Posts By

Jerad Bryant

Jerad Bryant is a plant nerd, botanical writer, and avid gardener in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Jerad is an active member in his local community of plant nerds in both the Willamette Valley Hardy Plant Group and the American Rhododendron Society.

Dry autumn Rudbeckia flowers stand tall in the garden, their browned petals curling around dark seed heads.

Gardening Tips

7 Ways to Encourage Your Favorite Plants to Self-Sow

Self-sowing plants are a boon for us gardeners! They reseed themselves so we don’t have to plant them. Some sprout readily with little help, while others benefit from some care to grow their best. Use these seven methods to encourage annuals, perennials, and shrubs to sprout new seedlings throughout your garden.

An autumn garden, framed by a blue wooden fence, features blooming pink chrysanthemums, young trees with brown dry foliage, and a strawberry bed in front of a freshly dug-up garden bed with a large garden shovel, showcasing steps to prepare garden beds for planting in spring.

Gardening Tips

How To Prepare Next Year’s Garden Beds for Planting Now

Although winter frost steadily approaches, it’s not too late to start thinking about next year’s garden! Some simple actions now can help boost your harvests next summer and fall. Now, let’s try these seven easy steps from backyard gardener Jerad Bryant and prepare the garden for next year.

Close-up of female hands in white gloves removing fall weeds near strawberry plants.

Weeds

5 Fall Weeding Tips To Try this Season

Fall is the best time to tackle pesky weeds! They pull out of moist soil easily while young and struggle to reclaim the area under cool weather. Get them in autumn and you’ll have fewer weeds to pull during the growing season. With these five pro tips, join seasoned gardener Jerad Bryant in attacking aggressive plants.

A scattering of dry, orange and brown foliage spread across a grassy area, surrounded by trees with autumn-colored leaves.

Edible

Fall Leaf Myths: 7 Practices to Avoid in the Garden

Fall leaves are valuable resources! They add nutrition, warmth, and structure to existing soils. When they decay they boost the health of your garden plants and provide a home for vulnerable wildlife. This year, help your local environment’s biodiversity by avoiding these seven fall leaf cleanup mistakes.

The Christmas cactus in a bright red pot on a light windowsill has flat, segmented, green leaves shaped like crab claws, with slightly scalloped edges, providing a striking backdrop for vibrant pink, funnel-shaped flowers.

Houseplants

How to Promote Flowering in your Christmas Cactus: 7 Pro Tips

Christmas cacti brighten up our living rooms during the holidays. These epiphytic plants naturally grow high in trees like orchids and need similar care to produce ample blooms. Use these seven pro tips from seasoned grower Jerad Bryant to get your Christmas cactus flowering in time for the holiday season.

A vibrant patch of Limnanthes douglasii flowers, with delicate white petals and sunny yellow centers, nestled among fresh green foliage.

Ornamental Gardens

15 Annuals You Should Let Go to Seed in the Fall

Annuals rush to produce flowers and make seeds that germinate the next year. Leave them be late in the growing season and they’ll reseed readily. Whether annuals self-sow depends on their species and your climate. Join backyard gardener Jerad Bryant to discover these 15 annuals that come back year after year.

Several glass bottles and flasks filled with water and rooting cuttings of various houseplants, including Snake Plant and Pothos, sit on a wooden kitchen table.

Houseplants

27 Houseplants to Propagate in November

Can you propagate houseplants in the winter months? Yes, you can! Some plants prefer it in November, while others need help to grow their best. Join longtime houseplant grower Jerad Bryant in discovering these 27 plant species ideal for propagating indoors this season.

A close-up shot of a flower that is a method to plant hydrangeas fall

Shrubs

9 Benefits of Planting Hydrangeas in Fall

Hydrangeas are frost-hardy shrubs with enticing blooms. Plant them in your garden this autumn and they’ll readily acclimate to their new home. You can also plant them in the spring, but fall transplanting has clear advantages. Join seasoned grower Jerad Bryant in exploring these nine benefits of planting hydrangeas in fall.

A root vegetable with a round top peeking out of the soil, supported by dark green leaves with red stems, surrounded by rich brown earth and nearby greenery.

Edible

5 Signs Your Beets are Ready to Harvest

Beets fill garden beds with strappy green leaves and bulbous orange and red beetroots. When is the best time to harvest them? Let’s dive underground to see what types of beets exist and how they ripen. Join seasoned gardener Jerad Bryant in discovering these five signs your beets are ready for harvesting.