Plant Basics

Ornamental grasses have become very popular in home landscaping. They can be used as fillers mixed with other plants or can stand alone in containers. Smaller ones make a handsome border and...

Its smooth leaves and adaptability to the indoors makes jade one of our most popular houseplants. Flowers arrive just in time to brighten winter holidays. But Crassula ovata is more than just a...

The penstemon (pronounced pen-stay-mon) is native to parts of North America and is a member of the snapdragon family. It is sometimes called beardtongue, for the fuzzy "beard" inside each flower.

During the winter months, homeowners are concerned about protecting their outside plants from the effects of the cold. Protecting gardens from frost damage takes time and consideration. It is best...

February Daphne is a deciduous shrub that grows 3 to 5 feet high and about 4 feet wide. Intensely fragrant, lilac to rosy purple flowers appear in groups of two to three on leafless stems in late...

Scientists believe plants evolved from green algae during four periods, beginning with nonvascular plants about 460 million years ago. Vascular plants appeared about 350 million years ago,...

Aloe vera grows into an interesting and beautiful plant. When mature, it presents beautiful flowers and its leaves contain antibacterial and medicinal aloe gel. Once the aloe vera plant blooms,...

If you have the gardening space, growing pumpkins can be very rewarding. Pumpkins are a large, versatile squash that can be used in many savory dishes, soups, puddings, sweets and baked goods. If...

Wheat grass is full of vitamins and minerals, and has a reputation for curing and preventing disease. While there is a debate on just how healthy wheat grass really is, there is no denying that it...

Flies are bothersome pests to any household plants, especially jasmine. The flies lay their eggs on the underside of leaves and feed on the plant's juices. This can cause rapid deterioration of...

Hamamelis is the official family name of the witch hazel plant. Hamamelis Virginiana is the more common of the species in America, although there are four species and several cultivars. Witch...

Blue fescue is an ornamental grass with stunning blue gray foliage. It can grow to a height of 6 to 18 inches and grows well in USDA zones from 4a to 10b. Blue fescue produces white blooms in late...

Over 200 types of thistle plants exist in the world, with most of these in the northern hemisphere. Considered a weed by botanists, thistles are potentially invasive, especially the well-known...

Edible mushrooms are used in cooking to add an earthy flavor to foods. Inedible mushrooms are tasteless, unpalatable, or even poisonous, and can sometimes resemble edible mushrooms. Unfortunately,...

It is hard to imagine a more exotic flower than the tall, striking bird of paradise, also sometimes known as the crane plant. The flower does, in fact, resemble a water bird having a slender blue...

Beautiful but deadly, lilies are known to be poisonous---even in small doses---if ingested by humans or pets, according to Drexel University's College of Medicine and the Cat Fancier's Association...

Boston ferns are good for hanging baskets. Their fronds are very long and full. They do well in gentle sunlight and high humidity. They don't like dry heat. They don't like being brought inside...

Over the centuries, many plant species existed but, as years passed, became extinct. When plants become extinct, they can throw off the entire ecosystem. That is why many U.S. states and countries...

Harvesting plant seeds is not only a way to save money on next year's garden or a way to continue your garden from one growing season to the next. Harvesting plant seeds has become an important...

Staghorn ferns are exotic and beautiful additions to any plant collection. You can use chemical fertilizers on them in moderation--you can also supplement their need for potassium by feeding them...

The bee balm plant is also known as bergamot. It got its name because of its similarity to the scent of bergamot oil derived from the Italian bergamot orange. The plant is used to make oswego tea,...

The staghorn fern is an exotic plant that can be planted in several different ways because of its epiphytic nature. An epiphytic plant is one that does not require soil to absorb nutrients, but...

Simple, ordinary aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) is turning out to be a true miracle pill. It has a long list of remedies for your health, and aspirin has also shown to be beneficial for your...

Tropical plants are some of the flashiest, most exciting plants in the world. If you're lucky enough to have a garden in a hot, tropical climate, grow a wide variety of brilliantly colored flowers...

Coconut plants take a long time to grow. The coconut will send roots down into the soil and then the top of the coconut will split and fronds will emerge. It takes three to nine months for the...

