Home & Garden category, Page 4
Sunflowers: Popular, native and, for some, newly meaningful
The annual sunflower (Helianthus annus) has a long history in North America, with evidence of its cultivation for food, ceremonial and medical use by Native Americans dating back to at least 1,000 B.C. Sunflower seeds are said to have been brought to Europe by Spanish explorers around the late 16th...
Pennsylvania garden centers, landscapers begin phasing out newly banned plants
The latest round of plants added to Pennsylvania’s noxious weeds list reads like a directory of popular landscaping options. Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii), callery or Bradford pear trees (Pyrus calleryana) and Ravenna grass (Saccharum ravennae; Tripidium ravennae) have been staples of urban and particularly suburban landscaping for decades. All three...
Want kids to love gardening? Give them a job, seeds, a pass
Gardeners are made, not born. If you want your children to become enthusiastic gardeners, take steps early to get them going down the proverbial path. It isn’t difficult, but it might require an adjustment to your attitude about children in the garden. The first step is to pique your child’s...
Phipps Conservatory spring show awash in ‘sunshine and rainbows’
Even though the Western Pennsylvania landscape is still a bit drab, the glasshouse at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is bursting with color. This year’s Spring Flower Show: Sunshine and Rainbows opens Saturday in the historic glass house in Pittsburgh’s Oakland section, one day before the vernal equinox. The display...
Phipps Conservatory unveils long-term ‘Tropical Forest Hawai’i’ exhibit
Nature, history and culture intertwine in “Tropical Forest Hawai’i: Aloha ‘Aina,” a new long-term exhibition in the Tropical Forest Conservatory at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh. The major redesign of the 12,000-square-foot, 60-foot-high space is the result of a multi-year process of research and planning that took Phipps...
Growers will share ‘joy of orchids’ at annual show in Upper St. Clair
Beautiful, exotic blooms aren’t the only draw at the Orchid Society of Western Pennsylvania’s annual orchid show. This year’s two-day event also will include a silent auction, an hourly raffle of orchid plants and orchid-related items, a sales area, a repotting table and educational opportunities. Show hours will be noon-8...
Pa. bans sales of Ravenna grass and 2 species of buckthorn trees
While spring gardening might not be foremost on residents’ minds during a snowstorm, the state announced Friday it will ban plant sales of certain pampas grasses and two varieties of buckthorn. The state Department of Agriculture added three species to the state list of noxious weeds, which are non-native invasive...
Showy amaryllis makes a perfect Valentine’s plant or gift
Easter has lilies. Thanksgiving has gourds. Christmas has poinsettias. And Valentine’s Day should have amaryllis. For the uninitiated, amaryllises are big bulbs that can produce among the biggest and showiest flowers a gardener can grow indoors (maybe outdoors too). Best of all, water and a bit of light is all...
Holey leaves and vines! A look at houseplant trends for 2022
After the houseplant heyday of the 1970s, the penchant for potted green companions faded with all but the most dedicated plant parents. But over the past decade, as many young adults began filling their homes — and social media feeds — with indoor plants, a cross-generational audience started to take...
Phipps Conservatory orchid, bonsai show highlights prized collections
An orchid that recently was awarded the American Orchid Society’s Certificate of Cultivation Excellence is among specimens displayed in “Orchid and Bonsai Show: An Ocean of Color,” running through March 6 at Phipps Conservatory. “Plants receiving this award represent the highest level of orchid culture,” said Adam Haas, interpretive program...
Resolutions for a generous and green new year in the garden
Something miraculous happens to gardeners at this time of year. I don’t know what triggers it. Perhaps it was the sight of Christmas trees and lights, or the presence of all those poinsettias. Whatever the cause, by January, gardeners have let go of last year’s gardens and start to dream...
Pots and perches to show off your houseplants in style
Houseplants have been keeping a lot of us company during the pandemic, and the good news is there’s a plant for any home, big or small, well-lit or not. There’s also a virtual jungle of stylish containers in which to show them off. “I love incorporating plants into our interior...
