Category: Home & Garden

Reblooming Christmas cactus is much easier than you may think, and in this post I’m going to explain how to encourage yours to flower again year after year.

Getting your Schlumbergera buckleyi to bloom again in time for Christmas depends on 3 main factors: darkness, low temperature, and timing.

Below I will give you step-by-step instructions and show you exactly how to trigger your Christmas cactus to develop buds and flower just in time for the holidays.

Does Christmas Cactus Rebloom?

Yes, your Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera buckleyi) can rebloom annually, but you need to create the right environment for it to set buds.

In its natural habitat, this would usually happen sometime in December. The key to helping it flower again at home is to replicate those conditions indoors.

This means you will need to provide the right temperature and level of darkness to trigger dormancy.

What Triggers A Christmas Cactus To Bloom?

Schlumbergera buckleyi needs to go into a state of partial dormancy, or a short ‘rest period’ for 3-6 weeks, which is what triggers the plant to bloom.

In its natural environment, this happens in the fall when the temperatures drop and the nights are longer.

To recreate these conditions at home, you’ll need to control the temperature and ensure your plant receives enough hours of darkness each night.

Also, it’s best to keep your Christmas cactus slightly pot-bound, as this encourages it to bloom more readily.

When Will My Christmas Cactus Bloom Again?

If you get the timing and environment right, your Christmas cactus will bloom again sometime in late December.

It’s common for them to bloom a second time in the spring, but it’s usually fewer buds.

How Do I Get My Christmas Cactus To Bloom Again?

To force your December cactus to rebloom, you’ll need to recreate the conditions it would experience in its natural habitat during the fall season.

Simply follow these 3 basic steps: make sure the temperature is sufficiently low (below 60°F (15.6°C)), let it dry out more between waterings, and give it 13 to 16 hours of complete darkness every night.

1. Reduce Watering

Starting in early fall, cut down on the amount of water you give your Christmas cactus. This is the first trigger to your plant that it’s time for it to rest.

Don’t let the soil dry out completely – it should be slightly moist but never bone dry or soggy.

The easiest way to get the balance right is to use a moisture gauge. When the reading is in the 2-3 range you’ll know it’s time to water your plant again.

2. Put It In The Dark

The next important step is to reduce the amount of light that your Christmas cactus receives.

For a period of 3 to 6 weeks, move it to a completely dark room each night or cover it with a blackout cloth or blanket and leave it for 13 to 16 hours.

It should not get any light at all during this time, even from artificial sources like street or night lights. Bring it back into bright, indirect light during the day or remove the cover, but avoid direct sun.

3. Keep It Cool

The final factor in stimulating your Christmas cactus to rebloom is keeping it cool enough. The ideal range is between 50-55°F (10-12.8°C) during the day, although as warm as 60°F (15.6°C) is OK too.

At night, keep your plant at least 10°F (-12.2°C) cooler, but ensure the temperature never drops below 40°F (4.4°C).

I find the easiest way to achieve this is to move my plant outside at night, as long as it’s not too warm or cold. You could also put it in an unfinished basement or unheated garage. Use a thermometer to check the temperature often.

How Long Does It Take Christmas Cactus To Bloom Again?

In the right conditions, on average you should begin to see flower buds appearing in about 6 to 8 weeks after triggering dormancy, but it could be sooner.

It will usually take another 8 to 12 weeks for your Schlumbergera buckleyi to come into full bloom again, once most of the buds are open.

When To Put Christmas Cactus In The Dark

You should put your Christmas cactus in the dark 8 to 12 weeks before you want it to rebloom.

That means, to have flowers in time for the holidays, you’ll need to start sometime in October.

To get the timing right on your calendar, simply count back 8 to 12 weeks before Christmas Day.

Why Won’t My Christmas Cactus Flower Again?

Your Christmas cactus won’t flower again if it doesn’t get the proper rest period. Here are the most common issues that can prevent reblooming.

• Too much water – Make sure you give your plant less water than usual and allow the soil to dry out more before giving it the next drink.

• It’s too warm or cold – Keep the temperature below 60F (15.6C) degrees during the day, and at least 10°F (-12.2°C) cooler overnight to encourage the formation of buds.

• Not enough darkness – Keep your Christmas cactus in complete darkness for 13-16 hours every night. Any interruption can delay flowering, even if the light is from an artificial source.

• Recently repotted – Schlumbergera buckleyi prefers to be root-bound, and it may take up to 2 years to bloom again after repotting.

Related Post: How To Propagate Christmas Cactus From Cuttings Or By Division

What To Do Once Your Christmas Cactus Sets Buds

It’s very important to give your Christmas cactus the proper care during flowering. If not, it may drop its buds, which can be very disappointing after all your hard work. Here’s how to treat your plant once it sets buds.

• Increase watering – Begin watering it more frequently to keep the soil consistently moist, taking care not to overwater.

• Give it bright light – Once you see buds develop, move your Christmas cactus to a bright spot in your home where it can consistently receive lots of indirect light.

• Protect from extreme temps – Regularly check the temperature to make sure that it is neither too hot nor too cold. To achieve better, longer lasting blooms I recommend somewhere between 60-70°F (15.6-21.1°C).

• Do not repot it – Never repot your December cactus after it has formed buds or while it’s reblooming. If yours needs repotting, wait until the spring after it has finished flowering.

• Protect from drafts – Keep your plant away from drafty areas or heat vents, as these can cause the buds and flowers to drop prematurely.

Related Post: How To Care For A Christmas Cactus

FAQs

Here you’ll find answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about reblooming Christmas cactus. If you don’t see yours listed, please ask in the comments below.

When do I force my cactus for Christmas flowers?

You should force your cactus for Christmas flowers around 8-12 weeks before you want it to bloom again. So, for it to flower in time for the holidays, that would be sometime in October.

Is it too late to get my Christmas cactus to bloom?

If it is early November or later and you haven’t placed your plant in darkness overnight yet, then it is probably too late to get it to bloom in time for Christmas. Next year start forcing it in October.

When should you put a Christmas cactus in the dark?

You should put your Schlumbergera buckleyi in the dark overnight approximately 8 to 12 weeks before you want it to rebloom, which is typically sometime in October for Christmas flowers.

What stimulates Christmas cactus blooms?

The main stimulants or triggers for Christmas cactus blooms are cooler temperatures (below 60°F or 15.6°C), 13-16 hours of darkness every night, and less water than usual.

How do you get a Christmas cactus to bloom twice?

You can try to get your Christmas cactus to bloom twice (once in the winter, once in the spring) by providing lower temperatures, darkness, and less water again in late winter. But it’s not always guaranteed that they will flower a second time, and if they do, it’s usually a much smaller display.

How often can you force a Christmas cactus to bloom?

With the right conditions, you can force a Christmas cactus to bloom every year, and maybe even twice a year (once during the holidays and again in the spring). The same plant can continue to do provide you with an annual display for 20-30 years or more.

If you want to learn all there is to know about maintaining healthy indoor plants, then you need my Houseplant Care eBook. It will show you everything you need to know about how to keep every plant in your home thriving. Download your copy now!

More About Houseplant Care

Share your tips for how to get a Christmas cactus to bloom in the comments section below.

Step By Step Instructions

Have you always longed to make wine from tasty sun-warmed grapes gathered from your own backyard? While I live in the ideal wine-growing region (USDA Zone 9b) near the well-known Napa Valley, you’ll be amazed to learn that backyard viticulture is entirely possible anywhere within USDA Zones 4 through 10. Growing wine grapes isn’t hard, but there are a number of key requirements that guarantee success, beginning with growing the wine you love! If you adore a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon at the end of the day, plant Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. When Chardonnay is your preference, you’ll need to grow grapes that produce a full-bodied Chardonnay. The following are some viticulture tips for planning and planting your own personal vineyard.

Plant the right number of grape vines

How much wine do you drink? After the picking, cleaning, squishing, straining, sterilizing, fermenting, bottling, and racking, a twenty-pound grape harvest yields a gallon of homemade wine. With a healthy backyard grape vine producing between 6 and 12 pounds of grapes (depending on soil, climate, and varietal), about 20 vines are necessary if one 5-gallon batch of wine is your goal.

Know your exposure and temperature range

Grape vines yield the tastiest grapes when they receive 7 to 8 hours of direct sunlight per day during the growing season. Excellent air circulation is equally important and particularly crucial in cooler, fungus-friendlier areas. Like other fruit producers, grapes have chilling requirements, with each varietal requiring a certain number of sub-45°F hours each winter for optimal results. While some grapes perform better in cooler zones, others thrive in heat, so choose your variety after researching to ensure you get the appropriate grape for your microclimate. Your best resources for knowing which grape strain is best are local winegrowers. Check with nearby backyard vintners about their experiences, or with your local cooperative extension office if you don’t have any wine-making neighbors.

Get the spacing right

Experts recommend allowing 4 feet of space between plants and 8 feet of space between rows for the best grape production. However, if your site guarantees 7 hours of sun per day and excellent air circulation, you can experiment a little with closer spacing.

