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This underappreciated holiday flower has upside-down blooms

If I asked you to name a holiday flower, my guess is poinsettia, amaryllis or paperwhite would be the first to come to mind. But there's another, underused seasonal plant that deserves attention. Allow me to introduce you to cyclamen. There are roughly two dozen species of the perennial ...

How to grow an avocado tree from seed

So, you want to grow an avocado tree from seed? It's not only a fun off-season activity, especially for kids, but it's also very easy. Just know that since avocados are tropical plants, they won't survive winters outdoors in colder climates. Still, it's possible to grow avocado plants indoors. ...

Doing these fall garden chores will make your spring easier

We tend to think that fall is when the garden winds down, and spring is when the work begins. But there are several chores that, if completed now, will make your spring job much easier. For starters, pulling up weeds by their roots in the fall will dramatically reduce their reappearance when ...

Transform fallen leaves into valuable leaf mold for your garden this fall

There are a lot of leaves outside my window, and I'm guessing your view might be similar. This carpet of dead foliage is often viewed as a nuisance, but it can be an important component in the garden. I'll push a 3-inch layer of them into beds and borders to serve as root-protecting and ...

Give caterpillars a ‘soft landing’ under your trees

If you're like most well-intentioned gardeners, you might give a lot of thought to planting the "right" plants to nourish pollinators and other wildlife, with nectar, pollen, seeds and fruit. But have you given much thought to those animals' habitat? In addition to sustenance, beneficial ...

Don’t let your Halloween pumpkins haunt landfill

More than 1 billion pounds of pumpkins rot in U.S. landfills each year after Halloween, according to the Department of Energy, but yours doesn't have to go to waste. Experts told us your pumpkins can be eaten, composted or even fed to animals. Here's how. Cooking with pumpkin waste If you're ...