Cape Primrose Care
Streptocarpus are pretty plants to grow once one gets used to their habits.
Oct 13, 2022•2 min
Focus on Flowers
Focus on Flowers is a weekly podcast and public radio program about flower gardening hosted by master gardener Moya Andews.
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Episodes
Caryopteris for Fall
Caryopteris (Bluebeard) has a winning combination of foliage color and pretty flowers that provide focal points in the fall garden.
Sep 29, 2022•2 min
Fall Garden Color (Season Extenders)
As the growing season winds down, there are some plants, known in the trade as season extenders, that bridge the gap between fall and winter in gardens.
Sep 22, 2022•2 min
Edible and Inedible
Many different flowers have been used as food garnishes. However, there are also many toxic plants in our gardens.
Sep 15, 2022•2 min
Edible and Inedible
We love flowers, but we should always look at them in the garden, not eat them, as many have also been exposed to chemicals before we purchase them.
Sep 15, 2022•2 min
Bring Them In
It's time to move the houseplants indoors…
Sep 08, 2022•2 min
Long Bloom
Perennial garden plants should bloom sequentially. Plants have bloom times that overlap, hopefully, so there can be a series of different plants in bloom across an entire season.
Sep 01, 2022•2 min
English Country Gardens
In the late 18th century, William Morris, a prominent advocate of the Arts and Crafts movement, wanted all of England to become a garden where nothing was wasted.
Aug 25, 2022•2 min
A Dwarf Peach
Late in the summer, Prunus persica produces hard little peaches that I have never have the chance to taste, as they are always knocked off the branches by wild animals.
Aug 18, 2022•2 min
Azaleas and Rhododendrons
All azaleas are rhododendrons but not all rhododendrons are azaleas.
Aug 11, 2022•2 min
The Thistle
Some may not consider the flower pretty, so perhaps "striking” is a better adjective.
Aug 05, 2022•2 min
Big and Showy Hibiscus
There are over 200 species of hibiscus, and they are beloved because of their big showy flowers and green, clean-looking foliage. They fall into three different major categories: tropical, perennial and hardy.
Jul 29, 2022•2 min
Cottage Gardens
Cottage gardens are the product of the homeowner's own work and vision, and William Robinson advised, "Let the flowers tell their story to the heart."
Jul 28, 2022•2 min
Fillers
Later in the summer when garden flowers are less abundant, I look for foliage and other things to use as filler in my vases of cut flowers.
Jul 22, 2022•2 min
Mexican Transplants
English Lord Holland wrote a poem about his wife who got dahlia seeds from Madrid (via the New World): “The dahlias you brought to our isle, your praises forever shall speak; mid gardens as sweet as your smile, and color as bright as your cheek."
Jul 21, 2022•2 min
Nurture the Birds
Some types of birds prefer ground level water sources also, so even a plant pot saucer can serve during hot days. You don't need feeders during the summer, but water is crucial in times of drought.
Jul 15, 2022•2 min
Cranes, Herons & Storks
Each of these three types of geraniums is associated with long-billed wading birds.
Jul 14, 2022•2 min
Bold and Showy Cannas
Canna comes from the Greek word spelled kanna, which means reed, though the canna plant does not have narrow reed-like leaves.
Jul 08, 2022•2 min
Blanket Flowers
These flowers grow wild, creating deep velvet-red carpets in Nebraskan pastures.
Jul 07, 2022•2 min
Oenothera
Oenothera fruticosa's common name is sundrops, and its nectar attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.
Jul 01, 2022•2 min
A Birder’s Garden
A suitable habitat for birds includes predictable water sources, an open area of lawn, some dense shrubs for cover, some tall trees, plants with berries, and nesting places for ground birds.
Jun 30, 2022•2 min
Billy Goat Weed
Ageratum pairs well with plants of any color.
Jun 24, 2022•2 min
Powdery Mildew
This fungus appears white on leaves. Some plants are more susceptible than others and some varieties have more resistance to this disease than others.
Jun 23, 2022•2 min
Baptisia australis
Blue false indigo's flowering period is short, but the foliage always looks cool even on the hottest day of summer.
Jun 17, 2022•2 min
Campanulas, a.k.a. Bellflowers
There are about 250 species of these showy herbaceous plants and nearly all are perennial and native to temperate parts of the northern hemisphere.
Jun 16, 2022•2 min
Dahlias
Native to Mexico, dahlias probably grew in Aztec gardens as they were already in cultivation when the Spaniards arrived.
Jun 10, 2022•2 min
Lilium Genus
So many varieties of these gorgeous flowers have travelled here from far-away lands to sweeten the air in our gardens.
Jun 09, 2022•2 min
Torch Lilies
Red Hot Pokers belong to the genus Kniphofia (Kniphofia uvaria) and are also known as tritoma or torch lilies.
Jun 03, 2022•2 min
Rain in the Garden
A poem about rain in the garden by J. Redwood Anderson.
Jun 02, 2022•2 min
Sweet Dianthus
The common name "pinks” does not refer to the color but to the fringed edging of the petals that makes them look as if they had been cut with pinking shears.
May 27, 2022•2 min
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