How to Make a Magical Garden Plants: Every garden needs plants, and a fantasy garden is no exception. Plants for fantasy garden designs are up to you, so select those that you enjoy. If you aren’t sure what to plant, choose a variety of colorful, blooming plants along with green plants for contrast. Include vining plants like morning glory, sweet peas or honeysuckle to climb over a trellis or fence. Hosta and ferns are ideal for shady corners and create a feeling of peace and romance....

Rose of Sharon Fertilizer Guide Also known as shrub althea, rose of Sharon is a deciduous shrub for U.S. hardiness zones 5 to 8. Native to India and China, these shrubs are much loved for their prolific late season blooms. In late summer to fall, when most of the landscape is fading, rose of Sharon shrubs put on a beautiful display of tropical looking blooms. When your shrub suddenly stops producing its usual plethora of blooms, you may try fertilizing rose of Sharon to make it bloom better....

What is a Spanish Firecracker Vine? Related to many vigorous vining plants such as morning glory in the Ipomoea family, the firecracker vine is a showy, twining annual perfect for growing up a sturdy fence or trellis in a full sun area. Also referred to as exotic love vine, this plant was originally called Mina lobata and retains this name with many gardeners. Banana shaped blooms grow together on one side of the branches, earning it the common name of Spanish flag too....

Four O’clock Flowers Four o’clock flowers, Mirabilis jalapa, were originally found in the Andes Mountains of South America. The Mirabilis part of the Latin name means “wonderful” and is an accurate description of the hardy four o’clock plant. Grow four o’clocks in poor to average soil for the most abundant production of four o’clock flowers. Many varieties of the flower exist, including some that are native to the United States. Native Americans grew the plant for medicinal properties....

Good-smelling groundcover is ideal for shady spots under tree canopies, among stepping stones, in a sensory garden, or even in a children’s play area. Incorporating perfumed plants into the garden will tickle your nose and delight your senses. 5 Fragrant Ground Cover Plants Here are five different aromatic groundcover plants and how to use them in the garden:

Frosty Fern Information What is a frosty fern? Common consensus seems to have trouble on this front, because the frosty fern (sometimes also sold as a “Frosted Fern”) isn’t actually a fern at all! Known as Selaginella kraussiana, it is actually a variety of spike moss (which, confusingly enough, isn’t really a kind of moss either). Does any of this matter for knowing how to grow it? Not really. What’s important to know is that a frosty fern is what’s known as a “fern ally,” which means that even though it isn’t technically a fern, it behaves like one, reproducing via spores....

Pitcher Plant Info Growing pitcher plants outdoors requires a combination of conditions quite different from ordinary garden plants. Garden grown pitcher plants love nutrient-poor soil that is deficient in nitrogen and phosphorus. In their native environments, pitcher plants grow in highly acidic, sandy, peat-rich soil. So normal soil nitrogen levels can kill pitcher plants and also invites other competitive plants into their growing space. Pitcher plants in the garden also require full sun....

What is a Garden Spade? Garden spade tools are used in cultivation, terracing, contouring, and aid in such tasks as drainage and more. What is a garden spade? Don’t call it a shovel, as the spade is an altogether different implement. It is an all-purpose tool that most gardeners can’t live without. Ergonomic design makes using a garden spade less difficult and modern tools are increasingly being fashioned for comfort but also to accommodate certain handicaps and physical stresses....

Where to Hunt Down Garden Treasures Where to hunt down garden treasures, you ask? Start by scouring flea markets. Stop by a yard sale or two on the way home or pay a visit to the thrift store. There is sure to be a treasure of some sort waiting to be found among the numerous items on display. And if you’re lucky enough, you may even come across a load of free stuff....

Many gardeners refer to this condition as “helmet head.” Is the seedling doomed? Can you remove the seed coat that won’t come off before the seedling dies? Keep reading to learn more about what to do with a seed coat stuck to a plant. Why Did the Seed Coat Not Fall Off? No one is 100 percent sure why this happens, though most agree that a seed coat getting stuck on the seedling mainly occurs due to less than ideal planting and germinating conditions....

