Category: Home & Garden

Bud drop typically happens when a plant experiences some kind of adverse condition, and it decides that rather than expending energy on creating flowers, it’s going to conserve energy by ditching those little freeloaders.

It’s probably a smart move for the plants, but boy, is it frustrating for us humans who want nothing more than to enjoy the floral performance.

So, we’re going to talk about why buds drop from fuchsia plants and what you can do to fix it.

Here are the seven common reasons that your fuchsia might say “goodbye” to their buds:

1. High Temperatures

Fuchsia can withstand higher temperatures than many people realize. It’s actually the lack of water that really gets to them.

Having said that, depending on the species, they prefer temperatures in the 60s and 70s, but they can tolerate anything above freezing and ranging up to 95°F, provided that you keep them watered.

If they’re exposed to temperatures above 95°F for more than a few minutes, this might cause them to drop their buds.

Even if the plant recovers from the heat and looks totally normal again, buds might continue to drop for the next few days.

I know you can’t control the weather, but if you live somewhere that regularly experiences high temperatures, grow your fuchsia in containers so you can move them indoors during extreme heat.

Otherwise, if you have a heat wave, you might consider placing some shade cloth over in-ground fuchsias.

Either way, remember to keep them watered during the heat.

2. Lack of Nutrition

If your fuchsias don’t have enough food, they’ll stop producing flowers and might drop any existing ones prematurely.

3. Not Enough Water

If your plant doesn’t get enough water, the first thing fuchsias will do is wilt.

If you don’t give them water right away, they’ll probably survive just fine, so long as you get to them sooner rather than later. But they will drop their flowers after prolonged periods of dryness.

If you know that your fuchsia went too long without water to the point where it wilted and had to be revived, and the buds started jumping off the plant within a few days, a lack of water is likely the cause.

The solution, of course, is to keep your plant appropriately watered. So long as it doesn’t experience continual drought, it will set new buds in no time.

4. Pests

Though it’s less common, pests such as aphids and whiteflies can cause buds to drop. This typically only happens if the plant is seriously infested and its vigor is reduced.

If your specimen is looking droopy and maybe a little yellow, take a good look to see if there are any flitting critters or tiny bugs slowly moving along the stems and leaves. If so, they could be causing the problem.

Eliminating these pests is generally not too challenging, and our guides to managing aphids and dealing with whitefly infestations will walk you through everything you need to know.

But it will probably take your plant a while to recover. In fact, if it was badly damaged, it might not bloom again at all this year.

Don’t lose heart. Overwinter it indoors or wait for the next year if you live in a suitable climate, and it should recover.

By the way, if the buds are vanishing altogether rather than dropping, you might have some squirrel friends visiting.

5. Rust

There are several fungal issues that will cause fuchsia to struggle, but among these them, rust is the one that will reliably cause bud drop.

Rust is caused by the fungus Pucciniastrum epilobii. When it’s present, the flowers, buds, and leaves will develop yellow splotches. After a while, these will shrivel up and fall off.

Of course, good garden hygiene and keeping pests away is always a good idea for avoiding diseases, but once they’re present, you’ll need to turn to appropriate fungicides.

Fuchsia species are sensitive to antifungal chemical sprays, but copper fungicide is generally well-tolerated. You might want to spray a section of your plant and wait a few days before spraying the rest. That way, you can see if it reacts poorly before spraying the whole thing.

If you’ve recently moved or transplanted your plant and it drops its buds, don’t worry.

All you need to do is support the plant with the right water, food, and light exposure, and it will be blooming again in no time.

In the meantime, feel free to pinch the tips back a little to encourage new growth.

7. Too Much Water

Fuchsia loves water… but not too much.

Those grown in containers, and especially hanging containers, need more frequent watering than those in the ground. But it is possible to provide too much of a good thing.

Our guide to watering fuchsias has all the details you need to water appropriately, but in a nutshell, you want the soil to feel like a well-wrung-out sponge at all times. If it feels any wetter than that, it’s too wet.

If your plant receives too much water for a long period of time, the roots will begin to drown, and it will drop any developing buds because it can’t support the expense of flowers when it isn’t able to take in the nutrients it needs.

You can help it to recover by reducing your watering schedule, but know that it may take a few weeks for new buds to form.

Pisum sativum var. macrocarpon

Remember the old adage, “Haste makes waste?” Sugar snap peas contradict these wise words from Founding Father Benjamin Franklin.

These garden vegetables, Pisum sativum var. macrocarpon, do grow in a hurry, usually producing a bounty of edible pods 50 to 70 days from sowing, depending on the variety.

But rather than frivolously wasting vast resources in their haste to produce, these garden legumes give back at every stage of the growing season.

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The plants fix nitrogen in the soil, they can provide a source of green manure, and the microgreens, shoots, and blooms are all edible.

These peas can succeed in average soil if it’s well-draining, and they don’t need thinning, pruning, or fertilizing. In all, these speedy producers are one of the most sustainable and easy to care for vegetables you can grow in the garden.

Just as important, they’re delicious! When grown in cool weather using a few key strategies, these edible pod peas are crunchy and sweet.

I’ll be sharing those growing tips here. If you’re ready to get started, let’s take a look at these topics:

What Are Sugar Snap Peas?

A member of the legume family, snap peas are often called sugar snap peas, and they are one of the sweetest, crispiest green vegetables you can grow in the garden.

They are super new compared to most garden vegetable favorites.

While evidence of peas has appeared in archeological digs dating back to 6,000 BCE, this particular type was introduced by breeder Calvin Lamborn much more recently, in 1979.

He’d hoped to create a straighter, more commercially viable snow pea by cross-breeding certain types with traditional English peas, but instead came away with a plant that produced juicy, round, edible pods best eaten fresh.

Like all peas, sugar snaps are best grown in the chill of spring or early fall and will not produce a decent harvest once temperatures exceed about 65°F.

That’s one of their few limitations, though. I think you’ll find that these tasty pods are well worth the space in your garden, and they may even convince the vegetable haters at the house to snack on “rabbit food.”

Want to give it a try? These tips will help you succeed in growing this variety of P. sativum!

Propagation

Do you have a particularly short snap pea growing season?

If you’re in a situation where the weather moves so quickly from light freezes to temperatures above 65°F that you don’t have the requisite 50 to 75 days to sow and harvest these legumes, you may want to start seeds indoors in biodegradable containers you can plant out after you harden off the seedlings.

At transplant time, you simply plop the pots into the ground with the plants positioned at the same level they were in the pots, so the container soil is level with the surrounding earth.

Alternatively, you can plant the seeds in a large container and move it outside when the weather becomes cooperative. Learn more about growing peas in containers in our guide.

In areas where gardeners do have an ample growing season, I heartily recommend sowing the seeds outdoors. You can do so about three weeks ahead of your average last frost date.

They’ll survive a light freeze readily, though it may make them germinate more slowly.

If you are growing in a bed where you’ve never grown legumes before, or haven’t grown them for four or five years, it’s a good idea to inoculate them so they’ll be able to fix nitrogen in the soil more readily.

When purchasing inoculant, it’s important to buy one that’s formulated for peas – not specifically for alfalfa or some other type of legume.

Cover Crop Inoculant

One desirable option is the Cover Crop Inoculant for Pea, Vetch, Bean, and Lentils sold by True Leaf Market. It’s available in containers ranging from a quarter-ounce to five pounds.

Sowing is simple. Some folks soak the seeds the night before, but I have been skipping that step for several years now, and my peas still seem to germinate just as quickly.

Sow the seeds about an inch deep and three inches apart if you’re growing a vining type, or five inches apart if you’ve selected a shorter, shrubby variety that will reach 18 to 30 inches tall.

Tamp the soil firmly. In my raised beds, these seeds tend to plump up and move to the surface after spring rain, so I usually step on the soil covering my sown seeds to anchor them firmly.

Water them in thoroughly and keep them moist but not soggy until they germinate.

That’s it! If you get a late freeze and they never sprout, or germination rates are low for some other reason, sow more seeds and they’ll quickly catch up.

How to Grow

Most of the work of growing snap peas occurs before you sow the first seed.

You’ll want to prepare an optimal garden site, one with full sun, well-draining soil worked down to at least six inches, and a soil pH of 5.5 to 7.0.

While these legumes will grow in average soil, if they will be maturing in the rainy spring season, this means you need to protect them from standing water that can lead to root rot.

It’s critical to provide a weed-free bed as well. You don’t want your sprouts, which have shallow roots, competing with weeds for water or nutrition – especially fast-growing weeds that got a head start.

Space the seeds for vining plants about three inches apart and the bush varieties five inches apart. This will give the plants enough air circulation to be able to avoid many of the maladies caused by too much humidity.

If you’ve selected a vining variety that will grow more than three feet tall, make sure to install supports as soon as the seeds sprout.

Pea netting is usually sufficient, or a couple of bamboo stakes tethered with biodegradable sisal twine to form a V above the plants.

Once the seeds have germinated or you’ve transplanted your starts, the necessary work is minimal for the rest of the season.

When the plants are a few inches tall, place a two-inch layer of pine straw, grass clippings, or shredded newspaper around them to help maintain moisture and suppress weeds.

Make sure the soil is kept moist but not soggy, providing supplemental water at the soil surface when rain doesn’t provide about an inch per week.

Never touch the peas when the vines are wet, as this may encourage the spread of pathogens.

As for fertilizing, pruning, or thinning, well – you won’t need to do any of that!

But you will need to watch out for a few pests, like rabbits, deer, and aphids.

And certain diseases can present a problem, with the top threats coming from powdery mildew and bacterial wilt in most areas.

You can learn ways to troubleshoot and prevent these issues in our guide to growing snow peas.

Growing Tips

• Grow in full sun.
• Pull and destroy all weeds ahead of planting.
• Sow in well-draining soil.
• For vining varieties, place netting, tomato cages, or other light supports when you sow.
• Space seeds five inches apart at planting time and don’t thin them later.
• Apply two inches of grass clippings, straw, or shredded newspaper when plants are six inches tall.

Cultivars to Select

You may luck into finding snap pea starts at a local nursery, but remember these legumes have shallow roots and do not always survive transplanting.

Only buy transplants that are six inches tall max and that come in biodegradable pots you can slip into their new location without disturbing the roots.

When you purchase seeds, pay attention to the mature height and number of days to maturity listed on the seed packet for each variety.

You’ll want a sugar snap pea type that will have time to mature before weather that’s too warm arrives in your area, and you’ll also require a variety you can grow in the space you have available, be that a trellised swath of garden patch or a far more modest container that can only hold four or five compact plants.

Happily, there are many different types available when you’re growing snap peas from seed. Here are a few of my favorites:

Sugar Ann

A 1984 All-American Selections winner, ‘Sugar Ann’ is a popular option for containers and small-space gardening.

One of the fastest to mature at an expected 52 days, ‘Sugar Ann’ snap peas are compact, two-foot bushes that produce pods measuring two and a half to three inches in length.

‘Sugar Ann’

‘Sugar Ann’ seeds are available in 200-seed packets from High Mowing Organics.

Sugar Daddy

Bred by the same Calvin Lamborn who first introduced snap peas in the ‘70s, ‘Sugar Daddy’ yields slender, sword-shaped, three-inch pods ready for harvest 62 to 75 days from sowing.

Of special note: The pods are stringless, so they’re less work for the chef in the family.

‘Sugar Daddy’

The plants top out at about 30 inches tall, so they may not need support. They’re also resistant to powdery mildew and bean leaf roll virus, making them much simpler to keep healthy than some older varieties.

‘Sugar Daddy’ seeds are available from Botanical Interests in 60- and 160-seed packets.

Sugar Snap

Prefer vertical gardening? This cultivar requires pea netting or other supports.

Its vines can attain six to eight feet in height, but the aerial approach saves space on the ground and preserves your back, since most of the harvest will be at waist level or higher.

‘Sugar Snap’

‘Sugar Snap’ is a better option for gardeners with a longer chilly period in spring than for those growing in a short season, since it takes 70 days from sowing to yield.

Find 300-seed packets of ‘Sugar Snap’ seed available at Burpee.

Sugar Sprint

Not quite as fast as ‘Sugar Ann,’ but close, ‘Sugar Sprint’ produces three-inch, bright green pods starting 58 days after sowing.

This variety works well if you don’t want to mess with supports since it grows to just two feet tall.

If you grapple with powdery mildew in your garden, ‘Sugar Sprint’ is a resistant cultivar.

‘Sugar Sprint’

It’s also a good choice for southern gardeners like myself since it keeps producing for at least a couple of weeks once temperatures start to exceed 65°F, as long as they don’t go higher than about 75°F.

‘Sugar Sprint’ seeds are available in various packet sizes and bulk packages weighing up to five pounds at True Leaf Market.

Harvest and Storage

The many edible stages of peas require different harvest tactics.

If you’re growing the sprouts to eat as microgreens or use as garnishes, you can clip them at the soil level about 10 days from sowing. Of course, at that point, they won’t grow back to mature fully.

If needed, wash them in plain water and let them air dry, or spin them in a salad spinner. They’re ready to consume out of hand, in salads or sandwiches, or even as a smoothie ingredient.

You can also keep them in a plastic bag or airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days before you eat them.

 I always try to eat them fresh from the garden, though – it’s so disappointing to have fresh produce ready in a matter of days and accidentally let it get mushy when you store it too long.

Harvesting pea shoots is simple. Once the plants are about six inches tall, pinch the top three or four inches of stem with your fingers, or use clean, sterile scissors to clip them.

Pick the tip at a leaf node so that the plant will grow back. Usually, you’ll be able to harvest these shoots a couple of times before the plant gets too big and the leaves are too tough to eat.

I like to eat the shoots on forays in the springtime garden, but you can also store them in an open plastic bag in the fridge for a couple of days before eating.

When you’ve grown the blooms without chemicals, you can pinch or clip them to use immediately for garnishes or as a salad ingredient. Keep in mind that any harvested bloom means one less pod to harvest.

You should have fun experimenting in your future, once the pea pods are ready to harvest.

You’ll want to pick them before the seeds inside are fully formed, while the flesh of the pod is thick and crisp.

If they go past their prime, they’ll quickly get fibrous, and the seeds inside will turn from sweet and tender to bland and chalky.

It’s a good idea to sample the pods at different stages of ripeness to see which flavor and texture you prefer.

Mark the probable number of days to maturity in your gardening journal or set a reminder on your digital calendar or cell phone. Ordinarily, the pods will develop and be ready to pick five to seven days after the plants bloom.

Since pea plants have such shallow roots and are easy to pull up if you’re not careful, I recommend using scissors to snip the pods from the stems instead of twisting them off with your hands.

Wash the pods immediately before using them. If you must pick them a few days before consuming, store them in the vegetable crisper and use them within three days.

When you leave them on the counter at room temperature, both the sweet taste and the nutritional value dissipate starting a few hours after picking.

And remember, keep those pods picked! That’s the best way to assure the plants will keep producing, right up until too-warm or too-cold weather halts the harvest.

Preserving

It is possible to blanch and freeze snap peas. Only blanch them for a minute, though – any more and they’ll overcook.

And keep in mind that frozen snap peas aren’t particularly versatile since they can’t be added to long-cooking soups or stews without getting mushy.

They’re tasty added in the last minute of cooking a stir-fry, though, and you can add them to those sorts of dishes without thawing them first.

Thawing is necessary ahead of adding frozen snap peas to pasta salad, though they may be too limp for those types of recipes. And they’ll definitely be the wrong texture for a green salad.

If you end up with a bumper harvest and long to preserve part of it, consider making lacto-fermented pickles. It’s possible with these crunchy peas, while water bath canning will render them limp and bland.

Find a handy guide to lacto-fermented dill pickle basics at our sister site, Foodal.

Recipes and Cooking Ideas

I’ll admit, I’ll go for the fresh, crunchy pods over a cooked version every time. It’s far too easy to overcook sugar snap peas, which makes them limp and leaves them tasting a bit grassy.

I love to eat them with my favorite dips or hummus, or add them to a green salad.

You can steam them lightly for a side dish if you like.

It’s also good form to “par steam” the pods ahead of adding them to a pasta salad like this recipe from our sister site Foodal for vegetable couscous with citrus dressing.

Add them at the same time when you stir the vinaigrette into the couscous. This will leave them crisp but allow them to absorb more of the dressing.

To achieve that optimal balance between tenderized and mushy, steam them in a single layer for about a minute in a basket suspended over a pan of boiling water.

Then plunge them into ice water to stop the cooking and retain their brilliant green hue, drain them thoroughly, and let them dry further on a tea towel.

It’s also possible to roast sugar snap peas for a quick side dish, emphasizing quickness.

Toss a couple of cups with a tablespoon or two of olive oil and seasonings like black pepper and garlic powder, and then place them in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Roast in a 450°F oven or air fryer for 10 minutes, or until the pods are lightly browned but not overly wrinkled.

Learn more about cooking with snap peas in our guide to edible pod peas.

Quick Reference Growing Guide

Plant Type:	Annual legume	Tolerance:	Light frost, some shade
Native To:	Asia, Africa	Maintenance:	Moderate
Hardiness (USDA Zone):	3-10	Soil Type:	Average amended with organic matter
Season:	Spring to early summer; early fall	Soil pH:	5.5-7.0
Exposure:	Full sun	Soil Drainage:	Well-draining
Time to Maturity:	50-75 days, depending on variety	Attracts:	Butterflies, other flying pollinators
Spacing:	4-5 inches (plants), 1-2 feet (rows)	Companion Planting:	Beans, beets, carrots, cucumbers, eggplant, lettuce, peppers, radishes, spinach, turnips
Planting Depth:	1/2-1 inch (seeds), even with soil surface (transplants)	Avoid Planting With:	Garlic, onions, other alliums
Height:	18 inches-8 feet, depending on variety	Order:	Fabales
Spread:	3-4 inches	Family:	Fabaceae
Growth Rate:	Fast	Genus:	Pisum
Water Needs:	Moderate	Species:	Sativum
Common Pests and Diseases:	Aphids, armyworms, birds, cutworms, deer, rabbits, weevils; bacterial blight, bean leaf roll virus, damping off, pea enation virus, powdery mildew, root rot, verticillium wilt	Variety:	Macrocarpon

A Snap-Pea Start for the Spring Vegetable Patch

There’s something to be said for a vegetable that produces heavy yields of crisp, edible pods in spring before the summer vegetables have even gotten large enough to transplant.

I think the right phrase is, “Bravo!”

Do you agree? If you’re already a fan of the fabulous snap pea, it would be swell if you’d share your experiences and growing tips in the comments section below.

Feel free to pose questions there, too. We’ll get back to you pronto.

And if you considered this coverage valuable, check out these pea guides next for more varieties to consider, and more tips:

Rachel and I pray the Our Father daily.

Our Father, Who art in heaven, 
Hallowed be Thy Name. 
Thy Kingdom come. 
Thy Will be done, 
on earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread. 
And forgive us our trespasses, 
as we forgive those who trespass against us. 
And lead us not into temptation, 
but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Yet on Saturday, we got WAY MORE than our daily bread, as our friend James was able to get an entire dump trailer full of just-expired loaves of bread from a distributor.

A lot of this bread I wouldn’t consider actual food, as it’s white flour with preservatives, etc., and we don’t eat much, if any, of that kind of bread. Some of it, however, was high-quality organic loaves of bread and bagels. Those we saved in the freezer, and many we brought to church on Sunday morning to give away. We also invited over friends and neighbors to help themselves.

But what do we do with all the rest?

I have a friend with pigs who I hope will come and get some today, and we’ve also been spreading out a bunch of bread in the sun to dry so we can put it in bags to save as chicken and pig feed. If we can dry it enough to stave off mold, it should work. We’ve also been putting some in a big, new mealworm bin on the porch, which we’re going to colonize from our existing tub of mealworms. These will be future chicken feed.

The pigs have eaten bread until they are full, which rarely happens with pigs.

As for the many loaves which we can’t dehydrate, feed, or give away fast enough?

Well, that’s what composting is for. I plan to layer them with other materials in a huge pile and get some garden fertilizer out of all this bakery waste. I’ll bet we can make an awesome compost pile.

It’s incredible how much food gets thrown away in this country. The laws and the enforcement of them have really messed up our ability to just give away the excess. If you want to avoid a potential lawsuit, it’s now safer to just throw expired bread away.

The crazy thing about this is that my friend said he could get another trailer-load of bread every single Saturday. Holy moly. We already have two full freezers and there’s still a giant pile in the carport! I can’t imagine having another load show up every week!

If we had twenty pigs and a hundred children, we could handle it. But whoa… this is a lot of bread.

Thank you, Father.

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Grow lights are one of the fanciest gadgets a gardener can have. While advertised as a sun replacement, do grow lights for indoor plants really provide everything the plant needs? My take on grow lights may surprise you, so let’s talk about it.

Back when I first started gardening, I was a big fan of using grow lights. People love them as a way to grow food indoors when you normally can’t, whether because there’s a blanket of snow covering your veggie space or your climate doesn’t allow it.

But even inside the home, growing food is a lot of work! I actually grow very little produce, even in the summer, as I find the effort and cost are usually not worth the reward.

Lately, however, I have been doing plenty of double takes to my grocery bill. And I know I’m not alone in that! Food prices and the cost of living are on the rise. I’ve been reassessing a lot of my priorities when it comes to gardening, and I wonder whether or not it’s time for grow lights to make a comeback in my life!

So, let’s do a little deep dive into whether or not these grow lights for indoor plants are an economical and useful choice for the home gardener.

This post will cover…

Expert Tips and Info on Using Grow Lights for Indoor Plants

• Grow lights work by emitting photons, which the plants use to convert into energy for growing.
• Grow lights work best for seed starting and as countertop gardens.
• Avoid using grow lights as a sole light source. They should be temporary or supplemental.
• Natural sunlight is always more desirable than grow lights in a plant’s eye.

How Do Grow Lights Work?

First, a quick science lesson. Plants require sunlight to create the energy they need to grow and reproduce. This process is known as photosynthesis. It’s a grow light’s goal to try and replicate the sun’s energy to allow the plant to grow indoors where natural light is scarce.

Grow lights produce photons, which the sun also produces. The plants then use these photons for photosynthesis.

Each photon has a different wavelength, which the human eye views as colours. For plants, some of these wavelengths are better than others. Plants prefer blue and red light.

A good grow light will try to produce the right colours so the plant gets everything it needs indoors. LED lights have grown in popularity as grow lights for indoor plants since they can emit a single colour, making them very efficient.

