Rain Lily Meaning and Why You Should Grow It

Keeping plants healthy and vibrant in the extreme summertime heat can be a daunting task, especially when breezy spring turns to stifling summer in the sunny South. But most who garden or enjoy plants want to ensure that their plants, whether indoor or outdoor, stay hydrated and healthy. No one wants to lose a beloved plant or vegetable, especially if there are simple steps you can take to set the plant up for having a successful growing life. Granted, there are some drought-tolerant plants that fare better than others in the heat of summer, but there are also some easy steps to take that can help most potted plants stay healthy. In fact, there is one specific step that inspires health in a plant, and it’s one step you don’t want to skip when potting your plants.

Herbs and vegetables often need plenty of sunlight and space, which is seldom the case in urban homes and apartments. But we have whipped up a selection of edible plants anyone can grow easily, even in low-lit, compact spaces inside your home. Check it out!

The walled garden in a rose-filled garden designed by Julian and Isabel Bannerman

The flowers of spider lilies emerge on bare stems between August and September. Named spider lily because of its long arched stamens, which resemble spiders legs, these flowers are exotic and bold, perfect for a late summer border.

Gardens are abuzz and harvest baskets are full. Here’s how to soak up the last of the season while prepping for the next.

Nothing provides quite the same stunning impact in a floral arrangement as big, beautiful, blooming hydrangeas. Hydrangeas of all colors—blue, purple, white, pink, and red—make their glorious show in Southern gardens in the spring and summer, whether growing lush as a leafy bush, looking charming in a container pot, or of course, dotting the house in vases after being snipped (or picked up from your local flower shop).

You can give your plant the best soil, container, fertilizer, and water to a tee, but without enough daylight, it will stubbornly wilt and perish, even if it’s a tolerant pothos or spider plant. You obviously can’t force the sun to shine on demand! So, here are the things you should do when growing plants in low light.

Thrifting and antiquing are great ways to decorate on a budget while expressing your own, unique style sustainably.

If you have the good fortune to travel to other countries and see how other parts of the world garden, you know that it can be inspiring. I usually return from travel wanting to incorporate what I have seen into my own garden. Often, foreign travel takes us to climates vastly different than what we experience in the Southeastern United States. Our unique combination of hot humid summers and wet winters makes this a singular place to garden. One of the best parts of gardening is experimentation. I have both succeeded and failed in many garden endeavors. This often happens when I try and replicate something I have seen during foreign travel that cannot be done in my climate successfully. Here I’ve compiled a few memorable lessons and ideas I’ve gained after visiting more than 20 countries on a quest to see the best gardens on the globe.

Mention bougainvillea to almost anyone, and their first images may be of sun-drenched stucco walls festooned in the neon colors of the tropics. From beachside to desert to lush tropics, their exotic vibe proclaims, “I love warm weather!” In the relatively small Nyctaginaceae family, Bougainvillea is likely the best-known member, with Mirabilis (four-o’clock) and Abronia (sand verbena) being runners up. With bougainvilleas, the color is provided by papery bracts that enclose a small white bloom that is the true flower. Flowering occurs in cycles: as a burst of new growth matures, a bloom cycle begins, repeating many times over the course of a long, hot season. Learn the basics of growing bougainvillea here.

You don’t always need a big garden for greens – a space for a medium-sized pot indoors will be more than enough for these edible vines!

Blazing saddles had nothing on this years blazing Lilies in pots and beds. My current go- too is the oriental ‘Black Beauty’