Gardening

The uniquely sweet beet is a hearty, satisfying vegetable that's also good for you. This article features tips for growing, selecting and preparing beets, and information about the many health benefits of this versatile vegetable.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

Broccoli packs more nutrients than any other vegetable. And, it is delicious and low in calories to boot. Learn how to grow, select and prepare broccoli, and about broccoli's numerous health benefits.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

Cabbage is featured in cuisines worldwide, and with good reason. This versatile vegetable boasts strong color, flavor and nutrition. Learn how to grow, select and prepare cabbage, and find out about cabbage's health benefits.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

Okra, a very tender vegetable plant, requires warm weather to thrive, but its short harvest time makes it a versatile garden addition. Learn how to grow, harvest, and plant okra.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

Onions make a great addition to any vegetable garden in any climate. These healthful vegetables are hardy and come in many varieties. Learn all about planting, growing, harvesting, and serving onions.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

Tomatoes are one of nature's best foods. In this article, we'll teach you everything about growing tomatoes, selecting the best tomato types, serving tomatoes in great recipes, and understanding the health benefits of tomatoes.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

Alstroemerias, or lilies of Peru, are lilylike perennials with trumpet-shaped flowers. Flowers come in pink, rose, purple, yellow, cream, orange, and white and are great in garden containers and flowerbeds. Learn about these showy flowers.

By Betty Barr Mackey

Primrose is a perennial flower. Gardeners enjoy its beautiful shades of colors, including red flowers, yellow flowers, purple flowers and orange flowers. Grow primrose in the outdoor garden bed or as a house plant. Learn about primrose.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

Beautiful perennials for the garden, the astilbes, or garden spireas, available today are usually the result of hybridization. Color may be white, pink, lavender, or cranberry. Learn how to grow this versatile flower.

By Betty Barr Mackey

Aster, or michaelmas daisy, is a North American flower that grows in wayside places with no care at all. You'll find garden asters in many sizes and colors. Find out about these perennial flowers.

By Betty Barr Mackey

The unopened flowers of platycodons resemble hot-air balloons, for which they are named. The buds of these perennials open to bell-shaped flowers in pink, blue, and white. Learn about the balloon flower.

By Betty Barr Mackey

Bergamot are hardy perennials considered garden favorites for decades. Sturdy stems are topped by crowns studded with lipped flowers. Find out more about these flowers, beloved by butterflies and hummingbirds.

By Betty Barr Mackey

Bleeding heart, a poetically named perennial flower, has heart-shaped pendant pink or white flowers with spurs at the base and attractive fernlike foliage. Find out about this garden favorite member of Dicentra.

By Betty Barr Mackey

From western Siberia, brunnera or Siberian Bugloss, are perennial forget-me-nots. Blue flowers are about 1/4-inch across, and bloom in clusters during the spring. Find out how to grow this showy perennial.

By Betty Barr Mackey

Several coreopsis species are popular in the garden, all of them sporting bright daisylike flowers. These perennials bloom pink, orange, and yellow flowers. Learn to grow this great drought-resistant flower.

By Betty Barr Mackey

Ferns are perennials grown for their ability to thrive where less-hardy plants can't. Some are evergreen, while others die down in fall and return in spring. Learn more about versatile ferns.

By Betty Barr Mackey

Carnations, or pinks, have been popular perennials for hundreds of years. Dianthus are great in flower beds and bouquets. They come in red, white, orange, purple, and of course, pink. Learn how to grow dianthus.

By Betty Barr Mackey

Low-growing foliage of great distinction and spring flowers make epimediums, also known as bishop's hat or barrenwort, a good choice. Flowers in soft colors sometimes bloom before plants leaf out. Learn about this shade-loving perennial.

By Betty Barr Mackey

Geraniums, or crane's-bill, are clump-forming perennials that bloom in late spring or early summer. The flowers vary in color and size, but are great for rock gardens and as border plants. Learn about geraniums.

By Betty Barr Mackey

Lady's mantles are perennials grown for their foliage and their unusual chartreuse flowers that are nice in bouquets. The easy to grow plants have lobed leaves of silvery gray-green. Learn about lady's mantles.

By Betty Barr Mackey

There are nearly 300 types of iris flowers that draw fascination from gardeners around the world. Learn how to welcome this rainbow of color into your garden!

By Betty Barr Mackey

Ligularia is a bold perennial for garden use. The plants bear sprays or spires of yellow or orange flowers in summer, on strong stems. Find out more about the ligularia.

By Betty Barr Mackey

Amaranthus, or summer poinsettia, is an annual plant capped with a swirling crown of hot-colored yellow and red leaves. The upper third of the plant eventually takes on red and yellow leaves. Learn about amaranthus.

By Betty Barr Mackey

The bachelor's button is an annual that grows one to three feet tall with innumerable fluffy but trim round flowers held above the rather sparse, long and narrow gray-green leaves. Learn about this flower.

By Betty Barr Mackey

Wax begonia and fibrous begonia are annuals equally at home in full sun or full but bright shade. They have white, pink, rose, or red blossoms. Find out about these flowers.

By Betty Barr Mackey