My Experience With Grow Lights

In the past, I’ve had a couple of grow light set-ups. And before you start thinking about it, I didn’t have a basement full of a certain once-illegal plant!

My first set-up was a tiered Ikea shelf that I decked with standard fluorescent utility lights. These were my grow lights for seedlings where I could kick off the gardening season early. As you can see, it had the space to grow many plants. The more established my garden got, the less I needed it!

The other time I used a grow light was a much smaller operation. This was my countertop kitchen garden. I used it to grow sprouts, microgreens, and salad greens on my countertop. It had a self-watering tray and an adjustable light stand with bulbs inside.

Cost vs Yield of Grow Lights

So how much can you really grow with a grow light garden? I’m going to use lettuce as an example to see whether or not it’s worth it to grow food using grow lights.

My grow light countertop could hold four trays of lettuce. Lettuce is typically ready for harvesting about every 3-4 weeks. So in one month, you could have about four trays of lettuce. With succession planting, you could enjoy one tray every week.  

Let’s say that each tray of lettuce would equal one large container of cut and washed lettuce at the grocery store. As of right now, this would cost me about $7.50 CAD per container at the store. So if I were someone who eats one of these a week, I would save about $30 a month by growing it myself.

Another thing to factor in is the initial cost of your grow light setup as well as seeds. A system like mine could cost anywhere from $150 to $220. But one packet of seeds for $4 can go a long way when it comes to lettuce!

Are Grow Lights Worth It?

That’s for you to decide! It certainly could be worth the effort for someone interested in a little bit of countertop gardening.

If you’re someone who eats a lot of greens, you may not be able to grow enough to grow for it yourself completely. You may need a whole setup like this one! Peter, the designer of the tiered system, grows all the greens he needs year-round with it.

For other vegetables, I wouldn’t use them except as grow lights for starting seedlings. The light from grow lights will always be less powerful than getting plenty of natural sunlight. The same could be said about the soil and water outdoors.

Grow lights are also great for nannying plants in the winter when light levels are low or combined with a watering system for plant cuttings.

What to Grow With Grow Lights

So what do I recommend using grow lights for? Here’s the main ones I think make sense:

I also think it can make sense to use a grow light as seed starters for high-fruiting plants, like tomatoes or strawberries. That’s because they will need lots of sun to get all the energy required to produce all the fruit. Don’t leave these seedlings under the grow lights for too long, as they will need the natural sun to truly get enough energy.

Try not to use grow lights as the sole source of light. They’re great for temporary or supplemental light.

Frequently Asked Questions About Grow Lights

More Burning Questions Answered

Here’s the lineup:

Nutrient Content

To understand soil nutrients better, I consulted a paper titled Nutrient Deficiency Symptoms by horticulturist Barbara Bromley of the Master Gardeners of Mercer County, an arm of the Rutgers Cooperative Extension in New Jersey.

Soil contains primary macronutrients including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium; secondary macronutrients calcium, magnesium, and sulfur; and micronutrients manganese, iron, boron, molybdenum, zinc, and copper.

In dirt with acidity above pH 6.5, there may be deficiencies in nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, or molybdenum. In addition, nutrients like aluminum, iron, and magnesium may become toxic in the presence of excess acidity.

The implications of such deficiencies include things like yellowing from decreased chlorophyll, withering of leaf blades, poor winter tolerance, slow-knitting sod, poor growth, reddish leaf tips, low resistance to disease, and reduction in turf density.

There are numerous natural and chemical applications available to remedy nutrient deficiencies determined by soil testing. For example, bone meal boosts calcium and phosphorus.

A note of interest: Nitrogen is so changeable that home test kits generally don’t measure it. You can inhibit nitrogen deficiency by mowing regularly and letting the grass clippings stay where they fall. They also contribute calcium and magnesium to soil.

Both types of agricultural lime contain traces of additional elements, and it’s the amount of pure calcium carbonate that distinguishes the best products. The calcium carbonate equivalent, or CCE, is factored into calculations to establish the recommended number of pounds per acre. Lime is also judged by its fineness, as measured by the ability to pass through mesh sieves of different sizes.

Other categories for ranking include effective neutralizing material, ENM, and effective liming material, ELM, but they are beyond the scope of this article. Knowing the basics will help you select quality products.

You may also come across liquid lime (chelated calcium) for spraying directly onto the foliage of calcium-deficient plants.

Fall is a good time to apply lime to your lawn or vegetable garden, so it has a chance to work into the dirt before the next growing season. A reduction in acidity may take place in the first year, or over several years, depending upon your lawn’s unique conditions. Once the acidity is reduced, nutrient uptake will improve, and so should the appearance of your lawn.

If your lawn doesn’t improve, test the dirt again. Sometimes we give our grass too much love and end up at the opposite end of the pH spectrum with too much alkalinity, iron issues, and poor nutrient uptake.

Drawing Conclusions

Liming was a tradition at my dad’s house, so when caring for the lawn became my job, I intended to do the same – that is, until I learned it’s not a one-size-fits-all application.

Back in the day, Dad evaluated ours by considering where we lived and what grew there. The yard was full of acid-lovers including boxwood, cypress, hemlock, and rhododendron shrubs, as well as some weedy crabgrass, dandelion, plantain, and sorrel. As it turns out, his pH assessment was an accurate one.

But spearmint is truly unique in many aspects, from its flavor to its appearance.

So what sets spearmint apart? And why does it deserve a spot in your herb garden?

Spearmint has a distinctive scent, thanks to high quantities of a chemical compound called carvone. This terpenoid gives spearmint its sweet, subtle flavor.

If you’ve ever nibbled a peppermint leaf and a spearmint leaf side by side, you can really tell the difference. “Pepper” mint lives up to its name! Spearmint, on the other hand, is more mild.

For that reason, this herb is ideal for when you want something that complements your cooking, rather than becoming the flavorful focal point.

Spearmint is also unique among mints in that it resists verticillium wilt.

Like its mint siblings, spearmint is an aggressive grower that will pop up anywhere and everywhere if you let it – so long as you live in USDA Hardiness Zones 3-11 and have moist soil.

It also has pretty pink or lavender flowers that attract pollinators.

At the same time, it can repel rats, mice, and ticks, and can be used to kill mosquito larvae. Talk about a versatile plant!

If you want to add spearmint to your garden, there are a few things you need to know.

Here’s what I’ll cover:

What Is Spearmint?

Also known as bush, brown, garden, lamb, mackerel, and spire mint, spearmint is a member of the Mentha genus. It’s also sometimes called M. viridis or M. romana.

It’s closely related to peppermint, wild mint (M. arvensis), and watermint (M. aquatica).

Spearmint plants can reach about three feet tall at maturity, but it can also be low-growing, depending on the amount of light that it receives.

It’s native to Europe, the Middle East, the Himalayas, and China. This tenacious herb has naturalized across northern and western Africa, and North and South America as well.

You’ll often see it growing along roadsides or in “waste areas” such as vacant lots or fallow fields.

Spearmint is monoecious, meaning it has flowers with both female and male parts, so there’s no need to grow more than one plant for pollination.

The pink or lilac flowers grow on spikes and bloom in the summer and fall, typically from June to October.

If you grow it near other mints, spearmint can hybridize. That’s where we got peppermint, actually. Peppermint (M. × piperita) is a hybrid of spearmint and watermint.

Spearmint stands apart from other mint varieties because of its smooth, hairless, or nearly hairless leaves that attach to the stem directly, without a stalk in between. Stems are square and the leaves are toothed and oblong or lanced.

Spearmint spreads (and spreads and spreads) through rhizomes and stolons. All mint plants have a well-deserved reputation for being incredibly vigorous.

What does this mean for your garden? While an individual plant only reaches a mature width of about 24 inches at most, it can put out new growth and spread throughout your garden as much as you choose to let it.

Cultivation and History

Spearmint has naturalized in nearly every state in the US. It has been cultivated for centuries as a flavoring for candies, jams, medicines, teas, and desserts. The common name spearmint references its pointed, spear-like leaves.

It was brought by Roman conquerors to Britain. In the Middle Ages, spearmint was thought to be useful in treating dog bites. In 1568, herbalist John Gerard wrote that “Spere Mynte” “rejoiceth the heart of man.”

English colonists brought the pungent herb along with them to North America, and by the time of the American Revolutionary War, spearmint was an important cash crop that was popular as an alternative to black tea.

People have also used it as a strewing herb to repel rodents, ticks, and even demons (no word on how effective it is against the supernatural, though).

Today, spearmint is a valuable commercial crop, with Oregon, Idaho, and Washington producing the majority of the essential oil in the US.

Some studies show the essential oil has antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. As mentioned above, it also contains high levels of carvone, an antifungal compound that gives this herb its distinct scent.

It’s effective in relieving flatulence and in easing nausea and vomiting.

Tea made from the leaves can be used to help relieve headaches, stomach issues, gout, and coughs.

Propagation

You can propagate spearmint from seed or stem cuttings, by division, or by layering.

Unlike some plants, which can easily be damaged when transplanting, mint roots are sturdy.

In the past, I’ve dug up a plant and tossed it in a corner of my yard where I forgot about it. A month later, I had a healthy patch of mint growing.

Prepare the area by testing your soil first. Then, amend it as needed to ensure that you have moisture-retaining soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.5. Compost, aged manure, or coconut coir dust are good options to aid water retention.

Whatever propagation method you choose, mint transplants should be placed in the soil at the same level as they were growing before.

Dig a hole twice as wide as the plant to ensure that the roots can spread. Fill the planting area back in with soil, and water well to settle the roots and give the plant a good drink of water.

Keep in mind that it is possible for spearmint to cross pollinate with other types of mint. If you want to save the seeds, leave at least 300 feet between different types.

From Seed

Unlike peppermint, which must be grown via roots or cuttings because it is a hybrid, spearmint grows true to seed.

You can start seeds directly in the garden after the risk of frost has passed, or start them indoors about eight weeks before your last frost date.

Seeds should be planted about 1/4 inch deep in prepared soil or a seed starting mix.

Mint seeds like the soil to be constantly moist and warm – about 70°F. You can cover seeds with a plastic bag or glass cloche to help keep the soil moist if you live in a dry area.

After about two weeks, you should see seedlings emerge.

If you’ve started your plants indoors, harden them off for about a week before planting them out in the garden.

Stem Cuttings

In the late spring, take a four-inch cutting off the top of a mature plant just below a set of leaf nodes. Remove all of the leaves from the bottom half.

You can either prop the cutting up in a glass of water so it’s submerged by about half, or dip the cut end in a powdered rooting hormone and place it in a seed starting medium with two-thirds of the stem sticking out. If you go the glass route, change the water every two days or so.

Either way, in about two weeks, the cutting should form roots. If you aren’t sure, give soil-planted cuttings a tug. If they resist, they’re rooted.

You can set out cuttings with established roots into the garden three or four weeks after planting.

Harden off rooted cuttings and plant them out in the garden as described above.

Layering

Spearmint takes well to layering since pretty much wherever mint touches the ground, it forms roots eagerly.

You can do this at various times of year, as long as you have at least eight weeks of frost-free weather ahead of you.

Trim off the leaves of a branch that is at least six inches long, leaving it attached to the parent plant. Lay the branch on the ground and cover it with 1/2 inch of soil.

You can weigh the end down with a rock if you need to.

After a few weeks, the buried branch should have developed roots, and you’ll see new shoots coming out of the soil.

Snip the new plant free from the parent, and dig a hole about six inches deep and wide to carefully remove it from the ground. Now it’s ready to go into its new home.

Root Division

Division is another quick way to increase your spearmint bounty. You can do this at just about any time of year as long as the soil is workable, but spring or autumn is typically best.

Dig up a clump of mint with a spade. Depending on the size of the plant, you’ll need to dig nine to 12 inches deep.

You don’t need to leave much of a margin around the plant, but try to get up a good chunk. Mint is resilient and you only need a small section of the root with one or two stems attached for it to survive.

Use scissors or a gardening knife to cut out a six-inch-wide section of the parent plant.

Trim off the top inch or so of the stems to encourage bushy growth.

Then, replace the original plant and fill the empty space with soil. Transplant the division that you took into its new spot.

Check out this article to learn more about dividing perennials.

How to Grow

Spearmint will give you the best flavor when it is grown in a full sun location. If you live in a hot area where the soil dries out quickly, add an inch of natural mulch like leaves, grass, or compost to retain moisture.

While the weather and local climate are obviously not in your control, leaves will have a better flavor in areas that have a significant fluctuation between nighttime and daytime temperatures.

Anywhere with temperatures in the 80s during the day and the 60s at night is ideal.

Spearmint can grow in almost any type of soil, including soils that are sandy or loamy, as well as clay.

It can also grow in various light conditions from full sun to full shade, though the flavor and blossoms will be less impressive in the shade.

It can grow in acidic, neutral, or alkaline soil, but a pH of 6.0-7.5 is ideal.

In fact, the most demanding element of growing spearmint is that it needs plenty of water.

While it can tolerate low light or less than ideal soil, dry soil can kill it. In the heat of the summer, this can mean watering two or more times a week to ensure the soil is moist to the touch at all times.

If the top 1/2 inch of soil is dry, your plant needs water.

Regular watering is particularly important in hot, dry climates or if you have sandy soil. You should always water at the base of plants and not on the foliage.

An annual dressing with well-rotted manure will give this plant everything it needs to thrive, unless your soil has a serious deficiency of nitrogen, potassium, or phosphorus.

You should also amend the pH if your soil is too alkaline or acidic.

Typically, the biggest challenge to growing spearmint is stopping it from spreading. You can grow it in a container to keep it under control, but there are also plenty of other ways to keep it contained in the garden.

This includes pulling up large chunks of the plant as it spreads, pulling any runners, and installing barriers. Any barrier will need to be at least a foot deep in the soil to work effectively.

You can cut back plants to the ground in the fall if you choose. Leave about an inch of stems above the soil. This helps to encourage bushier growth and slows the spread of the plant.

For container growing, you’ll need a pot at least 18 inches wide and a foot deep, with drainage holes in the base. Fill your container with a moisture-retaining medium made for container plants.

You can add a layer of mulch, such as straw or leaves, to help retain moisture. If you want, you can bury the entire container in the soil to inhibit its spread.

If you see the mottled brown, two-inch caterpillars in your garden, give them a poke. They’ll curl up into a c-shape.

The first line of defense is to keep your garden clean. Weeds and debris give this pest a place to hide.

You can also sprinkle diatomaceous earth six inches outside of the base of plants. You’ll have to replace it every so often, after watering or particularly after it rains, but it creates an effective barrier by desiccating the worms if they try to cross.

Finally, you can create foil or cardboard collars to protect the base of your spearmint plants. Cut the top and bottom off of a cardboard box and tape the ends together to form an open square.

Dig two inches deep around your spearmint and sink the cardboard into the soil. Press the dirt around the box to secure it in place.

For more information, read our complete guide to controlling cutworms.

Green Peach Aphids

As with most other plants in the garden, mint is susceptible to attack by aphids.

Aphids hang out on the undersides of leaves, where they pierce the foliage with their mouth parts and suck out the sap from the plant.

Spearmint is attacked most often by the green peach aphid (Myzus persicae) in particular.

Look for yellowing or curling leaves. A severe infestation can stunt plant growth or even kill plants. The bigger problem, however, is that these little pests spread disease.

Control aphids with a blast of water from the hose. This knocks them loose and sends them packing. You can also dust plants with flour, which constipates aphids.

If that fails, use an application of neem oil following the manufacturer’s directions. This should be re-applied once a week for three weeks.

Read more about aphids in the garden here.

Two-Spotted Spider Mites

Spider mites attack a range of plants, but the two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) loves members of the Mentha genus in particular.

Since these little arachnids are so tiny, you’ll probably notice webbing on your plant before you notice the insects themselves.

If you look closely, you may notice what looks like little dots scurrying around on the underside of leaves. Impacted plants will have yellowing leaves that may dry up and fall off the plant.

One of the keys to keeping spider mites away is to keep the soil around your plants moist. Mites love dry, warm conditions, so denying them this may encourage them to try another location away from your garden.

If you do find that you have them, spray plants with a blast of water to knock the little suckers loose. You can do this for several days in a row and you should be able to get rid of enough that your plants won’t be harmed.

Diseases

Spearmint is lucky in that it exhibits some natural resistance to verticillium wilt, a common problem for mint growers.

That doesn’t mean that they have no trouble with diseases, however. Here are a few to watch for:

Mint Rust

Mint rust is caused by a fungus, Puccinia menthae, that loves to attack mint plants. For commercial growers, it can be a serious problem.

Look for rusty orange spores or white bumps on the underside of leaves. It thrives in moist conditions and is particularly exacerbated by overhead watering.

Keep plants well spaced and thin them out to improve air circulation. Trim away any infected stems and dispose of them. Always water at the base of plants in the morning so the leaves can dry out during the day.

In the case of a severe infection, the leaves may die, and rust may eventually kill the plant. Infected plants should be removed and destroyed.

If all that fails, a chemical fungicide containing Azoxystrobin can be used according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Be aware that this fungicide contains toxic chemicals, so you shouldn’t harvest your mint for at least a few weeks after application.

Powdery Mildew

Powdery mildew is the foe of many garden plants. It thrives in warm, dry weather and is recognizable by its powdery appearance on leaves and stems.

It won’t usually kill your plants, but you certainly won’t want to nibble on a leaf covered in mildew.

You can mix equal parts milk and water and spray it onto your spearmint to help control this disease.

A product made of potassium bicarbonate such as MilStop, available at Arbico Organics, is also effective.

Harvesting

If your goal is to produce spearmint oil, harvest your herbs in the heat of summer. That heat stresses the plants, which causes them to produce more oils.

That said, you will want to harvest early in the day after the dew has dried for the most potency.

You should harvest just before the plants begin to bloom for the highest concentration of oils. If you want to save the seeds, allow a few stems to blossom.

Otherwise, pluck leaves and stems as you need them, using scissors or a pair of clippers. It couldn’t be simpler.

Preserving

Leaves will keep in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for three or four days.

Leaves can be hung in batches and dried, or you can place sprigs or leaves on a screen in a cool, protected area and allow them to dry that way.

They can also be dehydrated in an oven on the lowest setting until crisp, or in a food dehydrator.

Find detailed instructions on drying herbs here.

You can freeze the leaves as well. Wash and roughly chop them, and place them in an ice cube tray to fill each cell about halfway.

Fill the rest of each compartment with water, and place in the freezer. You can toss these into drinks or recipes.

We have an entire guide dedicated to freezing herbs here.

Note that you should avoid consuming spearmint if you have a hiatal hernia or acid reflux.

Recipes and Cooking Ideas

Spearmint works in a variety of dishes ranging from sweet to savory.

You can always make the classic mint sauce for lamb, but why not get a bit more creative? Add some pomegranate to make a sauce for chicken. It’s also delicious with peas to make soup, or tossed with butter on pasta.

The subtle flavor works perfectly in this peach and corn salad, from our sister site, Foodal.

Try chopping the leaves into a lamb burger mixture, grill, and top with a cucumber and mint sour cream sauce.

While mint can be overpowering with some vegetables and fruits, spearmint is subtle enough that it’s a nice complement.

To change up my morning yogurt, I’ll toss in fresh chopped leaves with some berries and granola.

As for drinks, spearmint makes a nice flavoring for mojitos, mint juleps (obviously), and gimlets.

Why not try this twist on the classic, a tomatillo mojito – you can find the recipe on Foodal.

And let’s not forget dessert! Of course you can candy spearmint leaves and use them to top just about any sweet confection, or they make the perfect addition to anything made with chocolate.

Also consider using the leaves in ice cream, and as a flavoring in fruit popsicles.

Medicinal Uses

To make a warm drink to ease stomach issues or a gargle to relieve a sore throat, add a cup of leaves to three cups of boiling water and steep for five minutes. Allow to cool before gargling.

You can also combine a cup of leaves with a quart of alcohol (vodka or another clear spirit works best) to create a tincture.

Seal and store in a cool, dark place for three to four weeks. Agitate the mixture every day. Strain and store in an opaque, sealed container in a cool, dark place.

Quick Reference Growing Guide

Plant Type:	Perennial herb	Tolerance:	Frost
Native to:	Europe, Middle East, Himalayas, China	Maintenance:	Low
Hardiness (USDA Zone):	3-11	Soil Type:	Clay, loamy
Season:	Spring-fall	Soil pH:	6.0-7.5
Exposure:	Full to partial sun	Soil Drainage:	Well-draining
Time to Maturity:	60 days	Attracts:	Bees, butterflies, and other pollinators
Spacing:	24 inches	Companion Planting:	Broccoli, cabbage, carrots, eggplant, lettuce, peas, peppers
Planting Depth:	1/2 inch (seeds)	Avoid Planting With:	Other types of mint, potatoes
Height:	2-3 feet	Family:	Lamiaceae
Spread:	2 feet (vigorous)	Genus:	Mentha
Water Needs:	High	Species:	spicata
Common Pests:	Cutworms, green peach aphids, spider mites, thrips	Common Disease:	Mint rust, powdery mildew, verticillium wilt

For the seasonal eater, flowers are an ephemeral pleasure, in bud and bloom for a few weeks, at most. Why eat flowers? Because they make food beautiful; they are beautiful food. And in some cases, they can have a defining culinary presence, offering flavor and aroma beyond their obviously appealing good looks. Here is a shortlist of some of my favorite edible flowers of spring (summer will bring a fresh wave of blooms to grace our plates, and improve our drinks).

Photography by Marie Viljoen.

Black Locust

North America’s native black locust, Robinia pseudoacacia,  is so at home in Europe (where it arrived in the 1600s) that Hungarians embrace it as their national tree. Most Europeans know it as acacia, even though it does not belong to the Acacia genus (usually commonly known as the mimosa clan). Confusing. Acacia honey? It’s made by bees gathering nectar from black locust flowers. Whatever you call them, these pea-like flowers are delicious: tender and voluptuous in the mouth, and discernibly sweet.

Black locust flowers work as well in desserts and drinks as in savory dishes. Fold them into cooled couscous (along with toasted almonds) for a composed salad, toss them across crushed cucumbers, roll them into damp rice wrappers, or dip and fry them for unforgettably celebratory beignets. Or make a seasonal wine to remember the trees’ late spring splendor:

May Wine with Black Locust Flowers

Adapted from Forage, Harvest, Feast – A Wild-Inspired Cuisine

In this fortified, floral wine infusion, black locust flowers stand in for the more traditional sweet woodruff that is used in Europe. It keeps well, bottled, like a pared-down vermouth. Serve as a spritzer with ice and chilled sparkling water, on a balmy late-spring night.

