Fortunately, a Ph.D. in botany or genetics isn't necessary to grow plants successfully from seed. But this article on seed basics will help you better understand what seeds are, where they come from, their role in plant reproduction, and why they are so critical to the health and survival of plant species. Read Seed Specifics
Plants & Gardens Blog
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Sustainable Gardening
Seed Specifics
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Native FloraSustainable Gardening
Planting a Native Grass Lawn Step By Step
Follow these basic steps to plant a lawn of native grasses no matter where you live. Read Planting a Native Grass Lawn Step By Step
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Native FloraSustainable Gardening
Low & Slow Fescues
For years fescues languished as obscure players in the turfgrass pantheon, relegated to second-class status as components of shade-tolerant seed mixtures. These attractive, fine-textured grasses are finally coming into their own. Read Low & Slow Fescues
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CompostingSustainable GardeningUrban Gardening & Ecology
How Compost Builds the Soil
Soil is a living community that requires nurture. And well-nurtured soil in turn nurtures the plants that are part of it. Read How Compost Builds the Soil
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Sustainable Gardening
Everything You Need (Or Don’t Need) to Compost: A Guide to Equipment
If you are a casual, carefree sort, you can just toss your organics into a corner of the garden and they'll slowly become humus without any intervention. But depending on your personality and the amount of time and money you are willing to put into composting, you can also get fully outfitted with an array of composting gadgets and accessories, from auger-shaped aerating tools to herbal compounds designed to inoculate your compost with "medicinal and homeopathic forces." Read Everything You Need (Or Don’t Need) to Compost: A Guide to Equipment
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Garden DesignHouseplants
An Indoor Succulent Garden—Welcome the Warmth and Wonder of the Desert into Your Home
The potted succulent garden is a miniature ecosystem that allows you to experience the warmth and wonder of the desert without having to travel all the way to places like North Africa, Australia, or Yemen. What's more, succulent plants vary widely in form, texture, and flower color, so the design potential is enormous. Read An Indoor Succulent Garden—Welcome the Warmth and Wonder of the Desert into Your Home
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Pollinators and BirdsSustainable Gardening
Deer-Resistant Plants: Shrubs and Trees for the Deer-Plagued Gardener
Over the past few decades, plant damage caused by deer has risen to alarming levels in North American rural and suburban gardens. Read Deer-Resistant Plants: Shrubs and Trees for the Deer-Plagued Gardener
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Garden DesignPlant Choices
Designing with Summer-Flowering Bulbs
Summer-flowering bulbs come into bloom at the same time that many perennials and annuals are at their best, and by adding them to your garden you can multiply the colors, textures, scents, shapes, and contrasts in your palette. Read Designing with Summer-Flowering Bulbs
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Native FloraPlant Choices
Native Azaleas
North American azaleas have soft-colored blooms and loose, natural-looking growth habits. Some species bloom in summer and even early fall, and many have colorful autumn foliage. Read Native Azaleas
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Growing FoodPlant Choices
Saffron Crocus—Conjuring Color and Flavor in the Autumn Garden
Long before flowers were cultivated solely for their good looks, they were grown to serve some practical, or even preternatural, purpose. This was especially true in the good old days of Minoan Crete, about 1500 BC, when a thriving industry and religious iconography grew up around Crocus sativus, the corm better known as saffron crocus. Read Saffron Crocus—Conjuring Color and Flavor in the Autumn Garden