Growing angelica in gardens is a centuries-old tradition that continues today because of the herb's amazing flavor profile and its heavenly scent. If you are not a chef and simply looking for a sweet-smelling plant that adds some height to your garden, this starburst-shaped plant is perfect. If you have an area in your yard that gets a bit too much moisture, angelica could be a great fit. Note that this herb is slightly toxic to humans.1 How to Plant Angelica When to Plant Angelica Plant angelica in the ground or in flats in the early spring. The soil should be consistently above 50 degrees Fahrenheit for best results.2 Selecting a Planting Site Choose a site in full sun to part shade. Make sure the site is also cool and moist. Spacing, Depth, and Support Plant angelica 12 to 24 inches apart. If planting in rows, space each row 36 inches apart. Seeds should be planted 1/4 inch deep in the soil.3 Angelica Care Light Angelica's light preference is dependent on the climate. Angelica is native to colder climates and prefers cooler, moister soils. If you live in an area that tends to be warm, it is a good idea to place your angelica in a location that receives partial shade. When grown in cooler climates, this herb will need full sun. Soil Since angelica is highly adaptable, the only strict requirement regarding soil is moisture; it must be moist. Other than that, almost any conditions will do, but it will thrive in slightly acidic soil, with a pH no higher than 7.0. You can check the soil pH easily with a simple test, then amend as needed, but your plant should not suffer unless the soil is highly alkaline. Water If your angelica patch is not located in a place that receives consistent moisture from sufficient rainfall or runoff, you must water the plant often. Your herb's soil should always be damp and cool to the touch but not drenched. Temperature and Humidity The native temperature range of angelica is, for the most part, cool. If you live in USDA Zones 4-7, your angelica should do perfectly fine. Fertilizer Like most herbs, there is no need to fertilize your angelica. You may find it beneficial to mix some compost into the site where you intend to plant, but that should be all you need to do. Types of Angelica Angelica archangelica: This is the common angelica with lime green flowerheads and pinkish stems. Angelica gigas: Also called Korean angelica, this plant is more ornamental with deep purple flowers that appear in the summer. Angelica sylvestris: This type of angelica is found in the wild and is smaller with a more subtle fragrance than other angelicas. Angelica vs. Cow Parsnip Angelica and cow parsnip (Heracleum maximum) are often mistaken for one another. Though both are in the same carrot (Apiaceae) family and look similar, cow parsnip is considered a noxious weed.4 Angelica and cow parsnip are also confused with poison hemlock (Conium maculatum), which is considered invasive.5 Harvesting Angelica Harvest angelica when its leaves and stalks are young and tender, around June. Mix into salads for a slight licorice flavor. Or make candied angelica using these tender young stems. How to Grow Angelica in Pots Angelica looks pretty in pots as a tall backdrop for other plants and spillers. Choose a pot (with drainage holes) that's large enough to accommodate the roots. Fill a 16-inch pot with sand, perlite, and a good-quality potting mix. Water the plant weekly to keep it moist but not soggy. Keep the pot in full sun or part shade. How to Grow Angelica from Seed While propagation using mature plants is possible, angelica has a very deep taproot that can become easily damaged, so starting from seed is the easiest and most successful method. To propagate angelica from seed, take these steps: Start in early fall by locating a usually moist area where the plant can grow. Place a sheet of lightproof black plastic over the area to kill any vegetation, then remove the plastic just before the first frost. Rake the area to remove any remaining grass or vegetation and break up the soil. Wet the soil before pressing your angelica seed evenly about 1/4 inch into the soil. Angelica needs to stratify or have a period of cold or warmth before germination, so let it go over the winter. As the spring thaw occurs, begin applying regular moisture to the seedbed. You should see signs of germination as soon as the soil temperature begins to warm. To sow indirectly, do this: You can stratify the seeds before planting by placing them in a plastic bag with moist peat and sand and refrigerating for 21 to 60 days. Or you can plant in peat pots in the fall and leave the pots out over the winter uncovered. Start seeds in peat pots that can be directly planted or torn away. Make your planting medium with a mix of peat moss, perlite, and sand. Keep this moist. When true leaves have formed and seedlings are sturdy, take them outside to harden off. Plant the seedlings in the pots before they reach 4 inches and begin to establish that troublesome tap root. Overwintering Angelica self-seeds when it flowers and often dies when it does this. To keep your angelica in good shape over the winter, cut off flowers before they set seed or cut the plant down to the ground in the autumn for the winter. Common Pests and Plant Diseases The plant is moderately attractive to the usual suspects in the garden, including aphids, spider mites, and leafminers. To remove these pests, use insecticidal oils or soaps, such as neem oil. Though the plant likes moist soil, crown rot and root rot can cause problems if these fungal diseases appear during very wet conditions caused by overwatering or excessive rain. The plant will turn yellow, wilt, and die. As soon as you spot this happening, remove the dying plant and dispose of it so the spread of the disease slows down. Amend heavy soils that do not have good drainage to mitigate the problem though rot is tough to eradicate.

