Dahlias rank among the most delightful of garden surprises. A brown potato-like tuber erupts into a flower factory on a stalk, staging a months-long bloom show.
“Dahlias give you a larger variety of shapes, sizes and colors than other types of flowers,” says Nicholas Gitts, whose family owns Swan Island Dahlias in Canby, Oregon. Swan Island is the largest dahlia grower in the United States. “Dahlias also give you armloads of flowers over their blooming time—from late July through frost for most climates.”

Choose from lofty dahlias standing 5 feet or taller, or downsize with 12-inch dwarf types. Flower head sizes range from a dainty 2 inches across to the dinnerplate blooms that are nearly a foot wide. The flowers come with their own classifications, too: ball, pompon, cactus, anemone, collarette, single, peony, orchid, waterlily and dinnerplate, to name a few. You’ll find shades of red, yellow, white, bronze, purple and more. Some even have desirable dark foliage.

Check out gorgeous new dahlias gardeners will love.

Are Dahlias Perennials?

Despite fabulous attributes, dahlias seem daunting. “I think the number one reason people don’t grow dahlias is they think they have to dig and store the tubers at the end of the growing season,” Nicholas says.

Digging and storing is not complicated, but the easiest way to skip the step is to simply treat dahlias as annuals, leaving the tubers in the ground in cold climates to decompose. In Zones 8 or warmer, they are perennials. Just add winter cover and keep them in the ground.

Psst—this is the difference between annuals and perennials.

“Shorter-to-medium-height, early blooming dahlias are perfect plants for beginners,” Nicholas says, “because they provide quick results with less staking.” His suggestions include Jitterbug, a 3-foot dahlia with salmon petals and yellow highlights on a 2-inch bloom, and Touche, a 3-foot-tall plant with strong stems and 4-inch salmon-and-lavender semi-cactus blossoms.

Learn how to overwinter dahlias.

How to Grow Dahlias

For success, plant dahlias after all threat of frost has passed in regular garden soil that gets at least 8 hours of direct sun per day. Stake dahlias that grow taller than 3 feet using rods, cages or whatever you have on hand. Water deeply three times a week, depending on your soil. “They love lots of deep water during the growing season,” Nicholas says. Avoid high nitrogen fertilizers, and choose one where the first number (indicating nitrogen) is half the other two numbers listed. Apply once a month.

It may seem cruel, but you will get shorter, bushier plants with better stems by pinching or cutting the center shoot just above the third set of leaves or when dahlias reach 18 to 20 inches tall.

The most common dahlia pests include slugs, snails, earwigs, cucumber beetles, spider mites and mildew. Combat them by choosing any product that’s safe enough to use on vegetable plants.

Add Dahlias to Bouquets

For arrangements, it’s best to cut stems of fully opened flowers in the cool of the morning, but you can snip them any time. Nicholas recommends placing cut stems into 2 to 3 inches of very hot (160 to 180 degrees) water in a metal container and then letting the stems and water cool for an hour. “This will set your blooms and make your flowers last for four to six days,” he says. Change the water in the vase daily, and use a flower preservative to promote longevity.

Even when not cutting blooms for bouquets, snipping the stems of dahlias produces more flowers and a fuller plant. Remove any browning flower heads to promote rebloom.

It’s easy to design with dahlias. Just plant them anywhere you’d like a punch of color. “Check the height of the dahlia you’re going to plant to determine if you should plant it in the front or the back of your landscape beds,” Nicholas advises, and enjoy the splashes of color though the first frost.

Discover our top 10 favorite flowers for a cutting garden.

1. Plant at the Right Time

The first step in tree planting is knowing when to start. It’s best to plant trees in spring or fall because it gives the roots time to establish before the extreme heat of summer or a chance for the roots to reach out in fall, when the tree is not growing leaves.

Check out 7 things you need to know before planting a tree.

2. Be Safe When Digging

Be sure to call 811 or your local utility number before digging a hole. Create a hole that is two to three times wider than the root ball, but dig only deep enough so the root flare is level with or slightly above the ground.

