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Zebra Plants in Bloom, Aphelandra squarrosa
Zebra Plants in Bloom, Aphelandra squarrosa
Plant of the day

Zebra Plant Aphelandra squarrosa

Zebra Plants are extremely showy evergreen plants with pairs of shiny, 6"-9", lance shaped green leaves, boldly variegated with cream, white or silvery striped veins. Under ideal conditions, they can be persuaded to bloom. Only hardy in zones 11-12. See Web Page

Term of the Day

Naturalize

To plant randomly, without a pattern. The idea is to create the effect that the plants grew in that space without man's help, such as you would find wild flowers growing.

More definitions

Gardening, Flowers and House Plant Care

There are 57 days and 3 hours left until Fall! What should you be doing in your garden right now? Check our July gardening guide here.

Summer Gardening

With summer finally here, hopefully we can sit back for a moment and enjoy the fruits of our labors in the garden.

Wild Willy the Garden Helper With Spring just around the corner, it is time to get serious and get the garden ready!

There are still other on-going tasks to perform in the garden, but your primary concern right now is to assure an ample supply of water for all your plants. Most flowers and shrubs need about an inch of water each week to perform well, and especially newly planted seedlings will perish if their roots are allowed to dry out.

Bugs and Slugs in the Garden

In some areas, warm winter weather could produce an exceptionally good crop of mosquitoes in many gardens. Aside from the usual precaution of eliminating sources of standing water or using chemical methods, there are many types of garden plants that repel mosquitoes.

Here in the Pacific Northwet, the worst garden pests right now are the slugs and snails...
and they are busily propagating themselves! A single lawn prawn can successfully remove an entire row of seedlings from your garden in hours. He can turn a perfect plant into swiss cheese over night and return to the safety of his hideaway, leaving you to wonder what the heck happened...
Here is more information than you ever wanted to know about dealing with the slugs and snails that are eating your garden.

Annuals, Perennials and Bulbs in the Garden

A Creeping Zinnia Plant in Bloom, Sanvitalia procumbens
A Creeping Zinnia Plant in Bloom,...
Has your spring been somewhat less than a sunny, gardener's delight? Haven't had enough time to get the garden looking quite right yet? 'Color Spots' may be your quickest and easiest way of catching up with the neighbors.

Color Spots are easy care, blooming size annuals that the nurseries have grown in 4" pots. They have taken care of the feeding, pinching and early care for you. The result is a nicely branched plant, blooming and ready to set in the garden. You will be able to see what your flower will look like before you even pick it out, and have have some early summer colors before the sun sets. Prepare the soil, water the new plants before you remove them from the pot; plant the color spots at the recommended spacing on the label; water them again.

The Result: I N S T A N T   C O L O R !

Gardening for Beginners

If you are a new or less experienced gardener who wants to start a new garden for the first time, I suggest that you begin here...



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