Attracting Beneficial Bugs The best way to draw these beneficial bugs into your garden is by growing their favorite flowering plants. Some of these include: Mint Daisy (Shasta and Oxeye) Wild carrot (Queen Anne’s lace) Cosmos Marigold Clover You can also attract these insects by offering them a “bug bath.” Somewhat like a birdbath, this shallow container is filled with stones or gravel and just enough water to keep it moist....

Maybe it’s too much of a hassle to bring them in and out with the seasons. You might wonder if you can grow agave as a houseplant. The answer is yes, you can, although some types may grow better than others if kept exclusively indoors. Growing Agave Plants Indoors There are several types of agaves, some with spines and some without. If you have children or pets in the household, this should be a consideration....

How to Grow Barrel Cactus Barrel cactus plants are characterized by their ribbed, cylindrical shape. The cacti come in many sizes and may be low and squat or as tall as 10 feet (3 m.) in height. The barrel cactus cares for lost travelers in the desert because it habitually grows tilted to the southwest. Caring for barrel cactus is quite easy and it makes a great plant for the beginning gardener....

Growing Bergenias in Winter One of the most charming things about bergenia plants is the transformation they undergo in autumn and winter. In the summer, they are known for their lush, rich, green foliage. But these plants are evergreens, and in autumn and winter, their leaves will usually turn very attractive shades of red, bronze, or purple. Some varieties, such as “Winterglow” and “Sunningdale” are sold specifically for the dazzling color of their winter leaves....

How to Grow a Cherry Tree Planting cherry trees requires well-drained, fertile soil. Cherry trees are very susceptible to root rot, so the soil needs to drain well. They also require about eight hours of sunlight daily, so you cannot plant them where they will grow in the shade of other trees. Any cherry tree care manual will tell you that sour cherry trees are self-pollinators. This means they do not require more than one tree to produce the fruit....

‘Murray’ is becoming the top choice for screening out noise, unsightly views, or nosy neighbors. It can increase in height by 3 to 4 feet (1 to a little over 1 m.) per year, making it highly desirable as a quick hedge. When mature, ‘Murray’ cypress trees reach 30 to 40 feet (9-12 m.) with widths ranging from 6 to 10 feet (2 to a little over 2 m.). Hardy in USDA zones 6 through 10, its tolerance to heat and humidity makes growing ‘Murray’ cypress popular in the southeastern United States....

How to Transplant a Palm Pup Before you remove a palm pup from the mother plant, you need to make sure that the palm pup is large enough to be taken from the mother plant. A palm offshoot should stay on the mother plant for at least one year. Allowing it to stay two to five years is ideal though, as this will allow the palm pup to develop its own healthy root system, which will in turn increase your success rate with transplanting the palm pups....

Four species of petunias include hundreds of cultivars and offer a perfect addition to the home landscape: Grandiflora petunias are the most common type of growing petunias. This species features 3- to 4-inch (7.5-10 cm.) blooms which often grow upright but may spill over the side of your container or window box. Multiflora petunias have smaller flowers and a more abundant bloom. Milliflora petunias are miniature versions of growing petunias; they are compact and reblooming....

Donate to Food Deserts Of course, you can donate money to food desert organizations and nonprofits, or you can volunteer. Community gardens are increasingly popular with the goal of growing nutritious foods right in the community that most need access to healthy foods. They often need volunteers, but if you have a productive garden of your own, you can also donate produce for food deserts. To volunteer at your local community garden, contact the American Community Gardening Association....

Rose Verbena Plant Info This North American native, also known as clump verbena, rose mock vervain, or rose vervain, is commonly found growing wild in fields, prairies, pastures, meadows, and wooded areas across the eastern United States, as far west as Colorado and Texas. Rose verbena uses include adding to flower beds, rose gardens, borders, or hanging baskets. The sprawling nature and ability to root at the nodes make this plant a worthy groundcover....