Taissa and her husband unearthed a 65lb yam in Deland, Florida:
This is a marvelous Dioscorea alata specimen. The wilder forms have lots of lobes and take some effort to process, but they are quite good to eat.
This one is like a small planetoid!
That yam probably weighs more than half of what she does!
I first guessed this must be an older yam, being so big.
One of the Great Old Ones, in fact.
Yet it’s only two years of age! Now that’s some good gardening.
We recently found some D. alata yams growing along the roadside in the panhandle. They grow without care and produce a lot of calories, unlike many of the commonly grown vegetables in Florida backyard gardens.
‘But what shall I do with the garden?’ As an avid gardener with friends who have little or no experience in cultivating plants or designing a garden, this is a question I am often asked. Faced with a blank canvas, a limited budget, and next to no planting knowledge, many new garden owners find themselves unsure how to approach what could be their very first outdoor space. The answer, perhaps, is more simple than they think. Approach it just as you would approach a new home, with the same pragmatic starting points followed by largely subjective decisions.
In this story, my first in a new series on creating a garden from scratch, I offer pointers on how to begin your garden journey.
1. Assess the space.
Above: In Daisy Garnett’s garden in south London, one of the key features are the original mellow brick walls, which the writer has fully utilized with abundant climbers and a lean-to pergola covered in Pierre de Ronsard roses. The furniture includes vintage finds along with a zinc-topped table from Petersham Nurseries. Photograph by Clare Coulson.
Start with a clean slate. If the garden is overgrown, clear the surface mess to get an accurate picture of the size of the space, any paths or hardscaped areas as well as boundaries. Then make a scale drawing. What are the boundaries made from? Are there hedges that you can prune and shape? Or fences that are potential spaces for climbers? If you dislike a fence, it can probably be painted to create an easy and effective makeover.
2. Wait and watch.
Above: The perennial borders at Kiftsgate Court Gardens are packed with a succession of roses and perennials. Photograph by Clare Coulson.
It’s all too easy to go charging in, loppers in hand, and remove plants, shrubs, or trees, especially if you are assessing the garden in a season when little seems to be in flower or leaf. Instead of being hasty and potentially making bad pruning decisions, spend time watching the garden, ideally for a year—it’s the best way to begin. This gives you time to really get a sense of how light moves through the garden in different seasons (it will dramatically change from summer to autumn or winter). And it also offers you a chance to see how shrubs and trees look in different seasons, too, as well as any herbaceous perennials and bulbs that may appear. Mature plants are very expensive to replace, so you want to be absolutely sure before you remove them from the landscape. Last, you’ll want to be on the lookout for any visiting wildlife, which will ultimately be a key element of your garden.
3. Make a mood board.
Above: On my mood board, a courtyard garden created by Somerset-based antiques dealer Jack Laver Brister—a masterclass in putting together an abundance of shade-loving plants, beautiful reclaimed and antique pieces, and lush evergreens.
Chances are, you will already have years of saved images on Instagram or Pinterest. (If you don’t, start saving—both are great methods to collect inspiration.) Putting these all onto a big board will allow you to figure out the landscape styles and plant types that you gravitate toward. Are your favorite gardens formal with lots of structure, or do they tend to be wild and naturalistic? Are your preferred plants blowsy and romantic, or do you lean towards the dynamic forms of ornamental grasses and new perennial planting? Look for the common themes, while also observing your own space and getting a feel for what could fit. If there are particular garden designers you admire, gather images of their projects, too; quickly, a certain palette and planting preferences will begin to emerge.
4. Pinpoint borrowed views.
Above: The otherworldly borrowed landscape in the south London garden of Will Fisher and Charlotte Freemantle of Jamb. Fisher added numerous antiques to the garden in a series of garden rooms but the icing on the cake is the exquisite spire of the local church. Photograph by Matthew Williams.
We visited Gail’s beautiful North Carolina garden yesterday, and today we’re back to see some of her favorite pictures from the past year:
I live at 3300 feet in the middle of an oak forest. There is only one flat area on our property, an arc 50’ long with a maximum depth of 25’. Everywhere else is steeply sloped and I’m doing my best to fill it all.
I’m so happy I planted thisPicea abies ‘Acrocona’ (Zone 3 – 7). The new foliage and those pink baby pine cones are fabulous.
I like to add art to my garden. This art pole is pretty set against chives (Allium schoenoprasum, Zone 4 – 8) and common fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus, Zone 2 – 7)
Dianthus(Zone 4 – 8) peaking behind a dwarfHosta(Zone 3 – 9) is a wonderful combination of textures and colors.
Aphrodite allspice (Calycanthus‘Aphrodite’, Zone 5 – 9) is a great small tree. I know I should be favoring natives, but I love these flowers.
For a touch of color unlike anything else in my garden, there’s double blooming orange quince (Chaenomeles speciosa, Zone 4 – 8).
Pretty as a picture…Tiarella‘Pink Symphony’ (Zone 4 – 9) is a great addition to my woodland garden.
Wallflower (Cheiranthus allionii, Zone 3 – 8) tucked in under an evergreen is a welcome surprise.
Geranium sanguineum (Zone 3 – 9) is fairly common, but the punch of color it adds is remarkable.
Daisies (Leucanthemum vulgare, Zone 3 – 8), lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus, Zone 3 – 7), foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea, Zone 4 – 9) and sweet William (Dianthus barbatus, Zone 3 – 9) enjoy the sunshine of this early summer southeast facing slope.
By far my favorite picture from last summer, a butterfly enjoys the liatris (Liatris spicata, Zone 3 – 8) with some daylilies (Hemerocallishybrids, Zone 3 – 9) in the foreground.
Have a garden you’d like to share?
Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
Last year, I knew I needed to replace some wooden beds that were falling apart. I had one Garden in Minutes metal raised bed, and I loved its durability, 17’ depth, and perfect fit with watering grids. However, I had one question, “Do metal beds heat up more than wooden garden beds?” I wondered if replacing wooden beds with metal beds was a good idea in my hot summer climate. I wanted to answer these questions before adding more metal beds to the garden.
Note: The Garden in Minutes metal bed is made of coated steel that is less reflective than standard galvanized or Aluzinc garden beds. (Other metal garden beds may perform differently.)
Date
Time
Metal Middle of Bed
Metal Near Edge
Cedar Middle of Bed
Cedar Near Edge
9/4
5 pm
70°F
74°F
70°F
73°F
9/8
6 pm
69°F
72°F
70°F
72°F
9/17
6 pm
64°F
69°F
65°F
71°F
9/19
5 pm
65°F
69°F
65°F
68°F
9/26
5 pm
64°F
68°F
64°F
67°F
Metal vs. Wood Temperature Testing, September 2023
Surprisingly, the temperature difference was not as significant as I thought it might be. The outer inch or so of the metal beds was usually (but not always) hotter by a degree or two, but the bed’s interior was similar for both beds.
Mulching plays a crucial role in soil temperature
Incidentally, when taking additional measurements, I discovered that sun exposure, mulch, and watering made a bigger difference than bed type. For instance, beds in direct sunlight on the western side of the garden heated up more than those on the eastern side. I also found that the soil temperature in beds with more mulch stayed cooler for longer than those with less. Beds that were recently watered were cooler than if it had been a couple of days since watering. I didn’t record these measurements, but I plan to take additional readings next summer to document more soil temperature findings.
After considering these results, I concluded that the benefits of the Garden in Minute’s metal beds outweigh the modest heat gain on the outer edge of the bed. These metal beds are durable, long-lasting, termite-free, and require little to no maintenance.
Last fall, after conducting this test to see if metal beds heated up more, I replaced three of my wooden garden beds with metal ones from Garden in Minutes. I recommend these functional, durable, and long-lasting garden beds if you are trying to decide whether to use metal or wood garden garden beds.
If you’re looking for tree jokes, tree puns, and tree proverbs, you’re in the right place.
I’ve rounded up a bumper list of over one hundred tree jokes and puns about trees to get you giggling. They make really good tree captions for your nature photos on social media (check out my nature hashtags and tree quotes posts for those too), and you can also use them in school projects, greetings cards and texts. Or you could just have fun reading them!
Fantastic tree facts
Trees are amazing. Before we get started on the jokes, here are some fantastic facts about trees.
Trees have been around on Earth for at least 370 million years.
Trees provide food, shelter, fuel and building materials.
Some types of tree can live for thousands of years.
Trees act like the lungs of our planet, turning carbon dioxide into oxygen.
Trees work together to ward off predators. They release chemical signals to deter pests, warn other trees about a threat, and attract predators that feed on the pests.
There are 422 times more trees on earth than there are people.
Trees can communicate with each other via an underground network of soil fungi – they can even send nutrients, water and unused carbon to each other!
Leaves are lots of colours, including red, yellow, purple and orange, not just green. Chlorophyll makes leaves green and dominates until they get less sunshine, when the other colours start to take over.
There are over 60,000 species of trees on our planet.
Trees release chemicals called phytoncides, and research has shown that breathing these in can reduce blood pressure, lower anxiety levels and make us feel happier. It’s no wonder forest bathing is becoming increasingly popular, is it?
This short video explains forest bathing in more detail.
The best tree puns and tree jokes
So now we know just how incredible trees are, it’s time to appreciate them for their ability to give us a good laugh.
Read on for a whole host (or should that be forest?!) of family-friendly jokes on trees and tree puns. I’ve also included some great tree proverbs, which are perfect if you’d like something a little more meaningful that gets you thinking.
You can also check out my list of fall puns which has lots of tree-themed gags and leaf puns.
Funny tree jokes
Put a smile on your face with these funny – and sometimes rather silly – tree jokes.
How do trees access the internet? They log in.
What did the tree wear to the pool party? Swimming trunks.
Which side of a tree has the most leaves? The outside.
What is every tree’s favourite shape? A tree-angle.
Why do trees hate riddles? Because they don’t like being stumped.
What type of tree fits into your hand? A palm tree.
Why are leaves always taking risks? Because they constantly have to go out on a limb.
What did the tree say to the lumberjack? Leaf me alone!
How did the tree get lost? It took the wrong root.
Why are trees some of the best networkers? Because they’re always branching out.
What type of fish falls from trees? Jel-leaf-ish. (more fish puns here)
Why did the tree fail maths? Because it couldn’t do square roots.
How do trees make themselves heard? Amp-leaf-ication.
What’s the same size and shape as a giant eucalyptus tree, but weighs nothing? It’s shadow.
What’s a tree’s favourite drink? Root beer.
Which dating app do trees use? Timber.
Why were lots of people sitting under the tree? It was poplar.
Where do woodlice go on holiday? To the beech.
What did the Jedi say to the sacred tree? May the forest be with you.
How do you get down from a tree? You don’t – down comes from a duck.
What kind of stories do giant sequoia trees tell? Tall tales.
Why shouldn’t you invite a tree to a party? Because they never leaf.
What did the beaver say to the tree? It’s been nice gnawing you.
Why don’t you ever see elephants hiding in trees? Because they’re so good at it.
What do you call an oak tree that can’t make it’s mind up? Undeciduous.
Did you know I can cut down a tree just by looking at it? It’s true. I saw it with my own eyes.
What gets a year older every time it rings? A tree.
Why do dogwood trees make good pets? Because they have a great bark, but wooden bite.
What happens when a tree falls into mud? It leafs an impression.
Why did the tree get into trouble? Because it was being knotty.
What looks like half a tree? The other half.
How do trees get in touch with each other. By teleafone.
What’s a tree’s least favourite month? Sep-timber.
Which tree likes high fives? A palm tree.
What do trees do on Valentine’s Day? They get sappy.
Which school subject do trees like best? Geome-tree.
What sound does a tree make? It barks.
What’s a tree’s favourite dinosaur? The Tree-Rex.
How many oranges grow on a tree? All of them.
What radio stations do trees like? Ones that play poplar songs.
Where do saplings go to learn? Elemen-tree school.
What’s the saddest tree? The weeping willow.
Why did the tree need to take a nap? For rest.
What do trees wear when it gets cold? Fir coats.
What’s the best way to make a tree laugh? Tell it acorn-y joke.
What did the tree like best about Star Trek? The Captain’s log.
Would you like a quick explanation of an acorn? In a nutshell, it’s an oak tree.
Why was the tree stumped? Because it couldn’t get to the root of the problem.
Christmas tree puns
Looking for jokes about trees with a festive theme? Here are my favourite Christmas tree jokes – perhaps you could use them to make your Christmas card messages holly jolly?
Why are Christmas trees bad at sewing? They always drop their needles.
How do Christmas trees get ready for a night out? They spruce up.
What happens when Christmas trees go numb? They get pines and needles.
Who is a pine tree’s favourite singer? Spruce Springsteen.
What do you get if you cross a Christmas tree with an iPad? A pineapple.
Why was there ice cream under the Christmas tree? To go with the pine cones.
How do you turn a Christmas tree into a reindeer? Decorate it with horn-aments.
Why are Christmas trees so fond of the past? Because the present’s beneath them.
What do Christmas trees get when they’re ill? Tinselitis.
What’s another name for an artificial Christmas tree? A faux fir.
Short tree puns & forest puns
Take it or leaf it
Good things come in trees
Deja-yew
I’m rooting for you
Wooden you think?
I don’t be-leaf it
The silent tree-tment
What a treet
A pine line
In grove danger
Call the copse
It’s very in-tree-guing
A quick re-treet
Best fronds
All very over-elming
That’s leaf
The best I conifer
That’s tree-mendous
Take the short root
Bough to pressure
Tie the knot
It’s very poplar
Pine in the neck
Good chemis-tree
What a re-leaf
Tree for all
The third book in the tree-logy
Buy one, get one tree
It’s a mys-tree
Feeling pine
Oakay
Barking up the wrong tree
Can’t see the wood for the trees
Get to the root of the problem
Going out on a limb
Knock on wood
Conker the opposition
Fir sure
Sleep like a log
Turn over a new leaf
Neck of the woods
Hard to tree-sist
Axe, and you shall receive
A final few silly tree jokes
How do you identify a dogwood tree? By the bark.
What was wrong with the wooden car with wooden wheels? It wooden go.
What type of films do trees like most? A sappy movie.
Which Canadian city is popular with trees? Montree-al.
What did the tree do when the bank closed? It started its own branch.
Why do trees make great thieves? Because they have sticky fingers.
What do you get when you cross a cat with a lemon tree? A sour puss.
“Would you ever try the acorn diet?” “No way, it sounds nuts!”
What do you call an island with dozens of pear trees? Pear-adise.
What did the little pine tree say to the big pine tree? “Leaf me alone!”
What do you get hanging from apple trees? Sore arms.
What did the elm tree say after making an offer? “Take it or leaf it.”
Why can’t the lonely evergreen stop thinking about high school? Because he’s still pining to be one of the poplar kids.
What type of evergreen tree can change a light bulb? A palm tree.
These tree puns may have made you groan, but admit it – you still smiled!
Tree proverbs & tree sayings
Proverbs are always brilliant pause for thought, and a nice starting point for a conversation. There are lots of tree sayings out there, here are twenty of my favourites.
The best trees grow on the steepest hills. – Burundi proverb
The tree of silence bears the fruits of peace. – Arabian proverb
Mighty oaks from little acorns grow. – English proverb
Men will only throw stones at trees that are laden with fruit. – French proverb
A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in. – Greek proverb
A seed hidden in the heart of an apple is an orchard invisible. – Welsh proverb
Little strokes fell great oaks. – American proverb
The taller the tree, the harder the fall. – Dutch proverb
When eating the fruit, think of the person who planted the tree. – Vietnamese proverb
If a dead tree falls, it carries with it a live one. – Kenyan proverb
Even the best tree sometimes has bad fruit. – Hungarian proverb
Don’t climb a tree to catch a fish. – Chinese proverb
An apple never falls far from the tree. – English proverb
The firm tree does not fear the storm. – Indonesian proverb
Though a tree grows ever so high, the falling leaves return to its roots. – Malawian proverb
In a tree that you can’t climb, there are always a thousand fruits. – Indian proverb
The one who plants the tree is not the one who will enjoy its shade. – Chinese proverb
Big trees cast more shadow than fruit. – German proverb
If you want to be happy for a year, plant a garden; if you want to be happy for life, plant a tree. – English proverb
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now. – Chinese proverb
Is your favourite tree pun on this list?
