Flowers & Ornamentals

Despite writing for our Rural Sprout readers for a few years now and mentioning lilac in no fewer than six articles, it has just dawned on me that I haven’t …

As much as I love the feeling of late fall in the garden, and all the scrumptious flavors that come part and parcel with the season, there’s one thing I …

Whether you are new to African violets or don’t have a room in your house without one (hi friend!), you need to read this article if you want healthy, blooming …

October is the best month to plant perennials, especially if you prefer gardening on easy mode. So, I’ve rounded up some of the easiest perennials you can grow. Get them …

Spring bulbs are a promise from Mother Nature, given each fall. As we close out the summer and cooler fall temperatures arrive, it’s time to plant the bulbs that will …

Roses are the one garden ornamental that has never gone out of style or fallen out of grace. They’re no longer confined to formal gardens, and seeing them tumble out …

I love a messy garden! And not just as a self-confessed prune-crastinator. To me, a messy garden is a living garden. A diverse garden. And a welcoming garden.  So that’s …

Have you heard the term “underpruner” before? I honestly hope you haven’t, because if you have, that would mean I haven’t just made that up. Which I totally did. To …

Even when I’m buying mums, I can already picture their skeletal remains, tipped out of their pots and into the compost bin a couple of months from now. Chrysanthemums are …

Fall is here! What? You didn’t notice that everyone is suddenly selling pumpkins and chrysanthemums? This time of year, mums make their way into our grocery carts and grace our …

As a recovering pessimist, I have become quite adept at not making a big deal out of gardening mistakes. Sometimes, my plan(t)s don’t work out because the elements conspire against …

Fall is here, and you know what that means – it’s pumpkin spice chrysanthemum season! Everywhere you look, there are potted mums for sale. If you plan on grabbing a …

Back in August, we published an article in which I was advising our readers on what plants we can take cuttings from. Next to dividing plants (which I also talked …

Spring and summer flowers offer a profusion of color that captivates from May through August. But what about fall? Not to be outdone, autumn offers a palette of sultry purples, …

Both the garden and I get a second wind in September.  After the mellowness of summer months, and leisurely August pastimes, my mind craves a refocus and regroup. It’s not …

I got the idea for this article just as I get most of my inspiration: working in the garden, noticing something, and thinking to myself, “I wonder if anyone else …

Oh, September, that month when the light drips with gold, the summer heat finally begins to ease up, and mornings come capped in fog and crisp air. We look forward …

Fall is synonymous with chrysanthemums. Those vibrant, bushy potted mums lining garden centers and grocery stores alike practically shout, “Fall is finally here!” With their deep burgundies, rusty oranges, golden …

There’s a subtle shift in the air when September rolls around. I can sense it, without even the slightest glance at a calendar. The light changes. The breeze changes. And …

As a gardener and a garden writer, I enjoy taking photos of plants, in all their stages of growth (and sometimes demise). Most photos I take for my own record-keeping, …

One of the things I’m becoming more aware of about gardening is how much it is a continuum. Like a talent show in which contestants follow one another – and …

You’d be hard pressed to find a showier flower in your garden than a dahlia. With their colorful heads full of neatly arrayed petals, their blooms that never stop, and …

I was reading a gardening magazine recently, which proclaimed that September is the most productive month in the garden. With veggies basically jumping into our harvest baskets, there’s little arguing …

For me, August is the month of lunching al fresco in the garden, a fresh meal sandwiched between getting a suntan in the morning and sipping cocktails on the terrace …