Good soil texture is essential

Loose, rich, amended, well-balanced soil with a neutral pH is ideal for growing any kind of grape, with wine grapes being no exception. Dig in compost, or plan farther ahead and plant a cover crop the year prior to planting, and then cultivate that in. If you have clay soil, you’ll need to amend to a depth of at least 3 inches. Good drainage is also crucial for grapes.

Water well, but avoid the foliage

Keep moisture off your vines’ foliage and fruit, and avert potential fungal problems by steering clear of overhead sprinklers. Drip irrigation is perfect for a personal vineyard, ensuring that water is delivered directly to the root zone. During the growing season, most vines need about 5 gallons per week to maintain healthy growth.

Trellising keeps vines sturdy

Two wires strung between sturdy posts is the classic method of training grape vines and requires minimal space while keeping the plants upright so they are easy to monitor and harvest from. Don’t have that kind of space? Try training your vines along a sunny fence.

Prune in late winter and thin occasionally in summer

The fruit is produced on canes that are just a year old, so remove older growth in late winter or early spring to ensure that new growth subsequently develops. When you finish pruning your grape vine, there should be one permanent main trunk remaining, with shortened (only three to eight buds per cane) one-year-old canes. Summer pruning and thinning may be needed to keep the vines from getting too wild, to increase air circulation, and to allow the fruit to receive more sun for ripening.

Feed the vines sparingly

Grape vines do not require a lot of fertilizer. To keep your plants happy, side-dress with a cup of well-balanced organic fertilizer in spring, and add a layer of organic compost to the base of your grapes in late fall.

Pests are plentiful

Deer, rabbits, birds, rats, voles, and gophers all prey on plants or the grapes themselves. Fencing and netting work well against larger mammals, and trapping is vital for rodent control. Insects can also threaten your harvest, but avoid chemical pesticides and use organic methods wherever possible. Alternatively, consider releasing beneficial insects such as lacewings, praying mantids, or ladybugs into your vineyard to combat any “bad” intruders.

Following these steps will ensure that you have a healthy, successful grape growing experience and delicious, full-bodied wine!

—Fionuala Campion is the owner and manager of Cottage Gardens of Petaluma in Petaluma, California.

Photos: Fionuala Campion

You may have heard the word nativars and wondered what they are, but I’ll bet you are already growing a rather impressive list of nativars in your garden. Simply said, nativars are just named selections of native plants. Some nativars might be hybrids made from two selections within the same species, or they could be naturally occurring varieties that someone isolated in the field and decided to propagate. Regardless of their origin, nativars generally are selected because they offer one or more desirable characteristics in color, form, or vigor that make them stand out from the rest of their species in a wild population.

You should proceed carefully if you are looking for a nativar that offers the most benefits to wildlife. Certain selected characteristics, such as double flowers, give some nativars less wildlife value than their native counterparts. However, for the most part, nativars do offer similar benefits, including wildlife benefits, as natives do. Like natives, they are often easy to care for and require minimal irrigation. Their outstanding vigor translates to sturdier growth with less care needed. Smart gardeners will often want to mix a few into their borders and beds along with true natives (which are always a good choice).

Here are some high-performing nativars that are perfect for northeastern gardens.

‘Sarah’ mountain laurel

Kalmia latifolia ‘Sarah’, Zones 4–9

Broadleaf evergreens are invaluable in northeastern gardens. They spice up our landscapes during long, cold winters. Mountain laurel is one of the few four-season gems available to us. Native throughout eastern North America, mountain laurel’s dark green leathery foliage is both deer resistant and very cold tolerant, and the plant sports pinkish white late-spring-blooming flowers that attract butterflies and many other pollinators. This species gets better and showier with each year. ‘Sarah’ mountain laurel will reach 5 to 8 feet tall over time. Its bright pink buds open to soft baby pink flowers that stand out for much of June.

Best if planted in spring, mountain laurels are woodland plants that appreciate dappled light shade and a few hours of fun sun a day. They grow best in moist, humus-rich, acidic soil. Mulch with leaves or bark mulch annually to keep the soil primed with organic matter. Prune these shrubs minimally, as they are slow growers (but long lived).

‘Gay Butterflies’ butterfly weed

Asclepias tuberosa ‘Gay Butterflies’, Zones 3–9

Butterfly weed, which is native to most of North America (except for the Northwest), has long been a favorite among those looking to attract butterflies and bees and to encourage monarch butterflies to lay eggs. (Butterfly weed is a milkweed species.) ‘Gay Butterflies’ is an old seed-raised strain that remains as popular today as it was in the 1960s when it was first introduced. Today ‘Gay Butterflies’ is easy to find and can be raised either from seeds started early indoors or from established nursery plants.

The best tip for keeping ‘Gay Butterflies’ happy is to plant it and leave it alone. As a taproot prairie plant, it hates to be transplanted once established and rarely survives if transplanted. Look for smaller plants when shopping, or start some from seed (which is easy) and then set them out into a sunny, well-draining spot in the garden and leave them there.

‘Gay Butterflies’ butterfly weed is essentially a seed-raised mixture of all the colors found within the species, so if you are looking for a specific color, then your best bet is to buy a plant blooming at a nursery. But if you are patient and want to grow many plants regardless of their colors, then sowing your own seed makes the most sense. Of all the meadow or prairie plants, this plant is what people call a “good-doer,” as it doesn’t move around the garden much; rather, it forms tight, dense clumps that grow larger with each passing year. Lastly, depending on the richness of one’s soil, it is deer resistant and can grow anywhere from 2 to 4 feet tall with just a hint of fragrance to the bright blooms.

‘Haas’ Halo’ smooth hydrangea

Hydrangea arborescens ‘Haas’ Halo’, Zones 3–9

Smooth hydrangea is native to the eastern United States and parts of the Midwest. ‘Haas’ Halo’ is a variety sporting gigantic blooms up to 14 inches across if the entire plant is cut to the ground every spring. If you leave 12- to 14-inch stems, the flower heads will be more profuse but slightly smaller, around 10 inches in diameter. These blooms are very showy and flat so that they become landing pads for the many pollinators that will visit. That said, site these insect magnets accordingly. A busy poolside may not be the best location, but along a hedgerow or foundation of a house might be better given the pollinator traffic. This shrub will do best in partial shade. Perhaps the best attribute of this showy hydrangea is that it produces sturdier stems compared to its cousins, mainly the large-headed smooth hydrangea cultivars like ‘Annabelle’ and Incrediball^® (‘Abetwo’). If you have a problem with those varieties falling over in the rain or collapsing, then ‘Haas’ Halo’ is a great solution. This shrub should grow from 3 to 5 feet tall and should have 3 to 5 feet of spacing.

For more great native plants for the Northeast, check out:

And for more Northeast regional reports, click here.

—Matt Mattus is the author of two books: Mastering the Art of Flower Gardening and Mastering the Art of Vegetable Gardening. He gardens in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Photos: Matt Mattus

When my budding interests in horticulture started developing in junior high school, I came across Hortus Third, an encyclopedic tome of horticulture compiled in the 1970s. Learning about plants from my dad while working on landscape installations, and then looking them up in Hortus Third after hours, I developed a sense of wonder about plant diversity both in the natural world and in cultivation in our gardens and landscapes. How could a genus described in Hortus Third such as Michelia (later reclassified as Magnolia) have “about 50 species of evergreen trees and shrubs” but only eight listed? What about the other 42 species? Were they unworthy of cultivation, or had we simply not tried the other ones yet? With many genera, the latter often proves to be the case. It turns out that the world of horticulture often overlooks many worthy plants.

Smallhead doll’s daisy is a more well-behaved alternative to white doll’s daisy

A perfect example of this phenomenon is smallhead doll’s daisy (Boltonia diffusa, Zones 5–9). There are seven recognized species of Boltonia, six being native to the United States and the seventh one from eastern Asia. All are herbaceous perennials known for their profusion of mostly white daisylike flowers. For the longest time only white doll’s daisy, or false aster (Boltonia asteroides, Zones 3–10), was known and grown. In southern U.S. gardens, white doll’s daisy flops over and makes a less than pleasing garden subject, despite being native from southern Canada southward to the Gulf Coast. In 2015, landscape architect Tres Fromme from Sanford, Florida, brought another species to my attention, one that was not mentioned in Hortus Third. Smallhead doll’s daisy is native to the southeastern and south-central United States. Tres used this plant in designs at Atlanta Botanical Garden, and it has grown spectacularly well there. We decided to try it at Tulsa Botanic Garden, where I was working at the time. To say it performed beautifully would be an understatement. To know that I later discovered it growing as a native perennial in a rock quarry in southern Oklahoma only served as one of those serendipitous and yet seemingly preordained moments. As Darth Vader might say, I was destined to grow this plant.

This plant has a long bloom period and is extremely easy to grow

If, like me, you admire using “see-through” plants in your garden, then look no further. Southern doll’s daisy is a plant that (a) looks good when not in bloom, (b) stands its ground in the garden without taking over, (c) does not flop over to touch the soil when it comes into bloom, and (d) is easy to grow—just add soil. This perennial blooms from approximately July through November, with yellow disc flowers and ray flowers that are white to light purple. It takes full sun and can grow in moist or dry soil. It can reach an impressive size, up to 6 feet tall and about 4 feet wide.

