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The paper petals of poppy flowers will brighten up the spring garden. Poppies come in a wide range of colors and are easy to grow in sunny gardens. There are both perennial and annual poppy varieties but all are fairly easy to grow from seed. In fact poppies prefer to sown in the garden where they are to grow. Provide well drained soil and plenty of sunshine and you can have poppies blooming for months.  Breadbox Poppy- Papaver somniferum Papaver somniferum, also known as Breadbox Poppy, is a very large flowered annual variety that grows 3-4 ft. tall. The seeds...

Fragrant Pelargoniums have been grown in herb gardens for centuries. Scented Geraniums are very easy to grow and come in a wide range of fragrances from fruity to spicy. The scented pelargoniums were new to me when I first began working at an herb nursery in college. I've always been fond of fragrant plants and these were so amazing! I've been an avid collector ever since.  Scented Geraniums are original to South Africa and were first brought to cultivation by European sailors in the 1600's. They were widely grown in European herb gardens and were extremely popular with the Victorians....

Creating a garden habitat to encourage butterflies is easy and fun. Butterflies provide color, movement, and pollination for our gardens. Butterfly gardens should contain plants that provide nutrients to the larvae and caterpillars as well as nectar plants for the adults. Colorful annuals such as zinnias and Mexican sunflowers are easy to grow from seed in a wide range of growing conditions. Several herb plants are great host plants for swallowtail butterfly larvae. I grow fennel, dill and parsley to feed the caterpillars. I find the caterpillars prefer the curled parsley over the flat leaf variety. I always plant extras...

Lavender is one of my favorite herbs to grow in the garden. The pathway to my herb garden bench is lined with Lavender 'Provence'. The plants reached shrub like proportions this summer and almost made it impossible to even get to the bench. Lavender can be slightly tricky to grow so I will share some of the things I have learned through trial and error.  Lavender is often considered and old fashioned herb. It has been used to scent soap and bath products since ancient Greek and Roman days. In the language of flowers Lavender is said to soothe troubled...

I grew up in South Florida amid a jungle of tropical plants and fruit trees. My father was an avid gardener and collector of palm trees. Our backyard was full of bananas, citrus trees, and flowering vines. This is where I first became intrigued with  different types of lush foliage plants. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens contains a huge collection of unique tropical plants. Set around natural water features and the beautiful Florida sunshine this garden is particularly great to visit during the winter months.  Located in Coral Gables, Florida it is 83 acres of tropical plantings. Various garden collections surround...