Carpenter bees are docile insects with the important task of pollinating our food supplies. But they nest in old wood and often choose inappropriate sites – like our fences, garages, and homes. If you’re experiencing problems with an infestation, join us now for a look at how to prevent and be rid of existing nests.
Deptford pinks are the daintiest Dianthus species with a gentle wildflower look that’s suitable for many garden settings. With good drought tolerance, they’re right at home in naturalized settings like woodland fringes, rockeries, and low-irrigation gardens. Learn how to grow and care for Deptford pinks in this guide.
Showy and perfumed, carnations are beloved in the garden for their colorful, ruffled flowers, heady fragrance, and easy care. Among the most popular of cut flowers, they have a long flowering season, blooming from late spring through to September with regular deadheading. Learn all you need to know to grow carnations.
Bright and vibrant, nasturtiums are easy to grow and low maintenance. Nimble and fast growing, they’re fantastic climbers, fillers, spillers, and ground covers. They’re also edible and make an excellent companion plant in the vegetable plot. Learn how to plant and grow nasturtiums in this guide. Read more now.
With trumpet-like flowers of waxy white and a strong, heady fragrance, potted Easter lilies are a gorgeous accent in the home. And you can easily extend your enjoyment by moving them into the garden to flower for many more seasons to come. Learn how to transplant and care for Easter lilies after blooming in this guide.
When hot summer temps and high humidity strike, the native prairie wildflower Liatris spicata, or blazing star, puts on an excellent show. Tall plumes of feathery purple flowers welcome extreme summer conditions and shine when delicate greenhouse plants wither. Get all the details on this North American perennial now.
Yuccas are handsome succulents with long, spiky leaves and fantastic, tall stalks of creamy white, bell-like flowers… That is, when they show up. Flowering is often absent or unpredictable with these hardy perennials, but a little care and attention can reliably bring on the blooms. Discover our easy fixes now.
Grape hyacinths are beloved for their easy, bright splash of purple in the early spring garden. These reliable bulbs are delightful in showy shades of blue, pink, and white as well. And they multiply freely too, with more pretty blooms every year. Get all the details you need on how to plant grape hyacinth right here.
Carnations, sweet williams, and pinks are long-lasting in the garden and cut arrangements. With a spicy fragrance, Dianthus flowers sport attractive shades of pink, red, white, and purple that bloom all summer long. A stand-out in borders, rockeries, and window boxes, get all the growing details now on Gardener’s Path.
Crocosmia bulbs are ideal for the late summer garden, with graceful wands of tropical flowers in hot, fiery colors that rise atop handsome spears of spiky foliage. Easily grown robust plants, they quickly multiply into dense clumps. Read more now to learn all you need to know to cultivate crocosmia flowers.
Brightly colored with long-lasting flowers, azaleas make a striking statement in the garden. Ideal for borders, beds, and foundation plantings, these shrubs provide months of vibrant blooms, with sweet or spicy fragrance, and pretty fall foliage as well. Learn how to grow and care for azaleas in this guide. Read more now.
Petite, pretty flowers in the early spring garden, grape hyacinths multiply rapidly via bulb offsets and seeds. If they become overcrowded, or spread freely into areas where they’re not wanted, you may wish to lift and move them to a better site. Read our guide now to learn how and when to transplant grape hyacinths.
With bold blooms, bright colors, and sweet perfume, lilies are valued by the gardener and florist alike. Stately and striking, the beauty of many species can be easily enjoyed at home. Learn about how the different types of lily are classified into nine Divisions, and discover 27 of our favorite varieties for the garden.
Freshly picked cherry tomatoes are the perfect healthy snack, and they’re great in salads or roasted on the grill. Easily cultivated, the vigorous plants produce abundant clusters of fruit in containers on the patio or out in the garden. Don’t miss our guide to 17 of the best cherry tomatoes to plant in your garden.
Colorful gems in the early spring garden, the bright blue, mauve, purple, and white flowers of grape hyacinth are an excellent choice for containers as well. Mass them alone for a gorgeous cloud of color or add them to mixed plantings with other bulbs and perennials. Learn how to grow muscari in containers now.
Using kitchen scraps like nutritious banana peels to feed your plants is smart, easy, and a sustainable step toward zero waste. Breaking down quickly in compost bins, worm farms, and garden mulch, they can be brewed into a liquid fertilizer or dried for slow-release flakes. Discover 4 easy ways to compost banana peels.
Striking in the garden and yard, many varieties of grass can be grown successfully as indoor houseplants too. From green, lawn-like grains to fiery-colored carex and quirky rushes, they’re easy to cultivate, low maintenance, and suit a myriad of interior settings. Join us for a look at how to grow grass houseplants.