3. How to Water Your New Tree

Create a circular mound of packed dirt around the planting hole to keep water near the roots. Add 2 to 3 inches of mulch after backfilling to retain moisture, but leave breathing room around the trunk. Learn the best time to water your plants.

4. Keep Up the Moisture

Generously water the tree after planting is complete, and as needed until the ground freezes. If you’re a birder, plant of these top 10 berry trees and shrubs birds love.

5. Support the Tree

Every tree needs different levels of support. Research whether your specific tree needs a stake. Plant one of these fast-growing trees that establish themselves quickly and need less time staked.

Are Mums Annuals or Perennials?

“Every time I buy chrysanthemums in the fall I ask if they are winter hardy perennials. I plant them and in the spring they never come up. What am I doing wrong?” asks Linda Barnes of New London, Ohio.

Chrysanthemums are technically perennials, but you are definitely not alone in your struggle. Psst—here’s the difference between annuals and perennials. The mums and asters we purchase in fall are in full bloom, so the plant diverts much of its energy into flowering instead of developing roots to help survive the winter.

Try planting mums in spring so they have time to become established before the flowering and winter season. More and more garden centers are selling mums in spring for exactly this reason. For best results, plant them in a spot that gets at least 6 hours of sun per day with well drained soil.

Or just treat them as annuals and replant them every fall.

Next: Check out the best fall flowers (that aren’t mums).

Northern gardeners love growing dahlias, calla lilies and gladioluses as much their neighbors in the South, but the northern climate just isn’t quite right for these plants. Storing non-hardy varieties indoors helps preserve your favorites and save you money.

Cannas, caladiums and tuberous begonias are also among the more common plants that need extra winter care when grown in colder regions. As their foliage begins to yellow or the first fall frost arrives, it is time to dig, cure and store their underground storage structures, which for the sake of simplicity we’ll call bulbs.

Here’s how to overwinter begonias as houseplants.

Overwinter Bulbs and Tubers

Carefully dig up the bulbs, allowing enough space around the plant to avoid damage. Speared, sliced and bruised bulbs do not store well. Prepare the bulbs for storage by curing them in a warm, dry location out of direct sunlight. Allow dahlias to cure for a couple of hours, cannas overnight, and tuberous begonias and calla lilies for several days. Give gladioluses a bit more time, allowing them to cure for several weeks.

Gently brush off excess dirt and trim any dried leaves and stems. Then place them (except for the gladioluses­—they should be uncovered) in a box filled with peat moss or sawdust. Label the container with the plant names and colors to make planting easier next season.

Move the box to a dark, frost-free location, such as a spare refrigerator or the coldest corner of your basement where temperatures are 45 to 50 degrees. Gladioluses prefer it a few degrees cooler, while caladiums do best in 65 degrees.

Store bulbs that are firm and blemish-free, remove and throw away the rest. Bulbs that start to decline in storage can ruin the whole lot.

If that sounds like too much work, consider allowing Jack Frost to freeze them. Then when spring comes around, replace the spoiled bulbs with new varieties. Check out 7 sensational sources for flower bulbs.

Bring Tropical Plants Indoors

Bananas, bougainvilleas, mandevillas, hibiscus and other tropicals kept indoors provide flashes of green during a dull winter. If you prefer, skip the dormant storage and grow tuberous begonias, caladiums and calla lilies as houseplants instead. If you’re new at gardening, try these hard-to-kill houseplants.

Here’s what you should do before moving your plants indoors.

• Isolate plants to reduce the spread of unwanted pests.
• Treat any remaining pests with an organic option like insecticidal soap or lightweight horticulture oil, carefully following label directions.
• Introduce plants gradually to their new home by placing them in your sunniest window. Slowly move them to their winter destination. Note that they may lose leaves as they adjust to lower light conditions.
• Care for them as you do your other indoor plants.

