How to care for Hemigraphis alternata
How to care for Hemigraphis alternata

Do you prefer a houseplant with excellent air-purifying properties, or one with beautiful ornamental foliage all year? You don't have to decide if you cultivate a purple waffle plant. The Hemigraphis genus includes tropical Asian species that feature leaves that are grey or green on the top, and purple underneath....

Houseplant

Inula helenium
How to care for Inula helenium

Elecampane (Inula helenium) is a perennial herb in the aster family with a long history of medicinal uses. In appearance, it is reminiscent of a sunflower plant, with tall stalks, pale green foliage, and bright yellow flowers with large seed heads in the center. The flowers of elecampane are much...

Plant care

How to care for Haworthia
How to care for Haworthia

Haworthia is a delightful little succulent that makes a very attractive small houseplant. These small, low growing plants form rosettes of fleshy green leaves that are generously covered with white, pearly warts or bands, giving them a distinctive appearance. Generally easy to grow, the same best practices that yield healthy...

Succulent

How to care for Twinspur (Diascia)
How to care for Diascia

Diascia, sometimes called twinspur, is a delicate, frothy type of plant. Some varieties will spill over pots, and others tend to grow more upright. It's a relative of the snapdragon and comprises about 70 different species in South Africa, where it is a native. The varieties of diascia you see...

Annual flower

How to care for Tickseed
How to care for Tickseed (Coreopsis)

If you're looking for low maintenance, drought-tolerant, long-blooming and cheerful plants for a flower border or a filler, coreopses are a perfect choice. Native American prairie and woodland plants, their ruggedness and profuse blooms have made them popular with plant breeders. Their common name, "tickseed," is supposedly for the seeds'...

Perennial flower

How to care for Lavender
How to care for Lavender

Lavender is a well known and fragrant plant with gray-green foliage, upright flower spikes, and compact shrub form. In the garden, lavender makes an excellent companion plant for almost anything from roses to cabbage. It is one of those aromatic, gray herbs that deer avoid, making it a great choice as a...

Flowering

How to care for Schefflera
How to care for Schefflera

Schefflera species are wonderful tropical plants. The larger schefflera (sometimes called the umbrella plant) features long, shiny, oval green leaves that droop gracefully from a central stalk resembling an umbrella. A mature schefflera might have 12 to 16 leaflets from a single stalk, while an immature schefflera is more likely...

Evergreen shrub

How to care for Peppercorn plant
How to care for Peppercorn plant

Money doesn't grow on trees, but cultivating a peppercorn plant was almost the same thing hundreds of years ago. During the middle ages, spices like pepper were more valuable than gold, as they were extremely scarce, yet coveted both for their value as a condiment (often to disguise the flavor...

Tropical perennial vine

How to care for Goldfish plant
How to care for Goldfish plant

Goldfish plants earned their name because of their masses of red-orange flowers that appear in the spring and summer and look a bit like leaping goldfish. If you've ever seen a fully mature plant in a hanging basket in full bloom, it's a wonderful sight. They are profuse bloomers when...

Uncategory

How to care for Baby tears
How to care for Baby tears

Terrariums and indoor hanging baskets are trending in houseplant design, and the baby tears plant is an eye-catching specimen suited for both container types. What makes baby tears plants so special are the myriad tiny leaves, which form a dense mat suggestive of a gnome's green paradise. Although baby tears...

Herbaceous perennial

How to care for Candy corn plant
How to care for Candy corn plant

Candy corn plant is a small semi-woody evergreen shrub that derives its name from the color and shape of the flowers, which closely mimic the familiar bulk candy by the same name. These are clumping plants with narrow leaves that cover upright red stems, from which bloom the yellow and...

Semi-woody shrub

How to care Magnolia macrophylla
How to care Magnolia macrophylla

The bigleaf magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla) is a stunning addition to any native garden. A deciduous magnolia tree species, the leaves are the largest simple leaves found in North America, measuring up to three feet long and one foot wide. Its fragrant white flowers are equally impressive––and equally massive with a...

Tree

How to care for Privet
How to care for Privet

A privet hedge running along a property border is a classic look. The very name seems to say "privacy," as if a line of these bushes could form the ideal screen for those seeking a more private setting. Many kinds are not especially beautiful plants when considered in isolation, but...

Shrub

How to care for Impatiens Glandulifera
How to care for Impatiens Glandulifera

Impatiens is one of the most popular annual flowers, due to their brightly color blooms and their ability to grow in shady areas. The most commonly grown cultivars are short plants, attaining a height of not more than 1 foot. Some types, such as the 'Super Elfin' series, stay much...

