Grape tomatoes combine a number of desirable tomato qualities, including very sweet flavor, firm texture, and at least the semblance of having been ripened on the vine. Read Grape Tomatoes: Giving the Cherries a Run for Their Money
Plants & Gardens Blog
Plant Choices
-
Grape Tomatoes: Giving the Cherries a Run for Their Money
-
Columbines—Elegant Flowers Spurred to Greatness
When folks hear the word "spur," many of them invariably think of cowpokes in the Old West and the jangling metal boot contraptions they wore to urge on their horses. For us plant lovers, however, the word can conjure up something a little more serene. We can think, for instance, of the architecture of a columbine flower, with its distinctive spurs curling outward like the necks of graceful birds in mid-flight. Read Columbines—Elegant Flowers Spurred to Greatness
-
Bamboo: Graceful Grass or Jungle Giant
Imagine yourself enclosed deep within a bamboo grove, a "living room" of green, with walls enveloping but breathing, a cathedral of vertical stems stretching to the heavens above, the shadows delicate and swaying. You feel quiet, contemplative and calm, protected. Are you in Kyoto, Bangkok, or Bali? No, you are at home, surrounded by bamboos in containers. It is not difficult to create your own bamboo grove indoors—try it! Read Bamboo: Graceful Grass or Jungle Giant
-
Cacti and Other Succulents as Houseplants
Succulents evoke glorious warmth, and range widely in form and texture. They make wonderful houseplants, alone or in a group. Read Cacti and Other Succulents as Houseplants
-
Gods and Monsters: The Genus Ficus
We encounter glorious specimens in ubiquitous bank and shopping mall plantings, we marvel at lush archetypes on tropical isles whilst on vacation, and we regard forlorn examples in the corners of our doctor's office. We adore them. We despise them—yet we attempt to maintain them time and time again. They are the gods and monsters of the indoor gardening world—they are the figs, the rubber trees, the genus Ficus. Read Gods and Monsters: The Genus Ficus
-
Palms in the Parlor
Of all the members of the plant kingdom suitable for use as houseplants, none evoke a feeling of the tropics like the palms. With their large, architectural leaves and strong outlines, palms can help create an indoor Garden of Eden wherever you live. Read Palms in the Parlor
-
Zinnias—If You Plant Them, Butterflies Will Come
These cheerful annuals are enjoying renewed popularity as more and more colorful, compact, and disease-resistant varieties appear on seed racks. Read Zinnias—If You Plant Them, Butterflies Will Come
-
Wildflower Fever!—A Selection of Unusual Natives
Nowadays, I fill my garden with beautiful wildflowers. Besides increasing biodiversity in and of themselves by augmenting the shrinking populations and gene pools of native species, they provide a valuable source of food for insects and birds. Read Wildflower Fever!—A Selection of Unusual Natives
-
Growing Chile Peppers
You can grow chile peppers just about anywhere in the United States and southern Canada, as long as you prepare your soil, nurture your seedlings properly, and provide the plants with their basic needs. Read Growing Chile Peppers
-
Aspidistra—An Alluring and Enduring Favorite
Aspidistra can endure temperatures as low as 23 degrees Fahrenheit and as high as 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Aspidistra can survive extreme levels of urban pollution and dust, as well as light levels as low as 25 footcandles. Finally, as if attuned to the contingencies of modern living, they are forgiving of our inauspicious watering habits. Read Aspidistra—An Alluring and Enduring Favorite