Amy Draiss

1 month ago | gardeningknowhow.com | Teo Spengler |Amy Draiss

Want to make gardening easy? Raised bed gardens are the way to go. The vegetables you plant in raised beds are easy to tend since, by definition, they live in a bed that is well above the regular soil level. Raised beds are easy to access for weeding and thinning plants since they have walkways on either side. And the soil stays loamy and well-drained since nobody walks on it. If you are considering installing raised beds, be sure to think about design before you start.

1 month ago | gardeningknowhow.com | Teo Spengler |Amy Draiss

Spring has its own traditions – with fun ones like watching for daffodils to bloom, and less fun ones like spring cleaning. You can create a few more delightful seasonal traditions by planting some unique and unusual spring flowering bushes. The coolest thing about spring flowering shrubs is that they appear on otherwise bare branches, before the trees leaf out. But which work best with your climate, hardiness zone, garden and personal style?

1 month ago | gardeningknowhow.com | Teo Spengler |Amy Draiss

Spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum) are fun, easy to care for, and altogether charming plants. Their grass-like leaves have a mounding habit and grow long enough to arch down to form very attractive hanging plants. In fact, a hanging basket spider plant can change an ordinary living room into a cool and casually elegant space. To top off the accolades, the plant develops baby plants – truly miniature spider plants - on long, flexible stalks that hang down from all sides of the plant.

2 months ago | gardeningknowhow.com | Melanie Griffiths |Amy Draiss

Easter cacti (Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri) are prized houseplants that bloom with spectacular star-shaped flowers in the spring. They can put on a show lasting several weeks between March and May – and with a little effort can bloom for a second time a few months later. However, flowers aren't guaranteed, and learning how to get an Easter cactus to bloom year after year is a skill owners must master. Encouraging flowers is one of the most misunderstood aspects of Easter cactus care.

Jan 18, 2025 | gardeningknowhow.com | Susan Albert |Amy Draiss

They are one of the most popular and vivid holiday plants around and if you are lucky they can survive for a lot longer than just the holidays – but are poinsettias poisonous to cats? There are quite a lot of horror stories attached to this seasonal bloomer, and some cat-loving gardeners get understandably twitchy. Festive poinsettia has a reputation for being toxic to cats, and some pet owners refuse to keep these plants anywhere near their homes. But how poisonous are poinsettia plants, really?