Independent gardening advice for real gardens, balconies and windowsills.
Practical advice on growing food and flowers, improving soil, and making the most of small spaces. Start anywhere — the garden will meet you.
One of the finest of hardyplants, and easy to grow. Planted in deep, free, sandy soil, it will grow vigorously, and in early summer throw up spikes of snowy-white, lily-like blossoms from 2 to 3 feet...
This hardy perennial is aprofuse bloomer, throwing up spikes of starry white flowers from May to July. Treat in the same manner as the foregoing. Height, 2 ft.
Sweet vernal grass. It is graceful andornamental, and is used for edgings. Sow in spring, keeping the seed moist until it germinates. Height, 6 in.
A fine hardy perennial for rock-work. It is of aprocumbent habit, and has a woody nature. A vegetable soil is best suited for its growth, and its roots should be in contact with large stones. It may b...
Handsome hardy perennials; most effectivein beds or borders. They stand remarkably well both drought and excessive rainfall, and succeed in any common soil. Seeds sown early in spring produce flowers...
Contrary to general belief, ants do more goodthan harm to a garden; but as they are unsightly on flowers, it is advisable to tie a little wool round the stems of standard roses and other things upon w...
The grass gum tree of Australia, also called black boy. This is a liliaceous plant, which produces a long flower-stalk, bearing at the top an immense cylindrical flower-spike, and when the short black...
A small tree, found in many warm regions; among others in southern Florida. In Brazil it is called the Native Plum on account of its small yellow fruits, which have a subacid and somewhat astringent a...
The yucca leaves afford a good fiber, and some southern species are known as _bear's grass_. The root stems also furnish a starchy matter, which has been rendered useful in the manufacture of starch.
This plant belongs to the order _Cycadaceae_, and is grown to some extent for the starchy matter contained in the stem, which is collected and used as arrowroot; but it is not the true arrowroot, that...
The coontie plant of Florida. The large succulent roots afford a quantity of arrowroot, said to be equal to the best of that from Bermuda. The fruit has a coating of an orange-colored pulp, which is s...
This plant is cultivated in most warm countries for the sake of its rhizomes, which furnish the spice called ginger. It is prepared by digging up the roots when a year old, scraping them, and drying t...