How to Plant and Grow Petunia
When you want loads of colorful blooms all summer long, it’s tough to beat these easy-care annuals. One of the most popular annuals, petunias add mountains of color to garden beds and containers. These tough plants are capable of producing loads of blooms all season long and come in a wide variety of colors and patterns. Most petunias available nowadays are hybrids. New varieties come out every year in novel shades and patterns. Countless color options are available, along with patterns like stripes, splashes, and even hearts. The blossom size selection is quite diverse as well. Whether you’re looking for a low-growing groundcover, a mounding type for containers, or a rambling wild plant to fill up some space, there is a petunia for every situation. Petunia Overview GENUS NAME Petunia COMMON NAME Petunia PLANT TYPE Annual LIGHT Sun HEIGHT 6 to 12 inches WIDTH 1 to 4 feet FLOWER COLOR…
How to Plant and Grow Periwinkle
Tricky shady spots meet their match in periwinkle. Leave no ground uncovered with the mighty periwinkle! This vigorous trailing plant can easily tackle any tricky shady situation and happily cover your planting space. Its glossy evergreen leaves and cheerful blue star-like flowers can really brighten up a shady corner in your garden. Periwinkle Overview GENUS NAME Vinca COMMON NAME Periwinkle PLANT TYPE Perennial LIGHT Part Sun, Shade, Sun HEIGHT 6 to 12 inches FLOWER COLOR Blue, Purple, White FOLIAGE COLOR Blue/Green SEASON FEATURES Fall Bloom, Spring Bloom, Summer Bloom, Winter Interest SPECIAL FEATURES Attracts Birds, Good for Containers, Low Maintenance ZONES 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 PROPAGATION Division, Stem Cuttings PROBLEM SOLVERS Deer Resistant, Groundcover, Slope/Erosion Control Where to Plant Periwinkle It seems like every garden has a tricky dark corner where no grass will grow and perennials fizzle out. Enter periwinkle. This tough-as-nails shade lover seems to look…
How to Plant and Grow Peperomia
This low-maintenance houseplant is one of the easiest to grow in your home. Sometimes referred to as baby rubber plant, peperomia is a commonly grown, low-maintenance houseplant. This interesting plant is native to many tropical climates, often found in cloud forests and rainforests growing on wood as an epiphyte. The genus of peperomia includes over 1,000 species presently recorded. There is bound to be at least one that would grow well in your home. Grown for their foliage, peperomias are varied in their appearance. In general, they feature thick, fleshy leaves that store water. These leaves come in a variety of shapes and sizes, with some species having leaves smaller than a dime and others as large as a baseball. The leaves of peperomia plants are often a deep emerald green, but many species feature intricate markings and patterns in silver. Ripple peperomias, one of the more popular species, have…
Peony
This classic garden perennial comes in a huge variety of gorgeous colors and forms. Colorful Combinations Peony flowers vary from simple six petal varieties to those with dramatic ruffled blooms. They are known for their beauty and numerous color options such as pastel shades of pink, yellow, orange, deep reds, and whites. The foliage of peonies can be quite beautiful, especially when they first emerge in spring with deep burgundies and greens. As the foliage ages, it becomes a rich leather green which provides a nice backdrop for peonies and other surrounding plants. Peony Types The most commonly grown type of peony is the herbaceous peony, or garden peony. This type does not form any woody plant material and all leaves are grown from the ground. These are the most fragrant of the peonies and are often found in shades of pink, red, or white. The second type is the…
How to Plant and Grow Pentas
These pollinator-attracting plants bring butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees to your garden. Pentas (Pentas lanceolata) is one of the best pollinator-attracting plants around. It blooms all summer long, even during the hottest weather conditions. The large clusters of starry blooms on pentas are the perfect landing pads for pollinators such as butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees. Blooms come in shades of pink, white, red, and lavender. The plant grows well both in the ground and in containers and even makes a good houseplant if enough light is present. BHG / EVGENIYA VLASOVA Pentas Overview GENUS NAME Pentas lanceolata COMMON NAME Pentas PLANT TYPE Annual, Perennial LIGHT Sun HEIGHT 1 to 3 feet WIDTH 12 to 48 inches FLOWER COLOR Pink, Purple, Red, White FOLIAGE COLOR Blue/Green SEASON FEATURES Fall Bloom, Summer Bloom SPECIAL FEATURES Attracts Birds, Good for Containers, Low Maintenance ZONES 10, 11 PROPAGATION Leaf Cuttings, Seed, Stem Cuttings Where to Plant Pentas…