Next: Learn how to protect backyard shrubs from winter weather.

Hydrangeas add gorgeous flowers and dimension to your garden and landscape. The perennials have stunning foliage and blooms, and are mostly fuss-free. Plus, the blooms look absolutely beautiful in a vase!

Learn how to care for hydrangeas with these helpful garden hints.

Choose the right one

The huge variety of sizes and blooms is what makes hydrangeas so appealing. For plush pink or blue flowers, look for macrophylla varieties, also called lacecap or mophead. Paniculata types are larger with conical flowers, great for mixed borders or hedges. The foliage of Oakleaf hydrangeas have brilliant color in the fall. For perennial vines that reach impressive heights, choose climbing hydrangeas. Check out 6 breathtaking hydrangea species you need in your garden—and learn which hydrangea is right for you.

Find the best location

Hydrangeas can be tiny or huge! Dwarf varieties like ‘Paraplu’ are perfect for containers, while large ‘Kyushu’ hydrangeas are better for your landscape. Choose your hydrangea keeping both the height and spread of the mature plant in mind.

Check out 6 hydrangea facts that even expert gardeners don’t know.

Give them sun—and shade

Hydrangeas like partial sun, ideally full sun in the morning, then shade from the hot afternoon rays. The lacecap and mophead hydrangeas are especially susceptible to wilting. However, some varieties can handle more sun, especially in northern areas. Try these easy-to-grow plants to add color to your shade garden.

Get your soil ready

Hydrangeas like fertile, well-drained soil. You can improve soil with compost and other organic matter to add nutrients. If you add fertilizer, do so only a couple of times in the growing season—too much will mean fewer flowers. Only the macrophylla hydrangeas change color based on soil acidity. Here’s how to change the color of your hydrangeas.

Plant the right way

Plant your hydrangea in spring after the danger of frost has passed. Dig a hole as deep as the root ball and 2-3 times as wide. Gently loosen the roots, then plant using plenty of rich soil. Give the hydrangea a thorough soaking at the base daily for the first week while the plant gets established.

Provide plenty of water

Hydrangeas should get a deep watering about three times a week. Water them at their roots, and ideally in the morning—the afternoon heat takes a toll on plants.

No flowers? This may be why

If your hydrangeas don’t have many blooms, there are a few possible reasons. You may be over-fertilizing: two to three applications during a season is usually plenty. Another culprit is damage from frost. Hydrangeas that bloom on last season’s growth (old wood) will need a layer of straw or mulch to protect the stems through winter.

Pruning may also be to blame—hydrangeas need only light pruning to remove diseased or dead branches. Don’t prune away stems that will bloom. Follow these steps to prune hydrangeas correctly.

Next: The ‘Wee Bit Giddy’ hydrangea is the GORGEOUS flower missing from your garden.

Picture brushstrokes of rich color in a watercolor painting. That is what the petals of the ‘Citrus Splash’ rose look like — as though each one was hand-painted with hues of lemony yellow and fiery reddish-orange. It looks citrusy, and has an intoxicating, citrus scent as well.

Discover the top 10 best roses for gardeners to grow.

Why We Love ‘Citrus Splash’ Roses

The ‘Citrus Splash’ from Heirloom Roses is a floribunda rose that flowers prolifically. The double blooms and bright colors stand out nicely against dark green foliage. Floribundas are a favorite of gardeners because they are hardy and require minimal care, while also producing continuous blooms and lovely fragrance. When ‘Citrus Splash’ flowers open, they are striped with yellow and deep orange. As the blooms mature they change — to yellow and a luscious raspberry pink.

Check out more pink and orange flowers that look like a sunset.

The sight of these roses in bloom is breathtaking, and you can cut them to bring their beauty and fragrance inside. This rose will also attract beneficial pollinators to your garden.

Learn how to choose the best roses for your garden.