I hope these tree jokes, tree puns and tree proverbs have made you smile and created a whole forest of laughter 😉
More funny jokes and puns
For more jokes and puns on a nature theme, you might like to take a look at these posts:
Along with being cheery companions in our vegetable and flower gardens, bees are integral parts of our food systems, and our very ecosystems! Yet, these pollinators are in danger.
Bees face numerous threats across the world today including diseases and parasites, pesticides, climate change, and habitat loss.
Such challenges have led to a dramatic decline in honeybee (Apismellifera) populations, and in 2017 the rusty patched bumblebee (Bombus affinis) was added to the endangered species list in the US.
In the UK, bumblebee populations are plummeting. On top of that, 40 percent of bees around the world are vulnerable to extinction.
We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission.
While we may feel grief-stricken for this loss of biodiversity, we should also be alarmed for our own sakes. Not only do these flying insects pollinate one third of the food we eat, they also pollinate the majority of all flowering plants.
So helping these pollinators in our gardens isn’t just a charitable action towards wildlife – it’s also a wise step towards self-preservation.
I’m not here to tell you that you can single handedly stop climate change or reverse habitat loss – I wish that were the case. But you do have within your reach something very powerful – the ability to create an oasis for these pollinators.
Whether you live on a large farm, in a tiny apartment, or somewhere in between, you can provide food and habitat for bees, and make positive changes that will benefit them – and as a result, benefit us all.
Feeling motivated? In this article you’ll learn 19 ways you can help bees.
Here’s an overview:
A bit more background knowledge of how these pollinators live their lives and what they need in terms of food and habitat – as well as the immense services they provide for us – will help us get motivated to take action and understand the importance of doing so.
So before we get started on the 19 steps we can all take, first let’s get to know these pollinators a little better!
Types of Bees
Bees are native to every continent except Antarctica, so you have probably encountered many different kinds in your lifetime without even knowing it!
The most well-known types we see in the great outdoors are honey and bumblebees, so we’ll shine a light on those two, as well as providing information to pique your interest in other types as well!
Honeybees
With fuzzy heads and thoraxes, and abdomens that are orange to gold with black stripes, honeybees are about a half an inch long.
They are taxonomical members of Apis, a genus made up of eight species, with A. mellifera being the most commonly domesticated species.
Although referred to as the “European honeybee,” A. mellifera is thought to have originated in Asia or Africa.
While this pollinator seems to be highly recognizable, in the US it is nonetheless easily confused with some native species. One way to recognize this species is that it tends to fly with its legs hanging down.
A. mellifera.
Despite what you might have heard, these aren’t the only bees that can produce honey, but they are certainly the ones most commonly used for that purpose, with over 200 thousand tons of honey sold in the US in 2021.
The reason these insects make honey is, of course, not to gratify the taste buds of humans, but to have food for themselves during winter. Most other types of bees don’t live in communities that last more than a year, so they don’t need this sweet resource.
Although honeybee queens live only one to two years, and worker bees less than a year, A. melliferacommunities are perennial. These social insects live in hives with up to 80,000 members.
Natural bee hive. Photo by Bilby, Wikimedia Commons, via CC BY-SA.
In the wild, these honey producers nest in cavities, such as tree hollows, while domesticated colonies are kept in wooden boxes that can be transported.
As far as bees go, hives are an exception rather than a rule. The vast majority of these pollinators don’t have this type of communal lifestyle.
However, for A. mellifera, within the hive lies the future of the colony. So when threatened by other insects, larger animals, or humans, they can become aggressive and sting.
Beehives stacked in an almond orchard in the Central Valley in California.
Although honeybees are largely relied upon for pollination of industrial agricultural crops such as almonds in the US, some native species are vastly more efficient.
That’s because A. mellifera harvests nectar primarily, while native species collect more pollen.
Bumblebees
Bumblebees tend to be instantly recognizable because of their furry appearances – their bodies are covered with thick coats of hair.
The humble bumble.
These flying insects are members of the Bombus genus, which is made up of at least 250 different species, and are native to North and South America, Europe, Asia, and north Africa.
Far less aggressive than their honey producing relatives, female bumbles can sting but rarely do so.
Bumbles live in much smaller colonies than A. mellifera, with only about 50 to 400 individuals per nest.
They can place their nests in a variety of locations – including abandoned rodent holes, compost piles, in long, tangled grass, or unused bird nesting boxes.
These nests are only used for a few months, just long enough for larvae to mature.
Bumblebee nest.
In fall new queens born in those nests will look for a place to overwinter, being the only ones from the old nests to survive.
Queens hibernate in holes in rotting logs, under rocks, or in new nests dug into the soil.
Like some other types of bees, bumblebees buzz as they approach flowers to improve pollination. This little dance shakes the flower, allowing them to collect even more pollen.
Other Bees
The honey producers are the star of the show when it comes to bee popularity, and bumblebees are highly charismatic, looking a bit like flying teddy bears.
But there are many, many other types that deserve our interest as well!
In terms of appearance, some have yellow and black stripes, while others are a shiny, metallic green. The largest are over an inch long, while the tiniest are less than one-tenth of an inch in length.
Peponapis pruinosa, a type of solitary bee that pollinates cucurbits such as squash. Photo by the US Department of Agriculture, Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.
Around the world, there are 178 different genera of bees besides Bombus and Apis, and these other types are mostly solitary – with up to 90 percent of North American species living alone.
Solitary types build their own nests, lay eggs, and collect food for their own offspring.
Sometimes these lone bees build an aggregation of nests in one area, or share the entrance to a nest, but only provide for their own offspring.
Many of these dig small nests in the ground or build nests in crevices in dead trees or logs, or lay their eggs in hollow stems.
Unlike ground-nesting yellowjackets, which are a type of wasp, ground-nesting solitary bees are not aggressive, and some are even stingless.
There are also semi-social types that share a nest and care for offspring communally, but these species are fewer in number.
The Bee Life Cycle
We usually only see these pollinators when they are flying around foraging, but to help them, we need to know that they spend most of their lives in their nests, hidden from view.
The life cycle of bees happens in four phases: egg, larva, pupa, and adult.
The adults are the ones you see flying around your garden, and for most species, this time period only lasts about two to six weeks. Compare that with the 12 months to two years of their total lives!
Honeybee larvae.
While there is some variation depending on the species, during their foraging time, females collect pollen and nectar, lay eggs, and these eggs grow from larvae to pupae to adults over the period of about a year.
On the other hand, males don’t collect anything to take back to the hive or nests, they are there simply to mate.
And while these pollinators go about foraging for food to feed themselves and their babies, they happen to supply a much needed service to the members of the plant world – pollination.
How Bees Pollinate
There are over 20,000 species of bees (Anthophila) in the world, and they all contribute to pollination in some way.
Particular features of their anatomy enable our buzzing friends to pollinate plants. The little pockets and hairs on their legs or abdomen brush against the pollen, which sticks to them as they forage from flowers.
The pollen clings to the furry parts of their bodies, and is then taken to additional flowers as the insect continues gathering food.
During this process pollen is transferred from the male part of one plant, the anther, to the female part, or stigma, of another. The stigma then produces the seeds, fruits, or nuts that we use for food.
Females don’t just transfer pollen from flower to flower – they also collect it to feed their next generation.
There are other animal pollinators including birds, moths, bats, wasps, flies, beetles, and butterflies – and other forms of pollination are utilized in nature as well. Grasses are wind pollinated, and some flowers can even self-pollinate.
But even self-pollinating flowers can benefit from a helping hand from insects – their pollination is more successful when bugs are involved.
Many of the crops you likely enjoy on a regular basis are dependent on bee pollination, including:
And that’s just scratching the surface!
Now that you know more about how these insects live their lives, let’s get started on the 19 steps you can take to help them:
1. Avoid Pesticides
First things first. None of the following recommendations are going to do a spot of good if you use pesticides in your yard. That’s because pesticides can directly or indirectly kill pollinators, bees included.
Ever heard of colony collapse disorder (CCD)? Honeybees are affected by this disorder, in which worker bees mysteriously abandon their hive and queen.
While certainly this is terrible for these creatures, the phenomenon should make you shudder for your own well-being as well. As we’ve seen, many crops are pollinated by these insects, giving CCD far reaching economic and social implications.
Neonicotinoid type pesticides (also known as “neonics”) have been particularly implicated as being at least part of the cause of colony collapse disorder and have been banned by the European Union.
So in addition to taking an organic, pollinator-friendly approach in your garden, it’s also important to check with the nurseries where you buy your plants and ask if they are neonic-free.
If you are already practicing organic gardening, you may be familiar with organic pesticides such as neem oil.
While this product is nontoxic to humans, cats, and dogs, great care should be taken when applying it outdoors to prevent pollinators from succumbing in addition to the target pests.
Since neem oil is toxic to bees, it should only be used when the plant you want to spray is not blooming, and at night when these pollinators are not active.
Now that you know the most important step to protect these pollinators, let’s start considering the way bees forage.
One of the first things to keep in mind when landscaping for these insects is that life is easier for them and better for the plants they pollinate if plants are grouped together in multiples, so that the bees can gather food efficiently.
Editorial credit: Sergey V Kalyakin / Shutterstock.com
Luckily, good landscaping design generally involves choosing odd numbers of shrubs, perennials, and annuals. So when you are planning, pick three, five, or seven of one plant and group them together rather than picking just one specimen.
This is not to say you should plant a monoculture of only one type of flower.
But rather than planting one coneflower, one aster, and one milkweed in a row and then repeating the pattern, plant multiples of the same species in groups before alternating other types of plants.
Once the planting is mature, it may not be obvious how many individual specimens there are, instead there will be large swaths of color and texture which will be far more pleasing to the eye – and to these pollinators.
3. Pick Bee-Friendly Flowers
Now that you know how to make foraging more efficient for our flying, pollinating friends, if your landscaping efforts so far consist of mostly ornamental plants, there’s one thing in particular to look for that signals whether flowers are pollinator-friendly – or not.
If you want to maximize nectar and pollen forage, avoid plants that have double blooms, also known as “double flowers” or “double-flowered.”
A double flowered marigold, the type of bloom that is bad forage for pollinators.
These are flowers that have a very ruffled appearance and are the results of selective breeding and hybridization – they actually have extra petals compared to single blooms.
For instance, roses with single blooms have just four to eight petals, while some double blooms have up to 100 petals.
The problem with these flowers is that the extra petals can make it harder or even impossible for pollinators to access pollen and nectar.
Zinnias with single blooms, which make better forage than those with double blooms.
Although you may enjoy certain types of flowers that are typically found with double blooms, there are single options which are just as beautiful, and much more beneficial.
In addition to roses, other plants that often have double blooms include camellias, carnations, marigolds, and peonies – so choose single types of these rather than doubles where possible.
4. Grow Perennial Flowers
While annuals will provide forage for many pollinators, a better option in the long run is to incorporate flowering perennials into your landscape.
Some annuals such as zinnias and cosmos will provide a temporary food source while perennials become established, but many annuals lack pollen and nectar and do not offer any food to pollinators at all.
Perennials on the other hand will do double duty – creating habitat as well as forage.
Unlike annuals which need to be replaced every year, perennials are grown in a designated area, so the ground isn’t disturbed as much as it is where annuals are grown.
This means that in a perennial bed a small ecosystem can become established. You’ll learn more about the importance of perennials in creating habitat later in the article, so keep reading!
Another bonus of growing perennials is that you don’t have to replace them every year like you do with annual bedding plants.
There are many different places and ways you can incorporate flowering perennials into your landscape.
If you have a farm, perhaps you could dedicate a section of pasture to becoming a meadow.
On the other hand, if you’re a suburbanite, you probably have multiple options in your yard where perennials could be grown.
Flowering perennials can be incorporated in front of foundational shrubs, at the drip line of trees, or in rain gardens. There are even flowering perennials for the shade!
Want to keep growing annuals too? Why not intersperse them into your vegetable garden where they can help provide the benefits of companion plants as well as providing additional forage?
5. Plant Flowering Trees and Shrubs
A really easy way to provide a lot of forage for pollinators is to include flowering trees and shrubs in your landscape.
Why?
Because compared to the small plants in the “perennials” section at the nursery, trees and shrubs offer a multitudeof flowers, all at once – with trees being the obvious winner over shrubs in this regard thanks to their superior size.
Of course you’ll want to choose plants that are well-suited for your growing conditions and climate, but here are some ideas to get you started:
Ideal flowering shrubs for pollinators include:
Smallish in stature, understory trees with great pollinator potential include:
Bee foraging from Catalpa flowers.
Finally, these tall, canopy trees provide good forage for bees:
Now that you have a few ideas about how to provide good food sources for these important insects, the next step you can take is to make sure you have a wide variety of flower types – ones with different colors and shapes.
This is because different bees prefer different types of plants. And since these insects come in an assortment of sizes and have anatomical variations, they need a variety of flower types to forage from.
Furthermore, some are generalists while others are specialists. So a wide variety of blooms is required to feed a diverse assortment of these pollinators.
Here are some different bloom shapes and examples to get you started:
Also, it’s important to consider the shapes of inflorescences that bear many tiny individual flowers, such as umbels or spikes.
Umbel-shaped flower heads in particular make great landing pads for flying insects.
Plants with umbel-shaped inflorescences include yarrow as well as members of the carrot family like carrots, cilantro, dill, and parsley – so if any of these go to seed in your garden, leave a few for the pollinators!
7. Grow a Succession of Flowers
One way you can provide a wonderful feast for bees is to make sure that there are blooms available for as long as possible to help feed the many successive populations that emerge between spring and fall.
Here are some recommendations for plants whose flowers attract bees:
Starting in spring you can count on these for flowers:
Bearers of summer flowers include:
Honey and bumblebees foraging on milkweed flowers.
Autumn bloomers include:
In some places bees are out foraging in winter, even when there is snow on the ground.
Keep in mind that some of these may bloom earlier or later, depending on your region, and some may bloom during more than one season.
8. Grow Native Species
By this point you should have a good idea of what types of blooms will provide food for your local bee populations.
But there’s one more “filter” you should apply when choosing flowering plants: whenever possible, choose species that are native to your region. By growing native species you will have a far more beneficial impact than by growing non-natives.
Want to understand why?
Having evolved together, native bees have developed long standing relationships with native plants.
And some types of bees feed only on the pollen of one plant family or genus, making them specialists. For instance, in the eastern US, approximately 25 percent of these insects are specialists.
If the plants they need aren’t around because of habitat destruction, their very existence will be at risk.
Another reason to choose natives is that non-native plants may not bloom at the right time to provide food for the species that need them.
Many of us have been conditioned into thinking that everything has to be perfectly tidy at all times in our yards – we do not want weeds and wild plants sneaking through the cracks.
But this attitude can contribute to the downfall of pollinators.
Some weeds, such as dandelion, provide an important source of forage for these pollinators in early spring, especially as your wildlife-friendly native landscaping is becoming established.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t remove anyweeds from your yard or garden, but before you do so, consider whether they are really problematic or not before you place them on your bad list.
If you feel a strong urge to help pollinators, replacing your lawn – or even parts of it – with flowering plants is a great step to take.
Lawns are monocultures, and monocultures are not the havens of biodiversity that we are trying to create.
