Category: Home & Garden

Are you interested in growing your own fresh organic vegetables but worried that it will take up too much of your time? Well, let me tell you that with just 8 hours of effort per year, you can enjoy a bountiful harvest of organic produce right from your own backyard!

I have been gardening for over 35 years and have learned a lot about how to make the most of my time in the garden. Organic vegetable gardening is not only good for your health but also good for the environment, and it’s easier than you might think. So, let’s dive into some of my tips and tricks for growing fresh organic vegetables with minimal effort.

First things first, start with good soil. A healthy soil structure is the foundation for a productive garden. Organic matter, such as compost or aged manure, is a great way to improve your soil. You can also consider adding amendments like bone meal or rock phosphate to boost soil fertility.

Next, choose your plants wisely. It’s important to select plants that are adapted to your growing region and that are disease-resistant. This will reduce the amount of time and effort needed to care for your plants. You can also plant crops that have a longer harvest period, such as cherry tomatoes or pole beans, to minimize the need for constant replanting.

Another time-saving technique is to use mulch. Mulch helps to suppress weeds, conserve moisture, and regulate soil temperature. It can also reduce the amount of time spent watering and weeding, allowing you to spend more time enjoying your garden.

When it comes to watering, make sure to water deeply and less frequently. This will encourage your plants to develop deeper roots, making them more resilient to drought conditions. A drip irrigation system is a great way to ensure that your plants receive the water they need without wasting any.

Lastly, don’t forget to fertilize your plants. Organic fertilizers, such as compost tea or fish emulsion, are a great way to provide your plants with the nutrients they need to thrive. Apply fertilizer at the beginning of the growing season and again midway through to ensure a steady supply of nutrients.

Finally, growing fresh organic vegetables doesn’t have to be a time-consuming task. With just 8 hours of effort per year, you can enjoy the benefits of a bountiful harvest right from your own backyard. By starting with good soil, choosing disease-resistant plants, using mulch, watering deeply and less frequently, and fertilizing regularly, you’ll be well on your way to a productive and low-maintenance organic vegetable garden. Happy gardening!

The official classifications according to the American Rose Society are species (or wild), old garden (or antique), modern, hybrid tea and grandiflora, floribunda and polyantha, miniature (or miniflora), climber, and shrub.

So a hybrid created from a tea and a floribunda might be classified as a tea simply because that’s what the individual breeder chose. But it may actually have more qualities that are common to a floribunda type.

As a result, we have a somewhat chaotic classification system in which these plants aren’t classified via any sort of structured method.

But it doesn’t have to be that complicated. Some growers and hobbyists simply group them by their growth habit. Some are climbers while some stay low to the ground, where they spread wide rather than tall. Others grow in that familiar shrub shape that you see in gardens across the globe.

These aren’t official classifications, but they sure are easier to understand and they give you a better idea of how the plant will perform in your garden, which I’d argue is more important than knowing whether it’s a hybrid tea or an antique.

While we’re talking classification, note that a given classification grouping doesn’t necessarily indicate growth habit. Climbing, ground cover, and shrub hybrid teas all exist, for instance.

Up ahead, we’ll talk about the different growth habits these plants can have, and I’ll tell you about a few of my favorites for each one.

So without further ado, let’s explore the different growing habits. Knowing the difference will help you figure out what style will work best in your space.

Then, you can head over to our guide on rose classifications if you want to further narrow down your choices.

Climbing

If you want to cover an arbor, gazebo, or unsightly pole with a plant that won’t become invasive (I’m looking at you, wisteria), a climbing type is perfect.

Roses with climbing habits generally reach up to 20 feet high and up to three feet wide. Climbers are often hybrid teas, floribundas, polyanthas, or species, though I’ve seen old garden climbers out there too.

Climbing types don’t have tendrils or any other way of “holding” onto a structure, so you have to do it for them. You can either twist the canes around a support, or tie them using a flexible material like rubber.

Ground Cover and Drift

If you want to replace your grass lawn or cover an area in vibrant blooms, ground cover types are the answer.

These are, as you can imagine, low-growers that spread rather than growing upwards. They generally stay under a foot tall, but make up for their short stature by spreading far and wide.

You’ll sometimes see these called drift or carpet roses.

Rambling

Some people group rambling and climbing types together, but they do have some differences, so I’m making an executive decision to call them out separately.

Ramblers tend to grow bushier and they are more vigorous than climbers. If you want something to cover the side of your garage, pick a rambler and reserve the climbers for decorating a trellis.

Ramblers can grow up to 20 feet tall, but most stay about 12 feet or under. They can spread up to six feet wide without training.

‘The Lady of the Lake’ is an English rambler with pale pink semi-double blossoms that have a wonderful citrus fragrance. When they open fully, you can get a glimpse of their golden stamens.

Shrub or Bush

This category can be a little confusing, since the term “shrub” is also an official classification. But it’s also a way to refer to growth habit.

Shrubs generally grow anywhere from one to six feet tall and one to 10 feet wide. They don’t require any sort of support to keep them upright.

Some have a more sparse growth habit, while others are bushier and can be used as a privacy hedge.

Hybrid teas, floribundas, grandifloras, and polyanthas often, but not always, grow in a shrub habit.

You can find hybrid tea climbers and floribunda ground covers, so don’t assume that a rose classified as one of these will definitely have a shrub habit.

Tree

Tree types (also called standards) don’t naturally grow in the shape of a tree, with a main trunk topped with a canopy of leaves and blossoms.

Instead, they are grafted using a single cane with no foliage with a hybrid tea, floribunda, grandiflora, or shrub top.

As you might imagine, they look like miniature trees and they’re ideal for containers, flanking doorways, or as centerpieces in a garden.

Most of them need extra support while they’re young, and I’ve had a few that refused to grow upright even after years and years.

They don’t work in windy areas and if they aren’t in full, direct sun, they tend to lean to reach for the light.

As a quick aside, don’t confuse tree types with those varieties that grow as tall as a tree. There are some 10-foot-plus cultivars and hybrids out there, but these are climbers, ramblers, or shrubs, not trees. Plants grown in a tree habit don’t usually grow taller than three or four feet.

If there’s one thing I love, it’s a multipurpose plant.

There’s nothing wrong with growing something just for its looks, but if you can find a second purpose, all the better.

Sometimes you can even find species that serve three purposes in one, as is the case with nasturtiums.

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You probably know that nasturtiums (Tropaeolum spp.) are pretty. You might even know that they’re edible.

But they’re also one of the most effective pest-repelling species out there. They can confuse and repel the bad guys and attract the good bugs.

If you want to use natural solutions in the garden rather than relying on chemicals to keep the pest situation under control, growing Tropaeolum is an excellent option to keep in your toolbox.

Here are the pests we’ll be discussing, along with how nasturtiums can help to control them:

There are several ways to use nasturtiums for pest control. The most obvious might be as a repellent.

They also work as a trap crop to draw away bad insects, and they attract beneficial insects that will take care of the bad bugs for you.

Let’s look at the bugs they may help to control, and how to use them to their full effect against each one.

1. Aphids

Aphids are attracted to nasturtiums. In fact, they seem to love them more than many other species of plants.

If you have a high-value crop that you don’t want aphids to attack, grow nasturtiums to draw the aphids away from those plants and to your flowers instead.

Fortunately, Tropaeolum seems to be able to resist an aphid infestation pretty well, so your plants probably won’t die despite being the main feature in an all-you-can-eat aphid buffet.

I like to plant a border of nasturtiums around my roses and it makes an obvious difference when I do.

Not all aphid species will feed on Tropaeolum, so this trick doesn’t work for all of them, but a majority of the common garden aphids will be lured in, such as green peach (Myzus persicae), melon (Aphis gossypii), and potato aphids (Macrosiphum euphorbiae).

To be the most effective, you should put your trap crops within four or five feet, but not much closer, to the plants you’re trying to protect.

Aphids tend to hop to nearby plants, but they won’t travel too far.

Learn more about battling aphids in our guide.

2. Cabbage Loopers

If you’ve ever grown cabbages or other plants in the Brassicaceae family, you’ve likely dealt with cabbage loopers (Trichoplusia ni).

If so, then you know that these small, green leaf-feeders devour cruciferous crops. Some years it seems they show up in masses, while other years, you might not see them at all.

If it’s one of those bad years, grow some nasturtiums to keep pests away from your cabbages and other cruciferous veggies.

Put a row between every two rows of veggies, or sprinkle them throughout. One nasturtium for every four plants should do it.

You can learn more about cabbage loopers and how to control them in our guide.

3. Cabbage Worms

Imported cabbage worms, also known as cabbage whites, make me happy and sad at the same time.

I really want to welcome the pretty white butterflies that herald the arrival of summer, but I also know that they mean my brassicas are about to become dinner for pests.

The larvae of this pest will devour kale, cabbage, turnips, wasabi, and any other cruciferous vegetable. It starts with little holes, but pretty soon, entire leaves will vanish if you’ve got an infestation.

Nasturtiums do a great job at repelling the adults.

If the larvae manage to find their way to the leaves of the plants, Tropaeolum recovers quickly. So it makes both a good repellent and trap crop in this case.

Learn more about cabbage worms in our guide.

4. Colorado Potato Beetles

Colorado potato beetles (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) seem to be confused by nasturtiums. When these plants are around, they can’t zero in on the scent of the species that they prefer to eat.

These yellow, orange, and black beetles are easily identified by their 10 black stripes.

As you might have guessed, these pests feed primarily on potato plants, but you’ll find a lot fewer of them if you grow Tropaeolum nearby.

You can learn more about Colorado potato beetles in our guide.

5. Cucumber Beetles

In a study published in HortTechnology in 2008, Kentucky State University researchers Gary R. Cline, John D. Sedlacek, Steven L. Hillman, Sharon K. Parker, and Anthony F. Silvernail found that cucumber beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) damage and populations were reduced when nasturtium, tansy, and sweet clover were intercropped with watermelons and muskmelons.

While they didn’t study other veggies in the Cucurbitaceae family, it’s safe to assume intercropping will work with other related fruits and veggies to keep this yellow and black striped or spotted beetle away.

6. Flea Beetles

As with aphids, flea beetles (Chrysomelidae family) love nasturtiums. You can grow them near other species that you want the beetles to leave alone.

Space them within four or five feet of the plants that you want to protect, and then come out and treat the nasturtiums for flea beetles every few weeks or so.

Otherwise, you run the risk of increasing the flea beetle population rather than protecting your garden – exactly the opposite of what we’re going for, right?

To learn more about how to deal with this pest, read our comprehensive guide.

7. Squash Bugs

Squash bugs (Anasa tristis) love cucurbits like squash and melons.

What they don’t love are nasturtiums. When these flowering plants are nearby, they avoid them and any other species in close proximity.

For each vine, plant at least four Tropaeolum plants nearby. The more, the better!

When your harvest is ready, grab some flowers while you’re plucking your melons and squash.

Chop the raw blooms and toss them onto a slice of melon or use them as a garnish for a cooked squash dish. Nasturtiums are one of the most popular edible flowers.

The flowers have a sweet-meets-watercress flavor that works well in so many recipes.

Learn more about squash bugs in our guide.

Bug Off, Pests!

In addition to the pests described here, nasturtiums also attract hoverflies and beneficial wasps, and these critters can control all kinds of bad bugs.

Is there anything this pretty pollinator magnet can’t do?

What issues are you struggling with, and how do you plan to use your Tropaeolum plants to control them? Doing some trap cropping? Repelling bad bugs? A little bit of both? Share with us in the comments.

If you’re interested in learning more about multipurpose nasturtiums, we have a few other guides that might catch your fancy:

Larix spp.

A larch is a pretty dramatic sight to behold. The trees are ramrod straight and covered in bright green, inch-long needles that shift to golden yellow in the fall.

They’ve adapted to extreme conditions, perching on rocky outcroppings at extreme elevations in North America, adding color to barren landscapes where no other tree species can grow.

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The first time I saw a wild larch, I was hiking in the mountains in Washington. To be honest, I thought they were dying. At the time, I didn’t know deciduous conifers existed.

The golden yellow trees were beautiful, backlit by the sun. But I assumed the forest was being devastated by some beetle or something. Why else would those “evergreens” be turning yellow?

Okay, now I know better, and I can appreciate the beautiful fall color without worrying about the widespread decimation of North American forests.

These conifers actually evolved to drop their leaves because of their extreme native range. They grow at the highest northern latitudes and the highest elevations of any tree in North America.

In these locations, it’s too cold to photosynthesize in the winter, so there’s no point in hanging onto those leaves.

Foliage has a high nutrition requirement, and it’s too costly to have around if it isn’t doing its job. Since they can’t photosynthesize anyway, they toss off those leaves.

Lucky us! We get to enjoy the show.

If you want to bring the performance to your own space, you’ll need to learn about planting and raising larches. This guide aims to help with that! Here’s what we’ll go over:

Sound good? Let’s get going!

What Are Larches?

Larches are trees in the genus Larix. The genus name doesn’t have some exciting symbolism behind it, it’s simply the classical Latin name for the tree. But the trees themselves are pretty dang cool.

Trees in this genus are deciduous pines in the Pinaceae family. In fact, larches are the only deciduous conifers in western North America.

The young bark is silvery or gray-brown before shifting to a reddish brown as the plants mature.

When the cones emerge, they’re bright, vibrant red or violet, gradually maturing to green and then brown. They can be quite beautiful and add flower-like color to the landscape.

It can be hard to tell all the various conifers apart, so let’s take a quick look at how larches differ from other pines.

One clue is that the needle-like leaves are clustered in groups of 10 or more. Pines typically have clusters of two to five needles, but they might have up to 10.

The cones of these monoecious plants, of which there are male and female types, are held upright on the branches, while many pines have cones that face down.

But the easiest way to tell them apart from other conifers, other than being bare in the winter, is to wait until the spring to see the fuzzy needles emerging on the bare branches.

The current year’s twigs will be wooly on the subalpine species, but eastern and western larches aren’t wooly.

Larches are survivors. You can find them growing at the tree line in high elevations, clinging to rock faces. They’re the ones that survive in the northernmost latitudes, up to the Arctic. No other tree grows further north than they do.

That means even gardeners in the coldest USDA Hardiness Zones, from 1b through 8a, can find a larch for their area.

These trees can also survive fires that decimate other species. Where wildfires are frequent, larches and the closely-related lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) dominate the scene. Some are over 900 years old, with trunks scarred by decades of fires.

You’re probably wondering what on earth can stop them, right? They’re super tough! But their weakness is shade.

While the lumber of larches is valuable, many of the oldest specimens dodged logging because the trees tend to develop ring shake and bole rot as they age.

This rot means they’re prized by woodpeckers and other birds that nest in trees, but less useful for loggers.

They’re home to the Columbia silkmoth (Hyalophora columbia), which is also known as the larch silkmoth because these beautiful reddish-brown insects lay their eggs at the base of the needles.

Larches are also home to the eye-spotted bud moth (Spilonota ocellana), the poecila sphinx (Sphinx poecila), the northern pine sphinx (Lapara bombycoides), the apple sphinx (S. gordius), and the pine measuring worm (Hypagyrtis piniata).