Attractive, colorful, and unique plants, cacti and succulents are fabulous in containers, and require little care or maintenance. But these shallow-rooted, fleshy plants do need special soil to really thrive – one that’s fast-draining with a sandy, porous texture. Find the best DIY succulent potting soil recipe here.
Beloved for their large, colorful blooms, amaryllis sometimes needs to be staked to keep those magnificent flowerheads upright – and plants forced indoors in small pots are most likely to be top heavy. To easily create your own stakes and loops, or find ones designed for the job, read our guide to staking amaryllis.
Grape hyacinths appear in late winter to early spring, adding beautiful blue and purple flowers with sweet perfume throughout the garden as it emerges from dormancy. But you don’t have to wait for the seasons to change to enjoy these charming blooms. Learn how to force grape hyacinth bulbs indoors over winter now.
Colorful flowers grown indoors over winter, amaryllis bulbs are easy to save for many repeat performances. If treated as foliage plants until the end of summer, they’ll rebloom next winter after a period of dormancy – or plant them in gardens with mild winters. Learn how to care for amaryllis after flowering now.
Peace lilies are easy-care and moderately quick-growing houseplants with soothing, lush green foliage and beautiful, flag-like white spathes. Keep your plants looking their best with a regular feeding routine throughout the growing season. Here are all the steps on how and when to fertilize peace lilies.
Dracaena species are stylish tropicals, popular houseplants that can also grow in gardens with mild winters. And these tree-like shrubs are easy to prune, branching to produce ample new foliage where cut. Keep your plants manageable and looking good with these easy steps to prune dracaena in the home and garden.
Large tropical flowers on tall, sturdy stems, bold and beautiful amaryllis brightens our winter decor with a long flowering time. These long-lived perennials are easily cultivated and can be saved for years of continuous enjoyment. Learn all the necessary steps to force amaryllis indoors in this guide. Read more now.
Spirea are deciduous ornamental shrubs loaded with beautiful, showy flower clusters in either spring or summer, depending on the variety. These tough, durable, deciduous plants are cold-hardy and able to withstand a variety of harsh seasonal weather conditions. Learn how to care for spirea shrubs in winter in this guide.
Aromatic and zesty, refreshing mint is used to flavor a variety of beverages and foods from mojitos to ice cream. Plants are easily cultivated in the garden and go dormant in cold weather – but you can still enjoy this tasty herb year-round by growing plants inside. Learn the easy steps to grow mint indoors now.
Bulbs quickly add fabulous, colorful flowers throughout the garden, but many of the tender, summer-flowering varieties can’t survive freezing temperatures. To ensure their floral displays last for years, learn the easy steps to prepare and store bulbs for winter right now.
Flavorful, nutritious, and easily grown, German White garlic belongs to the Porcelain group of hardneck varieties. With good storage life, this popular choice is a fall-planted variety that requires cold vernalization for big, tasty bulbs that are harvested in early summer. Learn how to grow German White garlic now.
Lilies are summer-flowering bulbs that are tough enough to endure harsh winters in the ground or in containers. They readily survive hard frosts and freezing temperatures, but can’t abide wet, soggy conditions. Bulbs can also be lifted and stored if needed. Learn how to overwinter lilies in this guide. Read more now.
Darkly distinctive, mondo grass is a handsomely unique, sod-forming perennial with graceful, arching foliage. Commonly used in borders and containers, as ground cover, and for underplanting. Highly versatile and low maintenance, it’s useful in both sunny and shade gardens. Learn how to grow mondo grass in this guide.
Delicious and nutrient-rich, butternut squash are pretty, tan-colored gourds with dense flesh that are grown as warm-season annuals. The trailing vines are cultivated in mounds or hills, but compact varieties are also suited for containers and small gardens. Learn how to plant and grow for butternut squash in this guide.
Are you looking to add lovely lavender into your hot climate (Zone 9 and above) garden? There are a number of varieties of this fragrant Mediterranean herb that can flourish in your region, whether it’s dry heat or steamy and humid. Discover 11 of the best lavender varieties for hot climates in this guide. Read more now.
With pretty purple flowers and a soothing scent, lavender is an excellent addition to many garden settings. And though they’re from the warm Mediterranean, there are plenty of superb selections that can overwinter through freezing temperatures and snow. Discover 11 of the best cold-hardy lavenders for cooler climates.
Dainty, starry flowers and sweetly soothing fragrance highlight jasmine’s tender, climbing vines and sprawling shrubs. A perfumed must-have for patios, seating areas, and under windows, container plants can overwinter indoors in cold regions. Learn about 13 popular types of jasmine vines and shrubs for the garden.
Ornamental spring- or summer-flowering shrubs, spirea need an annual pruning to look their best with full foliage and abundant flowers. But with different flowering times, the two types have different maintenance regimes. To keep your shrubs in top form, here are the details on how to prune spirea. Read more.