• 1 bottle dry, unwooded white wine
• 1/3 cup vodka
• 3 oz black locust blossoms
• ¼ cup concentrated wisteria syrup (or substitute sugar)
• 2 pieces of lemon zest, 2 inches long

Combine all the ingredients in a large carafe and mix well. Allow to infuse overnight. Strain and chill before serving as an aperitif. (You can steam or sauté the leftover flowers gently to serve as a light side dish dressed with either olive oil and lemon, or toasted sesame oil and a splash of soy sauce.)

Brassicas

Today we’re headed to Newbury Park, California, to visit with Wayne Jones, who has been gardening there for 30 years. Wayne’s mother was a very impressive gardener, and he is clearly carrying on the tradition!

Gorgeous lush leaves of leopard plant (Farfugium japonicum, Zones 7–10) give an almost tropical feel to this corner of the garden.

The stems (technically petioles) of bananas (Musa sp.) support the huge tropical leaves above.

Is anything more brilliant than the flowers of azaleas (Rhododendron hybrids, Zones 7–10) in the spring? This beautiful collection is all different shades of pink and magenta.

Huge stands of bamboo give a dramatic vertical feature and great privacy screening.

Wayne’s wife asked for a Japanese garden, so he created this wonderful little space.

This is a Chinese-style garden, which is maintained by Wayne’s grandson.

 

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.

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For a few years, I found myself moving frequently. I lived in five different homes in as many years.

During that time, I had to put my gardening passion into houseplants and a few choice container plants.

Whether I was living in a cosmopolitan high-rise or on a sprawling farm with 20 wooded acres, I always had roses with me.

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On my tiny sky-high patio, bordering my long gravel driveway, and standing as a greeting on my porch, container roses went with me wherever I moved.

It’s not just that I love roses, though I do. But these plants can adapt marvelously well to life in a container.

Then there are those people who don’t have the right drainage or the perfect soil for roses. No problem, that’s what containers are for.

To help you grow these flowering wonders in pots, here’s what we’re going to chat about:

Growing in a container can be both a blessing and a curse for roses.

It can mean the plant has better air circulation than those in a garden bed, but it can also mean the plant might experience more drought and freeze damage.

You also need to be mindful of where you situate the planter. Or at least be careful to choose the right cultivar.

Roses are usually covered in prickles (or aculeate, in the vocabulary of botanists). You don’t want to place the plant somewhere that you’ll be constantly walking by and getting snagged.

Choosing a Container

Make life easier on yourself and buy a container that is large enough for your plant.

A miniature will probably be fine in a 12-inch container, but most full-sized roses are going to need something 20 inches in diameter, though 24 inches is even better.

The container absolutely must have drainage. No exceptions. At least one drainage hole an inch in diameter is a good start, but more is better.

In fact, if you plan on leaving the container in place and it’s sitting on soil, cut out the base of the container altogether. That way, you can have the look of a potted rose, and your plant can still access the nutrients and extra room if the ground is suitable.

I’m all for enjoying the myriad options available when it comes to container materials, but this is the time to choose something you won’t have to mess around with.

Wood containers can be affordable and large, in the case of half barrels, but they’ll deteriorate over the years, and that’s a lot of plant to deal with when it does. The same goes for unglazed terra cotta, which tends to crack when temperatures fluctuate.

Plastic is too light for the larger varieties. Once a rose is in full bloom with lots of healthy branches, it can tip a plastic pot right over in a wind or rainstorm.

Better to choose something like concrete, glazed ceramic, or heavy fiberglass.

If you can place the container on a wheeled base, all the better. This is especially useful if you’re going to move the container during the winter.

Planting

Once you’re ready to plant your rose, fill the container partway with potting soil.

Skip anything that has slow-release fertilizer in it. Choose something with sphagnum moss in it, or work in some well-rotted compost.

I use FoxFarm Ocean Forest potting soil. It’s light and airy, with worm castings and fish meal to add nutrients that won’t burn the roots of the roses.

It’s also just the right pH for roses, which should be between 6.0 and 6.5.

FoxFarm Ocean Forest Potting Mix

If you’d like to pick up 12 quarts, visit Amazon.

Remove the plant from its nursery container and loosen up the roots. If you have a bare root, skip this step.

Fill in around the roots and bury the graft union (the little bump at the bottom of the main stem) if you purchased a grafted type.

Otherwise, plant as deep as it was in the original container or so the soil is just above where the stem meets the roots.

Water the soil well and add more if there’s any settling.

Care

Maintaining your container specimen is about the same as maintaining one in the ground. Check out our guide to growing roses to learn more.

Deadhead as necessary, following the tips in our guide. Not all plants need deadheading, but some do to encourage ample and repeated blooming.

You should also prune according to the type of rose you’re growing. We cover the details of that in our rose pruning guide.

You need to be a little more on top of watering with potted plants than you do with specimens grown in the ground because they tend to dry out more quickly. Water whenever the top inch of soil has dried out.

Your most challenging task is going to be repotting. This should be done in the spring before the leaves start budding out.

Young plants should be repotted every two years into a container one size up. After about five years, the plant should be mature and you can leave it in the same container. But that doesn’t mean your repotting tasks are done.

You still need to remove the plant and knock away as much soil as you can from the roots about every two years. Toss out all the soil in the pot. I like to recycle it as the base for raised beds, or I add an equal amount of well-rotted compost and use it to build up flower beds.

Place the plant back in the pot and refill around the roots with fresh potting soil.

If the plant was rootbound, with roots filling the container and circling the interior of the pot, or coming out of the drainage holes, prune the roots. You can cut them back by a third.

If it seems like your plant just isn’t blooming like it used to, it probably needs a larger pot – or even to go into the ground if you’ve already tried repotting up a size at least one or two times and the rose still isn’t thriving.

Fertilizing is pretty straightforward. As we mentioned, don’t use a slow-release granular fertilizer. In fact, it’s best to avoid granular fertilizers altogether, although I do use them occasionally.

These tend to burn the roots of potted roses. A mild, liquid fertilizer intended for flowering plants is just the thing.

AgroThrive makes a Fruit & Flower Fertilizer with an NPK ratio of 3-3-5, which is about right. You can purchase 32 ounces or a gallon of concentrate at Arbico Organics.

AgroThrive Fertilizer

Mix it according to the manufacturer’s directions for mature plants. Apply it to the soil, not the leaves.

Regardless of which brand you opt to use, don’t apply any fertilizer in the first growing season.

Then, apply once a month from leaf bud until a month before the first predicted frost date in the fall.

Overwintering

Another of the benefits of growing roses in containers is that you can more easily protect them in the winter, assuming you have a small container or one on wheels.

Otherwise, round up your strongest friends to heft the sucker into a protected area, if necessary.

You don’t need to move potted roses unless you live in a USDA Hardiness Zone that’s too cold for your plant. How do you know? Check the hardiness range for your plant and imagine that you live in a place that’s one zone colder.

So, for example, if the plant is hardy down to Zone 6 and you live in Zone 7, you’re good to go.

But if you’re in Zone 6, it will be as if the plant is exposed to conditions like that of Zone 5 – too cold for our hypothetical plant.

In that case, you’ll want to move it somewhere protected, like a garage or shed. If you have a window the rose can be near, excellent. It’s not necessary, though.

The goal is to protect the plant from the freezing and thawing cycles that winter brings. If you can’t move the pot, wrap it in burlap or something similar.

Heck, feel free to do that regardless of whether it’s too cold for your plant or not! It’s always smart to protect a potted specimen from changing temperatures.

Whether you move your plant or not, prune it back to 18 to 24 inches above the soil. Heap about four inches of organic compost like wood chips, lawn clippings, or straw around the canes.

Water about half as often as you did during the summer, and don’t feed your rose at all.

You want the top three inches of soil to dry out between watering through the winter. Once the last predicted frost date has passed, return to your normal care routine.

Cultivars to Select

If you don’t want to have to think about selection too much, just pick a miniature rose. Any miniature will do well in a container.

Actually, most shrub types will do fine in a container as well, provided you have a large enough one available. Ramblers and wild roses, on the other hand, don’t do as well if they’re potted up.

Be My Baby

‘Be My Baby’ is a Weeks rose with a sweet and petite name, but it’s a vigorous grower with piles of pinkish-red flowers.

It reaches a respectable 24 inches tall and wide, and the flowers appear from mid-spring until the first frost.

‘Be My Baby’

Ready to bring home your new baby? Nature Hills Nursery carries it in a #2 container.

Carding Mill

I absolutely adore ‘Carding Mill,’ and I’d probably recommend it no matter what someone was looking for.

Need a nice hosta? Try ‘Carding Mill!’ Looking for the perfect microwave? ‘Carding Mill’ fits the bill!

In all seriousness, this David Austin rose is just out-of-this-world gorgeous.

The fully double apricot-orange blossoms start showing up in the spring and repeat throughout the summer and fall.

The blossoms have a heady myrrh fragrance, and they form at the end of stick-straight stems, which makes this cultivar perfect as a cutting flower.

‘Carding Mill’

Pick up a bare root from Burpee and bring ‘Carding Mill’ home to your neighborhood.

Double Knock Out

Knock Out roses are some of the most popular out there, but where a Knock Out is fantastic, the Double Knock Out is a… double knockout.

The biggest complaint I hear about the Knock Out series is that the flowers are a little small and simple.

The Double Knock Out has all the great disease resistance and resilience of the original series, but with frilly double flowers in bright cherry red.

Once fully mature, the shrub reaches 24 inches tall and wide.

Red Double Knockout

Knock it out of the park by grabbing a bare root or #3 container from Nature Hills Nursery.

Earth Angel

Love peonies? And roses? They merge perfectly in Earth Angel™.

The fully double, cupped, pale pink blossoms look like peonies but smell like roses, and they last a heck of a lot longer than peonies do.

The mature plant can reach up to four feet tall and three feet wide, but it will stay more compact in a pot.

Earth Angel™

Earth Angel, will you be mine? Absolutely, if you head to Nature Hills Nursery for a live plant in a #3 container!

Lichfield Angel

‘Lichfield Angel’ is one of those roses that has moved with me from home to home. It’s a popular David Austin with coloring that is hard to describe. It has to be experienced.

The young flowers are peachy-pink with pale peach petals toward the outside of the blossoms. As the flowers mature, they fade to a buttery yellow and then turn nearly cream before dropping from the plant.

The outer petals are larger than the inner ones, and there are over 100 of them on each fully double flower.

Oh yeah, and the shrub is thornless, so if you put it in a container near a doorway, you don’t have to worry about being grabbed by overly-eager prickles.

‘Lichfield Angel’

This shrub grows a bit larger than some of the others on this list, capping off at about five by five feet.

Want one? Pick up a bare root at Burpee.

Poet’s Wife

The ‘Poet’s Wife’ is one of the prettiest yellow roses out there.

When they’re young, the fully double blossoms are bright, buttery yellow before fading to pale yellow over time. The petals are ruffled and have a strong, citrusy fragrance.

What marks these flowers as even more interesting is that the petals are evenly spaced and further apart on the outside, but more compact and random at the center.

This four-foot-tall and equally wide plant lives happily in containers and blooms on repeat all season long.

‘Poet’s Wife’

Burpee carries bare root plants if you’re itching to bring this one home.

Raspberry Cupcake

Ready for something sweet? How about a hybrid tea shrub that looks like someone placed pastries topped with piles of raspberry pink frosting on it?

The fully double flowers are incredibly fragrant with a citrusy floral scent.

Raspberry Cupcake™

Snag a reblooming plant in a #3 container from Nature Hills Nursery.

Sexy Rexy

The beautiful floribunda Sexy Rexy™ is just about the perfect classic pink rose.

The fully double flowers form in big clusters of picture-perfect blossoms, and the shrub is extremely floriferous. At the peak of the season, the plant will be nearly completely covered in flowers.

But its dazzling display doesn’t come at the cost of the plant’s health. It’s extremely adaptable, disease-resistant, and robust.

The fact that it’s compact at three feet tall and two feet wide makes it perfect to fulfill your potted rose fantasies.

Sexy Rexy™

Its one failing is that it hardly has any scent at all. Oh well, it’s the flaws that make us interesting, right?

Make Sexy Rexy™ a part of your space by picking up a live plant in a #2 container at Nature Hills Nursery.

Sunblaze

Sunblaze® is a series of miniature roses from Meilland, and while they’re adorably petite at just 15 inches tall and wide, the display they put on is anything but.

They’re extremely floriferous, with clusters of vibrant double blossoms.

The series includes a massive range of colors, from white and pale yellow to fuchsia and blood red.

I’m a fan of ‘Autumn.’ It’s a fiery red with hints of orange, like the most vivid fall foliage.

Sunblaze® ‘Autumn’

To pick up a plant in a #2 container, visit Nature Hills Nursery.

You can’t go wrong with the yellow version, either. The lemony petals of ‘Meiskaille’ are a ray of sunlight.

Yellow Sunblaze®

Once again, our friends at Nature Hills Nursery carry this one as a live plant in a #2 container.

Managing Pests and Disease

Container roses aren’t more susceptible to any of the usual rose diseases except for root rot, and that’s only true if the container doesn’t have sufficient drainage.

Root rot isn’t actually a disease but a physiological condition brought on by roots that are in sitting water and drowning. It’s sometimes exacerbated by advantageous waterborne pathogens.

When it comes to rose pests, all the common ones apply here, too. But I have found that aphids and spider mites seem to flock to potted roses more than those in the ground.

Maybe it’s the drier conditions or the fact that growing in a pot can be stressful when it isn’t done just right, but these opportunistic pests are ready and waiting to dive in.

You Can’t Contain These Roses

For a plant with such a fussy reputation, roses seem to thrive just fine in containers. As with most plants, with the right soil, water, and light exposure, they’ll be perfectly happy.

But it’s not just that they will tolerate life in a container. They’re undeniably eye-catching when potted up. Those big, colorful, often fragrant blossoms are highlighted even further by being grown in a pot.

Where will you place your plant? Are you looking to brighten up a patio? Add some height to a flower garden? Give us all the details in the comments.

Looking for some more rose-growing tips? If you found this guide helpful, we have several others that might be useful to you, including:

Each time I think I’ve seen them all, I come across another extraordinary fuchsia.

And it’s not just Fuchsia magellanica hybrids anymore, either. You’ll find new cultivars from species previously known only in their native range.

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Some fuchsias are humble, with simple flowers in single colors. Others are huge, full, and multicolored.

Some collapse at the first sign of frost, and others can handle a good amount of freezing weather. You can find them in upright types or with trailing habits.

There are literally thousands of cultivars and dozens of species of fuchsia.

This list merely scratches the surface of the marvels that are out there. There are new ones constantly hitting the market, too.

If you ever stumble across a new cultivar at a nursery or farmers market, grab it. I’ve discovered some new plants bred by local hobbyists that don’t appear on any list I can find that I just adore.

Here are the 17 different species, hybrids, and cultivars we’re going to discuss in this guide. They include some of the most popular, as well as some of the most interesting and exciting new types on the market:

17 Favorite Fuchsia Varieties

Fuchsia can be broadly categorized as either hardy or tender, and upright or trailing. Some fuchsia lovers further separate hardy types into hardy and very hardy.

Very hardy types start blooming earlier in the year, in either May or June, and can grow reliably in Zones 7 to 9. Hardy types start blooming in June or July and can handle Zones 7 to 9, but may need some protection during long periods below freezing.

For more information about cultivating fuchsia in your garden, check out our growing guide.

Fuchsia flowers are made up of sepals, tubes, and a corolla. The tube is the part that sits just below the ovary, which is the part that will become a berry as the flower matures.

The sepals are the outer petals that emerge from the tube. Finally, the corolla is the frilly skirt of petals that sits underneath the sepals.

There are also filaments, aka anthers, the little string-like parts that dangle out of the corollas. These can be unremarkable, or they can add a beautiful contrast to the rest of the plant.

Flowers can be single, which means they have four petals, semi-double, which indicates five to seven petals, or double, with eight or more petals.

Most of the fuchsias on this list (and in general) are F. magellanica hybrids, but we’ll call out those that aren’t.

1. Angel Earrings

I have to admit, I can picture the flowers in this cascading series adorning the ears of the most stylish angels.

All of these plants can survive the winter as far south as Zone 10, so they’re tender perennials, and they’re all self-cleaning. They’re also extremely heat tolerant.

The Angel Earrings series includes several different cultivars. ‘Cascading,’ which has a trailing habit, can grow 20 inches tall and two feet wide.

The semi-double blossoms are a combination of fuchsia pink and vivid violet, though the anthers will fade to pinkish white as the flower matures.

‘Dainty’ is an upright type with semi-double flowers topped with red tubes and sepals surrounding a skirt of reddish-violet petals. It grows about two feet tall and a foot wide.

‘Double Red’ has double blossoms with pink sepals and frilly white corollas. It’s similar in size to ‘Cascading.’

2. Bracelinae

I think F. bracelinae is destined to become much more popular thanks to its tough and hardy nature.

This Brazilian native is extremely hardy, down to Zone 7a, and features reddish-pink single flowers on an upright bush that can grow five feet tall.

It’s much more resistant to drought and fungal diseases than many other commonly cultivated varieties of fuchsia.

3. Dollar Princess

If you’ve picked up a magenta and purple fuchsia in a hanging basket at a big box or home supply store, chances are good it was ‘Dollar Princess.’

This ultra-popular hybrid cultivar isn’t the biggest or the hardiest, but it’s a consistent winner that will perform all season long.

This double-flowering, trailing type is cold hardy down to Zone 8 and its deep purple petals and crimson tubes with long, curving crimson sepals are instantly identifiable.

It will grow to a mounding 18 inches tall and just a bit wider.

4. Caramel Blue

‘Caramel Blue’ is full of interesting elements. The tube on the semi-double flowers is white, flowing into extremely long white sepals with faintly green tips.

Underneath is a skirt of deep-sea-like blue-violet petals gently cupping distinctive red filaments, all framed by deep green foliage.

The plant has an upright, mounded growth habit, reaching 19 inches tall and wide.

It’s a tender perennial, growing well down to Zone 9, though it will survive in Zone 8 with some winter protection during long periods of freezing temperatures.

5. Creeping Fuchsia

It used to be difficult to find creeping fuchsia (F. procumbens) outside of its native New Zealand, but it’s popping up in more and more nurseries in the US – and thank goodness for that!

The plant looks quite different from your usual fuchsia. It grows close to the ground, only reaching a few inches tall, but spreads over three feet wide.

The blossoms are held upright, and they have yellow tubes capped with red and green sepals. There’s no visible skirt, just bright red and purple filaments that triumphantly jut out of the top.

It’s the only plant among all the species and hybrids that has yellow coloring.

The leaves are different, too. They’re more round, with a heart shape rather than being ovate. They’re also quite petite.

The berries that follow the flowers are bright red, large, and juicy. They’re some of the best-tasting fuchsia berries that you’ll find. The plant is hardy to Zone 8.

6. Foxgrove Wood

‘Foxgrove Wood’ has gained widespread attention because it’s exceptionally hardy.

It can survive down to Zone 7a without any protection at all. It’s an upright type with a symmetrical, bushy growth habit. It will reach 24 inches tall and equally wide when mature.

But I think it would be worth growing even if it wasn’t super hardy. The apple green leaves frame the colorful semi-double flowers perfectly.

Each flower has a rose-pink tube and sepals, with the sepals curling sharply upward so they almost touch the tube. It looks like a crown on the lavender-blue petals. The bright red filaments add an extra punch of color.

As the flowers age, they fade to a pale pink.

7. Galadriel

Not only is ‘Galadriel’ as beautiful as some sort of mythical creature from a fairytale, but it’s mysterious, as well.

Sound like a strange thing to say about a flower?

For some reason that breeders don’t yet understand, ‘Galadriel’ can either have single blossoms with creamy white tubes, red-tipped sepals, and blood-red petals, or it can have pale red tubes with red-striped sepals and red petals, also with single blossoms.

It doesn’t matter what growing conditions you give it, it just depends on whether you pick a clone with white or pale red tubes.

If you have your heart set on one or the other, make sure to buy a plant that’s in bloom so you can tell what you’re getting. Otherwise, let it be a magical surprise.

This one has an upright growth habit and is hardy to Zone 8. It has a lovely mounding shape and can reach two feet tall and wide.

8. Lady in Black

‘Lady in Black’ is pretty incredible solely for her burgundy sepals and tubes with nearly black-purple petals.

That’s enough to recommend her, but then you find out how tall she can grow, and it’s a whole ‘nother story.

This hybrid is half-hardy and will thrive down to Zone 8, but what sets her apart is that she can climb nearly six feet tall in a single growing season.

You’ll definitely need a trellis or fence for this one to climb up.

Then, sit back and enjoy the extremely dense flowering. One plant can be cloaked in over 500 blossoms.

If you’ve ever lamented that your fuchsia plants never grow as tall as you’d like, this is the solution.

9. Marinka

With reddish-pink tubes, sepals, and corollas, the double flowers on ‘Marinka’ are distinct because of their simplicity.

But don’t mistake simple for boring. This tender trailing type is extremely floriferous and vigorous. When it’s happy, you can hardly see the foliage for the flowers.

Though it won’t come back year after year anywhere north of Zone 9, you can overwinter it indoors and enjoy the vibrant hues year after year.

It’s perfect for a small spot, since it usually stays under six inches tall and only spreads to about 18 inches.

It’s a reliable rebloomer even if you don’t deadhead it religiously. Learn more about deadheading fuchsia in our guide.

10. Shadow Dancers

Shadow Dancers is a series of tender fuchsias that can grow as far north as Zone 9 as perennials. The trailing plants grow about a foot tall and 18 inches wide.

‘Maria’ has deep reddish-pink tubes and sepals, with cupped, semi-double corollas embracing pink filaments.

The sepals stand out, literally, because they extend flat, so they look like little helicopter blades ready to spin each flower into the sky.

‘Betty’ has bright red tubes and sepals, with a white or pale pink skirt. The sepals are much shorter and rounder. ‘Violette’ has a similar shape, only with soft pink tubes and sepals, and a deep purple skirt.

‘Marcia’ features reddish blossoms with violet petals.

11. Sparky

Sparky is an F. procumbens hybrid, crossed with ‘Thalia,’ and it combines all the cool characteristics of the two.