While many native plant enthusiasts replace their lawns with mini meadows, there are other options – such as increasing the number of flower beds, or adding additional trees and shrubs.
This article has provided you with loads of options for pollinator-friendly flowering plants, so you should have plenty of ideas by now!
11. Leave Bare Patches of Ground
Although food and habitat are tightly entangled, we’re now moving on from the food part of our pollinators’ needs and into habitat.
Let’s start at the ground level, shall we?
Ground nesting bees make up 75 percent of wild bee species – and they need access to bare patches of ground to build their nests!
If you already have bare patches of ground on your property, check them during spring and summer and you might notice mounded up soil near small holes.
A cluster of ground nests. Photo by Famartin, Wikimedia Commons, via CC BY-SA.
Ground nesting bees prefer well-draining soils, especially those that are sandy.
If you have soil like that on your property, make sure to keep some of it bare for these insects, especially in areas close to flowers.
And if you have an area of patchy lawn where grass won’t grow, that’s perfect – just tell your neighbors it’s pollinator habitat!
12. Change the Way You Mulch
To create good habitat for bees, you may need to tweak the way you mulch.
Heavy mulch such as pine bark doesn’t do these insects any good. It’s too heavy for them to crawl under, making ground nesting impossible in those areas.
Leaf litter, on the other hand, is ideal to help encourage ground-nesting species. Bees are able to crawl under lightweight leaf litter, and the leaves will protect their nests as well.
Another change you might need to make is to avoid placing mulch right up to planted areas – instead, leave some gaps where the ground is bare for habitat.
Finally, consider grouping your plantings densely, using flowering ground covers as living mulch for even more pollinator benefits.
13. Provide Stem Stubble
If you’ve seen bee nesting boxes made up of bundled paper straws or bamboo, you might be wondering if they’re a good idea.
Here’s a better one: leave some stem stubble among your perennial plants.
Biologist and pollinator conservationist Heather Holm, author of “Bees: An Identification and Native Plant Forage Guide,” available from Pollination Press via Amazon, recommends this strategy instead of using nesting boxes.
Holm explains that to do this, you should leave dead perennial stalks in place to overwinter, and then in spring, cut them back to about 15 inches tall.
You don’t have to leave all of the stems like this, just a few per plant. This stubble will be hidden once the perennials start growing again.
This works best with stems that are three-eighths of an inch wide or less, and will give stem-nesting bees the perfect opportunity to build their nests starting in spring.
When choosing which perennials to leave as stubble, pick plants that have hollow or pith-filled stems, such as goldenrods, asters, coneflowers, milkweed, and thistles.
Oh, and those nesting boxes?
The trouble with them is that although they are cute, by densely bundling paper straws or bamboo together, they create a buffet for predators which target Anthophila larvae. It’s safer for them if these insects’ nests are more spread out from one another.
Those boxes also require maintenance – sterilizing and switching out straws or bamboo bundles – to prevent parasite infestations.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t need one more thing in my life that needs to be cleaned! I’d rather give nature the opportunity to take care of things on its own.
Perennial stem stubble will eventually biodegrade, lasting the amount of time necessary to serve its purpose – no disinfecting required.
14. Incorporate Dead Trees
Another important nesting area for some of these insects is dead trees.
If you have a tree that needs to be taken down by an arborist, instead of cutting it down to the ground, consider leaving it about 10 feet tall where it will provide a wildlife-friendly feature.
Not crazy about that idea? How about making it horizontal instead, and incorporating a log into a natural area of your landscape?
Some types of bees like to nest in wood, so providing them with a designated stump or log feature can increase habitat and improve biodiversity.
15. Provide a Bee Bath
In addition to nesting sites, these insects also need hydration and providing a bee bath can make sure they have access to water.
However, they need access to shallow water – the water in birdbaths is too deep and they risk falling in and drowning.
You can create an insect watering hole of your own by taking a shallow dish, such as a terra cotta plant saucer, and placing some rocks or pebbles into it, then adding water.
Make sure the pebbles stick out above the water level so that the insects can use them as perching stones.
There are also premade bee baths available for purchase, such as this one from Breck’s:
Buzzie’s Bee Bath is made from resin and measures 11 inches tall by 9.75 inches wide and 9.25 inches deep. You’ll find it from the Breck’s Store via Amazon.
16. Connect Wildlife-Friendly Zones
Look around your property. Perhaps by this stage you have created several different areas that are wildlife friendly.
But are those different areas connected?
Keeping wildlife areas joined together provides more habitat and less risk to the bees when traveling from place to place.
To see if the different wildlife zones on your property are connected, you might want to sketch out a design of your landscape in a gardening journal to get a bird’s eye view.
Color in the pollinator-friendly areas in green. Are there ways you can connect the islands of green so that these insects have a safer time moving around?
Even shrubs in containers or pots full of perennials can be used to bridge the gaps between wildlife-friendly areas.
17. Meet Your Neighbors
Part of helping the bees in your own backyard might be learning to recognize them.
Sometimes it can even be tricky to tell these pollinators apart from wasps or flies, so a guide can be a great help.
Using a guide, such as “The Bees in Your Backyard” by Joseph Wilson, is an ideal way to start learning to identify the different types of bees.
And once you learn who your buzzing neighbors are, this might help inform what types of flowers you decide to add to your landscape.
This rustic metal pollinator garden sign comes in a selection of sizes and is available for purchase from 81 Metal Art via Amazon.
Letting your neighbors know that you are caring for bees in your yard might inspire them to do the same, and at the very least will inspire important conversations!
Bee the Good in the World
You’re now equipped with 19 steps you can take to improve conditions for bees in your own front and backyard. We need our furry, buzzy friends, and they certainly need us.
How many of these steps were you already following? Have you encountered any challenges while implementing any of them?
And do you have tips of your own for creating habitats for bees and other pollinators? Tell us and other readers in the comments section below!
And if you want to keep exploring the subject of living in harmony with wildlife, you’ll love these guides too:
If your property has access to flood irrigation, you know the benefits of deep watering for your landscape plants and trees. However, flooding your garden every 13 days may not be practical for watering raised beds and vegetable gardens. There is a way to water your garden using flood irrigation water that works well. This blog post explains how to install a flood irrigation system to effectively water your garden and raised beds.
After the initial effort and investment, it is a low-cost solution for watering your garden. Not only does this method avoid the chemicals associated with treated water, but it is also much less expensive for the home gardener. Let’s dive into how to water your garden and yard using flood irrigation.
What is flood irrigation?
Flood irrigation is a system that captures and uses excess water from rainfall or snowmelt and provides a natural, chemical-free water source for your plants.
In the Phoenix Valley, most irrigation water originates from SRP’s 13,000-square-mile watershed. It channels melted snow and rain into the Verde and Salt rivers. SRP then routes the irrigation water to the customer through lakes, dams, canals, and laterals.1
Homeowners in flood-irrigated areas have access to irrigation runs every 13 days with a dry-up period (for canal repairs) during the winter. The average cost for irrigation water is $6.80 per hour.
According to AMWUA, ”about 22,000 homeowners receive flood irrigation or about 5 percent of SRP lands.”2
My property does not have flood irrigation (I wish it did!), but my neighbor Larry Burnett‘s property does. I’m sharing the method he developed to use flood irrigation to water his garden.
He cleared the use of this method with the Roosevelt Water Conservation District. Check with local authorities to ensure you comply with local laws or water regulations.
What are the benefits of flood-irrigated water?
Flood irrigation offers a cost-effective, untreated water source rich in nutrients that promotes robust root systems by storing water deeper in the soil, reducing the need for frequent watering and saline buildup. This method helps protect vegetation from drought and significantly reduces water evaporation compared to traditional sprinklers.1
What are the challenges of using flood irrigation to water your garden?
Gardens often need watering more often than every 13 days.
You need more control over the amount of water than flooding with irrigated water offers.
Flood irrigation relies on gravity, so water can’t reach raised beds or other elevated areas.
How to water your garden and landscape plants with flood irrigation
1. Install a storage tank (or multiple tanks, depending on your water needs) and an internal pump
Select as large a tank as will fit in your space. Choose a location close to your sprinkler system if possible. A 1750-gallon tank holds up to 2000 gallons when full.
2. Connect the tank to your sprinkler system
Connect the tank and irrigation water to the existing sprinkler system. Install a switch to enable switching between city water and irrigation water.
3. Fill the tank each time you have irrigation
When it’s your turn for irrigation, use an external pump to fill the tank. Run a 2-inch PVC discharge hose from the pump to your tank. Turn on the pump and fill up the tank.
A pump and 2-inch line allow Larry to fill his tank in 20-30 minutes during his regular irrigation runs.
Larry also suggests running your sprinklers and drips during the time you have irrigation while you are filling up your tank. This takes full advantage of water coming into your yard during your irrigation slot.
4. Use water from the tank to water your yard and garden.
The internal pump provides the water pressure (especially as the tank empties). It may take some experimentation to figure out the correct water pressure. Adjust your valves as needed so you know how much water you use and how long it takes to water your garden and drip system.
5. Switch to city water as needed if the tank empties
If you run out of stored irrigation water, switch back to using city water from the storage water. Install an additional tank if you run out and use city water between each irrigation cycle.
Thank you to Larry Burnett for contributing to this post.
Larry Burnett is a retired Administrator from Banner Health and a Partner from KPMG. Larry has lived in Arizona since 1984 and gardened here extensively.
He is a Master Gardener through the University of Arizona and a mentor for Master Gardener students. His favorite time of the day is when he is outside in his greenhouse, garden, and flower beds.
If this post about how to water your garden with flood irrigation was helpful, please share it:
Chaos gardening is one of the easiest ways to start a garden from scratch. If you don’t have the time, money, or knowledge to start a garden at your house, chaos gardening is a great solution. Here’s how you can embrace a little bit of chaos and scatter beautiful seeds in your garden.
Chaos gardening is the latest gardening trend to take over social media. And it’s one that I quite like! It embraces the idea of wild, natural spaces and makes gardening even more accessible.
But what you may not realize is that the ideas behind these social media trends, like chaos gardening or No Mow May, are rooted in regenerative and permaculture practices…what if we let nature take the lead?
Chaos is not only a fun approach to gardening, but it’s very affordable and requires low effort. Here’s how to do it!
Chaos gardening works well even with perennials and shrubs.
What is Chaos Gardening?
Forget keeping a tidy row of vegetables or a crisp, perfect green lawn. Chaos gardening embraces the idea that our gardens can be a little wild and crazy. And that’s a good thing.
Chaos gardening involves taking a handful of seeds, tossing them sporadically into the soil, and crossing your fingers. It’s really that simple.
You can use any seed, from vegetables to flowers, as long as they don’t need to be dug down deep.
Chaos gardening is the response to the overly meticulous, strictly planned garden. You don’t have to worry about spacing requirements or try to maximize a yield based on your square footage.
In my first house, I had a very good friend who lived across the alleyway. As a renter, her budget for making a garden from scratch was minimal.
While it may not have been called chaos gardening at the time, it’s exactly what she did. She bought a few packets of native wildflower seeds and tossed them into the garden. As the plants grew, she would slowly transplant and organize her garden a little, but she still embraced that wild and natural look.
This is chaos gardening in its simplest form. But it can also mean just allowing your plants to grow as they like, letting native plants take the lead, and embracing a more natural space as a whole.
This home uses plenty of grasses and flowers as part of its “chaotic” design.
Benefits of Chaos Gardening
Chaos gardening saves time and money. If you want to enjoy a garden but don’t want the work of maintaining and planting it or the hefty price tag of filling it with plants, seeds are the way to go.
In my opinion, one of the biggest benefits is how the planting will mimic the natural world. Nature is inherently chaotic and wild, and we don’t always need to organize it perfectly.
Depending on what seeds you plant, it can also promote biodiversity in the garden. For the most effective and low-maintenance garden, it’s best to plant native plant seeds. These plants are already accustomed to the growing conditions in your area and will require less work on your end to ensure they thrive.
Better yet, these native plants are already key players in the local ecosystem, providing food and shelter for wildlife and pollinators. The plants can self-seed at the end of the year, continuing to grow and regenerate naturally every season.
Chaos Gardening is Not Everyone’s Cup of Tea
I won’t lie; chaos gardening can sound horrifying to some people. A wild, more natural look is definitely not everyone’s cup of tea. Even in my own slightly curated but natural space, I get comments and looks from people about my more messy approach to gardening.
Rewilding is a big topic in the plant space right now. While chaos gardening isn’t necessarily about being wild, it embraces the way that nature naturally grows.
Why are we always trying to control these green spaces in our lives? Do we really need perfectly manicured lawns and gardens? There’s an assumption that neat and orderly are good, but anything messy is bad. But context really is everything.
My friend Laura and her husband Sam have a beautiful, chaotic garden. I featured their wildlife hedge in my book, The Regenerative Garden. To the untrained eye, their garden may look like an overgrown mess.
But I see so many beautiful plants working together in guilds and as a food forest. The whole garden produces a ton of food and is full of bees and birds, but it does look wild and overgrown.
On either side, their neighbour’s lawns are the complete opposite. They even complained about the appearance of Laura and Sam’s garden because they saw it as messy.
But when I saw it, I absolutely loved it. As I see it, these wild lawns represent the chaotic good, while those perfect lawns represent the lawful evil.
Laura and Sam’s wildlife hedge.
How to Do Chaos Gardening
Chaos gardening can be as simple as tossing a mix of seeds into your soil and seeing how it goes. You can get as chaotic as you like, but you can also add some thought and maintenance to it. It’s your garden. It’s your prerogative!
Here are some general tips to try out:
Group plants with similar needs. AKA plants that like full sun and well-draining soil can be grouped together, ensuring they get scattered in the right areas.
Opt for native species. These seeds are much more likely to germinate and thrive on their own as they’re used to the area’s sun, water, temperature, humidity, and soil.
Consider local regulations. Things like plant height bylaws or strict HOA rules can limit what you plant and how you plant them.
Stomp your seeds. After you scatter your seeds, walk and squish down the seeds into the soil. This helps the seeds not get blown away.
Water your seeds. After you scatter your seeds, give the area a good watering to kickstart the germination.
Aftercare. You can choose to leave it as is and let it be as wild as possible, or you can go in and thin the seedlings, water the plants, add compost or fertilizer, etc.
Try chaos gardening with vegetable seeds. Scatter seeds like lettuce or carrots into your already established vegetable garden and watch these veggies fill in the extra spaces.
These floral seed bombs from my book Garden Alchemy are a fun and beautiful way to embrace chaos gardening.
Seeds to Plant
If you need some inspiration on what seeds to grow, here are a few of my curated lists.
I grew these purple coneflowers from seed.
My Final Thoughts on Chaos Gardening
Never let anyone tell you that you have to garden in a single way. Whether you like the look of something neat and orderly or love the look of a wild meadow, you do what you want.
Your garden is your happy space. It doesn’t have to be someone else’s happy space.
My advice is to embrace the little outlier here and there. It may be a weed that’s helping to fix your soil or a volunteer native species that just decided to grow in your garden one day. Things don’t have to be perfect!
Our chickens have been getting restaurant scraps along with fresh brassica greens, and over the last couple of weeks, the yolks have become very rich and dark. It’s gotta be either the food waste or the greens or both.
If you asked most people what color egg yolks are, they would likely answer yellow.
Yolks have always been associated with the color yellow, which is unfortunate because backyard chicken keepers know better.
Backyard chicken keepers know that yolks can—and should—be a bright, bold orange, and those bright, bold orange yolks are a sign of happy, healthy hens.
In an unscientific home experiment, I compared my pasture-foraging, insect-pecking, soil-scratching, whole grain-feeding chickens’ yolks to the yolks of both their “free-ranging” and factory-farmed counterparts.