Lavender is at its fragrant best when plants have ample, dense foliage and plenty of flowers. To keep them that way, regular pruning is needed, otherwise they can become leggy, overgrown, or woody, and flower production dwindles. We’ve got all the details on how to prune lavender for lush, showy plants in this guide.
Clematis are beautiful climbing vines covered with masses of flowers in the spring, summer, or fall garden, depending on the type. Fast-growing, they’re also easy to care for but need annual pruning for gorgeous floral displays. Find all the cultivation details right here, in our complete clematis growing guide.
Basil is an aromatic herb loved for its sweetly spicy flavor. And this fast-growing annual is easy to start from seed and cultivate in the home garden. Propagating your own plants is fun, economical, and highly rewarding as well. To enjoy a steady harvest all summer, here are the details on how to grow basil from seed.
Spirea are flowering woody shrubs in a variety of shapes and sizes, offering multi-season interest for gardens and landscapes. The pretty pink, red, or white flowers appear in summer or fall, and many have color-changing foliage with fantastic fall hues. Read about 9 different types of spirea shrubs for your garden.
Alpine pinks are compact plants with evergreen foliage and colorful, fragrant flowers that bloom late spring and rebloom in summer. The delicate-looking plants are tough, cold hardy, and heat resistant, making them a favorite in garden beds, containers, and rockeries. Learn how to grow Dianthus alpinus in this guide.
Calla lilies feature distinctive flowers that add striking elegance to garden beds, containers, and water gardens. Some varieties can overwinter in areas with mild climates, but many can’t survive cold temperatures and must be lifted. To learn which varieties come back in spring, read about calla lily hardiness here.
A perennial evergreen, ‘Firewitch’ features dainty fringed flowers with an enticing perfume and a long growing season beginning in late spring. The easy-care plants are cold and heat resistant, and the pretty pink flowers rebloom after deadheading. Learn how to grow and care for ‘Firewitch’ dianthus in this guide.
Charming and dainty but renowned for their toughness, Cheddar pinks feature an abundance of brightly colored, fringed flowers in late spring. Blooms have a spicy-sweet fragrance and sit atop handsome cushions of needlelike, steel blue foliage. Learn how to plant and grow Dianthus gratianopolitanus in this guide.
China pink dianthus has beautifully patterned flowers in saturated colors with a sweet-spicy fragrance that’s welcome in any garden. Easily cultivated with a long growing season, they’re highly rewarding and make superb cut flowers too. Join us now to learn how to grow and care for China pink dianthus. Read more.
Beloved for their vivid colors, fanciful fringes, and sweetly spicy fragrance, large pinks are short-lived perennials in the Dianthus genus. Easily cultivated, they add charm to garden settings from ground covers to rockeries and make fantastic cut flowers. Learn how to plant and grow large pinks in this guide.
Comfortable and relaxing, porch swings are the perfect option to spend a little down time lounging outdoors. Styles and sizes vary from single-seaters to sumptuous daybeds – and some come with their own stands, so technically, you don’t even need a porch! Check out our review of 11 of the best porch swings now.
With generous panicles of beautiful, fragrant flowers, the allure of lilacs is powerful. If you don’t have the space for a mature, 30-foot specimen, a good option is to grow dwarf varieties in containers – a smart solution for decks, patios, and other small spaces. Learn how to grow lilacs in pots and planters here.
Colorful and elegant, calla lilies are tender herbaceous perennials that can stay in-ground in areas with mild temperatures but must be lifted in cold weather. Easy to grow with bright blooms and a long flowering season, winterizing these rhizomes is simple as well. Learn all about calla lily winter care right here.
Nutritious, prolific, and easy to grow, Swiss chard is a productive biennial that can be overwintered and harvested for a second growing season in areas with cool or mild winters. But they do best with a little outside help to ensure survival in frigid conditions. Learn how to overwinter cold-hardy Swiss chard here.
As any gardener worth their dirt will tell you, a good tote bag is an important component for saving time and staying organized. It will hold your hand tools and accessories, and keep personal items like a phone, water bottle, and keys safe and easy to access. But not all gear bags are of the same quality. To save you the time and effort, we’ve culled those that don’t make the grade, and sourced only the cream of the crop. Keep reading on Gardener’s Path to find out which ones get our seal of approval!
Calla lilies are loved for their attractive, trumpet-like flowers and upright foliage. Classic white is the standard bearer, but today’s hybrids offer fantastic colors as well as a long flowering time – perfect in the garden or for floral arrangements. Learn about 21 of the best calla lilies for the garden right here.
To extend your iris flowering season, an easy solution is to add a selection of bulb varieties to your beds and containers. Blooming in late winter, spring, and late spring to midsummer, they’re a perfect way to continue the beauty for months. Read on and learn how to grow bulbous iris for the garden in this guide.
