Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Winterberry holly is dioecious, so you need at least one male plant near your female plants for berries to form.

The best spot has moist to wet acidic soil, full sun to part shade, and room for a male plant nearby.

It can be both. Witch hazel usually grows as a large multi-stemmed shrub but can mature into a small open tree.

A spot with full sun to light shade and moist, slightly acidic, well-draining soil produces the heaviest flowering.

Most glossy abelia reach 3 to 6 feet (0.9 to 1.8 m) tall and wide. The range across types runs from about 2.5 to 8 feet (0.75 to 2.4 m), and dwarf varieties stay 2 to 3 feet (0.6 to 0.9 m).

Abelia grows in full sun to partial shade. It blooms most heavily and shows the strongest foliage color in full sun, while too much shade reduces flowering.

Andromeda grows best in partial or dappled shade, though it tolerates full sun where summers stay cool and soil stays moist.

Yes. Andromeda grows well in pots, which is ideal where native soil is alkaline since you control the acidic mix.

It depends on the space:

• Emerald Green for narrow, tidy screens reaching 12 to 15 feet
• Green Giant for fast, tall walls reaching 40 to 60 feet
• Dwarf globe types for small accent spaces

Growth rate is variety-dependent.

Yes. Peer-reviewed Lesotho research links keyhole gardens to a 30.60 percent likelihood of food security, and FAO reports document real soil and harvest gains.

Main drawbacks include the upfront build effort and cost, the need for steady composting and watering, soil-temperature swings, and poor fit for sprawling crops.

• Upfront build labor and material cost
• Ongoing composting and watering needed
• Soil temperature swings in cold regions
• Round shape limits sprawling crops like squash

A moon garden is a garden of white flowers, silver foliage, and fragrant night bloomers designed to be enjoyed in the evening and reflect moonlight.

Moon gardening has two meanings: timing garden tasks to the moon's phases, and planting a night garden of white, glowing, fragrant flowers.

A food forest is a classic example: layered fruit trees, shrubs, herbs and ground cover working together like a natural woodland.

The three core ethics are:

• Earth Care, protecting and rebuilding natural systems
• People Care, meeting human needs fairly
• Fair Share, returning surplus and limiting consumption

Yes. Once a straw bale is conditioned with water and nitrogen, the decomposing straw becomes a warm, nutrient releasing medium that supports vegetables, herbs, and flowers.

Start conditioning your bales about two weeks before you plan to plant, which usually means around your local last spring frost date.

Vertical gardening is the practice of growing plants upward on trellises, arches, walls, or stacked towers instead of letting them sprawl across the ground, which saves space and improves airflow.

It saves space, improves airflow, raises yields, and eases harvesting, but it needs sturdy structures, more frequent watering, and full sun.

Yes. The roots, young stems, leaves, and seeds of Angelica archangelica are all edible and carry a licorice-like flavor.

Angelica archangelica has a low poison severity, but its sap can irritate skin and it closely resembles deadly lookalikes.

Yes. The blue flowers and tender young leaves are edible and taste of cucumber. Use leaves sparingly and pick certified PA-free oil.

No. The flowers are edible. The caution applies to the leaves, which carry pyrrolizidine alkaloids in quantity.

It depends on the type. Roman chamomile is a true perennial, while annual German chamomile returns by self-seeding.

Surface-sow the tiny seeds, press them in without burying, keep them lightly moist, and expect sprouts within about a week.

Yes. Chives are a cold-hardy perennial that regrows from the same underground clump each spring.

Chives are in the onion family. The two main types are onion chives and garlic chives.

Cilantro is easy to germinate and grow but bolts quickly in heat, so timing and succession sowing matter most.

Yes. Cut about one-third of the plant at a time, above the lowest leaves, and it regrows until it bolts.

Meadow gardening means growing native wildflowers and warm season grasses together in a naturalistic planting that imitates a wild meadow and replaces conventional lawn.

A meadow is an open, sunny area dominated by grasses and herbaceous flowering plants rather than woody trees and shrubs.

Native species that tolerate both flooding and drought, such as blue flag iris, swamp milkweed, switchgrass, and Joe-pye weed.

Wet-tolerant plants include:

• Blue flag iris
• Cardinal flower
• Swamp milkweed
• Buttonbush
• Joe-pye weed

There is no single best plant, but the most reliable choices are low-growing, drought-tolerant perennials and succulents.

• Sedum (stonecrop)
• Creeping thyme
• Hens and chicks (sempervivum)
• Creeping phlox
• Ice plant (delosperma)

Plants that handle lean soil and sharp drainage thrive in a rockery.

There is no instant cure. Remove infected leaves, improve airflow, and use preventive copper or fungicide before symptoms spread.

Yes, firm fruit with no soft rot is generally safe to eat once you trim away any blemished or damaged areas.

A sedge is a grass-like perennial in the plant family Cyperaceae, most often in the genus Carex, known for its solid triangular stems.

Sedges have solid, triangular stems and 3-ranked leaves with closed sheaths, while grasses have round, hollow stems and 2-ranked leaves.

Many common garden plants prefer neutral to slightly alkaline soil, including:

• Asparagus, beets, and most brassicas like cabbage and broccoli
• Lavender, clematis, and many Mediterranean herbs
• Lilacs, baby's breath, and most lawn grasses

Common signs include healthy moss and acid-loving weeds, thriving azaleas or blueberries, blue hydrangea flowers, and a pH test reading below 7.0.

An alpine plant is a plant that naturally grows above the tree line on mountains, in cold, exposed conditions called alpine tundra.

Common garden alpines include:

• Sempervivum (houseleeks)
• Saxifraga (saxifrage)
• Dianthus (alpine pinks)
• Aubrieta
• Pulsatilla (pasque flower)
• Armeria maritima (thrift)

Japanese cedar is the national tree of Japan, a long-lived evergreen conifer with reddish exfoliating bark, fragrant timber, and deep cultural meaning.

Extension sources describe the growth rate as slow to medium, though faster-growing cultivars are marketed for privacy screening.

Yes. The flowers, young pods, fresh seeds, and dried seeds are all edible once cooked.

Raw seeds contain phytohaemagglutinin, a lectin that causes nausea until thorough cooking neutralizes it.

The secret is steady moisture, early thinning to 3 to 4 inches apart, and harvesting roots small.

The biggest mistakes are skipping thinning, watering unevenly, over-fertilizing, and harvesting too late.

Most carrots are ready to harvest 55 to 100 days after sowing, depending on the variety and growing conditions.

Plant in spring once the soil reaches at least 45F, then again in mid to late summer for a fall harvest.

Start celery seeds indoors in early spring, around mid-March to early April, then transplant outdoors after frost.

Celery needs about 130 to 140 days from seed, which is roughly four to five months total.

Most eggplants reach harvest 55-80 days after transplanting, after 8-10 weeks of seed starting indoors.

Plant out in late spring once frost is past and night temperatures stay above 60°F (16°C).