Gardening

Balance formal and informal in your garden and create a spot of English countryside with a formal carpet bed, an avenue of pleached limes, an ornamental pond and fountain or a well-filled perennial border. Read more about English gardens.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

The amaryllis is an easy house plant that produces beautiful, showy flowers in winter. Learn how to care for the amaryllis at HowStuffWorks.

By Larry Hodgson

The sap of the aloe medicine plant offers a soothing remedy for sunburns and other skin irritations. Learn more about growing and using this handy house plant in this article.

By Larry Hodgson

Hoya, also known as wax plant and porcelain flower has fragrant starlike flowers borne in thick clusters. It is very easy to care for but may take a few years to bloom well. Read more.

By Larry Hodgson

Living stones mimic the rocks that are their natural habitat. Learn about this unusual house plant, its flowers, and how to grow it.

By Larry Hodgson

House plants can fill your home with the color and beauty of the outside. This extensive article covers all aspects of house plant care, including lighting, watering, temperature, fertilizing and preventing diseases and pests.

By Larry Hodgson

Jerusalem cherry grows fruit that begin green and develop into a deep red to make up for its unremarkable flowers. Aggressive pruning annually helps it last. Discover where to display it.

By Larry Hodgson

Baby tears plant looks good draping out of its container but can also maintain a moundlike shape with pinching. It does well in humid climes but prefers well-circulated air. Learn why to use it in a terrarium.

By Larry Hodgson

Wandering Jew plant is related to spiderwort, obvious with its stems that trail and pointy leaves. Leaves, striped on top, have burgundy bottoms. Learn how to keep them looking their best.

By Larry Hodgson

Cissus, or grape ivy, is a climbing plant with shiny, compound leaves. They are relatively easy to grow and thrive when subjected to harsh pruning. Read about how to care for this plant.

By Larry Hodgson

Calamondin orange is a close relative of the true orange and a decorative house plant, which grows very bitter fruit. Read about caring for this demanding plant and learn which pests to look out for.

By Larry Hodgson

Jade plant is a thick-stemmed succulent plant with fleshy leaves edged in red. It's very easy to care for and will survive even under quite adverse conditions. Read about this African native.

By Larry Hodgson

Earth star, or star fish, plant has rosettes of tough, prickly edged leaves with stripes in various greens. In the middle it bears small, unimpressive flowers. Read about these easy-to-care-for bromeliads.

By Larry Hodgson

Umbrella plant is an easy house plant to care for when kept moist, although one should watch out for spider mites. Read about its flowers and how to treat it for best results.

By Larry Hodgson

Hare's, squirrel's, or deer's foot fern are nicknames given to this plant because of its thick hairy rhizomes that look much like animal paws. Read about caring for this easy house plant.

By Larry Hodgson

Mother-in-law's tongue, or dumb cane, has toxic sap that can cause a painful loss of speech if ingested. This easy-to-care-for house plant produces thick green stems with white to yellow marbled leaves. Read more.

By Larry Hodgson

False aralia, also known as threadleaf and finger aralia, is a small tree with coppery leaflets joined in a fingerlike pattern. Read more about this easy-to-care-for house plant, its growth, and preferences.

By Larry Hodgson

Golden barrel cactus, or mother-in-law's cushion, forms a single, large globe. Its ribs are lined with hooked spines. It needs little nourishment but prefers full sun. Read about this special plant and its care.

By Larry Hodgson

Pothos, or devil's ivy, is a hardy and very easy house plant to care for. It has heart-shaped leaves marbled with yellow and white that can grow quite large. Read about its care.

By Larry Hodgson

Episcia has hairy leaves with a metallic sheen and come in colors from green to bronze, red, and white. It has small, predominantly red trumpet-shaped flowers and is great for terrariums. Read more about episcia.

By Larry Hodgson

Japanese aralia is a fast-growing shrub with leathery leaves. It is quite demanding to the point where touching newly formed leaves can permanently damage them. Read about this brightly colored house plant.

By Larry Hodgson

Rubber plant usually has just one single trunk but can be pinched back to encourage more to grow. It has thick, leathery leaves often with a red mid-vein. Read more about this demanding house plant.

By Larry Hodgson

Gardenia is a small shrub that bears highly perfumed white flowers for which it is specifically grown. Read about the conditions that will provide the best setting for this temporary house plant to thrive.

By Larry Hodgson

Oxtongue is a succulent with thick leaves that are often covered with white wartlike protuberances or white spots. After a cool winter rest it bears tall stems with pink, yellow, or red flowers. Read more.

By Larry Hodgson

Ruby ball cactus is a bright red "ball" that grows atop a cactus base which it depends upon in order to absorb solar energy. It's short-lived but easy to care for. Read more about it.

By Larry Hodgson