Southern doll’s daisy displays a verdant mass of wiry stems adorned with small leaves, and late summer brings a frothing show of usually white flowers that looks a little like baby’s breath (Gypsophila spp. and cvs., Zones 3–9) but are so much better. Smallhead doll’s daisy beckons for its own attention, while also acting as a unifying element in the garden. Even when going to seed this plant does so discreetly, not turning its reproductive parts brown at the tips like other aster relatives often do. Tough and drought tolerant—it looked perfectly fine in the Oklahoma rock quarry scree fields—and yet responding beautifully to cultivation in enriched soils, this overlooked native proves my old view from days of thumbing through Hortus Third: we need to keep trying the “other” species beyond the ones we already know and grow.

For more great native plants for the Southeast, check out:

And for more Southeast regional reports, click here.

—F. Todd Lasseigne, Ph.D., serves as executive director of Bellingrath Gardens and Home, a public garden and historic home in Theodore, Alabama.

I love the natural shapes of plants in landscape design, but garden style is subjective, and it’s fair to say that gardens should be fun and expressive. We all have our own ideal “look” in mind when we envision a garden space, and who’s to say one is better than another? Some of us are collectors of anything new or unusual. Others seek a bit of nostalgia or want to seamlessly blend into their wild surroundings. Some like their plants well behaved and formal, expressing geometry and order not always found in nature. If the latter category describes you, you may find formality to be more of a challenge in the arid Southwest. There are some arid native plants that work well in formal garden design, however.

What plants can you use in formal gardens in the Southwest?

Traditional plants used in formal design, such as boxwoods (Buxus spp. and cvs., Zones 5–9), beeches (Fagus spp. and cvs., Zones 3–9), and yews (Taxus spp. and cvs., Zones 4–8), are hardly sustainable in desert regions without excessive water use and soil modification. Some regionally adapted plants lend themselves readily to formal use, like smaller grasses or slender conifers. With others, a successful outcome does take some skill. Well-pruned plants need deliberate renewal and careful training, not just a crew cut once a year.

For those looking to cultivate a formal design, considering some of our sustainable southwestern natives is a good place to start. Many are more forgiving and adaptable to formal pruning than we give them credit for. The following native plants are some options that may surprise you. Some of these photos show the highly pruned form of the plant, but perhaps not the most creative use, so that’s for you to decide how far you’d like to go with pruning. After all, it’s your garden!

Curl-leaf mountain mahogany is a great substitute for boxwood

Native to arid slopes from Washington state to Colorado, Arizona, and Baja, curl-leaf mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius, Zones 4–10) becomes a large shrub or small tree with intricate branching when left to grow into its natural habit. However, its small sturdy evergreen leaves with curled margins are well adapted to heavy browsing by wildlife—so this native species responds well to heavy manicured pruning as well. It’s a good replacement for boxwood if an evergreen hedge is desired. Little or no irrigation is required by this shrub in most regions.

Fernbush can be sheared and is pollinator friendly

A showy shrub of the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau, fernbush (Chamaebatiaria millefolium, Zones 5–8) thrives in arid conditions and is irresistible to honeybees when its creamy flower spikes emerge in early summer. Also adapted to browsing, it’s easily sheared and shaped, and will renew well if severe pruning is needed.

Creosote bush is a great medium-size, drought-tolerant option for formal pruning

Creosote bush or greasewood (Larrea tridentata, Zones 7–11) is a signature shrub of our southwestern deserts that can be found from central California and Nevada to just south of Albuquerque, on to south Texas and southward nearly to Mexico City. Wild specimens can be among the oldest living plants in the world, reaching thousands of years in age! The closely related Larrea divaricata of Argentina is nearly identical and sometimes considered the same species, giving this species one of the longest north-south ranges in the world. Aside from those curiosities, it’s a durable plant reaching up to 6 feet tall and wide and extremely drought tolerant. Its tiny leaves and fine branching make precise shaping easy, but frequent trimming is needed to maintain detailed shapes. Creosote bush also emits a classic desert scent after watering or rainfall.

Cenizo makes a well-sculpted specimen with vivid pink or purple blooms

Native from south and west Texas and well into Mexico, cenizo, or Texas Ranger shrubs (Leucophyllum spp. and cvs., Zones 7–11), range from 2 to 6 feet tall and wide, with a casual upward spreading or mounding form. The leaves may be bright green or vivid silver, depending on the species. Many cultivars have been selected based on these various qualities. All perform well in arid landscapes and respond well to trimming, so much so that sheared blobs can be overused in commercial settings where they become monotonous gumdrops in street medians and similar locations. However, that shouldn’t diminish the usefulness of a well-sculpted specimen in a private garden. They flower in direct response to warm rains during the monsoon season, transforming into a blaze of pink or vivid purple for weeks at a time.

Baja ruellia has a compact habit that takes well to pruning

A small, rounded shrub from Baja and Sonora, Mexico, Baja ruellia (Ruellia californica var. peninsularis, Zones 9–11) can reach 5 feet tall and wide if allowed. Its flowers are reminiscent of small purple petunias (Petunia cvs., annual). Its compact habit is easily shaped and maintained, and while it is very drought tolerant, it looks and flowers its best with some occasional water.

Even if an abundance of these tightly shaped plants is not for you, you may find a formal accent here or there suits your garden style, much like a well-placed birdbath or colorful container used as a contrasting focal point.

Dan Johnson lives and gardens in Denver and in Tucson, Arizona. He is an associate director of horticulture for the Denver Botanic Gardens.

Photo: Dan Johnson

Softening tall or craggy surfaces are situations that seldom come up in my design practice, as I work in environments that are typically rather flat. There are times, however, when level changes happen to occur on the land or are created during a construction process. I get excited when there is the opportunity to use plants that naturally cascade. This is an entirely different aesthetic from plants that climb and is more interesting than plugging in some ivy. The next time you find yourself needing a plant to spill over a wall, rock, or some other elevation change, consider one of these great cascading plants.

‘Autumn Amber’ three-leaf sumac is a tough, low-growing spreader for larger landscapes

Sumacs (Rhus spp. and cvs., Zones 2–10) are a diverse group of plants ranging in size from small tree forms to low shrubs. ‘Autumn Amber’ three-leaf sumac (Rhus trilobata ‘Autumn Amber’, Zones 4–6) is an extremely short and wide spreading shrub with an orange to amber fall color. The matlike growth creates a curtain of foliage spilling over and covering any surface they are planted on. Exceptionally tough, it is a choice plant to cascade over a stone outcropping, groups of boulders, or even a formal brick wall. Growing in rugged spots, this plant does best in well-drained soil and full sun. Give it plenty of room; despite specifications of growing 1 to 2 feet tall and 5 to 7 feet wide, my experience is that its energy is put into growing wider and not as tall. If you want to control the size, cut plants back in the spring prior to new growth appearing. ‘Autumn Amber’ does not generally have any disease or insect problems and does not suffer from grazing by rabbits or deer.

Rockspray cotoneaster has a great prostrate form with three seasons of interest

For a fine and lacy texture against a solid surface, let’s not forget about cotoneasters (Cotoneaster spp. and cvs, Zones 4–9). Another shrub group of various forms, rockspray cotoneaster (Cotoneaster horizontalis and cvs., Zones 5–7) has a prostrate growing habit with stiff branches and small, glossy, dark green leaves. Its scarlet red fruit is attractive to birds, even if it is not heavily present. Growing 2 to 3 feet tall with branches cascading to a width of 6 to 8 feet wide, this shrub will reward you with fragrant pink spring flowers and reddish-purple fall color. For the best performance, plant cotoneaster in full sun to partial shade and in soil that is well drained, moist, and loamy. This plant will tolerate less than perfect conditions; if you have dry or poor soil, it will still work for you. Remove deadwood as necessary, pruning to shape, and renovate before new growth appears in the spring. For a very low and prostrate option, consider the variety Cotoneaster horizontalis var. perpusillus, which grows to only 1 foot tall and 5 to 8 feet wide.

‘Scentsation’ honeysuckle provides a long season of fragrant blooms

Technically a vine, ‘Scentsation’ honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum ‘Scentsation’, Zones 4–9) can also be grown as a cascading plant instead of a climber. Exceptionally fragrant, this yellow-flowering variety has an extensive season of generous bloom, from midspring to early fall, followed by bright red berries. It is not invasive, is loved by hummingbirds and butterflies, and is not favored by deer. This honeysuckle does best in full sun and areas with ample airflow to reduce the opportunity for powdery mildew (a disease triggered by high humidity and poor air circulation). Additional care can be taken to prevent powdery mildew by selectively pruning to keep the plant from becoming too dense and by removing diseased leaves. Expect ‘Scentsation’ to quickly cascade with a 5- to 6-foot spread with vines up to 12 feet long over any vertical surface.

