Leek
Leek Overview DESCRIPTION Leeks are like delicate onions. They add their rich but subtle flavor to everything from creamy sauces to soups and stews. They’re a must for any food enthusiast’s garden.Plant leek seeds directly in the garden a month before the last frost date, or start them indoors and transplant outside at the time of the average last frost. Mound soil around stems to exclude light and produce long white shanks. This frost-hardy plant can be harvested long after many other garden vegetables. GENUS NAME Allium porrum COMMON NAME Leek PLANT TYPE Vegetable LIGHT Sun HEIGHT 6 to 12 inches WIDTH 1 to 2 inches PROPAGATION Seed HARVEST TIPS Begin harvesting leeks when the stem is at least 1/2 inch in diameter. In mild-winter regions, overwinter leeks in the garden and continue harvesting in spring. In cold areas, mulch with 4-6 inches of straw to protect overwintering plants. …
How to Plant and Grow Lavender
This popular herb is most loved for its refreshing scent and long-lasting flowers that attract pollinators. PHOTO: MATTHEW BENSON When you see photos of the famed lavender fields of Provence, France, it’s love at first sight. A shrubby perennial native to the Mediterranean region, lavender might be the most enjoyable of all herbs. It appeals to almost every sense, with its calming scent, pungent taste, dainty flowers, and velvety gray-green leaves. Bonus points: It is deer-resistant and attracts butterflies and pollinators! Successfully growing lavender, however, depends on your type of garden soil, location, and climate. Note that not all lavender varieties are suitable for cooking; some lavenders are only grown for their ornamental value. It is usually the flowers of culinary lavender that are dried for cooking although some recipes from the South of France feature the fragrant leaves. Lavender Overview GENUS NAME Lavandula spp. COMMON NAME Lavender PLANT TYPE Herb, Perennial,…
How to Plant and Grow Larkspur
Add this classic annual to your garden for spectacular cut flowers. PHOTO: BHG / EVGENIYA VLASOVA Larkspur (Consolida ajacis) is a classic cottage garden staple that produces great cut flowers. With airy stalks of blue blossoms, this plant adds a gracefulness to any garden and looks good in masses or mixed with other perennials and annuals. A true annual, larkspur is easy to start from seed and will happily reseed itself in the garden year after year. With blooms coming in beautiful shades of sky to navy blue, it’s easy to see why larkspur is a classic. Blue is a hard-to-find color in the flower world, and larkspur has it in spades, along with other colors. The plant is available in single and double varieties, some of which have so many petals, they have a pom-pom appearance. The foliage of larkspur is a great addition to the plant (and the garden!). Light, airy foliage…
How to Plant and Grow Lantana
Lantana is the solution for the hot, dry spots in your garden. For those hot, dry spots in your garden where most plants may struggle, lantana may be your solution. This hardworking plant with colorful flowers thrives with little moisture in full, unyielding sun. It’s also easy to grow and pollinator-friendly! It’s common to see numerous butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds flitting around these plants, drinking the abundant nectar produced in their small, tubular blooms. Upright varieties make great pops of season-long color as high-impact annuals planted among perennials, while some varieties of lantana have a trailing habit, perfect for spilling over a container or hanging basket. Justin Hancock. Lantana has coarse, pungently scented, deep green leaves that are a wonderful backdrop to its contrasting flowers. In many cases, there’s a tie-dye effect on the flower heads. Flowers generally start as a light color, then darken with age. All parts of lantana…
How to Plant and Grow Kalanchoe
You’ll have blooms for several weeks with this houseplant. In tropical environments, kalanchoe thrives in outdoor garden beds, but gardeners in less temperate zones appreciate it as a low-maintenance houseplant that grows to about 6 to 12 inches tall with fleshy, succulent leaves. Flowers blanket some varieties; others sport fuzzy leaves in various shapes and sizes. Kalanchoe Overview GENUS NAME Kalanchoe COMMON NAME Kalanchoe PLANT TYPE Houseplant HEIGHT 6 to 12 inches WIDTH 6 to 36 inches FLOWER COLOR Orange, Pink, Red, White, Yellow FOLIAGE COLOR Blue/Green SEASON FEATURES Fall Bloom, Reblooming, Spring Bloom, Summer Bloom, Winter Bloom PROPAGATION Leaf Cuttings, Stem Cuttings PROBLEM SOLVERS Drought Tolerant Kalanchoe bursts into bloom during the gray winter and early-spring months. Its tiny red, white, pink, yellow, or orange flowers cluster into dense groups above a skirt of dark green foliage. Count on the blooms to last for several weeks. It’s especially striking…
