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Serena Manickam

Serena Manickam is a freelance editor and writer and sustainable market gardener in rural Virginia. She holds a BA in environmental science and runs Fairydiddle Farm, a small market garden in which she grows no-spray produce and herbs to sell at a local farmer’s market.

Widely known for its attractiveness to cats, catnip also attracts beneficial insects while repelling many pests. This makes it an excellent companion plant in the garden! When choosing companion plants for catnip, consider what problems you may have had in the past and how catnip can help solve them. Catnip contains an oil called nepetalactone …

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Many flowers are pretty but effervescent, delighting us with their beauty for only a few short weeks each year. While these plants certainly have a place in the garden, sometimes we just want a flower that blooms for a longer period of time. The following long-lasting annual flowers will ensure you have blooms in the …

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Not a common color among flowering plants, blue adds a unique beauty to the garden. Its calming hue invites wanderers to pause and take notice. Blue annuals are especially versatile, offering bold pops of color that refresh your garden design from season to season. Whether you want to accent a serene cottage border, enhance a …

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Growing native plants is a great way to support pollinators like butterflies and bees, songbirds, and other wildlife. Even the smallest patio garden can provide much-needed habitat for native creatures. And it doesn’t have to be difficult! Many beautiful native wildflowers, such as those listed here, are incredibly easy to grow. 1. Lupine (Lupinus spp.) …

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Succulents come in many unique varieties and can be so much fun to grow. Not so much fun? A mealybug infestation! These nasty little insects attack succulents indoors and outdoors and can quickly spread from one plant to another if left unchecked. Learn how to get rid of mealybugs on succulents easily and effectively without …

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Whether they grow in the sun or shade, perennial yellow flowers bring a golden ray of sunshine to the garden. And since they grow back year after year, you don’t have to worry about replanting them every spring to enjoy their beautiful blooms. Want more bursts of yellow in your garden? Check out these 11 …

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It’s a bit eerie, not to mention disappointing, to walk out to the garden and find some-or all! – of your tomato plants missing without a trace. Once you’ve convinced yourself that you did, in fact, plant them, you might look closer and see tiny nubs where tomato vines used to be. So what happened? …

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Nothing catches the eye in a garden quite like a bright red flower, for humans and hummingbirds alike. And while perennials certainly have their benefits, the quickest way to get these show-stopping crimson blooms into your garden is to plant annuals. To help you choose among the many plants available, here is a list of …

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Though commonly planted in herb gardens, lavender has many beautiful roles in landscaping. It comes in various hues, and the many varieties have different bloom times for a summer full of fragrant flower spikes. And they’re all beautiful and smell lovely! Landscaping with lavender results in stunning displays of flowers and calming aromas that waft …

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