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How to Identify Edible Mushroom Varieties Edible mushroom identification is based on body and cap forms, color, gills, size, spore print, texture, and more. Even where the fungi grow can be a clue as to the mushroom variety. There are around 10,000 species of the fungi in the United States, but less than 5 percent are poisonous. Around 30 common kinds of edible mushrooms are native in North America. The rule of thumb in gathering mushrooms is if you don’t know what it is, don’t eat it....

The challenge is even greater when you have shady areas. Try these shade-loving or shade-tolerant species and varieties to round out the more challenging corners of your charming cottage garden beds. Choosing the Best Cottage Garden Plants for Shady Areas Shade plants for a cottage garden should be considered as carefully as those that thrive in full sun. Consider the important elements of this particular style when considering shady cottage garden ideas: an informal layout, old-fashioned flowers, soft edges, and a variety of plant heights, textures, and colors....

It is important to keep the dying foliage in place. These plants need their leaves to continue gathering energy from sunlight. This energy is stored in the bulbs and contributes to next year’s blooms. Be strategic about placing other plants to hide and disguise fading spring bulbs and to keep your beds looking pretty and tidy. This curated selection of flowering and foliage plants will work for most gardens. However, you should always check a plant is compatible with your USDA planting zone before investing....

Let these seasonal delights form the basis of your Easter table decor ideas. From stunning Easter centerpiece plants to simple place-setting ideas, there is so much scope to personalize celebrations. Many gardeners already grow the perfect flowers for Easter decor. Whether you want to make a display of colorful tulips, cheery daffodils, pretty pansies, or ethereal hellebores, you can make the most of your garden’s bounty. Otherwise, buy seasonal flowers from local florists or the grocery store....

When growing vegetables at home, consider including some ancient crops in the mix. They are becoming increasingly important as climate change and other pressures take a toll on current staple crops. Home gardeners and hobby farmers can grow some of these ancient foods to rescue them from extinction. Ancient crops also offer more variety in flavor and nutrients and offer a way to support more sustainable agriculture. This selection of ancient crops is highly versatile and can be grown by anyone, depending on local growing conditions and your USDA hardiness zone....

Black spot on roses is a fungal disease caused by Diplocarpon rosae. The disease won’t kill the plant but it will mar the pretty leaves and, over time, cause a decline in the plant’s health. This is because the leaves begin to die and drop, slowing the production of plant sugars. The disease presents as dark, irregularly round spots with yellow halos. It is most prevalent when the leaves remain wet too long and where old plant material is still on the site....

Though most of these species are ideal for use in the home landscape, many are also suited to container culture or even edible gardens. So which flowers attract birds in the greatest numbers? In this guide, we’ll explore several of the most popular flowering plants that attract birds, as well as how to grow them. Choosing the Best Flowering Plants for Birds Flowers that attract birds and butterflies do so for a variety of reasons....

How to Select Good Quality Seeds The world of advertising and product labeling is a murky one. On the one hand, our eyes are inundated with visions of perfection and on the other hand, reality may not be all that it seems. Many of us are savvy buyers and wise to the ways of visionary and literary exaggeration. But even the most knowledgeable gardener can be tricked into believing one variety or brand of seed is better than another....

Though dahlia care is fairly easy, there are some key bits of information that gardeners must follow to produce the best floral display possible. Among these important points is the process of understanding how and when to deadhead dahlias, when to pinch them back, and how to cut dahlias for more blooms. Let us explore each of these topics in greater detail. Pinching Back Dahlias Encouraging dahlias to have a long blooming period begins early in the season, not long after planting dahlias, or when overwintered tubers have developed new growth....

Plants that come from other regions often settle in quite comfortably to an area to which they are not native. This ability has led to changing definitions of what it means to categorize a plant as native. As climates change, plants shifting outside their normal range will become commonplace. In some instances, though, this may be problematic. Plants that establish in areas that they are not indigenous to are often called invasive....

