Growing Guides ·
How to Grow Hydrangeas: Where to Plant and When to Prune
Morning sun, afternoon shade, and never let them dry out. Which type you have decides when to prune — and getting that wrong is why hydrangeas stop flowering.
Trees & Shrubs
10 guides in Growing Guides.
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How to Grow Apple Trees: Rootstock and Pollination First
Two decisions made at purchase set the size of the tree and whether it ever fruits. Rootstock codes, flowering groups, and the pruning that keeps it productive.
Growing Guides ·
15 Tree Stump Ideas (And When to Just Remove It)
Planters, seating, wildlife habitat, and log stools — what to do with a stump you would rather not grind, and when removal is the only sensible answer.
Growing Guides ·
How to Grow a Coconut Tree From a Coconut
A supermarket coconut almost never sprouts, because the husk is removed. What you actually need, how to germinate it, and why it will not fruit indoors.
Growing Guides ·
How to Cut a Tree Down, and When Not to Try
Felling is decided before the saw starts: lean, hazards, escape routes, and whether the tree is within your competence at all. Where the line is, honestly.
Growing Guides ·
Juniper: Choosing One That Fits, and Keeping It Alive
Junipers are near-indestructible in sun and sharp drainage, and doomed in shade or wet soil. Picking a form that suits the space, and the pruning rule that matters.
Growing Guides ·
Southern Magnolia: Size It Before You Plant It
Magnolia grandiflora reaches 60 to 80 feet and drops leathery leaves all year. The cultivars that stay small, and what it needs to flower well.
Growing Guides ·
Japanese Maple: Choosing One, Siting It, and Leaf Scorch
Crisp brown leaf edges are wind and sun, not disease. How to pick between upright and dissected forms, where to plant, and why you should barely prune one.
Growing Guides ·
Can You Grow a Banana Tree From a Banana? Not From That
Supermarket bananas are seedless clones, so there is nothing in one to plant. What actually works is a pup or a corm — and a banana is not a tree at all.
Growing Guides ·
How to Grow an Apple Tree From Seed (Read This First)
Apple seeds grow, but never into the apple you ate — every seed is a new variety. How to germinate them anyway, and what you will actually get.
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