Annual flower

How to care for Kalanchoe Thyrsiflora
How to care for Kalanchoe Thyrsiflora

The genus Kalanchoe includes more than 100 plants, but only a few are regularly seen in cultivation. Kalanchoes are native to arid areas, and they are popular succulents. Modern hybrids are valued for their interesting leaf-forms or for their flowers. Like poinsettias and holiday cactus, kalanchoes are staples of the holiday...

Flowering

How to care for Kumquat
How to care for Kumquat

Kumquats are some of the easiest fruit trees to grow in garden pots. Kumquat trees are beautiful, with dark, glossy green leaves and bright orange fruit which is both gorgeous and delicious. Though considered by many a citrus fruit, they are actually classified in the genus, Fortunella. The most commonly grown type...

Tree

How to care for Kohlrabi
How to care for Kohlrabi

For many people, kohlrabi is one of those novelty vegetables you encounter in the produce aisle: It looks interesting but unfamiliar, and you pass it by. However, kohlrabi is a versatile vegetable, and you can use it in recipes as a substitute for broccoli or cabbage. The name means cabbage-turnip,...

Herbaceous biennial

How to care for Magnolia liliiflora
How to care for Magnolia liliiflora

The lily magnolia (Magnolia liliiflora) is a large deciduous shrub (or small tree) that sports profuse pink or reddish-purple blossoms in April and early May, just before the leaves appear. As one of the smaller magnolias, it is popular for informal screens or hedges and as a specimen plant grown...

Deciduous shrub

How to care for Ipomoea quamoclit
How to care for Ipomoea quamoclit

Cypress vine belongs to the bindweed family (Convolvulaceae). It is valued not only as a flowering vine with star-shaped blooms but also as a foliage plant with graceful, fern-like leaves. When it comes to gardening with wildlife in mind, it hits the trifecta: Deer tend not to eat it, yet...

Uncategory

How to care for Toxicodendron vernix
How to care for Toxicodendron vernix

The poison sumac plant (Toxicodendron vernix) is not without its benefits, although other, non-toxic types of sumacs are better-suited for your yard. Wild birds eat the waxy white berries of T. vernix in winter when other food is scarce. Aside from its toxicity (and the rash that results from exposing your skin to it), the plant can be breathtaking in...

Tree

How to care for Euonymus alata
How to care for Euonymus alata

Burning bush has spectacular fall foliage, but this fact does not keep the shrub from being one of the most hated plants in America because it is both invasive and poisonous. For most of the year, the cork-like strips that form the outer ridge of this plant's branches are its chief...

Deciduous shrub

How to care for Lablab purpureus
How to care for Lablab purpureus

Purple hyacinth bean is often grown as a flowering plant, although most of the plant is edible. With shades of purple in the leaves, stems, flowers and showy seed pods, it is undeniably eye-catching. Purple hyacinth bean is a very vigorous grower and the vines are a popular choice for...

Annual flower

How to care for Prunus glandulosa
How to care for Prunus glandulosa

Dwarf flowering almond is a multi-stemmed, deciduous shrub. In the lingo of plant taxonomy, this pink-flowered bush is called Prunus glandulosa 'Rosea Plena.' The cultivar name breaks down as 'Rosea,' meaning "pink," and 'Plena,' meaning "full" or "double." This name thus tells you two things about the flowers: their color is pink, and they are double flowers....

Deciduous shrub

How to care for Ipomoea alba
How to care for Ipomoea alba

Moonflowers can add their incredible beauty and powerful fragrance to a night garden. Moonflower plants have large, beautiful, heart-shaped leaves growing on huge, robust vines that need a large trellis to support them. The iridescent white, trumpet-shaped flowers are around 6 inches long and 3 to 6 inches wide. These...

Perennial flowering vine

How to care for Philodendron
How to care for Philodendron

The Philodendron genus contains some of the most beautiful foliage plants in the plant kingdom. Their glossy leaves add a touch of indoor jungle to your home, reminiscent of the tropical areas of the Americas to which they are native. For indoor use, there are two basic types of philodendrons:...

Houseplant

How to care for Prunus serrulata
How to care for Prunus serrulata

Japanese Flowering Cherry Trees are known by the names 'Kwanzan,' Kanzan, and 'Sekiyama,' but no matter what you call them, one thing doesn't change: the trees' gorgeous pinkish-red blossoms that bloom during the spring months. Prunus serrulata 'Kanzan' is one of the two stars of Washington, D.C.'s, Cherry Blossom Festival. (The...