Most herbs don’t thrive on winter windowsills, but this pair does
Windowsill herb plants would seem a perfect antidote to winter’s visual and culinary blandness, except that such plants rarely do as well as billed. The ideal windowsill herb thrives despite dry air and relatively low light conditions to offer intense aroma and flavor. And it should be a pretty plant...
Ginkgo grew with dinosaurs, and is still worth growing
There are some trees whose showiness does not end once they’ve lost their leaves in autumn. Some trees have an attractive bony framework that is then revealed. Ginkgo tree, for instance. Leafless, a ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) tree, soft and green in summer, appears as if each main limb knows where...
Phipps Conservatory brings ‘Sparkle and Shine’ to winter flower show
Holiday decorations shine, sunlight on snow sparkles and Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens both sparkles and shines with the return of the winter flower show. “Sparkle and Shine” is the theme for the extravagant “Holiday Magic! Winter Flower Show and Light Garden,” running through Jan. 9 at the facility in...
Phipps Conservatory fall flower show says ‘Happy Troll-O-Ween’ to Pittsburgh
In addition to being bright and beautiful, this year’s fall flower show at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens will be a little bit spooky and kooky. “Fall Flower Show: Happy Troll-O-Ween” will feature the usual array of chrysanthemums in a kaleidoscope of fall colors, along with the mythical creatures that...
Dig deeper: Extend growing season with these fall gardening tips
One thing that distinguishes fall gardening from spring gardening is the pace, said Elizabeth Pesci of Greensburg. “In the spring, there are so many things that have to be done on a schedule; but in the fall, you can take your time and go a little slower,” said Pesci, who...
Greensburg, Ligonier programs emphasize importance of monarch butterflies
With its distinctive orange and black markings, the monarch butterfly is easily recognized as it flits about the garden. Monarchs serve an important role as pollinators, as they feed on the nectar of many different types of flowers. They also are significant in various religious and cultural traditions. The Hopi...
The Friendly Stem in North Huntingdon joins area’s cut-your-own flower farms
Receiving a birthday bouquet is a special treat, but being able to pick your own takes it to another level. Thanks to her daughters and granddaughter, Beverly Rich of Unity celebrated her 81st birthday Thursday by choosing a vaseful of colorful blooms at The Friendly Stem, a new flower farm...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: July 9-11
We’ve reached the weekend. Here are a few ways to spend it. Pittsburgh CLO Pittsburgh CLO’s “Wizard of Oz’” will be performed at 8:30 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Saturday at Heinz Field on the North Side. The stage will be in the end zone. There will...
Variety is the spice of upcoming Greensburg Garden Center garden tour
Greensburg Garden Center’s upcoming garden tour will transport participants to outdoor spaces reminiscent of the British Isles, the tropics and places in between. Set for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 31, the tour will feature seven gardens arranged along a self-driving route that begins in New Alexandria, reaches out...
Wexford Garden and Pond Tour back in bloom with 11 inspiring sites
After a two-year hiatus, the Wexford Garden and Pond Tour is blooming again. Discover the rich landscapes created at 11 outstanding properties during self-guided tours on July 10 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A bonus night tour of three select properties will be held from 8 to 10 p.m....
Pittsburgh Symphony garden tour features 12 urban sanctuaries
In the midst of Pittsburgh, homeowners create oases of calm and color in carefully tended gardens. The public will have the opportunity to peek inside 12 of those gardens in Shadyside and Squirrel Hill during the Symphony Splendor Garden Tour, a benefit for Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Hosted by the Pittsburgh...
Highland Park tour to showcase 10 unique gardens
Highland Park visitors can stop and smell the flowers during a tour showcasing 10 unique gardens. The Highland Park Garden Club, which supports community gardening and promotes gardening education, will host its first Highland Park Secret Garden Tour July 11. The event will run from noon to 4 p.m. The...
Put it in a pot: Planting in small spaces yields big results
Cut flowers, potted plants and hanging baskets are all traditional Mother’s Day gifts. But did you ever think of giving Mom a tomato plant? A container garden just might be a refreshing and tasty way to think outside the Mother’s Day gift box — or pot, as it were. “A...
