Check out all our blog posts on Outdoor gardening.
Lemongrass grows well from seed if you give it warmth, light, and a head start indoors. To grow lemongrass from seed, press the seeds onto the surface of moist seed-starting mix about 8 weeks before your last frost, keep them at 70 to 80°F until they sprout in one to three weeks, then plant the … Read more >>
Most areca palms die from root rot caused by soggy soil, with dry air, tap water salts, cold drafts, and poor light close behind. You can save a palm that still has firm canes and some white or tan roots. One that has gone mushy at the base all the way through usually can’t come … Read more >>
Lotus plants can’t handle drought the way garden perennials do. They’re true aquatic plants, and they need standing water over their soil all season long. Lotus plants can’t survive drought as growing plants: the leaves start failing within hours once the soil is exposed, but the underground tuber can ride out a short dry spell … Read more >>
Lemongrass and citronella grass are two different plants. They’re close cousins in the same grass family, and the confusion gets worse because a third plant, a lemon-scented geranium, is also sold as “citronella.” If you want a plant to cook with, grow lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus), because it’s the type sold for food, while citronella grass … Read more >>
Lotus leaves are covered in tiny hairs and a waxy coating, and that surface reacts badly to oils and soaps. The safest way to protect lotus from pests and wildlife is to rinse insects off with plain water, pick off the bigger pests by hand, and block animals with physical barriers like rocks, wire, and … Read more >>
Lotus does best when it gets its own sunny pot and its neighbors stay out of that pot. The best companion plants for lotus are compact water lilies, potted marginals like pickerelweed and blue flag iris, and a few well-controlled oxygenators, all kept in separate containers so nothing steals the 6+ hours of direct sun … Read more >>
To harvest lemongrass without hurting the plant, wait until outer stalks are about half an inch thick and the clump is at least a foot tall, then twist or cut those stalks off at soil level and take no more than a third of the clump at once. The center of the clump is where … Read more >>
Lemongrass grows slowly for its first few weeks, then takes off once summer heat arrives. From a nursery plant set out after your last frost, you can expect your first harvestable stalks in about 3 to 4 months, while store-bought stalks take about 4 to 5 months and seeds take 5 to 6 months or … Read more >>
Plant a lotus tuber with about 2 inches of water over the soil, then raise the water a few inches at a time as leaves grow, until it sits 4 to 12 inches deep for small types and 12 to 18 inches deep for large ones. That shallow start keeps the water warm and lets … Read more >>
Marigolds are one of the easiest flowers to fit into a raised-bed grid, and the spacing is simple. For marigolds in a square foot garden, put 4 French marigolds in one square, or 1 African marigold per square, because French types stay 6 to 12 inches tall while African types grow 2 to 3 feet … Read more >>