Some people consider the larch’s attractiveness to moths to be a good thing, but others, like organic apple growers, aren’t such fans.

That’s because larvae like that of the eye-spotted bud moth feed on the skin of fruits and eat the leaves of apple trees.

Organic farmers use pheromone traps to draw in and eliminate devastating codling moths, leaving the trees open to invasion by species that aren’t attracted to the traps once the codling moths are gone.

If you’re growing organic apples and using pheromone traps, don’t plant larches near your orchard unless you’re willing to accept some cosmetic damage to your fruits.

Grouse (family Phasianidae) eat the needles and buds, but they don’t do any serious damage to the plants.

Cultivation and History

There are five commonly grown species in North America.

These are eastern (L. americana), European (L. decidua), tamarack (L. laricina), subalpine (L. lyallii), and western larch (L. occidentalis).

Trees within the genus will hybridize with each other where their ranges overlap.

Siberian larch (L. sibirica) grows in Russia, Chinese (L. potannii) in China, and Japanese (L. kaempferi) in Japan.

The Russian and Chinese species are commonly cultivated in their native regions, but they aren’t often found outside of the area. The Japanese species can be found at North American nurseries that specialize in rare plants.

The western species are the largest larches in the world and can grow nearly 200 feet tall with a triangular growth habit.

On the smaller end of things are the subalpine and tamarack larches, which grow only to about half the height of their western counterparts.

Compared to many conifers, that’s downright tiny, but consider their growing range. They’re usually the tallest trees around nonetheless, because other species can’t tolerate the harsh conditions larches thrive in, so it’s all relative.

Tamaracks top out at about 80 feet but they usually stay smaller. The pretty maroon cones are the smallest of any larch at just half an inch long.

Tamaracks are also referred to as eastern larches, but that’s a bit of a misnomer since you can find them everywhere from Alaska to eastern Canada.

There have been numerous attempts to cultivate the L. lyallii, but none have succeeded so far.

If you want to enjoy the beautiful yellow-green leaves of this tree, you’ll need to do some hiking in Montana, Oregon, Idaho, or Washington.

L. occidentalis, on the other hand, can be found cultivated all over the place in the western US, from parks to suburban backyards.

Across the US, the European species is the most popular in home gardens. I don’t know why, since they’re less adapted to our environment, and we have so many marvelous native options.

Maybe it’s the large cones? They’re twice the size of most North American species. Or maybe it’s just that they’ve been cultivated longer than North American species, so there is more variety to choose from.

The gum, bark, foliage, and cones were used by tribes as varied as the Micmac, Abnaki, Algonquin, Chippewa, Cree, Iroquois, Malecite, Nez Perce, Okanagan, Ojibwa, and Potawatomi as a treatment for everything from colds and coughs to arthritis, frostbite, and anemia.

Various parts were also widely used as a laxative, so let that be an indicator of what this plant does if you consume it.

The roots were fashioned into strips to bind wood together to make canoes, and the Salish and Kutenai would hollow out a cavity in the trunk and allow the sap to accumulate.

Once enough did, they would harvest it, allow it to concentrate through evaporation, and consume it as a sweetener.

Today, we still use the water-soluble gum called arabinogalactan in pharmaceuticals, ink, and paint.

Propagation

Larches are extremely easy to propagate from seed, and the seeds have a high germination rate. They just take a long time to germinate.

Cuttings are a little less reliable, but another good option. And of course, you could buy yourself a nice little specimen for transplanting at a local nursery. They might even have some fun options that grow particularly well in your area.

From Seed

Starting plants from seed is a labor of love and it’s not ideal if you’re in a rush to add a larch to your yard. But if you’re curious about how to do it, here’s the process:

First, harvest the large, mature, open, brown cones. Crack and peel apart the scales close to the base and look for the seeds. They’re tan and usually have a little wing attached to help them fly away from the tree.

Examine the seed husks before you plant them, since they can sometimes be empty. You don’t want to waste time and effort on an empty seed husk.

Cones that are only partially open tend to contain the best seeds since they escape once the cones open fully. And don’t bother looking for cones on the ground. Larches hold onto their cones for up to a decade, so the best place to find them is on the tree.

Stratify those seeds by placing them in moist sphagnum moss in the freezer for three months. Then take them out and move them to the refrigerator for two months.

Now you can plant them. Technically, you can try planting without completing the stratification process, but the germination rate will be far lower.

Sow one seed about half an inch deep in a standard potting medium in a six-inch pot. Water well and keep the soil moist as the seed germinates. Place the pot outside in a sunny area.

It doesn’t matter if it snows or freezes, just keep that soil moist and let the seed do its thing. The natural fluctuations will only help the seed to break dormancy.

If all goes according to plan, you should see a little seedling popping up in the spring. Let it grow through the summer and transplant it in the fall. Remember, keep that soil moist and keep the seedling in the sun!

From Cuttings

You can propagate larches from hardwood and softwood cuttings, but softwood cuttings are usually less successful because they require more moisture and regulated temperatures.

Hardwood cuttings take longer to become established, but they’re much more forgiving.

In the late winter, fill a few six-inch pots with coarse sand mixed with perlite. Then, look for a hardwood branch about the diameter of a pencil and up to a foot long.

The donating tree should be young and healthy. Peel it away from the tree so that it has a bit of heel at the end rather than making a clean cut.

Remove about two-thirds of any existing needles from the base and dip the end in your favorite rooting hormone.

Poke a hole in your planting medium. Stick the cutting into the hole about a third of the way deep. Firm up the medium and water well.

Place the pot outside and keep an eye on the moisture of the soil. It needs to stay moist but not wet, and shouldn’t be allowed to completely dry out. Don’t worry if it snows on your cuttings or if the temperature drops below freezing. Remember, these trees are hardy.

Within a few months, you should start to see new foliage emerge. That’s when you know you did it – your cutting has rooted. Continue caring for it in the container until the fall, when it’s time to transplant.

Keep in mind that if you take a cutting from a plant that was grafted onto rootstock, the resulting plant might look different from what you expect.

From Seedlings/Transplanting

The best time to transplant a nursery plant or sapling is when it’s dormant. If there aren’t any leaves, go for it.

That’s not to say that a specimen won’t survive if it’s planted during the growing season, just that it will be happier and more likely to take off if you plant it at the ideal time.

Late winter, early spring, or late fall is perfect, so long as the soil can be worked.

Dig a hole twice as deep and wide as the growing container. Then, mix some well-rotted compost into the soil that you removed and fill the hole halfway back up.

Remove the tree from its container and loosen up the roots. Place the root ball in the hole that you made so that it’s sitting at the same height it was in the container.

Fill in around the roots with the amended soil and add water. If the soil settles a bit, add some more. Keep the soil moist as the tree gets established.

Once your transplant is in the ground, you can expect rapid growth. These trees can add 18 inches per year.

If you plan to grow more than one tree, take its ultimate size into account.

Larches can vary widely in size, depending on the species. If the eventual mature width is expected to be 30 feet, plant at least 15 feet apart.

How to Grow

As we’ve established, shade is not your larch’s best friend. These plants need sun, sun, sun. Plant them somewhere with at least eight hours of sun per day.

The amount of moisture you’ll want to provide depends on the species. Remember, some of these plants grow in swampy areas, and others are used to dry conditions.

Tamaracks (L. laricina) can handle wet, poorly draining soil, but they will be more prone to fungal problems. All the other species generally need well-draining soil.

Despite growing in wet areas, tamaracks will also tolerate some drought. In fact, all Larix species are unlikely to need any additional water once they’ve been established for a year or two.

However, if you have an extended period of heat and drought, plan to give your plants water. It’s always smart to support your trees even if they can survive without you.

If you have average soil, you don’t need to feed your trees. But it never hurts to do a soil test and figure out if your soil is seriously lacking in certain nutrients.

Fertilize specimens that have been in the ground for at least a year as needed, according to the results of your soil test.

Growing Tips

• Plant in full sun.
• Water during long periods of drought.
• Fertilize if your soil is seriously deficient in something, but not otherwise.

Pruning and Maintenance

There’s no need to prune mature larches. You can and certainly should remove dead, diseased, or deformed branches if you see them. Otherwise, leave your tree to do its thing.

The exception is for young plants. Specimens that are five years old or younger can be pruned to encourage a pleasing shape.

Don’t ever trim the central leader, but feel free to prune back the current year’s growth to a leaf bud to encourage branching.

Some of the smaller, shrubbier types can be pruned annually to maintain a more formal shape.

Species and Cultivars to Select

Up until fairly recently, your only option was typically going to be some sort of European cultivar.

Now, you can find more and more North American native cultivars. Here are some of the most common species and best cultivars to pick:

Contorta

‘Contorta’ is a hybrid cross between a European and Japanese larch that really stands out from either species.

It grows to about six feet with a weeping growth habit and surprising zig-zagging branches that add interest even when the leaves have fallen from the tree. It’s happy in Zones 2 to 6.

European

European larches (L. decidua) are the most common type grown in home gardens in Zones 2 to 6.

There are many hybrids and cultivars, like the weeping ‘Pendula,’ with its gracefully draping branches. If you’ve never seen one before, take a look. They’re truly exceptional.

If you’d like to try your hand at growing a bonsai larch, Bonsai Boy has a young potted ’Pendula’ tree available.

’Pendula’

‘Horstmann’s Recurva’ is a dwarf type with a spreading growth habit. It reaches about seven feet tall and four feet wide with a pyramidal shape.

‘Summer Belle’ is another dwarf pyramidal type, topping out at six feet tall and three feet wide.

Japanese

Japanese larches (L. kaempferi) grow to about 70 feet tall with a slender, pyramidal shape. They’re hardy in Zones 4 to 8 and are less tolerant of pollution than other species.

‘Gray Pearl’ has bluish foliage and attractive gray bark. In the fall, the leaves turn copper before falling from the tree.

‘Peve Tunnis’ was developed from a witch’s broom and is a dwarf type that mature to about a foot tall and 18 inches wide. The light blue-green foliage turns pink in the fall.

Tamarack

Tamaracks (L. laricina) grow in boggy and swampy areas in their native habitat, which includes Zones 1b to 7a. That should give you a clue as to what kind of conditions they’ll do well in.

Those tough, low areas where water accumulates in your yard? A larch will be perfectly happy to fill in there for you.

‘Ethan’ was cultivated from a witch’s broom and stays under 10 feet, with an oval shape. The light green leaves give way to bright yellow in the fall.

‘Steuben’ has blue leaves on an extremely petite plant that never grows over about four feet. It has a compact, pyramidal shape and golden yellow fall foliage.

Tamarack Larch

Or just snag yourself a species tree from Nature Hills Nursery.

Western

L. occidentalis isn’t quite as cold hardy as the others on this list. It grows in the Pacific Northwest and as far east as Montana, down to Zone 3.

‘Bollinger’ was grown from a witch’s broom found in Montana. Mature plants attain a symmetrical shape and grow to about three feet tall and wide.

Managing Pests and Disease

Young trees are most susceptible to problems. As these trees age, they’re better able to withstand pests and disease.

Insects

Pests themselves won’t usually destroy a larch, but they will leave the tree open to disease.

Neither of these common culprits requires the use of heavy pesticides, which usually leave the biodiversity of your garden far worse off than it started, but do what you can to keep populations in check.

Adelgids

Larch adelgids (Adelges laricis) were introduced from Europe, and they feed on both spruce and larch trees.

The adult flies lay their eggs on larches and they overwinter there, with the larvae hatching in the spring to feed on the plant.

They use their sucking mouthparts to feed on the sap of the tree, leaving sticky honeydew behind as they go.

Most of the time, the infestation itself isn’t the problem, but feeding leaves the tree open to fungal infections where they have pierced the tree. This pest can also cause needles to drop prematurely. On dwarf varieties in garden settings, a large infestation can severely weaken a tree.

Spray trees with a strong stream of water to knock the pests loose. Encourage healthy biodiversity in the garden, so you will have predators such as lacewings and ladybugs around.

Avoid insecticides as they tend to create resistant populations, and they harm beneficial insects.

Larch Casebearers

The larch casebearer (Coleophora laricella) is a tiny caterpillar that you might assume couldn’t do much damage, given its unimpressive size of under a quarter inch. They leave behind little tan “cases” as they pupate, and it’s easier to spot those than the insects themselves.

But the destruction this pest causes is anything but small. If enough are present, they can completely defoliate a tree.

The larvae poke out of their cases, mining into and feeding on the needles, turning the foliage yellow or tan before it falls from the tree.

Typically, a healthy population of parasitic wasps will keep this pest under control. Combined with some green lacewings, your tree will be fine.

Green Lacewing Eggs

If your garden is short on lacewings, pick up 5,000, 10,000, or 25,000 eggs from Arbico Organics.

Disease

If you place your plants in well-draining soil with some good air circulation, and you do what you can to keep pests away, it’s highly unlikely that your plant will experience any disease issues.

But, never say never. Here are the two big ones to watch for:

Larch Blight

Larch blight is more of a problem in wild trees, but if you’re gardening in an area close to wild trees, it can easily hop to your cultivated tree. You might also bring home a tree from a nursery infected with blight, but this is less common.

Caused by the fungus Hypodermella laricis, it can result in stunted growth and the death of terminal shoots, and young trees might die off entirely.

Browning needles are the first sign of a problem. If left unchecked, blight tends to progress year after year, though it will rarely kill a mature tree.

The fungal spores need water to spread, which is why you’ll usually see this disease start producing notable symptoms in the early summer, after the spring rain has helped the spores spread all over the place.

If your garden has been hit, spray your plant with horticultural oil in the winter to kill off the spores.

Root and Crown Rot

Trees in less-than-ideal environments may be prone to root and crown rot. Caused by oomycetes in the Phytophthora genus, it causes trees to droop and wilt, eventually leading to death of the roots or branches.

Planting in well-draining soil and being careful to avoid overwatering will go a long way toward preventing this disease.

Once it’s present, there isn’t a lot you can do, but our guide to root rot provides some helpful tips on what to do if you catch it early enough.

Best Uses

The best use depends entirely on the size of your plant.

Obviously, a giant tree is going to do best as a specimen, but some of the lower-growing types can be used as ground covers or work well in borders.

The weeping varieties would make a beautiful anchor for a spot near an entryway or walkway. They’re also a popular option for bonsai or container growing.

Quick Reference Growing Guide

Plant Type:	Deciduous conifer	Foliage Color:	Green, copper, yellow, gold
Native to:	Asia, Europe, North America	Tolerance:	Drought, fire, poor drainage
Hardiness (USDA Zones):	1b-8a	Maintenance:	Low
Bloom Time:	Spring bloom, fall leaf color	Soil Type:	Clay to sand
Exposure:	Full sun	Soil pH:	5.0-7.4
Time to Maturity:	About 10 years	Soil Drainage:	Well-draining
Spacing:	20 feet for full-sized trees	Attracts:	Birds, moths
Planting Depth:	1/2 inch (seeds), same depth as container (transplants)	Uses:	Bonsai, border, ground cover, specimen
Height:	Up to 200 feet	Order:	Pinales
Spread:	30 feet	Family:	Pinaceae
Growth Rate:	Moderate (juvenile), slow (mature)	Subfamily:	Laricoideae
Water Needs:	Moderate	Genus:	Larix
Common Pests and Diseases:	Adelgids, larch casebearers; crown rot, larch blight, root rot	Species:	Americana, decidua, kaempferi, laricina, lyallii, occidentalis, potannii, sibirica

Larch Trees Are Beautiful and Tough

Larches are pretty unique. A conifer with leaves that change color and drop from the tree? A pine-like tree covered in blossom-like cones? These plants always draw comments and catch the eye.

