I did not set out to make this delicious, sweet/tart green tomato ketchup. Weeks of garden neglect meant my heirloom indeterminate tomato ...
Bamboo is not quite the nemesis that people make it out to be. It’s a beautiful and sustainable material made into screens, furniture, floor...
Euphorbia myrsinites is a fascinating and beautiful plant useful in xeriscape - but can be invasive if not controlled. Our guide shares tips!
You may have wondered at one time or another, "can spider plants be outdoors?". Well, in the right conditions, growing spider plants outdoors is possible. You can learn how to grow a spider plant outs
These recommendations are primarily for homeowners and communities that would like to start working in their neighborhood greenspace. For each species we recommend herbicide-free control methods, but have added an herbicide option for some species for those who are comfortable using them. These m...
Helicopters are flying overhead all over the place! When I received the message below from Sandy, our DC Cooperative Extension Agent, I b...
So here's a story... many months ago, my friend Grace tells me about these garden tours she signed up for through Brookside Gardens and enco...
There are so many awesome edible plants growing in cities! Unfortunately, I can’t write about all of them, so I decided to narrow the list down to ten. Only ten! It was so hard to choose. I opted for diversity. This list includes a variety of plant forms— some herbs, some trees, some shrubs. It also
This article has all you need to learn more about Alternanthera, including top tips, common issues and its flowering traits.
The answer: It depends on a combination of factors, including USDA zone, temperatures, date of harvest, and pumpkin variety.
Somtimes refered to as rice cactus because of the clusters of tiny stems. Photographed at Meadowbrook Farm.
When caring for the Haworthia Coarctata it is important to understand the plants watering and soil needs so that it can thrive better
Name: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari Location: Mumbai, IndiaSize: 1150 sq. ft.Years lived in: 5 >> Like a Bollywood spectacle, today’s house tour is an ode to all things colourful, a Mumbai residence with spaces that radiate the creative personality of its occupants through the glowing spectrum of paints, the texture of decorative details and an apparent love for the handmade evident in each of the rooms. Stark minimalism this is not.
Lucky is the gardener with a long season and established water garden, for the water chestnut is a tender perennial that not only produces...
This flavorful hot chili paste goes hand in hand with fried Chinese dumplings, with any shrimp or pork dim sum dish, or on top of a bowl of...
Follow this guide to square-foot gardening based on a grid of 1x1 foot squares and grow more vegetables than you can imagine—with less work.
Herbs have long been revered for both their medicinal and culinary value. They may cure colds, help you sleep and add flavor and zest to dinner. Fortunately for home gardeners, growing herbs is relatively easy.
We can thank bees for about one of every three bites of food we eat. Learn how to help protect these precious pollinators.
Annuals may be considered the heroes of the garden, but they can also demand a lot of attention. Here are low-maintenance varieties to try instead.
The easiest ways to keep your trees healthy and vibrant.
Regular readers of this blog know that my father is pretty obsessive. For several years, he lovingly (and compulsively) raised chrysa...
The Farmer Diaries
If you want roses but aren't crazy about Knock Out roses, try David Austin roses. They're hardy, repeat bloomers with fragrance.
Use these photos and descriptions to identify 36 weeds in your lawn and garden. Plus, get tips for the best ways to get rid of these common weeds.
Mention the beautiful, hazy, pale green leaves of garden sage, and I immediately envision scenes in my grandmother’s kitchen at Thanksgiving. Sage’s pronounced pine-like aroma capitalizes on our most memory-evoking sense: smell. All I want at that moment is savory sage stuffing or sage-studded breakfast sausage to suddenly appear in my kitchen. I’d even settle for a sour cherry and sage bourbon smash.
Late summer/early fall is show season for Eryngium aquaticum var. ravenelii…a superb southeast native plant that’s almost unknown by native plant enthusiasts. In the wild, it grows in seasonally flooded ditches, but in the garden at JLBG, our plants thrive in typical garden soil with an average amount of moisture. Here are our plants flowering
Want to attract more songbirds to your yard? Grow Pigeonberry (Rivina humilis). The birds love the berries of the shade loving native plant.
Fruit trees are surprisingly easy to grow in a backyard setting, and they yield years' worth of beautiful spring blooms and plentiful fruit. Apple, peach, plum, and pear trees all grow well in a variety of climates. When making your...
The ultimate guide to growing cucumbers in your garden: which varieties to choose, how to plant and water, harvesting, pests, and disease.
