Niki Jabbour's Blog, page 47

When to plant sunflowers: 3 options for lots of beautiful blooms

Sunflowers are among the most colorful and cheerful plants for gardens. They are quick to grow, attractive to pollinators, and downright beautiful. If you’re wondering when to plant sunflowers for the greatest chance of success, you’ve come to the right place. This article introduces three different planting times for sunflowers and discusses the pros and [&hellip

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Rain garden benefits and tips: Plan a garden to divert, capture, and filter rainwater

Gardeners can face many challenges on their property—poor soil conditions, steep slopes, invasive plants, roots that produce juglone, insect and four-legged pest issues, among others. A rain garden addresses the challenge posed by heavy rainstorms, especially if they consistently leave a wet area on your property. The garden can also absorb the water from your [&hellip

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Lacinato kale: Learn how to grow this delicious heirloom kale

Lacinato kale is my favorite type of kale to grow. The plants form beautiful rosettes of blue-green leaves that are perfect for the vegetable or flower garden. The leaves are thinner and more tender than other types of kale making this an excellent choice for both raw and cooked dishes. Plus, it’s quick and easy [&hellip

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Growing romaine lettuce: A guide from seed to harvest

While there are many different types of lettuce to grow in the garden or in a patio pot, romaine is among my favorites. Yes, I love a good buttercrunch lettuce, but nothing beats the thick, crisp leaves of a head of romaine. Their texture holds a creamy salad dressing like no other leafy green out [&hellip

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Growing sweet alyssum from seed: Add this bloom-filled annual to raised beds, gardens, and pots

Growing sweet alyssum from seed is a lot cheaper than purchasing flats of seedlings each year—it’s one of those plants where you don’t really buy just one! I love the versatility of this hardy annual—lobularia maritima—a member of the cabbage family that is the perfect filler and spiller for container arrangements. Mature plants produce a [&hellip

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Fern propagation techniques using spores or mother plants

With hundreds of species to choose from, ferns make a lovely addition to your plant collection. Whether you’re growing warm-climate ferns indoors as houseplants or cold-hardy perennial ferns in a shady corner of the garden outdoors, ferns have so much to offer. Learning how to propagate ferns from spores or mother plants means you’ll always [&hellip

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Armenian cucumber: A productive, heat-tolerant crop for the food garden

The Armenian cucumber is the one of the most popular vegetables in my garden, but it’s not actually a cucumber. Botanically, it’s a muskmelon and produces vigorous vines that bear long, slender fruits that look and taste like cucumbers; crisp, mildly sweet, and never bitter. Armenian cucumbers are easy to grow, productive, and heat tolerant. [&hellip

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Natural fertilizer choices for the garden

Instead of turning to synthetic chemical fertilizers to feed your plants, consider relying on natural fertilizers to nourish both your plants and your soil. Fertilizers based on natural ingredients not only provide mineral nutrition for growing plants, they also feed the soil’s living organisms. These organisms (most of which are microscopic fungi and bacteria) process [&hellip

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Front yard vegetable garden ideas: Grow a mix of food and flowers

Wish you could grow veggies, but your backyard is in complete shade? Or perhaps it’s taken up by a deck or laid out with a play for kids? Why not plan a front yard vegetable garden? With attitudes changing towards what a front yard should look like, more and more green thumbs are taking advantage [&hellip

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How to grow quinoa in a vegetable garden

Quinoa is a cool season crop grown for its tiny, protein-packed seeds. It’s also a beautiful vegetable, producing tall plants with silvery-green leaves and brilliant red, pink, and gold seedheads. It’s easy to grow, drought tolerant, and disease resistant with the seed harvest taking place in autumn before the first hard frost. If you want [&hellip

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