Where to Plant It

‘Citrus Splash’ grows up to 5 feet high with a four to five foot spread. The rigid and shrubby growth of the rose makes it great for a hedge planting, or to add to flower beds and borders. It needs a full sun location and will grow best in zones 6 to 9. (Not sure what growing zone you’re in? Check this map from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.) Plant it near windows and walkways where the citrusy fragrance can be really appreciated.

Here’s even more fragrant roses to perfume your garden.

How to Grow This Rose

Plant the ‘Citrus Splash’ rose after the last frost in the spring, or six weeks before the first frost in the fall. The roses require fertile, well-drained soil, and a location that gets sun all day long. Leave space between plants to allow for the mature spread of about 5 feet, and keep the roses watered consistently. Aphids may appear on this rose, but if treated early in the spring they can be easily controlled. Like many plants, the ‘Citrus Splash’ may be slow to get started when first planted, but don’t worry: it’s a long-lived plant and you will see more abundant and beautiful flowers with each year.

Make your garden the envy of the neighborhood with these rose growing tips.

Could any birds say summer more clearly than hummingbirds? Dancing before flowers to sip nectar, flashing and glittering in the light, they seem like tiny sunbeams come to life. The very idea of hummingbirds in winter sounds almost like a contradiction. But some hummingbirds do spend the winter in North America, and in recent years their numbers and range have been increasing.

Feed Anna’s Hummingbirds in Winter

Of course, winter isn’t a harsh season everywhere. In coastal California, where the weather is moderate year-round, Anna’s hummingbirds have always been permanent residents. Historically, they were common from Baja north to the San Francisco Bay region. Around the 1930s, however, they began to spread. By the 1960s they were expanding eastward and beginning to nest in Arizona. At the same time, they pushed north through coastal Oregon and Washington and into southwestern British Columbia. Today you can see male Anna’s hummingbirds flashing their rose-red crowns and singing their scratchy songs in Vancouver. Even on cold days in January!

What made it possible for these hummingbirds to expand their range so dramatically? The short answer is that gardeners did, by feeding hummingbirds well. With well-watered parks and yards boasting hardy plants blooming in every season, we created a landscape that would support more Anna’s hummingbirds year-round than most of their natural habitats. Add in a generous number of sugar-water feeders, and you have a hummer haven for all seasons. Learn more about how hummingbirds survive snow and cold weather.

Look for Western Hummingbirds in the Southeast

A similar story has played out in the Eastern states. But the plot line there is more complicated and involves more different players.

Most kinds of hummingbirds in the U.S. live in the West, especially the Southwest. Originally, the only hummers east of the Great Plains were the familiar little ruby-throats. They were summer birds from the Gulf Coast to southern Canada. But almost all went to southern Mexico or Central America for the winter, with only a handful staying through the season in Florida. But recent decades have seen a virtual explosion in the numbers of Western hummingbirds wandering eastward. This is why you should keep feeders up for late migrating fall hummingbirds.

Leading the charge has been the rufous hummingbird. This copper-colored sprite is among the most numerous Western hummers, spending early summer in Northwestern forests, from Oregon and Montana to the edge of Alaska. In late summer and early fall, most of the population migrates south through mountain meadows of the Rockies, heading for a wintering range in Mexico. But every fall, a few rufous hummingbirds stray east out of the Rockies, winding up in the Southeastern U.S.

Plant a Hardy Hummingbird Garden

In centuries past, such strays probably would not have survived the winter—not unless they corrected their course and headed for Mexico. There simply weren’t enough wildflowers to sustain them through the season. But gardeners have changed that equation, too, by creating habitats made for attracting hummingbirds. Over the last century, legions of plant lovers throughout the South have developed year-round flower beds, using many flowers perfect for feeding hummingbirds. In the process, they have unwittingly changed the landscape to support hummingbirds in winter. Many people in the South now work at developing winter hummingbird gardens, putting up sugar-water feeders and planting any kind of red, tubular flower that will bloom when it’s cool, all in the name of attracting hummingbirds. Here are the top 10 colorful flowers hummingbirds love.