It carries its single, purple-red and violet flowers upright at the end of the stems and, as with its creeping parent, the corolla isn’t visible.

This plant isn’t creeping, though. It’s an upright type, with violet and green ovate leaves. It’s also more cold hardy than its F. procumbens parent and can thrive down to Zone 7.

You’ll sometimes see this one listed as ‘Lady’s Eardrops,’ but several fuchsias go by this name.

12. Swingtime

‘Swingtime’ is a popular hybrid that will have you dancing for joy. Not only is it hardy with a trailing habit, but it has large, contrasting double blossoms in red with a white skirt.

While it’s usually rated hardy to Zone 8b, if you keep an eye on it and protect it during extended freezes, it can survive the winter in Zone 7b.

The plant can reach up to a foot tall and two feet wide, and is draped in masses of flowers from July until frost.

It’s a hybrid cross of ‘Titanic’ and ‘Yuletide,’ two favorites.

13. Sylvia Barker

When I moved to the Pacific Northwest, I quickly discovered that gardeners here take their fuchsias seriously, and one that seemed to inhabit every enthusiast’s garden is ‘Sylvia Barker.’

After growing one in my own space, I realized why.

So here are the technical details: This trailing type is extremely floriferous, with long white tubes and extremely long white sepals that embrace the scarlet red corolla. It grows about 18 inches tall and wide, and is very hardy.

Now for the part where I wax poetic. Fuchsias all attract hummingbirds by the dozen, but the little fliers seem particularly enamored with ‘Sylvia Barker.’ There are always so many visiting my plant that it seems as if they’re a permanent fixture.

The many flowers tend to cluster on the bottom half of the plant, so it almost looks like it’s wearing a poofy dress of white and red blossoms. When grown in a basket, it’s like the plant is positively dripping with petals.

14. Tricolor

F. magellanica var. macro ‘Tricolor’ is one of the rare fuchsias that people grow for the foliage. The flowers are just a bonus.

The foliage on this upright, very hardy plant is variegated with white, pink, and green on red stems.

You need to keep it in full sun to get the full effect, so it’s really best for gardeners in areas with cooler summers.

When in bloom from summer to the first frost, the five-foot-tall plant will feature single flowers with red tubes, long red sepals, and purple corollas.

15. Voodoo

We all love fuchsias because of how floriferous they are, but imagine one with blossoms bigger than the breadth of your palm.

Part of the new generation of giant fuchsias, the magenta and purple blossoms on ‘Voodoo’ are a full four inches across. It looks like someone took a fuchsia plant and just blew it up, triple-sized.

The downside is that it’s only hardy to Zone 9, so you’ll definitely want to cut it back and bring it indoors during the winter. Read our guide for fuchsia overwintering tips.

It will grow up to six feet tall (with support) and a foot or two wide.

16. White Eyes

All eyes will be on ‘White Eyes,’ whether you grow it in a hanging basket or trailing over a garden wall.

The bushy plant grows 12 feet high and 24 inches wide, and is covered in double flowers that feature red sepals and tubes, and frilly white skirt petals with red filaments sticking out.

The flowers are some of the fullest you’ll find.

Plant ‘White Eyes’ in Zone 7b and up as a perennial, or Zone 8a and up if you’re growing yours in a container.

Keep an eye out for its counterpart, ‘Dark Eyes,’ which has all the same characteristics with dark purple corollas capped by rose pink tubes and sepals.

17. Windchimes

Windchimes is a series of upright fuchsias created with the idea of drawing in a new generation of fuchsia fans.

It was bred by Green Fuse Botanicals to have a mounding, upright growth habit with large, double flowers. The sepals tend to be extra long and curl slightly upwards.

Flowers come in red and white, white on white, pink and white, and rose and purple.

Each cultivar grows to about 15 inches tall and just a bit wider, and it will be constantly covered in flowers from summer through the first frost, even without deadheading.

So Many Fuchsias, So Little Time

I can easily see how people become obsessed with collecting fuchsias. They’re incredibly pretty and there are so many to choose from.

Just when I think I’ve found a favorite (‘Lady in Black,’ currently), another one comes along that captures my heart.

Are any of these options calling your name? Let us know what you’re going to plant in the comments. If you chance on something new and exciting, be sure to share that, too.

I hope this guide helped you narrow down your selection. Once you bring it home, there are lots of other guides that you might find useful in keeping your fuchsia happy:

Here’s what’s ahead in this article:

Our expert tutorial provides DIY instructions and all the tips you’ll need to do this installation at home, in your own yard. Plus, you’ll find suggestions for where to find some of our favorite tools and materials to get started.

It’s time to let those deer know that the buffet is closed!

How Much Do I Need?

I work at a few properties that use deer fencing to different degrees, but one in particular dwarfs the others.

The property stretches on and on, and is completely surrounded with fencing to repel deer and other visitors. The only section not covered by the barrier is the driveway, and you can bet your bottom dollar this is the only way in or out for our four-legged friends.

Don’t worry – covering your whole property may not be necessary. Putting up a barrier just around your vegetable garden works wonders too! One of my clients allows the deer to chomp down on her ornamentals, but she fences in her vegetables to keep them safe and secure.

Take into account natural barriers and structures that could serve as portions of a wall, eliminating the need for fencing. That twenty feet eaten up by your shed may seem inconsequential when you’re ordering hundred-foot rolls of fencing, but it could save you from purchasing an additional, wasted roll.

What Kind of Supplies Do I Need?

You can improvise a lot with this project. The base requirements are the fencing itself, some kind of support to mount the fence to, and something to tie the fence to those supports.

I’ve attached fencing to trees, rebar, and light posts with zip ties, wire, and staples. Sod staples work in a pinch when you don’t want to purchase pins sold specifically for deer fencing.

Here are a some options for you to consider when installing your fencing:

1. Outline Your Fence’s Perimeter

Do you know how many people start this workload without considering where they’re even going?!

Use a measuring wheel or old fashioned tape measures to assess the distance your fence needs to cover. This way, you’ll have a good estimate of how much fencing you’ll need. But consider a factor of about 10% extra that you’ll need to cover errors in total fence material needed, mistakes, and eventual replacement.

Watch Out! Remember to take into account the total distance eaten up by permanent structures like buildings, thick hedgerows, and other obstacles.

2. Lay Out Your Corners

Not building your fence over a square area? That’s okay, “corners” is interchangeable with “cardinal points.”

Your goal here is to give yourself definite reference points to tie your fence into. When you run into a complication or error while you’re doing the installation, you can always take a step back and reference your laid-out reference points to get back on track.

Watch Out! Place some high-visibility tape or spray paint so you can spot those points without squinting too hard.

3. Start Your Installation

Yeah, let’s get fencin’!

Open the fencing roll and attach it to your first support structure. If you’re a stickler for a clean and sharp look, you can snip loose all of those hanging bits from the edge of the netting before attaching it.

I like to start my fencing with a strong and solid zip tie placement or wire wrapping.

Hammer that sucker into the ground!

You want to get to depths of at least one foot into the ground; most deer fencing is sold at a height of about eight feet, so your supports need to be at least eight feet above the ground after you’ve put them into the ground firmly.

For Deer Fence-Specific Posts and Sleeves

Place the sleeve where you want it to be installed in the ground, and plop the striking cap into place. If you’ve got a partner, have them hold the sleeve while you carefully hammer the cap into the ground.

If you are alone, you can start driving the sleeve into the ground like you would a nail into wood.

Drive the sleeve in until it’s flush with grade, then add the post. It should slide and lock into place effortlessly.

Start attaching the fence to the post from the bottom of your fencing material, and work your way up the support. Leave about 4-6 inches of play to account for dips and hills when you stretch it out. You can always staple the extra fence down and flush with the ground if you don’t need that play.

Watch Out! Sometimes the netting has a lot of “memory.” That is, it tends to retain the curled shape it possessed in the roll and will fight to return to that position. Stretch your fencing out a few feet and bend it against the direction it was rolled up in to help eliminate that memory.

4. Aaaaaand Continue That Installation!

Keep this process going! You can safely space most lightweight deer netting with about 20 feet between posts, while metal fences and those comprised of heavier materials should have supports placed about 15 feet apart.

Place your supports, spaced at these intervals, and unroll your fencing. Attach it with whatever your preferred material is. I’m a fan of zip ties, but whatever works for you is what works for you!

Reinforcement and Repairs

From choosing deer resistant trees to deer proofing your garden in general there are ways to reinforce your deer fence that don’t require a deep pour of cement and machine gun turrets.

Installing your deer fence in a way that coordinates with other natural barriers like hedges, walls, and natural deterrents is the smartest way to reinforce your fence. Using smelly deterrents like Scram works well, but so does offering the local deer an alternative food source.

If you really want to use it, though, here’s how:

To attach tension wire to rebar, you can wrap the wire firmly around the rebar and continue to the next post.

If you are using specialty fence posts for this project, you make a loop with the wire and run a Gripple through it, then tighten the gripple with the ratcheting tool.

Visibility

Although a well-done fence is largely hidden from your view, it should still be visible to the deer themselves, and to birds.

This is especially important when you first set up your fence because the deer are not used to the barrier being in place and could jump right into it, ruining all of your hard work.

I’ve also had to pull out one too many dead birds that got caught in the fencing, so let’s minimize that grisly sight as well.

I like to get rolls of high visibility tape to hang every six feet or so from the fence at about head height. Let the loose ends dangle and move in the breeze so that animals can spot it from far away.

Although the fencing strongly deters deer from entering the zoned-off area, they can jump through it if they need to, or if they don’t see it.

Most deer can also jump up to 8 feet in the air, so if your fencing has a low point, they could find it and try to make the leap… Unfortunately, this often tears the fence down in that location because the deer can’t clear it!

That leads us to…

Repairs and Maintenance

Fortunately, this is a breeze to take care of. Give your fence line a little walk and inspection once a week or so to scout for damage.

You literally will zip up sections of the fence that have come undone from their supports, or reinsert pins in the ground to keep it in place. This is almost identical to the installation process. I’ve seen deer scuffle under the fencing, so don’t forget those pins!

Groundhogs could chew their way through, or a fallen tree limb can damage the fencing, so larger repairs are necessary at times. If it’s a small tear in the material, you can zip it back up with your fastening material; it’ll be a little ugly, but it gets the job done!

Otherwise, you should use the spare netting you’ve got stashed somewhere. Using scissors or your pruners, cut out the damaged area. Cut a new piece of fencing and – yep, you guessed it – zip it in place. Cut your repair piece so that it’s one square larger than the area you are fixing.

Goeppertia insignis (aka Calathea insignis)

With its long leaves and striking pattern, rattlesnake plant should be an essential member of your prayer plant collection.

What? You don’t have a prayer plant collection? What a feat of restraint!

While I admittedly lack such restraint, I think it’s a fair trade. Because of my zealousness for this family of flora, I have a group of beautiful Marantaceae plants, and my rattlesnake calatheas are some of my absolute favorites.

This is one snake that definitely won’t bite you – but its beguiling foliage might steal your heart!

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Whether you are adding it to a collection of prayer plants or if this is your first Marantaceae specimen, I’ll share everything you need to know to grow and care for this species.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

While we’ll be focusing on just one species for this article, if you’re interested in more general care guidance for prayer plants, be sure to check out our complete guide.

And just to make sure we’re all on the same page, this article is about the species commonly used as a houseplant, and not Eryngium yuccifolium.

This species goes by the common name “rattlesnake master,” and it is a deciduous perennial with thistle-like flower heads that grows natively in the Eastern and Midwestern United States.

The subject of our article may also be confused with rattlesnake ginger (Calathea crotalifera) from the same family, the Marantaceae.

This is a species grown for its large, showy, yellow flowers, and whose large, oval-shaped, green leaves are not patterned. With this other calathea, the “rattlesnake” moniker refers to the rattle shape of its inflorescence.

What Is a Rattlesnake Plant?

Rattlesnake plant is a tropical, evergreen, herbaceous perennial that has long, smooth, glossy leaves, which are lance-shaped and have distinctive markings.

It’s both the long shape of the leaves and their pattern that give this calathea a reptilian allure.

The leaves are light green with a pattern of dark green splotches that alternate from large to small, located between the mid-rib and the leaf margin. This pattern of dark splotches gives the illusion of small leaflets.

Slightly wavy, especially at the margins, the leaves are also rimmed with dark green. They have purple to burgundy undersides, which are even more noticeable when the plant raises its leaves after nightfall.

Rattlesnake calathea grows to be up to three feet tall by three feet wide and has a fountain-like growth habit. It has no main stem; instead, each individual leaf petiole emerges from rhizomes in the soil.

New leaves also emerge from rhizomes, rolled up tightly, and showing their purple undersides as they slowly unfurl.

When plants produce flowers, these emerge on short stems at the base of the plant. They are white in color and medium-sized. However, flowering on specimens grown indoors is rare.

Like its other prayer plant relatives, one of the fascinating features of this species is that it raises and lowers its leaves to the rhythms of nightfall and sunrise.

At night you’ll notice more purple among your houseplant’s foliage, as it lifts its leaves up vertically, revealing their undersides.

In the morning, you’ll see this calathea gradually lower its leaves again to a more horizontal position, placing its green pattern in fuller view.

Cultivation and History

This species is a native to the State of Rio de Janeiro in southeast Brazil, where it grows in dappled shade in humid tropical forests as an understory plant.

Goeppertia insignis is a member of the prayer plant family or Marantaceae, and counts such beauties as Stromanthe thalia ‘Triostar,’ zebra calathea, pinstripe plant, peacock plant, and red-veined maranta among its relatives.

Previously classified in the Calathea genus, this species and most of its calathea relatives were reclassified taxonomically to a different genus, Goeppertia, in 2012.

However, this species is still commonly referred to as Calathea insignis. Its Goeppertia nomenclature hasn’t quite caught on yet – either among home gardeners or in scientific circles!

Even before being reclassified, this species was also sometimes referred to by an older classification, C. lancifolia. Some sources continue to use other old classifications including G. lancifolia and Maranta insignis.

Its species name insignis means “distinguished,” while the genus name Goeppertia honors Heinrich Goeppert, a German botanist.

While this species is primarily known for its use as a houseplant, it can be grown outdoors year-round in USDA Hardiness Zones 10a to 12.

You can also count G. insignis as one of the nontoxic houseplant options that’s suited for use in homes with pets or small children.

Propagation

Since calathea seeds are hard to source and difficult to propagate, rattlesnake calatheas are best propagated through division.

Towards the end of winter or in early spring, you’ll probably notice new leaves unfurling from your plant. This is a suitable time to undertake propagation.

Inspect the stems of your calathea – if you can make out several different clumps, you can divide your specimen into several different plants. You may also notice an offshoot coming up and away from the main clump of stems.

First decide how many divisions you want to make from your parent plant, but try to make sure that each division has at least three leaves on it.

Gather your repotting supplies, including clean pots, growing medium, and a sharp knife or pair of pruners – make sure they are sterilized.

Gently work apart the different clumps from each other, using your knife or scissors if needed, and then repot the clumps as indicated in the repotting section below. Keep reading to learn more.

How to Grow

While rattlesnake calathea isn’t exactly a low-maintenance plant, it’s not hard to keep it happy if you provide it with its basic care requirements:

Choosing a Plant

The first step to success in your calathea growing adventure is to choose a healthy specimen.

Avoid wilting plants or those with yellowing or brown leaves.

Also, look for signs of disease and pest infestation, and firmly reject any such specimens – unless, of course, you have a strong urge to be a houseplant rehabilitator, as well as an area where you can quarantine the specimen until it is in good health.

You’ll learn more about checking for pests and signs of disease later in this article.

Light

A native of shady tropical forests, rattlesnake calathea does best in medium, indirect light.

This houseplant will tolerate a small amount of direct sun early in the morning, but avoid direct midday or afternoon sun.

If exposed to too much direct sun, its leaves risk being scorched, and they may lose their striking patterns as well.

This species can adapt to low, indirect light, but will grow more slowly in such conditions.

Temperature

G. insignis prefers a moderate temperature without any extremes. For best results, keep this species in a temperature range between 65 and 75°F.

Situate it in a location where it will be spared from both cold drafts, such as what you’ll find near windows and exterior doors, and hot air, such as near central heating air vents.

This prayer plant is not as tolerant of high heat temperatures as some of its relatives.

If you must expose your houseplant to excessively hot conditions during summer, water it more frequently and move it to the shadiest side of your home to keep it cooler.

Water

Like its relatives, G. insignis benefits from regular watering, and prefers to have moist – but not soggy – soil.

Be sure to use rainwater, distilled water, or filtered water since this species doesn’t tolerate impurities such as fluoride that can be found in tap water.

When watering, remove your houseplant from its decorative pot and place it in a bowl, sink, or bathtub. Water the surface of its soil evenly – this will be easier with a watering can adapted for houseplants.

Water until liquid runs from the bottom of the pot. I like to repeat this process twice during my weekly watering routine.

Let the pot drain thoroughly before returning it to its decorative pot or saucer.

You might also want to try the bottom watering method with this houseplant.

Humidity

Like its prayer plant relatives, G. insignis prefers humid growing conditions, with a relative humidity of at least 50 percent.

If you live in a humid climate, you may not need to take any further measures to provide this plant with the moist air it prefers.

However, if you heat your home in winter, or live in a more arid climate, there are many ways you can increase the relative humidity for your specimen.

One method is to place your calathea on a humidity tray.

You can make your own humidity tray by filling a dish with pebbles and water, and allowing the houseplant to sit on the pebbles, above the water level – just be careful to avoid letting the plant wick up water through its pot.

7” x 9” Humidity Tray with Polished Pebbles

If this DIY method isn’t at the top of your to-do list, you can purchase a ready-made humidity tray that comes with pebbles, such as this seven-by-nine-inch model available for purchase from 9GreenBox via Amazon.

Another option for increasing relative humidity for your calathea is to group it with other houseplants to create a more humid microclimate.

In addition to grouping houseplants, smaller specimens can be placed inside terrariums, such as this mini greenhouse from Ikea, available via Amazon.

Ikea Mini Greenhouse

Finally, if your specimen is too large to place in a terrarium or mini-greenhouse, you might also consider using a humidifier near your calathea to help humidify the air.

Providing adequate humidity will go a long way toward preventing brown leaf tips or edges on your calathea.

While a lack of sufficient humidity is probably the most common reason for brown tips, there are other causes as well. You can learn about the top reasons for brown leaves on prayer plants in our article.

Soil

One of the trickiest aspects of growing prayer plants is finding a really good potting medium.

By now you know that G. insignis likes to have moist soil, and what’s usually recommended to ensure such moist soil is a peaty growing medium. But there’s a caveat – prayer plants also need good drainage.

In addition to these requirements, it’s best if this houseplant’s growing medium does not contain perlite in order to avoid exposure to fluoride, which can cause tip burn.

And as far as pH goes, this species is fairly flexible and can grow in soil that is slightly acidic to slightly alkaline, or in other words, in soil with a pH ranging between 6.1 and 7.3.

Research also shows that compost, biochar, and humic acid all contribute to good growth for this particular species.

Combining these various requirements and considerations, the peat-free calathea potting medium I reach for is one part coconut coir and one part De La Tank’s Houseplant Soil Mix for houseplants.

The coconut coir provides the peaty water retention, while De La Tank’s Houseplant Soil Mix brings with it good drainage from pumice and chunky coconut husks, as well as compost, biochar, and humic acid, all of which will help this species flourish.

De La Tank’s Soil Mix

You can find De La Tank’s Soil Mix in one-, eight-, or 16-quart bags from Tank’s Green Stuff via Arbico Organics.

As for the coconut coir (also known as cocopeat), buying this product in a compressed form makes it more efficient to store and keep on hand for various gardening uses.

10-lb Prococo Compressed Coconut Coir Block

I like this 10-pound block of compressed coconut coir from Prococo, also available via Arbico Organics.

Growing Tips

• Provide medium, indirect light.
• Keep soil moist but not soggy and provide good drainage.
• Avoid drafts and temperature extremes.

Pruning and Maintenance

Rattlesnake calatheas don’t require much additional maintenance once their basic requirements are met. However, here are a few other tips that will help keep your houseplant happy and healthy:

Pruning

Despite our best efforts, prayer plants like G. insignis are prone to browning leaf tips and edges. If you find these unsightly, you can trim them off.

Any leaves that go brown due to missed waterings won’t ever recover their green hue, though new ones will emerge looking fresh and green as long as any neglect is remedied.

To prune any unwanted leaves, first sterilize a pair of scissors or garden snips by wiping them down with rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide.

Trim the brown part, or if a whole leaf needs to be removed, make your cut as far down the leaf stem as possible.

Fertilizing

When fertilizing prayer plants, make sure to take a gentle approach.

I use worm compost tea for mine. If you don’t yet have a vermicompost bin set up in your home, you can purchase worm compost tea bags from the Earthworm Technologies Store, via Amazon.

Teadrops All Purpose Houseplant Fertilizer

These sachets are soaked in room-temperature water, and then served up as a fertilizer to your houseplant at watering time. Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Cleaning Leaves

When you water your houseplant, take advantage of this moment to give your calathea’s foliage a light cleaning.

You can accomplish this with just a paper towel or clean rag and some water.

Dampen the paper towel, then wipe down the tops and bottoms of each leaf.

This will help to remove any dust that has built up on your houseplant’s foliage and keep it not just looking great, but feeling healthy as well, since dust can clog a plant’s stomata.

Repotting

Since calatheas are slow-growing, they don’t need to be repotted very frequently – every two or three years should work in most cases.

But rather than scheduling a hard date with your bag of potting soil and sticking to it, observe your calathea and let it tell you when it needs to be repotted.

If you have to water two or three times a week to keep it from drying out, then it’s probably time to undertake this task!

Beyond that, the best time to repot is in spring when you see new growth on your calathea.

Another good tip is to wait until the day after you’ve watered your houseplant.

When it seems that it is indeed time to transition your houseplant to a new container, gather your repotting supplies.

You’ll need a pot that’s just one size larger than your current pot, potting medium, and a work surface you don’t mind getting a little dirty – I like to use a cookie sheet.

Remove the plant from its pot and rub your hand along the edge of the soil to loosen up its roots.

Place a little soil in the bottom of the new pot. Situate your plant in its new pot, adjusting the amount of soil in the bottom of the pot if needed, so you leave just half an inch to an inch of space between the top of the soil and the rim of the pot.