What kind are you thinking about growing? How will you use it? Share with us in the comments.

If you’re looking for some other landscape trees to add to your space, we have a few more guides that you might find helpful, including:

First we were told to plant tropical milkweed everywhere, as it’s a favorite plant of monarchs, and then we were told NOT to plant tropical milkweed everywhere:

It started with the best of intentions. When evidence emerged that monarch butterflies were losing the milkweed they depend on due to the spread of herbicide-resistant crops in the United States, people across the country took action, planting milkweed in their own gardens. But a new paper shows that well-meaning gardeners might actually be endangering the butterflies’ iconic migration to Mexico. That’s because people have been planting the wrong species of milkweed, thereby increasing the odds of monarchs becoming infected with a crippling parasite.

Habitat loss in both the United States and Mexico has long been the main threat to the North American monarch population. After decades of effort, Mexico curbed deforestation in the butterflies’ winter habitat in the oyamel fir and pine forests of Michoacán and Mexico states. But the loss of milkweed in the United States continues to be a major issue, scientists say. The plant, on which monarchs lay their eggs, used to spring up in between rows of corn, soybeans, and other commercial crops. But today, many farmers plant herbicide-resistant versions of these crops, which allows them to spray their fields with powerful chemicals such as Roundup—killing milkweed in the process. Last year, the number of monarchs that migrated to Mexico was the lowest ever recorded, covering a mere 0.67 hectares of forest, down from a high of 21 hectares in the 1996 to 1997 season. (Scientists in Mexico are planning to announce this season’s count by the end of the month.)

That’s why many monarch buffs swung into action. However, the only species of milkweed widely available in the United States is Asclepias curassavica, which is native to the tropics. Tropical milkweed is pretty, easy to grow, and monarchs love it. “If I were a gardener, I would have done the same thing,” says Dara Satterfield, a doctoral student in ecology at the University of Georgia, Athens.

The problem is that tropical milkweed—at least when planted in warm environments like southern Texas and the U.S. Gulf Coast—doesn’t die back in the winter like native milkweed does. When presented with a place to lay their eggs year-round, many monarchs don’t bother making the trip to Mexico at all. Tropical milkweed is “trapping the butterflies” in these new winter breeding sites, says Lincoln Brower, a monarch biologist at Sweet Briar College in Virginia.

But it turns out that year-round tropical milkweed presents an even more direct threat to the butterflies. Milkweed hosts a protozoan parasite called Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE). As caterpillars, monarchs ingest the parasite along with their normal milkweed meals, and when they hatch from their chrysalises they are covered in spores. “It’s a debilitating parasite,” Satterfield says. Infected monarchs are much weaker than their healthy counterparts and don’t live nearly as long. In fact, if an OE-infected monarch tries to migrate, it will probably die long before it arrives in central Mexico, Satterfield says.

David James takes issue with the loud and persistent claim that non-native milkweeds pose serious threats to monarch butterflies and the viability of their migrations. When asked if he thinks the technically non-native Tropical milkweed poses a dire threat to monarch butterflies, James’ answer was emphatic.

“No, I do not. Not at all in fact,” said the research scientist and agricultural entomologist at Washington State University.

Having studied monarch butterflies for more than four decades, James focuses on the monarch population of the Pacific Northwest these days. That population, much smaller, less famous and even more at risk than those east of the Rocky Mountains that migrate north from Mexico each spring, moves around various sites along the Pacific coast.

Tropical milkweed, Asclepias curassavica, has been much debated as a significant factor in monarch decline and disease for almost a decade. According to several studies, presence of the easy-to-grow, widely available perennial can encourage monarchs to break their reproductive diapause and stop migrating. The orange or yellow bloomer is so irresistible to monarchs, some research suggests, that it lures monarch females to lay eggs and start the next generation of butterflies in the fall, rather than wait until spring when conditions might be more hospitable.

Also, research suggests the plant’s resilience and appeal contribute to the build-up of the deadly, spore-driven disease, Ophryocystis elektroscirrha, known in the monarch world as OE.

But James contends that the presence of milkweed–native or non-native–is NOT a primary cue for suspending reproductive and migratory behavior. “Changing day lengths and temperatures are,” he said.

James’ study of monarchs began in the 1970s in Sydney, Australia. There, he documented winter breeding monarchs on milkweed right next to large clusters of non-breeding monarchs in nearby trees.

The juxtaposition challenged conventional monarch wisdom–that reproductive and non-reproductive monarchs can live side by side–led him to earn a PhD in entomology, and write more than a dozen papers on the migrating insects.

“The science behind assertions that Tropical milkweed can terminate migration and reproductive dormancy in eastern U.S. monarchs is unfortunately flawed,” said James. “A lot more work needs to be done to prove that Tropical milkweed by itself can terminate dormancy and reproduction in eastern U.S. monarchs,” he said, adding that data on this topic does not exist for western U.S. monarchs.

James’ early research suggests that non-reproductive and migratory monarch populations in Australia are not adversely affected by the presence of non-native and other ”tropical” milkweeds such as Gomphocarpus fruticosus, an African milkweed sometimes called Swan plant or Balloon plant.

“In fact,” said James, the presence of milkweed appears to be a prerequisite for the choice of an overwintering site by monarchs in eastern Australia. All overwintering sites (occupied by non-reproductive monarchs) are characterized by milkweed presence.”

Monarch butterflies use medicinal plants to treat their offspring for disease, before they even hatch, a new study finds.

Monarch caterpillars feed on any of dozens of species of milkweed plants, including some species that contain high levels of a group of chemicals callled cardenolides. These chemicals do not harm the caterpillars, but make them toxic to predators even after they emerge as adults from their chrysalises.

Every garden has gaps that need to be filled from time to time. Whether you are looking for a short-term stand-in while a bed is being reworked or a quick fix after another plant dies, it is nice to have a list of pinch-hitters that can step in and fill space quickly. Listen in as Danielle, Carol, and expert guest Lisa Bauer share some of their favorite choices for gracefully filling the vacancies that are a natural part of a garden’s evolution.

Expert guest: Lisa Bauer is the owner of Chartreuse Garden Design in Seattle.

 

Danielle’s Plants

Spider flower/Cleome (Cleome hassleriana and cvs., annual)

Appalachian sedge (Carex appalachica, Zones 3-7)

Creeping petunia (Petunia  spp. and cvs., annual)

Caladium (Caladium  spp. and cvs., Zones 9-11)

 

Carol’s Plants

Prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis, Zones 3-9)

Snow on the mountain (Euphorbia marginata, annual)

‘Strawberry Fields’ gomphrena (Gomphrena ‘Strawberry Fields, annual)

‘Pink Cotton Candy’ betony (Stachys officinalis ‘Pink Cotton Candy’, Zones 4-8)

 

Expert’s Plants

Black Lace® elderberry (Sambucus nigra ‘Eva’, Zones 5-7)

‘Cavatine’ pieris (Pieris japonica ‘Cavatine’, Zones 5-8)

‘Blue Star’ juniper (Juniperus squamata ‘Blue Star’, Zones 4-8)

‘Bressingham White’ bergenia (Bergenia ‘Bressingham White’, Zones 3-8)

Liverleaf (Hepatica nobilis, Zones 5-8)

Square foot gardening is a super simple gardening practice that helps you get a big harvest out of a small space. No matter your garden size, you can implement dense planting practices for different plants to get more than you expect from one gardening bed. Here’s how to do it!

I’ve been talking a ton about food lately! With rising food costs, it seems to be on everyone’s mind of late. Those who aren’t already growing food in their green space are wondering how they can get started!

One method that I want to introduce you to is square foot gardening. This is a method popularized by Mel Bartholomew, and it’s all about implementing an easy way to grow tons of food in a small space. He wrote a book on the subject, All New Square Foot Gardening, 3rd Edition, Fully Updated: MORE Projects – NEW Solutions – GROW Vegetables Anywhere.

Small space gardeners get good yield and a lot of variety with a square foot garden. Not only that, they tend to have fewer weeds and conserve water by planting densely. Year after year, you can rotate crops around the beds to ensure no nutrient depletion or diseases are introduced.

Today, I’m taking a few pages out of Mel’s book (literally) to go into depth about how you can design your own square foot garden. Let’s get planning!

This post will cover…

Reprinted with permission from All New Square Foot Gardening, 3rd Edition, Fully Updated : MORE Projects – NEW Solutions – GROW Vegetables Anywhere (New edition) by by Mel Bartholomew with The Square Foot Gardening Foundation © 2018. Published by Cool Springs Press. Photography courtesy of Cool Springs Press where noted.

Expert Tips for Square Food Gardening

• Separate your garden into square foot grids to help plan what vegetables to plant.
• Densely plant your seeds. Plants don’t need as much spacing as seed packets advise.
• Separate your plants into extra large (1 plant per grid), large (4 plants per grid), medium (9 plants per grid), and small (16 plants per grid).
• Pair square food gardening with succession planting to really get the most harvest out of a small space.

Square foot gardening utilizes a grid system to pack in vegetables (or other plants) as tightly as possible.

Each grid is one square foot; the classic square foot gardening bed measures 4×4 ft for a total of 16 squares. Before square foot gardening, the most common practice was to plant rows of vegetables, but Mel believed this to be a big waste of space and seeds.

Depending on the size of the vegetable, you can place a certain amount in each grid. For example, one large plant like a tomato would take up one grid, while smaller plants like radishes could fit 16 in a grid. This grid system makes an extremely efficient way to plan, plant, maintain, and harvest.

Square foot gardening is best paired with succession planting. In succession planting, you continuously plant throughout the growing season to strategically space out and extend your harvest. You can easily plan how many vegetables take up one grid and when to harvest and replace the grid with more vegetables for a second harvest.

By far, the biggest benefit of planting a square foot garden is its efficiency.

Not all of us have loads of gardening space to grow vegetables and herbs. I’m the exact example of that! I have a small urban garden, so I have to get very strategic about what I plant.

In square foot gardening, you plant things very densely. This means there is very little space between plants, leading to fewer weeds. Or practically none!

You also have to water way less. You don’t have to worry about watering a large space, instead concentrating your watering on the vegetables in the grid. This also means less soil, compost, and fertilizer needed.

With square foot gardening, you’re also less wasteful when it comes to seeds. Rather than planting a ton in a row and thinning a majority of them out, you only plant with what you need to fill your grid.

This gardening method also encourages you to intermix your vegetables. This means that your garden is naturally posed to better fight against pests and diseases and avoids nutrient depletion.

If you want to grow a square foot garden, there are a few things to keep in mind to get the most out of your small space!

Location

You can have as many or as few gardening beds as you would like. Just make sure that each of them is located in a space suitable for your plants.

Most vegetables need full sunlight. This means 6-8 hours of sunlight a day. They need plenty of energy from the sun to produce tons of fruits and leaves.

Also, be mindful of where you place the vegetables within the grid. Any tall plants and those needing a trellis should not cast shade on the lower plants. So pay attention to the sun!

When I plan my vegetable garden, I also like to consider permaculture zones. This means placing the vegetables close to the home since I’ll access them often.

Designing the Garden Bed

You can either work with a bed that you already have or make a brand-new one from scratch. You can play around with shapes as much as you like, but ideally, you will separate the whole bed into squares for planning purposes.

The grids will help you to organize your garden for planting and harvesting. Mel makes his grids using wood slats that are then drilled into the wooden raised bed. You can also use re-bar or PVC tubing or even rope secured with nails.

No matter the shape, make sure you can reach everything. A bed that is 5×6, for instance, you might not be able to reach the center plants to take care of them.

When building your gardening bed, also consider accessibility. For instance, if a child is accessing the garden, maybe you’ll want a bed that is low to the ground and 3×3 instead of the classic 4×4 design. Or perhaps you want a raised gardening bed at waist height to avoid the need to bend down while tending to it.

Soil

For my garden, I use next to no fertilizer. Instead, I rely heavily on compost to keep my soil fertile and perfect for growing plants and food.

I make all of my own soil mixes, as I can achieve the perfect blend of retaining moisture without getting soggy soil.

Planning might be the most important part of planting a square foot garden. This is how you’re going to cram as much as you can in a small space without sacrificing any of your plant’s health.

“I think the easiest way for most gardeners to plan out their crops is to just draw a big square with a grid of 16 squares inside to represent each Square Foot Garden box,” says Mel. “Then all you do is label the squares with what you want to grow in them.”

Of course, if you have a different layout than the classic 4×4 garden, you would map that out into squares in the same way above.

“It’s wise to label the squares with the number of plants per square foot, so you can get a sense of how full the overall Square Foot Garden box will be. You can also graph out different versions of the same box to show the transition plantings as you will move through the seasons.”

Like any bed, also be strategic with your placements, like putting the tall plants on the edge, the low maintenance plants in the center, and alternate crops so they’re next to different plants.

Vertical space is some of the most useful, especially when dealing with small gardens. Utilize a trellis and vining plants, but also get creative with your space. For instance, I use a very unique vertical planter since I have such a small sliver of the garden that gets enough sun for my vegetables.

Spacing Plants

Spacing is the biggest thing to grasp when planning a square foot garden. Ditch the ideas of planting things in a row. Pack as many plants as you can into a gardening bed. Most seed packets will tell you how far apart to space your plants, but you can always go closer than they say.

Each vegetable will vary, but they usually fall into one of the four categories:

• Extra large = 1 plant per square
• Large = 4 plants per square
• Medium = 9 plants per square
• Small = 16 plants per square

Use this chart when making your plans. I included some of the most common vegetables. But if you don’t see a vegetable on the list, try to determine if it is an extra large, large, medium, or small vegetable and use the space guidelines above.

The standard 4×4 is the easiest to plan and grow things for. This gives you 16 square grids to work with, with one type of vegetable in each of the squares. In Mel’s design, he places a trellis alongside the back and places his climbing plants there.

Here is an example from Mel for 16 different squares.

1. Pole beans, 8 plants
2. Climbing peas, 8 plants
3. Cucumber, 2 plants
4. Musk melon, 1 plant
5. Tomato, 1 plant
6. Green pepper, 1 plant
7. Eggplant, 1 plant
8. Potato, 1 plant
9. Head cabbage, 1 plant
10. Broccoli, 1 plant
11. Cauliflower, 1 plant
12. Curly kale, 1 plant
13. Leaf lettuce, 4 plants
14. Onions, 16 sets
15. Radishes, 16 plants
16. Leaf spinach, 9 plants

Of course, this is just one example. You can customize it to whatever types of plants you grow. Some squares might take all season, while others may be part of succession planting.

