ArcaMax

Machu Morado is one of the most intriguing new plants in both name and performance. In reality it is a dream come true but I’ll explain. First it is a Mexican petunia or Ruellia, the gregarious "Uncle Buck" of the Acanthus family. A lot of gardening folks think it is a petunia.

These are the purple blue flowers that look so mystical in color ...Read more

As we talked about last week, many people became gardeners in the past few years, especially last year. Gardeners have always turned to books to help them learn. Here are new books that are going to deserve a special place on the gardener's bookshelf.

For the people who are new to houseplants, there is a need for a dictionary to look up plant ...Read more

It’s fun to see what all of the horticultural pundits write about after the plant trials run their course across the country. I can tell you that Medusa was, and still is, the talk of the town. I know you are already wondering Medusa who, and does she have snakes coming out of her head? The answer is NO and she is Sweet Caroline Medusa Green ...Read more

Do you consider yourself a plant parent? It used to be that we just grew houseplants because we liked plants. Some of us were a bit more fanatical about it, and we knew that if a room had a window, it had to have a plant. A few of us had culinary aspirations, and we grew herbs on a windowsill over the winter. For us, houseplants have always been...Read more

A quinceanera is a celebration of a girl’s 15th birthday, with its cultural roots in Mexico and throughout Latin America. While I am not exactly sure of the birthday, it was 15 years ago that our girl of the plant world Senorita Rosalita cleome won her first award. Today she has won 237 of the top awards in the country and forever changed the ...Read more

A lot more people are growing houseplants because they are staying home and want a prettier house. Unfortunately, many homes don't have enough good-quality light for plants that need bright light. Obviously, lights can be added to those dark corners, but what kind of light should you get?

Not every lightbulb, or the quantity and quality of ...Read more

The Garden Guy was looking at photos of last year’s trials and I was struck by one of a Mecardonia. I have never written about this plant and was thinking there is a great chance for my readers who do not know about how wonderful and tough as nails this flower is, particularly the award-winning variety GoldDust.

GoldDust, a Proven Winners ...Read more

Fiddle Leaf Fig

Let's start today's article with a one-question quiz. When it is growing in nature, is the common houseplant fiddle leaf fig, Ficus lyrata, A) a tropical tree; B) an epiphyte that grows on the branches of another tree; C) a killer plant that strangles other plants; or D) all of the above.

The answer is D, all of the above. In ...Read more

The National Garden Bureau has declared 2021 "The Year of the Hardy Hibiscus" and The Garden Guy thinks this is absolutely terrific. Actually, I would go a-step further and say it is Summerific!

By hardy hibiscus, the bureau is referring to those with native DNA. You may not be aware but the hardy hibiscus commonly referred to as rose mallow is...Read more

You may not remember the 1959 Oscar award-winning song titled "High Hopes" and sung by Frank Sinatra, but I do. Don't worry; I won't sing any of it. But here are some of the lyrics:

"Just what makes that little old ant think he'll move that rubber tree plant. / Anyone knows an ant can't -- move a rubber tree plant. / But he's got high hopes; he...Read more

Two Garden Treasures have come together for a magnificent purpose and that is getting food to those who need it most. It is a story that is still being written and one that will tug at gardeners' hearts across the country.

The first Garden Treasure is so aptly named. It is a tomato out of the University of Florida breeding line. It checks off ...Read more

During the past year, we were often told to listen to or follow the science. Well, I am happy to report that there is more and more scientific evidence to support the idea that everyone would be better off watching birds. You can watch them at a feeder while you are sitting on the couch, or you can go to a park to see them.

Studies from England...Read more

Last summer as my wife Jan and I were relaxing on the patio, a little breeze suddenly placed us under the spell of a smell, a most tantalizing fragrance. If you have ever heard that old phrase "does your nose know what my nose knows," I can tell you her nose knows a lot more than most and she was ecstatic.

This botanical treat was coming ...Read more

Q: I saved seeds from several of my garden plants last year, including pumpkins, peppers and peas. I want to store more again this fall, but I wanted to start with a few and see how they worked. Besides just planting them and seeing what comes up, how can I be sure the seeds are still good?

A: Congratulations, you are becoming a better gardener...Read more

Just saying the word coral sun warms the spirit and makes one forget the impending split of the polar vortex and plunge into a deep winter. Yes, coral sun conjures up a vision of a South Pacific sunset, sitting on a beach with an adult fruit drink with one of those tiny umbrellas.

Let me assure you that name also gives you the promise of ...Read more

Last week, we looked at the flowers that won 2021 All-America Selections awards, and this week, we look at the three new vegetable winners.

The AAS is an independent, nonprofit organization that tests new plants. They have about 80 test gardens from Alaska and Canada to California and Florida. They also have almost 200 display gardens all ...Read more

Rainbow Rhythm King of the Ages day lily has the gardening world abuzz with anticipation for spring 2021. This is a 38-inch-tall new day lily making its debut and offering the rarest of colors in the garden world. It is a combination of butter yellow, peach and apricot blend. That would be enough to make you scream but consider it also has a ...Read more

All-America Selections Winners

My garden seed catalogs are arriving, and I am always happy when I find the All-America Selections logo in a plant's description. These plants have been vetted by the AAS, an independent nonprofit organization that tests new plants. They have about 80 test gardens from Alaska and Canada to California and Florida. ...Read more

Pantone, the gurus of all things color has selected Ultimate Gray and Illuminating Yellow for the 2021 colors of the year. Some headlines call it "Pandemic Gray" but The Garden Guy loves it and you will see it opens the door to one of the toughest, persevering and award-winning plants of all time, Flambé Yellow chrysocephalum.

Flambé Yellow ...Read more

The American Garden Rose Selection judges have announced the newest roses to be selected in the testing program. This was a bountiful year. There are six new winners. There have only been 22 in the previous seven years.

The AGRS program is the replacement of the All-America Rose Selection program that ran from 1940 until 2013. Roses that have ...Read more