Fill in with potting medium, taking care not to cover the crown of the plant (the part where its stems emerge from the soil). Tap the pot gently on the work surface to settle in the soil, and add more growing medium if needed.

Water in your newly repotted houseplant and return it to its usual location.

Where to Buy

Rattlesnake calatheas are slow-growing plants, so when you’re ready to add one to your houseplant collection, choose a size that you will be happy with for a while.

Small

If you’re planning to keep your houseplant in a terrarium, choose a small specimen in a three- or four-inch pot.

Live Starter Rattlesnake Plant in 4” Pot

You’ll find a small starter C. insignis available for purchase in a four-inch pot from Hirt’s Gardens, via Amazon.

Medium

If you’d like your calathea companion to create a nice presence on a side table next to your sofa or at your workstation, a medium-sized specimen will work well, so look for one in a six-inch pot.

Live Mid-Sized Rattlesnake Calathea

A live plant in a six-inch pot can be found for purchase from Fast Growing Trees.

Large

If you are looking for a calathea large enough to hold its own as a floor specimen, look for one in an eight-inch pot.

Live Mature Rattlesnake Plant in 8”-Pot

You can purchase a mature, live plant in an eight-inch pot from the Wekiva Foliage via Amazon.

Managing Pests and Disease

Rattlesnake calathea is easygoing when it comes to pests and diseases – this species isn’t particularly prone to such problems.

However, here’s what you’ll want to look for, particularly when welcoming a new plant into your home:

Insects

If you have recently purchased a new specimen or have summered your houseplants out of doors, keep a lookout for these pests:

Mealybugs

You’ll probably spot a mealybug problem from across the room. The trouble is, you may not know you’re seeing a pest issue unless you know what to look for.

Mealybugs look like tiny bits of white fuzz. They tend to congregate on plant stems and on the undersides of leaves.

These pests will latch onto your houseplant and suck away valuable nutrients, leaving the plant undernourished. Making matters worse, mealybugs leave deposits of honeydew on the plant, which can lead to fungal problems.

There are many options when dealing with an infestation of mealybugs. Be sure to read our article on mealybugs to learn how to control and eradicate these pests.

Scale

Like mealybugs, scale insects can be hard to spot.

What should you look for? Small, smooth, round or oval-shaped dots on your calathea’s stems or the undersides of their leaves. Scale insects are often brown, but can also be black, tan, beige, or green in color.

Like mealybugs, scale insects suck nutrients from the plant and leave a residue of honeydew behind, raising the risk of fungal infection.

To learn more about identifying and controlling these pests, read our article on scale insects.

Spider Mites

Spider mites are so tiny that it can be easy to overlook a problem until there’s a severe infestation.

These tiny arachnids can cause stippling as they suck nutrients from leaves, and will eventually shroud your houseplant in webbing.

Read our guide to spider mites to learn how to inspect for and control these pests.

Disease

Disease in calatheas is rare and easy to prevent. Here’s what you need to know:

Cucumber Mosaic Virus

Cucumber mosaic virus is a viral pathogen that can cause a yellow mosaic pattern on your houseplant’s leaves.

Since there’s no treatment for this disease, prevention is your best strategy. To prevent introducing pathogens, make sure to wash your hands between handling different specimens, and sanitize your tools.

If your houseplant does succumb to this disease, the good news is that the damage is only cosmetic.

However, to prevent spread to other houseplants in your collection, the safest recourse is to destroy the infected specimen.

Helminthosporium Leaf Spot

Have you noticed any brown or tan lesions on the leaves of your calathea, accompanied by yellow halos? If so, Helminthosporium leaf spot may be to blame.

This disease is caused by various fungal organisms that thrive in wet conditions and mild temperatures.

Prevention is the best route, so avoid wetting your calathea’s leaves while watering, especially on cool days.

Once prevention is no longer an option, infections can be controlled with fungicides, such as the natural, nontoxic fungicide neem oil.

TheraNeem Neem Oil

I recommend TheraNeem brand, available for purchase from Organix South via Amazon in 16-ounce bottles.

Make sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions when applying this product.

Root Rot

If your calathea has yellow leaves or is wilting despite having wet soil, root rot may be to blame.

Root rot is associated with soilborne fungi, which thrive in wet, soggy conditions.

This means root rot is preventable with good watering hygiene: don’t let your houseplant sit in a saucer of water, make sure it’s potted in an appropriately-sized container, and ensure that there is good drainage.

For good drainage you’ll need both holes in the bottom of the pot and a well-draining growing medium, such as the one recommended in the soil section of this article above.

If root rot seems to be the cause of your houseplant’s problems, identify the cause so you can prevent recurrence.

You may need to repot your plant into a smaller nursery pot, change its growing medium, or rein in your watering routine.

While pest and disease problems can cause your calathea to develop yellowing leaves, there are other causes for this discoloration – read our article to learn how to troubleshoot yellow leaves on prayer plants.

Best Uses

Rattlesnake calathea can be used as an ornamental houseplant where you want to draw attention to its beautifully patterned foliage.

It can work well as a focal point, or grouped with other foliage houseplants in need of some contrast.

This species will also work well for interiorscaping, the type of indoor landscaping used in office buildings or other public spaces.

But its uses don’t end with its good looks!

Since it is considered nontoxic, it can also be used in homes or other spaces where there are children or curious pets present.

In areas with cold winters, this houseplant should be brought indoors for the winter, but in USDA Hardiness Zone 10a and up it can live outdoors year-round in a location with dappled shade.

Quick Reference Growing Guide

Plant Type:	Evergreen herbaceous perennial	Flower/Foliage Color:	White/light and dark green with purple undersides
Native to:	Brazil	Soil Type:	Peaty, rich
Hardiness (USDA Zone):	10a-12	Soil pH:	6.1-7.3
Bloom Time:	Summer	Soil Drainage:	Well draining
Exposure:	Medium indirect light	Companion Planting:	Begonia, monstera, orchid, philodendron, pilea, sansevieria, spider plant
Height:	3 feet	Uses:	Ornamental foliage houseplant, outdoor foliage plant in Zone 10a-12
Spread:	3 feet	Order:	Zingiberales
Water Needs:	Medium	Family:	Marantaceae
Maintenance:	Moderate	Genus:	Goeppertia (syn. Calathea)
Tolerance:	Humidity, low light	Species:	insignis
Common Pests:	Aphids, fungus gnats, mealybugs, root knot nematodes, scale, spider mites	Common Diseases:	Cucumber mosaic virus, Helminthosporium leaf spot, Pyricularia leaf spot, root rot

This Snake Is All Blade and No Bite

While this houseplant is entirely benign, you may, nonetheless, find yourself bitten with desire for this enchanting calathea!

No antidote is required, you now have all the knowledge you’ll need to keep your houseplant happy and healthy.

If you’re having any difficulty with your specimen, be sure to drop us a note in the comments section below and we’ll see if we can help you troubleshoot.

And if you have tips of your own that you have used to keep your rattlesnake calathea in tip-top shape, feel free to share them with our readers in the comments section below.

If you’re interested in adding other nontoxic houseplants to your collection, we’ve got more for you right here:

This guide contains all you need to know to grow and care for tulips, as well as an introduction to the many varieties from which to choose.

Here’s what I’ll cover:

To begin, let’s look at tulips through the years.

Cultivation and History

In ancient times in the Ottoman Empire, especially the portion that is now Turkey, tulips found their way out of the wild and into cultivation.

By the 1500s, they were imported to Holland, and were the subject of a horticultural text by French botanist Charles de l’Écluse.

He cultivated the species and introduced it to market in the Netherlands, where it became a popular subject of artists, and a coveted garden plant among the upper crust.

For about a year in the 1600s, there was an outbreak of “tulip mania,” in which frenzied buying drove the prices up and bulbs became as expensive as houses. When prices finally dropped, the bubble burst, and many investors suffered financial ruin.

Today, the greatest number of tulips are grown in the Netherlands, home of the world’s largest flower auction in Aalsmeer.

There are many varieties to choose from, with options for early-, mid-, and late-spring blooms.

Sizes range from petite, four-inch botanical species to colossal hybrids topping out at almost three feet.

All colors are available, with the exception of true blue.

Unique characteristics like solid or variegated colors, fringes, ruffling, and single or double rows of tepals – the word for the characteristically indistinguishable petals and sepals of tulips – make for an exciting array of choices.

The foliage consists of fleshy green leaves, sometimes tinged with purple, and a leafless, hollow stem.

While they are perennials, some of the fanciest hybrids are known to look fabulous the first year, but lose their vigor in the second. For this reason, many professional and home gardeners grow tulips as annuals, lifting them out of the ground at season’s end, and starting with fresh bulbs the following year.

Propagation

Tulips are usually grown from bulbs, although the flowers do produce seeds.

Botanical species set seeds worthy of collection, as they will produce a clone of the parent plant. However, it can take years for seeds to germinate, form bulbs, and produce flowers.

Hybrids, on the other hand, are often infertile, and even when viable seeds are produced, they do not replicate the traits or quality of the parent plant.

When selecting bulbs in person, look for ones that are firm and unblemished, with few or no tears in the papery outer coating.

Avoid those that are soft, damaged, without wrappers, or shriveled and shrunken. Rotting or dried up bulbs are unlikely to grow.

When purchasing online or via paper catalogs, seek out reputable purveyors who guarantee their products.

Nurseries, garden centers, and online or catalog dealers offer bulbs in late summer, shortly before it’s time to plant them in the fall.

Pre-chilled varieties are available to those gardening in warm regions. For those of us in regions with cold winters, like me, nature provides the chill hours needed to stimulate growth.

While annuals are lifted and discarded after blooming, perennial varieties enlarge each year, as “daughter” bulbs form and grow from the original bulb.

How to Grow

Tulips are easy to grow. Let’s find out how.

Timing

According to researchers at Cornell University, the ideal time to plant bulbs is in the fall, when soil temperatures are in the 40 to 50°F range. The chill enables them to establish sturdy roots.

In regions that don’t have cold winters, buy pre-chilled bulbs as mentioned, or chill them yourself by placing them in a mesh bag in the refrigerator, away from fruits and vegetables, for six weeks prior to planting.

If you receive bulbs as a gift in springtime, go ahead and plant them after the last average frost date has passed, and before temperatures heat up. They’re better off underground than on a shelf in the shed where mice or mold may ruin them.

Location

Choose a location that gets full sun. In the warmest regions, part shade is beneficial. You can plant them in the ground or in containers that are at least 10 inches deep.

Soil

Conduct a soil test if desired, to determine the nutrient content and pH balance.

The ideal soil is of average quality and well-draining. Bulbs that sit in standing water are prone to rotting.

Amend the soil as needed with compost or leaf mulch, and sand or gravel, to achieve a loose, crumbly consistency. The pH should be slightly acidic to neutral, ranging from 6.0 to 7.0.

Work the earth (and amendments, if applicable) to a depth of eight to 10 inches.

Fertilizing

For first-time planting, the University of Illinois Extension recommends the addition of two cups of bone meal per 10 square feet, and five tablespoons of 10-10-10 soluble fertilizer or bulb fertilizer.

Use a slow-release product, to avoid burning the bulbs. Blend it into the soil for the same reason, rather than sprinkling it into the planting holes.

Bulbs contain all of the food they need for one growing season, so if you are growing them as annuals, fertilization is optional.

For perennials, apply your balanced, slow-release product twice a year – once in fall, after temperatures have cooled down and root growth is underway, and again in spring, as the first sprouts appear.

Depth and Spacing

There are different schools of thought on how deep and how far apart to plant bulbs.

A depth of three times the diameter of the bulb is a good rule of thumb. This usually translates to a depth of four to six inches.

Some people swear by a standard depth of eight inches. However, they tend to be in warm locales, where pre-chilled bulbs and deep planting are essential for strong root formation.

Researchers at Cornell University suggest an old method called “top planting,” in which bulbs are shallow planted at a depth of only two inches, followed by an application of two to four inches of mulch on top.

Some theorize that shallow planting can cause bulbs to dry out in the summer heat, and planting them too deeply may result in fewer flowers.

Experience is going to be your best teacher here.

As for spacing, place bulbs two to six inches apart, depending upon the mature width of the variety you’ve chosen, and whether you want a dense or loose arrangement.

Small botanical species can be planted closer together than the larger hybrids.

Other considerations are whether you are growing yours as annuals or perennials.

For a cutting garden of annual plantings, Clare Nolan, author of “In Bloom: Growing, Harvesting, and Arranging Homegrown Flowers All Year Round,” recommends “planting them close together, but not touching – like eggs in an egg carton.” This is an excellent way to get the most out of a small space.

And for perennials, you may want to leave some growing room.

Here’s how to set bulbs in the ground:

If you are only planting a few, you may want to dig individual holes. For mass plantings, dig an entire bed to the proper depth.

Place the bulbs into the soil point side up, and nestle them securely. Don’t worry too much if you forget to do this, as the shoots will eventually find their way up.

Choose a pattern that suits your design scheme. For the appearance of blossoms in a woodland setting, group bulbs in clusters. For a more formal arrangement, plant rows in an alternating fashion, (plant-skip-plant-skip) for crisp, diagonal lines.

Backfill with soil and gently tamp it down.

Moisture

After planting, water thoroughly with a gentle spray. In the absence of rain, water to maintain about an inch of moisture per week during the growing season.

After they have finished blooming, watering is no longer necessary. For this reason, you should avoid planting anything with tulips that requires summer irrigation, as the extra moisture may rot the bulbs.

Flowering and Foliage

Tulips generally grow one flower to a stem, but there are some multi-headed varieties available. And unlike many flowers, deadheading, or the process of cutting off spent flower stems, does not promote further blooming.

As the tepals begin to fade and drop, you can cut the flower stems down to the base. While this doesn’t promote further flowering, it may conserve energy in the bulb that would otherwise have gone into the flowerless stem.

If you are growing them as annuals, you can pull the bulbs from the ground at this time, before the withering foliage becomes unsightly.

For perennials, cut the flowerless stems all the way down if you wish, but do not remove the foliage. It is essential that the leaves remain to feed the bulb for next year. Let them wither undisturbed.

Maintenance

If you are growing them as annuals, plant new bulbs each fall, and lift them out after they have finished blooming in the spring.

They only maintenance they need is an optional application of bone meal and fertilizer at planting time as discussed above, watering at planting time, and providing adequate moisture throughout the growing season in the absence of rain.

For perennial planting, sow bulbs in the fall, apply bone meal and fertilizer as directed, water at planting time, and water during the growing season if it doesn’t rain.

In addition, you may cut down flower stalks that have bloomed, but remember not to touch the foliage while it withers as it feeds the bulbs for next year’s flowers. After the foliage dies, you can clear it away or leave it to decay naturally and break down into the soil.

Avoid watering garden areas where you have planted bulbs that are now dormant, to prevent them from rotting.

Every few years, you can divide clumps of bulbs in the fall. Simply dig them up and tease the “daughter” bulbs apart from the mother. Immediately plant them elsewhere, so they can establish roots before winter dormancy.

When spring returns, apply bone meal and fertilizer again, working it into the soil around the bulbs. If you choose to apply mulch for a neat appearance in the garden, be careful not to cause the ground below to become oversaturated, as this may promote rotting.

You can also add a one-inch layer of a fine mulch like coconut coir to well-draining containers to help with moisture retention. This can be beneficial in warmer regions.

Managing Pests and Disease

Starting with quality bulbs is the best way to get off on the right foot when it comes to managing pests and disease. Order from reputable dealers, and when hand-selecting, choose the firmest, least-blemished ones with the paper coating intact.

Provide good drainage to prevent water pooling that may lead to insect infestation, fungal growth, and rotting.

Even with best practices in place, there may still be issues that crop up. Let’s look at some of the insects and herbivores that like to munch on tulips, common diseases, and avoidance measures.

Pests

While healthy tulips are least susceptible, some pests to watch out for include:

To minimize aphid and mite damage, check plants daily. Pick off individual pests if you can, otherwise aim a gentle stream of water at them to rinse them off. For large infestations, apply an insecticidal soap or neem oil.

Proper drainage goes a long way toward inhibiting slug and snail activity, as they prefer damp environments.

The wireworm is the larva of a click beetle, and it eats through bulbs. Unfortunately, it also lives below ground, and its presence usually goes unnoticed until plants wilt, bulbs are dug up, and the offender is identified.

An application of diatomaceous earth may help salvage remaining plants.

Other ways to inhibit pests are by attracting birds and beneficial insects to the garden with lots of nectar-rich spring-flowering plants, and by weeding regularly.

Halting pests in their tracks is a good way to avoid the transmission of insect-borne plant diseases, such as mosaic viruses.

Herbivores

In addition to hungry bugs, the following wildlife visitors to your garden are likely to enjoy munching on your tulips:

• Chipmunks
• Deer
• Gophers
• Groundhogs
• Mice
• Moles
• Rabbits
• Squirrels
• Voles

To stop them from nibbling at your bulbs, wrap bulbs or line beds with loose wire mesh, or interplant with daffodils, as recommended above.

As many of you know, my dad was an avid gardener. He was repeatedly foiled by foraging wildlife, but made peace with the deer when it came to his tulips.

Each year, they ate the foliage of his red and yellow lily-flowered lovelies down to nubs so short, they bloomed on the ground. It seemed the hungry critters only liked the green parts, so he felt they had come to a workable compromise.

You may want to try laying rose bush clippings with sharp thorns around your plants that are unpleasant to little critter feet. I wouldn’t bother with any of the natural repellents, as they wash away with the first rain.

Learn more about protecting your tulips from deer.

Diseases

Tulips are prone to a number of diseases. Let’s examine a few of the most common.

Basal Rot

Basal rot, Fusarium oxysporum, aka gray rot, is a fungus that makes its way through the bulb and into the flower, rotting all in its path.

Botrytis Blight

Botrytis blight, Botrytis tulipae, aka tulip fire, is another type of fungus. It affects foliage, inhibiting growth and causing deformities.

Tulip Breaking Virus

Tulip breaking virus, Arabis mosaic, aka Tulip Mosaic Virus, is one of a number of mosaic viruses. This one causes unnatural color mottling on both flowers and leaves, and weakens plants, resulting in tepal and foliage breakage.

Such color anomalies were all the rage during the period of tulip mania, and today’s “broken tulips” are derived from those with the virus. According to researchers at the University of Illinois Extension, “broken tulip varieties should not be grown either near tulips with solid colors or near lilies.”

Some of the same viruses infect both lilies and tulips, and each host plant can act as a source of infection for the other.

The same experts go on to say, “plant bright-colored pink, red, purple, and brown tulips in separate beds from dark-colored, white, or yellow varieties.”

So, while it won’t kill your tulips, mosaic virus can certainly cause some aberrations! In addition, the broken portions are vulnerable to pest infestation, particularly by aphids.

Tulip Crown Rot

Tulip crown rot, Sclerotium delphinii, is a fungal condition in which the bulb and bottom of the stem are coated with a white fungus that causes the bulb to rot, and reddening of the foliage.

To contain the spread of a viral or fungal outbreak, remove all affected plant material and dispose of it in the trash.

An application of fungicide may protect remaining plants from further fungal outbreaks, but viruses do not respond to this treatment.

You can read more more about identifying and treating crown rot here.

The best defense against viral, fungi, water mold, or bacterial attacks is healthy, pest-free plants.

Also, see our guide “9 Reasons Why Tulip Leaves May Turn Yellow Prematurely” for other cultural and disease related problems and mitigation strategies.

Best Uses

For classic spring curb appeal, plant tulips in beds, borders, containers, and window boxes.

Fashion generous sweeps of color with mass plantings in either a solid color or complementary assortment.

Mix tall and short varieties of contrasting colors to add depth and interest to your garden design.

Place your favorites in clusters beneath azaleas and lilacs.

Interplant with bold bluebells, or dainty columbine and forget-me-nots.

Add tulips to existing beds of other bulbs like crocus, daffodil, daylily, grape hyacinth, hyacinth, and snowdrop.

And here’s a tip: to cover those unsightly post-bloom leaves, plant ground covers like pachysandra, periwinkle, speedwell, and vinca that can camouflage them with glossy foliage and petite blossoms.

Cutting and Arranging

Tulips make wonderful cut flowers you can arrange yourself.

Here’s how:

Cut stems when flowers are in the bud stage, when they are just beginning to show what color they’re going to be.

Make your cuts on a 45° angle to create as much surface area as possible for the stem to take up moisture. If you are growing yours as perennials, take stems only, no leaves.

Use a tall, supportive vase, or place among other flowers, to help them remain upright.

Change the water in the vase and give the stems a quarter-inch cut each day.

Keep the vase out of direct sunlight. Tulips are phototropic and will turn toward sunlight, twisting their stems as they do so.

In addition, the stems keep growing after they’re cut, so make them a little shorter than you need so they don’t distort a carefully planned arrangement.

Quick Reference Growing Guide

Plant Type:	Bulbous perennial	Flower / Foliage Color:	All colors except blue; green, sometimes tinged with purple
Native to:	Turkey	Maintenance:	Low
Hardiness (USDA Zone):	3-7	Soil Type:	Average
Bloom Time / Season:	Spring	Soil pH:	6.0-7.0
Exposure:	Full sun	Soil Drainage:	Well-draining
Spacing:	2-6 inches	Attracts:	Birds
Planting Depth:	4-6 inches	Companion Planting:	Azalea, bluebell, columbine, crocus, daffodil, daylily, forget-me-not, grape hyacinth, fragrant hyacinth, iris, lilac, pachysandra, periwinkle, speedwell, and vinca
Height:	4-30 inches	Uses:	Beds, borders, containers, mass or mixed plantings, window boxes; cut arrangements
Spread:	4-6 inches	Family:	Liliaceae
Tolerance:	Black walnut trees	Genus:	Tulipa
Water Needs:	Moderate	Species:	Various
Common Pests:	Aphid, bulb mite, slug, snail, spider mite, wireworm; chipmunk, deer, gopher, groundhog, mouse, mole, rabbit, squirrel, vole	Common Disease:	Basal rot, botrytis blight, tulip breaking virus, tulip crown rot

Extraordinary Dazzlers

We’ve discussed a wealth of information on tulips, from their remarkable early heyday to planting depth and spacing, tips for growing success, maintenance, pests and disease, best uses, cutting and arranging, and my favorite part – the many cultivars to choose from.

About five years ago, I received a pretty Easter basket of flowers from my daughter and son-in-law. After the holiday, I planted the bright pink tulips out front, beneath my pink weigela and white ornamental weeping cherry.

