You water your hanging basket, and a spider rappels out of the leaves. Then you notice the webs tucked between the stems and the chain. It’s startling, but it’s also very common, and it’s easy to fix without harming your plant. In this guide, I’ll show you how to get rid of spiders in hanging … Read more >>
You booked the trip, packed the bags, and then you looked at your plants. Many gardeners worry about coming home to wilted leaves and dry soil. The good news is that it’s easy to keep plants watered while on vacation with a little planning and a few cheap tools. In this guide, I’ll walk you … Read more >>
The right philodendron selloum soil mix is chunky, airy, and drains fast while still holding steady moisture. Get that balance right and your tree philodendron will push out huge, deeply cut leaves. Get it wrong and you’ll see yellowing, soggy roots, and fungus gnats. In this guide, I’ll share the mix I recommend, what each … Read more >>
Yes, ferns make good indoor plants, as long as you can give them steady moisture and humid air. Ferns are good indoor plants for anyone who can keep the soil evenly damp and the air around 50% humidity, and easy types like the Boston fern and bird’s nest fern adapt well to bright, indirect window … Read more >>
You can grow a lotus in a bowl if you start with a true bowl or micro lotus, a watertight container 10 to 15 inches wide, heavy clay soil, and at least six hours of direct sun. To grow a lotus flower in a bowl, plant a dwarf bowl lotus tuber in 3 to 4 … Read more >>
You buy a gorgeous basket in May, hang it by the front door, and a few weeks later it looks like a bundle of green stems. If you’ve ever stood on your porch wondering why do hanging plants lose all their flowers, you’re not alone. It’s one of the most common summer frustrations for container … Read more >>
Plant one broccoli plant in each square of your grid. For square foot gardening broccoli, the rule is one plant per 12-inch square, so a standard 4 x 4 raised bed holds up to 16 plants if you give the whole bed to broccoli. That spacing gives each plant enough sun, root room and airflow … Read more >>
Most eggplants need about 1 to 2 inches of water a week, given as one or two deep soakings. For in-ground plants, I’d water deeply once or twice a week so the soil stays evenly moist 6 inches down, then water more often in hot, dry spells and in containers. That inch or two covers … Read more >>
Worm castings are a gentle plant food for seedlings and pots; mushroom compost builds whole garden beds. Here is when to use each.
If you’ve ever dug up a forked carrot or a scabby potato, you know root crops can be fussy. That’s why I love vegetables that grow above the ground. You can see them ripen, pick them without a shovel, and grow them in almost any bed or pot. In this guide, I’ll walk you through … Read more >>