Learn how to tell the difference between henbit and purple dead nettle, plus tips for using and eating these early spring weeds!
My Joomla CMS
Okay, it is that time of the year and you walk out into your garden and you see your hosta has fallen over and you pick it up to discover that the roots have be…
Learn how to start plants inside so that you can extend your growing season. Doing this, you can get even more veggies from your garden.
Learn how to identify creeping Charlie and its look alikes (some of which are also edible and medicinal) in this detailed foraging guide. #foraging #plantID
My husband and I joke that we don't have grass... we just cut our weeds to a uniform height and call it grass. Well, it isn't really a joke I guess, since that is exactly what we do! Grass really isn't my thing. We can't eat grass and we don't have livestock anymore, so it is really just taking up space that we can use for growing things! I have tried to eliminate grass completely from the yard, but we still have some in a few places. I much prefer to have garden beds, mulched pathways and of course my weeds so that I can harvest them for medicine and use them as food. Really, there is nothing prettier in my book than a yard covered in tiny blue. white, and purple flowers, dotted generously with the sunny faces of dandelions. It makes my heart sing! Unfortunately, in the not too distant future this lovely chorus of wildflowers and herbs will become a leggy tangle of plants that have gotten too tall, and are showing their age, yellowing at the base and looking a little worse for the wear. So before the yard gets to that stage, I will harvest the plants that I use for medicine, and will be continually cutting the edible weeds for salads and to add to prepared foods, until the day my husband declares that he is cutting the "grass" when he gets home from work. Well...I got the word this morning as my husband headed out the door for work, "You did hear me say I was cutting the grass this afternoon didn't you?", which is my husband's gentle reminder that if I want my weeds, this is my last chance to get them before he begins mowing for the year. I have been cutting dandelion greens and Indian strawberry, plantain, and chickweed to eat fresh for a couple of weeks. But I have been letting one of my other medicinal plants get tall, so that I could harvest as much as possible in one cutting. This plant is Speedwell, Veronica Officinalis, also known as Veronica, and Gypsy weed. So since it is mowing day, I went out and cut back the Speedwell to about four inches from the ground. Then I took the harvest inside to sort it out. Since Speedwell has a sprawling habit its stems can be tangled and intermingled with grass, clover and other herbs and wild flowers, so it is important to spread out the harvest and sort through it making sure to pick out any other plants that may come along with the Speedwell when it is cut. Skittle is helping me sort Clover, grass, False Dandelion flowers, leaves and grass seed don't belong in the mix! After carefully sorting out any stowaways, I put the Speedwell in the dehydrator to dry, turning the heat off and just use the fan to dry it completely. It will take 4-5 hours on a sunny day, if it is raining it will take longer. Once dry, I vacuum seal it with my Food Saver and store it away in a dark place until I am ready to use it. Speedwell is a small perennial plant that creeps close to the ground. It has woody, hairy stems that send up branches from 3 to 10 inches high and is rooted at the joints. The leaves are paired in opposites on the stems, and are grey green in color and have finely toothed edges. It has lovely, light blue flowers that have violet streaks inside that draw the attention of bees. The flower is about the size of the eraser on a pencil. The seed pods are heart shaped. En masse they make a very cheerful carpet of blue flowers and grey green foliage in early spring. Here is a look at what the whole plant looks like The tiny Speedwell flowers are a pretty shade of blue, with stripes of violet or darker blue. My finger is in the photo for scale. Although Speedwell is edible, it is most commonly used as a tea. The tea from dried speedwell, is similar to the flavor of green tea. Speedwell tea is used to settle an upset stomach or to ease digestive issues; it is also used to help with reduction of mucus from sinusitis. To make Speedwell into a tea use one heaping teaspoon to 1 cup of boiling water, steep 10 minutes, strain and serve with a little honey. Drink twice a day to relieve symptoms. Decocted in olive oil Speedwell can be used to help to soothe an ear ache. When decocted in honey it is used as a cough medicine. As I finish this post I hear the mower running, inside I have the dehydrator going, drying my harvest of Speedwell. It has been a good day, I hope yours was too! See you again tomorrow! ** This information is intended for educational purposes only and is not intended as suggested treatment for illness. Do your own research and make educated decisions about whether on not to use Speedwell or any other herb as a medicine. **
Lady ferns (Athyrium filix-femina) are a low-maintenance fern with eye-catching, elegant foliage perfect for shady areas. Learn how to grow them.