Tree

How to care for Hydrangea arborescens ‘Abetwo’ “Incrediball”
How to care for Hydrangea arborescens ‘Abetwo’ “Incrediball”

The Incrediball hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens 'Abetwo' Incrediball) is a broadleaf, deciduous flowering shrub. Like the Annabelle hydrangea, it is hardy and flowers on new wood, but Incrediball has stronger branches and bigger flower heads than the Annabelle. The cultivar name is 'Abetwo,' while "Incrediball"—notably, not "incredible"—is a trademark name. "Incrediball" was...

Flowering shrub

How to care for Galium odoratum
How to care for Galium odoratum

Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum) is a creeping, mat-forming perennial that is commonly used as a ground cover in shady areas. It bears pretty clusters of white, star-shaped flowers in the spring and has very fragrant, lance-shaped, dark green leaves. Sweet woodruff is exceptionally easy to grow and readily adapts to...

Perennial herb

Alchemilla mollis(Lady’s mantle) care
Alchemilla mollis(Lady’s mantle) care

A mass planting of Lady’s Mantle is very eye-catching when in bloom, but kind of loses its impact after flowering. Lady’s Mantle makes a nice contrast for bright daylilies and roses that bloom at about the same time. It's especially eye-catching used in contrast to burgundy and purple foliage....

Heraceous perennial

How to care for Chamaecyparis obtusa
How to care for Chamaecyparis obtusa

A tall, evergreen coniferous tree, the Hinoki cypress hails from Southern Japan. The soaring tree is often used for privacy screens because it's so tall and dense, but Hinoki cypresses are often also used as ornamental plantings or, in dwarf form, as a bonsai. Hinoki cypress trees feature globose cones...

Tree

How to care for Strawberry
How to care for Strawberry

Garden strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa) are an easy-to-grow fruit that will reward the home gardener with ample harvests for many years. With favorable conditions, each strawberry plant should produce one quart of strawberries per season. Garden strawberries produce their fruit in the late spring and early summer months, though it...

Flowering

Understanding Natural Light for Houseplants

Along with water, light is the most important element of growing healthy plants. Many kinds of plants can struggle along in inferior soil or survive without fertilizer, but no plant will live for long without light. The Biology Plants absorb light energy and turn it into energy through photosynthesis. Photosynthesis...

Featured

How to clean and groom plants

Plants become dirty or tangled without regular grooming. This will greatly reduce the attractiveness of your indoor gardens if you don’t watch out. Grooming and cleaning your houseplants is an important part of their care. Cleaning away the dust from plantsIt’s a necessary task since dust accumulates on leaves, making...

Featured

Top Plants with Health Benefits

Having a plant at home is always a tough job, no matter whether your green friend is low-maintenance or not. But plants can also offer an enormous benefit to anyone who knows where to look for. So, be sure to explore your plant’s health benefits – and enjoy them, giving...

Featured

8 Indoor Plants for Clean Air

We have to spend a lot of time indoors nowadays; that’s why it makes sense to take care of the air quality in our houses and working places. It’s not what you may have thought right now — you don’t need to rush and buy the most expensive air purifier...

Featured

How to care for Hemigraphis alternata
How to care for Hemigraphis alternata

Do you prefer a houseplant with excellent air-purifying properties, or one with beautiful ornamental foliage all year? You don't have to decide if you cultivate a purple waffle plant. The Hemigraphis genus includes tropical Asian species that feature leaves that are grey or green on the top, and purple underneath....

Houseplant

Inula helenium
How to care for Inula helenium

Elecampane (Inula helenium) is a perennial herb in the aster family with a long history of medicinal uses. In appearance, it is reminiscent of a sunflower plant, with tall stalks, pale green foliage, and bright yellow flowers with large seed heads in the center. The flowers of elecampane are much...

Plant care

How to care for Haworthia
How to care for Haworthia

Haworthia is a delightful little succulent that makes a very attractive small houseplant. These small, low growing plants form rosettes of fleshy green leaves that are generously covered with white, pearly warts or bands, giving them a distinctive appearance. Generally easy to grow, the same best practices that yield healthy...

Succulent

How to care for Twinspur (Diascia)
How to care for Diascia

Diascia, sometimes called twinspur, is a delicate, frothy type of plant. Some varieties will spill over pots, and others tend to grow more upright. It's a relative of the snapdragon and comprises about 70 different species in South Africa, where it is a native. The varieties of diascia you see...

Annual flower

How to care for Tickseed
How to care for Tickseed (Coreopsis)

If you're looking for low maintenance, drought-tolerant, long-blooming and cheerful plants for a flower border or a filler, coreopses are a perfect choice. Native American prairie and woodland plants, their ruggedness and profuse blooms have made them popular with plant breeders. Their common name, "tickseed," is supposedly for the seeds'...