While each of these cascading plants has the ability to cover an object of substantial height, one does not have to let any of them reach their full potential. Each of these distinctly different woody plants can be thinned or shortened to meet the needs of your space or the particular design intent you have in mind. Removing a branch here or a tendril there can create a lacy effect to allow the surface behind to peek through, resulting in an enchanting contrast of organic and man-made materials. Trimming the bottom tips in a singular line, as though they are bangs, creates the look of an upside-down hedge. The options are endless. Let your imagination roam as you consider the options when playing with cascading plants.

—Marti Neely, FAPLD, owns and operates Marti Neely Design and Associates in Omaha, Nebraska.

Photos: Marti Neely, FAPLD

Fall is an excellent time for planting and transplanting, provided there is adequate soil moisture to allow plants to reestablish their root systems. Because inconsistent watering or lack of rainfall during this crucial period can rapidly cause a new planting to fail, it is well worth your time to learn a few tricks to make watering easier, more efficient, and more effective.

A good general guideline for the first year after planting is this: If rainfall is less than an inch per week, provide supplemental water. During the winter months, when the ground is frozen and deciduous plants don’t have foliage, watering is generally not necessary. However, you may wish to water occasionally in winter if there is an unusually warm or dry spell and the ground is not frozen.

Deep watering is the key to strong roots

Effective watering encourages root systems to penetrate deeply into the soil. If you water quickly and shallowly, only the top few inches of soil will be adequately saturated, and roots will remain near the surface.

The texture of your garden’s soil will affect how much and how often you will need to water. Sandy soil that is low in organic matter can become hydrophobic and repel water if it is allowed to completely dry out; in this situation a very slow and long watering period will be needed to remoisten the soil. Soil with a high clay content can also be difficult to rehydrate if it is allowed to dry out; when it is oversaturated, the tiny pores between soil particles remain wet for extended periods. A soil composition test from your local extension agency will provide information on the makeup of your garden soil, which will allow you to adjust your watering efforts accordingly.

A watering bag is a great solution for newly planted trees

Gator bag

If you are not a fan of moving sprinklers all day, there are options for you. Gator bags are ridged plastic pouches that zip together and hold a large amount of water. They stand on their own even when unfilled. Each section has small perforations at the bottom that release the contents slowly over many hours. They are ideal for large balled and burlapped trees or large container specimens.

Watering doughnuts

Watering doughnuts are ideal for smaller trees or shrubs. They are similar to gator bags in the way they distribute water, but they hold less water and have a lower profile.

No matter which method you choose, remember that slow and deep watering is best. If you are unsure if the entire soil profile is being adequately saturated, dig down at least 6 inches to check the moisture content of the soil an hour or so after application.

Frequent observation and physical inspection of plants and soil is very important. By becoming familiar with your soil type and plants’ needs, you can generally avoid emergency situations and have a happy, healthy garden that will thrive for years to come.

Learn more

For even more watering strategies, check out: A Guide to Garden Watering Systems and Strategies

If you’re installing new trees or shrubs, check out: Two Tree Planting Pitfalls to Avoid 

For tips on building and maintaining healthy soil, check out: Put the Life Back into Your Soil

Adam Glas is a garden supervisor and rosarian at the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.

Photos: Adam Glas

The Rocky Mountain Region is stretched over 10,000 feet in elevation change and nearly over the full longitude of the Continental United States. Within this massive spread fit more than six biomes, ranging from the grasslands and prairie edges of northern New Mexico to the alpine of Montana. Despite the impressive diversity in soil and climate, many people in the area garden on our region’s namesake: rocks.

Often, rocky soils are quite young. Their presence indicates that not enough time has passed to weather parent materials (yes, rocks) into the complex that is soil. I often see gardeners trying to shoehorn leafy, traditional garden plants into these indisputably western landscapes. A better tactic, however, is embracing flora already adapted to such areas, which offers a simpler and less labor-intensive solution.

Rocky Mountain beardtongue

Name: Penstemon strictus

Zones: 4–9

Size: 24 to 30 inches tall and 36 inches wide

Conditions: Full to partial sun; well-drained soil

Native range: Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona

Among regionally adapted plants, a few groups stand out as obvious choices. With more than 250 species recognized, there is a penstemon for every garden—especially those with gravelly soils. These plants abhor the competition encouraged by richer media. Your part of the Rockies likely already has its own suite of these gorgeous plants that will be well-suited to your garden. If you speak to a local garden center or consult a regional wildflower book, they can help you find these species.

If a deep dive into the species isn’t to your taste, consider growing Rocky Mountain beardtongue. This penstemon blooms in early summer. You can expect numerous 2-foot royal purple or cerulean blue spikes of tube-shaped flowers above shiny green leaves.

These plants bloom hard with relatively few resources—so hard, in fact, that they will often “bloom themselves to death.” This means they will emphasize production of seeds over the longevity of the mother plant unless a knowledgeable gardener intervenes.

To ensure longevity, I deadhead my plants as their bloom finishes, leaving only one or two flower spikes to produce seed. This helps my beardtongue to redirect energy back into the mother plant. This not only ensures that the plant is longer lived, but it also allows for more modest seed production. ‘Rocky Mountain’ is an easy self-seeder, and a gravel mulch makes an ideal seedbed. With proper care, you will have a stand of penstemons for years to come.

Sulfur buckwheat

Name: Eriogonum umbellatum

Zones: 3–8

Size: 6 to 12 inches tall and 1 to 3 feet wide

Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; well-drained soil

Native range: British Columbia and Alberta south to southern California, Arizona and eastern Colorado

A tasteful complement to the exuberant Rocky Mountain penstemon is the equally tough members of the genus Eriogonum. Considerably longer-lived, our native buckwheats don’t crumble under pressure and are one of only two genera native to the country that are more diverse than Penstemon.

If scouting out your local flavors isn’t to your taste this year, consider sulfur buckwheat, a species that’s hardy to USDA Zone 3 and sometimes referred to as sulfur flower.

Sulfur buckwheat grows as a low mat of attractive foliage that often colors red in winter. These tiny toughies relish poor sites and put on a delightful show of acid-yellow pom-pom-type flowers held on stiff, 6-inch stems. As the weeks go by, those flowers give way to papery clusters of red-blushed seeds.

Cliff fendlerbush

Name: Fendlera rupicola

Zones: 6–8

Size: 2 to 4 feet wide, 4 to 10 feet tall

Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; well-drained soil, caliche, clay

Native range: Colorado, Texas, Arizona, northern Mexico

Considerably larger than the previous two plants, Fendlera rupicola is right at home in rocky soil—so much so that both its common name, cliff fendlerbush, and its species name (“rupicola,” which translates to “of rocky places”) reference how it has a penchant for setting up shop in what many would hardly consider soil.

These large shrubs produce an abundance of slender stems, gradually taking a vase or rounded shape to 6 feet, but sometimes higher. In spring, pink-white, pearly buds pop and reveal fragrant, wedding-white, four-petaled flowers along the entire height of the shrub.

Plants flower on old wood and are slow to establish, so be patient when planting cliff fendlerbush. I prune my specimen lightly during late winter. However, if it’s looking particularly rangy, I will rejuvenate prune it back to its base and accept losing a couple years’ worth of flowers.

As with many of my articles, you may notice a theme in this piece: Tuning your plant palette to your site through the inclusion of site-adapted plants rather than site modification presents a less laborious, more environmentally friendly route to improve your gardening.

In this instance, the use of appropriate mulches (often this means gravel) and the inclusion of plants that love these lean, harsh sites will save you time and effort in the long run. Just be sure to water adequately through establishing and protecting your transplants from browsing wildlife. Tender transplants are often the tastiest morsels around.

See more native plants for the Mountain West

Native Tree Species for the Rocky Mountain Region

Native Shrubs That Do It All in the Mountain West

Native Annuals and Biennials for Rocky Mountain Gardens

Bryan Fischer lives and gardens at the intersection of the Great Plains and the Rockies. He is a horticulturist and the curator of plant collections for a local botanic garden.

With their unique, spiky shapes and superb drought tolerance, yuccas are the star of xeriscapes and water-wise gardens.

But these denizens of the desert are equally at home growing in containers and garden beds in a wide variety of climates.

Highly versatile plants, these flowering evergreens have long, swordlike leaves that grow in rosettes at ground level or on stalks, adding interesting architectural shapes in a variety of growth patterns including shrubs and trees.

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Many varieties have leaves with razor sharp margins and spiny tips that need to be handled with care when planting and pruning. And it’s advisable to avoid placing them where they can inadvertently poke anyone passing by.

The size of different types varies significantly, with some garden varieties growing up to 20 feet tall! Alone, they make superb specimens or accent plants, and are highly attractive in mixed beds or grouped into barriers, hedges, screens, and rows.

In summer, they produce big, bold spires of edible, bell-shaped cream or white flowers that attract pollinators such as bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and specialist yucca moths.

Easily cultivated, yuccas are low maintenance and mostly pest free, and they’ll grow in almost any type of soil, as long as it’s well-draining.

The basics are to give them a full sun location, in loose, free-draining soil and avoid overwatering, which is the most common cause of problems – check out our guide to growing yuccas for all the cultivation details.

Now let’s have a look at how to use them in some different landscape settings.