The scraps we’ve been feeding them are from a Chinese buffet. The birds love it. Noodles and fried rice and bits of vegetables and lots of cooked meat. We don’t even have to feed them a regular chicken feed ration anymore. I throw them some green leaves from the garden when I’m out there, but they’re mostly living on Chinese food now.
There’s usually enough to feed both the chickens and the pigs, though not always. If we can manage to get more from another outlet, we could probably avoid buying any feed at all.
I’m just going to stick to the “high nutrition” explanation for the deep orange yolks, otherwise I might suspect the weirdly red sweet-and-sour sauce.
Tejocote. You know it well, or you have never heard of it. There seems to be no middle “I-think-I-know-what-that-is” ground for these plump, yellow crabapple lookalikes with burnished orange cheeks. Tejocote is the fruit of hawthorn trees native to the highlands of Mexico and Central America. Until 2015 it was illegal to import them into the United States, but because the fruit is an integral part of Mexican festivals and holidays in early winter, tejocotes were smuggled into the country to feed communities nostalgic for their essential presence on the Day of the Dead, at Christmas, and at New Year. Because of their unfamiliarity in the US, many cooks are unaware of their heritage and uses. Their sunny appearance in winter should activate some culinary games in the kitchen.
Here are some ideas to get started, and my recipe for tejocote preserves in syrup.
Above: Ripe tejocote ranges from yellow to warm orange and red.
Why the import-ban? Like other fruits once forbidden and now permitted Stateside (yuzu and mangosteen spring to mind), tejocote was associated with agricultural pests that could spread disease to domestic crops. It became the most-smuggled fruit into the US. When a farm in California’s Pauma Valley began growing tejocotes to supply local demand, the smuggling stopped. And in 2015, after a six-year review process, the USDA lifted the ban on imported tejocotes because “the application of one or more designated phytosanitary measures” would mitigate any potential risk to local crops.
Above: Raw, the flesh is mild, and very slightly tart.
All hawthorns belong to the Crataegus genus. In Mexico, the name tejocote (derived from the Nahuatl tetl-xocotl, meaning stone fruit, because of its big seeds) refers to all species native to the region (numbering over a dozen). The best known is Crataegus mexicana, for which C. pubescens is a defunct synonym.
While they resemble their crabapple cousins closely (like apples and pears, both are pomes), in flavor tejocotes are significantly less astringent. They taste very mild, with undertones of apple. Their dense, dry flesh is reminiscent of quince, but also of fresh jujube—but less granular than the former, and not as sweet as the latter. Each fruit contains three or more elongated seeds.
In Mexico tejocotes are essential to edible and decorative gifts proffered on the Day of the Dead at the end of October, as well as during the Feast of Guadalupe on December 12th, Christmas, and New Year. Ponche (a hot punch) is synonymous with tejocote, and is made with guava and spices and the slowly cooked tejocote whose aroma and sky-high pectin content (rather than strong flavor, which is non-existent) give the drink a unique texture and scent. Cooked low and slow, sweet tejocote preserves are unctuous—dense, and velvety. Garlands of the fresh fruit are a vivid ornament.
Above: Tejocotes simmering with citrus peel and fresh juniper in my kitchen. Above: After several slow hours of cooking, the tejocotes are close to candied.
My first tejocote games were conservative. I cooked the fruit slowly in water with sugar, with varying aromatics. The melting but concentrated texture of the cooked fruit was unlike anything I had eaten; reminiscent of quince but smooth, and almost mildly vegetal, like a thick yam, as well as a little slippery (the pectin). The flavor came purely from the seasonings. I make versions of this annually, adding citrus peel for extra aroma, and sometimes even a pinch of salt.
Today we’re visiting Gail Bromer’s beautiful garden at the top of the continental divide in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina:
For much of the year foliage takes center stage in my garden. I love having a mix of colors and textures to enjoy.
The fog is rolling in from lower on the mountain to meet this garden. While some folks are not fond of creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’, Zone 3 – 9), I like the contrast it brings. Here it’s seen with a dwarf Brandywine split leaf Japanese maple (Acer palmatum, Zone 5 – 9), Gaity euonymous (Euonymous fortunei ‘Gaity’, Zone 4 – 9), Cavatine pieris (Pieris japonica ‘Cavatine’, Zone 5 – 8), Old Gold juniper (Juniperus x pfitzeriana ‘Old Gold’, Zone 4 – 9), a purple gazing ball and a metal frog sculpture.
Hardscape also brings a wonderful element to the garden. These stone steps went in a couple years ago to replace the wooden ones. The steps had to be placed in a wider arc which gave us an opportunity to create terracing along the side and a wonderful planting area for a combination of small shrubs and annuals. An azalea (Rhododendronhybrid) and other small shrubs have a place along with a featured annual early in the season.
A bronze coleus (Coleus scutellarioides, Zone 10 – 11 or as annual) stuck in the top of an old tree stump gives a splash of color along this woodland path.
Fall is coming. The Bloodgood maple (Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’, Zone 5 – 9) here is seen with the yellow foliage of a bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora, Zone 4 – 8), and a large metal heron sculpture.
This fairly new Bobo hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata‘Bobo’, Zone 3 – 8) is still beautiful as fall begins.
The lace cap hydrangea(Hydrangea macrophylla, Zone 5 – 9) in the center is surrounded byChamaecyparis‘Vintage Gold’ (Zone 5 – 8), and Golden Pacific juniper (Juniperus conferta, Zone 6 – 9).
I was fortunate to be asked to rescue some specialty deciduous azaleas. They were propagated lovingly by tissue culture and moved to the mountains of North Carolina to wait for the time and place to be planted. As it happened not all of those plants found homes.
I was happy to bring some home and shared many with area gardeners. Unfortunately most of the plant tags had fallen off.
I did get some blooms this year, but haven’t yet identified them. I know they are from the balds of North Carolina or are from the Strickland and Sommerville collections.
I am so thankful that these plants were shared with me. I’m like a kid at Christmas eagerly waiting to see each one bloom for the first time . I have no idea what wonders await!
Have a garden you’d like to share?
Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
If you’re looking for a light-hearted giggle, make a beeline for this hive of bee puns and bee jokes!
I’ve rounded up my favourite bee puns and bee jokes to make you smile. They’re great bee humour for school projects, greetings card messages, photo captions, or just a bit of fun!
Fun bee jokes
Here are some of my favourite funny bee jokes (or should that be honey bee jokes!?) to get you buzzing.
Why do bees hum? Because they can’t remember the words.
What did the bee say to the flower? Hey bud!
What do you call a bee thats returned from the dead? A zombee.
Which bee gives you a second chance? The plan bee.
What’s another name for a wasp? A wanna-bee.
I went to the bee keepers to buy some bees. All the bees had price tags on them except one. It was a freebie.
What did the bee say to the naughty bee? Bee-hive yourself.
What do bees chew? Bumble gum.
Which singers do bees love? Sting, Bee-yonce and the Bee Gees.
What do bees do when their friend moves into a new hive? They throw them a house swarming party.
What do you call a bee who is having a bad hair day? A Frizz-bee.
What’s black and yellow and flies at 30,000 feet? A bee on an aeroplane.
What do you call a bee that’s been put under a spell? Bee-witched.
Which sport do bees like the most? Rug-bee.
What do you call a Bee that works for the government? A pollentician.
What do you call a bumble bee trying to make up its mind? A maybee.
I’m holding a bee in my hands- what is in my eye? Beauty.
What’s another name for a baby bee? A little humbug.
Who says “zzub zzub zzub”? A bee flying backwards.
What do you call a bee that’s hard to understand? A mumble-bee.
A few more funny bee jokes for kids
What’s a bee’s favourite sport? Rug-bee.
A bumblebee, a spelling bee and a vitamin B got in a fight. The vitamin B1.
What do you get if you cross a horse with a bee? Neigh buzz.
Why are bees good at job interviews? Because they know all of the buzz-words.
What kind of bee hums and drop things? A fumble bee.
What’s a honey bee’s favourite kind of flower? A Bee-gonia.
How does a queen bee get around her hive? She’s throne.
What would bears be without bees? Just ears.
What do you call a beehive with no exits? Unbelievable.
Where did Noah keep his bees? In the ark hives.
What do you call a bee that falls down a hill? A stumble bee.
The best bee puns
There’s certainly no shortage of funny bee puns! Here are some of my favourite puns about bees.
As luck would hive it
Be on your best beehive-iour
‘Swarm today, isn’t it?
Bee-witched
Hive it your way
We bee-long together
Bee mine
I’ll bee there
You’d better bee-lieve it
Bee cool
It’s bee-hind you
School buzz
Just bee yourself
You’re pollen my leg
Bee afraid, bee very afraid
Hive never felt this way bee-fore
Let it bee
Bee-lieve in yourself
None of your beeswax
Bee Whizz
Misbeehaving
Bee-hive yourself
A dose of vitamin bee
Bee yourself
I hive a dream
Un-bee-lievable
Truth bee told
Born to bee wild
Sending swarm wishes
And of course… Buzz off!
Honey puns and honey jokes
Why do bees have sticky hair? Because they use honey combs.
What’s a bee’s favourite body part? Their hon-knees.
Where do bees keep their savings? In a honey box.
What do bees say when they get home from work? Hi honey, I’m home!
What do bees do with their honey? They cell it.
Your honey or your life
Honey, you’re so sweet
Get your honey’s worth
You’re so honey
Honey-thing is possible
Honey, I’m home!
You’re sweeter than honey
Honey, I’m stuck on you
I’m having an epip-honey
Honey, comb here
More hilarious bee puns
You’re bee-autiful
Meant to bee
A force to bee reckoned with
Buzz word
Hive mind
A hive of activity
I don’t hive a clue
Hive five
Hive a nice day
The hive’s the limit
Queen bee
Like pollen teeth
Pollen power
Beauty is in the eye of the bee-holder
Bee positive
Bee prepared
Bee my love
Bee-ware
Bee the change
Even more brilliant bee puns
To bee or not to bee
Buzzing with excitement
That’s ap-pollen
I’ve pollen in love
I’m bee-sotted
I promise I don’t sting
Not all it’s cracked up to bee
I want to bee alone
Not too shab-bee
Appearances can bee deceiving
Pollen is nothing to sneeze at
Give me a buzz
Having a buzzy day
Stop droning on
I mean bees-ness
On my best bee-haviour
The bee’s knees
Just winging it
I’d do honey-thing for you
Busybee
Make a bee-line for it
These bee puns really sting!
Ready for more bee jokes?
What do bees call a pretentious wasp? Plain snob-bee.
What do you call a ghost bee? A bee boo.
What’s a happy bumblebee’s blood type? Bee positive.
What do you call a bee that’s always complaining? A grumblebee.
What goes zzub-zubb when it travels? A bee flying backwards.
What did one bee say to the other when they landed on the same flower? “Buzz off.”
What vitamin does a bumble bee take? Vitamin Bee.
How do bees invite their friends to a party? They send out pollen-vitations.
What do you call a bee that’s a bad loser? A cry bay-bee.
Why do bees skydive? Because they like the adrenaline buzz.
What do you call a bee that needs a drink? Bee-hydrated.
How can bees fly in the rain? They wear little yellow jackets.
What’s more dangerous than being with a fool? Fooling with a bee.
What do you call honey on a bee? A sticky situation.
When do bees get married? When they’ve found their honey.
What did the team of bees do after they won the game? They celebrated with hive fives.
Why did the bee visit the dermatologist? It had hives.
What do you call a swarm of really small queen bees? The royal wee.
What do you get if you cross a bee and a dog? A bee-gle.
How do bees communicate with each other? They use bee-mail.
What did the bee bank robber say to the tellers? “Your honey or your life.”
What do you call a bee that can’t stop talking? Blab-bee.
Why did the bee deliver a cold pizza? He didn’t know where to buzz in.
Who looks after baby bees? Ba-bee sitters.
What do bees like with their sushi? Wasa-bee.
What do you get when you cross a bee with a doorbell? A hum-dinger.
What do you call a bee that was born in May? A may-bee.
How do bees get to work? On the buzz.
What do you call bears without ears? Bees.
Why do bees love summer? Because it’s swarm outside.
What did the bee say to his girlfriend? “I’ve pollen in love with you.”
What did the bee say to the flower? “Hi, honey!”
What do you call a bee that doesn’t cost anything? A free-bee.
What do bees ask for at the barber shop? A buzz cut.
What’s a bee’s favourite fast food? Hum-burgers.
What’s a bee’s favorite painter? Pablo bee-casso.
What’s a bee’s favourite flower? A bee-gonia.
What’s a bee’s favorite composer? Bee-thoven.
What’s a bee’s favorite novel? The Great Gats-bee.
I’ve also co-written two books called *‘A Year of Nature Craft and Play’ and *A Year of Nature Walks and Games’ which are all about getting kids engaged with nature. Each one is filled with fun games, walks, crafts, gardening and science activities that inspire kids to get creative with nature and explore the amazing natural world. There are 52 budget-friendly nature play ideas, one for every week of the year, all with easy-to-follow instructions and colourful photos. If you’d like to encourage the kids to get outdoors more they’re well worth a look!
More garden and nature inspiration
For more gardening and nature inspiration you might like to take a look at these posts:
Persian violets (Exacum affine) are adaptable biennial or short-lived perennials commonly grown as houseplants or as annuals.
These pretty plants grow between six and 12 inches tall and feature small blooms ranging from deep indigo to violet or white, tucked neatly beside shiny green leaves.
The flowers have a sweet, refreshing scent that is not overwhelming.
We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission.
Persian violets are relatively easy to propagate and maintain, and are nontoxic, making them ideal for indoor cultivation in homes with pets and children.
Read on to learn more about how to care for these colorful flowering plants.
What Are Persian Violets?
Persian violets, also known as German violets, grow between six to 12 inches tall with a spread of seven to eight inches, and boast compact indigo, violet, or white blooms with bright yellow pollen masses in the center.
The blooms are surrounded by dark green, waxy leaves arranged in an opposite fashion which provide a pleasing backdrop for the lovely blooms and really make their colors pop!
Persian violets are native to Socotra, a small island in the Yemen archipelago.
Socotra has a subtropical climate with hot, humid summers, and mild winters that usually never dip below 60℉. In their native habitat, Persian violets grow in mountainous, rocky terrain.
If grown as potted plants indoors, Persian violets prefer temperatures ranging from 60 to 80℉. However, they can withstand temperatures as low as 55℉.
They can also be grown as a lovely annual ground cover or outdoor hanging plant in cooler regions.
Whether grown indoors or outdoors, these plants bloom from late spring into summer and will occasionally rebloom in early fall.
Despite their name and appearance, these plants aren’t related to African violets at all.
Persian violets are from the Gentianaceae family, which includes plants such as gentians and meadow pinks.
Additionally, they’re unrelated to plants in the Viola genus which are also commonly referred to as violets.
Persian Violet Propagation
You can propagate Persian violets by sowing seed or taking stem cuttings.
Both cutting and seed propagules grow quickly when provided with moist, humid conditions and well-draining soil.
The primary goal with either method is ensuring that your seeds and cuttings stay moist and warm so that you can mimic their native climate.
From Seed
Let’s start with seed propagation, which you can do at any time of year if you are growing indoors.
I would recommend starting your seeds in individual four-inch pots, though you can use a seed-starting tray if you prefer.
Begin by filling your pot or tray with a seed-starting medium that’s moisture-retentive and well-draining.
If you need a recommendation, I use this one from the Midwest Hearth Store, available via Amazon.
Persian violet seeds are very tiny, plus they need light to germinate, so burying them in soil isn’t necessary.
Simply sprinkle a few seeds on top of the soil, water them in gently, and place the pot or tray in a warm, sunny location.
