Courtesy of The Home Depot Hydrangeas are adored for brightening a shadier garden with beautiful blooms in summer. While there are manytypes of hydrangeasto choose from, the oakleaf hydrangea is a popular pick for good reason. Bump up the wow factor and plant several ‘Ruby Slippers’ for an incredible display all year round. Credit:Courtesy of The Home Depot Just ensure to keep an eye on young children and pets, as hydrangeas are mildly toxic....

You’ve never seen a shrub like this before. Privet is infamous forgrowing like a weed. ‘Sunshine’ privet can be used as a hedge and is visually appealing thanks to its bright yellow foliage. Credit: Courtesy of the Southern Living Plant Collection This sterile, non-invasive cultivar will not re-seed into the landscape." Privet is ideal for growing as a hedge and is relatively easy to care for. Whendesigning your landscape, give these plants ample spacing depending on their use....

Gardeners and butterflies alike will fall in love with this fragrant and colorful plant. These woody shrubs, sometimes called summer lilacs, have arching stems and long flower panicles. Dwarf types that reach two to three feet tall are great for small spaces and containers. Credit: Natalia Ganelin/Getty Images While some areas consider butterfly bushes invasive, non-invasive varieties are available. Learn how to care for these easy-to-grow beauties. While butterflies visit them to sip nectar, they’re not a food source for caterpillars....

Proper care can help your plant live for decades. With gorgeous blooms in festive hues,Christmas cactusmakes a popular holiday gift. The exotic-looking flowers open just in time for the holidays and provide weeks of color. Credit: Getty Images Christmas cacti are sensitive to root rot. Avoid overwatering the plants, and do not let water sit in the saucer beneath containers. Water plants when the soil is dry to the touch....

Mosquitoes are annoying pests that can spread serious diseases. Some gardeners grow citronella plants to repel mosquitoes naturally instead of reaching for chemical sprays or bug zappers. Its citrus-scented, scalloped foliage is accented by white, purple, or pink flowers from summer through fall. Credit: Getty Images Citronella oil may irritate some people and/or cause allergic reactions. Treehugger/Jordan Provost Do Citronella Plants Repel Mosquitoes? Commonly called a mosquito plant, citronella is in the Geraniaceae family....

First it sleeps, then it creeps, then it leaps. This old gardener’s saying perfectly describes this flowering vine. The hydrangea is the undisputed Queen of the Southern Garden. Credit: bkkm/Getty Images Early spring is the best time to plant them. The plants can also be pruned to maintain a shrub-like form. The vines commonly don’t bloom until they are three to five years old, so just be patient. Plant your hydrangea in rich, well-drained soil and provide some protection from hot afternoon sun in the South....

The vendors at the farmers' market will soon be missing you. With dwarf fruit trees, anyone can turn a sunny backyard into an oasis. Anyone can turn a sunny backyard into a luscious oasis with an orchard of dwarf fruit trees. Credit: Paul Taylor / Getty Images After all, there’s nothing better than tasting a sun-ripened peach or a glass offresh-squeezed lemonade. What Is A Dwarf Fruit Tree? Fortunately, no genetic engineering or modification is involved in making dwarf fruit trees....

This native tree delights in springtime with its show-stopping fluffy and fragrant blooms. Indigenous to the eastern U.S., it grows from Canada to the Gulf Coast. Other common names for it in the South are grancy graybeard and old man’s beard. Credit:Southern Living/Adrienne Legault Trees can be either male or female. Nurseries don’t sell trees by sex, so you have to take your chances. But either sex is well worth planting....

Humidity can do as much damage to a lavender plant as it does to your hair style, ladies. Lavender Care Lavender does not like to be crowded. that may eventually inhibit air circulation. potted lavender.Credit: anskuw/Getty Images Create a high mound with well-cultivated soil and work in sand or pebbles to increase drainage. Using a garden trowel, dig a hole in the mound just deep enough for the plant. Remember that lavender prefers arid conditions, both beneath and above the soil....

Getty Images/Ekaterina Varnakova Growing plants from seeds is incredibly satisfying. Dont expect a bounty of lemons. Growing aLemon treefrom seed can take 10 years, and the fruit may not be tasty. Credit:Getty Images/Ekaterina Varnakova But the tree and its flowers are a nice reward instead of supermarket produce. (If you want fruit sooner, choose a tree from a garden center or nursery.) Plant the seeds as soon as possible after cutting them from a lemon, and youll be surprised....

Think twice before bringing home one of these pretty, easy-to-grow trees for your yard. The mimosa tree is one of those plants you either love or hate. I hate it now, but I used to love it. Credit: kolesnikovserg/Getty Images On one roadside near my home is a row of them, each a different color. The various colors are due to genetic variation, with pink being dominant. Where I live in Alabama, the trees usually bloom in June and continue for several weeks into July....

The plant is said to bring good fortune and prosperity. In the wild, the trunks are not braided. These young stems are held in place with string until they mature and become woody. Credit:Getty Images Braiding is done by nurserymen but there are unbraided forms of the houseplant plus braided and unbraided bonsai forms. Indoors, the money tree plant does not flower or produce nuts. It is known for its symbolism in Asian cultures....

The next time you see a pawpaw, dig in. Pawpaw, paw-paw, or paw paw? Pawpaws are fragrant and have a distinctly bright, tropical flavor and custard-like texture. Credit: Southern Living if you catch freshly ripe pawpaws, go ahead and dig in. One bite, and you’ll be enjoying one of America’s best-kept-secret fruits. Leaves and stems are toxic to people as well.) Young trees need more protection from the sun. Light Pawpaw trees can grow in deep shade but won’t produce as much fruit....