Plant Particulars

Many folks purchase an Easter Lily as part of their Easter celebration. Lilium longiflorum is native to Japan, and forced into bloom out of season for the Easter holiday in greenhouses across the country. Most greenhouses produce these plants from bulbs grown in the “Easter Lily Capital of the World” […]

Starting your own vegetables and annual flowers from seed is easy, inexpensive, and a great way to grow new or unusual plants since the variety of plants available by seed is much greater than most local garden centers. Here are a few tips to assure success: Start with fresh seed. Germination […]

Growing these colorful flowers does not have to be intimidating. With a little specialized care, these exotic beauties can bloom for months and thrive in your home for years. Choose one of the easier orchids for the home. These include the moth orchid (Phalaenopsis), slipper orchid (Paphiopedilum), bamboo orchid (Dendrobium), […]

The garden under a blanket of snow needs little more than a little admiration from the kitchen window. But there are a few considerations to keep in mind when managing snow and ice in your garden. Snow is a great insulator and helps many fare better in extreme cold. However, […]

Fresh, live wreaths and garlands are a wonderful, fragrant holiday decoration. Help them last their longest with some smart care. These fresh decorations do best outside where cold temperatures keep them green and attractive for the entire holiday season. Keep in mind that between your storm door and the front […]

With cold temperatures finally arriving, all of those tropical plants and houseplants on summer “vacation” on the deck are back inside. Below are a few tips to overwinter those tropical plants indoors with success. Watch for Insets. Almost any plant coming in from the outside will have insects whose populations will […]

The fall harvest brings a bounty of colorful gourds and squash. All are members of the large Cucurbitaceae family, which has hundreds of species, including some that may surprise you, such as watermelons, cucumbers, and melons. Gourds and squash are part of a diverse group of plants that throughout history […]

The Home Production Garden is full of produce, which we donate to Plant a Row for the Hungry. Below are a few tips for harvesting favorite summer vegetables in your own garden: Carrots: Pull when they are ¾ inches in diameter and the orange shoulder pushes through the soil. Cucumbers: […]

Visit us, and you’ll be impressed by the gorgeous, huge containers at the entrance and throughout the Gardens. You, too, can keep your containers overflowing with beautiful annuals until frost: • Monitor for watering daily. As the temperatures rise, and the plants get larger, plants (especially those in hanging baskets […]

Roses—the queen of garden plants—can grow well in Iowa as long as you choose them well and give them good care. • Start with naturally disease-resistant and winter-hardy rose cultivars. Good bets include those developed by Iowa State’s Dr. Griffith Buck, the Easy Elegance® series developed by Bailey Nurseries in […]