Are you a green apple lover? ‘Granny Smith’ is the variety for you! It grows versatile apples that taste great, either fresh or cooked. Learn all there is to know for a successful harvest each year with this apple guide from gardener Jerad Bryant. If you love apple pie and caramel apples, ‘Granny Smith’ is the variety to grow at home. The fresh-picked apples taste delicious and are hard to compare to store-bought ones. Grocery stores sell apples before they ripen, and they lack the sugar content that makes homegrown produce preferable. Of all the apple varieties, ‘Granny Smith’ is iconic for its green fruit and tart flavor. If you’ve eaten a green apple in your life, chances are you ate a ‘Granny Smith.’ From its humble beginnings in an Australian homesteader’s orchard, this tree now grows in orchards throughout the northern and southern hemispheres, from Australia to the United States. Have you heard that fruit growing is a challenge? There are chill hours, ripening seasons, and pollination buddies to consider. Fear not, as we’ll learn everything there is to know about growing a thriving ‘Granny Smith’ tree below. What are ‘Granny Smith’ Apples? ‘Granny Smith’ is an apple tree that produces bright green, tangy, and juicy apples. Unlike most other varieties, the fruits are ripe when they’re green. They make excellent caramel apples, applesauce, and other prepared apple dishes. When cooked, the zesty flavor complements the sugar content. Each September, they ripen on my backyard tree. Right before the tree’s leaves change color, I pick the green apples to make apple jam. If you like sharp-tasting apples, they are also excellent fresh. Just know you might pucker up a bit after eating one! Apple trees not only create delicious produce, but they also form graceful statures in maturity. They sprout sweet-smelling flowers that are a boon for pollinators, as the bees and bugs in your area benefit from the surplus of apple nectar. Native Area For more than 100 years, apple breeders have crossed and bred species to produce the hybrids we know and love today. Species like Malus sylvestris from Europe and Malus coronaria from America shared pollen and created new hybrids. To make classification easy, most cultivated apple species are now considered Malus domestica. Apples are native to central Asia and Afghanistan, although they now grow in Australia, the Americas, Europe, and Asia. They are a worldwide fruit phenomenon beloved by many different cultures. Each variety has growing preferences, and with hundreds of options, there is surely an apple that will thrive in your garden. The ‘Granny Smith’ parent tree originally grew in Australia at the hands of Maria Ann Smith. It prefers a long and hot growing season, and ripens later than most apples. In the United States, the West, the East Coast, and areas of the South have optimal conditions for growing this variety. Characteristics I value my ‘Granny Smith’ tree for its ornamental beauty and its bountiful fruit production. It is deciduous, and the leaves turn a buttery yellow each fall. In the spring, it sprouts pinkish-white blossoms that bees and pollinators love. This variety grows to 12 feet tall as a dwarf, and 16 as a semi-dwarf. Standard ‘Granny Smith’ trees can grow over 20 feet tall! Dwarfs make excellent espaliers. Semi-dwarfs and standards spread to be anywhere from 15 to 20 feet wide. ‘Granny Smith’ apples ripen to a distinctive glossy green color. Tiny white spots speckle over the bright green skin. Pick them in the late fall after they’ve swelled to a good size. If left on the tree, the apples may turn yellowish-green and lose their tang. Dwarf trees may need additional staking when young and are more susceptible to storm damage than semi-dwarfs and standards. Choose the right type for your garden size, and you’ll treasure your tree for decades to come. While ‘Granny Smith’ apple trees are self-pollinating, apples benefit from another pollinator tree nearby for maximum fruit production. Propagation How do you best propagate an apple variety? To achieve the same genetics as your parent tree, you’ll need to take cuttings from a ‘Granny Smith.’ Apples grow from seed in the wild and are hybrids of their two parent trees. Growing apples from seed is a fun activity, but not a reliable means for fruit production. I am not discouraging you from growing apples from seed! Just know that your daughter tree will not look like ‘Granny Smith’, and its apples may look and taste completely different.

Verbenas are purple-flowered plants with immense value in ornamental, pollinator, and herb gardens. Tall verbena is a hardy specimen that sometimes escapes cultivation. Learn how to cultivate it and manage its spread with seasoned grower Jerad Bryant. Easy-spreading plants are incredibly valuable in the home garden. You won’t have to fuss over their soil quality, their nutrient needs, or how moist they are. They’ll thrive whether you cater to them or not! Verbena bonariensis, or Brazilian vervain, is one such plant that spreads rapidly, readily, and without help from gardeners. You’ll spend more time pulling up its volunteer seedlings than you will caring for it! An herbaceous perennial, it’ll grow in the same spot from year to year and self-sow at the end of the growing season. With two spreading strategies, this clumping wildflower is ideal for wild, open spaces. Let it fill empty cracks and crevices of your flower beds, or have it roam freely between your vegetables and lure pollinators to your crops. What Is It? Verbena bonariensis is a clump-forming perennial with long, wiry stems. It stays low to the ground early in the growing season, then it sprouts tall-reaching flowering stems to attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds in late spring and summer. Native Area Native to Brazil and Argentina, this vervain thrives in warm regions throughout these countries. It sprouts amongst tropical and subtropical trees, shrubs, and similar perennials. Though native to South America, it’s popular as an ornamental garden species, and its weedy tendencies allow it to escape gardens. This Verbena species has naturalized in the warm, subtropical climates of North America, Asia, Africa, and Australia. It self-sows readily and resprouts from perennial roots in USDA hardiness zones 7 through 11. In colder climates, it grows well as an annual wildflower during the warm months. This is one of many species that thrive on the continent. Many growers confuse it with the similar Brazilian type, V. brasiliensis. Though these South American verbenas are gorgeous and hardy, they are aggressive spreaders in the U.S. There are similar options native to the country that thrive in home gardens. Consider mixing Verbena bonariensis with native species like hoary and blue vervains. Characteristics Verbena bonariensis sprouts clumps of rosettes in early spring. The leaves are deep green on top and gray-green underneath, with serrated margins. As the days lengthen and warm in spring, spongy, square stems emerge from the rosettes. They reach two to four feet tall and sprout flower clusters on their tips. The flowers are small but mighty! They’re full of nectar and pollen, and they attract a wealth of beneficial insects and pollinators. The tiny blossoms are light pink-purple; they sprout from dark pink tubes to create a lovely, contrasting effect. After flowering, the pollinated blooms form many seeds that fall to the ground in the fall and winter. These seeds sprout into volunteer seedlings that will flower the following spring. The main plant will enter a winter dormancy, conserving its energy in its roots and crown. Planting Many nurseries offer potted plants, while seed retailers offer viable seeds. Both seeds and potted plants are easy to cultivate. Potted plants may bloom sooner than those grown from seed, though seeds are often much cheaper than whole plants. You pay for the seeds rather than the pot, the dirt, and the plant!

The herb peppermint (Mentha × piperita) is a hybrid between spearmint (Mentha spicata) and watermint (Mentha aquatica). This amazingly aromatic herb is one of the oldest herbs used for ritual, culinary, and medicinal purposes.1 Plant Science at the Dinner Table: Peppermint. Michigan State University Extension. Peppermint will thrive in full sun and in almost any type of soil. This marvelous herb can be enjoyed for its refreshing fragrance and taste with little effort. How to Plant Peppermint When to Plant Peppermint can be planted in the early spring months. Wait until the final frost has passed. Spacing, Depth, and Support Plant peppermint at a depth of 1/4 inch. Space it about 24 inches apart from other plants if not planted in a container. If planting several peppermint plants in rows, allow for 18 to 24 inches between rows. Selecting a Planting Site Although you can grow peppermint in your garden, many choose to grow in containers due to it's invasiveness and the need to restrict its roots. You can also plant in a bottom less bucket and sink it down into the ground. This will make it look like it's growing from the ground but will aid in keeping the growth manageable. How to Care for Peppermint Caring for peppermint is fairly easy granted a few things are kept in mind. Light Peppermint can grow in full sun or partial shade. It can even tolerate some dappled shade, unlike most herbs. Full sun will promote the most robust flavor and fragrance to the herb because it aids in the production of oils. Soil The adaptability of peppermint is one of its best features; it is also one of its worst features, allowing it to grow almost anywhere, making it a nuisance. Peppermint’s ideal soil is rich, loamy, and moist, though it's known to grow along trailside ditches and craggy outcrops—it can and will grow anywhere. Water Consistently moist soil is the key to making sure your peppermint plant is happy and possesses tons of flavor. But be careful not to overdo it. Peppermint, like most mints, cannot tolerate standing water or soaking soil. Having soggy roots is a surefire way to kill or harm your plant. Temperature and Humidity Peppermint is unusually hardy and can survive light frosts but cannot endure extended cold snaps in cold climates, USDA Cold