Grow your own ‘way down yonder’ Story by Clara A. Curtis This tree catches my eye every season. Planted in full sun, pawpaws develop a beautiful shape and exhibit beautiful gray bark and long slender oblong leaves that are two-tone green in summer and golden yellow in fall. Springtime brings odd, smelly, lurid purple flowers …
Story and Photos by Alan Pulley Many gardeners would agree that marigolds have been making a comeback in recent years, and why not? New varieties have ben introduced in more colors and bloom sizes. Combine that with their long flowering season and how easy they are to grow – what gardener wouldn’t want all that? …
Story by Russell Studebaker Cockscomb (Celosia) plants have a crested form that looks like the comb on a rooster. But newer and hybrid plume types, like the cultivar ‘Dragon’s Breath’, look like ostrich feathers dipped in vivid red paint and are dramatic knock outs in the landscape. These annuals are in the amaranth family and …
Three favorite summer-blooming beauties Story and Photos by Troy B. Marden troybmarden.com June is hydrangea season in Tennessee. Sure, there are hydrangeas that begin flowering as early as May and continue through August and even September, but June is peak flowering time for my personal favorites and the time of year I enjoy them the …
Darcy’s Mexican sage Story and Photos by Alan Pulley Salvias have always been one of my favorite garden plants. With all the different types and countless varieties, there is a salvia for every gardener. I came across a new salvia a couple of years ago that quickly become one of my favorites – Darcy’s Mexican …
‘Prairie Sun’ gloriosa daisy Story and Photos by Norman Winter @NormanWinterTheGardenGuy on Facebook ‘Prairie Sun’, one of the most striking gloriosa daisies ever, was chosen as an All-America Selections Award Winner years ago. This followed on the heels of ‘Indian Summer’, another outstanding selection. Thanks to progressive greenhouse growers and a new generation of landscape …
Growing your own peppers at home Story by Jennifer Williams My earliest memory of a banana pepper goes back to eating out at the local sub restaurant with my dad. He always would get these yellow circles on his subs. When I asked him what they were and he told me they were banana peppers …
Growing your own peppers at home Story and Photos by Andrea Dee Banana peppers, medium-sized yellow wax peppers in the chile family, have a uniquely tangy flavor and are good raw or pickled. Usually ranking under 500 Scoville units on the official heat scale, Banana peppers are considered mild chiles with a range of 0-500 …
It’s almost like Christmas in July! Story by Bob Westerfield I sometimes think of banana peppers as summer Christmas trees for the garden. These dark green plants adorn themselves with abundantly spaced, light-colored, ornament-like peppers. As a member of the chile pepper family, banana peppers get their name simply because of their shape and color. …
Cover crops for Florida vegetable gardens Story and Photos by Bill Pitts Cover cropping is an ancient agricultural technique for improving the soil. The practice is regaining popularity not only in farming, but also in home gardens because it is sustainable – and because it works. This is especially true in Florida, where certain cover …