I don’t know the specific cultivar, but they seem to be a single late variety. I call them my “mutts,” because they are somewhat generic and tough as nails.

I kid you not, these tulips have withstood both extreme cold and intense heat. And, I’m ashamed to admit, they haven’t received any supplemental water or fertilizer since the day I planted them. The bugs and critters don’t bother them, and they’ve never shown any signs of disease.

Each year, the cluster gets a little bit bigger and is as strong as ever.

Extraordinary, or what?

So, you don’t have to be fancy to have lovely spring tulips in the garden, and there’s nothing to lose by leaving them in the ground to prove their worth from year to year.

Pencil Cactus (aka Euphorbia tirucalli or ET) is not a cactus. It is a rugged succulent plant that can grow to over 30’ feet high in the wild.

However, it can also be kept to a more moderate height of 6′ to 8′ feet when kept as a houseplant.

These attractive, interesting, and beautiful fire stick succulent plants take on a great deal of character as they age, and older plants develop thick inner branches with rough, gray, highly textured bark.

The foliage is an attractive shade of green throughout most of the year and transitions to yellow, orange, or red during the cooler months.

In this article, we will share information on growing, caring for, and appreciating this fascinating plant. Read on to learn more.

Firestick Plant Quick Growing Guide:

Family: Euphorbiaceae

Origin: South Africa, the Arabian peninsula, and India

Common Names: Rubber-hedge euphorbia (Eng.), Kraalmelkbos (Africa.), Indian tree spurge, Firestick Cactus, Pencil Cactus, Sticks on fire, Pencil plant, Finger Tree, Naked lady, Red Pencil tree, Milk bush, ET

Height: 6’ when kept indoors or in a container outdoors, 15′-30’ when grown as a landscape plant under ideal conditions.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 9A – 10A In the great outdoors, the plant is hardy to 25° degrees Fahrenheit. It does very well in average household temperatures and thrives in low humidity.

Flowers: Euphorbia tirucalli produces small yellowish flowers that attract butterflies, bees, and other insects. Firestick flowers grow in clusters at the apex or angle of the branches during the cooler months of the year.

Fruits: The fuzzy, pinkish fruits grow on short stalks in three-part clusters about 3/4″ of an inch in diameter.

Foliage: This plant’s leaves are tiny and thin, and you may miss them altogether as they fall off very soon after appearing. When the small leaves fall, they leave scars on the limbs which add to the visual interest of this plant.

Uses: These versatile plants have many uses. They are often kept indoors as a houseplant in contemporary interior designs, along with the prickly pear Opuntia cactus.

They are used as landscape plants in hot, dry climates.

When growing a pencil tree plant outdoors, the small flowers provide pollen for bees, and birds can safely eat the plant’s seeds.

In South Africa, a “rubber hedge” is often planted around livestock pens and other areas for privacy and to keep intruders out. 

In African folk medicine, the sap may be used to treat sexual impotence and snakebite; however, this is not recommended as the sap is quite toxic, and it is also used to poison fish.

When grown in the wild, large, mature pencil trees yield very hard lumber used to make roof struts. [source]

Miscellaneous: In Venezuela and Columbia, ET is a very important biofuel crop. This video shows how it is grown and harvested. The video also provides good views of the plant in an ideal outdoor environment and good information on how to best care for and propagate it.

Pencil Fire Stick Plant Care Tips

Care varies somewhat depending on whether you want to keep your pencil plant indoors or outdoors.

Euphorbia Tirucalli Cactus Indoor Care

Light: This plant enjoys the full sun making it an excellent choice for a very sunny window setting. Rotate the plant periodically for balanced growth and even color development during the cooler months.

Water: The house plant should be watered weekly during the growing season. Take care to provide well-drained soil and plenty of drainage holes in the container to avoid root rot. Cut back to monthly watering during the cooler months.

Temperature: Although this plant can tolerate temperatures from 25º-100º degrees Fahrenheit, it prefers temperatures ranging from 50º – 70º degrees Fahrenheit. The ideal firesticks plant temperature range is 65º – 70º degrees Fahrenheit, so it does well year-round indoors at normal household temperatures.

Soil: Use high-quality, well-drained cactus or succulent potting soil with a pH of about 6.0.

Fertilizer: You may feed your finger plant seasonally with a controlled-release fertilizer or use a weak liquid houseplant food every week. 

Mature plants do well with a 20-20-20 fertilizer. Younger plants do better with a lower nitrogen rating. Some people do not fertilize the pencil plant at all.

Tirucalli Sticks On Fire Cactus Outdoor Care

Light: Outdoors, the firestick plant does well with either partial or direct sun. It’s best to place this succulent shrub where it gets bright sun exposure on all sides for balanced growth and coloration.

Try to provide at least 5-6 hours of sunlight per day indoors so the plant receives enough light.

Keep away from direct sunlight while rooting to prevent burns. Water the soil every few days or when it feels dry.

Water: It’s better to give too little water than too much. Outdoors water this drought-tolerant pencil tree deeply about once a month during the growing season and once every couple of months during cool weather. 

These drought-tolerant plants may do well with only rainwater. Cut back on watering and allow the plant to dry out and recover from too much water.

Soil: When planting outdoors, it’s a good idea to add some light, finished compost and/or some loam to your soil to improve its aeration and draining capabilities.

Fertilizer: If you keep a worm composting bin, you will find that a layer of worm compost or worm castings spread over the top of the soil annually provides all the nourishment your ET needs.

Pests and Diseases: With their toxic sap, these plants are fairly pest resistant.

Common succulent pests, such as plant mites, colonies of mealybugs, cactus scale, and aphids bugs on plants, may be a problem for over-watered and weakened plants, but for the most part, Euphorbia tirucalli is pest free. [source]

Pencil Cactus Propagation, Transplanting, & Repotting

If you plan on transplanting a milk bush, do it while the plant is still small. Moving a tall Firestick pencil cactus is difficult due to its weight and breaking branches.

Remember, you want to limit exposure to the toxic, irritating milky sap. The most common reason for mushy is overwatering. 

If you want to relocate an outdoor red pencil tree, wear goggles, gloves, long pants, and a long-sleeved shirt.

Change clothes and wash up as soon as you are done.

NOTE: Some individuals may experience an allergic reaction to the toxic white sap, and some even have severe reactions. Do not keep the plant in a location where small children will come in contact with the plant.

Tirucalli Euphorbia Needs Repotting Frequently

These plants produce new growth rapidly, and you may need to repot annually or at least every couple of years. It’s best to allow the soil surrounding any succulent to dry before repotting.

Remove the plant from its pot and knock away or shake off all the dry potting soil. If the roots become damaged, treat affected areas with a fungicide to prevent root rot.

Put the plant into a new container and add a light, well-draining soil mixture. Standard cactus or a succulent mix works well. You may wish to add some light, finished compost to provide nourishment and relieve you of the task of fertilizing.

Don’t water the newly potted succulent for about a week. This will encourage root growth and discourage root rot.

Pencil Plant Propagation Is Easy

There’s not much need to relocate these plants because these cactus plants are so easy to propagate from cuttings. 

Remember to protect yourself from the sap when taking cuttings. Dip the cut end in cold, fresh water to stop the sap from flowing.

Leave stem cuttings in the open air for a week or so to form a callous. Pop it into a pot of moist sand, succulent mix, or cactus mix. You’ll probably see growth within a week to 10 days.

Is The Firestick Succulent Poisonous?

When you picture the Pencil Cactus in your mind’s eye, you are unlikely to realize that it is closely related to such diverse plants as:

One thing these plants all have in common is irritating/toxic white sap.  Despite precautions about the toxicity of the firestick plant, the sizeable shrubby succulent can create a stunning colorful landscape feature in a backyard.

All members of the Euphorbia family contain this poisonous, irritating sap. Euphorbia tirucalli is the most powerful of them all. That’s why it is so important to protect your eyes, hands, and skin when pruning.

Avoid casual contact with the plant. Place your “sticks on fire” plant carefully so people are not constantly brushing up against it and breaking its branches.

You should especially keep kids and pets away.

Related: Is The Firestick Plant Toxic Or Poisonous?

What You Need To Know About Pruning Fire Stick Plants

Euphorbia is used as a hedge plant in Africa due to its dense growing habit. Indoor plants may need trimming and tidying up to control size and improve appearance.

Outdoor plants able to grow freely will not need as much pruning. It’s a good idea to thin the stems from time to time to allow light and air circulation. 

Indoors or outdoors, be sure to prune in a balanced way so the plant does not become top-heavy, causing landscaping plants to break and fall and potted plants to tumble over.

Always prune stems back to the main trunk. Don’t chop them off in the middle, as this produces an ugly appearance and causes the plant to branch out.

Drop cut branches into a tub of cold water to control the sap spillage. Wipe sap off the main trunk with a cool, damp cloth to help stop its flow and to prevent accidentally coming in contact with it as you work.

When pruning, take great care not to get the sap in your eyes or on your face. Topical exposure to the diterpene esters found in the sap can cause numbness, tingling, and burning sensations.

Getting the sap in your eyes can cause corneal damage and may result in temporary blindness.

If you get sap on your skin or in your eyes, flush with copious amounts of fresh water immediately.

When washing milk bush sap from the skin, wash gently with clean, running water. Don’t scrub or rub.

When flushing the eye, use clean, running water and continue flushing for about twenty minutes to be sure every trace is removed.

In either case, if this does not relieve your symptoms completely, seek medical assistance.

What To Do In Case Of Accidental Ingestion

If you have children or pets, be aware of the symptoms to watch for in the event of accidental ingestion.

• Burning in and around the mouth
• Irregular heartbeat
• Stomach cramps
• Skin Rashes
• Vomiting
• Seizures
• Asthma

The type of symptoms present and their severity depend upon the amount of the plant that is ingested. In case of ingestion, remove any remnants of the plant from the child or pet’s mouth and rinse with clean water.

If the victim is a child, follow up by calling your pediatrician or the Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222 immediately. 

Follow instructions carefully, and remember to take a sample of the plant along with you if you are instructed to go to the emergency room.

If your child is experiencing high temperature, shortness of breath, seizures and/or unconsciousness, don’t waste time. Call 911. [source]

The latex sap found in Euphorbia is also toxic to cats, dogs, and equines (horses, donkeys, and mules). [source]

If you find your cat or dog is vomiting and/or experiencing irritation in and around the mouth, you may suspect pencil cactus poisoning.

With equines, you would see oral irritation, trouble swallowing, and symptoms of pain in the stomach and scour, but these animals cannot regurgitate.

If you think your pet has consumed Euphorbia tirucalli, call your veterinarian or the ASPCA poison hotline (888-426-4435) for advice. If you are instructed to bring your pet into your vet’s office or to an emergency clinic, be sure to take along a sample of the plant. [source]

Is It Safe To Keep The Euphorbia Firestick Cactus At All?

Dire as all this sounds, you needn’t go overboard with alarm.

There are lots of potentially poisonous plants, but luckily most of them taste terrible and accidental ingestion is rare.

If you place your pencil tree plant sensibly so people and pets are not constantly knocking up against it, you are unlikely to have problems with accidental skin contact exposure.

Just remember to be very careful when pruning, wear gloves, and wear eye protection. Pencil tree cactus doesn’t just drip sap. It has been known to squirt or spray it! [source]

Even The Worst Gardener Can Grow Happy, Healthy Pencil Plant Cactus

If you have a brightly lit, warm, dry space, you can expect your Pencil Tree to quickly and easily grow. 

These unique-looking plants make attractive and unusual specimen plants in the garden, solarium, or greenhouse. They pair well with a beautiful container to dress things up.

It’s possible to control your plant’s size with regular pruning, but be sure to follow all the safety precautions we outlined here. Remember to place your plant where it can be seen but not bumped!

If you are a forgetful gardener or one who tends to be absent frequently, this drought-loving plant may be just the right choice for your sunny window, deck, or rock garden. 

Pencil plants are easy to care for and demand so little. If you have lots of light and a little water, you and your pencil cactus will get along just fine.

Recommended Reading:

The golden fruits are also a little sweeter than the dark green varieties, in my experience.

And while I have found it true that the golden or yellow cultivars tend to produce a little less enthusiastically than those abundant green classics like ‘Black Beauty,’ that’s not necessarily all bad.

They still produce plenty.

You won’t feel cheated because you’re dealing with merely gallons, not bushels, of produce from a single plant.

Gold zucchini, whether heirloom or hybrid, also tend to grow fairly fast. This is nice for impatient gardeners and also those with a short growing season.

And their blooms are every bit as edible as those from the better-known glossy green varieties. Lightly battered and sauteed, they are a heavenly treat to usher in the summer harvest season.

Since these prolific cucurbits will start producing harvestable fruit anywhere from 40 to 60 days after planting (from seed – transplants will be ready in even less time), you may even have time for a second planting in the late summer.

Convinced that yellow zucchini might be the way to grow? If you are, let’s get started.

And if you’re not, let me encourage you to give them a try with these growing tips, and short descriptions of some of the varieties that are easy to grow and too fun.

Here’s what I’ll cover:

Known as either “golden” or “yellow” zucchini, these cultivars produce fruits that are super nutritious, chock-full of vitamin A, potassium, and two grams of dietary fiber per 27-calorie one-cup serving.

The plants demand heat and lots of water. They are as easy to grow and almost as productive as the wildly bountiful, more widely known green zucchini.

While they are definitely squash of a different color, golden zucchini share growing requirements with more typical summer squash, and grow best in USDA Hardiness Zones 3-9.

Just like their green brethren, this type of squash first emerged in Italian agriculture and cuisine.

They originated in Milan sometime around 1850 as a strain distinct from other tapered-neck and winter squash like butternut or acorn.

How are yellow zucchini different from typical yellow straightneck or crookneck squash? It’s all about the shape.

The golden zukes are cylindrical, which makes them superior for spiralizing, I’ve found.

Like those in the above photo, yellow squash have a tapered neck. Whether it’s curved or straight, it narrows.

This leaves a section of flesh that’s far more difficult to spiralize, whether you’re using a simple peeler or planer, or have a separate gadget for making zoodles.

There are a few specialty varieties that have emerged more recently and don’t have that typical zucchini shape.

Burpee’s exclusive ‘Golden Egg’ hybrid, for example, looks like something laid by the fairy tale goose. I’ll share more about this type in the section on cultivars below.

They’re not great for zoodles, but they make up for this by being the perfect shape to stuff and grill.

I’ll talk more about some novel yellow varieties here in a bit, but first I want to share three reasons why growing golden zucchini could be a great idea.

They’re easy to spiralize, like the green ones, because they’re long and cylindrical, and picked early on they have only tiny seeds in the pulp.

They’re also light enough in color that they look natural with a tomato sauce, with an advantage over the other types of yellow squash with those narrow necks that are so hard to make into veggie noodles.

This is particularly helpful if you’re trying to draw attention away from the noodles beneath that sauce, say, for a child who needs more veggies than she’ll eat willingly.

2. They’re a Tad Bit Sweeter Than Green Varieties

There’s not a lot of research focused on the relative sweetness of different types of summer squash, but I can vouch for the seed distributors and individual seed swappers who say yellow zucchini are a bit sweeter than green.

In fact, I’ve grown ‘Golden Egg’ and ‘Golden Delight’ myself, and can attest to this!

I don’t mean they’re naturally sugary like pie pumpkins or butternuts, but they definitely lend a little sweetness to stir fries and soups.

Especially here in the South, squash can grow too fast. Ignore your plants for one or two extra days and suddenly you’ve got baseball bats in place of succulent noodle bowl ingredients.

Golden zucchini give you an advantage in that scenario because the leaves won’t obscure the fruit as easily. With that bright lemon color, they’re easy to spot.

When you can readily spot them even without crouching, you’ll increase your odds of harvesting while the produce is still at a tasty size

How to Grow

They’re yellow, but golden zucchini grow best in the same conditions as green ones.

To begin with, you should make sure your selected garden spot has soil with their preferred pH level, which is 6.0-7.5.

You’ll also want to plant them where they’ll receive at least 6 hours per day of full sun, in soil that drains readily.

And they need space! Learn from my mistakes, and make sure the plants will have two feet between them for final spacing.

They require ample air circulation to promote growth and prevent various ailments, including powdery mildew and stem rot.

Ideally, you’ll also choose a spot with room for some companion plants that attract pollinators, which zucchini need to produce fruit, and lots of it.

Marigolds are a popular companion plant, or my favorite, borage. It brings bees of all sorts to my squash garden, and they take time to pollinate the crop while they’re there.

Once you’ve settled on a spot and amended the soil for these heavy feeders, directly sow a few seeds one inch deep in hills spaced six feet apart.

Or, plant the seeds about 18 inches apart in rows that are two to three feet apart. Ideally, you’ll end up with one healthy plant spaced at 18-inch intervals in the rows, or two healthy plants per hill.

Don’t jump the gun! The air should be warm and the weather settled, with nighttime temperatures reliably above 55°F before you plant.

If you feel like you’ll run out of time, it is possible to start the seeds indoors.

Just make sure to start growing them no more than a couple of weeks before you want to transplant, and use a peat pot so you won’t disturb their vulnerable roots during transplanting.

After the plants sprout in 10-14 days, growing is mostly a matter of mulching to cut down on weeds and retain water, and watering. The plants need one to two inches of water per week.

Oh yes, and picking. Make every attempt to harvest the fruits while they’re still glossy, and six inches long or shorter.

That’s when they’ll be tender, not pithy, whether you prefer to enjoy them raw, steamed, roasted, or sauteed.

Picking often also encourages the plants to keep producing.

Make sure to check out our guide to planting and growing zucchini for advice on preventing common issues and pests like powdery mildew and vine borers.

That’s also where you’ll find suggestions for preserving this abundant crop.

Our sister site, Foodal, has tasty recipes too, including lots of suggestions for spiralized vegetables.

Doesn’t a plateful of zucchini noodles with tomatoes and homemade pesto sound great?

You can find that summer squash recipe on Foodal, along with a bounty of others.

Go for the Golden Zucchini

Once you’ve planted these butter-colored veggies, you won’t have long to wait before you’re picking them every day.

You can definitely look forward to an abundance, and enjoy them steamed, baked into bread, stuffed, grilled, or prepared as veggie noodles.

But don’t get so caught up with preserving or sharing the harvest that you forget to save seeds!

With the heirloom varieties, make sure to let one or two fruits grow big enough to save seeds from. For the hybrids, you can’t count on the seeds to grow a true cultivar next year.

Whether you fancy heirloom beefsteaks for burger season, bite-sized cherries for snacking, or piquant paste varieties for canning and sauces, they’re all well-adapted to cultivation in pots.

Even if you only have room for a single plant, you can still enjoy a bounty of beautiful, flavorful fruit.

Just follow our tips on how to grow tomatoes in containers and pots to enjoy your own homegrown harvest.

Here’s what I’ll cover:

Choose Your Location

Tomatoes are sun-loving plants and require a location where they can receive at least six hours of full sun each day.

And because they need regular watering, you’ll also want to set up your containers close to a water source, like drip irrigation or a garden hose.

Plants can be grouped together, but not so close that the leaves brush against each other. This helps to avoid plant-to-plant transmission of disease and pests.

Also, if you plan on collecting seeds from heirloom cultivars, keep them at least 10 feet away from other varieties to prevent inadvertent cross pollination.

Varieties to Select

It’s a good idea to decide on the types of tomato you’d like to grow before you head out to the garden center.

For size considerations, determinate varieties, with their limited growth, are always a good choice for containers.

But indeterminate ones work too, provided they have room to grow – and they’ll need ample support as well.

You can find more information on the difference between determinate and indeterminate varieties in this guide.

Next, look for your favorite features in the three main categories of paste, snacking, and slicing.

Here are a few reliable recommendations from each category to get you started.

Preparation for Planting

The minimum container size should be 12 inches high and 12 inches in diameter, or a five gallon capacity. This is a good size for bush, determinate, dwarf, or patio vines.

Large indeterminate vines require more space and do best in larger containers with a diameter of 18 to 24 inches and a similar height.

All pots require drainage holes to ensure water flows freely away from the roots. Problems like root rot arise when water is allowed to collect in the bottom of the container.

And because harmful pathogens and pests can overwinter in the soil, containers should be sanitized before use.

Spray or swish the interiors with a solution of chlorine bleach and water – 10 percent bleach to 90 percent water. Wipe down and allow to air dry before storing for the winter or planting in spring.

To ensure free-flowing drainage and healthy roots, add a layer of drainage material to the bottom of your pots. Materials such as coconut coir, pebbles, or broken pottery are suitable.

Use Top Quality Soil

To avoid crop contamination from overwintering pathogens and pests like blight, leaf miners, and nematodes, container-grown edibles should always start with fresh soil.

But not just any old soil.

Garden soil is too heavy for pots. It compacts quickly, causing water to run down the interior walls and out of the drainage holes before the roots can drink it in.

Soil compaction also cuts off airflow to the roots, another key element for healthy growth.

Fill vessels with container potting mix to within three to four inches from the top. This allows room to side dress with compost during the growing season or to add a layer of mulch.

Ensure the root hole is deep enough to bury the root ball plus two-thirds of the stem, and mix in a teaspoon of bone meal and a tablespoon of Epsom salt.

The bone meal aids strong root growth and Epsom salt helps with plant formation and to prevent blossom end rot.

Burying two-thirds of the stem also promotes new root growth. To accommodate the stem depth, snip or pinch off the lowest two sets of leaves when planting.

Add two to three inches of straw mulch, if desired, to help retain moisture and keep weeds down.

Pots dry out from the sun and wind faster than the soil in garden beds, and consistent moisture is crucial for well-formed, healthy fruit.

Irregular or shallow watering can lead to problems like blossom end rot and cracked skins.

For the healthiest plants, encourage deep rooting by keeping the soil consistently moist, but not saturated.

When the top inch of soil is dry to the touch, give plants a slow, deep drink so that the entire root system gets water.

And in the heat of summer, you may need to do this every day for large plants.

Use a saucer beneath each pot to catch any water overflow.

This allows plants to absorb moisture back up through the roots during the day and also protects decking and patios from moisture and stains.

If you plan on growing a large crop, a drip irrigation system is an economical way to free up watering time and ensure your plants are watered regularly.

Disposal and Cleanup

After your harvest is complete, remove spent plants from their pots and dispose of healthy ones in your compost pile. Any diseased plants should be burned or thrown out with the trash.

Discard the soil, rinse out the pots, then sanitize by spraying or swishing with a 1:10 solution of bleach and water.

Store them upside down over the winter.