Rufous hummingbirds have now spread through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida, with smaller numbers north along the Atlantic Coast to Virginia and beyond. And they seem to have brought their friends along. The calliope hummingbird, America’s tiniest bird at just over 3 inches, is now a regular in winter in the Southeastern states. So are the broad-tailed hummingbird, another bird from the Rockies, and the black-chinned hummingbird, the Western counterpart to the ruby-throat. During some recent seasons, 10 or more different species of hummers have spent winter in the Gulf states.

Knowing that hummers will pause to investigate anything in their favorite color, one Louisiana birder even painted her house red! Most people wouldn’t go this far. But if you live in a climate where it’s possible to keep some flowers blooming during the winter, try planting some hardy nectar sources for hummers. You just might make the joyful discovery that hummingbirds in winter aren’t that uncommon after all.

History of Hummingbirds in Winter

1950s: A few rufous hummingbirds show up in fall in Louisiana and stay through winter.

1970s: As people begin actively feeding hummingbirds, a few more hummingbirds start showing up and staying.

1990s: Dozens of hummingbirds are staying in Louisiana and beyond.

Currently: Hundreds of vagrant hummingbirds will likely winter all over the Southeast, including rufous, calliope and others, drawn by gardens designed with attracting hummingbirds in mind.

Do you know why blue-footed boobies have blue feet? Author Laura Erickson does, and you’ll find the answers to this and many other great questions in her book, The Bird Watching Answer Book. (For the record, Booby foot color is brightest when birds are well fed on nutritious fish—in captivity, when deprived of a good diet, the foot color grows noticeably duller within 48 hours.) Here are some additional fascinating bird facts from her book to enlighten any birdwatcher.

How do birds fly?

Birds’ wings are shaped to form an airfoil. When a bird moves forward through the air, the shape and curve of the wing cause the air to flow faster above the wing than below it. The faster air above lowers the pressure (drawing the bird upward) while the slower air below raises the pressure (pushing the bird upward). This force holding the bird up is called lift, and it requires that the bird be moving forward or facing into a fairly stiff wind. Learn how birds use feathers, beaks and feet.

Why are bird droppings white, and do birds “go” while flying?

If you examine bird droppings closely, you’ll see they’re made up of two parts—brownish dark green, which is the fecal matter, and the white, which is urine. Birds tend to release their droppings right before or during takeoff. On flights that last longer than a few minutes, they can and do release while flying.

How do birds know when to migrate?

From the time they hatch, migratory birds apparently respond instinctively, growing restless as the day length and angle of the sun change in spring and fall. By responding to day length, birds arrive on their breeding grounds at the best average time, regardless of weather conditions wherever the bird has wintered. In fall, this restlessness helps ensure that the journey will take place while rich food resources are most likely available. Some people assume that their feeders will entice birds to remain too long, but this restlessness ensures they do not. This is why you should keep feeders up for late migrating fall hummingbirds.

How do migrating birds know where to go and how to get there?

Some species, such as cranes and geese, learn their -migratory routes from their parents. They follow their -parents on their first flight south, and sometimes for part of the return trip north in spring, and then are on their own. Most birds, however, cannot depend on their parents. Young hummingbirds and loons migrate days or weeks after their parents have left, and yet the young birds know which way to head, how far to go and when to stop. The more we study the intricacies of orientation and navigation, the more miraculous it seems! Discover the answers to more bird migration secrets.

How do birds learn their songs?

Some scientists have devoted their careers to figuring this out, species by species. Some bird songs are hardwired into a bird’s brain. Virtually all flycatchers, including kingbirds and phoebes, fall into this category. Marsh wrens imitate elements of songs they hear. Sedge wrens seem to improvise their own song repertoires. American robins share some whistles with neighbors, so they apparently learn song elements from one another. Baltimore orioles may learn their songs from their fathers and neighboring orioles during their first summer. It’s possible to detect differences between songs of yearlings and older males, so orioles adjust their songs at least until they’re 2 years old. Learn how to identify birds by their song.