The Harvest

From this one 4×4 square planter, you can get a ton of produce. Using that same example from Mel as above, here is what you can expect as a harvest.

• 2 gallons of green beans
• 2 gallons of peas
• 18 cucumbers
• 1 muskmelons or cantaloupes
• 18 tomatoes
• 12 green peppers
• 10 eggplants
• 8 potatoes
• 1-3 heads of cabbage
• 1-4 heads of broccoli
• 1-4 heads of cauliflowers
• 4 gallons of kale
• 8 heads of lettuce
• 16 onions
• 48 radishes
• 2 gallons of spinach

More Posts About Small Space Gardening

Cherry Ong is taking us on another trip, today to a beautiful public garden in Surrey, British Columbia. She says, “Been itching to visit Darts Hill Garden Park to see the spring ephemerals and the alpine garden. Got my wish today!”

Darts Hill was the home and garden of Edwin and Francisca Darts, and they donated it to the city in 1994 so that now everyone is welcome to visit and enjoy the beautiful garden.

These are the steps to the main house, and it is absolutely beautiful!

The fallen rhododendron flowers and their curving stems make this a magical space.

The rhododendron flower confetti is lovely against the woodland floor.

I gasped at the sight of these pink fawn lilies (Erythronium revolutum, Zones 6–8). From what I understand, this is a large naturalized colony that covers the slope and a good part of bed 9. It was a sight so dear that Mrs. Darts had the path roped off every spring in order to allow them to bloom undisturbed.

A closer look at the pink fawn lilies

A carpet of Anemone nemorosa (Zones 5–8) is in full bloom alongside beautiful stone steps.

This tufa trough/crevice garden was designed and created by Pam Yokome.

The rock garden has all kinds of tiny treasures growing in every nook and crevice.

Pasque flower (Pulsatilla sp., Zones 4–8) blooms in the alpine beds.

 

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.

Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening!

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In a time when big box stores seem to outnumber independents, it’s cause for celebration when a new indie nursery opens its doors. Even more exciting when the shop is owned by Flora Grubb.

Photography by Caitlin Atkinson, courtesy of Flora Grubb.

Grubb, whose eponymous nursery in San Francisco helped set the trend for modern, foliage-forward landscapes, just put down roots in Los Angeles. Located a few minutes from the heart of Venice, the sunny locale in Marina del Rey features two acres packed with rare and unusual plants geared to the California coastal climate; chic containers; and tools and other gardening goods.

“We stay away from water-hogging options in favor of plants that are appropriate for the naturally dry summers in coastal California, and periods of drought,” she says. Think: lots of graphic agaves and aloes, feathery palms, and fleshy succulents. “But we love green, leafy plants that have extravagant flowers just as much as sculptural cactus,” says Grubb, who also makes sure to stock lots of pollinator loving plants.

The nursery grows the majority of the plants they sell at their Rainbow Valley Farm—from real rarities to “once-obscure plants that we like to make staples in the landscape,” she says. But their focus goes beyond aesthetics. “We have a responsibility to provide our customers with the building blocks of a resilient landscape,” she says. “California natives are a must. Plants that prove invasive must be avoided, even if customers love them and ask for them continuously.” But most of all Grubb wants the nursery to ”spark the imagination, inspire creativity, and help customers fall in love with their gardens.”

To get the most out of your visit to the nursery, Grubb recommends you come prepared with the following information:

• “Bring a few photos of your space to share with employees. We find it easiest to work with printed photos, whenever possible.”
• “Scale can be tricky! Measure your space and the surrounding objects.”
• “Know your light conditions in your garden. How many hours of sunlight does the spot get? Is that light bright or diffused?”
• “While it isn’t totally necessary to know what kind of soil you have, it is helpful.”

Flora Grubb LA is open daily from 9 am to 6 pm, at 13198 Mindanao Way, Marina del Rey. For those in the LA area, the nursery is holding its grand opening celebration and sale May 27-29.

See also:

Maintaining a yard can be very daunting and stressful for most homeowners. To maintain a beautiful and well-maintained yard, you must be consistent and give adequate time for your yard work. Between cleaning to pulling and planting new trees, the workload can get the best of any homeowner.

Source

However, even if you have enough knowledge and desire to take care of your yard, sometimes you might get busy with other work without having time to spare for yard work. At times like this, hiring a professional lawn service company can be of help. In this article, we will highlight the top three reasons why you need to hire help for yard work.

What Are Landscaping or Yard Work Services?

Landscaping or professional lawn care services are the various activities and solutions that are provided and completed by a landscaping or lawn care company to keep your yard and outer space properly maintained. Starting from lawn mowing to weeding, a professional landscaper will be skilled enough to complete all sorts of yard work with ease to ensure a greener and healthier lawn. However, the level of expertise required depends on the complexity of the work.

A properly cared for and beautified property increases not only the appearance but also the functionality of the property. You can hire a professional lawn care service provider if the project is complex and involves the construction of sophisticated designs.

What Do Yard Workers Do?

Yard Workers are professionals who are trained and experienced in maintaining and improving the look and functionality of outdoor spaces. They help homeowners and businesses with lawn maintenance and other landscaping services to ensure their yard is well-maintained, safe, and pleasing to look at.

Yard workers offer a wide range of services to help homeowners and businesses to maintain and improve their outdoor spaces. These yard workers are well-trained and well-skilled in a number of services:

It is one of the primary services that an experienced team of yard workers provides to their clients. A professional lawn service company provides yard workers who are well-versed in their work and can do yard work starting from fertilizing and aerating to helping you in maintaining that healthy grass with weed treatments.

Planting and gardening take a lot of discipline and it helps to give your property an aesthetic look. A professional team of dedicated yard workers can take care of that. They can help you with the installation of flower beds and help you choose the best plants on the basis of the climate and soil in the area. They make sure that your garden is well-maintained and they look beautiful all year round.

Professional yard workers can enhance your outdoor spaces with stone, concrete, and wood by installing and designing patios, walkways, fire pits, and outdoor kitchens. They not only increase the functionality of your outdoor space but also the value of the property.

Yard workers provide services like tree pruning, tree removal, and tree planting. They make sure trees remain healthy and safe by diagnosing and treating tree diseases and pests. They work sincerely to keep trees healthy and prevent them from imposing any danger to people and property.

A well-maintained irrigation system is very important to the health of the plants and trees of your lawn. Yard workers help you with building a well-planned lawn by designing and installing proper irrigation facilities. They provide the best plans and designs necessary for the property to have a healthy lawn by making sure that the plants and trees get adequate water and minerals for their proper growth.

Outdoor space needs to have proper lighting to avoid mishaps and accidents. Professional yard workers make sure that your outdoor space is well-lit and by doing so, they also enhance the functionality of the property. They assist you by designing and installing proper lighting setup for your outdoor space.

Here Are the Top 3 Reasons Why You Need to Hire Someone to Help You on Your Yard Work Project

1. Save time and reduce stress.

One of the main reasons to hire a professional lawn helper to take care of your yard is to save time and effort. Maintaining a yard requires a lot of work that includes a variety of tasks including mowing the lawn, pulling weeds, trimming bushes, and watering plants. By hiring a professional, you can free up your time and focus on other important tasks at hand, such as spending your free time being with your family or pursuing hobbies.

Furthermore, taking care of a yard can be stressful if you don’t have the necessary expertise and equipment. For example, pruning trees and shrubs can be dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing, and mowing the lawn can be physically taxing. When you hire a professional to help take care of your yard, you can rest assured that your landscaping job is being done safely and efficiently.

1. Enhance your property value.

A well-maintained and properly decorated outdoor space will increase the value of your property to about 15%-20%. It is believed that a well-maintained outdoor space speaks volumes about the personality of the owner. A clean and tidy lawn also creates a good impression on the minds of passersby, visitors, potential real estate buyers, or tenants if you are planning to rent out your property.

1. Cost-effective in the long run

Although it may sound counter-intuitive at first, sometimes hiring professionals to help you for your lawn maintenance can actually be cost-effective in the long run. By making an initial investment in hiring a professional landscaper, you can avoid any costly issues down the road. Regular maintenance can help prevent any issues from arising, saving you money in the long run.

Plus, regularly maintaining your yard can help you save money on utility bills. Moreover, a well-maintained yard with proper trees and shrubs can provide shade and keep your house cool, reducing the need for air conditioning during the summer months. This way, you can help lower your energy bills and save money over time.

Wrapping Up

Maintaining a yard can be a daunting and stressful experience, especially when you’re trying to manage everything on your own. As such, by hiring a lawn care or someone to take care of your lawn can alleviate these burdens while ensuring a seamless landscaping experience. A professional yard worker can help you transform your outdoor space while saving you time and reducing stress, improving the health and appearance of your yard. If you’re finding it difficult to maintain your yard, it may be time to consider hiring a professional yard worker to help.

Moreover, hiring lawn care service companies to take care of your yard can be a smart investment. Not only do you save time and effort, but it can also improve the look of your yard and enhance your property value. Whether you’re looking to increase the value of your property or create a beautiful outdoor space for your family, hiring a local lawn care pro or a professional landscaper is a great way to achieve your goals.

FAQs

Why is it important to hire yard worker professionals to take care of your lawn?

It is very mandatory to take care of your outdoor space regularly. Periodic maintenance will keep your front yard clean and make your yard look new and tidy. It is considered that the appearance of your property speaks volumes about your personality. Moreover, a well-maintained and properly decorated lawn can also help increase the value of your property to about 15%-20%.

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The flowers bloom in late afternoon in response to a temperature drop. Nocturnal moths and other nighttime pollinators are attracted to their nectar.

They remain open throughout the night and into the morning when temperatures rise and the flowers wilt. Like daylilies, four o’clock flowers bloom just a single time, then fade and eventually fall off the plant.

On cloudy days, the flowers open earlier and sometimes won’t close at all. Again, this is not due to a lack of light, but rather, to temperatures that are lower than usual.

Many gardeners find deadheading unnecessary because even the wilted blooms are attractive, and this plant blooms profusely with or without deadheading.

Whether you’re drawn by nostalgia or you’re looking for an appealing, colorful, easy-care perennial for a cottage garden, border, or container, you’ll want to check out this old-fashioned favorite.

Here’s what to expect in this guide:

What Are Four O’Clock Flowers?

Tender perennials in Zones 7b to 11b, gardeners in other Zones often grow these beauties as annuals. They will self-sow.

This bushy nocturne usually grows one to four feet tall, and one to three feet wide, but perennial plants have been known to reach six feet in height in ideal conditions.

It is heat- and drought-tolerant, and a favorite of hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.

Wild critters know not to ingest the roots and seeds of this plant, because they are poisonous.

If your pooch has a propensity for eating random yard objects, you may want to collect the dark, leathery, round seeds immediately after they make a showing, or skip growing this old-fashioned ornamental altogether.

In the deep south, M. jalapa begins blooming in late spring, while northern gardeners will have to wait until midsummer to catch a whiff of the highly fragrant blooms.

Cultivation and History

As if “four o’clock” weren’t an interesting enough name, this plant also goes by “marvel of Peru,” a nod to its native tropical South American habitat.

This flower has been cultivated for hundreds of years.

Indigenous people used the roots for medicine and as a hallucinogen, and Europeans found the plants in the Americas and brought them back to their countries around 1540.

In those days, the red flowers were used to make food coloring.

In its heyday a couple of generations ago, this was a popular “pass-along” plant in the southern US, meaning neighbors and friends frequently shared the plant with each other to grow in their own gardens.

Propagation

Four o’clocks grow easily from seed, and it’s not that tough to grow them from tubers uprooted at season’s end, wintered over, and planted out again the following spring.

Here’s the go-to info for either approach:

From Seed

One huge advantage of four o’clocks is that even beginners can succeed at growing them from seed.

And you can collect the heirloom seeds at season’s end to share or start more plants.

In areas with a shorter growing season, you may want to start four o’clocks indoors six to eight weeks ahead of your area’s average last frost date.

Fill trays or small pots with seed-starting mix. If you wish you can opt to soak the seeds overnight in warm water to speed up sprouting.

The seeds need light to germinate, so space them a few inches apart and merely press them into the soil about a quarter-inch.

Place the container in a room with temperatures between 65 and 75°F, and where it will receive light either from a window or a grow light.

Keep the soil moist with a clean spray bottle of water. You can expect the seeds to germinate within about 15 days.

Once they’re a couple of inches tall and have at least two sets of true leaves, transplant the seedlings to two-inch cells or into the container where you plan to grow them for the season.

Seedlings can go in the garden when they’re about six weeks old, after you’ve gradually conditioned them to the increased light and warmth of the great outdoors.

Harden them off when conditions permit for about an hour on the first day, adding an hour each day for about a week.

Gently remove them from their pots or seed-starting cells, and plant them to the same depth as in their containers. Provide plenty of water as they get acclimated.

To direct sow in the garden, space the seeds about 12 inches apart, covering them with a quarter-inch of fine soil and keeping them moist until they germinate.

From Tubers

To share tubers with a friend or save them at season’s end to plant out next year, dig them up with a gardening fork or spade, being careful to unearth the entire tuber to avoid accidentally injuring it or slicing off a portion.

Then use your shovel or your hands to gently remove the clumps from the garden, much as you would when lifting dahlias.

Shake the soil from the tubers and store them somewhere cool and dry – but not freezing – like an unheated garage.

Good air circulation is important – some gardeners will layer them between sheets of newspaper in an open crate or box with holes punched in it.

The following year, plant them after the last frost.

Space them one or two feet apart and plant them deep enough to cover with the root end pointed down and the crown end where new growth will emerge planted just below the soil surface.

How to Grow

You may have heard dramatic stories about four o’clocks growing in extra-poor soil or surviving a months-long drought. And indeed, they are tough and tolerant.

But instead of relying on this survival instinct, to grow the healthiest four o’clocks with the most blooms, plant them in well-draining soil that’s been amended with aged compost or other organic material.

Grow them in full sun or an area that receives morning sun and afternoon shade.

If you’re growing them in containers, plant four in a pot 20 inches in diameter that can hold at least five gallons of growing medium.

Be sure to water the plants during dry spells if you want them to look fabulous, versus just getting by.

Aim for about an inch of supplemental water every couple of weeks if your area is experiencing periods of high heat or zero rainfall.

As for fertilizer, these plants can do without it.

But they’ll flourish and bloom with abandon if you give them an all-purpose balanced fertilizer in early spring and at least once midway through the growing season, or once a month if your soil is lacking in fertility.

Growing Tips

• Plant either in full sun or a spot with morning sun and afternoon shade.
• To keep the plants looking fresh, provide about an inch of supplemental water every few weeks during summer’s dry heat.
• Fertilize to encourage flowering.

Pruning and Maintenance

Those growing four o’clocks from seed can pinch back the main stem when immature seedlings are about five or six inches tall. This will encourage sturdier plants that bloom profusely.

Also make sure to pick off any seeds that you don’t want to self-sow, or pull up the new seedlings before they get a stronghold in the garden or other areas where you don’t want them to grow.

