Nigella (Nigella damascena) earns the common name love-in-a-mist because of the tangle of ferny, fennel-like foliage that forms a mist around the flowers. Once you see N. Damascena in bloom, you will always recognize it by its unique mist of airy bracts and foliage. The foliage of the N. Damascena plant is ferny, the flowers are fluffy, and the seed…

Dracaena trifasciata, commonly known as the snake plant, is one of the most popular and hardy species of houseplants. Up until 2017, it was botanically classified as Sansevieria trifasciata, but its commonalities with Dracaena species were too many to overlook. The plant features stiff, sword-like leaves ranging from 6 inches to 8 feet tall. Snake plants can vary in color;…

Growing an avocado from a pit starts with sprouting. The only skill you need to coax that hard avocado seed (aka the pit) to crack is patience — because it usually takes six to eight weeks to get a sprout. Some sources say it takes two to six weeks to go from avocado seed to…

Most often we plant trees to provide shade and beautify our landscapes. These are great benefits but trees also provide other less obvious benefits. Social Benefits Trees make life nicer. It has been shown that spending time among trees and green spaces reduces the amount of stress that we carry around with us in our…

Jelly bean succulents (Sedum rubrotinctum) are evergreen, low-growing perennial succulents that are native to Mexico. Also commonly mentioned as “pork and beans” or “banana cactus”, jelly egg succulents are a neighborhood of the Sedum genus within the Crassulaceae. they appear beautiful in succulent arrangements or grown on their own. because of their sprawling growth habit, mature jelly egg succulents also can be used as ground cover. These cute succulents are a…

The marshmallow plant, also referred to as marsh-mallow, may be a useful perennial with many medicinal uses. Althaea officinalis features a rich history that has been described in historical documents from Egyptian, Roman and Syrian sources, and its use as a food source made it a crucial plant in civilizations going back centuries. The marshmallow candy we all know and love is predicated on a…

Herbs can easily be grown indoors as long as you make sure to get started off the right way. The key to successfully creating an indoor kitchen herb garden is understanding the plant’s requirements & making sure to give them what they need. It’s that simple. Follow these 10 important tips to create your own…

The common name bamboo is applied to over a thousand plant species. In the wild, several of these species can grow to tower heights of 50 feet or more. However, it is possible to grow certain types of bamboo in containers—even indoors. Golden bamboo (Phyllostachys aurea) is one of those species. This bamboo features bright green upright canes that…

Hardy kiwi (Actinidia arguta and Actinidia kolomikta) is the cold-hardy cousin of the vine that produces the familiar kiwi fruit sold at grocery stores. The latter is the species Actinidia deliciosa and is hardy only to USDA plant hardiness zone 8. Hardy kiwi is much more cold-tolerant and can be grown in zones 3, 4, or 5 (and up to…

If you aren’t familiar with hydroponics, this Hydroponics for Beginners article is for you. It might seem intimidating to set up your own indoor hydroponic grow system. You might think you’ll need a lot of special equipment. Or you could be thinking that it will be expensive to set up, or the process will be…