Growing Sweetgum Trees from Seed ā 1 Year Later
To say that sweetgum trees (Liquidambar styraciflua) are a favorite tree in the garden is going to be hit or miss with a lot of people. Sweetgum trees are well known for having some amazing fall color (which is why I love them) but alsoā¦
How to Propagate Salvia leucantha (Mexican Bush Sage) from Cuttings
Every autumn, Mexican Bush Sage puts on one of the most magnificent floral displays in my garden. The velvety purple flower spikes bloom late in the season when many other plants are winding down, giving us an awesome show before winter sets in. Because weā¦
What You Need to Know about Milkweed BEFORE You Plant!
If you have spent any time in the gardening community over the last several years, you have have probably heard about the critical importance of growing milkweed to support declining monarch butterfly populations. It is an incredibly vital plant, serving as the sole evolutionary hostā¦
Coral Bark Japanese Maple ā Overview of the āSango Kakuā Maple
Usually when I buy plants for the garden I buy smaller 1 gallon pots and wait (sometimes for years) for the trees grow up. But occasionally, I want something that has a more immediate impact. I recently splurged $200 on a 7 foot tall āSangoā¦
Stunning Flowers and Foliage: Why the Onondaga Viburnum is a Must-Have!
If there is one shrub I would recommend to every home gardener for spring color, itās the āOnondagaā Viburnum (Viburnum sargentii āOnondagaā). This spring our āOnondagaā viburnum is just beginning to put on itās seasonal show, and itās awesome! In the spring its most notableā¦
15 Gardening Tasks for April!
April is an amazing time of year to get in the garden. The weather is better, the soil is warming up, and the plants are coming alive from their winter rest. April is the time of year when gardeners need to be going full speedā¦
March Gardening To-Do List: Getting Ready for Spring in Zone 7
March is a awesome month here in Middle Tennessee for gardeners. Zone 7, this is the time to shift from planning to actually getting in the garden. Iāve been out in my front garden tackling some essential chores to ensure a productive and beautiful growingā¦
Ice and Trees: Can Your Trees Recover?
Ice and trees do not mix well. A fact that weāre seeing all over Tennessee. The recent ice storm that barraged the state left people all over in varying states. A lot of people lost power due to fallen trees and ice. A lot ofā¦
Stop Losing Cuttings! 10 Tips for Success with Hardwood Cuttings
Have you tried rooting hardwood cuttings only to have them rot or fail to grow? Donāt give up just yet. Hardwood propagation is one of the most rewarding ways to grow your garden for free, but there are a few āmake or breakā steps thatā¦
32 Plants You Can Propagate from Hardwood Cuttings
Hardwood cuttings are cuttings that are taken from trees and shrubs that are fully mature, dormant stems. These cuttings are normally taken during the late fall or over winter several weeks before spring growth will begin. Hardwood cuttings differ from softwood or semi-hardwood cuttings. Whileā¦
Starting Tree Seeds Outdoors: A Simple Guide to Diverse Landscapes
Trees are the anchors of our landscapes. They enrich the soil, provide oxygen, offer shelter and food for wildlife, and deliver incredible seasonal beauty. My goal is to diversify our property by replacing invasive plants with a variety of beautiful, beneficial trees and shrubs. Inā¦
How to Start Tree and Shrub Seeds in the Fall (Seed Prep)
Fall is the perfect time to start preparing tree and shrub seeds that need a period of cold weather before theyāll sprout. When seed starting tree and shrub seeds I use two techniques that help to trigger better germination rates. The first technique is simplyā¦
Thank you for visiting Growing The Home Garden! I started Growing The Home Garden in 2007 as a way to chronicle my experiences in the garden.
All the content here is based on my personal experiences and research. A lot of my content is focused onĀ raised bed gardeningĀ andĀ plant propagation.
There is also a YouTube Channel for Growing the Home Garden which is over 38,000 subscribers (as of March 2024) that has a lot of gardening videos you may find helpful.Ā Growing The Home Garden on YouTube. Thanks for reading and watching!
Raised Bed Gardening
How Deep do Raised Garden Beds Need To Be?
Raised beds are a great option for gardeners but how deep do they really need to be? The depth of a raised garden bed is an important factor to consider because it can greatly impact the health and productivity of your plants. The true answer to How deep do raised gardens need to be really is it depends! What theā¦
Raised Bed Garden Ideas (Planning for the New Garden)
Pretty soon weāll be relocating to our new home. Our family is very excited about this but it also means starting the garden all over again. Everything including raised beds, sheds, and arbors will have to be rebuilt. While this is a tremendous amount of work I think itās a great opportunity to start again and redevelop our garden withā¦
How to Fill Raised Beds Cheap!