For anyone lucky enough to have the opportunity to grow four o’clocks as perennials, there are a couple of additional seasonal chores you’ll need to take on.

Ahead of cooler temperatures each year, make sure to clip any dead or damaged foliage.

Add a two-inch layer of mulch around the stems to help the plants retain moisture through their dormant period.

Be sure to opt for a pollinator-friendly mulch, one that hasn’t been treated with pesticides, like dry shredded leaves from your own garden or untreated pine straw.

Cultivars to Select

If color is your thing, you’ve come to the right place.

Four o’clock flowers can be pink, red, magenta, lavender, yellow, or white.

The flowers may be a solid hue, or they may have more than one color in a striped, splotchy, or spotted pattern.

You may even see different combinations of shades and patterns on a single plant.

And to further brighten your days, the flowers of some varieties will change color as the plant matures.

Pests

As mentioned above, critters seem to know not to eat these plants, though you may want to watch out for your dogs if they’re inclined to munch whatever is in their path.

About the only insect that might attack is the aphid, an unappealing little sap-sucker that’s oval in shape and may appear in any number of colors, including buff, brown, or green.

You can blast aphids with a steady stream of water, or follow some of the other strategies outlined in our guide.

Should you spot leaves that look like they’ve been chewed on and you can peer right through the damage, you may be battling slugs.

Another indicator is the pleasant slime trails they leave behind… Just kidding, they’re gross!

A top strategy for keeping slugs at bay involves diatomaceous earth – read more about it in our guide to keeping slugs and snails under control.

Diseases

Again, these are tough plants. But they’re not impervious to these potential plant diseases:

Fusarium Wilt

A soil-borne fungus can cause Fusarium wilt, putting four o’clocks in a bad way.

You might notice they’re drooping, a symptom that’s usually followed by yellowing leaves.

Unfortunately, ornamentals that are suffering from fusarium wilt can’t stage a comeback. Instead, you’ll need to pull up all the affected plants, taproots and all, and send them to the trash bin, not the compost.

Then make sure to move any healthy plants to a new spot for next year, following the instructions for overwintering tubers outlined in the Propagation section above.

Leaf Blight

If you see small, yellow, halo-shaped spots on the leaves, your plants may have leaf blight. Ack!

These spots start small but they can turn brown and cause the leaves to wither pretty quickly.

About the only way to treat this ailment is to eradicate all of the affected plants.

After some of the flowers have faded, you will want to start collecting the seeds they produce before they get dispersed onto any available soil, where they’ll sprout next spring.

Look for the small, dark, football-shaped seeds to appear at the tip of the stems after the dead flowers drop.These are actually fruits, which hold the seeds inside.

Pick them directly from the plants, and don’t forget to look for extras that have already fallen to the ground.

Place them on a piece of brown paper or cardboard, and set it out of the light in a cool spot where air circulates freely.

Let the seeds dry completely before you store them. That usually takes about a week, and you’ll know they’re dry when the surfaces are so hard you can’t puncture them with your thumbnail.

For long-term storage, move the dried seeds to small envelopes or little glass jars with screw-on lids. Be sure to label the containers with the plant’s name and the date when you harvested seed.

Move those containers somewhere dry and dark for the duration, until you’re ready to take them out again for gifting or sowing.

Best Uses

Along with being a lovely reminder of simpler times in the past, four o’clocks can hold their own with the most colorful ornamental bedding plants of today.

Planted close together, they form an attractive annual hedge that butterflies and hummingbirds will home in on.

They also grow well in containers on the patio or a garden wall, as long as you’re willing to offer up a bit of extra supplemental watering throughout the driest portions of the summer.

Their old-fashioned appeal plays well in a cottage garden, but the colors and drought-tolerance also make them suitable for tropical plantings. For the latter, grow them in front of taller tropicals like elephant’s ear.

Perhaps the best use of M. jalapa is as a pretty flower to share with beginner gardeners.

It’s a snap to save seeds or lift tubers, and neighbors, grandkids, and the local seed library could all enjoy the nostalgic beauty of this pretty perennial.

Reputable manufacturers often treat their products to inhibit weeds, pests, and disease. They also buffer it to counteract potassium and sodium, elements that may inhibit the uptake of essential magnesium and calcium. And, some go so far as to add micronutrients such as copper and iron.

An Array of Options

Garden centers are well-stocked with coco products like these:

Coco Peat

This is the form most people mean when they say “coir.”

It’s a spongy, soilless growing medium that may be added to soil or potting media to increase moisture retention, drainage, and aeration, much like peat moss, perlite, or vermiculite.

In addition, coco peat supports strong root growth and is often used to start seeds and grow hydroponically.

Garden Coir by Burpee is available in 8-quart bags directly from Burpee.

Organic Garden Coir

It contains 100% coconut coir in a crumbly form like peat, and holds up to 150% of its weight in water.

Seed Starter Discs

Coco peat is packed into discs for use as a seed starting medium.

Netted Coir Pellets

This soilless medium supports healthy root growth while retaining moisture, draining well, and providing good air circulation. Start seeds indoors or out, and place directly into the ground when seedlings are ready.

Netted Coir Pellets are available from Burpee in 36- and 42-millimeter sizes, and various quantities of each.

These pots contain coir and potting soil. Just add your seeds, a little water, and bam! – they grow into 2-inch pots.

Compressed Bricks

Small fibers and dust are compacted into hard bricks that require soaking before use as a soilless growing medium or soil amendment. Sizes and shapes vary from large rectangles to small discs.

Compressed Coco Coir Fiber Grow Medium

They require hydration. When water is added, they expand, absorbing approximately nine times their weight in water.

At maximum saturation, you have a crumbly, peat-like mixture that’s ready for containers or gardens.

Mountain Valley Seed Company’s Minute Soil Compressed Coco Coir Fiber Grow Medium is available from True Leaf Market.

Package and puck sizes vary, but 3 of the large bricks will provide you with a total of 4.5 gallons of potting medium.

Mulch Chips

Other products are coarser in texture. Mulch chips looked like cubed husks. Use them in the garden to increase moisture retention, inhibit weed growth, and provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance.

Chips are also used as support for the roots of tropical plants like orchids, because they drain well and allow for ample air circulation.

FibreDust CoCo Mulch via Amazon

Mulch chips like the ones pictured above are available though eCommerce channels such as Amazon, but it’s probably better to search your local garden center or big-box store for a similar product if you need it in large quantities.

Unless you need to fill just a few containers, shipping is going to be prohibitively expensive or the product will likely be marked up high enough to cover shipping costs.

Planter Liners

Planter liners are also on the coarse side, with a fibrous, woven texture, rather than a spongy, peat-like one.

14-Inch Round Coco Fiber Liners (2 Pack) via Amazon

They come in sheets, by the roll, or pre-shaped to fit containers of various sizes, like window boxes and wire planters.

Another option, Gray Bunny’s 14-inch hanging planter baskets, comes with with coco coir liners.

Gray Bunny Hanging Planter Baskets

These are better than most other offerings as they are extra deep. Many of the competitors are fairly shallow and your plants can dry out quickly.

These are sold in quantities of two and four on Amazon.

Molded Pots

Like peat pots, the coir variety is made of fibers that have been pressed into flower pot shapes. They are useful containers for starting plants because they retain moisture, drain well, and allow air to circulate.

Envelor Coco Coir Plant Pots via Amazon

Put them directly into the ground when you’re ready – they biodegrade.

You may also use coir pots as inserts for ceramic pots. Their water retention counteracts the rapid drying out typical of terra cotta and other porous containers, especially during hot weather.

A set of three self-watering planter pots with coconut coir fiber are available from Amazon.

7-Inch Self Watering Planter Pots with Coconut Coir Fiber Potting Soil

Choose between the set shown above with one each of blue, green, and orange pots, or choose an all white option. A water level indicator in each pot lets you conveniently monitor moisture.

Climbing Poles

Vines and climbers often need support when grown in containers. Coco poles consist of twine-wrapped fibers on a stick.

When placed in planters, vines readily cling and benefit from the extra moisture in their environment.

What’s Not to Love?

By now you’re probably saying, “Okay, so I can substitute coco peat for peat moss and coco chips for wood mulch. But why should I?” Let’s find out!

The Upside of Coir

Unlike peat, it’s a renewable resource that doesn’t take a century to form in a bog.

Adding it to soil is an excellent way to increase aeration, drainage, and water retention.

Solanum lycopersicum ‘Hawaiian Pineapple’

Regarding Solanum lycopersicum ‘Hawaiian Pineapple’ tomatoes, I have good news and possibly bad some news for home gardeners.

The good news: These pretty, bicolor heirloom tomatoes taste mildly sweet and fruity, and look glorious cut into sunset-hued slices.

The possibly bad news: If you were looking to grow a variety with a connection to the Hawaiian islands, this one wouldn’t work.

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It did not originate there, its flavor doesn’t resemble pineapple, and it’s not a pineapple shape, either.

But if that’s not a deal breaker for you, this could become your go-to heirloom to grow in the home garden.

Points in its favor include that lovely color scheme, its extra-large fruits, its ability to double as a cooking or slicing tomato, and its vigorous vines you can grow vertically to save space in the garden.

I’m here to share many other ways this pineapple tomato variety is special, along with tips for sowing and growing it.

Here’s what I’ll cover as we go along:

What Are ‘Hawaiian Pineapple’ Tomatoes?

They don’t have a connection to Hawaii, but ‘Hawaiian Pineapple’ heirloom tomatoes have so many other positive attributes, their puzzling cultivar name becomes irrelevant.

Like all tomatoes, they are members of the nightshade family, the Solanum genus, and the lycopersicum species.

Annuals suited to USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 11, this variety can also be grown as perennials in Zones 8 to 10.

They’re indeterminate tomatoes, meaning they will continue to produce fruit from the time they mature until cold weather halts the harvest.

As we say in East Tennessee, “they’re big ‘uns,” with sturdy, regular leaf vines that reach six to eight feet tall and spread a couple of feet wide.

The mature fruits will weigh between 16 and 32 ounces each, so this variety could be a contender if you’re vying for neighborhood “biggest tomato” honors.

They’re considered beefsteaks, or slicers, and have the firm flesh and few seeds that make them ideal for BLTs and tomato sandwiches. Lots of BLTs, actually – one fruit’s enough to fill three or four sandwiches.

The fruits are renowned especially for their looks.

They ripen to a yellow-orange hue streaked with red inside. Not exactly a pineapple color scheme, more like a sunset. But this variety does have a distinctively sweet, fruity flavor with a spike of citrus.

No one will ever be tempted to bake it beneath batter in an upside-down cake, but it does have a sort of tropical flavor. Maybe?

There’s not a lot of information about the origins of this particular cultivar, but it was probably first bred in Kentucky or Eastern Ohio, like many bicolor beefsteak types.

It was introduced to the public by the name ‘Hawaiian Pineapple’ by Merlin Gleckler of the famed family-owned seed business “Glecklers Seedman” in the 1950s.

Merlin’s son George Gleckler thinks there’s a possibility that ‘Hawaiian Pineapple’ is the same cultivar as other tomatoes called ‘Georgia Streak’ and ‘Marizol Gold.’

This variety is also one of the parent plants for the ‘Black Pineapple’ or ‘Ananas Noire’ cultivar brought to market in 2005 by Belgian horticulturist Pascal Moreau.

Other pineapple tomato varieties include a type that is still green when ripe and a smaller, brighter ‘Pineapple Pig’ that actually is the same color as the tropical fruit, as well as a ‘Potato Leaf Pineapple’ that is much the same as ‘Hawaiian’ but with potato leaves rather than regular ones.

‘Hawaiian Pineapple’ has also been used to breed hybrids including the ‘Giant Yellow Oxheart’ cross known as ‘Oxheart Pineapple.’

Who knows when one of these will capture our fancy? For now, let’s explore the most popular pineapple tomato, the ‘Hawaiian.’

Propagation

Since it’s so rare to find starts of ‘Hawaiian Pineapple’ grown and sold locally, it’s a good idea to know how to start this variety from seed.

You’ll want to sow the seeds indoors four to six weeks before transplanting, which you can do once the soil and air have warmed and all threat of frost has passed.

Since the number of days to maturity for this variety hovers around 90, it’s necessary to carefully time indoor sowing. You’ll want to have plants that are big enough to transplant in plenty of time to harvest fruit before cool weather arrives.

Count back 28 to 42 days from your average last frost date to get an idea of when to sow, and be sure to mark the date in your gardening journal or set a cell phone reminder to sow the seeds on time.

While you want the starts to be ready when the weather gets warm enough, especially in areas with shorter growing seasons, it’s also important not to sow or plant them out prematurely.

Tomatoes sown indoors can quickly get spindly if you start seeds too early. Those leggy transplants won’t produce as well as stocky, healthy starts between four and six weeks old, or eight weeks old max.

See our guide for more tips on planning when to plant tomatoes.

You’ll need a tray or cells filled with a specialized seed-starting formula, or regular potting soil amended with sand or perlite so it’s lighter and has better drainage.

Press the seeds lightly into moist soil, and lightly cover them with about a quarter-inch of the growing mix, then tamp it down ever so gently with your forefinger.

Cover the container with a clear dome or plastic wrap and place it where the temperature will consistently be about 70 to 75°F, using a heat mat if needed.

Keep the soil moist with a spray bottle, and look for seeds to sprout within seven to 14 days.

As soon as they break through the soil, remove the dome or plastic film and move the tray where the sprouts will get full sun (or light from a grow light) until you transplant them outdoors.

You can find more detailed instructions for starting tomatoes from seed in our guide. It covers the important steps involved in sowing, hardening off, and transplanting the seedlings.

If you can find a fellow gardener with a ‘Hawaiian Pineapple’ plant at least 18 inches tall, you can also root a cutting. Follow the instructions outlined in our guide to growing ‘Costoluto Genovese.’

In general, you should transplant store-bought or seed-started seedlings only after the average last frost date in your area has passed, in soil temperatures of at least 50°F, and air temperatures that are consistently at least 60°F by day and above 50°F at night.

While it may seem counterintuitive, you’ll need to bury the seedlings deep into the soil, leaving just the top couple of inches of stem and two or three sets of true leaves above the soil line. 

Some people strip the bottom leaves off first, but I’ve always just buried them with the roots and stems, and skipping that step has worked just fine for me. Planting the leaf nodes beneath the soil helps the plants form strong roots to stay hydrated later in the season.

Backfill with soil from the garden plot and water in well. From that point on, the plants should take off with only moderate effort on your part.

More tips on nurturing ‘Hawaiian Pineapple’ for the 90 days between transplant and harvest are coming up!

How to Grow

If you can keep up with watering in the summer’s heat and avoid common pests and diseases, ‘Hawaiian Pineapple’ plants are relatively easy to grow.

Set yourself up for success by choosing a site with full sun and rich, well-draining soil you’ve amended with a couple inches of aged manure or other compost.

This location should also be somewhere you haven’t grown other nightshades in the past two seasons – or the past three seasons if you’ve had trouble with tomato diseases before and want to be extra safe this go-’round.

