be tricky to keep alive after Christmas and most are thrown away after the red bracts have faded and the festivities have ended. However, with a little care and attention it’s possible to keep your poinsettia alive throughout the year and even encourage red bracts and flowers to form in time for the following Christmas.

Basil is a versatile annual herb used in pasta sauces, pizzas, salads and Thai curries. It is a member of the Lamiaceae (mint) family. Sweet basil plants tend to dominate the supermarket shelves, but there are many other exciting types to try when you grow your own.

Strawflower (Xerochrysum bracteatum) is also known as everlasting flower, immortelle and paper daisy. Strawflower plants have an upright habit and branching flower stems topped with many-petalled blooms to 8cm across. Hardy annuals, strawflowers bloom abundantly from summer into autumn, in shades of red, pink, yellow, orange, purple and white. The naturally dry texture of the blooms makes them an excellent choice as cut flowers to use fresh, or in dried arrangements that will last for years. Strawflower grows quickly and easily from seed and lasts for one growing season only.

Learning How to Grow a Big Venus Fly Trap Plant is an art – from selecting the right soil mix to understanding its unique feeding requirements, we’ll tell you everything to make this carnivorous plant a living giant!

Castor bean plants are easy to care for, low maintenance, and they grow very quickly.

Knowing how to treat your Christmas cactus after blooming means you can continue to enjoy its beautiful flowers every year.

Watering Christmas cactus correctly is essential for maintaining your plant’s health and preserving its beautiful appearance.

I love growing squash, but there are some plants that can be rather prolific (ahem, I’m looking at you, zucchini). I don’t like anything going to waste, so learning how to freeze squash can ensure that you will enjoy this tasty vegetable well into the winter. There are different methods you can use, depending on your space and the state you’d like your squash to be in when it comes out of the freezer (i.e. cubed or puréed). And, summer squash and winter squash are require different steps. In this article, I’m going to share a few ways that I prepare squash to go into my frozen pantry—aka the freezer. This also works for squash you’ve bought at the supermarket or a farmers’ market, and don’t have time to cook right away.

Iris is the Flower Named After Greek Rainbow Goddess. This bloom, an amalgamation of color and elegance, mirrors the ethereal beauty of its namesake.

The humble shed should be the hub of activity in the garden. But all too often, this room outdoors becomes a dumping ground for clutter – serving as an overspill for the attic or basement.

Plants have special super powers: the benefits of living with plants at home in general, and in bedrooms in particular, are countless. They make a room look more alive, and your bedside table brighter. Taking care of your plants can also help you wind down after a busy day. Studies have even shown that by simply touching the leaf of a plant for two minutes, you reduce your stress levels! For a healthy bedroom regime, don’t rely on plants alone, however: Good ventilation, fresh bed linens, a comfortable mattress, good pillows, and an extra blanket, if needed, help you sleep better and improve your overall well-being. But not all bedrooms are bright enough to grow healthy plants: maybe there is only one small window or you don’t have a window sill, or maybe you don’t like taking care of even more plants. If that’s the case, or if you don’t want to wake up surrounded by plants (really: who are you?), you may want to rely on some help for healthy fresh air in the bedroom. And that’s where Briiv comes to the rescue! Briiv is an air filter that uses plant power to purify the air. Briiv is as powerful as 3,043 medium size houseplants. So you can enjoy the benefits of having plants in your home without the hassle.