Author Archives: Jennifer Cipriano

Daylily Care

Daylily Grower’s Guide One of the reasons daylilies are so popular is because they are some of the easiest perennials to grow and can survive much neglect, drought, and other adverse conditions. However, if you want your daylilies to look their best, they will benefit from the periodic care described below. Watering Water is the […]

HOW TO GROW TROPICAL PLANTS IN CONTAINERS

Turn your patio or balcony into an exotic tropical getaway with the help of bold, beautiful tropical plants. Used as dramatic summer annuals in trendy decorative containers, tropical plants with rich foliage or sizzling-hot blooms turn outdoor spaces into hot spots for relaxation and entertaining. From birds of paradise and flowering gingers with striking, vibrant blooms […]

2021 Perennial Plant of the Year

CALAMINTHA NEPETA SUBSP. NEPETA Calamint, Lesser Calamint Photo credit: Stonehouse Nursery Like a cloud of confetti, tiny white flowers (sometimes touched with pale blue) appear from early summer to fall. Undemanding and dependable, calamint provides the perfect foil for other summer bloomers and foliage. This full-sun perennial has a low mounding or bushy habit, ideal for the […]

June is Perennial Gardening Month

June is the perfect time to plant perennials Because of the abundance of perennials that bloom this month, June has been designated as Perennial Gardening Month by the Perennial Plant Association. Perennial gardens often bring to mind the classic cottage garden or vibrant perennial border, and rightfully so.  Cottage gardens and perennial borders burst with a […]

It’s Time To Plant Pansies!

Pansies are the colorful flowers with “faces.” A cool-weather favorite, pansies are great for both spring and fall gardens! Here’s how to plant pansies as well as keep them growing and blooming. Pansies have heart-shaped, overlapping petals and one of the widest ranges of bright, pretty colors and patterns. Good for containers, borders, and as ground cover, […]

10 Essential Spring Gardening Tasks

1. Time for a spring inspection. On one of the first warm days of spring, put on your inspector’s hat and head out to the garden with a notepad. It’s time to see what happened in the garden while you were indoors all winter. Take note of: Cold, ice or snow damage on plants Beds […]

Veggies That Prefer Cool Weather

Many of the most common kinds have edible leaves or roots, like lettuce, carrots and onions. With spring around the corner, a gardener can get a bit anxious to start planting. But not all vegetables are as eager to get into the cool ground and start growing. Luckily, there are cool season crops that tend […]

Houseplant of the Month: Fiddle Leaf Fig

The fiddle-leaf fig (Ficus lyrata) is a popular indoor specimen plant featuring very large, heavily veined, violin-shaped leaves that grow upright. These plants are native to tropical parts of Africa, where they thrive in very warm and wet conditions. This makes them somewhat challenging for the home grower, who is likely to have trouble duplicating […]