The ideal pH is 6.0 to 6.8, which you can determine with a soil test.

If you choose to grow these in a container, make sure each plant has its own seven-gallon pot that has drainage holes and retains moisture, not one made out of unglazed clay.

Learn more about meeting all the growing needs for container tomatoes in our guide.

Weed ahead of transplanting so the young transplants don’t have to compete for moisture or nutrition with bigger plants that have more aggressive roots.

Give your plants plenty of room to spread out, spacing them 24 to 48 inches apart in rows three or four feet from each other.

Be sure to select cages or other supports that are tall enough for a vine that will exceed six feet in height, and strong enough to support both its weight and a full harvest of one- to two-pound fruits.

Learn more about constructing a Florida weave trellis in our guide.

Install any supports while the plants are small, at transplant time if possible.

I use four-by-eight-foot cattle panels for vines this vigorous. I usually attach the panels to their poles first, then plant the tomato seedlings nearby.

That way, I don’t have to worry about forgetting to support the plants until it’s too late to do so without disturbing the roots or the rest of the garden.

Once they’re a couple of inches tall, mulch ‘Hawaiian Pineapple’ plants with a two-inch layer of pine straw or untreated grass clippings to retain moisture and combat weeds.

Be sure to leave a four-inch circle of space between the mulched area and the center stems to reduce the chances of spreading pathogens from mulch to plant.

As the plants grow, they’ll form side branches. You may want to pinch those off since they’re unlikely to produce flowers or fruit, but they sap energy from the plant.

Unless rain provides at least an inch of water per week during the growing season, you’ll need supplemental hydration to provide that amount – or more if temperatures are soaring.

Drip irrigation and soaker hoses are good for growing tomatoes since they help you avoid wet leaves that can encourage fungal disease.

If you do water with a watering can or your garden hose, aim the water at the soil surface instead of letting it cascade over the leaves from above.

Make sure to water in the morning so the plants can absorb the moisture ahead of the baking sun. Also water early enough so the leaves can dry off before nightfall brings increased humidity, since overly moist conditions encourage certain pathogens.

Once the plants begin to set fruit, they’ll benefit from an application of 5-10-10 NPK fertilizer. Diluted fish emulsion, granulated organic fertilizer, and compost tea are all good choices.

Growing comfrey? Compost tea made from this plant is another suitable fertilizer option. Learn more about comfrey tea in our guide.

Reapply your fertilizer of choice a second time about a month later.

You’ll find more details about fertilizing and mulching, along with myriad other tips, in our general tomato growing guide.

Growing Tips

• Plant in well-draining, nutrient-rich soil with a pH of 6.0 to 6.8.
• Install large cages or stakes to support each start when you transplant.
• When rain doesn’t provide an inch of water per week in summer, supplement via a soaker hose or soil-level watering.
• Mulch the plants when they’re a few inches tall using straw, dry grass clippings, or newspaper.
• Consider pinching off side shoots to strengthen the main stems.

Where to Buy

Should you spy ‘Hawaiian Pineapple’ starts at a local nursery or farmers market, I’d advise you to snap them up!

Of course, they may be labeled merely as “pineapple” tomatoes, but chances are they’ll be this type – the variety that yields oversized beefsteaks with sunrise-hued flesh.

To be certain that you’ll have plants from this particular bicolor heirloom variety, I’d invest in some seeds pronto, from a reputable seller.

You can always freeze any extras, and they should remain viable for another five years if you don’t need them for this season.

‘Hawaiian Pineapple’

One seed source is Botanical Interests, which offers 25-seed packets.

An envelope of 20-plus seeds is also available from Seed King Express via Amazon.

And you can purchase seeds in a variety of packet sizes and in bulk from True Leaf Market.

Managing Pests and Disease

When you space your plants to offer good circulation and provide ample nutrition and water, you can reduce the risk of pests and diseases damaging your tomatoes.

Bugs may still find them, however.

Those sizable green tomato hornworms always seem to make an appearance. Read about preventing, detecting, and eliminating hornworms in our guide.

A few other insects and creepy crawlies to watch for include aphids and slugs.

Even with dutiful spacing and care, pineapple tomatoes can still be susceptible to certain fungal diseases and bacterial pathogens.

That’s why veteran vegetable growers religiously destroy plant debris at the end of the season and plant tomatoes in a new spot from year to year. Those are the best ways to avoid soil- and waterborne pathogens, some of which overwinter in the remains of crops or weeds.

A few tomato ailments you might encounter include anthracnose, early blight, septoria leaf spot, and a physiological disorder known as catfacing.

Not at all cute like a kitty, catfacing forms deep grooves in the big tomatoes that make them look lumpy and unappetizing, though they may still be edible if the catfacing hasn’t progressed too far.

Find tips to prevent catfacing in our guide.

Harvest and Storage

Prepare for an unbeatable simple summer pleasure: Eating the pineapple tomatoes you harvest!

When you’re this close to victory, it’s no time to lose your patience.

As we discussed earlier, these are not going to be the first in the garden to ripen. With the typical number of days to maturity being about 90 from transplant, it may be August before you get a chance to eat these sweet heirlooms.

In the meantime, keep an eye on your plants, checking to see if they’re blooming and developing green fruits as the days go by, and then noting when the fruits begin to change color.

You’ll need to wait for the plants to grow tall enough to produce blooms, which can take 30 days or so for this variety, and then wait another three weeks for them to produce green tomatoes and have them grow to full size.

After that, the fruits need time to ripen – maybe another three or four weeks.

‘Hawaiian Pineapple’ colors up best at temperatures between 68 and 77°F. A little warmer is okay, but when temperatures exceed about 85 to 90°F, the ripening process slows or potentially grinds to a halt. Shade cloth can help to provide protection.

Should it cool down to 55°F, that’s yet another delay, maybe a week or more added to the total number of days to harvest.

Worth the wait? I imagine you’ll agree that it is when you bite into your first firm-but-juicy slice of ‘Hawaiian Pineapple.’

But if the delays go on so long that you start worrying that the green fruits will never turn the signature bicolor yellow and rose hues, consult our guide to helping green tomatoes ripen, either on the vine or after a harvest of unripe fruits.

When all goes well, and the fruits are the right color and yield to a finger pressed to the side, it’s time to pick!

I recommend letting them ripen on the vine for full flavor, but you can also pick them when they’re still firm and let them ripen on the counter for a few days.

These are pretty large, so use both hands so you won’t drop any as you gently remove the fruit from the vine, giving each a gentle twist until it falls off in your hand.

Once the harvest window opens, pick each tomato as it becomes ripe. Left on the vine, they’re fair game for birds and bugs, or they may crack.

They can also fall to the ground when they get overripe, where they’ll get dirty or mushy quickly.

Four-legged tomato fiends may also find them, like my chihuahua-Jack Rusell mix Pookah.

She particularly enjoys eating yellow tomatoes for some reason and will pounce on a fallen ‘Hawaiian Pineapple’ fruit in three seconds, though this is bound to give her a bellyache.

She does have the right idea about eating these heirlooms without delay. They’ll taste best fresh, particularly if you’ll be eating them raw.

If you pick any that can’t be immediately consumed, you can store them on the kitchen counter for a few days if they’re not overly ripe.

Some old timers swear by placing them stem-side down for this room-temperature storage, but I’ve never noticed a difference in the quality, so I don’t bother.

Slightly less-than-ripe tomatoes should never go in the fridge because the cold halts ripening. But the ones that are fully ripe and veering towards getting mushy can go in the veggie crisper.

Just don’t leave them in cold storage longer than three days, and let them come to room temperature overnight before you use them for the best flavor.

If your friends are fans of that real tomato taste, you probably won’t have any extras waiting for someone to eat them. But when you grow several plants and are harvesting by the bushel, you may want to preserve the bounty or at least some of it.

I’ll share inspiration for stocking the freezer or pantry with ‘Hawaiian Pineapple’ next.

Preserving

Popular as a slicing tomato for fresh eating, beefsteak ‘Hawaiian Pineapple’ fruits are also a good pick for preserving.

One option is dehydrating. You can find directions for that in our guide to storing tomatoes.

This variety does have higher water content than the best canning tomato varieties you could grow in your garden, but you can still use the fruits to make sauces to freeze.

Just be sure to add to the simmering time so the water will have time to evaporate and the sauce will be the ideal consistency.

Follow this recipe for roasted tomato sauce from our sister site, Foodal.

Cool the sauce and store it in airtight containers in the freezer, where it should keep for at least six months.

It’s also possible to freeze the whole fruit. When they thaw, they won’t be the right texture for fresh eating, but they’re still plenty tasty added to stews, soups, or sauces.

Find detailed directions for freezing tomatoes in our guide.

And if you’re an enthusiastic home canner, consider preserving a batch of ketchup in the water bath canner. Not only will pineapple tomatoes lend a certain sweetness to the mix, but their color is also a fun switch from the typical red.

Foodal provides a basic homemade ketchup recipe and you can find basic canning instructions there as well.

Recipes and Cooking Ideas

Gazpacho and fresh salsa are my top choices for showcasing the vibrant colors and the fruity taste of pineapple tomatoes.

If you don’t already have a recipe for gazpacho, Foodal offers this one.

I’ll go ahead and admit I eat gazpacho made with colorful heirlooms for breakfast and late-night snacks all summer.

So I guess you’ll have me to thank if growing pineapple tomatoes leads you to the same tasty, healthful habit, and the thought makes me smile.

Of course, this firm, sweet slicing variety is also an ideal addition to tossed green, pasta, or caprese salads – or in BLTs or ‘mater sandwiches.

But you shouldn’t hesitate to also use this variety for cooking. Peeled whole or chunked ‘Hawaiian Pineapple’ can work in most recipes that call for Roma or other cooking tomatoes.

Since the flesh contains more water, it will need to be cooked longer than thick-walled paste tomatoes to achieve the same consistency.

But if you’re willing to put in the extra cooking time and deal with the muss and fuss required to peel larger, more slippery tomatoes after blanching, you’ll find these sweet, citrusy beefsteaks are delicious in any number of recipes.

They would lend a beautiful color to Foodal’s recipe for Italian bread and tomato soup, for example, though you’ll probably have to simmer the tomatoes about 10 minutes longer than what’s called for to allow it to thicken.

They’d also be tasty in homemade beef steak pizzaiola, also from Foodal, though they’d make the sauce a bit sweeter than the paste tomatoes the recipe calls for. (Again, add at least 10 minutes to the simmering time to account for that extra water.)

You may never get to these recipes, though, not if word gets out that you’re harvesting these tasty heirlooms from your mid to late-summer garden. 

I’ve found that usually shy people will speak right up to request I share my harvest with them.

Even when I plant four or five plants, there never seem to be leftovers after we’ve all used them for BLTs and the like.

Quick Reference Growing Guide

Plant Type:	Annual vegetable	Tolerance:	Heat
Native To:	Central and South America	Maintenance:	Moderate
Hardiness (USDA Zone):	8-10	Soil Type:	Organically rich loam
Season:	Mid- to late summer	Soil pH:	6.0-6.8
Exposure:	Full sun	Soil Drainage:	Well-draining
Time to Maturity:	75-95 days	Companion Planting:	Basil, beans, carrots, chives, garlic, marigolds, nasturtiums, onions, parsnips, oregano
Spacing:	24-36 inches (plants), 36-48 inches (rows)	Avoid Planting With:	Broccoli, cabbage, kale, and other brassicas; corn; potatoes
Planting Depth:	1/4 inch (seeds), beneath second set of true leaves (transplants)	Family:	Solanaceae
Height:	6-7 feet	Genus:	Solanum
Spread:	2-3 feet	Species:	Lycopersicum
Water Needs:	High	Cultivar:	‘Hawaiian Pineapple’
Common Pests:	Aphids, armyworms, hornworms, slugs, snails, stink bugs, thrips	Common Diseases:	Anthracnose, black mold, blight, blossom end rot, catfacing, Fusarium wilt, mosaic virus, powdery mildew, Verticillium wilt

A Hula-va Heirloom Tomato

One of the things that makes home gardening so alluring is the ability to grow a prized vegetable you can’t reliably find at the store or farmers market.

In the case of ‘Hawaiian Pineapple’ tomatoes, being able to grow the plants from seed when you’re unable to find starts is even more satisfying.

When you’re willing to do a bit of weeding and watering, and get dirt on your hands, you can provide yourself with tasty, sustainable food you can’t obtain any other way.

Yay, gardeners!

Are you already growing ‘Hawaiian Pineapple’? Be sure to share any tips and experiences with a comment in the section below.

We also welcome questions not covered above and will get back to you as quickly as possible.

And whether you’ve selected ‘Hawaiian Pineapple’ as your go-to or you’re still weighing your options, you’ll probably enjoy these heirloom tomato guides:

If you enjoy asparagus, canning it is an easy way to have it all year round. In this article, I’ll show you how to do it with easy to follow instructions.

You’ll be surprised just how easy it is, and it’s a great way to use up your crop from the garden, or stock up from the farmer’s market or grocery store.

Canned asparagus is delicious right out of the jar, or as a quick heat-and-serve side dish. It’s also great in recipes like soups, stews, and omelets.

Below, I’ll show you everything you need to know about how to can asparagus, including some useful tips for the best success.

Best Types Of Asparagus For Canning

Some of the best asparagus varieties to use for canning are Jersey Giant, Jersey Knight, and Purple Passion, but you really could use any kind.

Just make sure it’s as fresh as possible, straight out of the garden is best. The crisper it is, the better the texture will be after canning.

Preparing Asparagus For Canning

To prepare your asparagus for canning, first give it a quick rinse to remove any dirt or debris.

Then, trim off the hard end of the stems and cut the spears into about 4-6 inch pieces, or to the length that fits best in the size of the jars you use. 

Be sure to wash and sterilize your jars and keep them hot and ready until it’s time to fill them.

Methods For Canning Asparagus

There are two ways you can pack asparagus into your jars for canning: either hot or raw.

The one you choose depends on the amount of time you have and your personal preference. Try both methods to see which one works best for you.

Hot Packing

Hot packing means that you place the spears in boiling water for 2-5 minutes, and then put them into the jar right after.

This can help preserve the quality of your canned asparagus while it’s stored, but it does add more time to the process.

Raw Packing

Raw packing is the simplest and quickest option because all you do is place the spears into the jars, then add the hot water or brine.

The downside is that the asparagus tends to float when you pour liquid into the jar, which can be frustrating. The workaround is to pack the spears tightly to prevent them from floating.

Related Post: How To Make Pickled Asparagus (With Recipe)

Pressure Canning Asparagus

Because it is a low-acid vegetable, the only safe way to can asparagus at home is by using a pressure canner.

The high heat is essential to kill all of the potentially harmful bacteria, and this cannot be achieved in a hot water bath.

Tools & Equipment Needed

Below is a list of the items that you’ll need to can your asparagus. Make sure you gather everything before you start to make the process easier. You can see my full list of tools and supplies here.

How To Store Canned Asparagus

It is important to store your canned asparagus in a cool, dry, and dark place such as your pantry or kitchen cabinet.