Hardy, long lasting, and carefree to grow, ornamental grasses are a mainstay in professionally designed landscapes. With a superb diversity of textures, color, shapes, and sizes they can add drama and flair, or subtle softness. Their applications in the garden are many, and they’re one of the best plants to bring out your inner designer. Discover for yourself how readily these plants will work in your garden with our best tips and tricks.
With a sweet anise-like flavor, tarragon is a delightful addition to French cooking and in a wide variety of dishes. An easily cultivated, herbaceous perennial it makes an early appearance in the garden and can be harvested from March to September. Learn how to enjoy a continuous harvest of tarragon in this guide.
Knowing when to lift garlic for large, flavorful bulbs that also store well is a critical skill that’s well worth learning. Pull them too soon and you’ll have skimpy little cloves. But pull them too late and they can burst their tunics, dry out, or spoil. Learn all about the best time to harvest garlic bulbs now.
Irises are loved for their bright, bold colors and stately flowers. But did you know there are many different varieties of these garden favorites? With the right selection, you can enjoy flowers from early spring through to midsummer. Learn about the different types of irises and their flowering sequence in this guide.
French tarragon is a mainstay of the kitchen herb garden, with a sweet, licorice-like flavor used in a variety of dishes and French cuisine. An herbaceous perennial, cool spring temperatures and afternoon shade in summer produce a bounty of flavorful leaves. Learn all about how to plant French tarragon in this guide.
With an elegant form, sumptuous colors, a delicate fragrance, and elaborate blossoms, the iris is a delightful specimen of early summer. Named after a goddess and used as a symbol of royalty, this flower is easy to grow and multiplies readily. Learn how to enjoy this divine beauty in your garden with this guide.
Because hybrid cultivars don’t grow true from seed, three smart ways to increase and enjoy beautiful azaleas in your yard or garden is to multiply them vegetatively through cuttings or by stem or air layering. Learn how to propagate azaleas for gorgeous new shrubs in this step by step guide. Read more now.
Anemone is a genus of flowering perennials that lend reliable color and allure to gardens from spring to fall. Easy and versatile, they suit a wide range of locations and thrive in full or part sun, a valuable addition to shade and sun gardens alike. Learn all about how to plant and grow anemone flowers right here.
If you like low-maintenance plants that deliver mats of bright color, you’ll love the cheery, daisy-like flowers of Grecian windflowers, Anemone blanda. These low-growing charmers reliably spread into blankets of blooms that appear very early in the season. Learn how to plant and grow Balkan anemones in this guide.
Do you fancy the idea of picking tasty, tangy cherry tomatoes fresh from the vine? Easy to grow and vigorous, they produce an abundance of bite-sized fruit in an array of beautiful colors. Among the earliest to ripen, they deliver a long season as well. Get all the best tips for growing cherry tomatoes right here.
Kale is a frost hardy annual that’s grown for its nutritious, flavorful leaves in fantastic colors and fanciful shapes. And it’s just as easy to grow in pots or containers as in the ground. Learn how to plant up a few pots for the kitchen garden right now, then enjoy its beauty and health benefits well into winter.
Do you mourn the loss of color when summer ends? Well, instead of living in the gray zone for six months, add some bold, vibrant color to the late season garden. We’ve rounded up 11 of the best ornamental plants that will add interest and vibrant hues to your fall garden. Join us now for a closer look.
Pretty colors, a knockout fragrance, and easy growth are the hallmarks of garden pinks. Old-fashioned favorites, new cultivars add to their charm with improved growth, a longer bloom period, and vibrant color combos in pink, red, and white. Learn how to grow these enchanting flowers here on Gardeners Path.
For a bright end to the dreary winter, daffodils are an easy-to-grow spring favorite, providing up to four months of delightful color and perfume. Lovely as a fragrant, long-lasting cut flower, bulbs can even be forced to bloom early indoors . Join us now for a look at all the details on narcissus care and cultivation.
Fresh, crisp, and succulent, salad greens are best suited to grow in the early days of spring. But with a little planning and ingenuity, you can enjoy these tasty morsels almost every month of the year. Get all the details right here on the best growing conditions and environment for a steady harvest!
With their bright green foliage, juicy colors, and tumbling habit, ivy geraniums are an essential plant for any area that needs trailers – containers, hanging baskets, window boxes – and can even be used as ground cover. Join us for a detailed look at the best care and cultivation practices for this pretty pelargonium.
If you love to make your own Christmas decorations but don’t have a lot of free time to handcraft a wreath, make a swag for the door instead. Fast, simple, and easy, they add a gorgeous splash of fresh seasonal color that will look good for weeks. Join us now for a step by step tutorial!