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.

A top view shot of a plant in a jar beside a hand pruner on a wooden surface that is one tips for coleus pruning

Ornamental Gardens

7 Coleus Pruning Tips for Big, Bushy Plants

If you love coleus, then you’ll want your plants to have the most leaves possible. Bushier growth means more pretty foliage, and a little pruning can make a dense plant instead of a spindly one. Use these seven quick tips from coleus grower Jerad Bryant to have the best-looking shrubs in your neighborhood!

This October peony variety features lush, glossy green leaves paired with large, vibrant, semi-double blooms in shades of yellow, showcasing ruffled petals and a subtle golden center with pink hues.

Shrubs

15 Peony Varieties to Plant in October

Peonies are cool-weather-loving perennials with gorgeous and fragrant blooms. They’re known for their elaborate petals, flashy colors, and sweet scents. Plant them in October, and you’ll have bouquets of blooms in spring. Join peony lover Jerad Bryant as we tour 15 varieties you should plant this month.

Close-up of a hand in a pink glove harvesting cauliflower in a sunny garden.

Vegetables

How and When to Harvest Cauliflower in the Fall Garden

Autumn weather causes green cauliflower stems to start forming their white sprouts—you’ll see your plants turn from leafy seedlings to bulging heads! Fall is perfect for growing cauliflower since the cool temperatures promote healthy head formation with little riciness or bolting. Join backyard grower Jerad Bryant and learn how to harvest your ready crop!

Close-up of a gardener's hand harvesting broccoli, revealing dark blue-green leaves with prominent veins fanning out around a dense, central cluster of tightly packed green buds.

Vegetables

How and When to Harvest Broccoli for the Tastiest Crop

Broccoli is a tasty, tender crop with lots of nutrients. It’s perfect for backyard gardens! You may wonder when it ripens, and when you should harvest its heads. Wonder no more, since we’ll discover when and how to harvest your growing veggies. Learn to cut your broccoli heads in this guide alongside seasoned grower Jerad Bryant.

A bright yellow rake is leaning against a large pile of dry, curled brown foliage, resting on green grass under a tree in a sunlit garden.

Soil Improvement

Do Fall Leaves Make Good Compost?

Fall leaves are a nutrient-rich soil amendment, but do they make good compost? They do, but they’ll need extra care to morph into rich, crumbly soil. Learn how to turn fall leaves into beneficial compost with backyard composter Jerad Bryant.

Close-up of a gardener's gloved hands cradling vibrant orange autumn maple leaves, radiating warm hues of fall in a sunny garden adorned with gold foliage.

Gardening Tips

9 Ways to Turn Your Fall Leaves Into Garden Gold

Shortening days and chilly nights ensure thousands of leaves fall throughout North America. This natural process is a lovely spectacle, as trees turn red, brown, orange, and yellow before they drop their leaves. With all those leaves in your yard, you may be wondering how to deal with them. Wonder no more! Join backyard gardener Jerad Bryant in turning fall leaves into garden gold.

The plant features bold, crimson bracts with cream variegated patterns that resemble petals, contrasted with deep green, oval leaves, all blooming from a neatly arranged pot.

Gardening Tips

9 Plants that Need Darkness in Fall for Winter Blooms

Winter blooming plants create unique, fragrant flowers that open up when most other species are dormant. Most winter bloomers need short days and long nights to produce the most flowers, meaning you’ll have to emulate these conditions if they don’t exist. Join seasoned grower Jerad Bryant and learn the special care techniques these 9 species need to flower.

Vibrant lilac flowers soak up the golden sunlight, their delicate petals unfurling gracefully. Lush leaves form a tranquil scene, enhancing the ethereal beauty of the blossoms in their radiant display.

Gardening Tips

Never Prune These 13 Plants in Fall

As leaves fall and reveal crisscrossing branches, your first impulse may be to grab the pruners! Fall is an ideal time to prune species that bloom on new wood and cold hardy species. You’ll want to avoid chopping spring-blooming plants that bloom on old wood. Learn 13 of the most common shrubs you should leave alone during the fall alongside native plant gardener Jerad Bryant.

A close-up of a gloved hand using a weeding tool to extract bright yellow dandelions from the soil, surrounded by vibrant green foliage and nearby blooming flowers.

Gardening Tips

13 October Gardening Tasks

Autumn is here! While the garden may be starting to rest and die down, there are some things you can do to keep it in tip-top shape. Get ready to compost, replenish soils, and save seeds before winter frost arrives. Join native plant gardener Jerad Bryant and complete these 13 essential October gardening tasks.

A lush scene filled with vivid purple and pink flowers thriving amidst abundant greenery, with tall plants stretching up toward the sky, partially covering a wooden fence and a small shed in the background.

Gardening Tips

7 Benefits of a Messy Garden

Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. Messy gardens perfectly represent this phrase, as they create a new standard of ornamental beauty in the landscape. They also save you a ton of work! Join native plant gardener Jerad Bryant to see how a messy garden can boost biodiversity while saving you time and money.