Flower Garden

Add a touch of whimsy to your garden by converting an old bed frame into a real flower bed. Old iron frames work best for this. Find one at an antique or junk store and give it a fresh coat of...

Lenten roses, also known as Christmas roses, offer some of the most beautiful and vibrant flowers you'll find in the late winter or early spring. Though technically not a rose, the vibrant white...

Herbaceous peonies live for decades, adding colorful flowers to the garden and to borders for a few short weeks before their lush foliage becomes a backdrop to summer annuals. The flowers come in...

Rose bushes are beautiful plants that make a lovely addition to nearly any landscape. Insects also find these bushes charming, and can quickly infest and damage a rose bush. While there are...

When you first prepared your perennial bed, you painstakingly removed all the weeds. You added compost and fertilizer to the ground, before you put the perennial plants into their new beds. Maybe...

If your region has had lots of rain recently, you might have mushrooms in your flowerbeds. Mushrooms thrive in moist environments, so if the problem is not wet weather, it could be improper...

If you have a sunny spot with well-drained soil, you'll have no problem growing salvia. There are many different strains of salvia, but all of them will be a showy addition to the landscape, with...

We cannot control the weather but we can be prepared when a frost is predicted. Avoid frost damage to flowering bushes with a few minutes of preventive maintenance. Leaves may be able to...

If you love to garden, you probably aren't too fond of weeds, and grass that grows anywhere other than the lawn is considered a weed. Like any other weed, grass is persistent and, unfortunately,...

Azaleas, one of the most popular spring bloomers and often called the "The Royalty of Flowers," are hardy plants that grow well even with little help from gardeners. They prefer moist (but not...

Daylilies are sturdy flowers that grow wild in most of the United States. When cultivated in a garden, these plants can survive drought, control erosion and bloom year after year. Getting started...

Winter is hard on gardens. Debris from trees and shrubs collects on the beds you cleared off last fall. Weeds begin sprouting long before your hardiest flowers can be transplanted outside....

Although it's an old wives' tale that peonies will not open without the help of ants, the two do have a symbiotic relationship. Ants protect their food source, the sweet nectar on the peony buds,...

You have just bought a beautiful new plant for a reasonable price and can't wait to put it in a certain special place. But once it gets home, you realize your special piece is too small for the...

The best way to get rid of a terrible looking eyesore in your backyard is to pick it up and haul it away. However, we can’t always do this, for one reason or another. To keep this thing,...

Keeping grass out of your flower beds requires a little effort on your part. A hard plastic barrier, more commonly known as landscape edging, keeps out invading grasses and provides a quick way to...

Astilbes, also known as "False Spirea" because of their small, spiky flowers, are perennials that can remain undivided for several years and still live a long time. They grow best in moist,...

The most important step you must take in preparing new flower beds--even before purchasing your plants--is to prepare your garden soil. A little work spent preparing the soil will pay big...

Two events typically coincide with the arrival of spring: planting new gardens, and a renewed discontent for airborne allergens. For people prone to allergies, working in their gardens during the...

Most green plants produce seeds. Gathering them has been done since prehistoric times. Seeds may be stored for later planting, or eaten as food. Many living plants produce an annual seed crop...

Roses are beautiful, sweet smelling and hardy in many climates, but also susceptible to diseases. The most common diseases are black spot, rust and mildew; they're all due to fungi and the...

The delicate blooms of impatiens lining a walkway or spilling out of a pot are a sure sign of spring in many parts of the United States. Impatiens, which are typically grown as annuals, thrive in...

Conditions in flower beds are often very good for allowing weeds to grow. Flower beds offer very little complex root competition and soil that has been recently rotated, and that's good news for...

Mealybugs feed on many plants, including violets. These bugs multiply quickly and can damage your garden in a very short time. While there are retail products that kill insects such as mealybugs,...

Fairy gardens are a style of garden created to attract birds, butterflies and occasionally traveling fairies. While fairy gardens are commonly created outdoors in beds and full gardens, terrarium...

