Do you want to extend the vase life of your cut flowers from the garden? Cut flower gardener Melissa Strauss discusses which flowers you should cut in the bud stage, or before they open fully. Cutting these blooms before they open will significantly extend their vase life
August is one of the hottest months of the year in most places, so it can be difficult to go out and enjoy the garden. But those crisp, cool days of autumn are right around the corner, perfect for alfresco dining. Join gardening expert Melissa Strauss in planting some beautiful, fall-blooming flowers this August!
When you hear that a particular plant is rare, does it pique your interest, or do you move on to the next best thing? If rare flowers make your pulse quicken, Melissa Strauss has 31 exciting plants for you to read about.
Blue thimble flower pockets West Coast landscapes every spring. It erupts with blue flower clusters that look like pincushions, attracting birds, butterflies, and bees into your yard. Plant this annual wildflower in sunny borders, wild gardens, or raised beds.
Rosa ‘Iceberg’ brings bundles of crisp, white blooms among glossy green foliage. As a shrub or climber, they flower nonstop from early summer through frost. Explore these handsome, vigorous, effortless roses with garden expert Katherine Rowe.
Dahlias are a long-time favorite for good reasons. With exceptional bloom forms and a lasting bloom time, they entertain in the planted display and fresh floral arrangements. Join gardening expert Katherine Rowe for a look at the diverse flower forms and compositions of the beloved genus.
Amsonia is striking in the perennial and pollinator garden - and any spot in between. The genus hosts native species and a few non-natives with highly ornamental. steely blue flowers, narrow olive green leaves, and an adaptable nature. Here, gardening expert Katherine Rowe explores top-performing bluestar varieties for versatile additions to your spring-through-fall display. The pollinators will thank you with repeat visits.
If your perennial or pollinator garden is missing ‘Storm Cloud,’ this is the year to add it to the display. The native perennials shine with sky-blue flowers, narrow leaves, dark stems, and an adaptable nature. Explore the merits of this top performer with gardening expert Katherine Rowe.
Phlox brightens the display with clusters of starry blooms among deep green leaves. The perennials grow across a range of conditions in a diversity of species and cultivars. To stave off fungal diseases like powdery mildew, start with a strong selection for your space. Here, gardening expert Katherine Rowe outlines phlox varieties with stellar ornamental value and high landscape performance.
Wildflowers color landscapes with red, yellow, magenta, purple, and white flowers. They invite native animal species into our backyards with their delicious nectar and pollen. Join native plant gardener Jerad Bryant to discover what top five North American wildflowers thrive within your ecoregion.
Big, bright, beautiful hibiscus blooms are a star in the summer garden. But what if your blooms don’t last as long as you expected? Gardening expert Melissa Strauss explores the possible reasons that your flowers aren’t hanging around for long.
Are you looking for a few plants, or an entire garden’s worth of plants, to entice beneficial insects to visit your landscape? Fortunately, a great wealth of beautiful flowering plants can provide food, shelter, and habitat for insects that provide valuable services in your garden. In this article, gardening expert (and bug enthusiast) Liessa Bowen shares her favorite plants to attract the insects that help your garden.