21 January 2011, written by Barbara Pleasant Gardeners love a lush bed of spinach, but sometimes their dreams don’t come true when they plant spinach. From what I’ve seen, the hardest part is getting all the spinach seeds to sprout at once, like little soldiers. Sometimes I get uniform sprouting, with rabbit-eared seedlings at just … Read more
So you have indoor succulents and you’ve seen your first gnats flying around your babies. You’re lucky that you haven’t had this problem yet! Succulent gnats aren’t the worst or most dangerous bugs that can be on your succulents—look up mealybugs and pray you don’t get them! Finding gnats on your succulents is, at the … Read more
The medlar is an obscure ancient fruit that dates back to Roman times but is rarely found today. With its unique flavor and texture, the medlar deserves to be rediscovered. Read on to learn all about medlars, where to source these unique fruits, and how to enjoy them. What are Medlars? Medlars (Mespilus germanica) are … Read more
With its delicate pink flowers and finely dissected leaves, herb Robert may seem an innocuous wildflower. Yet this common wayside plant has a rather ominous folk name – “death come quickly.” Where did this grim moniker originate and what’s the story behind associating herb Robert with imminent doom? Let’s explore the ancient folk beliefs that … Read more
Features of the Bleeding Heart Plant: Bleeding hearts are a great way to add color and texture to woodland or shady areas. All species have incredibly attractive, deeply cut foliage with charming pink heart-shaped flowers in the spring. There are different sizes, and over the years, hybrids have been created to increase the number of … Read more
Grown for its spicy, pungent leaves, oregano is a sun-loving Mediterranean herb. Easy to grow, compact and drought tolerant, it thrives in pots or in the ground. It’s widely used in Italian and Greek cuisine, especially when dried. A low clump of small, fragrant leaves makes up oregano. In the summer, it sends up pretty … Read more
Melon plants get yellow leaves when they are stressed by things in their environment that are not living. Gerald Holmes, Strawberry Center, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Bugwood org. A lot of different environmental stressors can also make seedlings and transplants get white, tan, or brown spots and splotches. These include temperature extremes, wide temperature … Read more
Have you ever been working in your garden and stumbled upon a strange egg buried in the soil? If so, you may be wondering what animal could have laid it there. It turns out, there are several creatures that lay their eggs underground for protection and warmth In this article, we’ll explore some of the … Read more
With their distinctive globe-shaped bulbs and tall, hollow leaves, onion plants are easy to recognize But did you know there are over 600 species of the flowering Allium plants which onions belong to? Below you’ll find a guide to the most common types of onions with useful descriptions and pictures to help identify them. Bulb … Read more
Distinctive and spiky, the monkey puzzle has been making strong impressions since dinosaurs roamed the earth. These days, jays and squirrels feast on its nuts. Monkey Puzzle can grow up to 30 meters tall and has a thick, almost cylindrical trunk with smooth, purple-brown bark. The base of a large tree can resemble an elephants … Read more