One of the most tempting plants at garden centers is the bellflower, which always seems to be blooming. Bellflowers (Campanula) are long-blooming perennials or biennials. In ...
Organic garden products puzzle consumers
A lot of us are more interested in organic or natural gardening these days, but many of us are confused about what these terms mean, the cost and effectiveness of lawn and garden ...
Last minute tips for Valentine’s Day on a budget
It's not too late to pick up a few buds for your best gal or guy to celebrate Valentine's Day. Roses, tulips or any bouquet of cut flowers will do the job. And, with today's tight ...
Mimosa tree inspires 2009 Color of Year
In keeping with the theme of change, the Pantone Color Institute has picked mimosa, "a warm, engaging yellow" as the 2009 Color of the Year. Forget about all those negative ...
Bay leaf honored as 2009 Herb of the Year
A savory, aromatic leaf that is the staple of soups and stews is celebrated as the 2009 Herb of the Year. A native of the Mediterranean region, bay leaf (Laurus nobilis), ...
Plants speed post-surgery recovery
A recently released university study affirms what we already seem to know intuitively and that is that plants are good for us. In fact, people recovering from surgery in ...
Web Extra – 1/17/09
List of recommended plants for cleaning indoor air In the 1980s, NASA studied house plants and their ability to cleanse indoor air. For a 1,200 to 2,000 square foot home, use ...
Easy-care house plants clean air and beautify surroundings
Besides brightening our winter weary days, house plants clean the indoor air. In the process that adds oxygen to the atmosphere, house plants absorb gasses and chemicals, such ...
No need to tread lightly on Tough Ten ground covers
Stepables , a brand of ground covers, has polled its growers and developed the Tough Ten, solution plants recommended "for their wide range of versatility and robust habits."Each ...
Web Extra for 01/10/09
Here is information on the remaining five ground covers in Stepables ' Tough Ten: ‘Chocolate Chip' bugleweed (Ajuga) is a perennial ground cover that gets about 3 inches tall ...