Five wallflowers to grow

Spinach is a cool-season annual. Plant spinach before the weather warms in spring and again as the weather cools in early autumn. Spinach doesn’t grow well during long hot summer days or in wet weather. Where to Grow Spinach Grow spinach in full sun. Grow spinach in partial shade in warm regions. Plant spinach in well-drained, loamy soil rich in organic matter. Add two inches of aged compost or a commercial organic planting mix to the planting beds before planting then turn th

Marrubium vulgare Like many people, my first experience with horehound was crunching down on a hard brown candy that my grandpa bought me from a jar at an old fashioned candy shop. I remember thinking it tasted a bit like a sad version of root beer candy.  Despite our inauspicious start together, horehound has become a must-have herb in my garden. That’s because, besides being an essential ingredient in making the candy (which I’ve grown to love), it’s o

Cryptotaenia japonica I’m not against nurturing a difficult plant if it has something really special to offer. Heck, I even tried growing the next-to-impossible-to-cultivate wasabi last year because I love fresh wasabi so darn much (let’s just say I have some work to do figuring that one out). But there’s a special place in my heart for a plant that you can plop in the ground and essentially forget for a few months. Sometimes you just want to be rewarde

Origanum vulgare Oregano, or Origanum vulgare, is a bushy, woody-branched perennial member of the mint family, Lamiaceae. Used extensively in a variety of cuisines, it is known for its earthy, robust, aromatic flavor. A staple of Italian-American cooking, oregano is found in everything from pizza and grilled meats to salad dressings and sauces, with delicious results. In fact, we like it so much that, according to some sources, Americans consume more than 14 million pounds of this