The Alameda plant, or Arctostaphylos pallida, is a perennial shrub that is on the threatened list in the United States, and on the endangered list in California, according to the United States...

Nephrolepis exaltata, commonly known as the Boston fern, originates from the hot, humid climates of Florida, Central and South America, and Africa. The Boston fern exhibits feathery, arching...

Leeks (Allium ampeloprasum) are a member of the onion family but are milder in flavor. You can eat them raw, but most cooks use them used in soups, stews and casseroles. Gardeners have been...

Pale yellow, almost perfectly round fruits with a flavor somewhere between and apple and a pear, Asian pears have a light, crispy texture that delights the palate. For the gourmet gardener,...

Grass can invade your perennial beds no matter what steps you take to prevent it. Proper soil preparation, solid bed edging and even weedcloth do not seem to deter crabgrass, Bermuda grass and...

Zoysia grass is a genus of grasses that was named after the 1700s scientist Karl von Zois. Zoysia grass species can be found across eastern and southeastern Asia and Australasia.

Magnolias are majestic flowering trees, growing anywhere from 15 to 40 feet depending in which region it resides. The flowers are large, white and fragrant and bloom from May through June and...

Daphne odora--also known as leucantha--is prized for producing colorful, fragrant blossoms in winter when most flowering shrubs are dormant. While it can be tricky to root leucantha, if you are...

The angel wing begonia is beloved for its large, showy, winglike leaves--dark green with silver speckles and crimson undersides--and for its delicate flowers that range from white to red. The...

Rhododendrons are flowering bushes that are abundant throughout the United States, especially in the Southern region. They are very popular in landscape plans due to the fact that the leaves...

Rhododendrons are flowering shrubs and trees that produce vibrant-colored blooms for short periods of time each spring. One of the more common varieties of the rhododendron plant is the azalea,...

Growing plants in a greenhouse can offer you and your family valuable vegetables, herbs and even fruits for an entire year. Greenhouses are built to retain warmth in the winter and keep cool in...

Lobelia siphilitica, also known as Great Blue Lobelia, is a flowering perennial that produces impressive blue blooms that attract hummingbirds. This plant also has a rich tradition among Native...

Aloe vera is among the most widely used medicinal plants in the world. It has been propagated and used by humans for nearly 6,000 years, and is used mainly as a treatment for rashes, burns and...

The Mexican bird of paradise (Caesalpinia mexicana) is a lush evergreen that produces beautiful yellow flower clusters from the spring until fall. It will grow to 15 feet tall, but it can be...

The mushroom is the "fruit" of certain fungi, having evolved to enable the fungi to produce spores (the fungal equivalent of seeds) in large numbers. According to David Fischer, author of "Edible...

A pineapple bromeliad is, quite simply a pineapple plant. Like the flowers of other types of bromeliads, the pineapple grows on a single stem surrounded by a whorl of leaves.Eventually, a healthy...

Ornamental grasses include a wide variety of plants that suit a wide variety of needs in the garden. From small accents to large privacy screens, these plants are utilized in almost every fashion...

Seltzer water is sparkling water, which has carbonation. Everyone knows that plants need water in order to be able to grow, but does seltzer water help plants grow? It is important to look at the...

There are hundreds of thousands of plants, each with unique characteristics. Since you have found one that interests you, you'd like to learn more about it. Determining the type of plant you...

The agapanthus plant, also known as the lily of the Nile, produces clusters of blooms in blue, white or violet. Blooms generally appear from late spring to early fall. The name agapanthus is Greek...

Perennial plants need to be cut back at least once a year so that they have room to grow new shoots. The key to making sure that your perennial flowers will bloom at the same time every year is...

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a cluster of hydrogen and oxygen molecules. In nature, hydrogen peroxide is found in rainwater and is very beneficial for natural vegetation. The tap water we normally...

Vriesea (pronounced vah-REEZ-ee-ah) are a tropical bromeliad that grow outdoors in warm, frost-free landscapes or as houseplants. They have lance-shaped strappy leaves arranged in a circular...

Native to the tropics, an anthurium need warm, humid conditions in order to grow. An anthurium acclimates gradually to bright sunlight. This showy plant loves to climb, so it is important to...