Do birds sing especially loud at dawn?

Yes, and they sing with more energy and variety. This “dawn chorus” actually starts an hour or so before dawn in spring and early summer. The chorus often begins with American robins singing a much more rapid, excited version of their daytime song. Chipping sparrows sing their songs at a frenetic pace, and many other birds sing with exceptional energy as well. Ornithologists don’t know exactly why birds sing so vigorously in the early morning. It could be that they have a lot of energy after a good night’s sleep or that in the dim light, territorial competitors and prospective mates don’t have much else to do but listen. Or it could be that the singing might attract potential mates that may have landed after a night of migration. Here’s 7 ways to be a better birder.

Can birds smell?

Birds don’t have a specialized nose but simply have nostrils, necessary for breathing and usually located near the base of the upper bill. But some species, including several ground birds and also some North American vultures and marine species, do have fairly large olfaction (smell) centers in their brains. Recent studies have shown that some songbirds, with relatively tiny olfaction centers in their brains, can smell. For example, cedar waxwings, which eat berries that can ferment and make them sick, have a better sense of smell than tree swallows, which probably can’t take in the odors of flying insects as they snap and swallow them in flight. Some homing pigeons use the sense of smell as one cue for navigating home. And some seabirds use their sense of smell to locate their nest. Learn how to attract waxwings with berries.

Do birds see colors?

Yes, and they can even see some wavelengths in the light spectrum that are invisible to humans. Birds use their excellent color vision to find food, such as ripe fruits and flowers. Their colorful plumage is important in courtship. Studies have shown that when given a choice, female birds often prefer males with the most colorful feathers. Birds can also detect polarized light that humans can’t see. Experiments show that pigeons and migratory songbirds use polarized light as a cue to help them navigate in the right direction.

 If birds have “eagle eyes,” why do they crash into windows, power lines and guy wires?

Window glass is not only clear; it’s reflective. Sky and trees are mirrored in windows, and since there was no such thing as glass in the natural world for the millions of years that birds have been evolving, few wild birds have yet evolved any ability to notice it. Unlike branches and other natural structures, power lines and guy wires are straight and relatively thin, so they apparently appear two-dimensional, making it difficult for birds to gauge their distance from one until they’re crashing into it. Check out 5 ways to create a bird-safe backyard.

Every year, my kids have so much fun selecting our family pumpkin at our local pumpkin patch. Our pumpkin sits in a place of honor in the center of our dining room table until a few days before Halloween, when we decide what type of design to carve into the pumpkin. Our jack-o-lantern is then proudly displayed over Halloween, all lit up from the inside.

After all the trouble of picking out the perfect pumpkin, carving it and displaying it, the last thing I want to do is throw it away. Wouldn’t it be nice if a slightly-used Halloween pumpkin meet a better fate then the trash heap?

You may be surprised to find that there are many uses for your old jack-o-lantern. Don’t toss out your old Halloween pumpkin because there are so many beneficial ways to use them.

Make a Pumpkin Planter

Add potting soil and flowers to create a festive fall container. Here’s how to make your own pumpkin planter, or you can use a pumpkin as a tabletop centerpiece to hold a bouquet.

Add Pumpkins to Compost

Pumpkins make great compost. Be sure to remove any candles and seeds beforehand or else you will have pumpkin vines growing all over your compost pile next summer. Learn how to make a DIY compost bin.

Enrich Garden Soil

If you don’t have a compost pile, cut your pumpkin into smaller pieces and bury it in your garden where it will enrich the soil. The pumpkins break down nicely and offer lots of great nutrients.

Save the Seeds to Plant

If you have a garden, set aside a handful of pumpkin seeds to plant in next year’s garden. Rinse and allow the seeds to dry in a cool dry place for several weeks. Then store them to plant next summer. Learn how to start seeds indoors and how to direct sow seeds for easy gardening.

Next, learn how to recycle pumpkins for birds and wildlife.