Zinnias are among my favorite summer flowers. I plant these bloom-filled annuals everywhere—my raised beds, my front yard ornamental garden, in pots. I like to plant a variety of colors and several plants, so that a few flowers can be snipped here and there for cut flower arrangements, while leaving enough to be enjoyed in the garden. There are many gorgeous varieties, but today I’m going to talk about the Zinnia Profusion series.
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Unusual hydrangea varieties for the garden
Hydrangeas are a favorite flowering shrub for many gardeners. Their enormous blooms brighten the summer landscape weeks after the flowers of spring-blooming shrubs like lilacs, viburnums, and forsythia have faded. While the pink and blue flower heads of traditional big-leaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) have long been the darling of gardeners, today, I’d like to introduce you to five unusual hydrangea varieties you can grow in your planting beds to add both color and flair. These plants are featured on Savvy Gardening thanks to the sponsorship of Bloomin’ Easy Plants, the grower and supplier of these fantastic unusual hydrangea varieties.
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Growing wasabi and horseradish in a home garden
If you’re looking for a few cool edibles to add to your garden, look no further than the pungent roots of wasabi and horseradish. While you may think that growing wasabi and growing horseradish are difficult tasks, with the right know-how, you can grow your own harvest of these two powerful spices. In the following excerpt from our favorite spice-growing book, Grow Your Own Spices, author Tasha Greer explains everything you need to know to cultivate both of these spicy, sinus-clearing edibles. This excerpt was provided by the book’s publisher Cool Springs Press/The Quarto Group and used with their permission.
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How to care for hostas in pots: Tips to help this popular shade plant thrive
It was a garden tour—actually, three tours—that inspired me to grow hostas in containers. Each yard was quite shady, so all those sun-loving annuals and perennials would have been off the table. I loved how each gardener embraced the conditions of their property, and put together some beautiful shade-loving plant displays, which were predominantly hostas in all shapes and sizes. Because you don’t want to treat your hostas like an annual plant (you’ll want to display it year after year), there is some TLC involved in helping them thrive. I thought I’d share some tips on how to care for hostas in pots.
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Understanding light for house plants: Types of light and how to measure it
In his best-selling book, The New Plant Parent: Develop Your Green Thumb and Care for Your House-Plant Family, Darryl Cheng encourages indoor gardeners to re-consider traditional house plant advice and instead think like a plant! He doesn’t rely on house plant lore or ‘tips and tricks’ but instead gives indoor plant parents the tools and science-based advice they need to grow a healthy and thriving indoor garden.
Darryl’s book is a comprehensive guide into all aspects of indoor plant care such as watering, fertilizing, soil, pests, propagation, and light. And it’s providing adequate light that is often the biggest challenge for indoor gardeners. The following excerpt from The New Plant Parent, used with permission from Abrams Image, explores the importance of understanding light and offers advice on how to better gauge light in your indoor living spaces.
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Growing watermelon in containers from seed to harvest
Did you know that it’s easy to grow watermelon in containers? Unless you have a large vegetable garden, it’s tough to find room to grow everything you’d like to, especially when it comes to vine crops that take up a lot of room. Containers are a great way to grow whatever fruits and veggies you don’t have space for in an in-ground or raised bed garden. They’re also great if you have no garden at all. For me, one crop I love to grow but never seem to have enough room for, is watermelons. This article introduces the ins and outs of growing watermelon in containers. Yes, you can grow watermelon in pots. But there are some important guidelines you’ll want to follow to set yourself up for success.
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