How to Grow Giant Sunflowers: Record-Breaking Height and Blooms

How to Grow Giant Sunflowers Growing giant sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) is a competitive passion. Varieties like ‘Mammoth’ (7–12 ft, 12+ inch heads), ‘American Giant Hybrid’ (16 ft, 10 inch heads), and ‘Skyscraper’ (12

How to Grow Strawflower (Helichrysum): Everlasting Blooms for Fresh and Dried Arrangements

How to Grow Strawflower (Helichrysum) Strawflower (Helichrysum bracteatum), a herb-classified annual from Australia, grows 2–3 feet tall with large, papery, daisy-like blooms in yellow, orange, red, rose, white, and pink

How to Grow Stock (Matthiola): Sweet-Spicy Fragrance for Cool-Season Gardens

How to Grow Stock (Matthiola) Stock (Matthiola incana) is a beloved cool-season annual from Europe and Asia Minor, prized for its intense, spicy-sweet fragrance and dense spikes of double flowers in white, red, pink, pur

How to Grow Scarlet Runner Bean: Edible Ornamental Vine for Flowers and Food

How to Grow Scarlet Runner Bean Scarlet Runner Bean (Phaseolus coccineus) is a dual-purpose star: a gorgeous, fast-climbing (6–9 feet) ornamental with profuse red-and-white flowers, and a vegetable crop. The young pods a

How to Grow Pumpkin on a Stick (Ornamental Eggplant): A Conversation-Piece Plant

How to Grow Pumpkin on a Stick (Ornamental Eggplant) Ornamental Eggplant (Solanum integrifolium), aka Pumpkin on a Stick, Pumpkin Tree, Mock Tomato, Hmong Eggplant, Chinese Scarlet Eggplant, and Japanese Golden Eyes, is

How to Grow Portulaca (Moss Rose): Succulent Groundcover for Sun and Neglect

How to Grow Portulaca (Moss Rose) Portulaca (Portulaca grandiflora), also called Sun Rose or Sun Plant, is a Brazilian native that forms a 3–6 inch mat of succulent leaves and brilliant, rose-like flowers in rose, yellow

How to Grow Poor Man's Weather Glass (Anagallis): The Flower That Forecasts Rain

How to Grow Poor Mans Weather Glass (Anagallis) Poor Mans Weather Glass (Anagallis monellii), also called Blue Pimpernel, Scarlet Pimpernel, or Shepherd’s Weather Glass, is a fascinating low annual (6–7 inches) whose ¼-i

How to Grow Vinca (Periwinkle): Indestructible Color for Hot, Dry Sites

How to Grow Vinca (Periwinkle) Vinca (Catharanthus roseus), also called Madagascar Periwinkle or Myrtle, is a bulletproof annual for the toughest spots. Heat- and drought-tolerant, it thrives in full sun to shade, bloomi

How to Grow Painted Tongue (Salpiglossis): Exotic, Velvet Blooms for Cool Climates

How to Grow Painted Tongue (Salpiglossis) Painted Tongue (Salpiglossis sinuata) is a striking cool-season annual from Chile with lance-shaped leaves and exotic, 5-lobed, velvet-textured flowers in orange, red, pink, viol

How to Grow Nicotiana (Flowering Tobacco): Fragrant Evening Blooms for Patios and Moon Gardens

How to Grow Nicotiana (Flowering Tobacco) Nicotiana (Nicotiana alata and hybrids) is grown for its intense, sweet fragrance released in late afternoon and evening. Native to the Americas, it forms 20–24 inch mounds of st

How to Grow Nemesia: Cool-Weather Color for Beds, Boxes, and Butterflies

How to Grow Nemesia Nemesia (Nemesia strumosa) is a cheerful, trouble-free annual from South Africa, related to snapdragons. It bears dense clusters of bright solid and bicolor flowers in orange, red, pink, yellow, and w

How to Grow Moss Rose (Portulaca): Heat-Loving, Drought-Proof Groundcover

How to Grow Moss Rose (Portulaca) Moss Rose (Portulaca grandiflora), also called Eleven O’Clock, Purslane, or Sun Plant, is a tough, succulent annual from South America that thrives in scorching heat and drought. It form

How to Grow Morning Glory: Classic Climbers for Fences, Trellises, and Arbors

How to Grow Morning Glory Morning Glory (Ipomoea purpurea) is the quintessential old-fashioned vine, twining 8–20 feet in a season. Its heart-shaped leaves and huge, fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers (up to 3 inches) unfu

How to Grow Mallow (Lavatera): Hollyhock-Like Blooms for Sun and Containers

How to Grow Mallow (Lavatera) Mallow (Lavatera trimestris) is a fast, bushy annual (perennial in mild zones) with hollyhock-like, 2-inch pink or white flowers and heart-shaped leaves. Native across North America, Asia, a

How to Grow Tithonia (Mexican Sunflower): Bold, Butterfly-Magnet Annuals

How to Grow Tithonia (Mexican Sunflower) Tithonia rotundifolia, the Mexican Sunflower, is a heat-loving, drought-tolerant annual native to Mexico and Central America. It shoots up 3–5 feet (dwarf ‘Goldfinger’ stays 2–3 f

How to Grow Love-in-a-Mist (Nigella): Charming Cottage-Garden Self-Sowers

How to Grow Love-in-a-Mist (Nigella) Love-in-a-Mist (Nigella damascena) is an old-fashioned annual with feathery, asparagus-like foliage and delicate, star-shaped flowers in soft blue, pink, and white from spring to earl

How to Grow Lobelia: Cool-Season Color for Borders, Baskets, and Wet Spots

How to Grow Lobelia Lobelia (Lobelia erinus and others) delivers a cascade of intense blue, purple, pink, crimson, or white flowers from late spring until frost. Native to the Americas, these compact annuals (most 4–6 in

How to Grow Hyacinth Bean Vine: Fast, Floriferous, and Butterfly-Friendly

How to Grow Hyacinth Bean Vine Hyacinth Bean Vine (Dolichos lablab), also called Tobacco Vine, is a vigorous annual climber that rockets 10–15 feet in a single season. Its lush foliage and showy purple (occasionally whit

Growing Gourds: Fun, Versatile, and Easy for Fall Crafts

Growing Gourds Gourds (Cucurbita spp.) are among the most entertaining vegetables to grow. Close relatives of pumpkins and squash, they come in a dazzling array of shapes, colors, and textures—perfect for autumn displays

How to Grow Godetia (Farewell-to-Spring): A Charming Native Wildflower

How to Grow Godetia (Farewell-to-Spring) Godetia (Clarkia amoena), also called Farewell-to-Spring, is a delightful spring-blooming annual native to western North America, from British Columbia to California. Often treate