Maintain a humid environment for the seeds by placing a plastic baggie over the pots – or a humidity dome, if you have one.
In terms of temperature, set them in a location that’s between 72 and 79℉ to ensure germination. If you need to, you can use a heat mat.
Keep the soil evenly moist, but not waterlogged.
You can expect germination after two to three weeks. When the seeds have germinated, remove the plastic baggie or humidity dome, and continue to provide even moisture and warmth.
From Cuttings
Persian violet stem cuttings need a similar environment to seed starts – warm, moist, lots of light. You can take stem tip cuttings at any time.
You can start your cuttings in a 50:50 ratio of sphagnum peat moss and perlite media.
Persian violets like an acidic media, with a pH of 5.0 to 5.5, and peat moss will provide that. Fill a four inch pot with your chosen media before taking your stem tip cutting.
To start, find a sturdy stem from the parent plant that has at least two nodes. These nodes are where the roots will eventually sprout from.
Using a sharp knife to avoid crushing the vascular system, take a cutting that’s three to four inches long.
Gently pinch off the leaves from the bottom one and a half to two inches of stem.
Before placing the cutting in the media, you can coat the cut end in rooting hormone to help promote root growth – but it’s not essential.
If you don’t have growth hormone handy, you can find Bontone II Powdered Rooting Hormone available from Arbico Organics.
After you have taken your cutting and applied rooting hormone, if using, simply poke a hole one and half to two inches deep into the soil before sticking the leafless part of the stem inside.
Pinch the soil around the cutting to ensure stability. Cover the pot with a plastic baggie propped up so that it doesn’t interfere with the cutting or use a humidity dome. Set the pot in a warm, bright location and keep the soil evenly moist.
You can check for rooting by giving the stem a gentle tug after a week or so – if you feel resistance, it’s an indication that roots are forming.
Transplanting
Whether you have propagated your own plants or purchased a nursery start from the store, you’re going to need to pot it up.
When choosing a new pot for your Persian violet, it is important to give the roots plenty of room to grow. I would suggest picking a pot that is one to two inches bigger than the existing container the plant is growing in.
With this in mind, a six- to eight-inch pot will serve your plant well. Be sure to get a saucer that is a bit larger than the bottom of your pot to sit underneath it and catch excess water.
These plants like slightly acidic soil, with a pH of between 5.0 and 5.5 which can be provided by a perlite and sphagnum peat moss mix, or a specialty soil mix like this one from My Perfect Plants.
To prepare your pot for transplanting, fill it with one inch of potting media.
Then, gently grab hold of the base of your plant with one hand and shimmy it out of its existing pot.
Place the root ball into the new pot and add soil until the sides and top are filled in. Make sure the plant is sitting at the same height as it was in its original container.
Finally, water deeply at soil level until water begins to fill up the saucer underneath the pot. Discard the excess water.
How to Grow Persian Violets
Since Persian violets are native to a subtropical climate, they are used to temperatures warmer than 55℉.
In general, you should try to keep them in a location between 60 to 80℉, with around 50 percent humidity.
Persian violets are also not happy in direct light, which will scorch their leaves and may burn the blooms.
Anywhere in your home that has bright, indirect light will be perfect for these plants. A few feet away from an east- or south-facing window would be ideal.
Provide consistent, even moisture, and it’s best to use room-temperature water as cold liquid can shock the plants.
To check if your plants need to be watered, stick your index finger into the soil.
If it is dry up to your first knuckle, water thoroughly, allowing the water to drain out of the bottom of the container. If the soil is slightly damp, simply use a mist bottle to wet the surface of the media.
Growing Tips
Maintain indoor temperatures between 60 to 80℉.
Situate your plants in a location with bright, indirect light.
Hydrate your plants with room temperature water when the soil dries out an inch below the surface.
Maintenance
Persian violets can add a pop of color and a lovely scent to your home when they are well-maintained.
Usually, E. affine does not live long enough to require regular repotting. Once the bright blooms have faded away, you can either pitch the plant entirely or take cuttings to propagate.
Since Persian violets are grown for their bright flowers, you’ll want to deadhead the spent blooms. This will encourage the plant to bloom for longer since it won’t have to pour its resources into the fading flowers.
You can also remove any dead or dying foliage as you notice it.
If some of the blooms or foliage start to lose color, simply use your index finger and thumb to pinch them off of the plant. Do this with any faded blooms and dead leaves on the plant.
A balanced fertilizer should be applied every two weeks during the growing season from early spring to late fall.
I would recommend this liquid houseplant fertilizer from Bonide, which has a 10-10-10 ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, available via Walmart.
Persian Violet Cultivars to Select
There are a variety of different E. affine cultivars, the most notable difference being the colors of their blooms.
Here are some of my favorites to get you started:
Midget White
‘Midget White,’ as its name suggests, features white flowers and grows to a mature height of about eight inches.
The Royal Dane® series features plants with an extended bloom time and a compact, mounding growth habit. They are available in Deep Blue, Deep Rose, and White.
Unfortunately, E. affineis not immune to common pests such as aphids and spider mites, or diseases like root rot.
Aphids
Aphids are small, sap-sucking insects that can be green, brown, or even gray in color.
If you see clumps of these pests on the stems or leaves, brown spots of waste or curling leaves, you need to act immediately.
Isolate the affected plant from the rest of your houseplant collection.
You can make a homemade aphid-killer by mixing two to three tablespoons of pure liquid dish soap with warm water in a spray bottle. Avoid soaps with moisturizers or degreasers, as these may harm your plant.
Spray the foliage, not forgetting about the undersides of the leaves, as eggs and larvae will hide there. Monitor your plant and re-spray as needed.
Be sure to follow the instructions that come with the neem oil product you choose. Some may require you to dilute the solution in water before you apply it to your plant.
Spider mites are small arachnids that slowly weaken the plant over time by sucking the sap from the tissues. They form large colonies and their colors range from orange to brown.
In case of a spider mite infestation, the leaves of your Persian violet will likely display yellow or white spots.
To confirm that spider mites are present, you can use a magnifying glass to inspect the undersides of the leaves – you’ll likely see the tiny pests and also the webbing they produce.
You can also tap the leaves while holding a white piece of paper underneath so that you can see any mites that fall.
To get rid of spider mites, you can use the soap and warm water method mentioned above or spray your specimen with neem oil.
Since Persian violets require moist soil, it is easy to overwater, and this creates the perfect conditions for root rot to present itself.
Root Rot
Root rot can either be an abiotic condition where the roots effectively drown in excess water or it can be caused by pathogens in the Pythium or Phytophthora genera.
Either way, it’s pretty serious, and many specimens never recover. If your plant is suffering from root rot, you’ll see wilting, dying foliage. You can check if this is the case by gently removing the plant from its pot and carefully inspecting the roots.
If the roots are brown and squishy and have a foul earthy smell, then unfortunately your Persian violets have root rot and need to be discarded.
Root rot can be avoided by ensuring that your potting medium is well-draining and not overwatering.
Best Uses for Persian Violets
Persian violets add a dash of color and a pleasing smell to your home. They are ideal as potted specimens on the patio or trailing over the side of a hanging basket.
They can be grown outside as ground cover in suitable Zones.
Quick Reference Growing Guide
Plant Type:
Short-lived perennial/biennial, grown as an annual
Persian violets are sweet little flowers that add color and texture to your indoor spaces. They are also perfect as a gift for your pet-loving friends and family.
Are you growing Persian violets? Let us know in the comments section below, and feel free to share a picture!
There’s so much to love about the bird’s nest fern.
The large, rippling, bright green fronds that create a rosette of foliage with a charming “nest” in the middle. It’s easygoing nature that won’t have you constantly fussing with it.
It’s the perfect fern for those who are just starting out in the world of Polypodiopsida.
We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission.
The Victorians were absolutely obsessed with ferns. They even had a name for it: Pteridomania.
Bird’s nest was one of the most popular ferns during that time, thriving in the typically dark interior of the Victorian home without needing a lot of care, and with a unique appearance that no other houseplant could match.
Lots of plants popular during Victorian times have since fallen out of fashion, but bird’s nest ferns have continued to capture our hearts.
If you’re ready to bring this beauty into your home, this guide can help you find success. Here’s what we’ll go over:
Great news, pet lovers. Bird’s nest fern is safe for pets (and humans) because it’s nontoxic. In fact, it’s edible. That, and lots more fun facts, coming right up:
What Are Bird’s Nest Ferns?
There are about 700 species in the Asplenium genus, and many of these are commonly referred to as bird’s nest ferns since they share a similar morphology, but it’s A. nidus specifically that most people have in mind.
All species in the genus are epiphytes that can adapt to life in the soil as well.
In their natural habitat they typically grow in palm trees, but can thrive as terrestrial plants in loose, humus-rich soil.
They have a shallow rhizome that allows them to anchor onto trees, deadwood, mossy rocks, or in the earth.
All species can grow outdoors in Zones 10 to 12.
A. nidus is indigenous to eastern Africa, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Australia, and the Pacific Islands, where it grows in warm, tropical climates.
The plant has a basal rosette of long, narrow leaves that form a dense cluster at the center. This center area is where the “nest” moniker comes from. Debris and moisture fall into this nest and decompose into a rich humus that the plant uses as its food source.
The fronds also curl back and turn brown as they age, further developing the central nest-like appearance.
Each leaf can grow over three feet long, and the plant can be up to six feet across. The central rosette can become so rich and dense that other plants and animals use it as a nest.
As a true fern, the plant reproduces by developing sporangia on the undersides of the fronds. These brown sporophores open and disperse into the wind, sending them far and wide.
A. australasicum is the most common bird’s nest fern species available for purchase in stores, and it’s likely that unless the seller specifically calls out which species it is, those in North America are usually coming home with A. australasicum.
You can tell the difference between A. australasicum and A. nidus by looking for the prominent midrib that runs along the underside of the fronds. The leaf folds inward slightly from this prominent central ridge, which is lacking in A. nidus.
This species is indigenous to Australia, where it grows as an epiphyte. Because it’s not as well-adapted to terrestrial life as A. nidus, it’s especially sensitive to wet roots and needs excellent drainage.
The other common bird’s nest fern species is A. antiquum, which is sometimes differentiated as Japanese bird’s nest fern or ō-tani-watari in Japan.
You can tell this one apart from the other two by its fronds, which are all a uniform width – the other species taper from the middle of the leaf.
Native to Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and China, it grows about 40 inches tall. Like A. australasicum, it needs extremely light, well-draining soil.
Cultivation and History
This plant isn’t just a looker, though the long leaves are attractive. It’s also a source of food for people in Polynesia, Malaysia, and Taiwan. The young fronds and shoots are eaten as vegetables.
Traditionally, ferns were thought to be able to heal the spleen, which is immortalized in the common name “spleenwort,” a term given to many fern genera considered beneficial for the spleen.
Bird’s nest ferns really gained attention during the Victorian era, as did many houseplants that we still know and love today.
They were such popular plants that in the US, the cultivar A. nidus ‘Victoria’ was one of the first fern cultivars to be patented.
Bird’s Nest Fern Propagation
Bird’s nest ferns are easier to propagate than some other fern species, especially if you grow them from cuttings.
But you also have the option to start them from spores, or you can just purchase a plant from a nursery. Most places that specialize in houseplants will carry bird’s nest ferns.
From Spores
It’s possible, though challenging, to propagate bird’s nest ferns from the spores that they produce on the undersides of the leaves.
It’s a time-consuming process, but if you do it right, you can produce hundreds of baby plants from the spores collected from just one frond.
Bird’s nest ferns are readily propagated via cuttings.
Start by filling a small pot with half vermiculite and half soilless potting medium – don’t use a medium that contains soil. Moisten the medium.
Pull or cut off a large frond, taking care to include a bit of stem at the base.
Photo by Kristine Lofgren.
Insert the leaf into the potting medium at least an inch deep and firm the medium up around the base.
Place it in an area with bright, indirect light and keep the medium moist. After a few weeks, the leaf will likely begin to develop roots.
If it doesn’t start to droop or turn brown, then you can safely keep waiting for as long as the leaf looks healthy.
If you’re curious how things are developing underground, you can stick your hands into the soil and wiggle them a few inches below the base of the leaf. Gently lift it up and look for roots.
Transplanting
If you bring home a potted plant from a nursery, or you start your own from cuttings or spores, eventually you’re going to need to move the plant into a different container.
To do this, put a layer of potting medium in the bottom of the new container. Gently remove the plant from its growing container and loosen up the roots a little.
Hold the plant in place so it will sit at the same height in the new pot and fill in around it with fresh potting soil.
Be careful not to bury the plant deeper than the “nest.” Water the potting soil and add a little more if it settles.
How to Grow Bird’s Nest Ferns
This plant is made in the shade. It won’t tolerate full or even partial sunlight. Anything over five hours of direct light per day will eventually kill it, though a little morning light is tolerated.
That means indoors you want it where it will be in about 60 to 85 percent shade – the kind of light you’d find if you were standing under a deciduous tree.
That would translate to an area completely out of direct light but not so dim that it is in complete darkness. If you look at the ground, it’s bright enough to cast a vague, indistinct shadow.
Choose a spot near a north-facing window or several feet away from a south-, east-, or west-facing window. A south-facing window covered with sheer curtains would be perfect.
If the plant is exposed to too much light, it may stop growing and the leaves will become deformed and eventually die.
While they will be fine in any standard potting mix, Asplenium species prefer a slightly acidic soil with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5.
Most commercial potting mixes are slightly acidic to neutral, but they rarely spell out the pH.
You can either look for a product that lists the pH on the packaging or choose a mix with sphagnum moss added, which creates a slightly more acidic environment.
My favorite option is FoxFarm Ocean Forest Potting Mix, which contains earthworm castings, bat guano, fish meal, humus, and sphagnum peat moss. All things that epiphytic houseplants love.
A product with good drainage, lots of aeration, and water retention is perfect.
Keep the potting medium moist at all times. The very surface of the soil can dry out, but no more.
If you stick your finger in the soil, it should feel like a well-wrung-out sponge. Any soggier, and you risk root rot.
When you water, be sure to water at the soil level and not on the leaves – don’t allow any water to get into the central rosette or “nest.”
You can also mount the plant, which is a great way to avoid root rot, since it’s difficult to overwater mounted plants.
Mounting involves wrapping the roots in moss and securing this to a wire or wood support.
Fertilize twice a year with a mild, balanced food. If you feed these plants too much and too often, it can result in stunted growth and the fronds may thicken and become deformed – or the tips of the fronds may turn brown and die.
Once in the spring and once in the summer is plenty. Look for a food that is formulated for houseplants. These are usually mild and have a balanced NPK ratio.
For example, Dr. Earth’s Pump & Grow House Plant food comes in a convenient pump container and has a 1-1-1 NPK ratio.
I love the pump container because you can apply it directly to the potting medium or add it to a watering can with no muss, no fuss. Grab a 16-ounce container at Arbico Organics.
Avoid exposing the plants to temperatures below 65 and above 90°F – they can’t survive below 50°F.
Your bird’s nest fern won’t truly look its best unless you provide it with high humidity. Aim for a relative humidity of about 60 percent. It can certainly survive in lower humidity, but you might see brown leaf tips.
Grouping plants together can help raise the relative humidity around them, as can growing in a bathroom or next to the kitchen sink.
Grow in bright, indirect light. Avoid direct light.
Keep the soil moist but not wet.
Feed twice a year with a houseplant-specific food.
Maintenance
Remember all that talk about its easygoing nature? You don’t need to prune or otherwise maintain these plants except to remove any fronds that are dead, diseased, or deformed.
Photo by Kristine Lofgren.
If a frond breaks, go ahead and remove it. Turns yellow? Snip it off.
You can gently pull the frond away or cut it as close to the base as you can with scissors or pruners. Make sure they’re clean!
