A beautiful plant with amazing flowers which open late in the afternoon and close again the next morning, hence the name ‘Four o’clock plant’. This plant has an amazing number of other common names: Four o’Clock flower, Marvel of Peru, Purple Jasmine, Jalap, Mirabilis jalapa, Maravilla, Clavilla, Bonina, Gul Abas, Hendirikka, Anthi Mandhaarai, chandrakantha, and
Exacum (or Persian Violet) is a small and neat plant which is only a few inches high when offered for sale. Its flowers, pale purple with a yellow center, are also small, but this plant still has several points in its favor. The blooms are abundant and fragrant, and the flowering season extends from mid-summer
Onions and their relatives belong to a group of vegetables that have evolved a rather specialized growth habit results in the formation of bulbs at the end of their growing season. A bulb is a swollen storage organ that allows a plant to survive climatic extremes in its natural environment. The great advantage to us
Strawberries are excellent fruit for the patio gardener and are especially attractive grown in special strawberry planters or tubs, producing their white flowers in late spring and delicious red fruits that ripen in summer. They can also be raised in growbags, planted in late summer to bear fruit the following year. It is possible to
If you’re thinking about starting a perfect garden, the first thing you need to consider is what type of garden you will have. There are many different choices and often it can be hard to pick just one, but hopefully you can narrow it down. But by narrowing it down, you’ll make the gardening experience
Most gardens have a patch of lawn, even if they are not very big, providing a chance to plant bulbs in what is called the ‘natural way’. This means, quite simply, letting the bulbs grow through the grass, and this is especially effective around the base of deciduous trees. The canopy of leaves will not
Jacaranda is a kind of flowering plants and native to subtropical regions of South and Central America. In many parts of the world, the blooming of this tree is welcomed as a sign of spring. Jacaranda’s size varies from 2 to 30 m tall. The leaves are bipinnate in most species, pinnate or simple in
Parsley is one of the best known herbs in the kitchen and is sprinkled over vegetables as a garnish and added to soups and stews. What most people don’t realize is that parsley is extremely nourishing, containing vitamins C, A, and B; iron, calcium, manganese; phosphorous; and even iron. Its fresh taste enhances dips, spreads,
Freesia is a type of about 14 different species and all the Freesia species are of African origin. 12 of the 14 species are native to Cape Province in South Africa and the other two are native to tropical Africa. Freesias are very fragrant and usually come in white or yellow. Growing freesias is relatively
Indoor gardening has many benefits. Indoor plants can brighten a room, provide moisture to the dry indoor winter air, and also supply oxygen during the day. You don’t have to have green thumb to grow indoor plants; there are some low maintenance plants available. Indoor gardening can be an extension of your outdoor gardening, filling
Garrya elliptica makes a remarkably indestructible and attractive evergreen shrub on free-draining soil. It is at its best from midwinter to early spring when it is covered by a mass of dangling grey-green catkins, 15-20 cm (6-8 in) long. If you want even longer catkins, choose ‘James Roof’. Garrya elliptica can also be grown as
A well-known and important herb, common thyme (Thymus vulgaris) is a perennial subshrub and is still used in the kitchen after many centuries to flavour meat, fish and vegetable dishes, in bouquets garni. It is a charming, attractive plant for the herb container. There is a number of thymes that can be used in the
