Repotting orchids is critical to maintaining and flowering them but this needs to be done differently than other house plants. Once you accept the fact that orchids are different, then the care of orchids becomes simple. Regular orchid repotting will ensure a good root system and lots of flowers.
Orchids are one of the easiest house plants to grow, but they remain a mystery for many people. In this post I will provide complete orchid care instructions that are foolproof. I have grown several thousand orchids, and this method works every time. My focus here will be on the phalaenopsis orchid, but the same orchid care methods will work on most of the orchids found in homes.
Are you looking for an unusual subshrub for the fall garden? Elsholtzia stauntonii is a good choice. The Chinese mint shrub is rare in northern gardens, where its late flowering is very much appreciated.
Aconitum x cammarum ‘Bicolor’ is a special summer blooming monkshood. In zone 5, it blooms mid to late August at a time when other plants are slowing down. It can grow in full sun or heavy shade making it ideal for almost any garden.
It is fall and some gardeners are getting tired of their gardens. So what do they do? They go out and buy bulbs for spring flowers. For a true gardener there is always next year.
This post will walk you through the steps of how to buy bulbs and how to plant bulbs for a great spring garden.
An unusual clematis that forms a low bush of very fragrant flowers. Clematis mandshurica makes a great addition to your garden.
Hylomecon japonica is a fairly rare plant that is miss-identified frequently on the internet and in seed exchanges. The AGS seedex has been sending out the wrong seeds for a number of year and discussions on their forum make it clear that getting seed from the right plant has been a global problem (ref 1).
Instead of receiving Hylomecon japonica seed, it is common to get seed from one of the other wood poppies. Since I grow Hylomecon japonica and it’s 3 imposters I decided to prepare a complete review of the plants, and provide a list of features that will allow people to clearly identify their plants.
All of the details are based on my plants which represents a limited set of clones. If your findings disagree with mine, please let me know by leaving a comment.
Since it is Christmas, I thought it would be appropriate to write about the birth of a myth. Gardening information is full of myths–untruths that seem to take on a life of their own. As part of my effort to understand these myths, I also want to understand how myths get started. The history of most myths has been lost but every once in a while I am able to find evidence that clearly shows how a myth is born.
Understanding how a myth is born can be very educational. It provides insight into how the human mind works. It also trains you to spot future potential myths and to better evaluate the information you are reading. So let’s celebrate this holiday by peering into the start of a myth.
It’s that time of year again, winter is coming. We close the windows and doors of our home to keep out the cold, and in the process, we lock in all kinds of chemical pollutants. Never fear, a few air-purifying plants will help with that problem. This must work since all kinds of home magazines, newspapers, and websites tell you it works. Headlines like “the 10 best plants for removing pollutants in your home” appear daily this time of year. How well do plants work at cleaning the air in our home?
Pruning trees and shrubs in late summer is NOT recommended because such pruning causes new soft growth that can’t harden off before winter. You will find this advice everywhere, but is it correct?
Rodgersia is an exceptional plant for the garden. They are true giants that will make a statement that your visitors will remember for quite some time. The problem with this genus is that the species are fairly similar to one another, resulting in many misidentified pictures on the internet. In this blog post, I hope to provide a simple way to help you identify your plants.
The genus Amsonia is a collection of herbaceous plants that are not well known in gardens, but they should be more popular. They are great plants, flower well, are North American natives and some are very drought tolerant. They are also more cold tolerant than believed. The various available species are similar and very often misnamed. It is quite common to find pictures in books and on the net that are misidentified. In today’s post I will try to sort out the differences to help you identify plants.