You may have heard of this kind of flower already. For many gardeners, Begonia x semperflorens-cultorum is considered an old-fashioned clump of blooms from the good ol’ days.

Not that this should deter you or anything – I know I’m not the only fan of the classics!

I mean, it’s hard to beat these sweet little plants when you’re looking for a space-filler that adds a generous dose of floral color.

And while some varieties have green foliage, the types with bronze to dark reddish leaves add another eye-catching punch of contrast to flower beds.

In this guide, we’ll break down everything a wax begonia grower needs to know, from propagation to cultivation. By its end, you’ll have another beauty to add to your floral lineup.

Here’s just what we’ll be getting into:

What Are Wax Begonias?

With over 2,000 diverse species of tropical and subtropical plants in the Begonia genus, classifying and telling apart different kinds of begonias can be tricky, so a bit of clarification is definitely in order.

The American Begonia Society has informally classified begonias into eight different groups: cane-like, rex-cultorum, rhizomatous, semperflorens, shrub-like, trailing or scandent, thick-stemmed, and tuberous.

Wax begonias belong to the semperflorens, or “always-flowering” group.

Also known as club or fibrous begonias – the latter is a nod to their root systems – wax begonias are hybridized crosses of many different begonia species and cultivars.

B. cucullata is a notable parent species of B. x semperflorens-cultorum, along with B. subvillosa, B. schmidtiana, B. roezlii, C. foliosa, and B. gracilis.

These hybrids are grown as annuals throughout most of the United States, but they can actually survive year-round as tender perennials in USDA Hardiness Zones 10 to 11.

They grow in small, mounding clumps that reach anywhere from six to 18 inches tall and six to 12 inches wide.

These plants have waxy, finely-serrated, and glossy-surfaced leaves with a round, hooded shape.

Growing from fleshy stems, this foliage can sport dark green to bronze to dark reddish hues, and some varieties can even exhibit white variegation!

Wax begonias put out single or double blooms on loose flower clusters, or cymes. With gorgeous shades of white, red, and/or pink, the petals may either be bicolored or just a single hue.

These flowers also have a rather lengthy blooming period, emerging in late spring and persisting up until the first frost in fall.

Containing toxic calcium oxalates, the roots of these plants can actually cause vomiting and salivation if consumed, so make sure no one in your landscape – human or pet – goes a-munchin’!

Cultivation and History

You may have heard of wax begonias described as B. semperflorens, but this is actually a misnomer for the South American-native plant that ended up being reclassified as B. cucullata.

Taxonomists have since dropped the B. semperflorens nomenclature, but because the name has persisted in gardening circles, it’s essentially synonymous with “wax begonia.”

A variety of B. cucullata – the OG wax begonia, if you will – was the first commercially-introduced wax begonia, way back in 1945.

The name “semperflorens-cultorum” was coined to describe this new, ever-flowering group of hybrids, and the rest is history.

B. x semperflorens-cultorum has since taken the world by storm: as of 2012, it was the most widely-grown begonia in the world.

In 2009, its total production value was 36 million dollars in the United States, making it the country’s fourth most popular bedding plant at the time.

Wax begonias remain beloved thanks to their compact size, uniform growth, heat tolerance, and long blooming period.

But enough talk – it’s time to learn how to grow and care for these beauties yourself!

Propagation

When it comes to wax begonia propagation, you’ve got three potential avenues to take: sowing seeds, taking stem cuttings, or straight-up transplanting.

From Seed

You can gather wax begonia seeds, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

Since the seeds of a wax begonia are practically dust-like in their natural state, utilize pelleted ones instead to make them easier to see, handle, and sow.

Once you’ve purchased your pelleted seeds, you’ll want to sow them about 12 weeks before your area’s final frost date in spring.

After the last frost comes to pass, leave the containers outside for 30 to 60 minutes before bringing them back inside.

Add an additional half hour to a full hour of outdoor exposure time each day until your seedlings can spend a full day outside. At that point, they’re ready for transplanting!

From Stem Cuttings

In spring or summer, select a healthy-looking stem, one with several nodes and no flowers or flower buds.

Take a cutting three to four inches in length, making your cut about half an inch below the lowest node.

Remove the leaves from the cutting’s lower half, and submerge the de-leafed section in a tall, narrow container of water. Keep the cutting in a warm, well-lit spot indoors.

When the roots are about an inch long, you can transplant the cutting into a three-inch container filled with a 50:50 mix of peat moss and perlite. Bury at least one node, and moisten the soil.

As the cutting continues to grow, keep their media moist and repot as necessary.

When the cutting is five to six inches tall and all danger of frost has passed, it’s ready for hardening off outdoors with a similar protocol to what you’d use for seedlings.

Now, it’s transplanting time!

Via Transplanting

Fortunately, it’s very easy to find this plant at garden centers, if taking cuttings isn’t your speed.

Prepare fertile and well-draining planting sites outdoors with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5, spaced about six to eight inches apart.

Dig holes that are about as deep as the transplants’ root systems, and just a bit wider.

We’re looking at similar digging suggestions for container-grown transplants, and similar media recommendations, too: a mix that’s fertile, well-draining, and just a bit acidic.

But instead of garden soil, you’ll be using a 50:50 mixture of peat moss and perlite.

As for the actual containers, select ones about an inch or two wider in diameter than the transplants’ root systems.

Ceramic containers work nicely. Don’t forget the drainage holes at the bottom, though!

Gently ease your transplants from their containers, lower them into their planting holes, and backfill with adjacent soil.

Water in the transplants, and keep the surrounding medium moist as they grow and develop.

How to Grow

Now it’s time for the easy part of growing wax begonias: the day-in and day-out cultivation.

If you’re gardening in a climate that’s colder than that of USDA Hardiness Zones 10 to 11, then your wax begonias will either have to be grown as annuals, or brought indoors for the winter.

In the more northern regions of the US, plant wax begonia in full sun, and keep in mind that varieties with bronze foliage tend to do better in full sun than those with greener leaves. 

Gardeners in the south may need to give these plants some afternoon shade. Full shade is actually tolerable, but flowering will be hindered and less prolific as a result.

Stick with partial shade or dappled sun exposure as needed for best results – don’t be afraid to move a wax begonia if flowering is subpar or if the leaves start to exhibit scorching.

It’s important to provide ample drainage for wax begonias, since oversaturated soils can lead to disease. High soil fertility is preferable as well, along with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5.

For optimal growth, be sure to keep the soil moist, especially with full sun exposure.

Pruning and Maintenance

Begonias don’t require a ton of maintenance. You’ll want to deadhead spent blooms to encourage more flowers, and you should regularly pinch the stems back if you want bushier plants.

If you wish to grow your wax begonias for more than a single year in colder climates, cut the plant back, dig it up, and transplant into a container to bring inside and enjoy indoors over the winter.

Set the plant near a sunny window, and keep the media moist.

Cultivars to Select

The number of commercially available cultivars is quite expansive. If you need help in narrowing down your options, these are some solid choices:

Ambassador White

Ambassador ‘White’ flaunts especially large, pure white flowers atop rich green foliage.

Reaching heights of six to eight inches and spreads of 10 to 12 inches at maturity, this cultivar’s prominent blooms and simple color scheme make a bold, yet humble statement.

If you’re not feeling white, the Ambassador series also includes pink- and red-flowered options, as well as bicolored and mixed ones.

Managing Pests and Disease

Let’s discuss some potential threats to a wax begonia’s health, shall we?

Herbivores

Great news: herbivores aren’t a huge concern with wax begonias. These plants are actually resistant to rabbits and deer!

Insects

Luckily, B. x semperflorens-cultorum doesn’t typically suffer from serious insect problems. But annoying ones? Most definitely a possibility.

Here’s a fun fact-slash-tip: by cracking down on unwanted insects, you can also crack down on unwanted disease, since some bugs actually vector pathogens!

Mealybugs

Covered in a white and mealy wax, mealybugs are small, soft-bodied insects that measure less than a fifth of an inch long.

Forming clustered colonies on infested stems and leaves, mealybugs suck the sap from infested tissues, which can stunt the plant’s growth.

They also excrete honeydew, which can attract ants and lead to sooty mold infection.

To manage mealybugs, you’ll need to check your plants for them regularly. Once you spot these pests, get rid of them by dipping cotton swabs in rubbing alcohol, then applying the swabs directly to the bugs.

Sprays of insecticidal soaps and horticultural oil work to eradicate them as well.

For a homemade DIY concoction, you can fill an old spray bottle with a mixture of dish soap and water – add one tablespoon of soap per quart of water – then spritz it directly onto infested plant surfaces.

Learn more about mealybugs in our guide.

Thrips

Ranging in hue from translucent yellow or white to dark brown or black, thrips are tiny, slim insects that sport fringed wings.

With their specialized mouthparts, thrips pierce leaves to feed, leaving discolored feeding marks and black frass in their wake.

Botrytis Blight

A disease that affects many different herbaceous and woody perennials, botrytis blight is caused by fungi from the Botrytis genus.

Overwintering in nearby plant detritus, fungal sclerotia form spores in springtime, which spread via wind and water to infect plants at vulnerable points such as dead, injured, and/or softened tissues.

Also known as gray mold, botrytis blight can cause abnormal development, browning, spots, and irregular flecks in flowers, flower buds, and leaves.

Older flowers may quickly rot, while infected tissues can become coated with a trademark gray mold, especially after periods of cool and damp weather.

To prevent Botrytis blight, avoid overcrowding specimens, clean up nearby plant debris such as fallen leaves and twigs, avoid excess nitrogen fertilizer, and don’t water plants from overhead. 

If you so desire, applying fungicides in advance can protect plants from the get-go. For some help in preventing fungal resistance to any one fungicide that you use, our guide on the subject has some useful tips for you.

If infection occurs, remove infected tissues and destroy them, along with entire plants that are too far gone.

Powdery Mildew

Caused by a variety of different fungal pathogens, powdery mildew causes infected leaves to accumulate an unsightly gray to white powder.

Infected leaves may be shrunken, curled, or chlorotic, or they may drop off entirely as the disease progresses. Flowers can become deformed as well.

Overwintering as mycelium in leaf detritus, the fungus releases conidia spores in humid and warm springtime conditions. Powdery mildew spores can actually germinate sans free moisture, facilitating spread.

Many Botrytis blight prevention practices can work to prevent powdery mildew. Planting in full sun exposure is another effective prevention technique.

Be sure to prune away infected tissues!

Read our guide to learn more about powdery mildew and how to control it.

Stem Rot

Stem rot typically results from a combination of overwatering and the fungus-like oomycete Pythium ultimum.

Infected stems darken, become water-soaked, and eventually flop over. Not a good look.

Prevention-wise, it’s especially important to avoid excessive irrigation and oversaturated soils.

Infected specimens should be removed and destroyed, and the soil in the planting area should be replaced or sterilized prior to reusing the site.

Best Uses

When it comes to landscape utility, the wax begonia is quite versatile.

Whether you opt to use them in borders, set them in window boxes, place them along walkways, display them in patio containers, or put a whole bunch of ’em together to plant en masse, you have a lot of options.

Carpet bedding is another aesthetic application. Intricate, tapestry- or carpet-like designs can be made by putting varieties of Begonia x semperflorens-cultorum together, whether with cultivars in different colors or with other low-growing plants.

Need companion plantings for wax begonias? Try coleus, dusty miller, Boston fern, or even petunias!

SOME OF US plant a row or two of annuals for cutting, but Frances Palmer has taken the phrase “cutting garden” to the most delightful extreme. From the first spring bulbs to the final asters of fall, ceramic artist Frances Palmer’s Connecticut garden is a nonstop harvest. No flower gets more of the prime real estate in her beds than dahlias, and she grows hundreds of dahlia plants each year.

Frances Palmer is a well-known ceramist and gardener, author of the 2020 book “Life in the Studio” (affiliate link) and creator of a popular Instagram account, too. She shared her dahlia how-to growing advice—plus some of her favorite varieties, and her go-to sources, too.

Plus: Enter for a chance to win her book, “Life in the Studio: Inspiration and Lessons on Creativity,” by commenting in the box near the bottom of the page.

Read along as you listen to the May 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 or Stitcher (and browse my archive of podcasts here).

dahlias with frances palmer

 

 

Margaret Roach: Hi, Frances. You came in from the garden to talk?

Frances Palmer: I did. Although truthfully, it’s kind of pouring rain outside, but yes, it’s a good day for ducks.

Margaret: We just worked on a “New York Times” story together about your incredible garden. But when we collaborated on the recent Times story, you told me something that I didn’t really put together in my head before that. You told me that it was your ceramics, and specifically the need to photograph the pieces you made, that brought you to the garden in the first place. Tell us a little bit about your background. How’d you become a gardener?

Frances: Well, first of all, thank you so much for inviting me to speak. This is great. Well, my mother had a small garden. She had peonies and tomatoes, nothing too elaborate, in Morristown, New Jersey, where I grew up. I had wanted to have a garden when we first moved out to Connecticut, but we were in this ’40s glass house that was cantilevered into the hillside and very shady. When we moved to this property almost 30 years ago and we had lots of sun and land, I had been studying books, and had kept coming across these dahlias. I just couldn’t believe there was a flower on the planet that looked like this [laughter].

Coincidentally, my husband is from San Francisco, so we went out there every summer when the kids were small, and the Dahlia Society in San Francisco maintains this extraordinary dahlia garden in the middle of the San Francisco park. The people there were very dedicated. The day that I went there just for the first time so many years ago was the day that they were having the dahlia exhibition in the exhibition hall not that far away.

I just remember leaving the kids and everybody in the car. I’m like, “I’m sorry, I have to go.” I just was blown away. Everybody there kindly shared all their resources, Swan Island Dahlias, Ferncliff that you mentioned in the article. I’ve been ordering from them ever since.

The nice thing about growing a dahlia is they’re not really that fussy. It was pretty easy to have success right off the bat. That was thrilling.

Margaret: You were already doing ceramics and you’re making these ceramics and you’re selling them, but you realized you wanted to keep a record of them, I think you told me. You started to want to take pictures. And these incredible flowers, sculptural and vivid and whatever, kind of became the props to do that?

Frances: They did. By the time we moved over to this property, I had already been making pottery. And from the very inception of my work, I documented, everything because as I explained, it’s functional, so I wanted people using it, and therefore it would leave the studio. I would go to the 28th Street Flower Market and get flowers and bring it home.

Margaret: In New York City. Right, right.

Frances: But as you know, there’s nothing even… Of course, the whole thing has changed so radically since 30 years ago. When you went and bought flowers, they were commercially grown flowers. Now, so many people are flower farmers, and they’re selling their flowers to people, but they have an authenticity that I couldn’t find when I first started wanting to grow. I just found that a flower that you grew, and its lifespan and the way it behaved, was so different from something that you would buy in a wholesale flower place. No disrespect intended.

Margaret: No, no, no. And you’re right, it has that whole world of flowers, the local aspect of it, has changed that. But 30 years ago, definitely not. It was more more limited selection and more formal roses and tulips and whatever.

Frances: And then I would be reading all these English garden books, as well as your book, but I would order from Thompson & Morgan, because you could get the seeds shipped over from the UK and you just couldn’t find those varieties here.

Margaret: Right, right. After talking to you recently [laughter], I confess that I binged a little on some dahlia tubers. You got me going. You just mentioned Swan Island Dahlias, I think Ferncliff Gardens.

Frances: Yes. Yes.

Margaret: Just so that we don’t forget to shout on a couple, because there’s still time really almost everywhere in the country to get started.

Frances: In fact just got this wonderful message on my Instagram from Bear Creek Farm [in Bangall, NY] You can go to them. It’s amazing what is available for people to select. But again, that’s one of the things what we talked about is that you shouldn’t get too hung up on a particular dahlia and drive yourself insane.

Margaret: I want to talk about that in a second. Old House Gardens was one place you sent me. It’s funny because, of course, I’ve known them forever, but I didn’t think, “Oh, that’s a dahlia source,” but they have all these antique varieties and you learn the history.

Frances: Yes. I know. I love that. I love that.

Margaret: I mean, Swan Island has over 400 kinds listed [laughter], Swan Island Dahlias. I think they’re the biggest provider in this country.

Frances: Yes, but they have excellent quality.

Margaret: Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was amazing.

Frances: That’s the good news. [Below, ‘Bodacious’ dahlia.]

Margaret: I did a little homework after we talked. I was trying to figure out how many dahlias are there. There’s 400 at Swan Island catalog alone, and I think the American Dahlia Society said there was close to 11,000 registered so far. The international ones, with the Royal Horticultural Society and so forth, if you go over there, there’s even more listed. Historically, there’s been tens of thousands over the years and years and years listed.

Frances: Right.

Margaret: It’s like a lot.

Frances: I think when I give that class at the NYBG, in that slideshow, it said that by something like 1825, they were over 700 dahlia exhibitions where people could display their… I mean, it was something that once these tubers made their way from Mexico to Spain or England or the Netherlands, the dahlia mania in the 19th century just was crazy.

Then I guess they felt a little bit out of fashion, because when I first started growing them, people would go, “Ew, Dahlias, ew,” and that isn’t the case any longer.

Margaret: Right. You just mentioned the class at the New York Botanical Garden twice a year  since 2015. Is it called Dauntless Dahlias? Is that right?

Frances: Yeah, that’s what they named it.

Margaret: Every March and October I think you give that.

Frances: Yeah. Yeah.

Margaret: You have an open garden for many years in your Connecticut garden for the Garden Conservancy Open Days. When is that?

Frances: Yes. This year it’s September 30th. I was looking on the website and it says you can’t sign up, I guess, until June 30th. I think if you want to go, then just mark it on your calendar.

Margaret: I can give the link so that people can at least bookmark that and know where to look. There’s just such an incredible number of possibilities. Again, I was like scribbling notes while we were talking to do the Times story. I was like, “Ooh, I want this one. I want that one.”

Frances: I know.

Margaret: I’m sure your students feel the same way when you’re showing slides in the class and stuff. But what you told me is what you were just saying, don’t get hung up on, “I’ve got to have that one.” It’s more like, how should we shop? What should we look for?

Frances: Again, if there’s a particular color that you are very fond of, like a light pink, a dark pink, anything, that could be your parameter for choosing. Or you could go, “I want something starting very small up to very large.” There are just so many different ways you can go about it. Also, the good news is that if it doesn’t work this year, what do they say? Hope springs eternal. There’s always next year. You try again. I mean, you have to just allow yourself a little bit of time for trial and error and all of that, and not be too hard on yourself.

Margaret: I mean, you said something that really to me the other day that evoked an image, which is that you could just order different ball-shaped dahlias and make a garden of ball-shaped dahlias, because there’s these incredible shapes of cactus ones. You could have this insane cactus thing going on, right?

Frances: Yes. You just did ball dahlias. You could do those little tiny pompons, pom-pons is how you pronounce it. Just do all different colors, buy color. You could have a field day just doing that one particular shape.

Margaret: Shades within a color or different sizes of the same shape, etc.

Frances: Exactly. And also, ball dahlias are typically really good cutting flowers because they usually have nice, strong, long stems without too much effort.

Margaret: I want to talk about effort then. I want to talk about, I want to take some time now to go through the… You stash your tubers. Not that you have a lot of tubers or anything: 25 cardboard boxes I think you confessed to me, that come out of the cellar, the frostproof cellar. So you stash them over the winter, and you’re taking them out. Tell us when are you planting them? How are you planting them? I mean, people are in all different places listening. What are some of the basics if you walk us through the version of how to plant?

Frances: There are the two types that we talked about. If you’ve stored the tubers over the winter and you’re pulling them out, you want to look and make sure that the clump of tubers has… that the tubers are firm. Sometimes a lot of the ones that I’m pulling out now have already started to sprout. You see those little potato bud eyes coming around the stem, that shows that it’s a viable…

I mean, if it’s shriveled or it looks moldy, it’s not going to work. You just have to examine kind of everybody. I try very hard not to have them break apart, because I have so many, I don’t want to have multiples.

But if you want to split them, so that you have… If you have a dahlia that you really love and you go, “Oh, I wish I had more,” sometimes they break apart very simply, or otherwise, you can take a knife and like literally just cut through the center to give yourself more of that same type.

Of course, it is pouring now [at the end of April], which is not a great thing, but I did start planting them already because I just wanted to get things going. It’s a little bit on the early side. I would say for the Northeast, any time in the month of May, depending on how far north you are.

Margaret: Generally, when you say May, I think tomatoes… Wherever someone’s gardening in the country, it’s sort of like: If it’s O.K. for tomatoes, it’s O.K. for dahlias. Is that the guidance?

Frances: Definitely, but I tend to push it and get the dahlias in earlier than the tomatoes. The tomatoes, you really have to wait. But the dahlias, especially if they’re older tubers, they’re ready to go. They’re a lot more easy to do that way.

Margaret: Your garden, as I said at the beginning, is really a cutting garden, a giant cutting garden, and a number of beds within two big areas. That’s your planting system, is you’re gridding them out almost to get the most space, use the real estate to have the maximum flowers.

What are you doing? How are you supporting them, and when are you putting the supports up and things like that?

Frances: Well, as you wrote in the article, the most important thing about the planting of the dahlia tubers is putting a support system in place the minute you put them in the ground, because their stems are hollow and very brittle. If they’ve lumped on the ground and you want to go and pick them up to put them inside a cage, they’ll just snap. You really have to have that support system, whether it’s bamboo or as I use the tomato cage [above], or anything then, as you plant it ,so that as it gets larger and if you need to put string around the support system to hold it all together. But you really can’t do it afterwards.

Margaret: We put our support in. Now you, because you’re doing this as a cutting garden, you’re using a tomato cage held up by a stake or two for each plant.

Frances: Yes, and I put them right next to each other. The taller dahlias tend to support… They’re so close together, they tend to support each other. And then once all the dahlias are in place, that’s when I go around and I put in the zinnias and the sunflowers and all the other stuff that I want to have going at the same time. I’ve got the bearded iris around the edge of the beds. Everything is kind of strategized so that things don’t interfere with each other.

Margaret: Right. If it were a garden that were being designed not for production like yours is, but for… If it were a mixed border, for instance, and I’m incorporating some dahlias, I might skip the tomato cage and just use the stakes and twine.

Frances: Definitely, because they’re not very pretty [laughter]. They function, but they’re not pretty. If you want the dahlias to be part of a perennial border or something like that, definitely just use the bamboo. And then again, they’ll be hemmed in by other plants. We talked about Wave Hill where they do that so beautifully.