How to Plant and Grow Penstemon
With a rainbow of colors to choose from, penstemons are lovely additions to the garden. The diversity of these plants is remarkable, with several hundred species available. Penstemons are tough perennials that stand up to intense growing conditions. From dwarf alpine plants to prairie penstemons reaching up to 5 feet tall, there’s a height for every part of the garden. With such a wide variety of species and cultivars to choose from, you can have penstemon blooming for almost the entire growing season. The blooms look stunning in a garden setting and make a wonderful addition to a cut flower arrangement. Along with their bright blooms, many varieties of penstemon also have colorful foliage to add to the mix. Penstemon Overview GENUS NAME Penstemon COMMON NAME Penstemon PLANT TYPE Perennial LIGHT Sun HEIGHT 6 to 72 inches WIDTH 8 to 36 inches FLOWER COLOR Blue, Orange, Pink, Purple,…
How to Plant and Grow Pecan Trees
This Southern native makes a beautiful shade tree that will produce edible nuts in the right place. PHOTO: SKAPIE777 / GETTY IMAGES The pecan is one of America’s favorite nuts and the official state tree of Texas. The tree is native to the Southern U.S. and the nuts were long foraged by Indigenous peoples prior to European colonization of North America. In fact, the intentional planting of pecan trees has only been happening for less than 200 years. Growing pecans is a long-term endeavor, requiring the right climate and some patience due to their susceptibility to disease and slow growth, respectively. For these reasons, it’s best to think of pecans as shade trees in the landscape with the eventual added benefit of harvestable nuts. You will also need to grow these stately trees in groups for proper pollination and more reliable yields. Pecans are closely related to walnuts so their nuts have a similar…
Pear
Pear Overview DESCRIPTION Pears are among the easiest and most attractive fruit trees for the home landscape. Lovely even in winter, pears are easy to prune and can be trained into a formal or informal appearance. For small landscapes and easy harvest, choose a dwarf cultivar.These productive trees yield bushels of succulent fruits. Many pears need a pollinizer. Use any other pear. Be sure to select a self-fruitful type if you have space for only one tree. GENUS NAME Pyrus communis COMMON NAME Pear PLANT TYPE Fruit, Tree LIGHT Sun HEIGHT 8 to 20 feet WIDTH 8 to 25 feet FLOWER COLOR White SEASON FEATURES Spring Bloom SPECIAL FEATURES Fragrance ZONES 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 PROPAGATION Grafting HARVEST TIPS Most fruits are picked when they are ripe or nearly so. Pears are the exception. A tree-ripened pear breaks down, turning soft and brown at the core. Harvest pears…
Peanut
Peanuts Overview DESCRIPTION Growing and harvesting peanuts is a little like hosting your own treasure hunt. These warm season plants are easy to grow in areas with long, hot summers and moist, well-drained soil. When the peanut foliage turns yellow, it’s time to go on a dig for your treasure. The underground nuts are ready to eat a few weeks after digging and drying. Grow peanuts in the vegetable garden where the soil is loose and moist. GENUS NAME Arachis hypogaea COMMON NAME Peanuts PLANT TYPE Vegetable LIGHT Sun HEIGHT 1 to 3 feet WIDTH 1 to 3 feet PROPAGATION Seed Types of Peanuts Peanuts are known by several names—goobers, goober peas, groundpeas, and earth nuts are just a few. Peanuts are classified by their nut type. Virginia types are large-podded and contain 1 or 2 large kernels per pod. Spanish types are smaller-podded and contain 2 or 3…
How to Plant and Grow a Peach Tree
Plant a peach tree variety that fits your yard and harvest juicy, delicious homegrown peaches for years to come. The sweetest and juiciest peach you’ll ever taste can be picked from your own tree. When harvested at the peak of ripeness, homegrown peaches are loaded with the sweet gifts of nature with no concern about shelf stability or long transports. Peaches come not only in different colors of flesh (yellow or white) and type (clingstone or freestone) but also in different tree sizes (standard or dwarf) and harvest time (early, midseason, and late season). Choose a variety that fits both your taste and yard space. Peach Overview GENUS NAME Prunus perscia COMMON NAME Peach PLANT TYPE Fruit, Tree LIGHT Sun HEIGHT 5 to 25 feet WIDTH 6 to 20 feet ZONES 10, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 PROPAGATION Grafting Where to Plant a Peach Tree Find…