As the plant ages, you will need to repot into a larger container as it outgrows its current home.
Photo by Kristine Lofgren.
When the base of the leaves start reaching within an inch of the pot edges, it’s time for an upgrade.
Choose a container one size up, fill it with potting soil, and place the old plant in it at the same level as it was in the previous container. Fill in around the roots with more potting soil.
Bird’s Nest Fern Species and Cultivars to Select
A. antiquum and A. nidus are the two most common species you’ll see called out by name in stores.
If there isn’t a species name and the plant is simply listed as “bird’s nest fern,” it’s likely to be A. australasicum.
‘Campio’ has the classic growth habit of its A. nidus parent, but has lobed, fringed, ruffled leaves that have the lacy look we usually associate with ferns.
The long fronds are just a bit wider than those of the species.
Snag one in a four-inch pot from Wekiva Foliage via Amazon.
Crispy Wave
A. nidus ‘Crispy Wave’ is one of my favorites because of its wavy, wrinkled leaves. They look like green ribbons rippling in the breeze.
Photo by Kristine Lofgren.
The plant stays about the same size as the species, it’s just the wavy fronds that make it stand out.
Hurricane
A. antiquum ‘Vitasphur’ aka hurricane fern is a stand-out option.
The leaves truly look like they’re being whipped around in the wind of a hurricane.
The fronds curl and twist around in a clockwise direction on this newer cultivar, which was bred in 2013 by Henk van Duijnhoven in Mariahout, the Netherlands.
Invite the storm to your space, and grab one in a six-inch pot from BubbleBlooms via Amazon.
Leslie
You can be forgiven for thinking you’re looking at a pot filled with some kind of funky lettuce when you first set eyes on this A. antiquum cultivar.
‘Leslie’ has a more upright shape than the species, with rippling fronds capped with wavy, forked ends. It’s an appealing and eye-catching plant.
Visit Home Depot to grab a live plant in a four-inch hanging basket.
Osaka
‘Osaka’ is an A. nidus cultivar known for being more cold-hardy than the species, tolerating temperatures down to around 40°F.
It also has slightly wavy edges on the fronds, further setting it apart from the species.
It’s a good option if your house tends to be cold or if you want to grow yours outdoors in areas that don’t drop below 40°F.
Victoria
One look at A. nidus ‘Victoria’ and you’ll be in love. It has leaves with ruffled and crinkled edges. It’s attractive without being ostentatious.
Visit Home Depot to pick up ‘Victoria’ in a four-inch hanging pot.
Managing Pests and Disease
Provided that you water at the soil level, quarantine your new plants before bringing them into the home, and regularly examine your specimens for pests, the chances are low that you’ll have any trouble with your bird’s nest ferns.
Of course, no plant is completely immune to issues, so here are some to watch for:
Insects
There are two insects that will frequently feed on Asplenium species, and they’re closely related.
Mealybugs
Mealybugs are oval, flat, sap-sucking insects that use their sucking mouthparts to draw the sap out of plants.
They’re covered in a waxy gray or white coating, and they tend to cluster together and move slowly. It’s easy to mistake them for a white fungal disease rather than pests.
If you see them hanging out on the undersides of the fronds or on the stems, you can address the issue by wiping them with a cotton swab dipped in isopropyl alcohol.
This removes their protective coating and leaves them exposed.
Translucent, water-soaked spots on the fronds are indicative of bacterial blight, which is a disease caused by Pseudomonas cichorii or P. gladioli.
As the spots age, the centers turn brick red with purple margins. In the right conditions – hot and humid – the spots can merge, and the whole leaf will die.
There isn’t an effective treatment so avoiding infection in the first place is crucial. Don’t allow water to splash on the foliage, instead, be sure to water at the soil level.
Don’t forget about root rot, as well. This isn’t a disease, but a physiological issue caused by overwatering, which drowns the roots and deprives them of oxygen.
Reduce watering if you suspect root rot, which shows up as drooping, soggy brown fronds.
Best Uses for Bird’s Nest Ferns
As an epiphyte, you can grow this plant mounted on wood or bamboo.
Bird’s nest ferns are beautiful houseplants and because they can tolerate cramped conditions, they are ideal if you want to fill up small, interesting pots.
Many houseplants need large pots, but these ferns can grow in those small, funky, often impractical pots you often see at garden stores.
Quick Reference Growing Guide
Plant Type:
Evergreen fern
Foliage Color:
Green
Native to:
Africa, Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Pacific Islands, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand
Tolerance:
Some shade/low light
Hardiness (USDA Zone):
10-12
Maintenance
Low
Exposure:
Bright, indirect light
Soil Type:
Loose, humus-rich
Time to Maturity:
2 years
Soil pH:
5.5-6.5
Planting Depth:
Crown slightly above soil
Soil Drainage:
Well-draining
Height:
Up to 3 foot
Uses:
Specimen, mounting
Spread:
Up to 3 foot
Family:
Aspleniaceae
Water Needs:
Moderate
Genus:
Asplenium
Common Pests and Diseases:
Mealybugs, scale; bacterial blight, root rot
Species:
Antiquum, australasicum, nidus
The Fern for Everyone
Ferns can be a challenge to grow indoors, but bird’s nest is the perfect option for new growers who want to dip their toe in the fern-growing waters.
They’re a beautiful option for more advanced growers too, so don’t overlook them even if you have mastered the art of growing the more challenging species.
Are you growing bird’s nest ferns? Let us know in the comments section below!
Happy New Year! After a week off, both Gardenista and Remodelista are back with new content. Here are some favorite highlights from Remodelista this week. Plus: Editors’ Picks: 5 Old-Timey Essentials for Keeping Warm Through Winter Kitchen of the Week: Another Country + Husk in England Object of Desire: Espresso for Two, Courtesy of a […]
EVERY YEAR when I get to the sweet pea listings in the seed catalogs, I think: This is the year, the year I’ll organize some supports in the garden for them, and indulge in their unmatched extravagance of color and fragrance.
Matt Mattus doesn’t hesitate one second, or have to think twice about sweet peas ever. They are always on the list in his Massachusetts garden, grown both as cut flowers and elements of beds and borders.
Matt, author of “Mastering the Art of Flower Gardening” (affiliate link) and also of “Mastering the Art of Vegetable Gardening,” gardens at his Worcester, Mass., home. Matt is the third generation of his family to live and garden there, in the same house with its two-acre landscape. He’s had a career as a graphic artist and toy designer at Hasbro for many years, but for at least as long he’s been passionately designing garden scenes and experimenting with one genus or another in his garden and greenhouse, where he can’t resist the impulse to try every last species or variety of something that he can get his hands on.
Read along as you listen to the Jan. 8, 2023 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe to all future editions on Apple Podcasts (iTunes) or Spotify (and browse my archive of podcasts here).
Plus: Comment in the box near the bottom of the page for a chance to win a copy of his flower-gardening book.
growing sweet peas, with matt mattus
Margaret Roach: So Matt, we should warn people though that they may have a seed-catalog or a plant-catalog shopping binge if they listen to you [laughter]. How are you?
Matt Mattus: I’m great. You make me sound like… I guess I’m more obsessed than that even. But we know we’re not alone, right?
Margaret: No. And from your Instagram, your popular Instagram feed, I see your fun experiments and so forth. In a “New York Times” garden column we did recently about a range of annual vines, I introduced you as a person with “a trial gardener’s mind,” because besides having that strong design sense I was just speaking about, you also love to try a group of plants or a genus of plants, hands-on yourself, right?
Matt: Right. I think maybe that’s the artist in me, that idea of having a Crayola box of crayons with all those colors, and curiosity. I want to see and appreciate all those different nuances within a genus, or even within a species. So something like zinnias or sweet peas, or especially with annual flowers, you can grow 10, 15, 20 varieties, side by side, and that’s always interesting to see that at botanic gardens. So I try to do that here.
Margaret: Yeah, I mean it’s interesting because the descriptions do their best to say the distinctions from one to the next, but it’s not the same as trying it. Plus there’s the variability, or the variable, rather, of “this is my place and this is my conditions,” and this one might do better for me than that one, and so on. I mean, there’s that, too, right?
Matt: I think with most annual flowers you see those differences, right? With morphology, you see the different forms and shapes. Some are short, some are tall, some of them have different flower sizes. But with sweet peas, the differences I think are mostly with color. I mean, they have a really wide range of color, and they’re all beautiful colors.
Margaret: Right. You’ve trialed Nicotianaand you have so many lilies. You told me about you love lilies and you even I think sort of trialed, what is it, Salpiglossis?
Matt:Salpiglossis, I know. Right.
Margaret: [Laughter.] Do we even grow that? Does anyone even grow Salpiglossis? How many did you try?
Matt: I don’t think anyone grows it anymore. I think sometimes it’s one of those lost, forgotten, old-fashioned flowers. But I found an old book, it was just from the 1930s, but it was in an estate gardener’s book And I saw that Salpiglossis was grown as a greenhouse plant, so they would grow annuals in the spring and summer in greenhouses in England for display in conservatories. So it’s fun to look at those old books and see maybe that’s how I could grow some of these. So yeah, I do those experiments, too.
Margaret: Yeah. So with the sweet peas, as you explained to me when we did the Times story, you kind of group them into roughly two categories. And I am not trying to say this is the official lineup or whatever. But you sort of talked to me about the antique types with somewhat smaller flowers and these larger-flowered Spencer types, and how you grow and then also use them differently in your garden. So maybe help us a little bit with that, because I don’t think many of us who are first-timers especially or may have only tried one or two sweet peas know the wide world of it as much.
Matt: I think even among flower farmers or anyone who’s grown sweet peas who’ve gone to, let’s say, a website that specializes just in sweet pea seed, I think everyone’s confused with the old classifications. There were like multifloras and grandifloras. I’ve even asked my plant-breeder friends like, “What does that mean?” Those are really old-fashioned classification terms for a lot of flowers.
But I mean, basically in the world of sweet peas, grandifloras are anything sort of before 1907 or 1901, depending on where you look. That’s when the Spencer varieties, which maybe people have seen those listed, the Spencer varieties were developed in England, and those were a larger cut-flower type, long stems, big flowers. Those let’s say 1905, 1907, that happened. But before that would have been your grandifloras and multifloras, and those are just old-fashioned terms. Multiflora officially means there’s more than four flowers on a stem, but I don’t think any of us care about that.
I try to think of them as old-fashioned… Just two groups: old-fashion[ and then Spencers in our modern world.
Margaret: You use them differently. You create different supports for them and your end product, so to speak, your desire of what they’re going to do for you is different. And how do you use those two types?
Matt: Well, my history of sweet peas goes back to the 1980s. Right out of college, I joined the Sweet Pea Society in England.
Margaret: The Sweet Pea Society? [Laughter.] I had no idea. You forgot to tell me that when we were doing the Times story. The Sweet Pea Society!
Matt: There is. You could still join the Sweet Pea Society in England. But that’s a great source, a resource for sources in England. And for a long time, the good sweet pea varieties could only be bought from England, especially in the 1980s and 1990s.
Now in the U.S. we have far better sources, but I still order some from England, too. But the Sweet Pea Society would hold flower shows through the 20th century. And I don’t think they’re as popular as they once were, but that always appealed to me, exhibiting; growing for exhibition. And sweet peas, like dahlias, are one of those plants that was grown for exhibition in England mostly.
So that appealed to me, and I don’t expect people here to do that, but you could. I mean, you could grow them in these very strict ways where you limit them to one stem tied to a bamboo cane. They call it the cordon method. It restricts their growth. So you could get an 18-inch flower stem with a 2-inch flower on it.
Margaret: Wow.
Matt: I liked doing that. It’s fiddly, it’s fun to do, and you can easily go online and find out how to do that. I still grow some in that way with these nice, tidy rows of bamboo canes that are 8 or 10 feet tall [above], and I plant seedlings on those and train them. But I also like to grow them in the flower garden on teepees or on towers of branches, or various structures like netting.
Margaret: So with the cordon method or growing them on the bamboos, you make this support structure for them and you tie them up every so often so that they really… I mean, these are not like morning glories. These are not twining vines. These need your help. They hold on by tendrils, yes? Little delicate tendrils.
Matt: So they have those little swirly grape tendrils that grab on. So that gives us a hint on how to grow them. So if you want to be fiddly, and you want to train a sweet pea plant for the most extraordinary flowers, you could limit them by training them on a cordon or a bamboo cane, but you would have to tie them. So you mentioned tying them with a string [above]. I have to do it every three or four days in May and June. That’s how fast they grow.
Margaret: To get these long-stemmed, larger ones, for the cut-flower use. Yes?
Matt: Right. For that method, if you restrict all the side growth and you’re cutting the tendrils off so they don’t grab the flower buds next to them. The leaves get really big. They’re as big as the palm of my hand. It’s kind of magical. So it’s fun to have some that way. Especially the old-fashioned varieties, which have shorter flower stems, I think they’re best just grown on twigs or branches, like pea brush like you would grow garden peas basically, except no, they’re going to grow a lot taller. These are going to grow taller than your garden peas.
Margaret: Yeah. You showed me a picture that I think you said it was inspired by a clematis growing in an English garden that you had seen. It was almost like this kind of, they’d taken twiggy pea brush and they’d kind of made it almost like a ball of it. They’d bent it; they’d put it in the ground on one side and then bent it over and put it in the ground on the other side and done the same in another direction. So made this dome and you let the old-fashioned, the antique varieties scramble over it.
Matt: Yeah. I think with a lot of vines you could do that. I mean, I use branches from our birch trees or the trimmings from our hornbeams, which to be honest, I might trim every other year, so they’re pretty long. So in the spring, I make a dome in the garden, and it could be any height you want. I mean, ours end up being maybe 5 feet tall, 4 feet tall, and it’s fun to make these. We want those craft projects in the spring. Right?
So in the wild, the Lathyrus odoratus, the sweet pea, grows on shrubs. So this would be like you’re mimicking it tumbling over a shrub. I mean, Clematis grow that way, too. [A twiggy dome at Matt’s with sweet peas just getting started beneath it.]
Margaret: Right, and so the ones that you’re looking to train onto those bamboo canes that cordon method: Those are the Spencer types, and those are the ones that you’re turning into those cut flowers and managing it for the longer stems and the bigger flowers and so forth.
But in both cases, wherever we’re going to use in the garden, you start them… I mean, we all know peas, edible peas, are one of the earliest things that we can put out; they’re cool-season adaptable, or they love the cool season. So do you start them in the greenhouse, or can we do them under lights for those of us who don’t have a greenhouse? Or do you direct sow them? What do you do with sweet peas about when?
Matt: I have a greenhouse, so I keep it cool. It’s a cool greenhouse [above, and in background of garden shot, below], meaning it’s just… I keep it above freezing, but below 45 at night, and that’s just what sweet pea wants. I think that’s the biggest confusion with people starting sweet peas. You’ll see them online starting them under lights, indoors, and that’s not what they want. Think of garden peas, right? When you sow your peas, we always sow them in March, or as soon as the ground can be worked. Right?
And it’s the same with sweet peas. The trick with sweet pea is first of all, it’s probably different for every state in the country. So you have to find your own little window of when you can plant them, but here’s what they want: They want cool or cold weather. If it’s above 20, you can sow them. If you’re in Washington State or you’re in zone 7, let’s say 7 to 10, you could sow them in the fall and they’re going to do just root growth.
There are even Cornell studies in, I think around 1910, where they would sow them in New England in the fall. And I tried that under hay, and they did grow. I mean, they blew the week earlier in June [laughter].
Margaret: So no big headstart, huh?
Matt: No. I mean they produce better roots, but it gives us some tips of what they want.
Margaret: So I am not going to treat them like I’m treating my tomato seeds inside.
Matt: Yeah.
