Ornamental Gardens Archives

This close-up features a succulent aloe vera plant called ‘Minnie Belle’. Its fleshy leaves sprawl outwards, each rimmed with a fringe of frosty white spikes, a surprising contrast to the typical smooth aloe edge.

How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Minnie Belle Aloe

Looking for a fuss-free plant to grow in your home or cactus garden? While there are many aloes, ‘Minnie Belle’ is a small and unique aloe variety. It is a great starter plant for new gardeners and an interesting addition to experienced growers’ collections. In this article, master gardener Laura Elsner will walk you through how to grow ‘Minnie Belle’ aloe.

Close-up of aloe dying in a large black pot. The plant has a rosette of drooping, withered, rotting, brown, lance-shaped leaves with pointed tips and small spines along the edges.

Cacti & Succulents

6 Reasons Your Aloe is Turning Black and Dying

Aloe vera is known for its resilience, but that doesn’t mean it is invincible. If your aloe vera plant looks black, sad, or withered, you may need to adjust the soil, sunlight, watering, or temperature to bring it back to health. Garden expert Logan Hailey digs into common reasons for a blackened aloe and how to fix them.

Close-up of a blooming Magnolia grandiflora in a sunny garden. The leathery, elliptical leaves have a deep green color on the upper surface and a velvety, rusty-brown underside. The massive, creamy-white flower has a waxy texture with numerous petal-like tepals.

Trees

How to Grow a Magnolia Tree from Seed

Magnolia trees can be propagated via softwood cuttings, grafting, air layering, and chip budding, but why not try your hand at starting one from seed? The reward of the extra time and energy spent is worth it when you enjoy a magnolia tree you started from seed! Join organic farmer Jenna Rich as she goes through eight steps you can take to do so.

Close-up of blooming Kalanchoe blossfeldiana - one of the popular statement succulents. Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, commonly known as the Flaming Katy, is a compact and charming succulent plant. With its thick, fleshy, dark green leaves, the plant forms a rosette structure. The vibrant and eye-catching flowers of bright pink are small, and cluster together in dense, upright clusters, creating a stunning floral display.

Cacti & Succulents

16 Statement Succulents For Your Indoor Garden

Are you looking for an easy-care plant with a lot of personality to spice up your indoor garden? Take a look at these showstopping succulents that look great and thrive on neglect.

Close-up of Prairie Dropseed plants growing in a garden bed. The Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) is a native North American grass known for its fine-textured and graceful appearance. The plant forms dense, rounded tufts of slender, arching leaves that are green and narrow.

Ornamental Gardens

How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Prairie Dropseed

Are you looking for an ornamental grass for your sunny landscape? Prairie dropseed is an easy-to-grow native grass that can be used in a variety of garden arrangements. All you need is a sunny plot with well-drained soil. In this article, gardening enthusiast Liessa Bowen will discuss the proper care and maintenance of this beautiful and useful ornamental grass.

A close-up of Paperwhite flowers reveals delicate blooms with slender, white petals in full blossom. Each petal holds a slight hint of translucence, evoking a sense of purity and grace. The blooms stand out against a backdrop of vibrant, blurred green leaves, creating a serene garden tableau.

Bulbs

7 Flowering Paperwhite Varieties for Indoor Winter Gardens

If you’re thinking about growing paperwhites this season, check out these beautiful varieties that are certain to bring the beauty of the garden indoors during the winter months.

Native ornamental grasses. Close-up of blooming ornamental grass Muhlenbergia capillaris, commonly known as pink muhly grass, in a sunny garden. This perennial grass features fine, thread-like leaves that form compact tufts. The plant bursts into a spectacular display of vibrant pink to reddish-pink, airy inflorescences that create a billowy and feathery appearance. The delicate and hazy pink plumes hold above the foliage.

Ornamental Gardens

45 Ornamental Grasses Native to the United States

Are you looking for an ornamental grass to enhance your landscape? There are a multitude of beautiful, interesting, and hardy ornamental native grasses to choose from. In this article, gardening expert Liessa Bowen introduces 47 fantastic native grass species that make excellent landscaping plants.

Close up of a paper-wrapped bouquet of apricot roses.

Flowers

How Long do Cut Roses Last?

Roses are a staple in any cut flower garden, but how long do they last once trimmed and brought indoors? Gardening expert Madison Moulton answers the question and gives tips to ensure your cut roses last as long as possible.

native seeds to winter sow. Close-up of a flowering Blue flax plant in a sunny garden. Blue flax (Linum perenne) is a charming and delicate perennial plant that features slender, wiry stems with narrow, linear leaves. It produces an abundance of striking sky-blue flowers that are saucer-shaped and approximately one inch in diameter.

Flowers

25 Native Plant Seeds Ideal for Winter Sowing

Are you looking forward to gardening season starting again in the spring? You don’t need to wait until spring to start gardening. There are plenty of seeds that you can sow in the fall and winter months for new growth starting in the spring. In this article, gardening expert Liessa Bowen will introduce 25 beautiful native plants that you can start from seed this winter!