Author: National Garden Bureau

Originally appeared at National Gardening Bureau If you grow hydrangea, spirea, flowering quince, or forsythia in your garden, your vases will overflow with beautiful blooms. Is there any greater pleasure for a gardener than harvesting and enjoying homegrown bounty, whether it’s a sun-warmed tomato or an armful of tulips? Just as garden-to-table meals satisfy veggie growers, […]

Originally appeared at National Gardening Bureau This year when you start your hunt for cool new accents to add to your garden, you’re far more likely to find tropical and subtropical stars such as cannas, cordylines, mandevillas, hibiscus, elephant ears, bananas, palms, dracaena, and various flowering gingers front and center. It’s thrilling to watch this trend […]

Originally appeared at National Gardening Bureau Growing your own supply of natural sponges is easy and fun. Luffa (loofah) sponges do not come from the sea but from the vegetable garden. These natural scrubbers belong in the family of plants that include gourds, squashes, pumpkins, cucumbers, and melons. They are most closely related to cucumbers in […]

Originally appeared at National Gardening Bureau   Yes, You Can Grow Hardy Hibiscus from Seed! When it comes to adding drama and flair to the garden, you don’t need to look any further than this year’s featured flowering shrub; our very own, native Hardy Hibiscus. Hardy Hibiscus are deciduous shrubs, perennial in zones 4-9 and are […]

Originally appeared at National Gardening Bureau In the early decades of the nineteenth century gardeners cultivated vegetables and herbs.  There was little time or energy for flower gardening since most of the population lived on farms where working the soil took up most hours of the day.  That all changed in the second half of the […]

Originally appeared at National Gardening Bureau Get the Best Front Yard on the Block Curb appeal: it’s a term bantered about by real estate agents and DIYers. You’ve heard about the importance of curb appeal, and maybe you’ve tuned into TV shows that flipped sad-looking properties into dreamy, darling aspirational homes. But what’s involved with creating […]

Originally appeared at National Gardening Bureau There are many species of beans in cultivation around the world, yet it is the common garden bean, Phaseolus vulgaris that takes on celebrity status as National Garden Bureau’s vegetable focus for 2021. One of the earliest cultivated plants, garden beans can trace their beginnings to Central and South America. Vining […]

Hardy Hibiscus adds a splash of tropical flair to your perennial garden. Fast-growing and fabulous, these plants explode with pinwheel-like flowers the size of dinner plates in late summer. Often confused with their tropical cousins, these plants are actually capable of surviving temps as low as -30° F (-34° C). North American gardeners can feel assured […]

What is the Hydrangea Danger Zone™? Right now you and all other gardeners who grow hydrangeas could be in the Hydrangea Danger Zone. It’s that time between the fall when your “old wood” hydrangeas set their flower buds, and the coming spring when those buds emerge. That is if they have made it through the […]

Hyacinths are spring-flowering bulbs that are treasured by gardeners for their heavenly fragrance. Overview and History Flower lovers began cultivating hyacinths more than 400 years ago. During the 18th century, they were the most popular spring bulbs in the world, and Dutch growers offered more than 2000 named cultivars. Today, there are less than 50 cultivars […]