Margaret: If I am going to do them inside under lights because I don’t have a greenhouse like you do. I would want to pick a cool room and I would want to make sure that… I mean a lot of the newer lights give off less heat, which is great in this case, right, and that they’re not right up against them. I mean, I think we could start them indoors, but we have to be careful not to let them stretch out from too little light and too much warmth. Is that the idea?
Matt: Yeah, exactly. I think sweet peas are of one of those plants, they’re sort of opposite of tomatoes. I mean, you nailed it. If you have a garage or you have a sunroom…
Margaret: That’s what I was just thinking about, a sunroom kind of thing. Yeah.
Matt: Yeah. But a light unit in it. I mean, they love, they want really bright light. So if they want really bright light and really cool temperatures, and you can start them as early as November if you want, if have that condition. If you can keep them at 35 all winter, they’re growing their roots. That’s what a lot of flower farmers do. They sow them November, December, January. They want to bulk up at these cold temperatures, so they keep them at 35 to 45, but under really bright light, and that means either in their hoophouse or under artificial lights.
So it’s not really where any other plants we would grow. But if you do have a garage that’s unheated, but it hovers around freezing, you could plant your sweet peas right now.
Margaret: And the other thing is you can also start right around six or so weeks ahead of your set-out date. I assume in our area, where the last frost date is sometime in mid-May or so, that the set out date a few weeks before that, the transplant date?
Matt: The alternative is… I mean, so there are many ways to grow sweet peas. So on the easy side, you could plant them just like you do your garden peas.
Margaret: Direct sow, right?
Matt: Yeah. So you could do that. I think the difference—the benefit of starting them earlier and cold—is that they bulk up more roots and they might form more side shoots, and it’s those side shoots that are stronger-growing or more vigorous than that main shoot. Why you often see pinching—we always pinch sweet peas—but growers could either keep all the side shoots or remove all but one side shoot. But rarely does anyone keep the main shoot.
Margaret: Oh. Huh.
Matt: So it gives you a much stronger stem. With sweet peas, it’s all about the roots, right? So you might see people growing them in toilet paper tubes, which is O.K. if you have that many toilet paper tubes, but they want that deep root run. So a deep pot is better, a root trainer or a deep cell [above]. I mean, you can grow them in 4-inch pots if you want to, but you’ll notice all the roots are at the bottom.
Margaret: That’s a good point is that they do, compared to a lettuce seedling or something, that they don’t want that tiny little cell that’s not very deep.
Matt: You know what’s interesting, too, and I’m trying this year: Some flower farmers are sowing sweet peas in combination pots, like a 4-inch pot that’s deep, but like 25 seeds in a pot and planting in winter and keeping them cold. So they grow very slow or hardly grow at all in the winter, but they’re forming roots. But they transplant really easily. You can separate them. The roots are very strong.
And you can separate them so it takes up less space. So let’s say you don’t have a lot of space, but you want a cut-flower garden, you plant 25 four-inch pots early in the year and keep them in your garage under lights. And then they’re just barely growing, but they’re forming a lot of strong roots and a lot of leaves that are closer together and dense. And then separate them, let’s say, in March into individual pots, and then gradually introduce them outdoors.
Margaret: Do you have a couple of favorites, both of the antique types that I might let scramble up a twiggy support. If I’m just getting started with sweet peas, I might do that, and I might just even direct sow them or sow them a month and a half or so indoors in a cool, bright spot and transplant them around a twiggy structure or something, or on some netting. Do you have some favorite old-fashioned varieties, the antiques like that, that you recommend?
And also if I wanted to try training the larger-flowered Spencer types, do you have any favorites of those that we should be on the lookout for?
Matt: Yeah, sure. I think if you like fragrance and don’t mind having smaller flowers, but lots of them, I think there’s a variety called ‘Matucana,’ which is, it’s like an improved selection of the original wild sweet pea. I mean, no one really knows even what the wild one was [laughter], but that’s probably the closest you can get. There’s some notes that say it was grown back in the 1700s, but super fragrant. So that’s a purple and maroon bicolor, both small flower, maybe a half-inch wide, but that scent will waft across your garden.
So that’s something I grow every year. I try to keep that in the garden garden, but not as a… I mean, you could use it as a cut flower, but you’d have to cut the whole stem. But I like the colors of sweet peas, because they just have the most beautiful range. Personally, I think with the watermelon colors, the cotton candy colors, there’s a lot of periwinkle purples, pinks. I try to keep them into two groups. I grow all the periwinkle blues and pinks as one, and then I grow the warmer colors like cerise and watermelon and coral. I just don’t like the dark red ones. Personally, they seem to not fit in.
Margaret: Yeah, they’re different from either group that you just mentioned.
Matt: The color. Right?
Margaret: Yeah, they’re different. Yeah.
Matt: And then they were flakes and stripes, which were really old-fashioned. They were popular in the turn of the century. Sweet peas were the most popular cut flower in 1900.
Margaret: And you said flakes, so they’re almost like they’re speckled or not variegated exactly. But it’s a mottled flower. Yeah?
Matt: Right. It’s like a red and white stripe, sort of; orange and white stripe. There’s no ruless. But I liked those old-fashioned ones.
Margaret: And now you mentioned pinching. So just real quick, I wanted to ask, so I’ve got these seedlings. Let’s say, I started them indoors, and I’m pinching out what the second set of leaves or which set of leaves that forms. When am I pinching it?
Matt: Yeah, so second or third. If you’re growing them under really bright lights, so let’s say you do have in the garage and they’re between 25 and 40, your leaves are closer together, but they form these two pairs of leaves. I usually take the second pair out. I leave just one pair of leaves. What you don’t want is long, spindly plants that are grown warm under lights that you never pinched, because those really… They probably will grow 24 inches long and may not even bloom.
Margaret: Right. So you want a really sturdy plant. In a way it’s counterintuitive, because you think, oh, I’m letting it grow longer. But actually what it’s doing is it’s stretching out, it’s weakening. It’s not going to reach its full size by letting it…
Matt: Yeah. And I think if you do by accident, grow them warm and they’re long and lanky, definitely pinch them back. Leave like 3 inches of that spindly stem and hope that stronger side… Don’t be afraid to pinch. That’s big takeaway here.
Margaret: All right. So: I want to say it’s catalog season [laughter], and you’re a good shopper. I want to ask a couple of sources or a few sources where to get sweet pea seed, because I know Select Seeds, for instance, has, I don’t know, around 20 varieties or something. I don’t know if you’ve ever ordered from Swallowtail Garden Seeds. I see they have a lot.
Matt: Yeah. Renee’s Garden.
Margaret: So I don’t know about your couple of others. Renee’s, O.K.
Matt: Yes, Renee’s, and Johnny’s carries some. There’s Floret Flower Farm, of course, that have some great ones, they save their own seeds. There’s a new one, Sweet Pea Gardens from Washington State. I haven’t tried them yet.
Margaret: That’s interesting. I saw that they moved up from California or something, a few years ago.
Matt: I’m going to try them this year. But I also order some from England. I mean, it is always a chance now with Brexit and importation rules; it’s tough sometimes to get seed in. But there’s Keith Hammett, a New Zealand breeder who sells online. And those are the top. There’s like three top sweet pea breeders, so definitely Keith Hammett is up there. And there’s Owl’s Acre, which is a really good one. Roger Parsons, I definitely… I probably ordered most of mine from Roger Parsons in England.
Margaret: To digress from sweet peas: Is there something, because you seem like with this trial gardener’s mind, as we said at the beginning, you’re a person who likes to know for yourself if in a group of plants, is this one’s the best or that one’s the best for you. Is there some sort of holy grail item you’re on the lookout for this year; is there something new that you’re thinking of jumping into? Or are you continuing a trial that you’ve done in previous years? I mean, what’s Matt Mattus got us eye on right now? Tell us the next thing. [Laughter.]
Matt: It’s always a long list. I’m curious about Mimulus, the monkey flowers.
Margaret: Oh.
Matt: Yeah, I know there’s a lot of breeding going on at University of Connecticut and there’s a few, if you just Google, “new breeding Mimulus.” You’ll see the colors and crosses and inter-specifics, even intergenerics, two different genuses crossed together. I’m curious about those. The past few years I’ve been starting those. So I think I’m curious about those. And if you’re at a garden center look for Mimulus; you’ll see them. There might be some Proven Winners ones, or different selections from some of the big brand names that you’re starting to see. And you might not know what they are, but try them.
Margaret: So monkey flowers, O.K. So that’s one thing that you’re on the lookout for.
Matt: Yeah. Nemesia. There’s a lot of breeding going on with those. These are all sort of cool-weather annuals you would see sold with pansies in the spring.
Margaret: I can’t even remember the common name for that.
Matt: I don’t even know if there is.
Margaret: I don’t know if it even has one. So that’s another one. Yeah. Are all your houseplants inside right now or in the greenhouse, and they’re all…?
Matt: Gosh. Every room is full. Yeah, it’s crazy. Right [laughter]?
Margaret: I know. My fancy-leaf begonias, and I know you have a lot and you kind of use them outdoors as almost like annuals as well in the garden season. Mine are mad at me this year, and I don’t know what it is. I feel like all the plants even know that the weather is upside-down; even indoor plants know that the weather is upside-down. It’s just a weird year. That’s subject for another time.
Matt: Begonias is another thing. I will say, they do pout when they come in.
Margaret: They do. Yeah.
Matt: And just find a room where they could go semi-dormant.
Margaret: Yeah, they want to go back out in the humidity [laughter].
Matt: You can’t blame them. Right?
Margaret: I know. Well, thank you for making time. Matt Mattus, I hope I’ll talk to you again soon. And happy seed catalog shopping meantime [laughter].
Matt: Thank you, Margaret.
(Photos all from Matt Mattus, used with permission.)
No answer, or feeling shy? Just say something like “count me in” and I will, but a reply is even better. I’ll pick a random winner after entries close at midnight Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024. Good luck to all.
(Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)
prefer the podcast version of the show?
MY WEEKLY public-radio show, rated a “top-5 garden podcast” by “The Guardian” newspaper in the UK, began its 14th year in March 2023. It’s produced at Robin Hood Radio, the smallest NPR station in the nation. Listen locally in the Hudson Valley (NY)-Berkshires (MA)-Litchfield Hills (CT) Mondays at 8:30 AM Eastern, rerun at 8:30 Saturdays. Or play the Jan. 8, 2023 show using the player near the top of this transcript. You can subscribe to all future editions on iTunes/Apple Podcasts or Spotify (and browse my archive of podcasts here).
Orchids are magical. The ostentatious flowers are tailor-made to attract all the pollinators, with the added bonus of attracting us humans.
We gardeners spend so much time cultivating and propagating them, all for those incomparable blossoms.
It’s devastating when your orchids have problems that cause them not to flower or for the leaves to turn yellow, brown, wrinkled, or wilted. They’re just too pretty to let that happen.
We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission.
Sadly, orchids can be a bit temperamental. No wonder a lot of people just enjoy them while they bloom and then toss them when they’re done.
But if you want to keep your orchid for years to come, then you’ll need to know what to watch for and how to address it if a problem happens.
If something doesn’t look right with your orchid, do your absolute best to figure it out right away.
Without exception, the faster you identify a problem and start addressing it, the better your chances of fixing your orchid.
Let’s start with the one issue you can identify solely with your nose:
1. Bad Smell
If your orchid has brown spots on the leaves accompanied by a bad smell that might remind you of fish left out on the counter for too long, it’s likely suffering from bacterial spot.
If the smell is accompanied by water-soaked lesions on the foliage, you can be sure.
Bacterial spot is caused by Erwinia spp. and Acidovorax spp., and spreads far too easily.
It can be carried on tools, your skin, your gloves, in splashing water or rain, or even in the droplets of a humid environment.
Unfortunately, once the orchid is infected, there is no cure, and the bacteria is in the plant’s system – it’s systemic – so you can’t just cut off the symptomatic areas and hope it will go away.
You’ll need to dispose of the orchid so the disease doesn’t spread, and then, in the future, be super careful about gardening hygiene and watering practices.
2. Brown Leaf Tips
If just the ends of your orchid’s foliage are brown and crispy, it’s likely that you’ve either overfed your plant or you’ve been using municipal water, which contains minerals that can build up in the soil and burn the roots.
It’s best to fertilize frequently with diluted, low-strength fertilizer than to feed less often with a strong fertilizer.
Most species can be fed biweekly at quarter strength with a standard liquid 3-3-3 or 4-4-4 NPK fertilizer.
You should also try to use rainwater, distilled water, or filtered water if you can. If not, flush the potting medium every few months to remove the mineral buildup.
Sometimes, you can tell that salt has built up in the medium by the whitish, cream, or brownish crust that can develop on the surface of the substrate.
If you see this crust in the drainage pot, you can be sure your water has minerals in it.
Even brief exposure to temperatures in the 30s can cause cold injury, and even if the leaves aren’t covered in frost, low temperatures can harm orchids.
Some species can tolerate some cold stress, but others can’t abide even a whiff of a chill.
The leaves and pseudobulbs will look dark, dry, or might have water-soaked spots. Most often, the symptoms start developing during the cold exposure, but some might not show up until after temperatures have warmed up.
Don’t assume that because your orchid is growing indoors that cold injury can’t happen.
If you keep your plant near an exterior door or a single-pane window, the temperatures can become cold enough to damage your orchid. That’s because single-pane windows don’t provide much insulation, so cold air can seep in and harm nearby plants.
Photo by Kristine Lofgren.
Orchids kept outdoors should be covered during a cold snap, and those indoors should be kept away from drafty windows or doors.
Any dead or severely damaged areas need to be pruned off because they won’t recover. But so long as the roots weren’t harmed, the orchid will send out fresh, new growth.
4. Brown Sunken Splotches
When your plants are exposed to low temperatures, it causes something called mesophyll cell collapse. I hear you. You keep your orchids indoors, so there is no way this is the problem.
But if you’re one of those people who follow the advice to water your orchid with an ice cube, it could be causing the problem if the ice touches the foliage.
Anytime the orchid is exposed to temperatures below 45°F, or temperatures significantly lower than it can tolerate, for too long, you risk this problem. The result is sunken brown areas on the leaves.
The brown, sunken spots can also be caused by a disease called anthracnose, caused by fungi in the genus Colletotrichum.
You can’t fix the damage; all you can do is avoid it. If you use the ice cube watering method, make sure to keep the ice away from the leaves. If your orchids are growing outside, bring them in or protect them with thick blankets during any unseasonal cold snaps.
These symptoms can also be caused by wiping a plant with alcohol. Isopropyl alcohol is sometimes used to kill pests like mealybugs. But alcohol evaporates rapidly, cooling the plant quickly.
If you opt to use alcohol to kill pests, don’t wipe it on the plant itself. Apply it directly onto the pests.
If you know your orchid hasn’t been exposed to cold temperatures, ice, or isopropyl alcohol, you can assume anthracnose is causing the problem.
In that case, trim off symptomatic leaves and spray the remaining foliage with copper fungicide.
Buds can fall when they’re just starting to form on the stem or as new buds form beyond existing flowers.
The other reason bud blast sucks so much is because there are a large number of different causes.
If environmental conditions stress the plants, they’ll toss their buds because they’re the most expendable part. That way, they can focus their energy on more important things like leaves and roots.
Over- or underwatering is a common cause, as is too little light or low humidity. If the orchid is exposed to extreme changes in temperature, that can cause it too. Even exposure to gasses like ethylene or methane can trigger bud blast.
Overfertilization, pest infestations, disease, or even orchids with bad genetic backgrounds can cause bud blast as well.
In other words, if this happens to your orchids, all you can do is try to support them and give them the appropriate growing conditions for the species.
6. Curling Leaves
Leaves that twist and curl in on themselves are stressed. Most often, this is caused by chronic underwatering.
