Expert Advice on Home Improvement

Scott asks, “I’m confused about bulbs. What’s the difference between hardy bulbs and tender bulbs? And what about spring vs. summer bulbs? How do I know what kind I can grow?” Read in full.

Gardeners will go to great lengths to protect the plants that they love, and for some, a newly-opening rose bud is the epitome of garden perfection. However, many cultivated varieties of roses are not hardy below 10º- 20º F. To preserve the splendor of the rose garden, many gardeners are brave enough to try a technique called the “Minnesota Tip.” Using this method, the entire plants are actually tipped over and buried. Read in full.

If you live in a cold climate and grow tender hybrid tea, grandiflora, or floribunda roses, you may want to provide them with some winter protection before the temperatures dip too low. Follow these steps to make sure your roses are healthy and protected this winter. Read in full.

Bulbs are plants that go through a cycle of putting out leaves, blooming, dying back to the ground, and going dormant until the next growing season. Find out what you need to know about the different types of bulbs and how they grow. Read in full.

Many fall-blooming perennials add to the traditional autumn color palette with reds, yellows, oranges, and purples, but that’s not all. There are also plenty of choices in pink, blue, white, and lavender for a softer look. Read in full.

In the fall garden, chrysanthemums are the showstoppers, blooming prolifically after other garden plants have called it quits for the season. Learn everything you need to know to grow this easy, colorful perennial in your garden. Read in full.

A butterfly garden is an easy way to bring some beauty and fun to your garden. Many species of plants and flowers attract butterflies – some provide nectar for the adults, and some provide nutritious leaves for the larvae to feed upon. As a bonus, many butterfly-attracting plants are low-maintenance, hardy, and quite possibly native to your area, which means that your butterfly garden may be the easiest patch of flowers you’ll ever grow. Read in full.

To grow new African violets, use a sterile knife and cut off a healthy leaf as near the base as possible. Dip the stem in rooting hormone then push it through a piece of paper and place the stem in water until it develops roots. Watch this video.

Removing buds (or debudding) is sort of like thinning a fruit tree. You hate to do it because every bud you take off will eventually bloom. However, for the biggest flowers, or in the case of fruit trees the biggest fruits, you should debud or thin out. Watch this video.

Provide a casual but sophisticated look to your groundcover by planting bunches of daffodils or tulips amidst low-growing green foliage, such as pachysandra or ivy. Another option is to outline an existing bed of ground cover or other plantings. Watch this video.