When you think of planting perennial flowers, spring might automatically come to mind: birds creating a cacophony of noise, gusty breezes drying out the mud, and the excitement of new …
I don’t grow a garden without mulch. Period. Putting down a protective layer over the bare soil in my garden provides a multitude of benefits. Unfortunately, after three successive seasons …
There are plenty of reasons to love growing determinate tomatoes. As bush-type tomatoes, they are biologically limited to a height of around four feet. They grow until the terminal bud …
Houseplants are wonderful in and of themselves. They provide a lot of beauty and liveliness to our homes and offices. But what if your houseplants could also provide you with …
Agapanthus is one of the few plants I can think of where the word “regal” is well and truly fitting. You have a plant with a full crown of emerald …
If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing about the plants that you grow, what would that be? Predictably, my answer to this question varies with the …
Mint is a nightmare. To the uninitiated, you’re probably scratching your head and thinking, “Really? Mint doesn’t seem so bad. Can’t you make tea with it?” To those of us …
Hoo boy. I get asked this question all the time by Rural Sprout readers. One minute, your tomatoes are doing fine, and then, within a day or two, you have …
When I started writing this article, my first draft was titled The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Gardeners, an obvious riff on the self-help bestselling classic. But the more I …
I love volunteer plants. You know, the ones where you plant it once, and it self-seeds every year after that. I can’t tell you how nice it is not to …
Lavender is one of those plants that nearly everyone has in their landscape or garden. And why not? It’s easy to maintain, the pollinators love it, and its classic scent …
Summer is a time to eat al fresco and have ice cream; and maybe lounge in the hammock. Yes, theoretically I know that. But what do you think happens when …
It’s that weird part of the summer where you know there’s still plenty of warm weather left, but that little voice begins to whisper in the back of your brain …
If you garden long enough, you’ll eventually experience the joy of waging war against a plant you just had to have, only to find out later that it was bent …
When you’re growing vegetables, you rarely want your plants to get sick. We put a lot of work into making sure they don’t. So, it’s usually an upsetting surprise to …
Hostas are great. Everyone loves hostas. You’ve probably got a few yourself. Hostas have a lot going for them. They’re ridiculously easy to care for (basically ignore them). You can …
Lavender is a classic plant prized as both a flower and an herb. It is a classic plant that makes its way into gardens all over the world. Just the …
With summer temperatures climbing higher each year, many gardeners suddenly find it harder to grow tomatoes. Plants that used to burst with fruit come July now seem stuck. Thankfully, an …
Gardeners – and especially those who garden organically – ought to be well-acquainted with nitrogen. As the N in N-P-K, it’s the first nutrient you’ll learn about as a budding …
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. We tomato growers are a bit touched. We’ll try just about anything to grow the tastiest tomatoes, the earliest tomatoes and …
Gardening is a beautiful way of making more space for nature in our lives. Many gardeners want to grow more plants that add food and shelter for wildlife. But a …
Even if you don’t know its name, you likely know Creeping Charlie by sight. Also known as ground ivy, Glechoma hederacea, is a real P.I.T.A. (Persistent Invasive and Totally Annoying). …
Let me tell you how I decided to buy a curry plant. It wasn’t exactly planned. Just a classic case of “well, if the universe insists, who am I to …
It’s everywhere. Across the street at your neighbors. Every house in that new development has it. Your sister grows it in her flower bed next to the backdoor. It’s at …