Rudbeckia triloba, or brown-eyed Susan, brings lively color with vibrant blooms from summer through frost. The North American native makes a sunny addition to a naturalized landscape. It attracts pollinators, and needs little tending to thrive. Gardening expert Katherine Rowe explores the merits of the easy-going wildflower with high color late in the season. Brown-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba) brings waves of sunny yellow flowers that brighten the summer and fall landscape. Cold-hardy, heat-tolerant, and rugged, the native wildflower thrives across growing conditions. R. triloba is similar to its well-known relative, black-eyed Susan (R. hirta), but is taller and has smaller flowers that emerge in profusion later in summer with a longer bloom time. Rudbeckia triloba is low-maintenance and adapts to various conditions and soil types. Drought-tolerant once established, it needs little tending to put on a big show from July to October, depending on the climate. Pollinators appreciate the late infusion of nectar and pollen, while songbirds forage on seeds in fall and winter. For lively color in the border, bouquet, or dried arrangement, brown-eyed Susan shakes away the weariness of late summer. What is Rudbeckia triloba? Rudbeckia triloba is a short-lived perennial or biennial with ray flowers. The blanket of bright yellow blooms adds color in late summer until hard frost. Common names include brown-eyed Susan, thin-leaved coneflower, and three-lobed coneflower. The natives spend the first year developing roots and leafy growth and may produce some flowers. In the second year, full-flowering glory sweeps in before they fade. With easy reseeding, spring yields a successional crop of color. Rucbeckia triloba is at home in the ornamental border and in native, wildflower, pollinator, rock, and cottage gardens. They’re showy en masse, which is easy to achieve with ready reseeding. They also make a vibrant addition to fresh florals that last a long time in the vase. Brown-eyed Susan is a host plant for the silvery checkerspot butterfly (Chlosyne nycteis) and supports other pollinators and beneficial insects with their pollen and nectar. Songbirds, especially American goldfinches, forage on the seeds in the cool season. Characteristics Late summer and fall see a blanket of golden daisy blooms, persisting until hard frost. Multibranched stems create the all-over bloom coverage as they rise above basal leaves. Allowed to spread without other plants nearby, the bushy mounds reach four feet wide. Each bright bloom measures one to three inches across and appears in a mass at full bloom. Short, flat, and wide, the petite flowers hold 8 to 12 rays. Black button centers fade to dark purple-brown before producing seeds and drying. The dark green basal leaves have three divided oval lobes (hence the species name triloba). The leafy rosettes may persist through winter as an evergreen groundcover. Cluster brown-eyed Susan with other perennials to support the tall stems in flower. They pair beautifully with ornamental grasses and with other blooms like aster, monarda, echinacea, columbine, lupine, and amsonia. Native Area R. triloba is native to the Midwest and Eastern regions of the U.S., from New York to Florida and west to Minnesota, Texas, and Utah. Its natural habitat is moist, open woods, fields, along streams, and on rocky slopes. With hardiness across USDA zones 3 through 9, the perennials bear good heat and cold tolerance in wide-ranging growing situations. Planting The wildflowers reseed to expand the colony and fill a space given the chance. Space them 12 to 18 inches apart to allow ample air circulation while presenting a dense display of the basal leaves and multi-branched stems. In windy or shady zones, the tall stems may need support to keep from falling over. While they can reach five feet, two to three feet is more common.

Have you tried pineberries? They’re the white strawberries that taste like pineapple and are as pretty as they are tasty. Grow them in your garden with your favorite scarlet strawberries to spice up the collection. Explore how to plant, grow, and care for the lovely pineberry with garden expert Katherine Rowe. There’s nothing like a strawberry picked fresh from the garden. The petite herbaceous perennials pack all their might into flowering and fruiting. Popular in the home garden, the genus Fragaria holds about 12 species of strawberries and numerous cultivars bearing fruits from scarlet to white to purple. Pineberries are unique strawberries with the same growing requirements as the red berries we love. Their pretty white berries host a hint of tropical flavor. With white berries and dotted red seeds, pineberries are about as cute as they come. This rare strawberry cultivar pairs perfectly with traditional garden-grown strawberries. The compact plants produce fruit from spring through frost. They’re a delicacy to enjoy (and simply adorable!). Here’s how to cultivate them in your garden! What are Pineberries? Pineberries (Fragaria chiloensis x virginiana) are hybrid strawberries with white, fleshy fruit and red achenes (seeds). A cross between true red strawberries and white strawberries, pineberries feature the same plant characteristics but with unique fruits. Pineberries are highly aromatic, with subtle notes of pineapple and even apricot accompanying the strawberry taste. The pineberry name highlights the pineapple (“pine”) and strawberry (“berry”) features. Strawberry and pineberry fruits differ in size. Pineberries are smaller at about one inch in diameter or a little larger than a dime. They are also softer and more tender than traditional strawberries, making them challenging for bulk production and shipping. Their uniqueness and need for tender care make them pricier than other varieties. Strawberries produce different berries at varying times depending on the cultivar. June-bearing strawberries feature a large yield with large berries early in the season. Everbearing varieties produce smaller berries throughout the growing season. Novelty strawberries range in color (from purple to gold to white) and flavor. Pineberries fall into the everbearing category as a novelty type. Characteristics Pineberries are everbearing strawberries that flower and produce fruit from May through September. While mostly white, berries get a pink blush in full sun. Small plants reach about one foot high and one and a half feet wide, producing runners that sprawl along the ground. The plants make pretty border plantings and container specimens for easy picking. Five-petaled flowers are bright white with yellow centers, sweet and showy on the plant. Dark green leaves of three (tri-foliate) dot the stems. Plants spread through runners, which take root as they grow. As an everbearing strawberry hybrid, pineberries produce a first crop in spring and then at about six-week intervals throughout summer and fall. Fruits are ripe when seeds turn from green to red. Enjoy them fresh from the vine, or prepare them in jams, pies, smoothies, and anywhere you’d use a red strawberry. Native Area Strawberries grow best in cool, mild climates. Over 90% of commercial strawberries in the United States grow in Florida and California. In Florida, production is best from November to April, and in California, from February through November. Pineberries became commercially available in the U.S. in 2012. They are descendants of the white-fruited Chilean strawberry, Fragaria chiloensis. Native peoples cultivated the white strawberry in South America more than a thousand years ago, and it was introduced in France much later — in the early 1700s. The scarlet strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) naturally pollinated the white-fruited Chilean strawberry, and pineberry cultivation began. There are many white strawberries (and pineberries are white strawberries), but they differ from pineberries in cultivar and fruit. Similar to the Chilean pineberry crosses, Japanese white-fruited strawberries have also crossed with Fragaria virginiana to produce the ‘Florida Pearl’ pineberry, which is widely cultivated from extensive strawberry research at the University of Florida. Planting Pineberries prefer cool, mild climates and are well-adapted to grow in most areas. In northern zones, it’s best to plant pineberries in the spring when temperatures are mild and moisture is regular. In southern zones, plant them in the fall for a spring harvest. Pineberries grow well in the ground or in containers. Like other strawberries, they thrive in vertical planting arrangements, towers, and strawberry pots. In frigid climates, overwinter potted plants indoors. Since pineberries are hybrids, they don’t grow true to type from seed. Source them as bare roots, crown plants, or plugs from a grower, or divide runners to make new plants.