How to Plant and Grow Lamb’s Ear
As its name suggests, this perennial has soft, fuzzy leaves that feel like you’re petting a baby sheep. The leaves and stems of lamb’s ear, also known as betony, are covered with a dense layer of tiny white hairs that make them feel silky to the touch and give them a silvery appearance. This plant is a must for sensory garden settings and is sure to delight children who are encouraged to stroke the soft leaves. While lamb’s ear is most commonly grown for its foliage, it does bloom; some varieties are grown specifically for their prolific blooms. In addition to lamb’s ear plants providing tactile joy, the silvery foliage also serves as the perfect backdrop for many other plants. The flower stalks are usually 12-24 inches tall, with small purple, white, red, or pink blooms. Lamb’s ear is a vigorous grower. It isn’t on the USDA invasive plant list,…
How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Korean Rock Ferns
This small fern will make a pretty addition to your houseplant collection or outdoor garden. PHOTO: DAVID J. STANG Korean rock ferns (Polystichum tsus-simense) are beautiful and easy-to-grow ferns that can be grown both indoors as a houseplant and outdoors as a garden plant in warmer climates (USDA Hardiness Zones 7-10). Native to eastern Asia, these ferns are often found growing on rock walls in locations from full sun to full shade. Their ability to grow in deep shade and where they regularly dry out, along with their persistent green fronds and dark stems, make Korean rock ferns an excellent choice for protected areas outdoors where few other plants will survive. Indoors, these ferns can grow in less light than other common houseplants. Korean Rock Fern Overview GENUS NAME Polystichum tsus-simense COMMON NAME Korean Rock Fern PLANT TYPE Houseplant, Perennial LIGHT Part Sun HEIGHT null to 20 Inches WIDTH null to 18…
Kohlrabi
Kohlrabi Overview DESCRIPTION Kohlrabi is a nutritious vegetable that’s often overlooked in edible gardens. That’s too bad because this plant offers a delicious taste and interesting appearance, and it’s a cinch to grow. This cabbage relative develops a swollen, bulblike stem from which its textural gray-green leaves sprout. Its interesting look and easy-to-grow nature make this vegetable good for a garden tended by children to help develop the next generation’s love of fresh food and gardening. Kohlrabi is a cool-season plant you can enjoy in spring or fall. Enjoy its stem fresh from the garden or diced in soups and stews. GENUS NAME Brassica oleracea Gongylodes group COMMON NAME Kohlrabi PLANT TYPE Vegetable LIGHT Sun HEIGHT 6 to 12 inches WIDTH 10 to 12 inches FLOWER COLOR Yellow FOLIAGE COLOR Blue/Green SPECIAL FEATURES Good for Containers ZONES 10, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 PROPAGATION Seed Growing…
Kiwi
Clusters of fuzzy, brown kiwifruits have an unassuming presence, but once you slice one open you’ll be taken with the fruit’s sweet, tangy flavor and luscious green flesh. Packed with vitamins, kiwifruits offer many health benefits. This vigorous and productive vine is perfect for growing over an arbor or pergola; it will cast deep shade on the area below. It takes several years for a newly planted vine to come into production, but the wait is worth it. Kiwi vines are male and female; you need one of each for fruit. A pair of vines will usually produce enough fruit for the home garden. Kiwi Overview GENUS NAME Actinidia deliciosa COMMON NAME Kiwi PLANT TYPE Perennial, Vine LIGHT Part Sun, Sun HEIGHT 8 to 20 feet WIDTH 18 to 30 feet FLOWER COLOR White SEASON FEATURES Spring Bloom ZONES 10, 11, 8, 9 PROPAGATION Leaf Cuttings, Stem Cuttings Harvesting Kiwi…
Kale
Kale Companion Plants Plant kale alongside salad greens, onions, carrots, and other produce in the vegetable garden. You can also enjoy its texture-rich foliage in a perennial garden where it is as pretty as it is productive. When watered and harvested regularly, kale looks good from early spring until late fall. To prevent pest problems, plant kale where you haven’t grown related crops—cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, collards, cauliflower, turnip, and rutabaga—in at least 4 years. Kale Care Kale grows best in full sun and moist, well-drained soil. Although kale leaves acquire their best flavor after autumn’s first frost, this plant can also be grown in early spring. Start it from seed indoors about eight weeks before the last average frost date. Those seedlings—or transplants from the garden center—can be planted in the garden a couple of weeks after all danger of frost is past. In cold climates, sow seeds outside as soon as the soil reaches 45 degrees F and…