Perennial flower

How to care for Lavender
How to care for Lavender

Lavender is a well known and fragrant plant with gray-green foliage, upright flower spikes, and compact shrub form. In the garden, lavender makes an excellent companion plant for almost anything from roses to cabbage. It is one of those aromatic, gray herbs that deer avoid, making it a great choice as a...

Flowering

How to care for Schefflera
How to care for Schefflera

Schefflera species are wonderful tropical plants. The larger schefflera (sometimes called the umbrella plant) features long, shiny, oval green leaves that droop gracefully from a central stalk resembling an umbrella. A mature schefflera might have 12 to 16 leaflets from a single stalk, while an immature schefflera is more likely...

Evergreen shrub

How to care for Peppercorn plant
How to care for Peppercorn plant

Money doesn't grow on trees, but cultivating a peppercorn plant was almost the same thing hundreds of years ago. During the middle ages, spices like pepper were more valuable than gold, as they were extremely scarce, yet coveted both for their value as a condiment (often to disguise the flavor...

Tropical perennial vine

How to care for Goldfish plant
How to care for Goldfish plant

Goldfish plants earned their name because of their masses of red-orange flowers that appear in the spring and summer and look a bit like leaping goldfish. If you've ever seen a fully mature plant in a hanging basket in full bloom, it's a wonderful sight. They are profuse bloomers when...

Uncategory

How to care for Baby tears
How to care for Baby tears

Terrariums and indoor hanging baskets are trending in houseplant design, and the baby tears plant is an eye-catching specimen suited for both container types. What makes baby tears plants so special are the myriad tiny leaves, which form a dense mat suggestive of a gnome's green paradise. Although baby tears...

Herbaceous perennial

How to care for Candy corn plant
How to care for Candy corn plant

Candy corn plant is a small semi-woody evergreen shrub that derives its name from the color and shape of the flowers, which closely mimic the familiar bulk candy by the same name. These are clumping plants with narrow leaves that cover upright red stems, from which bloom the yellow and...

Semi-woody shrub

How to care Magnolia macrophylla
How to care Magnolia macrophylla

The bigleaf magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla) is a stunning addition to any native garden. A deciduous magnolia tree species, the leaves are the largest simple leaves found in North America, measuring up to three feet long and one foot wide. Its fragrant white flowers are equally impressive––and equally massive with a...

Tree

How to care for Privet
How to care for Privet

A privet hedge running along a property border is a classic look. The very name seems to say "privacy," as if a line of these bushes could form the ideal screen for those seeking a more private setting. Many kinds are not especially beautiful plants when considered in isolation, but...

Shrub

How to care for Impatiens Glandulifera
How to care for Impatiens Glandulifera

Impatiens is one of the most popular annual flowers, due to their brightly color blooms and their ability to grow in shady areas. The most commonly grown cultivars are short plants, attaining a height of not more than 1 foot. Some types, such as the 'Super Elfin' series, stay much...

Annual flower

How to care for Kalanchoe Thyrsiflora
How to care for Kalanchoe Thyrsiflora

The genus Kalanchoe includes more than 100 plants, but only a few are regularly seen in cultivation. Kalanchoes are native to arid areas, and they are popular succulents. Modern hybrids are valued for their interesting leaf-forms or for their flowers. Like poinsettias and holiday cactus, kalanchoes are staples of the holiday...

Flowering

How to care for Kumquat
How to care for Kumquat

Kumquats are some of the easiest fruit trees to grow in garden pots. Kumquat trees are beautiful, with dark, glossy green leaves and bright orange fruit which is both gorgeous and delicious. Though considered by many a citrus fruit, they are actually classified in the genus, Fortunella. The most commonly grown type...

Tree

How to care for Kohlrabi
How to care for Kohlrabi

For many people, kohlrabi is one of those novelty vegetables you encounter in the produce aisle: It looks interesting but unfamiliar, and you pass it by. However, kohlrabi is a versatile vegetable, and you can use it in recipes as a substitute for broccoli or cabbage. The name means cabbage-turnip,...

Herbaceous biennial

How to care for Magnolia liliiflora
How to care for Magnolia liliiflora

The lily magnolia (Magnolia liliiflora) is a large deciduous shrub (or small tree) that sports profuse pink or reddish-purple blossoms in April and early May, just before the leaves appear. As one of the smaller magnolias, it is popular for informal screens or hedges and as a specimen plant grown...