Prairie Management – Year One Controlling weeds is the biggest challenge gardeners face in the first year of a newly-planted prairie garden. Annual weeds shoot up much faster than slow-growing perennial prairie plants. Without control methods, prairie plants can suffer losses due to competition by taller, denser weeds. Hand weeding is effective for small gardens. This works best when eliminating young weeds as it is less likely to disturb the shallow-rooted prairie plants during their first year....

Height: 34-36 inches (86-91cm) Spread: 24-36 inches (61-91cm) Sun exposure: Full to partial Soil requirements: Well draining, rich Hardiness zones: USDA zones 3-8 When to plant: Spring The Sarah Bernhardt peony has a dramatic flower meaning behind its striking moniker. It was named in honor of a popular French actress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The variety was created by Victor Lemoine in 1906 and named in celebration of his favorite performer....

Social Media Garden Trends to Avoid Internet searches can turn up information on just about anything. On the internet we can learn how to fix our sinks, practice homemade beauty tricks, train our dogs and keep our plants healthy. But many of the new trends in gardening are simply unsubstantiated lore and perhaps useless information that won’t really help, and could ultimately be a waste of time, energy, and money. Here are a few of the top garden trends you may want to avoid....

Silt Definition Silt is defined by its particle size. At a diameter between .002 and .05 mm, silt falls into the second smallest grain size in the particle grade scale, with clay being the smallest and boulders the largest. Silt is formed when larger rocks, particularly quartz and feldspar, are eroded by wind and water. Glaciers, flowing water, and wind grind these eroded rock particles against each other or other objects in the landscape to form this dust-like material....

Shlawnda Calhoun is an English teacher here who has also taken on the lead role for the school’s garden, having secured initial funding from the Whole Kids Foundation. She knows that participating in a garden environment teaches these children leadership, resilience and perseverance skills. Additional practical gardening skills are woven into the curriculum, such as designing new garden boxes in geometry classes. This year, the Grow at GIVE leadership team will also try to make learning and gardening more engaging by teaching chemistry, biology, and physical science concepts by allowing students to participate in activities like the Ice STEAM Social and using ingredients from the garden to create pizzas decorated to look like models of cells....

Wide scale food production and the transport of that food uses much of our fresh water, fuel, and is related to deforestation and pollution. Minimizing the impact we have on the earth via our eating choices is a smart way to do our part in sustaining the Earth. Eating sustainably is only one way we can make a positive impact on our global environmental crisis, but it’s a smart and easy start....

Prolonged exposure to high temperatures above 85°F (29°C) can severely impact plant health, leading to wilting, leaf scorch, stunted growth, and even death. Recognizing and treating heat stress is crucial to maintaining a thriving garden during the hottest months. In particular, knowing how to water gardens during heatwaves is key. This impacts heat-stressed lawns as well as ornamental plants. Whether you’re trying to preserve a lush backyard, nurture potted plants on a patio or balcony, or protect vegetables in hot weather, learning how to care for heat-stressed plants is vital to their survival....

There are numerous ways to control mosquitoes in the garden, including natural solutions that avoid chemicals. Choosing mosquito-repelling plants will help to deter them, especially when their aromatic leaves and flowers are crushed or burned. However, you can make your garden work smarter by selecting plants that perform double duty, attracting butterflies and other beneficial pollinators. As well as nectar-rich flowering plants, adding butterfly host plants will entice butterflies to lay eggs and enable baby caterpillars to feed....

Choosing the Best Low-Maintenance Plants Perennials are ideal for growing low-maintenance plants outdoors. Picking hard-to-kill perennials means you are guaranteed plants that come back every year, plus they’re also cost effective. When choosing perennials, consider the conditions they need, like sunlight, average temperatures and soil type. Also think about colors, flowers and foliage types, and getting a good mix of visual interest throughout the seasons. A mix of flowering low-maintenance perennials, shrubs, groundcovers and foliage plants will provide a beautiful garden with minimum effort required....

Note: Do not replace any medications without first speaking to your doctor. Growing Plants for Healing Research indicates that time spent outdoors has a marked effect on our health. It has psychological, emotional and spiritual as well as physical benefits. Certain plants have also been found to have curative properties. A type of garden that fosters healing and the accompanying overall sense of well-being is called a healing garden, and you can create one in your own backyard....