Detailed plant profiles with growing tips for weekend gardeners. Browse by category or search for a specific plant to find zone-specific planting advice, care instructions, and troubleshooting help.
Mexican hat is a cheerful native wildflower known for its distinctive sombrero-shaped blooms in warm shades of yellow and reddish brown. It brings a relaxed prairie look to sunny beds, borders, and meadow plantings while attracting bees and butterflies. Once established, it is a dependable perennial for gardeners who want long-lasting color with relatively little fuss.
Common zinnia is a cheerful, fast-growing annual prized for its bold, daisy-like flowers in a wide range of bright colors. It is one of the easiest flowers for beginners, thriving in sunny beds, borders, and cutting gardens through the heat of summer. Zinnias also attract butterflies and make excellent long-lasting cut flowers.
Ethiopian mustard is a fast-growing brassica grown for its nutritious leafy greens and, in some regions, for oilseed production. It has a bold, mustard-like flavor and performs especially well in cool weather, making it a useful crop for spring and fall gardens. Home gardeners appreciate its vigor, productivity, and versatility in the kitchen.
Virgin's-bower is a vigorous native perennial vine grown for its masses of fragrant white flowers in summer and its attractive feathery seed heads later in the season. It is a great choice for naturalized plantings, fences, arbors, and wildlife gardens where it can scramble and climb with a soft, romantic look. This clematis is beginner-friendly when given support, decent moisture, and room to grow.
Downy serviceberry is a charming native small tree grown for its clouds of white spring flowers, attractive fall color, and sweet edible berries. It fits beautifully into home landscapes as both an ornamental and a wildlife-friendly plant. Gardeners love it for its natural woodland character and its ability to thrive in a range of garden settings.
Eastern cottonwood is a towering native shade tree valued for its rapid growth and ability to provide shelter along streams, fields, and large open landscapes. Its triangular leaves shimmer in the breeze, and mature trees quickly create cooling shade for rural properties and restoration plantings. Because it grows large and has vigorous roots, it is best suited to spacious sites away from buildings and pipes.
Weekend Plant