A Quick Guide to Growing Chives. Allium schoenoprasum Chives are bulb plants, although the bulbs are so tiny that you might not realize they're there. These plants produce beautiful, globelike pink and lavender blossoms. A perennial, chives grow to about 18 inches high and thrive in Zones 3 to 9. Growing Guide Soil preparation: Chives prefers well-drained soil. Add aged compost to the soil before planting. Harvesting Hints Use scissors to cut chives about 2 inches above the soil. Trivia Tidbits Chives have been added to foods for nearly 5,000 years. How to Grow Basil. Sweet basil is a bushy annual, 1 to 2 feet high, with glossy opposite leaves and spikes of white flowers. Basil leaves are used in cooking, imparting their anise (licorice) flavor to dishes. Many cultivars are available with different nuances of taste, size, and appearance, including cultivars with cinnamon, clove, lemon, and lime overtones, as well as purple-leaved types such as ‘Dark Opal’ and ‘Rubin’.
One of the most popular herbs in the garden, basil adds fine flavor to tomato dishes, salads, and pesto. How to grow Plant seed outdoors when frosts are over and the ground is warm, start indoors in individual pots, or buy bedding plants. If you start plants indoors, heating cables are helpful, since this is a tropical plant that doesn’t take kindly to cold. Grow a few basil plants in containers so you can bring them indoors before fall frost. Basil can be subject to various fungal diseases, including Fusarium wilt, gray mold, and black spot, as well as damping-off in seedlings.
DIY Stepping-Stones. Easy Seeds for Beginners, Seed Starting. If you are a beginning seed starter, start with "easy seeds" that are quick to germinate and don't require a lot of extra fussing. It's easy to get carried away and buy too many different seed packets If you are starting seeds for the first time, you may want to limit yourself to no more than ten different types of seedlings.
Here are some good choices: Tomato Basil Marigold Zinnia Coleus Nasturtium Cosmos. Indoor Seed Starting – Equipment for Starting Seeds Indoors. There are several good reasons to start your own plants from seed. You have a wider range of varieties open to you than you would have if you purchased plants from your local nursery. It's much more economical. For the price of one plant you can buy a few packets of seed, resulting in dozens (and up to hundreds) of plants.
And, it's fun. There's nothing quite as rewarding as watching a seed sprout and grow, and eventually produce beautiful blooms or delicious vegetables. However, there are a few things you need to be successful with indoor seed starting. Equipment for Indoor Seed Starting Lights: The best lights for your indoor seed starting set up are the shop lights that you can find in any home center or hardware store.
Seed Starting Mix: The key in growing successful seedlings is the same as the key in growing successful garden plants, and that is good quality growing medium. Fish Emulsion: Once your plants develop their first true set of leaves, they'll need to be fertilized. Herb Seeds from Heirloom Seeds - Large selection of herb seeds.
National Arboretum - USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Tuesday, April 8, 2014 Back to the Arboretum Home Page Arboretum Information || Events & Education || Gardens & Horticulture || Research ActivitiesNew Plant Introductions || Support the Arboretum || Comments Last Updated March 2, 2012 9:30 AM URL = narj Arboretum Information Events & Education Gardens & Horticulture Research Activities Support the Arboretum Search Our Site Arboretum Home/Front Page Hours & Admission Directions USNA News & Notes Map of Arboretum Grounds Rules & Guidelines Visitor Services Facilities Use FAQs History & Mission Your Comments Welcomed Virtual Tours of Arboretum Wedding Photography Commercial Photography Guidelines Current Events & Programs Registration Forms Arboretum Photo Gallery Internship Program What's Blooming Guided & Tram Tours Publications Photo Gallery Index Award Winning Daylilies Crapemyrtle Introductions Arboretum Azaleas 'Picture of the Week' Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) Gallery Fall Foliage Gallery Bonsai Gallery Major Gardens & Displays.
Start an Herb Garden - GourmetSpot Feature. The Culinary Herb Garden:Planting, Maintaining and Using Culinary Herbs in the home garden. Many Herbs are herbaceous; they die back to the ground in winter. Thoughtful pruning is not necessary for these varieties, just chop it off to the ground any old time. Usually this will be when you harvest or when you cut back to get rid of the flowers.
At the very least, you will do this at the end of the growing season. Some herbaceous herbs are Oregano, Chives, Sweet Fennel, Winter Savory, Tarragon, Bee Balm and Mint. Herbaceous Herbs can even be mowed several times a year to keep them free from old and dead branches. Maybe an all Herbaceous culinary Herb garden would be a good idea. Except for the mint.
Evergreen varieties of herb plants like Rosemary, Thyme and Sage require pruning at least once a year. All of the herb plants mentioned under Herbaceous and Evergreen are perennial herbs. Plants by Type: herb. We've chosen North America's most popular garden plants and provided "how to" gardening information to help you prepare, plant, and care for them. For each plant, we've identified the hardiness zone, sun exposure, soil type, soil pH, pests and problems, harvest tips, recommended varieties, and special features. You'll also find recipes, free e-cards, and a dose of wit & wisdom. Just click on an image below to view that plant's growing guide. Or, click the links below to browse by plant type: Vegetables | Fruit | Herbs | Flowers | Shrubs | Houseplants. Wonder Pets Egg Carton Herb Garden.