When you purchase a hybrid rose from a store, it is often grafted onto the roots of another rose. That's because although hybrid roses can be propagated from cuttings, the new plant takes...

Hostas are a gorgeous addition to slightly- to heavily-shaded garden areas. They are hardy perennials, easy to grow, and come in a myriad of shapes, sizes, and colors, from solid green to...

Mondo grass and monkey grass are both common names for the Ophiopogon Japonicus plant, a frequently used ground-covering plant native to Japan. Despite its thin leaf blades and grasslike...

Peony plants are herbaceous perennials that produce large blooms and grow to two to three feet tall. It is best to move or divide the plants in autumn after Labor Day. Make sure the ground is...

Blue plants and flowers are unusual and so exotic. You can use them to paint your garden or deck with bold color. Finding true blue flowers can be a challenge, so I've done the research for you.

Although ivy may serve as a great decorative element for some homes, it may also be an eyesore for many others. Not to mention that some ivy plants have the ability to do major damage to the...

Japanese lanterns are related to tomatillos and produce husks that resemble a Japanese paper lantern. These plants are native to Asia and China. Japanese lanterns are annuals and produce a berry...

Taking care of herb plants can be quite fulfilling, not to mention that herb plants have many uses as well, such as in cooking. Like any plant, there are many circumstances when a transplant is...

The lemon lights azalea is a deciduous azalea that shimmers with light yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers when well tended. Prune lemon Llights only after flowering, but don't neglect the practice of...

Growing a spectacular tulip garden can be a cinch, if you are armed with a green thumb and the proper research about this beautiful bloom. Tulips can be planted via bulbs or seeds, both of which...

Cannas are beautiful plants that give a lovely show all summer long. However, they are tropical plants. If you live in planting zones 1 through 7b (which is basically north of Louisiana), the...

Moles are small, insectivorous mammals belonging to the Talpidae family. They typically feed on earthworms, although they've been known to eat grubs as well. According to the Purdue University...

Preen makes a number of products designed to enhance the health and beauty of flower beds. Most of Preen's products are designed to protect flower and vegetable gardens from weed infestation,...

Mock oranges--botanically known as Philadelphus--are hardy deciduous shrubs that flower in early summer on wood grown the previous year. Varieties include the popular Minnesota Snowflake and...

Flower boxes make beautiful adornments for your garden or window installations. You can grow a variety of plants and flowers in these boxes that can add color and personality to any outdoor...

Lilac trees are fragrant, attractive and surprisingly easy to care for. Like many plants, the mother tree produces offshoots--sometimes called "suckers"--that can be removed and planted elsewhere,...

The hibiscus is a perennial known for its large, beautiful flowers that come in a wide range of colors including pure white, bright yellows and oranges, pinks, deep blues and reds. The foliage is...

Though gardenias are most famous for their stunning white flowers, they are actually a type of flowering shrub. There are nearly 250 different species of gardenia worldwide, and many of them can...

Planting tulips is not difficult and is well worth the effort. It is a task that you will enjoy the rewards of for many springs to come. While in some areas September or November may be fine for...

Spider lilies can be grown in pots or easily in your garden. The spider lily plant comes from the Liliaceae family and can grow up to 2 feet tall. Spider lily bulbs grow steadily and produce...

A weather vane can be a decorative accessory or a functioning instrument, depending on where it is placed. To use a weather vane as a measure of wind, mount the instrument high off the ground or...

Confederate Roses aren't actually roses at all, but instead are a shrub or large tree of the hibiscus family. Neither are they Confederate, as they were created in China. Their name comes from...

Bird of paradise plants are beautiful, but they can get out of control. If the plants are allowed to grow too large, they may actually start interfering with housing structures or take over a...

Geraniums are a popular bedding and border flower, blooming reliably in many areas from April through October. Most garden centers sell geraniums every spring, prominently displayed in the annuals...