Before storing it, remove the bands and make sure that all of the lids have a tight seal. Check them by pressing on the center of the lid to ensure they don’t move.

If you have any that didn’t seal, put them in the fridge and consume them within 3 to 4 days.

How Long Does Canned Asparagus Last?

When stored properly, canned asparagus will last for about 3 to 5 years. Always check that each one still has a tight seal before eating it.

FAQs

Below are my answers to some of the most common questions I get asked about canning asparagus.

Do you need to blanch asparagus before canning?

No, you do not need to blanch asparagus before canning it, especially in plain water. If you want to use a brine, then it is often nice to blanch it first as it softens the spears slightly to better absorb the flavors from the brine.

Can you can asparagus without pickling it?

Yes, you can can asparagus without pickling it, as long as you use a pressure canner.

Is home canned asparagus mushy?

Home canned asparagus is not mushy as long as you process it correctly, though it will be softer than it is when it’s raw. If yours is mushy it’s usually a result of overcooking.

Does asparagus need to be pressure canned?

Yes, asparagus does need to be pressure canned because it’s a low-acid food. This is the only safe method to use at home, as a boiling water bath can’t get hot enough.

Can asparagus be water bath canned?

No, asparagus cannot be water bath canned, as it is not naturally acidic. A boiling water bath will not get it hot enough to kill all of the harmful bacteria.

If you’d like to learn how to make the most of your space and get as much homegrown food as possible, then my Vertical Vegetables book is perfect! It will teach you all you need to know, has tons of gorgeous photos, and includes 23 DIY projects you can build for your own garden. Order your copy today!

Learn more about my Vertical Vegetables book here.

More Food Canning Posts

Share your tips for canning asparagus in the comments section below.

Recipe & Instructions

Heuchera – Fairy Flowers, Alum Root, Coral Bells

Heucheras are among the most desirable of the smaller growing plants. There are many varieties worth growing. Of these, Heuchera sanguinea is most often seen. The plants are compact, bushy and grow in tufts, the flower stems growing 11/2 feet or 2 feet high. The evergreen leaves look like those of a Geranium. From a mass of ornamental foliage rise graceful spikes covered with pendent flowers which assume the size. of Lily of the Valley bells, of a bright coral-crimson color. It blooms about the middle of the Summer. Catalogs list white, creamy, purple and rose-colored varieties. H. americana, resembling the Foam Flowers and the Mitreworts, is a native of our woods.

Where to plant Heuchera

Small clumps of Heucheras are very attractive when planted by themselves among the shrubbery where their dainty bells will not be outshone by other happy flowers. The foliage is tinted with various maroon markings during the Winter and this makes the plants valuable for the borders. The leaves are also used in vases as accompaniments to other flowers, and the sprays of bloom make excellent cut flowers. Heucheras are most at home when planted in the rockery where they become robust and the foliage completely covers the rocks.

Type of soil

Moist, rich loam is the best soil in which to grow them. Although the plants grow for a long time in one place, the larger plants tend to grow weak very soon. These should be removed and planted elsewhere about every two years. They refuse to thrive in stiff, clay soil.

How to grow Heuchera from division

The plants are propagated by division in October, or available. The seedlings are tiny and need not be transplanted until they attain some size.

Information on 75+ Perennials

Heuchera, commonly known as Fairy Flowers, Alum Root, or Coral Bells, is a highly desirable plant, especially for smaller garden spaces. With numerous varieties available, Heucheras offer a range of options to suit different preferences. Among the popular choices, Heuchera sanguinea is frequently encountered. These plants have a compact and bushy growth habit, forming tufts of foliage. The evergreen leaves resemble those of Geraniums, while the graceful flower stems can reach heights of 1.5 to 2 feet. Adorning these stems are pendent flowers, reminiscent of Lily of the Valley bells, with a vibrant coral-crimson hue. This delightful display occurs in mid-summer. Various catalogs feature Heuchera varieties in white, creamy, purple, and rose colors. Another native species, H. americana, bears resemblance to Foam Flowers and Mitreworts, and is often found in woodland areas.

Heucheras can be utilized in various ways to enhance the aesthetic appeal of a garden. Planted in small clumps, they create attractive focal points amidst shrubbery, where their delicate bells can shine without being overshadowed by other showy flowers. The foliage of Heucheras is often adorned with maroon markings during the winter, making them valuable additions to borders. Additionally, their leaves can be used as accompaniments to other cut flowers in vases. The sprays of Heuchera blooms make excellent cut flowers themselves. Rockeries also provide an ideal environment for Heucheras, allowing them to flourish and cover the rocks with their robust foliage.

To ensure successful growth, Heucheras thrive best in moist, rich loam soil. Although these plants can remain in one location for a long time, larger specimens tend to weaken over time. It is advisable to transplant them to new locations every two years to maintain their vitality. Heucheras do not perform well in heavy clayey soil, so it is essential to provide them with well-draining conditions.

When it comes to propagation, Heucheras can be easily propagated through division, preferably in October. Alternatively, they can be grown from seeds, which are initially tiny and do not require immediate transplantation until they have reached a suitable size.

In addition to the information mentioned about Heuchera, let’s explore some other interesting plant species that complement Heucheras in perennial gardens:

Astilbe: Known for its feathery plumes of flowers, Astilbe offers beautiful blooms in various shades of pink, red, and white. This perennial thrives in moist soil and partial shade, making it an excellent companion for Heucheras.

Hellebore: Hellebores, also known as Lenten Roses, are early-blooming perennials that add a touch of elegance to garden beds. They come in an array of colors, including white, pink, purple, and green. Hellebores prefer partial shade and well-draining soil.

Salvia: With their vibrant spikes of flowers, Salvias are popular choices for adding height and color to perennial gardens. They are available in numerous varieties, including both annual and perennial types. Salvia prefers full sun and well-drained soil.

Echinacea: Commonly known as Coneflowers, Echinacea plants are native to North America and feature large, daisy-like flowers with prominent cones in the center. They come in various colors, including shades of pink, purple, and white. Echinacea thrives in full sun and well-drained soil.

Coreopsis: Coreopsis, also called Tickseed, is a cheerful perennial that produces abundant yellow or golden flowers with a daisy-like appearance. They are excellent for attracting pollinators to the garden and are well-suited for sunny locations with well-drained soil.

Geranium: Geraniums, not to be confused with the bedding plants commonly known as “geraniums,” are perennial plants with delicate flowers in shades of pink, purple, blue, and white. They are low-growing and spread easily, making them great ground covers. Geraniums prefer full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil.

Nepeta: Nepeta, or Catmint, is a versatile perennial that offers a profusion of lavender-blue flowers and aromatic foliage. It attracts bees and butterflies to the garden and is known for its long-lasting blooms. Nepeta thrives in full sun and well-drained soil.

Sedum: Sedums, often referred to as Stonecrop, are drought-tolerant perennials with succulent leaves and clusters of star-shaped flowers in various colors, including pink, yellow, and white. They are excellent choices for rock gardens and thrive in well-drained soil and full sun.

Rudbeckia: Rudbeckias, commonly known as Black-Eyed Susans, are vibrant perennials with golden-yellow flowers and dark centers. They add a splash of color to the garden and are attractive to pollinators. Rudbeckias prefer full sun and well-drained soil.

Penstemon: Penstemons are showy perennials with tubular flowers that come in a wide range of colors, including red, pink, purple, and white. They are drought-tolerant and attract hummingbirds with their nectar-rich blooms. Penstemons thrive in full sun and well-drained soil.

By incorporating these complementary plants alongside Heucheras, you can create a dynamic and visually appealing perennial garden. Remember to consider their specific sunlight and soil requirements when planning the layout. With their diverse colors, textures, and bloom times, these plants will provide year-round interest and attract a variety of pollinators to your garden.

In conclusion, Heucheras, also known as Fairy Flowers, Alum Root, or Coral Bells, are highly desirable perennials that add charm and beauty to gardens. With their compact growth habit, colorful foliage, and graceful flower spikes, Heucheras make excellent choices for borders, rockeries, or standalone plantings. Pairing them with other complementary perennials such as Astilbe, Hellebore, Salvia, Echinacea, Coreopsis, Geranium, Nepeta, Sedum, Rudbeckia, and Penstemon can further enhance the visual appeal and biodiversity of your garden. So go ahead and explore the wonderful world of Heucheras and their companions, and create a stunning perennial garden that will delight you for years to come.

As if that’s not enough to recommend them, they aren’t attractive to voles, deer, and rabbits. Being part of the garlic family, they resist a lot of the common pests and diseases that may plague other flowers as well.

In spite of all these attractive features, I’d plant them even if they were fussy and positively irresistible to animals. That’s because quite frankly, they’re showstoppers.

From the massive five-foot-tall ‘Gladiator’ to the petite and lacy ‘Blue Allium,’ they all stand out like little floral fireworks in the garden.

The leaves, stalks, and flowers have a geometric look that contrasts with the more billowy, nebulous shapes that commonly fill the garden.

In fact, that’s why I’d say these plants aren’t for the shy gardener. A few of these and you’ll have the neighbors stopping by to praise your captivating display.

Are you interested in adding some ornamental alliums to your garden?

Here’s what I’ll cover:

Although they aren’t high maintenance, they do have some specific requirements. Let’s jump in.

What Are Ornamental Alliums?

Ornamental or flowering alliums are part of the Allium genus, members of the Amaryllidaceae family that includes garlic, leeks, and onions.

If you’ve ever seen the flower of a chive plant, it’s basically a lot like that, but groomed over the ages into different shapes, sizes, and colors.

There are over 850 species of ornamental alliums, and numerous hybrids and cultivars are available.

Most ornamental alliums grow from bulbs, and that’s typically what you’ll find in nurseries and garden centers. But there are some species that are rhizomatous, such as A. angulosum, A. nutans, and A. ramosum that have small, vestigial bulbs growing from rhizomes.

The large A. giganteum, aka giant allium, grows up to four feet tall with six to eight-inch purple blooms.

A. cristophii, commonly known as star of Persia, is the parent of several ornamental allium favorites. It blooms with eight-inch violet-purple flowers atop 12 to 18-inch stalks.

A. hollandicum is a species commonly referred to as Persian onion or Dutch garlic, that features several purple cultivars. It features four-inch blooms on 12-inch scapes.

Sometimes called golden garlic or lily leek, A. moly is one of the smallest species. It grows about a foot tall and has clusters of bright yellow flowers. It can handle part shade and more moisture than other types.

The unusual rose-petalled flowers of A. schubertii burst out and away from the center with an open, star-like appearance atop 18-inch stems.

No discussion of these ornamental beauties would be complete without mentioning A. sphaerocephalon, the drumstick allium. You can learn all about them in our growing guide.

Some varieties can have a tendency to be spreaders. This is usually not a problem in cooler climates, but A. caeruleum, commonly known as “blue garlic” can spread and take over the garden in warmer locations.

For example, Naples garlic, A. neapolitanum is currently listed on California’s list of noxious weeds.

Fortunately, there are many sterile or semi-sterile hybrid cultivars available, such as ‘Millenium.’

You can learn more about how to control flowering alliums in this guide. (coming soon!)

If you are in doubt, you can contact your local extension office to find out if any species are known to cause problems in your area.

Cultivation and History

Alliums are native to parts of Europe, northern Africa, and western and central Asia.

There also are over 100 species native to North America, including A. cernum, A. stellatum (American prairie onion), and A. unifolium, and only one found in the Southern Hemisphere, A. draeganeum, native to South Africa.

Today, they can be found growing pretty much everywhere except tropical regions and Australia.

According to R. Kamenestky and R. M Fritsch from the Department of Ornamental Horticulture at the Volcani Center in Israel, ornamental alliums weren’t commonly cultivated until the late 1800s when botanists in Europe and Russia introduced species from central and southwest Asia to European botanical gardens.

Propagation

All alliums, ornamental or not, can be propagated from seed, bulbs, or by division. Starting from seed requires patience, as they typically won’t bloom for at least a year or two, if not more in some cases.

Also keep in mind that if you save seeds from plants in your garden, they may not grow true to the parent plant if it is a hybrid variety.

Give these gorgeous bloomers well-draining, slightly sandy soil. They don’t do well in heavy clay, so work in some sand to improve drainage if that’s what you have in your yard.

You may also want to conduct a soil test to determine if you need to work any amendments into the soil.

Flowering alliums don’t demand much beyond well-draining soil, but if your earth is seriously depleted in any of the big three nutrients – nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), or potassium (K) – you’ll want to correct any deficiencies.

From Seed

You can purchase seeds or plant those that you saved from the previous season (more on that below).

In the spring, after all risk of frost has passed, loosen the soil and sprinkle the seeds over the area where you want your plants to grow. The seeds are small, so don’t bother sowing them carefully one by one. Just broadcast them liberally around the growing area.

Cover the seeds with 1/4 inch of soil and water well using the soaker attachment on your hose so you don’t disturb them. Keep the soil moist until you see the first green sprouts pop up. Then you can reduce watering to allow the top inch of soil to dry out slightly in between.

Thin the plants to the recommended distance for spacing described on your seed packet once they emerge. Alliums come in a variety of sizes and have different space requirements.

By Division

Dividing your allium plants is a fall chore. Every three to four years, it’s a good idea to divide your plants to keep them healthy and ensure that they are well-spaced.

The first step is to cut back the flower heads and any foliage that remains at the end of the growing season, four to six weeks before the first frost.

Dig down nine inches, allowing a six inch margin around each plant. Ornamental alliums don’t have deep roots, but you want to avoid disturbing them too much.

Keep in mind, as mentioned, alliums can either grow from bulbs or rhizomes, but the process for digging them up and dividing them is similar.

Using your shovel, lift up the clump of dirt and gently tease out the bulbs or rhizomes.

Separate the bulbs and place one of them back where it was growing, at the same depth that it was planted to before you dug it up. Work in a little bulb fertilizer along with the soil if you haven’t fertilized your plants in several years.

To divide rhizomes, slice the rhizome in half using a sharp knife. Put one half of the rhizome back in place at the same depth it was growing.

Take the excess bulbs and plant them as you would new bulbs or transplants, which we cover in the next section.

If you can’t plant right away, store the bulbs in a cool, dark spot for a few months. Rhizomes can be stored in a plastic bag in the fridge for a week or so.

Almost all flowering alliums are happiest when they get a moderate amount of water. You want to let the top inch or two of soil dry out in between watering.

When in doubt, you should err on the side of too dry rather than watering too much. Ornamental alliums can handle drought, but wet feet cause the bulbs to rot and kill them pretty quickly.

Rhizomatous species can typically tolerate a bit more moisture.

You can also plant them in containers. You’ll need a pot that’s at least 12 inches deep. The width will depend on the variety you choose and how many bulbs you wish to plant. Make sure that there are at least three or four drainage holes at the bottom of the container.

Fill with well-draining potting soil, and plant each bulb three times as deep as the diameter of the bulb. Keep in mind that containers tend to dry out more quickly than garden soil, so you may need to water more frequently.