Here’s what’s ahead:

Accents and Specimens

Noted for their striking textures and unique shapes, many of the shrub and tree-like varieties make superb standalone accents and specimens for foundations, islands, and lawn beds, adding several weeks of majestic flower spikes in summer.

Choose midsized varieties like Buckley’s (Y. constricta), and our Lord’s candle (Y. whipplei), as accents for foundations, islands, and mixed beds, and taller, statuesque types such as blue (Y. rigida), or Spanish dagger (Y. gloriosa), for impressive, eye-catching specimens.

It should be noted that repetition is an important design element, even for plants used as accents and specimens – repeat their standalone status throughout the garden for a powerful visual impact.

Barriers, Hedges, and Screens

With broad, strappy leaves, dense rosettes, and thick stems, yuccas make a good choice for barriers, hedges, or privacy screens.

Due to their sharp, spiny leaves, most varieties aren’t suitable for borders in locations where they can be easily brushed against. But they do make good defensive plantings!

Grouped or massed into dense, straight rows or clustered stands, they provide a strong sight line and are practical as well, effectively absorbing dust and noise, providing relief from persistent winds, and screening out neighbors or unappealing scenes.

For low barriers, use ground hugging varieties like the popular Adam’s needle (Y. filamentosa), or the trunkless twisted species, Y. rupicola. Plant in a straight row or a zigzag pattern to create dense, impenetrable barriers.

For higher hedges and privacy screens, or to create a framing sightline, plant taller varieties in the range of five to twelve feet such as aloe (Y. aloifolia) or the short-trunked Buckley’s (Y. constricta).

Containers and Planters

Highly valuable in the dry garden, some species also make excellent container plants that can be used as a focal point or as part of a themed group for decks, patios, and throughout the landscape.

To contain their large taproots, you’ll need a big container – and pots must have drainage holes to prevent waterlogged soil, which can lead to root rot.

Avoid the towering, tree-like varieties for container growth and choose types that maintain a compact or midsize form, such as the dwarf nana variety, Y. harrimaniae x nana, or Adam’s needle (Y. filamentosa).

Place containers in a full sun location and remember that you’ll have to water them more frequently than those grown in the ground – apply water when the top two inches of soil dries out.

Learn more about how to grow yuccas in containers in our guide.

Gravel and Rock Gardens

Gravel and rock gardens are typified by sunny, well-draining conditions and are populated with low maintenance plants that require less water than other garden settings.

With their striking silhouettes and drought tolerance, these large succulents make an eye-catching impact in the minimalist surroundings of gravel beds, rockeries, and meditation or zen gardens.

Depending on the size of the beds, varieties of different sizes can be used, from ground hugging types like weak leaf yucca (Y. flaccida), to the midsize, short-stemmed Spanish dagger (Y. gloriosa), and taller, sculptural species such as our Lord’s candle (Y. whipplei) and Mojave yucca (Y. schidigera).

Plant solo specimens to showcase their impressive stature and create a compelling focal point, or cluster them in groups of three to five to create a cool, succulent oasis in the arid gravel.

Mixed Beds

To use yuccas successfully in mixed perennial or shrub beds, plant them with colorful, water-wise plants like herbs, drought tolerant perennials, and succulents.

Place small types such as the dwarf nana variety (Y. harrimaniae x nana) at the front of beds or layer in small and midsized varieties like Adam’s needle (Y. filamentosa) and weak leaf (Y. flaccida) throughout the middle and back of beds.

For colorful, low maintenance plantings, mix with the likes of alliums, coreopsis, euphorbia, gaillardia, gaura, lavender, nepeta, sage, santolina, and sea holly – and remember to repeat your chosen varieties throughout the plantings for a strong, flowing scene.

Southwestern or Desert Garden Themes

When your southwestern or desert-themed gardens need a little giddyap, these hard working xerophytes gallop to the rescue.

Rugged in the extreme, they’re ideal in the scorching hot sunshine and arid conditions common to the southwestern US and desert locations in general.

Use shorter forms like weak leaf yucca (Y. flaccida) as fillers with other native desert species such as agave, cacti, echeveria, Indian paintbrush, penstemon, purple sage, and sempervivum.

And add in large, towering totems like soaptree (Y. elata) and palm yucca (Y. decipiens) to watch over all things dry and gritty.

Water-Wise Fringes

For those corners, fringes, and margins that fall outside the reach of your irrigation systems, yuccas are an ideal plant-and-forget choice.

Any size or variety can be used and the only growing requirement is excellent drainage – they thrive in average to poor soils.

If you plant out in arid fringes in spring, water your plants regularly until they’re established. An easier option is to plant in fall and let the autumn and winter rains do the work for you.

Once they’re established and growing well, the only attention they’ll need is the occasional cleanup to remove dead foliage.

Superb Spiky Plants

Spiky plants like yuccas are superb for adding drama to almost any garden setting.

Group them into masses for hedges and screens or showcase them as accents and specimens for exciting focal points.

Their robust toughness makes them a natural in desert, gravel, and rock gardens, where they thrive in baking sun and hot, arid conditions.

And in mixed beds, plant these xerophytes with other low-water, easy-care perennials that need well-draining soil as well.

Tidy them up annually to remove dead leaves, and that’s about all the maintenance they need… perfect for low-care settings!

How do you folks landscape with succulents? Tell us about it in the comments section below.

And for more yucca growing tips, add these guides to your reading list:

Slash and burn may not be the devil it’s been portrayed to be. Like many gardening/farming practices, there are upsides and downsides.

If you don’t simply burn everything to ash and till the area, it could improve the soil for an extended period of time. It’s going to depend on soil, climate, rainfall, and who knows what else, but there are times that fire makes things better.

As I wrote in my post from October 9th:

Burned areas often grow back very nicely as the ashes and charcoal feed the next crops. I visited one couple who had cleared the woods around their house and replaced it with a large lawn and pasture. The homeowner pointed out multiple dark green areas in the grass where he had burned piles of trees years before. Even after almost a decade, they were still maintaining fertility (…) Seeing such long-term improvements in fertility does tend to support our biochar/terra preta experiments.

Beneath that post, Ashkan comments:

V.A. Tiedjen’s book mentions a story about some Mennonite(??) settlers who moved into an area and found that plants grew way better where the natives had kept fire pits. I think he mentions that the natives tended to toss their shellfish remains into the fire, too. In any case, the point was that this was evidence for the effectiveness of calcium at improving fertility. Since calcium is the principle element in wood ash, that, plus the char (a resilient organic matter) might be why they had such good fertility after burning brush in Florida.

This is the book referenced:

It’s out of print, but I just bought a copy on ebay. I was also able to download a .pdf, and found the anecdote related by Ashkan:

Wood ashes have been used by plant-growing people since the eighteenth century. The story is told about the Mennonite scout who was sent out to look over a site for a settlement. When he inquired about an area adjacent to a river in one of the southern states, he was told the land was worn out. But he took a second look and found small round areas covering five to ten square yards where weeds grew in abundance. On examination he found that these plants had deep roots, while those nearby were very shallow. As he studied these areas, he surmised that they were the campfire sites of Indian tribes who had frequented the area many years before. Wood ashes and burned oyster shells had been left. He encouraged his people to buy this “poor” land and apply liming materials to grow their crops. Today this is a highly productive community of farmers.

I don’t know why he claims “since the eighteenth century,” when the use of ashes for fertilization goes back much farther than that. However, he also claims in the introduction that Jesus fed the “Philistines” with 5 loaves and two fishes, so there are some obvious errors in the text. This doesn’t make it devoid of useful information, I am sure, but it’s something to keep in mind if you read the book.

The long-term effect of burning is where my interest lies. One Grenadian told me that he knew a farmer who fed his land with “nothing but ashes,” and he did great.

Calcium is part of the key to successful yields. But will carbon in the form of biochar/charcoal help keep it around?

It seems to make a difference. We’ll keep studying and experimenting.

And now I have another book to read.

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Dive into a sea of laughter as we cast our net far and wide to bring you a boatload of fin-tastic fish puns!

Whether you’re a seasoned sea-life enthusiast, or just a casual observer of aquatic humour, our collection of fish jokes is sure to make your day a little brighter.

The best fish jokes and funny fish puns

We’ve netted a bumper haul of fish jokes and the very best fish puns to make you smile. There’s also a shoal of fish captions to make your social media posts stand out.

Are you ready to have a whale of a time with the best fish jokes in the sea?

Funny fish jokes for kids

Let’s get started and make some waves of laughter with some funny fish jokes.

1. What’s the most expensive fish in the world? A goldfish.

2. How do fish communicate? They drop each other a line.

3. Where do baby fish go every morning? Plaice school.

4. What kind of fish is the most famous? The starfish.

5. What do you call a fish with no eyes? Fsh.

6. Why was the fish always so well-behaved? Because it had good schooling.

7. What do you get when you cross a fish and an elephant? Swimming trunks.

8. How do fish get online? They use the fishnet.

9. What do you call a fish who loves to tell jokes? A clownfish.

10. Where do fish sleep? In a riverbed.

11. How do you tuna fish? Adjust its scales.

12. Which country can every fish trace its roots back to? Finland.

13. How do shellfish take photos? With a clam-era.

14. What did the shark say when he ate a clownfish? “This tastes a little funny.”

15. What’s the final frontier for fish astronauts? Trout-er space.

16. Who is the most well-known fish spy? James Pond.

17. What do fish use to make telephone calls? A shell phone.

18. Where do fish sing? The choral reef.

19. What fish goes up the river at 100mph? A motor pike.

20. What do you call a fish who practices medicine? A brain sturgeon.

21. What’s the worlds laziest fish? The kipper.

Silly fish jokes

These silly fish jokes are off the hook!