I love gardening in raised beds. It is one of the simplest ways to have success with a vegetable garden. That doesnāt take anything away from all the other methods of gardening, only that I believe that raised beds are a great way for gardeners of all backgrounds and skill levels to garden successfully. The best reason to like raisedā¦
Common Raised Bed Garden Questions Answered
Raised beds are one of the absolute BEST ways to grow a garden but there can be challenges to growing in raised beds. Often gardeners have questions about the best methods to grow in a raised bed. In this post Iāve taken some common raised bed garden questions and put together some answers based on my experience. Iāve grown inā¦
Plant Propagation Information
Plant propagation is one of my favorite things to do in the garden! Below are some articles on how to propagate various plants. You can also check this page out with specific info on plant propagation: Plant Propagation for Home Gardens
Red Twig Dogwood Propagation (Cornus stolonifera)
This week I was excited to find that something I had given up for lost actually worked, cuttings of a red twig dogwood. I took some cuttings in an attempt to propagate Red Twig Dogwood (Cornus stolonifera) back in the fall. After I prepared theā¦
How to Propagate Variegated Hydrangea from Cuttings
While we were out of town this past weekend we visited one of my wifeās aunts. She has a custom built log cabin in the woods surrounded by her garden. Since her property is very shady one of the most prominent plants in her gardenā¦
Making Free Plants for the Garden from Cuttings
Free Plants! The best possible price you can find right? Last week I was struck by a post at everyoneās favorite garden ranting website. The post discussed the āliesā of gardening and one of those supposed lies was that you donāt have to spend moneyā¦
Salvia farinacea (āBlue Bedderā) Mealy Cup Sage How to Grow and Propagate
Iāve said repeatedly that Iām a fan of salvias. Itās no wonder since they bloom prolifically, are easy to care for, and attract pollinators right and left. One salvia in my garden (among many) that Iāve accumulated is the āBlue Bedderā Salvia farinacea which isā¦
5 Easy To Propagate Plants from Cuttings
One of my greatest gardening pleasures is that of making a new plant, for free!Ā Well I donāt actually do the work the plant does, but knowing how to give the plant the optimum conditions for rooting is important for success!Ā The plants Iām listingā¦
Variegated Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) āMariesii Variegataā
A couple years ago I propagated a variegated hydrangea from a beautiful hydrangea that was in my wifeās auntās garden. Hydrangeas are extremely easy to propagate and well worth the effort but unfortunately the spot I chose to plant it wasnāt good enough. I hadā¦
Growing Home Vegetable Gardens
Articles with tips and ideas on how to grow a great vegetable garden.
Edible Landscaping for Beginners
This week we began a series of posts on edible landscaping. Ā Below you will find several articles to get started on creating a productive and beautiful edible landcape. Ā There are many more articles to come in this series so please check back or bookmark this post for updates! How to Begin a Plan Create a āTo Growā list, identify aā¦
How to Direct Sow Squash and Zucchini Seeds
As far as gardening chores go direct sowing squash and zucchini seeds is a very easy task for any home gardener to accomplish. In fact itās a great one to do with young children who you want to encourage to get outdoors and in the garden. Squash and zucchini seeds are large seeds that are easy for kids to handleā¦.
Marigolds are a Must Plant Annual, Hereās Why
This post will begin a series of several posts that I believe are āmust haveā garden plans! These are plants that I think are great for the garden in some way. Maybe they are beneficial for growing other plants, have some important benefits, maybe in the case of vegetable produce are delicious, or are simply beautiful plants to have around!ā¦
The Ugliest Tomato I Ever Grew
Iāve been looking back at my photo albums lately. Ā Looking back at old photos helps to get a perspective of where the garden is going by remembering where itās been. Ā I can see how effective my efforts are at developing a garden, how much things have grown, and remember old plants I might not have anymore. Ā While perusing the photosā¦
How to Build a Tomato Trellis (A Frame Style)
There are many ways to grow tomatoes. In the past I generally used tomato cages to hold up my plants. One method Iāve been trying lately in my garden is trellising. When you trellis a tomato plant you create a structure that allows the tomato to get good sunlight and airflow around the plant. This get help out immensely ifā¦
Blooms And No Squash, This Might be the Problem!
This time of year the squash is blooming away, but what if thatās all you get? What if all you see on the plant are blooms? The plant is perfectly healthy with no signs of any issues but still isnāt setting fruit. If you have blooms and no squash the answer may be as simple as the type of flowersā¦