zinnias, one color at a time

Carson Downing. Food Styling: Kelsey Moylan

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With over 30% of Brits admitting their mother is the most important person in their life and half coming to realise they are indeed turning into their mums, it’s no surprise we don’t scrimp around Mother’s Sunday.

Hesitating between a polytunnel and a greenhouse? Both types of structures are used for growing a wide variety of crops and flowers. People usually wonder which one to choose as both constructions serve the same purpose.

Moving is an undertaking, no matter how you slice it. Navigating the renting or buying process, finding the funds to invest in a new place, and packing up all of your belongings takes a lot of time and effort. Often, overwhelmed by everything else, we forget about the money that goes into actually making the move. You'll need to finalize your budget and make sure you have what you need to move before getting started—but what does it really cost to move? Home services website Angi surveyed 1,000 people to find out just how much it takes, so you can be better equipped for the next big transition.

For those who are looking to buy a home for the first time, the feat can seem like quite the hurdle. With housing prices and interest rates still high, and a competitive market, it’s tough out there! And the number of first-time home buyers are dropping, too, because of those high prices—according to personal finance site WalletHub, 26% off home purchases were made by first-time home buyers in 2022, down from 34% the previous year.

Tested by Marti Neely, FAPLD

Well, the answer is not tricky. Keep them well maintained, provide optimal growing conditions. Give access to full sun or provide some shade, if you’re growing a flowering plant like impatiens. Besides all these basic requirements, here is this most important tip, which can improve the productivity of your flowering plants–Deadheading.

Want to brighten up a shady spot in your summer annual containers? Caladiums are an excellent choice. Due to their insignificant flowers, caladiums are grown for their colorful foliage. The leaf colors range in a wide variety of red, pink, white, and green combinations with contrasting leaf margins.

Japanese anemones or windflowers (Anemone x hybrida) are especially attractive additions to a partially shaded landscape. These beautiful perennials bloom in fall starting the second year, i.e., after becoming well established in the soil. Many shades of pinks and white are available, but the intense pink flowers against the dark blue-green foliage of ‘Lucky Charm’ Japanese anemone is outstanding!

Anemone coronaria is not your stereotypical spring-blooming face that you see around here. It originated in the Mediterranean regions, and its Greek-origin name is a reference to the wind – hence the common name of windflower – as it can be described as dancing in the wind on a spring day. Anemone is becoming more commonly available in retail outlets and, in my opinion, is a much better pick for long-lasting color in Southern landscape beds when compared to the infamous tulip. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love a good tulip, but they are notorious for being a one-hit-wonder in our landscapes, never to be seen in flower again. Often, the only traces of a tulip’s former existence is its unremarkable foliage that peeks out from underground for a brief moment each year. I have been impressed and delighted with the colorful show Anemone provides in the landscape. In my landscape, they have faithfully emerged from the soil year after year, forming an ever-denser patch. These traits make them a top choice spring-blooming bulb to add to the garden over tulips any day of the week.