22. What’s a fish’s favourite instrument? The bass guitar or the bass drum.

23. What’s a fish’s favourite TV show? Whale of Fortune.

24. What’s a fish’s favourite type of music? Sole.

25. What’s a fish’s favourite part of a meal? The fin-ish.

26. What did the dentist say to the anxious shark? Jaws relax.

27. What do you call a fish that can’t sing? Tuna deaf.

28. How can you tell if a blowfish has been working out? It looks very puff.

29. What do you call a fish wearing a suit? So-fish-ticated.

30. Why do some fish live at the bottom of the ocean? Because they dropped out of school.

31. What’s a whale’s favourite Bond film? Licence to Krill.

32. What’s a fish’s favourite song? I Whale Always Love You.

33. What do you call a whale that can fly? A pilot whale.

34. How do young fish get to school? On the octo-bus.

35. What do you get if you combine eight fish and a cat? An octo-puss.

36. Why do fish always know how much they weigh? Because they have their own scales.

37. Who’s the best member of a fish band? The bass player.

38. What did the fish say when it swam into a concrete wall? Oh dam!

39. Why did the fish swim across the reef? To get to the other tide.

40. What’s a squid’s biggest fault? It inks too much.

41. Why didn’t the prawn share her toys? She was shellfish.

More jokes about fish

No need to flounder when it comes to giggles – take a look at these fin-tabulous jokes about fish.

42. How do you make a fish laugh? Tell a whale of a tale.

43. Why do fish get bad grades in school? Because they’re always swimming below “sea” level.

44. How do you break bad news to a fish? You say “Sorry to burst your bubble”.

45. What’s a fish’s favourite social media app? Fishbook.

46. Where do whales go to get braces? The orca-dontist.

47. What did one fish say to the other in the dating pond? “I’m hooked on you.”

48. What do you call a fish that wears a crown? A king fish.

49. How do fish go into business? They start on a small scale.

50. Which fish has the worst haircut? The mullet.

51. What’s the difference between a fish and a piano? You can’t tuna fish.

52. What do you call a fish priest? A holy mackerel.

53. How do fish like their burgers? Whale done.

54. What do you get if you cross an abbot with a trout? A monkfish.

55. What currency do dolphins use? Sand dollars.

56. What did the waiter say when the man complained that his fish tasted funny? “But you ordered the clownfish sir.”

57. What has eight arms and tells the time? A Clock-topus.

58. What do you call octopus twins? I-tentacle.

Even more fish jokes

Let’s reel in a few more punny fish gags…

59. What kind of fish is made of only two sodium atoms? 2 Na (tuna).

60. What do you get when you cross a snowman and a shark? Frostbite.

61. How do you congratulate a fish? You say “Whale done”.

62. What does a fish wear to keep warm? A shoal.

63. Why did the fish blush? Because the sea weed.

64. Where do fish go to borrow money? A loan shark or a river bank.

65. When should a fish go to the optician? When they have trouble sea-ing. 

66. Why did the two fish have to be separated? They were about to have a roe.

67. How do you make an octopus laugh? Ten-tickles.

68. How do fish change a light bulb? They call in an electric eel.

69. What did the fish say when he couldn’t stop complaining? “Sorry, I don’t mean to carp.”

70. What’s a whale’s favourite candy? Blubber gum.

71. What do you call a fish who loves playing piano? A piano tuna.

72. What did one fish say to the other at the party? “You’re a real catch!”

73. What did the fish say when his friends kept making annoying puns? “I’m outta this plaice!”

Funny fishing jokes

Channel your inner angler with these fishing jokes.

74. Why did the fisherman stop playing the violin? Because it was out of tuna.

75. Why are fish so smart at avoiding fishermen? Because they live in schools.

76. What do you call a pod of musical whales? An orca-stra.

77. Why did the fish blush? Because it saw the ocean’s bottom.

78. What does the Loch Ness Monster like to eat? Fish and ships.

79. What do fish sleep on? A water bed.

80. What type of fish only comes out at night? Starfish.

81. What’s a fish’s favourite TV channel? The Fishing Network.

Brilliant fish captions for instagram and TikTok

Take your fish snaps to a new level with these fish captions.

82. Cod we be friends?

83. I’ve been herring rumours

84. No fin left to give

85. Let me mullet over

86. On fin ice

87. No plaice like home

88. Don’t get snapper with me

89. Having so much fin

90. There’s some-fin going on

91. I’m your biggest fin

92. The finniest thing

93. Vanished into fin air

94. Very finny

95. Any-fin is possible

96. You octopi my heart

97. I’m a pacifisht

98. Sounds fishy to me

99. I need to blow minnows

100. A tench atmosphere

101. Don’t be koi

102. It came as such a shark

103. Looking a gill-ion dollars

104. Drop the bass

105. Shrimply irresistible

106. Reel me in

107. What’s the catch?

108. You gotta be squidding me

109. Don’t be shellfish

110. Sharking responsibility

111. Just krilling

112. Keep your friends close, anemones closer

113. You’ve been schooled

114. Stop clown fishing around

115. Salmon had to say it

116. Everything whale be alright

117. Oh whale

118. This must be the plaice

119. I’m outta this plaice

120. Carp diem

Fin-tastic fish puns

How about a shoal of clever fish puns to spark an ocean of laughter?

121. Around the tunaverse

122. A great oppor-tuna-ty

123. Tuna in next time

124. Abra-cod-abra

125. Scale it back

126. No trout

127. Mussel up

128. Flex your mussel

129. Pull a mussel

130. Perch-ance

131. Fin-tastic

132. Fin-tasy

133. Fin-atic

134. Fin-tabulous

135. Fin-damental

136. Fin-ale

137. Any fin goes

138. Sole survivor

139. Heart and sole

140. I feel it in my sole

141. You’ve got sole

142. Dear cod

143. Walk the plankton

144. Gill-ty

145. Clam down

146. For heaven’s hake

147. Snapper out of it

148. Reef-ill

149. Ex-squid-it

150. So tenta-cool

151. Arti-fish-ial

Silly fishing puns

152. Having a reely good day

153. In a reel-ationship

154. Such a reel-ief

155. Reel-ax

156. I can reel-ate

157. Visiting reel-atives

158. Fishing for compliments

159. Don’t trout yourself

160. You’re kraken me up

161. It’s all reel-ative

162. Reel-uctant

163. Reel-iable

164. Reel-ieved

165. Reel-apse

166. Reel-ay

167. Reel-entless

168. Reel-ive

169. Carping on

170. Feeling kipper

More good fish puns

171. Super-fish-ial

172. De-fish-iency

173. Ine-fish-ient

174. O-fish-ial

175. Super-fish-ial

176. Pro-fish-ient

177. That’s gill-iant

178. So-fish-ticated

179. Let minnow

180. Turbot-charged

181. Cod shoulder

182. A funny eeling

183. Just squidding

184. Aiding and a-bait-ing

185. De-bait-able

186. The last craw

187. Not too crabby

188. For cod’s sake

189. That’s krilling

190. Krill seeker

191. You’re krilling me

192. Krill out

193. Take a krill pill

194. Salmon up the strength

195. Stop in the name of the claw

196. Hard of herring

197. For the halibut

198. You’re fin-ished

199. I’ve haddock enough

A final brilliant fish pun

200. These silly fish puns and fish jokes are reely off the scales!

We hope these fishy jokes, underwater witticisms and list of fish puns have reeled you in and left you with a smile as wide as a whale’s. Make sure you bookmark them for your next watery adventure!

More family-friendly fun

Keep the good fun going with these great resources:

Seasonal: spring jokes, summer jokes, autumn jokes, winter jokes, Christmas jokes, Easter jokes

Animals: bird jokes, cat jokes, bee jokes

Food: fruit puns, vegetable puns, potato puns

Nature: flower puns, plant puns, tree puns, sunflower puns, garden puns, nature jokes, ice puns

Pin for later: best fish jokes and fish puns

When garden designer Lindsey Taylor worked as an editor at Martha Stewart Living in the ’90s, one of her tasks was to create the floral arrangements for the desks of senior editors at the magazine. As a result she became the go-to arranger when a shoot required floral decoration. Not that her arrangements were anything like the pristine monocultures of the day (those tight, uniform bunches of perfect peonies or roses beloved by almost everyone during that decade). Her mantra, just like her key influence, the celebrated English floral designer Constance Spry, was “air, height, volume, rhythm.”