Margaret: Yes, the garden in New York City. Absolutely. So I’m digging a hole for each one. I’m not burying them too deep, am I?

Frances: No.

Margaret: How deep would you think? How much soil on top?

Frances: Well, if it’s a new tuber, you only want to go an inch or two down, just below the surface. If you put a new tuber in too deeply, it will most likely rot, especially this time of year when the ground is so wet anyway, and I don’t usually even water the garden. Of course, it changes every year, but most of the time I could get almost to June without watering. Lately, of course, where it’s so much warmer, I would say mid-May I finally give in and turn on the sprinkler.

But in the beginning, a new tuber, you don’t want to put down too deeply. And then of course, an older tuber [below] that’s a big clump, you want to dig the hole enough just so that it sits below the surface.

But that being said, if you hurl something onto the ground and it’s ready to go, it’ll just go.

Margaret: [Laughter.] You’re hurling the tubers. This is Frances’s method. Go outside, hurl the tubers around. That’s good. That sounds perfect. That sounds like how I garden. Some days it comes to that, doesn’t it, Frances?

Frances: It so does.

Margaret: We have our tubers in the ground. We have our supports in place right away, so we have a plan for supporting them, and then they start coming up. They are prolific growers. Do I let it all grow, do its own thing? What do I do?

Frances: There’ll be a center stem that comes out of the ground, and maybe one set of leaves and even perhaps a little bud for a flower. When it does that, you want to pinch out that center bud so that it will encourage the plant to branch. Especially if it’s a new tuber, you’re going to get one of those stems, and you want to pinch it out to encourage it to branch out. Once you’ve done that, it gets it going on the right path.

Margaret: It’s the first stem that comes up. There’s sort of three parts to it and I’m taking the middle piece out.

Frances: Yeah, pinching out the center bud. If you have an old tuber that sprouts many stems at the same time, I tend to just leave it alone because there’s so many. Exactly.

Margaret: O.K., good to know, because I got new ones, obviously, and I haven’t grown them for a long time, so I’m kind of… Yeah, good. All right, anything else besides continuing the support along the way as they grow? Anything else that we do?

Frances: What I started doing a few years ago is spraying the entire garden, all the plant material, leaves and flower, every couple weeks with seaweed or fish emulsion that you put like a quarter-cup in a two-gallon sprayer. You want to do it in the morning because it’s smelly and you might need to shower afterwards. But I’ll get up early in the morning and I’ll just spray the entire garden every couple weeks. Everybody seems to really love that treatment.

Margaret: For a foliar feed.

Frances: A foliar feed, and it keeps the dahlias very happy. I haven’t really had trouble with mold or any of that stuff. If you start that say mid-May, end of May, and just go through until frost.

Margaret: I want to, of course, know more wonderful ones, even though I’m supposed to only shop by either shape or color or not get too attached to anything. But I want to know what kind of examples of some of the ones… I mean in recent years, for instance, that one… What is it? Is it called ‘Cafe au Lait’ [above]? Am I making that up?

Frances: ‘Cafe au Lait,’ yeah.

Margaret: That’s become a trending, hot thing, especially for brides for use in weddings and so forth. It’s like so barely pinkish, peachy.

Frances: I almost feel like that ‘Café au Lait’ crescendo has peaked, and now people are going uh. But the truth is, is it’s a very beautiful dahlia. What I like about it is that as the season goes on, and it gets a little funkier, the colors are… It’s just very beautifully nuanced. Even though it had been in the past few years a bit of a cliche, I still think it’s really a beautiful dahlia to grow.

Margaret: I think nuanced is a very good word for it, because the flowers are not identical.

Frances: They get these wonderful little curlicues when they start to get toward the end of the season. Everybody has personality. For some reason, ‘Cafe au Lait’ doesn’t store well over the winter. It’s just one of those tubers that doesn’t seem to like that. I tend to order that every year just to have some backup.

Whereas, again, going back, if you want to know the great classics, go to the American Dahlia Society and read their list. Even though it’s quite extensive, it’s still great. I always try to plant ‘Spartacus’ and ‘Zorro’ and all of those. ‘Walter Hardisty’ [below], it’s very late dahlia, but once if it arrives, which is probably towards the end of August, early September, it is the most beautiful white.

Margaret: It’s big. It’s big?

Frances: It’s big. Yeah, it’s really big. I mean, again, we wrote down ‘Otto’s Thrill.’ ‘Myrtle’s Brandy,’ that was, again, from that Bear Creek Farm, and I just looked it up while we were talking. It’s in New York State, it’s not in Connecticut, but it’s a great East Coast supplier. I’m just trying to think.

Margaret: There are some that aren’t subtle at all, in the sense that either they’re such giants or that they have two-colored pets and stuff.

Frances: I mean, ‘Bodacious,’ that is a great one.

Margaret: Good name [laughter].

Frances: Yeah, I know. It is bodacious, but what I love about it is that you store it. It’s a good storer. But when it comes out, it’s different somehow. I don’t know what happens when it’s in storage. The ones that I’ve had over the years, you can tell they’re much different from the newer ones.

‘Clyde’s Choice’ is such a great orange. ‘Kelvin Floodlight’ is a wonderful yellow. ‘Thomas Edison’ is a great purple. Let’s see. I’m just trying to think.

Margaret: Well, those are some great ones. We haven’t talked about your ceramics very much, but I mean, anyone who hasn’t seen your Instagram, it’s just so arresting to see how you have connected these two loves of your life.

Frances: Thank you. I don’t know, I love making the work. What’s really so important to me is, for example, if I know some pieces are coming out of the kiln, I go through the garden and think, O.K., what flowers are happening now? How can I can do this? Or if I see some flowers are happening, what is the vase? Do I have the vase? Should I make the vase? I see all the tulips in the garden now and I’m like, you should be making tulipieres [spouted vases; one style above]. I feel really lucky that I have this opportunity to make the work and have the flowers to use with them.

Margaret: Well, it certainly is an arresting combination. Your ceramics are… In the same way that the geometry of dahlias is its whole own world, your ceramics also have both a classic element, and an almost eccentric, unbelievable element as well.

Frances: Well, thank you. What I also think that’s the parallel between the flowers and the clay, is that to a certain extent, both processes have an unpredictability. I can give it my best effort. For example, I’m going to do a wood fire next week. What happens in the kiln, or when you put a plant in the garden and what happens in the garden? There’s a certain part of both of them that’s completely out of my control. I love that aspect.

Margaret: Yes. Well, I’m so glad to talk to you again. You said that the similarity, and of course, the flowers and the clay both come from the earth, don’t they? They both come out of the earth, so that’s pretty nice, too. We’ll have to end there.

Frances: Thank you so much.

Margaret: In the meantime, thank you, Frances, for making time today. Now, go back outside and plant more of your hundreds of dahlias [laughter].

Frances: I know. O.K., I will.

(All photos by Frances Palmer. Used with permission.)

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Pisum sativum ‘Dwarf Grey’

It’s a testament to the ‘Dwarf Grey’ snow pea’s easy-going nature when I tell you one of the toughest issues is deciding whether to spell that name “Grey,” like the British and even most American distributors, or “Gray” as per common US spelling.

Beyond forcing you to deliberate for, oh, 10 seconds or so over which vowel to use, I think you’ll find that this legume is easy to care for.

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It has lovely traits, including its ability to produce shoots, edible blooms, and a reliable harvest of flat, crispy pods in the chilly days of spring or early autumn.

As long as you meet its need for cool temperatures and well-draining soil, it’s hard to go wrong with ‘Dwarf Grey.’

If you think this might be the cool-season vegetable you need in your home garden, let me tell you a little more about it before you make up your mind.

Here’s the short list of information on offer:

These compact plants are one of the first vegetables that reach a harvestable size in the spring and one of the last to keep producing in the chill of autumn.

Follow these tips for the healthiest plants and biggest yields.

What Are ‘Dwarf Grey’ Peas?

‘Dwarf Grey’ is a small-but-mighty variety of edible pod pea, prized for its flat, green, two-and-a-half-inch pods as well as its sweet, mild pea shoots and edible pink and violet blooms.

Like all members of the Pisum sativum species, it’s a legume that draws nitrogen from the air and fixes it into garden soil via root nodules. These hold specialized bacteria that form a symbiotic relationship with the plants.

This cultivar grows more quickly than many other peas, producing pods 57 to 65 days from sowing.

Like all snow peas, ‘Dwarf Grey’ pods are fabulous in Asian cooking. Peas are native to that continent, originating in an area spanning southwest Asia and northeast Africa.

We do know for sure that P. sativum was grown widely in Africa and Asia by 1,000 BCE and that the flatter-pod snow peas are a more recent innovation.

Historians estimate snow peas arrived on the culinary and garden scene in the 1500s.

More compact versions with bicolor blooms were grown sometime in the late 1700s, but the ‘Dwarf Grey’ cultivar wasn’t officially a thing until 1881.

That’s the year a forerunner of today’s Ferry Morse – the Detroit-based D. M. Ferry & Co. – offered this “most desirable” variety in their catalog.

How to Sow

While it is possible to start ‘Dwarf Grey’ seeds indoors in biodegradable pots and then transplant the seedlings, it saves little time because transplant survival is not great.

The better option is to sow the seeds outside in early spring, six to eight weeks ahead of the average last frost in your area.

Here in East Tennessee, that date corresponds to Valentine’s Day, so I plant then and usually harvest my first fully-formed snow peas by Mother’s Day.

If you don’t have an easy-to-remember guideline like mine, be sure to note a reminder to plant in your gardening journal or set a reminder on your phone.

It’s so important to get these cool-weather-loving legumes planted while they’ll have time to produce ahead of the onset of hot weather.

If you’re planning to grow full-size plants, sow the seeds an inch deep and about two inches apart in rows separated by 12 to 18 inches.

You can also tuck a few here and there in prepared containers or other vegetable beds that have a bit of extra space.

After tamping the soil, water it thoroughly and then keep it moist until the seeds sprout. That usually takes about seven to 14 days.

If you intend to grow peas solely for microgreens or “shoots,” space them just half an inch or so apart on all sides. You can sow them in a shallow dish of potting mix indoors or blanket an area of a raised bed or outdoor container.

Look for more tips on growing microgreens in our guide.

Once your ‘Dwarf Grey’ seeds sprout, you’ll have tasty treats fresh from the garden starting with shoots in about 10 days.

Keep reading for tips on getting the highest yields and enjoying every phase of the harvest.

How to Grow

If you meet its minimal growing requirements, you won’t usually have any trouble with ‘Dwarf Grey.’

Focus first on the temperature.

Forget that this legume is a green bean relative when you get ready to sow: Unlike green beans, limas, and black-eyed peas that love heat, P. sativum needs cool weather to produce.

The seeds go in the ground four to six weeks ahead of your last frost in spring, or two months ahead of the first frost in autumn.

Plant in full sun.

Once temperatures exceed 85°F, snow peas will quit growing, blooming, or producing edible pods.

Since this variety matures starting 57 to 65 days from sowing, calculate how much time they have before the temperatures get too hot for them in your area.

If these calculations indicate your plants won’t have enough time to mature, consider sowing the first group to harvest as shoots, which only takes about 10 days after they sprout.

If you still want the pods, plan to plant another crop the next season, whether next spring or next autumn, when you have enough time for them to fully mature.

This undemanding plant does have one absolute must: well-draining soil. Without that, it may succumb to damping off, and the larger plants may incur deadly root rot.

It’s okay if the soil is only average, or if you have sandy or clay soil. But you should amend it to be well-draining.

Otherwise, plant in raised beds or containers filled with a mix formulated for vegetables. Don’t use the fertilized soil mixes for container gardens – they contain more nutrients than peas need.

The ideal pH for snow peas is between 6.5 and 6.8. If you’re striving for healthy plants and top yields, that’s the range to shoot for.

Try a soil test the season before you grow peas so you’ll have enough time to adjust the pH with limestone, wood ash, or other amendments as needed. Soil pH shifts take time!

If you’re ready to sow, but your soil isn’t the right pH, consider growing in a raised bed or container full of soil with that ideal pH and working on your garden patch soil for next season.

When growing in containers, choose one at least 12 inches in diameter for three or four plants.

It doesn’t need to be more than three or four inches deep to accommodate the shallow roots of pea plants, but it does need drainage holes and a well-draining growing medium formulated for vegetable beds.

We have more extensive information on choosing a container to grow snow peas for you in our guide to growing peas indoors.

Also, make sure your patch is weed-free before you sow seeds. Snow peas have shallow roots that make them tough to cultivate later without pulling the vegetables out with the weeds.

Applying two inches of mulch once the plants are about four inches tall helps to suppress weeds and retain moisture.

Newspapers, pine straw, and dried, untreated grass clippings are all good choices. Steer away from wood chips or any mulch treated with herbicides.

You can prune the vine tips back to their lowest set of true leaves when they’re about six inches tall if you wish.

That encourages branching for a more substantial shoot harvest and will also promote more flowering.

Don’t worry about supplemental fertilizer – these legumes won’t need it.

If you plant in well-draining soil and sow ahead of early-summer heat, you may not need any supplemental water for ‘Dwarf Grey’ either.

The harvest will be over before the soil gets too dry in midsummer, at least in theory.

If the soil does start to look dry, strive to give the plants about an inch of water every two weeks once the temperature starts exceeding 80°F up until they start flowering, and then stop with the extra water.

When you’re growing in containers or window boxes, you may need to water more frequently, which makes it all the more important to plant in well-draining soil.

If rain doesn’t provide it, do so yourself, but be extra careful to water at the soil surface level, not from overhead.

Growing Tips

• Sow seeds four to six weeks ahead of the average last frost in your area.
• Time spring sowing so the plants will produce before your local temperatures exceed 85°F.
• Sow in well-draining soil with a pH of 6.5 to 6.8.

Where to Buy

I’m pleased to be able to share a number of sources for ‘Dwarf Grey’ pea seeds to grow in your garden.

Buy a larger quantity if you plan to grow microgreens or enough pods to freeze.

You can always freeze extra seeds in an airtight container, and they should stay viable for at least a couple of growing seasons.

‘Dwarf Grey’ Seeds

Find 100- and 400-seed packets and 1,600-seed bulk sacks available from Eden Brothers.

If you’ll focus on growing microgreens, you may want larger quantities of the seeds since even a 10-inch container or shallow tray can hold 50 or more seeds for germination.

Microgreens Seeds

One to 25-pound sacks are available from True Leaf Market.

When you’re planning to start with a modest container of full-size plants or a few snow peas tucked into a small-space garden or early spring window box, a small packet can be more manageable.

Purchase a 25- to 30-seed packet of ‘Dwarf Grey’ from Gaea’s Blessings via Amazon.

Managing Pests and Disease

Water sprinkled on the leaves can lead to a number of fungal infections, especially when it’s damp and humid out, or if the peas don’t have enough space for ample air circulation.

After decades of growing snap and snow types, I make it a point not to touch the leaves when they’re wet from the rain. It seems like even the lightest brush will cause peas to get bean rust.

It’s caused by the fungus Uromyces appendiculatus and will trash your snow peas, starting with the leaves and eventually killing the whole plant.

The key to preventing bean rust is rotating your crops so you don’t grow peas or any other legumes in the same spot without a two-year break in between.

The fungus can live in soil for several years, even without a host plant. When one type of legume develops bean rust, the fungus will overwinter in the soil and reemerge to attack other legumes growing in that spot for the next year or two.

If you get bean rust, the only remedy is a bummer: You have to remove and destroy the affected plants. So be sure to rotate your crops, okay?

The other most commonplace diseases to avoid are powdery mildew, damping off, and root rot.

A handful of pests might make themselves known, too.

Rabbits, deer, squirrels, and the like can’t help but notice that you’ve provided this tasty, tender early crop – and they don’t know it’s not for them, do they?

You can protect the seedlings from herbivores with row cover until they begin to bloom and need pollinating, or wrap them with bird netting.

Insects won’t usually bother the peas until later in the season, and your best hope there is that they’ll be growing so well they can withstand a bit of insect damage.

Aphids are the most common. Learn how to detect, prevent, and combat them in our guide.

You can also pick up more pointers on avoiding and treating pests and diseases in our guide to growing snow peas.

Harvest and Storage

In the season replete with pungent spring onions and spicy greens, it’s nice to have sweet, mild peas to harvest in still-chilly weather.

Even if you’re not growing ‘Dwarf Grey’ expressly for shoots, you can harvest a couple once the plants are at least four inches tall.

You’ll want to leave behind at least one pair of true leaves while harvesting the tops – both the stem and the leaves together.

You can pinch off a few inches of each vine tip using your fingers, but I recommend using clean scissors instead, so you don’t inadvertently pull the plants up by their shallow roots at the same time.

If you are growing the peas just for the shoots, you can harvest them a few at a time and leave the true leaves behind to grow more shoots. Or, you can cut the whole bunch at the soil line in one fell swoop.

Be sure to till the remains into the soil, or put the soil and debris into the compost.

The first shoot harvest will yield just one per plant, while a subsequent harvest of two or three vine tips per plant should be possible two or three weeks after making your initial cuts.

You can nibble these shoots while strolling through the garden or add them to salads or cooked recipes while they’re freshly picked.

I encourage you to harvest shoots only as you need them, but if that’s not possible, you can store them for a couple of days in the refrigerator. Just make sure the temperature isn’t below freezing or they’ll immediately wilt and get slimy.

To encourage them to last longer, remove any yellow or damaged leaves ahead of time, wrap them in a paper towel, and slide them into an open zipper-lock plastic bag ahead of storing them in the veggie crisper.

If you need to rinse off some dirt, do that only right before you cook them so they don’t get mushy.

Snip edible flowers right after they open, and try to eat them or use them as a fresh ingredient immediately. Otherwise you can store them for a few days in the fridge using the same process you would for shoots.

When your top goal is a hefty harvest of pods, you’ll want to mark your calendar or set a cell phone reminder for 57 days after you sow.

That way, you can start looking for the pods and enjoy them at peak flavor and before they’re stringy.

Pick them when they’re bright green and about two to two-and-a-half inches long, and while they’re still flat, without the protruding seeds that indicate overripe snow peas.

I’d use scissors for the harvest, but you can pinch the pods from the stems with your fingers. Keeping them picked encourages new pods to form.

Ideally, you’ll be able to pick them right ahead of cooking or fresh eating, but you can also store them using the same paper-towel-and-plastic-bag-in-the-fridge method you would for the shoots or blooms.

Speaking of cooking, stick around for some preserving and recipe inspiration.

Preserving

Flat ‘Dwarf Grey’ snow pea pods don’t lend themselves to dehydrating or pickling, but you can freeze them.

Make sure to blanch them first, tossing them in boiling water for 90 seconds, draining them, and then plunging them into ice water for two minutes.

Then drain them a second time and lay them flat on a clean, dry dish towel to dry thoroughly.

Freeze them in a single layer on a sheet pan and then place the individual frozen pods into freezer zipper bags or airtight containers. Put them back in the freezer until you’re ready to use them.

You can also freeze them as an ingredient in a stir fry like this recipe for sriracha tofu vegetable stir fry from our sister site, Foodal.

Substitute snow peas for about half of the green beans called for, and add them at the end of cooking.

Of course, you may end up eating all you grow while they’re in season, as we’ll discuss next!

Recipes and Cooking Ideas

There are so many great ways to cook with the harvest, from adding fresh shoots to smoothies, to garnishing soups and frosted cakes with their pretty blooms, to steaming the pods for a fresh side dish.

I enjoy eating the fresh pods with horseradish dip or hummus, or I like them slit lengthwise and stuffed with cream cheese and chive filling.

I also like slivering the pods and adding them to a coleslaw, like this recipe from Foodal.

And they’re a substantial addition to dinner salads. I love their green color and crisp texture added to Foodal’s recipe for asparagus, snow pea, and black-eyed pea salad.

They live up to their reputation as a standout ingredient in Asian foods, too. But don’t take my word for it – cook Foodal’s Asian chicken cabbage stir fry and see for yourself.

If you bring the pods into contact with heat, you’ll need to follow a few guidelines.

For one, never add snow peas to a long-cooking recipe like stew or vegetable soup. They tend to get mushy, yellow, and cabbagey after simmering for more than a couple of minutes.

If you want to include them in your soup or fried rice, add them in the last minute of cooking – literally.

They’re tasty in pasta salad, too. It’s best to blanch them for just a minute in boiling water and then refresh them in ice water so they’ll keep that lovely bright green color.

Then be sure to drain them before adding them to chilled dishes.

Quick Reference Growing Guide

Plant Type:	Annual legume	Tolerance:	Clay or sandy soil, fusarium wilt, light frost
Native To:	Asia, Europe	Maintenance:	Moderate
Hardiness (USDA Zone):	3-11	Soil Type:	Average
Season:	Late spring, early summer, early autumn	Soil pH:	6.5-6.8
Exposure:	Full sun	Soil Drainage:	Well-draining
Time to Maturity:	10-21 days (shoots), 57-65 days (snow peas)	Attracts:	Flying pollinators
Spacing:	12-18 inches (rows); 2-3 inches (seeds); 1 inch (shoots)	Companion Planting:	Basil, brassicas including broccoli and kale, carrots, lettuce, marigolds, potatoes, radishes, spinach
Planting Depth:	1 inch (seeds)	Avoid Planting With:	Garlic, onions, other alliums
Height:	24-36 inches	Order:	Fabales
Spread:	6-12 inches	Family:	Fabaceae
Growth Rate:	Fast	Genus:	Pisum
Water Needs:	Moderate	Species:	Sativum
Common Pests and Diseases:	Aphids, armyworms, cutworms, leafhoppers, pea weevils, spider mites; bean rust, damping off, pea enation virus, powdery mildew	Cultivar:	Dwarf Grey

The Little Snow Pea That Could

‘Dwarf Grey’ snow peas are one of the vegetables helping me meet my goal of growing and harvesting at least half of the food I cook and eat each day.

I haven’t reached that level yet, but planting this variety that grows in chilly weather and produces shoots, blooms, and pods for consumption is another step in the right direction.

Watching the wizened, hard seeds I have sown grow into lush plants with crisp pods is almost as beneficial to my mental outlook as the tasty legumes are to my sustenance. 

Are you a fellow ‘Dwarf Grey’ fan, or do you have a question about some aspect of planting and growing this variety that wasn’t addressed above? We welcome your comments in the section below and will respond quickly if you need more info.

If you found this guide helpful and need more legume advice in your life, check out these pea guides next: