If you’re seeking a hardy and cheerful bloom to add color and texture to your garden, gomphrena is a top pick. Flower farmer Briana Yablonski shares how to grow and care for this unique annual. One of my favorite aspects of flowers is the wide variety of shapes and colors they come in. Round flowers like daisies and coneflowers have a classic shape, and spikes like snapdragons and delphinium add height to the garden and bouquets. And gomphrena’s spherical blooms add a unique element to gardens and bouquets. Also known as globe amaranth, gomphrena produces many small, round flowers that are beautiful when fresh and dried. They come in a wide range of colors, so you can likely find one you’ll love. These annuals can also tolerate high temperatures, making them great flowers for the summer garden. Whether you’re looking for an easy-to-care-for flower for your garden or a long-lasting bloom for arrangements, gomphrena is a great choice. What is Gomphrena? Gomphrena is a member of the amaranth family that produces spherical flowers. It’s a warm-season annual that thrives from late spring to early fall in most locations. Like many types of amaranth, it can tolerate heat and drought better than many flowers. The plants are often grown for cutting flowers since they hold up well when fresh and dried. Gardeners also plant them for their long bloom time and ability to attract pollinators. Characteristics Gomphrena produces stiff stems that grow in a branching pattern. The stems are covered with oblong leaves covered with short, fuzzy hairs. A small, spherical flower appears at the top of each stem. The round flowers are made up of stiff, papery bracts that retain their shape and texture over time. The blooms come in many colors, including pink, lilac, orange, white, and red. Native Range Gomphrena is native to Central America and northern portions of South America. It grows year-round in warm regions, but you can grow it as an annual in cooler climates. Planting This warm-season annual is an easy-to-grow plant provided that you grow it at the right time of the year. Since it’s sensitive to cold temperatures, you should wait until the last frost has passed before planting it outdoors. You can grow gomphrena by starting seeds indoors and transplanting the seedlings or purchasing seedlings from a nursery.

Dioscorea japonica is a fascinating species of Japanese mountain yam often referred to as yamaimo. This edible tuber is also considered a mountain medicine. Expert Sarah Jay explain its care and growing habits. One interesting wild yam species is Dioscorea japonica, also known as yamaimo. It’s a Japanese wild yam with high value in Japanese cuisine. Similar to the Chinese yam, it’s known as the Japanese cinnamon vine, distinguishing it from the Chinese cinnamon vine. Their common names are often used interchangeably. It stands out among other yam species because it’s one of the few that’s eaten raw. It’s also cold-hardy, differentiating it from Chinese yam, or cinnamon vine. They are both members of the true yam Dioscoreaceae family, in the genus Dioscorea and they both grow into multiple feet-long tubers. Yamaimo is native to the mountains of Japan but takes off in North America. Most of the problems people have with this glutinous yam is controlling it. Its Chinese relative is an invasive species in certain parts of the United States, and also requires maintenance. But you can grow yamaimo at home. What is Dioscorea Japonica? Yamaimo (Dioscorea japonica) is an edible vine commonly referred to as mountain yam, Japanese yam, East Asian mountain yam, Jinenjo, shan yao, nagaimo, and Japanese cinnamon vine. In Korean it is known as cham ma and dang ma. Native Area Dioscorea japonica is native to Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, and Assam. It grows wild in the mountains of its native Japan, where there is a tradition of growing both the Japanese yam and the Chinese cinnamon vine. There, it is called yamaimo – literally Japanese yam. This plant is classed as an invasive species in southeastern regions of North America. If you live in one of these areas, opt for growing a different yam. Characteristics The most striking part of yamaimo is its long white tuber. Usually buried one to three feet underground, they reach one to three feet long. They are speckled with a tan to whitish skin. A single perennial climbing vine grows from each wild yam that reaches ten feet tall. The vine’s leaves are elongated and look like other heart-shaped sweet potato leaves. Yamaimo is dioecious and requires cross-pollination for the reproduction of seeds. Female vines produce small string-like white or yellow flower bunches in late summer that resemble oak pollen and smell like cinnamon. Male vines grow small tubers above ground on the leaf axils of the vine, known as air potatoes. Most found in North America are male Dioscorea japonica plants. Uses Yamaimo edible parts include the tuber, and air potatoes (or seed), but the tuber requires some processing before they can be consumed. The air potatoes can be roasted and snacked on like edamame. The air tuber and tuberous root have a neutral flavor that often acts as a binder for various foods – like soba noodles, for instance. The food chemistry of the yam is most interesting. When eaten raw, they’re either shredded or grated to remove the fibrous, indigestible parts. Those who handle the raw tubers wear gloves because they irritate the skin. They’re mixed with other flavorings, and taste a bit like a potato. But their texture is varied depending on the preparation. They’re used in sweet confections for binding, and sometimes they’re cooked into a soft, sticky, and crunchy pancake. They’re commonly made into dumplings thrown into miso soup, and the slippery texture or slimy texture of grated yamaimo is excellent in noodle dishes of all kinds. Yamaimo is medicinal in China and it’s considered wild mountain medicine in Japan where it is used to treat digestive disorders, and