Deciduous shrub

How to care for Toxicodendron vernix
How to care for Toxicodendron vernix

The poison sumac plant (Toxicodendron vernix) is not without its benefits, although other, non-toxic types of sumacs are better-suited for your yard. Wild birds eat the waxy white berries of T. vernix in winter when other food is scarce. Aside from its toxicity (and the rash that results from exposing your skin to it), the plant can be breathtaking in...

Tree

How to care for Euonymus alata
How to care for Euonymus alata

Burning bush has spectacular fall foliage, but this fact does not keep the shrub from being one of the most hated plants in America because it is both invasive and poisonous. For most of the year, the cork-like strips that form the outer ridge of this plant's branches are its chief...

Deciduous shrub

How to care for Lablab purpureus
How to care for Lablab purpureus

Purple hyacinth bean is often grown as a flowering plant, although most of the plant is edible. With shades of purple in the leaves, stems, flowers and showy seed pods, it is undeniably eye-catching. Purple hyacinth bean is a very vigorous grower and the vines are a popular choice for...

Annual flower

How to care for Prunus glandulosa
How to care for Prunus glandulosa

Dwarf flowering almond is a multi-stemmed, deciduous shrub. In the lingo of plant taxonomy, this pink-flowered bush is called Prunus glandulosa 'Rosea Plena.' The cultivar name breaks down as 'Rosea,' meaning "pink," and 'Plena,' meaning "full" or "double." This name thus tells you two things about the flowers: their color is pink, and they are double flowers....

Deciduous shrub

How to care for Ipomoea alba
How to care for Ipomoea alba

Moonflowers can add their incredible beauty and powerful fragrance to a night garden. Moonflower plants have large, beautiful, heart-shaped leaves growing on huge, robust vines that need a large trellis to support them. The iridescent white, trumpet-shaped flowers are around 6 inches long and 3 to 6 inches wide. These...

Perennial flowering vine

How to care for Philodendron
How to care for Philodendron

The Philodendron genus contains some of the most beautiful foliage plants in the plant kingdom. Their glossy leaves add a touch of indoor jungle to your home, reminiscent of the tropical areas of the Americas to which they are native. For indoor use, there are two basic types of philodendrons:...

Houseplant

How to care for Prunus serrulata
How to care for Prunus serrulata

Japanese Flowering Cherry Trees are known by the names 'Kwanzan,' Kanzan, and 'Sekiyama,' but no matter what you call them, one thing doesn't change: the trees' gorgeous pinkish-red blossoms that bloom during the spring months. Prunus serrulata 'Kanzan' is one of the two stars of Washington, D.C.'s, Cherry Blossom Festival. (The...

Tree

How to care for Hydrangea arborescens ‘Abetwo’ “Incrediball”
How to care for Hydrangea arborescens ‘Abetwo’ “Incrediball”

The Incrediball hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens 'Abetwo' Incrediball) is a broadleaf, deciduous flowering shrub. Like the Annabelle hydrangea, it is hardy and flowers on new wood, but Incrediball has stronger branches and bigger flower heads than the Annabelle. The cultivar name is 'Abetwo,' while "Incrediball"—notably, not "incredible"—is a trademark name. "Incrediball" was...

Flowering shrub

How to care for Galium odoratum
How to care for Galium odoratum

Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum) is a creeping, mat-forming perennial that is commonly used as a ground cover in shady areas. It bears pretty clusters of white, star-shaped flowers in the spring and has very fragrant, lance-shaped, dark green leaves. Sweet woodruff is exceptionally easy to grow and readily adapts to...

Perennial herb

Alchemilla mollis(Lady’s mantle) care
Alchemilla mollis(Lady’s mantle) care

A mass planting of Lady’s Mantle is very eye-catching when in bloom, but kind of loses its impact after flowering. Lady’s Mantle makes a nice contrast for bright daylilies and roses that bloom at about the same time. It's especially eye-catching used in contrast to burgundy and purple foliage....

Heraceous perennial

How to care for Chamaecyparis obtusa
How to care for Chamaecyparis obtusa

A tall, evergreen coniferous tree, the Hinoki cypress hails from Southern Japan. The soaring tree is often used for privacy screens because it's so tall and dense, but Hinoki cypresses are often also used as ornamental plantings or, in dwarf form, as a bonsai. Hinoki cypress trees feature globose cones...

Tree

How to care for Strawberry
How to care for Strawberry

Garden strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa) are an easy-to-grow fruit that will reward the home gardener with ample harvests for many years. With favorable conditions, each strawberry plant should produce one quart of strawberries per season. Garden strawberries produce their fruit in the late spring and early summer months, though it...

Flowering