The time of year and the length of time that your plants will flower will depend on the variety. There are some cultivars, like ‘Jeannine,’ which start blooming in the early spring. Others, such as ‘Ozawa,’ won’t bloom until September.

For varieties that grow very tall and have large flower heads, you might want to provide some support, like a stake or tomato cage.

The support should reach at least halfway up the expected mature height of the flower stalk. It’s best to put this in place at planting time to avoid damage to the foliage or roots when the plant is established.

At this point some of them may be starting to split open. Cut off the flower head, place upside down in a paper bag, and hang in a cool, dry location.

As they dry out, the pods will open and release the seeds. Separate the seeds from the debris and store.

Alternatively, you can rub them between your hands and then blow the chaff away.

The seeds can be stored in a sealed bag or container in a cool, dark spot. They can remain viable for up to two years. Don’t forget to label your seeds with the date and the variety.

You can also simply leave the seed heads in place. They add a unique visual element to the autumn garden.

In the fall, once the seed heads are spent and the foliage has all died back, you can cut the plants to the ground. It’s not necessary for plant health, but it makes spring cleanup easier and it looks more tidy.

In the spring, trim back any dead foliage if you haven’t already. This helps give your plants good air circulation.

As mentioned, you should plan to divide your plants every few years to ensure they have adequate spacing for airflow and won’t compete for water or nutrients.

Allium Leafminers

Gardeners in Europe are more familiar with this pest than those in the US. In fact, if you live in the Midwest, the West, or the South, you don’t have to worry at all. So far, the only confirmed areas that have this pest are New England, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.

The allium leafminer (Phytomyza gymnostoma) is an awful pest for people growing edible alliums. For the ornamental grower, they mostly cause surface damage.

Leafminers are the larvae of flies that have clear wings and yellow heads. The adults lay their eggs in the spring and fall. Once they hatch, the white or cream-colored larvae start chewing winding tunnels through your lovely allium leaves.

An infestation of enough of these little nibblers can stunt plant growth or cause the foliage to become curled or twisted. The good news is that the leaves of many ornamental alliums naturally die back just before the plant blossoms.

That means that unless your plant is severely damaged, with extensive tunneling in each leaf, the problem may go away on its own and your plants will still provide you with showy blossoms.

You still want to control these pests if you spot them because they create conditions that invite fungi to attack your plant. Plus, if you don’t try to stop them, it’s likely they’ll return in even larger numbers next year.

Downy Mildew

The water mold (oomycete) Peronospora destructor, causes downy mildew on plants in the allium family.

If your plants are infected, their growth will be stunted, and the foliage will turn light green or yellow. Leaves may even turn brown and die.

Sometimes, but not always, you’ll see white, furry growth on the leaves. You might also see violet lesions.

To thrive, this disease needs cool temperatures and high humidity. That’s because the spores travel through the moist air – they start to die off when air temperatures reach 75°F.

We can tackle the issue by being sure to water at the base of plants at the soil line, rather than on the foliage. You should also water early in the day so plants have time to dry out before nightfall.

Be sure to plant with appropriate spacing for your selected species or cultivar, and remove any weeds to ensure plants have adequate air circulation to prevent the build up of humidity.

White Rot

White rot is caused by the fungus Stromatina cepivorum. This disease attacks garlic, onions, leeks, and ornamental alliums. It thrives in air temperatures between 50 and 75°F.

Underneath the soil, the roots and bulbs turn black and rot away. Aboveground, the foliage turns yellow and dies.

Unfortunately, this disease is bad news. It can live in the soil for decades and there is no cure once your plants are infected. You’ll need to pull them and dispose of them in the trash.

After you’ve pulled your plants, don’t plant anything in the allium family in the same location for at least 15 years, unless you sterilize your soil first.

The best way to sterilize soil in the home garden is by solarization. This involves putting a piece of four- to six-millimeter transparent plastic over the soil during the heat of the summer. Let it sit there for at least six weeks.

Underneath the plastic, the soil heats up, which will kill off most pathogens. Keep in mind however, that this includes killing the good soil microbes – when you replant, be sure to work in some compost to help boost the soil.

Best Uses

Flowering alliums are incredibly versatile ornamental plants.

They attract pollinators and birds, which is always a benefit in the garden.

On top of that, while the flowers can smell heavenly, the leaves have a distinctly oniony scent. As mentioned, most mammals – like rabbits, deer, and voles – will actively avoid them.

Given that the plants don’t have a large footprint, they’re perfect for those areas where you want to add a pop of color to the garden but don’t have a ton of space. They’re particularly attractive in containers.

The taller varieties are perfect for adding some height amongst lower growing plants. I particularly love to add them to my veggie garden among my carrots and beets to add some visual interest.

The biggest drawback to these beauties, in my opinion, is that they can look a little stark when the foliage dies back.

To remedy this, simply plant them with some leafy companions like peonies, hostas, or hardy geraniums, to obstruct your view of the lower part of the stalks.

Beyond adding a geometric element to your garden space, the flowers can enrich your home, as well.

The cut blossoms are dramatic in a cut flower display, either alone or with flowers and foliage that have contrasting shapes and colors.

In a vase with water, they can last several weeks. Read our article on making your own cut flower food at home and extending the life of cut arrangements for tips.

You can dry the flowers if you want to keep them around even longer.

To do so, snip them at your desired length and hang them upside down singly or in small groups. The easiest way to do this, I find, is to secure the ends with twine or a rubber band and hang it from a hook.

The blossoms need to dry for about a month or so, until they feel dry to the touch.

When they are dry, use them as is, or you can spray paint the flowers any color you want to make a modern addition to your home decor.

Finally, I know what you’re wondering… can you eat ornamental alliums? Absolutely. There are just two things to note:

First, don’t eat them if they – or plants growing nearby – have been sprayed with chemicals.

While gardeners often remember to be careful when spraying plants in the veggie garden, we sometimes forget when it comes to ornamentals.

Second, don’t expect the same wonderfully complex flavor you get from leeks or onions.

While you can eat the bulbs, leaves, stems, and flowers, you might want to taste them first. Some are bitter, others have notes of garlic or onion.

My favorite way to use the flowers is to snap off the petals to add a little color to salads, or you could use them as a garnish in a variety of dishes.

Quick Reference Growing Guide

Plant Type:	Perennial flowering bulb/rhizome	Flower / Foliage Color:	Blue, crimson, green, red, pink, purple, white, yellow/green
Native to:	Europe, North America, northern Africa, western and central Asia	Maintenance:	Low
Hardiness (USDA Zone):	3-9	Soil Type:	Sandy, loose
Bloom Time:	Spring, summer, fall depending on variety	Soil pH:	5.5-6.5
Exposure:	Full sun, part shade	Soil Drainage:	Well-draining
Spacing:	4-12 inches, depending on variety	Attracts:	Bees, birds, butterflies
Planting Depth:	1/4 inch (seed), 3x length of bulbs	Companion Planting:	Beets, carrots, chamomile, foxglove, geranium, grasses, hosta, peony, roses
Height:	1-5 feet	Uses:	Specimen plants, cut flowers, dried flowers
Spread:	1-2 feet	Order:	Asparagales
Time to Maturity:	2 years from seed, plant bulbs in fall for spring and summer maturity, depending on variety	Family:	Amaryllidaceae
Water Needs:	Low to moderate	Genus:	Allium
Tolerance:	Frost	Species:	atropurpureum, caeruleum, christophii, giganteum, hollandicum, moly, oreophilum, rosenbachianum, sphaerocephalon, schubertii
Common Pests:	Allium leafminers, onion thrips	Common Diseases:	Downy mildew, white rot

Mild-Mannered Ornamentals That Make a Big Impression

Alliums are favored by landscapers for a good reason. They have a unique visual impact that requires relatively little effort.

Whether you use them as a border plant in a sun-filled spot, or as a focal point among some leafy hostas in dappled shade, they’re sure to stand out.

Yesterday we were granted our nursery license, meaning that we have been inspected and are now clear to propagate and sell plants in the great state of Alabama.

The name of the nursery is Alabama Food Forests, which will carry many of the same plants we used to stock in my Florida Food Forests nursery.

Currently, we are growing:

“Robert Young” bamboo
Goji berry
Elderberry
Tropical milkweed
Stevia
Black walnut
Malanga
Rosa rugosa (rose hip) rose
Musa basjoo

…and we are working on many more species.

We are not selling from our place; instead, we’ll be selling at various locations in Lower Alabama – to be announced.

Stay tuned.

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These radishes require little upkeep and store well. During the dark of winter, I love munching on them to add some zing to an otherwise dreary day.

What Is Daikon?

Daikon is a specific type of radish characterized by its large root. It’s no surprise that its name comes from two Japanese words: dai, which means large, and kon, which means root.

It also has a longer date to maturity than other types of radish, which makes sense for its larger size.

Like all radishes, it is a member of the Brassicaceae family. Daikon also goes by other names including white radish, Chinese radish, and Japanese radish.

Cultivation and History

Although daikon is widely grown and consumed throughout East Asia, it is thought to have originated in the Mediterranean. However, these radishes soon made their way to countries including China, Japan, and Korea sometime during the third or fourth century.

Since then, they have been a mainstay in certain Asian cuisines, appearing in dishes including stews, stir fries, and ferments.

Daikon is a winter radish, meaning it grows best when it is allowed to mature in colder weather. Therefore, it is typically planted in mid-summer to early fall, depending on your growing zone.

These radishes are often used as cover crops to loosen soil and reduce erosion. This has given them the name tillage radishes.

How to Sow

As with other radishes, these are best grown via direct seeding. The date when you should plant seeds depends on your growing zone. Daikon radishes can be grown in USDA Hardiness Zones 2-11.

Aim to sow seeds around two months before your predicted first frost date. This will ensure plants mature in time for harvest.

No matter where you are located, sow one seed every inch in rows 12-18 inches apart. Seeds should be planted at a depth of 1/4 to 1/2 inch.

How to Grow

As mentioned above, this crop is best grown via direct seeding. Before you plant the seeds, you want to make sure you prepare your soil.

Daikon radishes grow best in soil with a pH of 5.8-6.8. Although their roots can loosen compacted soil, they grow best where soil is already loose. If your soil is compacted, consider loosening it with a broadfork before planting.

Since you will be harvesting the roots, avoid applying excessive amounts of nitrogen to the soil. Too much nitrogen will grow large greens, but small roots.

Choose a full sun to partial shade location for best results.

Harlequin Bug

These bugs may look pretty, but they can really do some damage to your crops. They are orange and black with shield-shaped bodies, and they feed on leafy greens.

If you only see a few bugs on your plants, simply pick them off and place them in some soapy water.

If these pests take over your crop and require more intense intervention, they can be treated with a spray of neem oil, pyrethin, or insecticidal soap.

Cabbage Maggot

If you pull up your daikon only to discover that they are ridden with tiny channels, the cabbage maggot is likely to blame. These pests are the juvenile form of small flies.

To prevent infestation by these insect pests, consider employing a cover cropping routine. Another method to keep pests at bay is by using floating row covers to exclude insects from your crops.

Read more about cabbage maggot control here.

Disease

All parts of the daikon plant are susceptible to disease, both above and belowground. Again, these issues won’t usually prove to be too much of a problem for your crop.

Septoria Leaf Spot

If you see yellow spots with gray centers on your radish leaves, they are probably infected with this fungus. The best treatment is to remove infected leaves and/or plants. This will stop the spread of the fungus.

Black Root Rot

This fungus goes after your plants’ roots, turning pieces black in color and distorted in shape. If it affects small seedlings, the plants may die. Unfortunately, this disease cannot be treated once it is spotted on your plants.

However, it can be prevented using cultural methods. Don’t over water your crops and make sure they are planted in soil with good drainage.

Another way to prevent this disease is by practicing crop rotation. Since this fungus affects multiple Brassica species, make sure you don’t grow brassicas repeatedly in the same area.

Harvesting

Daikon radishes can be harvested once they meet their date of maturity. Check your seed packets for recommendations.

Keep in mind that although this type of radish has more of a capacity to grow large while maintaining quality than your traditional radish varieties, they can still become pithy and spongy if they are left to grow too big. Be sure to harvest before this happens.

If hit with hard frosts, the radishes will become spongy or die. However, the time to harvest can be extended by protecting plants with floating row covers.

Varieties with long and slender roots are fragile and susceptible to snapping. You can prevent them from breaking by loosening the soil with a pitchfork, broadfork, or shovel.

Once your soil is adequately loose, grab the leaves where they meet the tops of the roots and gently pull. Now’s the moment when you get to see just how big your daikon have grown!

Once the plants are pulled from the ground, cut off the leaves at their base. With the leaves removed, the roots can be stored for multiple weeks under the right conditions.

To increase the storage life of your radishes, avoid washing the roots or leaves until you are ready to use them.

Daikon is best stored in a cold, moist environment. Therefore, the best way to store your harvest is to place the roots in the refrigerator with a damp paper towel or cloth.

You can wrap or cover them in the towel; the important thing is that you are providing a humid environment.

Leaves can be stored in a zip-top plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator for a few days.

Preserving

These radishes are often fermented complete with their edible greens to be eaten as a type of pickle. They are also used as a component of Napa cabbage-based kimchi.

Fermenting is a simple process that only requires three main things: salt, water, and time. You can read more about fermented foods on our sister site, Foodal.

Recipes and Cooking Ideas

Daikon radish is a versatile crop in the kitchen. It can be eaten raw or cooked, and all parts of the plant can be consumed.

You do not need to peel this vegetable, though some people choose to do so. One simple way to eat daikon is to slice it up raw into discs that can be dipped in hummus or ranch dressing.

Another great way to eat daikon is to dice it into ½-inch cubes and then saute them in oil with garlic and ginger for a few minutes. Remove from the heat and toss with rice noodles, soy sauce, sesame oil, and your favorite fresh diced hot pepper or hot pepper flakes.

Due to their rough texture, the leaves are best enjoyed cooked via methods including sauteing and steaming. They make a great addition to Thai-inspired coconut curries.

Daikon sprouts can also be enjoyed in salads and sandwiches. See our article on sprouts and microgreens for more information to grow your own.

Quick Reference Growing Guide

Plant Type:	Annual	Water Needs:	1/2 inch per week
Native to:	Mediterranean, East Asia	Maintenance:	Low
Hardiness (USDA Zone):	2-11	Soil Type:	Rich, well aerated
Season:	Fall	Soil pH:	5.8-6.8
Exposure:	Full sun to partial shade	Soil Drainage:	Well-draining
Time to Maturity:	40-70 days	Companion Planting:	Marigolds, scallions
Spacing:	4-6 inches	Avoid Planting With:	Garlic, corn, potatoes, tomatoes
Planting Depth:	1/4-1/2 inch	Order:	Brassicales
Height:	10-20 inches	Family:	Brassicaceae
Spread:	6 inches	Genus:	Raphanus
Tolerance:	Cold, light frost, high air temperatures, depending on variety	Species and Cultivar:	R. sativus var. longipinnatus
Common Pests:	Flea beetles, harlequin bugs, cabbage maggots	Common Disease:	Septoria leaf spot, black root rot