Later, from 2013 until 2022, she poured that experience into a monthly column, Flower School, for the Wall Street Journal, in which she created similarly free-wheeling, idiosyncratic designs, this time taking art as her inspiration. Now a selection of those columns has been made into a book, Art in Flower: Finding Inspiration in Art and Nature (Monacelli Press), in which familiar—and sometimes unfamiliar—works of art are translated into thought-provoking arrangements.

“Each month I chose a work of art,” writes Lindsey in the introduction to her book. “Whether that was a painting, drawing, or sculpture, that mirrored the season in color, tone, imagery, and texture. And then I treated the whole endeavor like a game with a time limit.” Forty of these columns are arranged by season in the book, each with text explaining her thought process, choice of materials, containers, backdrop and a list of the flowers used. Her only rules are that the artwork would contain no floral arrangements, that the vessels were just as considered as the blooms themselves, and that the design did not “copy” art but took inspiration from it. The resulting compositions provoke the reader to not only consider the work of art more closely, but also to observe the flowers in a meditative way, too, and appreciate their forms, texture, colors. and beauty.

“Lindsey’s ingenuity in transfiguring a two-dimensional painting into a three- dimensional grouping of leaves, flowers, pods, and grasses, and the photographers’ in transforming it back into a two- dimensional image, were always a delight to witness,” says Deborah Needleman, in her foreword to the book. “Her interpretations are never literal mimicries in floral form; they possess an artistic integrity of their own. Through her imagination and artistry, Lindsey is able to amplify something of the essential spirit in each work. Starting with one art form, Lindsey expresses truths in another.”

Below, four particularly arresting pairings.

Floral arrangement photographs by Stephen Kent Johnson, from Art in Flower.

Inspired by Itō Shinsui

Inspired by Julie Mehretu

Evergreen Ferns

Evergreen ferns keep the garden green all year long with their beautiful, arching fronds. The Tassel Fern, seen above, is one of the most elegant evergreen ferns, with glossy green, lacy fronds and furry brown stems. Trim off any damaged fronds at the end of winter and watch for new spring growth!

Quercus rubra

King of the eastern North American forests, the northern red oak, Quercus rubra, can be found in woodlands all the way from Quebec to Georgia.

Growing up to 75 feet tall and just as wide, this prodigious acorn producer is an important player in the forest food web, feeding everything from weevils and mice to bears.

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Belonging to the Fagaceae family, which also includes chestnuts and beeches, red oak has many cousins you may be familiar with, including white (Q. alba), scarlet (Q. coccinea), and pin oak (Q. palustris).

Like all species in the Quercus genus, Q. rubra produces yellow male catkins, which are long and dangly. The small, inconspicuous female flowers are found on the same tree.

Hardy in USDA Zones 4 to 8, Q. rubra is one of the most rugged of the oaks. It’s tolerant of a variety of soil types, has relatively low water needs, and is largely pest and disease free.

Read on for more specifics about growing the mighty red oak. Here’s what I’ll cover:

What Are Red Oaks?

“Red oak” refers primarily to two different species, as well as being the common name for the Erythrobalanus group – one of the two major groups that Quercus species are divided into.

Species in the Erythrobalanus group sport bristles or points at the ends of their leaf lobes and produce acorns which mature over the course of two years.

The northern red oak, Q. rubra, can be distinguished from the other species in the red oak group by its sharply pointed leaves and lobes that aren’t too deeply divided. In the fall, its leaves turn a beautiful deep reddish-bronze color.

The southern red oak, Q. falcata, is, as its name suggests, more southern in its native range. Its leaves are very hairy on the undersides and have numerous bristle tipped lobes.

Cultivation and History

Oak trees have a long and storied history. Q. rubra, as a North American species, was once a critical food source for native American tribes who pounded the nuts to make a kind of meal, or flour.

The timber from these trees is prized for its durability and reddish tint, and is still used for furniture making, cabinetry, and as flooring.

Living up to the grand old age of 200 years, red oaks are what’s known as a climax species in the eastern forests. Essentially, this means they are dominant, abundant, and stick around for a long time.

This makes them of great ecological importance to forest ecosystems, providing food and shelter to a lot of wildlife.

In good acorn years, they produce thousands of pounds of nuts, and almost all of that crop is eaten by bluejays, bear, moose, and an abundance of other wildlife. A single turkey can eat over 200 acorns in a single meal!

It’s long been recognized that this species is tough, beautiful and easy to grow, too. Q. rubra has been in cultivation for almost three hundred years as a popular specimen and shade tree.

To find out how to grow your own red oak, keep reading.

Red Oak Propagation

Q. rubra can be grown from a purchased sapling or a lowly little acorn with relative ease.

For comprehensive details about how to start acorns indoors for transplanting, check out our guide to growing oaks.

From Seed

The best time to plant acorns is in fall, shortly after they’ve fallen from the tree. Planting outside ensures each acorn receives the blast of winter weather they need to germinate.

To collect acorns, start searching as soon as they begin to drop from the branches. Usually this is around the end of September.

Collect only those that do not still have their “caps” on, and those that are free from obvious damage like holes or black stains. Place your bounty in a bowl of water and remove any that float as these are damaged or dead and will not germinate.

Once you’ve gathered 10 to 12 viable acorns, plant them directly in a prepared space in the garden about two inches deep.

Burying each seed a full two inches underground helps to prevent critters from finding your babies and digging them up.

Place stakes in the ground to remind you where you planted and a ring of chicken wire, or some other fencing to keep rabbits and groundhogs out.

Seedlings emerge in spring and need a lot of weeding. In its first tender year a seedling can be easily overrun by grass and other weeds.

Try not to damage the roots as you unwrap your sapling or take it out of its container as they do not like to be disturbed.

If planted in the right place, red oak grows rather fast, putting on an average of two feet per year.

Site your tree somewhere with deep, freely draining soil and abundant sunshine.

Additionally, make sure you plant your tree in soil that is sufficiently acidic. The ideal pH range is 4.0 to 6.5, but it will tolerate a neutral pH of 7.0.

Trees that are planted in alkaline soils can become chlorotic, with pale, yellowing leaves. A simple soil acidity test can be purchased at Gardener’s Supply Company and takes about five minutes to complete.

Soil pH Test Kit

Make sure your tree is situated somewhere that it can spread out its truly enormous crown of leaves. Red oaks can spread up to 75 feet when mature.

To plant your sapling, dig a hole the same depth and slightly wider than the root ball. Set the sapling carefully in the hole, making sure the bottom of the trunk is level with the soil and standing straight.

Pack the soil in firmly around the roots to remove air pockets and water in well.

Although this tree doesn’t like wet feet it will need to be watered regularly for the first year or two, until it is comfortably established. While these trees can do well on dry, rocky sites, that doesn’t mean they won’t appreciate supplemental watering when the weather is dry.

How to Grow Red Oaks

As with most natives, caring for Q. rubra is pretty straightforward. This tree is adapted to the vagaries of the climate within its large native growing range, and equipped with what it needs to defend itself against pests and pathogens.

Although this species does tolerate partly shady conditions it will grow a fuller, more symmetrical crown if planted in a sunny location and given lots of space.

Q. rubra is fairly forgiving on the moisture front, preferring slightly acidic, freely draining soils that often tend towards dry and lean, rather than moist and rich.

In the wild, red oak grows in a variety of soil types, provided they are well draining.

The most vulnerable time in the life of Q. rubra is the first year after planting while its roots are gaining purchase in the soil.

Make sure to water deeply once a week during this time, in the absence of rain. I like to turn the hose onto a tiny trickle and leave it at the base of the tree for a few hours.

If your specimen is planted in lean soil, a top dressing of compost in the spring will help, too.

Growing Tips

• Situate plants in full sun to part shade.
• Water deeply once a week while the tree is becoming established and during dry spells.
• Plant in acidic to neutral soils.
• Provide plenty of space for the tree to spread its large crown.

Maintenance

As mentioned above, mature specimens don’t require anything in the way of maintenance except for some extra deep watering during dry spells.

In fact, it’s better to leave red oaks entirely to their own devices once their roots have penetrated deep into the ground.

Definitely put your clippers away as pruning makes these trees susceptible to disease-causing pathogens.

And please do not rake up their fallen leaves! Old foliage is essential to the critters that live and hibernate close to the soil through winter.

These dead leaves are also a source of nutrients for your tree as they gradually break down.

Another added bonus of leaving old, autumn leaves is you’ll provide your tree with a free source of mulch. Mulch can help keep weeds down, retain moisture, and provide nutrients as decomposition occurs.

Where to Buy

This is a fairly common species available at a wide range of local nurseries. It’s always worth asking where your nursery’s seed stock comes from.

Purchasing saplings grown from seed collected locally will produce plants that are uniquely adapted to your climate zone.

Red Oak

Q. rubra has a range from Georgia to Quebec and specimens hailing from each region will have different characteristics suited to that area.

Failing a local source, Nature Hills Nursery has saplings available for purchase online.

If you’re looking for a specific cultivar, you might be out of luck. There aren’t many. ‘Aurea’ has young foliage which is golden in color, and ‘Splendens’ has particularly bold red foliage in the fall, but both are difficult to find.

No matter, the straight species is all the beauty you need!