Hardiness Zones 5 and below. Its ideal growing conditions fall between 55 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit, but it can survive nicely above and below that range with little negative effect. If you expect temperatures to be on the warmer side, keep the soil moist while also watching for excess growth from humid conditions. Fertilizer Avoid fertilizing most herbs, especially plants in the genus Mentha. The flavor of herbs relies on the oils in their flowers and leaves. Accelerating their growth can lead to small profuse growth with many flowers and leaves and leggy stems rather than large, rich flowers and foliage with concentrated oils. You can often see this difference in the taste of homegrown compared to store-bought herbs. Types of Peppermint Mentha × piperita 'Chocolate Mint': bloomsopen from the bottom up; its flavor is reminiscent of mint chocolate chip ice cream Mentha × piperita 'Citrata': has a citrusy fragrance and is often called orange mint Mentha × piperita 'Crispa': a trailing habit with bright green crinkled leaves with tiny pale lavender blooms Mentha × piperita 'Lavender Mint': a fast-growing ground cover with reddish stems, dark green leaves, and profuse lavender blooms; it is ideal for use in savory meat and vegetable dishes Mentha × piperita 'Lime Mint': attractive bronze-green leaves with a fresh lime-scent Mentha × piperita 'Variegata': a ground cover that produces spikes of violet flowers; its green leaves have a creamy white variegation Peppermint vs. Mint Mint is the general name for all types of plant belonging to the genus Mentha, while peppermint is just one type, along with spearmint, orange mint, and about two dozen others. As a hybrid of spearmint and water mint, peppermint is a blend of two of these varieties. It has the strongest flavor and aroma and the highest concentration of menthol when compared to other mint varieties. Harvesting The ideal time to harvest peppermint is towards the middle of the growing season, just before flowers appear, but really, any time after the plant reaches 4 inches in height is ok. Harvest it in the morning for the highest concentration of the oil resulting in more intensity of the aroma and flavor. Cut stems back to about an inch above the soil or snip 2 to 3 inches from the very top. The stems will replenish and you will have more to harvest as the season goes. How to Grow Peppermint in Pots Because mint has the habit of spreading everywhere, growing peppermint in a pot is a wise choice. Choose a large pot with adequate draining holes that will accommodate vigorous root growth. Provide your plant with good drainage while also maintaining a moist environment with proper mulching. Potted mint tends to become leggy usually due to a lack of sun or too much fertilizer. Trim container-grown mint often to maintain a bushy, compact plant, and you will have a healthy plant for years to come. Pruning Left unpruned, the peppermint plant can grow too aggressively, even in containers. Young leaves will be more flavorful than old faded leaves, so pruning these off will promote the emergence of new ones quickly and direct the plant's energy there. The best place to trim is just above a leaf node. Keep in mind not to trim back more than a third of the plant. This could cause stress. Once your mint plant is mature, a weekly trimming to keep it neat and productive should be sufficient. Propagating Peppermint Mint might be one of the easiest plants to propagate from cuttings. Use sterile scissors or snips to cut a stem section four inches in length just below a leaf node. Remove the leaves below the node and submerse the cutting in distilled water and place it in a location bright light and good air circulation. Watch for root formation, which should occur within a few weeks. Let a good root system develop Transplant the cutting into a pot filled with quality potting soil. Trim the top two inches from the plant to allow most of the energy to go into the root system. In a few weeks, you will have a thriving peppermint plant ready to be transplanted into a larger pot or into its new place in your garden. How to Grow Peppermint From Seed Press the peppermint seeds on the surface of seed starting mix. The seeds will be tiny, so use care and do not press too hard. You do not need to bury the seeds with soil. Keep the soil moist and germination will occur in five to ten days and perhaps sooner if the soil is kept warm with a heat mat. If you are direct sowing into the garden or when you are ready to transplant seedlings, wait until the threat of frost is past. Space the peppermint seedlings 18 to 24 inches apart. Overwintering If your mint is growing in an outdoor garden, it may be wise to bring it indoors for the winter if able. Severe frost may damage the plant, although it is hardy enough to regenerate in spring. If growing indoors, you don't need to change a thing as you will have a growth cycle that goes year-round. Common Pests and Plant Diseases Depending on your region, peppermint can be afflicted with diseases such as verticillium wilt.3 The infection will manifest in the leaves at the top of the plant and spread downward. Leaves will curl, twist and yellow as the fungus takes hold. The best way to treat the plant is to replace as much of the soil as possible to eliminate the pathogen. Peppermint is also vulnerable to certain pests, such as spider mites and aphids.4 If infested, your plant will have yellow and dropping leaves. To prevent this, avoid letting your peppermint get too thirsty. Peppermint stressed for water has higher levels of amino acids, which spider mites crave. Use overhead watering to wash the mites off and increase humidity in the plant's immediate environment.