In my house we seem to need an endless supply of onions, and properly curing onions from the garden means we can enjoy our homegrown harvest nearly year-round. While buying onions at the grocery store or farmer’s market doesn’t cost us as much as purchasing fresh herbs or vine-ripened tomatoes, growing your own onions can cut down on food costs simply for the sheer volume of onions households like ours consume (the average American eats 20 pounds of onions a year!). It also gives us a chance to ensure they are grown without the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers, fungicides, or herbicides. While growing onions isn’t a complicated process, curing onions properly after harvest is essential for ensuring you can enjoy the harvest for months to come.
READ MORE » about Curing onions for long-term storage and winter use
Hummingbird flowers to add to your pollinator garden
I first realized I had attracted hummingbirds to my yard when I was gardening. Earlier in the season a few years ago, I had picked up a packet of ‘Pastel Dreams’ zinnia seeds and planted them in one of my raised beds. That summer, as I weeded and harvested, I would spot something flitting about out of the corner of my eye. I soon realized it was a hummingbird attracted to the profusion of zinnia blooms. Since then, I have planted a whole buffet of hummingbird flowers that also attract a variety of other pollinators, like bees and butterflies, to my gardens.
READ MORE » about Hummingbird flowers to add to your pollinator garden
Begonia Escargot: A unique foliage plant for shade
Many gardeners think they need to have a lot of color in order to have a beautiful garden, but that isn’t the case. There is much to gain from plants whose main attribute is their foliage. Whether it offers fun variegation, an unusual texture, or a unique shape, foliage is just as important to a garden as flowers. Rex begonias are one of the most unique foliage plants for shady gardens and containers. They come in a range of leaf colors and shapes, but among the loveliest is Begonia Escargot.
READ MORE » about Begonia Escargot: A unique foliage plant for shade
Dark-leaved shrubs for the landscape
Shrubs serve so many purposes in the garden. They can create a hedge that adds privacy, provide a focal point in a foundation planting, add at least three seasons of color, and anchor a garden design. Dark-leaved shrubs are special because they have standalone interest due to their interesting foliage, but also offer the perfect backdrop against which you can plant any number of vibrant colors for an eye-catching garden montage.
Hardy Hibiscus: How to plant and grow this tropical-looking perennial
Do you love the look of tropical hibiscus but hate having to toss the plant on the compost pile at the end of the growing season or watch all its leaves fall off when you try to overwinter it indoors? What if I told you there was a way you could enjoy those same big, gorgeous blooms without needing to worry about what to do when cold temperatures arrive? Say hello to the hardy hibiscus! Yes, you heard me right. Let me tell you more about this amazing perennial hibiscus.
READ MORE » about Hardy Hibiscus: How to plant and grow this tropical-looking perennial
Sweet woodruff: An enchanting groundcover choice for shade gardens
It was a garden tour that introduced me to sweet woodruff, an elegant looking groundcover in a lovely, shaded corner side yard. And a trip to Germany made me aware of its culinary uses and popularity in Europe. Subsequent to my new-to-me plant discovery, I found one at a garden center and brought it home. I can’t remember why, but I planted my sweet woodruff in a part of the garden that gets a fair bit of sun throughout the day. The plant did okay—for awhile. And then it got a bit feisty, spreading and popping up in the foliage of some surrounding plants. That same year, during an especially arid summer, it completely died.
READ MORE » about Sweet woodruff: An enchanting groundcover choice for shade gardens