Managing Pests and Disease

Most of the pests and diseases you’re likely to encounter are nothing to worry about. Red oak is one of the toughest trees in North America and incredibly hardy once established.

It’s also one of the most important species of trees, ecologically speaking. A number of bugs, fungi and other critters, some deemed pests by humans, utilize Q. rubra to complete their life cycle.

Remember, when it comes to growing natives, just because something is nibbling your tree, doesn’t mean it’s bad, or needs management necessarily.

The following are common, non-harmful pests you may encounter:

• Acorn Weevils, Curculio spp.
• Carpenter Worms, Prionoxystus robiniae
• Columbian Timber Beetles, Corthylus columbianus
• Gall-Forming Cynapids, Callirhytis spp.
• Spongy Moths, Lymantria dispar
• Little Carpenter Worms, P. macmurtrei
• Acorn Moth Larvae, Blastobasis glandulella
• Filbertworm Moth, Cydia latiferreana
• Oak Timber Worms, Arrhenodes minutus
• Orange-Striped Oak Worms, Anisota senatoria
• Two-Lined Chestnut Borers, Agrilus bilineatus
• Variable Oakleaf Caterpillars, Heterocampa manteo

Oak wilt is a serious disease which certainly warrants your attention. Although the origin of this disease is unknown, it continues to spread throughout North America.

This disease is caused by a fungus (Bretziella fagacearum) that infects the water-carrying cells, known as xylem, of its host.

By cutting off the transport of water and other essential nutrients, this disease causes leaves to suddenly turn brown, wilt, and die. If infected, red oaks can die in a matter of weeks.

Unfortunately this disease spreads very rapidly from tree to tree. Sap beetles attracted to weakened specimens can spread the fungal spores further afield, so if you spot this disease in your area report it immediately to your local extension service or department of environmental conservation.

Oak wilt is most noticeable in spring and summer when the conspicuous brown leaves really stand out. Once it’s been detected, nothing can be done to save the tree.

You can, however, act quickly to save other oaks in your area by alerting the professionals.

Best Uses for Red Oak Trees

Renowned entomologist and ecologist Doug Tallmy heralds oaks as the best trees for supporting wildlife in the garden.

Red oaks are home to lichens, fungi, caterpillars, birds, beetles and small mammals. Undoubtedly the best use for this tree is as an oasis for wildlife.

Broad and imposing once mature, Q. rubra can double as a gorgeous shade and specimen tree for years to come.

Quick Reference Growing Guide

Plant Type:	Deciduous tree	Foliage Color:	Greenish white or yellowish/green
Native to:	Central and eastern North America	Water Needs:	Moderate
Hardiness (USDA Zone):	4-8	Maintenance:	Low
Season:	Fall	Tolerance:	Drought, deer
Exposure:	Full sun to part shade	Soil Type:	Average, loam, clay, silt texture
Time to Maturity:	25 years	Soil pH:	4.0-6.5
Spacing:	20 feet	Soil Drainage:	Well-draining
Planting Depth:	2 inches (seeds), same depth as original container (transplants)	Uses:	Native plant garden, naturalizing, specimen tree, shade tree, wildlife garden
Height:	75 feet	Family:	Fagaceae
Spread:	75 feet	Genus:	Quercus
Common Pests and Diseases:	Acorn weevils, carpenter worms, Columbian timber beetles, gall-forming cynapids, spongy moths,little carpenter worms, acorn moth larvae, filbertworm moth, oak timber worms, orange-striped oak worms, two-lined chestnut borers, variable oakleaf caterpillars; oak wilt	Species:	Rubra

Kings of the Forest

Long-lived, resilient, and important to wildlife of all shapes and sizes, the red oak is truly king of the forest.

Planting this species is not just an aesthetic choice, but an ecological and an ethical one, too. Grow Q. rubra in your backyard and reap the environmental benefits for years to come.

Do you have this species growing in your landscape? Tell us what animals you find munching on its leaves or acorns. Where did you plant your red oak and how did it go? Let us know in the comments!

And if you’d like to learn more about oak trees, check out these guides next:

These beds need a little weeding, but despite their visual imperfection, the crops are looking good thus far.

The left two rows are our daikon landrace project. The center two rows are a mix of other brassicas.

They are all looking good this year.

This double row is an overhead shot of the daikons. We planted multiple large-rooted types of radish in the spring, then saved seeds. These were grown from those seeds. So far, so good. We’ll see how the roots turn out.

During the pandemic in 2020 while we were still living on the island, I planted a lot of pak choi. Too many. My kids still don’t want to eat them.

Now I just grow them to help the kids build character.

It’s wonderful having fresh greens coming in from the garden. When you grow your own food, you start to get used to the patterns of the year and enjoy various crops as they arrive. This is brassica season again, after a gap that lasted from May through the beginning of October.

Nearby, the compost pile pumpkin vines are STILL producing pumpkins!

While we were at Scrubfest, we got some wind that knocked down part of the Crickmore Trellis we are growing some of our yams on:

It’s probably late enough in the year that it doesn’t matter at this point.

Today we’re working to put the plastic on top of our new greenhouse. Wish us luck!

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Make these cool garden-inspired luminaries to light the way to your next wintertime party. Frozen ice lanterns are made from an ice sculpture candle holder with room to place a container candle or tea light inside. This DIY ice lantern takes just minutes to set up, and then you pop them in the freezer to set.  They turn out so lovely and are guaranteed to set a warm glow on a chilly holiday evening.

When decorating for the holidays, I always turn to naturally inspired crafts. Why use glitter, ribbon, and plastic when nature has so much beauty you can forage for free?

These ice candles are right up my alley! I love how simple they are to make, yet look so wonderful outside on the deck or on the stairs leading up to your home. If you’re planning a holiday party, these are a must-craft.

I also love that they last as long as the cold weather does. Depending on how you make them, they don’t need to be overtly holiday themed. You can keep them all winter long for garden-inspired outdoor decor.

This post will cover…

Crafting in Winter for Garden Therapy

If, like me, you think decorating for the holidays is a great way to get some needed garden therapy in the winter, this project will warm your heart. Just walking around your garden, you will surely find beautiful branches, berries, and leaves that can make the winter more cheery.

Here is a great list of the best garden greenery for holiday decorating (and which ones to avoid) to get your project started on the right foot.

Although, as you are preserving the greens (and reds and purples) in frozen ice, then you can really choose whatever appeals most to you. The tips in that other article for properly cutting the greens and some ideas of what plants to use might be helpful!

Here are just a few other ideas of what to include in your ice lantern:

• Small pine cones
• Acorns
• Small twigs
• Bark (birch would look exceptionally good)
• Cranberries (or other berries. Beautyberry would look stunning!)
• Pine, cedar, fir, and other evergreen branches
• Rosemary (or other herbs)
• Star anise (whole, for their shape)
• Fresh leaves (what’s in your backyard?)
• Fresh or dried flowers
• Seed pods
• Rosehips
• Dried fruit slices

The Right Climate for Ice Lanterns

If you live in a cold climate that allows these candles to last for a few days or more, lucky you! This project is exclusively for those of us who get temperatures dipping below freezing for long enough that these beauties can decorate our walkways and steps.

If you are not in the right climate for these ice lanterns, head down to the end of this post, as there are plenty more decorating ideas that aren’t frozen!

Also keep in mind that, yes, these will melt. They can create a mess when they do so, as all the garden greenery will be left behind. They may also create a pool of water that may freeze again in certain conditions, so keep this is mind for safety reasons.

How to Make Frozen Ice Lanterns

The instructions and photos for this project come from John Gillespie & Christina Symons, authors of Sow Simple: 100+ Green and Easy Projects to Make Your Garden Awesome (courtesy of Harbour Publishing). Today, they’re sharing the steps to make these DIY frozen ice lanterns, a simple project that will gleefully help to decorate your home and garden this winter.

Materials

• A pair of containers, one large and one small, sized to fit the height of your candle holder and the width and height of your candle. We used a 2-quart (2-litre) plastic milk carton, a large yogurt container and a plastic condiment bottle. Also, keep in mind this container will have to fit in your freezer, so only if you have enough room for it.
• Gorgeous garden greenery, rosehips, berries, and seed heads

Make it!

1. Fill the larger container with about 1 in. (2.5 cm) of water. Place the container in the deep freeze on a flat surface and allow the base to freeze solid.
2. Remove from the freezer and place the smaller container (a candle holder is ideal) inside the larger one, resting it on the ice base.
3. Tuck greenery, rosehips, and small winter branches into the crevice between the containers and then fill this space with water right to the top. Place a heavy object inside the smaller container to prevent it from floating up.
4. Then, carefully return the containers to the freezer for at least 24 hours until the water freezes solid.
5. To release the ice candle holder, remove the set from the freezer and allow it to thaw slightly at room temperature. Or run the containers under warm water until the ice releases.
6. Set outside, insert a candle, light it, and enjoy.

Frequently Asked Questions About Making Ice Lanterns

From home-crafted concrete troughs stuffed with succulents alongside dry-stack stone walls to simple ideas for playhouses, gazebos, and backyard benches, Sow Simple will keep readers busy through all seasons.

More Winter Wonderland Projects from the Garden