Plants

Cherry trees that grow in Oklahoma have a real advantage over those planted in warmer Southern states, since most of the state sits in USDA hardiness zones 6b through 7b and reliably accumulates the winter chill that classic cherry varieties actually need. Traditional sweet and sour cherries typically require between 700 and 1,200 hours of … Read more

Cherry trees that grow in Florida look nothing like the cherry orchards of the Pacific Northwest, and that surprises a lot of gardeners moving to the state for the first time. Traditional sweet and tart cherries need between 700 and 1,200 hours of winter temperatures below 45 degrees Fahrenheit to set fruit, and most of … Read more

Cherry trees that produce fruit come in a surprising range of shapes, flavors, and growing habits, and choosing the right one can mean the difference between a handful of sour cherries and buckets of sweet, juicy fruit every summer. Home orchardists across the United States plant an estimated 1.5 million cherry trees each year, and … Read more

Cherry trees are often associated with mild spring weather and long summer days, but plenty of varieties can handle the cold winters of USDA Zone 4. The key is choosing trees bred for cold climates rather than assuming every cherry will survive simply because it is a fruit tree. Zone 4 typically experiences winter temperatures … Read more

Growing cherry trees in USDA Zone 8 can be surprisingly rewarding, but variety selection matters. Zone 8 has relatively mild winters, and that can be a challenge for traditional cherry cultivars that need substantial winter chilling before they flower and fruit. In warmer parts of the zone, low-chill cherry trees are generally the safest choice, … Read more

Oak trees rank among the most recognized and ecologically important trees on the planet, with roughly 500 species distributed across the Northern Hemisphere and even a handful reaching into tropical highlands. A single mature oak can support more than 500 species of caterpillars alone, making it one of the greatest wildlife hosts of any tree … Read more

Tulips are often treated as short-term spring flowers, but some can do much more than produce a single season of color. Under suitable conditions, certain tulips can naturalize, meaning they remain in the ground, return in subsequent years, and may gradually produce offsets or increase into larger groups. This is an important distinction because not … Read more

Tulips are among the most recognizable spring bulbs, but there is an important catch: true tulips generally do not bloom continuously throughout the entire summer. Most tulips flower for only a few weeks, usually in spring. Even varieties described as late-flowering typically finish before the hottest part of summer. However, gardeners can create a much … Read more

Tulips are often planted for one spectacular spring display and then treated as if their work is finished. But not all tulips behave that way. Some varieties can return for several years, while certain botanical tulips can gradually multiply and establish themselves in the garden when they are planted in suitable conditions. This distinction matters … Read more

Hollyhocks are among the most recognizable flowers in traditional cottage gardens. Their tall stems, large saucer-shaped flowers, and wide range of colors make them especially noticeable when planted along fences, walls, pathways, and the back of flower borders. Although they are often associated with old-fashioned gardens, hollyhocks remain popular today because they combine striking vertical … Read more