to support kidney functioning. Like other wild yam species, it regulates hormones and is sometimes used as birth control. In phyto-chemistry Dioscorea japonica is considered antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. Varieties There are four accepted formal botanical varieties of yamaimo (Dioscorea japonica). Several formal botanical varieties are almost identical. They include Dioscorea japonica var. japonica, Dioscorea japonica var. nagarum, Dioscorea japonica var. oldhamii, Dioscorea japonica var. pilifera. They are called their various names in different regions of East Asia. Planting Plant each tuber in late spring. Prepare a site with light, rich, well-draining media, and bury it at least one foot deep. Three feet is best. Because the wild yam of yamaimo is fragile and can break during the harvest growers plant it in a plastic tube in a raised bed, or a barrel of some kind. The area you choose should receive full sun or partial shade. Once you’ve selected and prepared the site, plant the tuber, and within a month or so you’ll have new shoots in the form of seedlings. Sprouted yamaimo air potatoes can be planted in the same manner. If spring is already past, consider planting rooted stem cuttings in summer. We’ll discuss more of the ins and outs of propagating Japanese yam later in this piece. When you set your Dioscorea japonica into the ground, provide a sturdy trellis to support its upward growth. This could be along a chain-link fence, or via a wooden trellis you’ve constructed. At first, a single pole will suffice, but as the vine grows provide more support. Consider this selecting your planting site. How to Grow Once you have an established Dioscorea japonica vine, you’re on your way to harvesting a Japanese mountain yam. Because the tuber takes a while to grow, you’ll have time to focus on caring for the vine. Maintenance Prune your vine to control its spread. Trim parts to train the vine’s shape as well. Because the small air potatoes produced on male vines and their clones can drop to the ground and propagate, take time to remove those so they don’t take over. Another appropriate time to prune is at the end of the growing season in the fall. Remove all the leaves when they’ve browned, and leave a small five-inch stem at the base. Mulch to protect it from the cold.

’Jubilee’ bush watermelons bring exceptional sweetness on a compact, bushy form. Versatile across garden scales, including in pots and small spaces, the dwarf variety makes growing the hallmark fruits of summer achievable. Garden expert Katherine Rowe explores the merits of ‘Jubilee’ bush to highlight the warm season. ’Jubilee’ bush watermelons celebrate the flavor of summer. The dwarf melons boast superior sweetness on compact vines. Made for hot weather, the relative of a favorite southern heirloom stands up to heat and humidity for refreshing rewards on long summer days. An excellent melon for hot climates, ‘Jubilee’ bush is also a space-saving option with shorter vines and smaller fruits than the classically large oblongs. They’re a fit for containers and raised beds, and can grow vertically to free up ground space. ‘Jubilee’ bush expands the options for growing sweet, juicy fruits across climates and garden situations. Savor the delicious taste of summer by planting now and enjoying them later in the season. What are ‘Jubilee’ Bush Watermelons? ‘Jubilee’ bush is a prized watermelon variety for its flavor, manageable size, and ability to withstand heat and humidity with good production and disease resistance. Its high sugar content makes it a sweet selection among bush types, which aren’t always as sweet, juicy, and tender as their full-size counterparts. ‘Jubilee’ bush has lineage in the favorite heirloom ‘Jubilee’, a result of several crosses introduced by the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station in the early 1960s. ‘Jubilee’ is tops for its large, flavorful melons and resistance to wilt and anthracnose, setting it up for good yields in humid conditions. Like all melons, ‘Jubilee’ bush is in the Cucurbitaceae family along with squashes and cucumbers. Watermelons are long-maturing, soaking in the warmth and sun of summer days as they fill and sweeten. Characteristics ‘Jubilee’ bush produces light green, oval fruits with dark striping. The bright red flesh has a fine, crisp texture to complement the sweet taste. Ready for harvesting in about 90 days, ‘Jubilee’ bush produces three to five fruits per plant. The oval melons weigh 10 to 13 pounds, as compared to the 35-pounders of the standard ‘Jubilee,’ which reach over two feet long. The manageable vines spread three to five feet with resistance to common cucurbit diseases of Fusarium wilt and anthracnose. Native Area Citrullus lanatus is native to North Africa, with wild ancestors in southern Africa and the Kalahari Desert. The drought-tolerant species weren’t necessarily sweet, but they contained water for hydration. The fruits made their way to Egypt, where cultivation began for improvements in water content and sweetness. The ancient watermelons even appear in tombs in painted depictions and as physical seeds. The crop later presents in historical references in Israel, Ancient Rome, China, and Europe. The fruits traveled through colonization and the slave trade from Africa, making their way to North America. Cultivation dedicated to disease-resistant, table quality crops heightened during the last century and continues to innovate. Warm, sun-drenched growing conditions remain essential for their development. Planting In the ground, direct sow watermelon seeds or seedlings into low mounds to improve air circulation, drainage, and minimize damp conditions that lead to disease issues. Mounding also reduces root and vine competition for moisture, nutrients, and sunlight. Two to three vines planted in low, 16-inch tall mounds give vining stems room to run while elevating the crowns. Allow six to seven feet between mounds for vines to run.