There are some orchids, particularly cattleyas, that tend to curl for no good reason, possibly indicating that it’s genetic.
So long as the orchid is cared for properly, and you can tell for sure that the medium is appropriately moist, don’t worry about it.
The leaves might also twist to stretch toward a bright light source, which is another reason to always rotate your plants.
But in this case, the leaves won’t be curling in on themselves; they’ll merely be arcing toward the light.
7. Dropping Foliage
Generally, if the foliage starts to turn pale or yellow and drops from the plant, it’s likely that your orchid needs more nutrients.
Orchid medium can compact, break down, and become depleted over time – or maybe you forgot to fertilize your plants.
Dropping foliage can also be caused by overwatering and root rot.
Remember that some species are deciduous and drop their leaves in the fall – this is nothing to worry about as they will develop new growth in the spring.
If you’re unsure of the cause, check the roots. If they’re black and mushy, then the problem is probably root rot. Otherwise, you can assume your orchid is hungry and give it some fertilizer.
8. Pleated Leaves
When your orchid’s leaves start to look a bit like the bellows of an accordion, it’s perplexing. Has some origami-loving gnome been secretly visiting your plant in the wee hours of the night?
Maybe.
But it’s more likely that the horizontal pleating is caused by a lack of moisture. This phenomenon is common in orchids from the Oncidium genus, which tend to have quite thin leaves.
Species with thick, fleshy leaves, like Phalaenopsis, are less commonly impacted by this problem.
When the plant doesn’t receive enough humidity, or there is a lack of moisture in the medium, or the roots can’t take up water for some reason, the pleating may follow.
Check the roots for rot, and if you see any, trim off the rotten roots. Then, repot your orchid in fresh medium.
Even if you don’t see rotten roots, repot in fresh medium, since potting medium tends to compact over time, reducing the root’s access to moisture.
Either way, try to increase the humidity around the plant by using a humidifier, grouping your houseplants together, or putting the orchid in the bathroom or near the kitchen sink.
Then, increase how often you water, but be sure to let the water fully drain out. Orchids should never sit in standing water.
Keep in mind that keeping your plant under lights can also deplete moisture, causing pleated foliage.
The wrinkled leaves won’t ever straighten out, and it’s important not to try to force them, or they’ll just break. But new foliage will emerge nice and straight.
9. Spotting
Spots can appear on the leaves, buds, or flowers.
When they only appear on flowers, especially if the flowers are white or a pale hue, it’s likely botrytis (Botrytis spp.). This disease thrives in cool, humid conditions, and is especially common in greenhouses.
Good air circulation is key to preventing this disease, as is watering at the soil level rather than splashing the foliage or flowers. Once the disease is present, you can’t eliminate it, but you can prevent new growth from being infected.
Remove the symptomatic flowers and spray the plant with copper fungicide once a month for six months.
Phyllosticta leaf spot is caused by the fungus P. capitalensis and spreads in warm, humid weather. It causes elongated purple or black spots on the leaves. As these mature, the inside of the spot turns tan.
Symptomatic foliage should be removed, and the rest of the plant should be treated with Mancozeb.
I always keep this broad-spectrum fungicide around because it’s useful for many diseases.
You can grab a 16-ounce concentrate from Bonide via Amazon.
Large, soft, watery spots on the leaves point to issues like black rot (Pythium spp. and Phytophthora spp.), Cercospora leaf spot, or root rot.
All should be treated by reducing the amount of water you provide, being careful not to water on the plant but at the soil level, and spraying with a broad-spectrum fungicide like Mancozeb or copper fungicide.
Spotting can also be caused by bacterial spot as mentioned above, but this disease is usually accompanied by a bad smell.
Photo by Kristine Lofgren.
Finally, spots can appear as the result of mechanical damage. These will usually be indented rather than smooth.
I’ve damaged more than one orchid leaf by accidentally knocking it against a stack of books or a cupboard as I move it back and forth to the sink for watering.
The solution here is easy: I should just become a less clumsy person!
10. Strange Patterns
Orchids can be infected with dozens of different viruses, each of which causes unique symptoms.
Odontoglossum ringspot virus (ORSV) and Cymbidium mosaic virus (CyMV) are the most common, but it doesn’t really matter which one (or more) viruses your plant is infected with.
Sometimes, a plant might just seem a bit sad, growing slowly or flowering poorly. Other symptoms can include necrotic spots on the foliage or curled leaves.
But the most obvious symptom of a viral infection is strange patterns on the leaves or flowers. The petals might have broken patches of color or spots and swirls. The foliage can exhibit rainbow-like arches, rings, circles, lines, or splotches of yellow or white.
There is no cure, and the virus can spread to other orchids, so you should either isolate the plant or dispose of it.
11. Wilting
Wilting usually goes hand-in-hand with wrinkling foliage. When it happens, you can be confident that your plant has been chronically over- or underwatered.
Not only is the plant suffering aboveground, but it’s highly likely that things aren’t looking so good below ground, either. Usually, when the leaves are drooping, there is some amount of root involvement.
Regardless of the cause, the problem is the same: the plant can’t take up enough water. Either because there isn’t enough water in the soil, or the roots have been left in too much water for too long, causing them to suffocate.
Remove the plant from the pot and knock away the substrate from the roots.
Take a close look at the roots and see what’s going on. If the roots are brown or black and soft, this indicates the plant is being overwatered, and the roots are dying.
If the roots are gray and wrinkled, it means the roots are dry and haven’t had enough water.
If the roots are soggy, trim those all off with a sharp, clean pair of scissors or pruners. Spray the roots with copper fungicide diluted to half strength and repot the plant in a container one size down. Make sure to use a fresh potting medium.
Because the roots are struggling, mist the plant every day for the first two weeks after repotting.
Then, withhold watering at first while continuing to mist to encourage new roots to form and seek out moisture.
After a week, resume regular watering, but be sure to empty any catchment container after 30 minutes and reduce the amount of water you’ve been giving.
If the cause is underwatering, this is a fairly easy fix. Place the slotted inner pot or a container with a drainage hole in room temperature water and allow the plant to soak up all it can for 15 minutes. Then, repot it and start watering more often.
Regardless of which problem caused the drooping leaves, they won’t perk back up once you fix the problem.
With other popular houseplant species, the foliage usually recovers when they have the water they need, but orchids don’t work like that. You’ll have to wait for new growth to form.
12. Wrinkled Leaves
When you see wrinkled leaves, your first thought would logically be that the plant doesn’t have enough moisture, and that might be the case. But it can also be a sign of too much water or symptom of a disease, so don’t jump to conclusions.
The most common cause, absolutely, is underwatering. Wrinkles happen when the tissue doesn’t have enough moisture to plump up the cells. It happens in our skin and it happens in plants.
Photo by Kristine Lofgren.
If you lift up the plant, pot and all, and it feels light, it doesn’t have enough moisture. If you touch the substrate and it feels bone dry, again, it’s too dry.
If your orchid is in a clear pot, examine the roots carefully. If they look healthy, wrinkled leaves are probably indicative of a lack of water.
But if you see black or soggy roots, it’s likely they have rot, and the plant can’t take up water. This is common when a plant is overwatered.
It can also happen when the medium starts to break down, reducing the amount of oxygen the roots can access.
If the plant has root rot, trim off all the sick roots and keep a humidifier next to the plant so that it can gain moisture through the foliage.
Be cautious about maintaining the correct water in the medium as the plant develops new roots.
13. Yellow Splotches
Did you recently move your plant into a brighter location? Or maybe the sun is reflecting off of something and hitting your plant? Yellow splotches on the leaves can point to direct sun exposure.
Photo by Kristine Lofgren.
If you leave the plant in the bright light, the yellow parts might even start to develop dark brown areas. It’s as if the leaf is literally being burned.
The fix is easy enough. Move the plant into a location with less light. The affected leaves won’t heal, but new ones will emerge healthy.
Put Those Problems Away
Remember, you need to catch the problem early to give yourself the best chance of fixing it.
Even those incurable issues should be caught fast so you can prevent them from spreading to other plants. Make a habit of examining your plant closely each time you water it.
What kind of orchid are you growing and which of the above issues are you seeing? I hope this guide helped you solve it, but if not, let us know what’s going on in the comments section below.
Your orchid journey doesn’t end here. There’s always more to learn about these striking plants. If you found this article useful, then you might enjoy these guides next:
Stacie Crooks is a Seattle-based garden designer who has created beautiful, ecologically friendly, low-maintenance gardens throughout the Pacific Northwest. She is also a contributing editor for Fine Gardening magazine and has shared her insights with our readers through 10 feature articles and several departments over the past 17 years. In this episode, Carol interviews Stacie about the lessons that she has gained from her years of garden design experience.
Stacie Crooks’s Garden Design Rules of Thumb
1. Identify your project.
Ask yourself “What do I want to achieve?” and “Why do I want to do this?” Having a clear goal in mind- be it lower maintenance, better curb appeal, or more wildlife in the garden- will help you make the right design, style, and plant choices.
2. Know your site.
Before you can make any changes, you need to know your limitations. Determine the garden’s light exposure and angles, soil types, drainage, topography, and size. Consider irrigation (if you need water, where will it come from?) and access (how will you get into the garden and move through it?) Bearing all this in mind, set a budget.
3. Get inspired.
With your goals and guidelines clear, It’s time for a solid plan. People always ask, “Where do I start?” Engage in activities that foster learning and friendships. Read books and magazines and go to lectures. Join a garden club. Volunteer at a public garden. Look in the newspapers and on the internet for opportunities. Take notes, make lists and make sketches. Take photos of gardens you visit and copy them.
4. No zone denial.
When you go to buy your plants at your local nursery, read the tags carefully. Choose only that which is suited for your site and to your lifestyle. If it is not clear, ask a nursery person. Be sure that the amount of care that plant needs match the time and energy you can afford.
5. Finish one garden before you start another.
Resist buying plants that are not for your current project- they’ll just die waiting for you to plant them. Stick to the list.
6. Be responsible environmentally.
Always aim to use less water, less fertilizer, and no chemicals. The better you know your site, the easier it is to achieve success naturally. There’s an importance to NOT gardening, using fewer resources and less labor and just enjoying your space more.
The front cover of Fine Gardening’s December 2023 issue featuring a photo from Stacie’s article, “So Long, Lawn”. Photo: doreenwynja.com By repeating hues and generously filling the space with stalwart plants, Stacie has made the fence in her back yard disappear. Photo: doreenwynja.comIn Stacie’s designs, reliable perennials that require little care are often used to provide pleasing pockets of color and texture. Photo: doreenwynja.comBold colors and forms take center stage in Stacie’s back garden. Photo: doreenwynja.com
05 Agave planted in gravel
‘Silver Surfer’ agave thrives in Seattle’s temperate climate. Photo: doreenwynja.comAnother stunning plant combo from Stacie’s home garden. Photo: doreenwynja.comA path that is at least 5 feet wide allows two people to walk side by side. Photo: doreenwynja.com Coiling a hose inside an empty planter is an attractive solution for keeping a hose handy but out of sight. Photo: courtesy of Stacie CrooksThis lawn replacement project features low-maintenance plants and hardscaping that can accommodate a wheelchair or walker. Photo: doreenwynja.comOutdoor living areas have experienced a surge in popularity in recent years. Photo: doreenwynja.comA palette of plants adapted to Seatte’s dry summers and mild, rainy winters blend beautifully in this low-maintenance landscape. Photo: doreenwynja.comA seating are in the center of this garden bed feels set apart from the world, but in reality it is just steps away from the home’s front entrance. Photo: doreenwynja.com
I was attending a local theater’s production of the Polar Express, when the actress playing the train conductor looked down into the audience and recognized me, then yelled, “So, Mr. Goodman, what do YOU want for Christmas!”
I yelled back, “A TRACTOR!”
And Mom heard me…
So now I have one!
Thank you, Mom. Love you lots – we had a great laugh.
My six-year-old son and four-year-old daughter are currently playing with this massive piece of diesel-powered machinery.
One day we might get a larger one. I miss the old tractor I used to borrow!
Houseplants have been having something of a renaissance in the last decade–and not just because so many people became plant parents during the early days of lockdown. Plant-filled interiors had already reached such a level of trendiness by early 2020 that the New York Times was reporting on the emerging career of a plant stylist. Today, the houseplant trend is going strong and growing beyond the fiddle leaf figs and monstera plants that are ubiquitous on Instagram. “Plant owners are aiming to diversify the greenery within their spaces,” says Rebecca Sterling, the resident plant expert at Easyplant, an online retailer of houseplants in self-watering pots. To find out what new houseplants will be popular in 2024, we asked Sterling and other experts to tell us what they see trending.
Textured Plants
Above: Easyplant’s top plant in their 2024 trends report is the Dracaena Janet Craig Compacta; $269 (in a self-watering pot) at Easyplant.
“Texture is specifically having a moment in the spotlight, and a lot of the plants within our 2024 plant trends report reflect that bold, trending texture people are loving,” says Sterling. The team at Easyplant picked Dracaena ‘Janet Craig’ Compacta, with its highly textured leaves, as their top houseplant of the year.
“This year, we’ll see consumers looking to incorporate larger-sized plants to uplevel their living spaces,” says Sterling, who notes that a large plant makes a big impact “without having to change too much or invest in home renovations.” In addition to Dracaena ‘Janet Craig’ Compacta, Sterling predicts other varieties of Dracaena (Dracaena Lemon Lime, Dracaena Cinthos, and Dracaena Warneckii) and some larger Ficus (Ficus Tineke and Ficus Altissima) will be in demand.
Variegated Leaves
Above: A Ficus triangularis ‘Variegata’. Photograph via myBageecha.
“Anything variegated will be popular,” predicts houseplant influencer Hilton Carter, the author of four books about houseplants (with a fifth, The Propagation Handbook, forthcoming in April). The team at 1-800-Flowers.com agrees with Carter, choosing philodendron, and specifically two variegated varieties, Philodendron Birkin Plant and the Philodendron Pink Princess, as their 2024 houseplant of the year.
Rare Coloring
Above: The Raven ZZ Plant sports near-black leaves; $79 at Bloomscape.
In addition to variegation, Carter says he sees collectors clamoring for rare colors. “There are new varieties of variegated alocasias and philodendrons that have crazy red and pink colors to the leaves,” he says, pointing to the pink variegated alocasia ‘Black Velvet’ and philodendron ‘Red Moon,’ which he says are trending with collectors right now, noting “Tissue culture has come a long way!” Likewise, the striking Black ZZ with its almost black leaves was among Easyplant’s picks for 2024’s trending houseplants.
“I think we will see an influx of fruiting trees and citrus plants becoming popular for indoor cultivation,” says Carter. Last year when Bloomscape, an online plant retailer, introduced lemon trees to its offerings they couldn’t keep the trees in stock (they’ll be back in spring 2024). Bloomscape’s Variegated Pink Lemon Tree also picks up on the variegated trend with its creamy patterned leaves.
Many houseplants that might seem old-fashioned are coming back into fashion, including African violets. Commercially available for nearly 100 years, African violets are the National Garden Bureau’s pick for their houseplant of the year for 2024, and houseplant influencer Tony Le-Britton, the author of Not Another Jungle, told the Irish News he thinks African violets will be on-trend in 2024, as well. Two more retro plants that deserve another look: rubber tree and braided trunk money tree, which were both among easyplant’s 2024 picks. One more throwback plant that’s going nowhere in 2024 is Epipremnum aureum, commonly known as Pothos or devil’s ivy. In an article about the perennially popular vine in The Guardian, Freddie Blackett of Patch Plants, an online plant retailer in the U.K. told writer Alice Vincent sales of pothos had increased 45 times(!) in just five years. “In 2017, we sold 600 of them. In 2022, that had increased to 27,000.”
