Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) hails from the ginger family and is most commonly grown for its seeds, which are used as a pungent, aromatic spice. This herbaceous perennial grows from thick, knobby underground rhizomes to produce an evergreen plant with erect, 6 to 15 cane-like stems with glossy, 24-inch, lance-shaped, dark green leaves. In late spring or summer, leafless flowering stems emerge from the plant base to form 2-inch and yellowish-white flowers. The blooms are reminiscent of orchids, with lilac-purple veins and pink or yellow margins. The flowers and stems are not scented but will produce pale yellowish-green 3/4-inch fruit pods. The pods contain 15 to 20 aromatic black to reddish-brown seeds, commonly used in Asian, Middle Eastern, and Scandinavian dishes and drinks. How to Plant Cardamom When to Plant This rainforest native grows in the tropical areas of India, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka, typically places that receive about 150 inches of rain per year and temperatures that rarely dip below 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Plant outdoors when temperatures reach at least 70 F, depending on your region. Bring the plant indoors when temperatures dip below 70 F. However, if you bring the plant indoors, it rarely flowers or produces seed pods. Selecting a Plant Site Plant cardamom in an edible garden with other shade-tolerant herbs, greens, or vegetables or in a rain garden where it will tolerate wet soil. The plants prefer rich, slightly acidic humus soil. Hardy in USDA zones 10 through 12, this herbaceous perennial is also suitable for growing in containers. Spacing, Depth, and Support If planting outdoors, plant your seeds 1/2 to 1 inch apart, about 1/8 inch deep, in a partially shady place. Alternatively, plant cardamom seeds in a pot to bring the plant indoors to overwinter. Staking is only needed for young plants if heavy rains or floods are expected, potentially washing the plants away. Cardamom Plant Care Light Cardamom prefers part to full shade. Avoid planting in direct sun. Consider planting under tall trees in tropical conditions akin to its native rainforests. Soil Cardamom grows best in fertile, loam-based potting compost. If planting in bright, unfiltered light with high humidity, add leaf mold or granulated bark to the soil. Because cardamom needs tropical conditions to produce the optimal amount of fruit, it can thrive exceptionally well under glass. In the garden, it prefers acidic conditions (5.1-5.5 to 6.1-6.5). Water Mist cardamom frequently with rainwater; water regularly but do not overwater. Cardamom does best in sites where conditions are stable year-round, without much change to the climate, soil moisture, or natural light exposure. Temperature and Humidity Flowers and fruits will only grow in tropical conditions, so plant cardamom, where daily temperatures rarely go below 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Plant growth will suffer most dramatically if temperatures reach below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. In semi-tropical or temperate climates, grow cardamom in a heated indoor greenhouse or a hot, steamy bathroom. While flowers and fruit rarely grow indoors, cardamom can make a lovely houseplant. Set the plant on a dish of consistently moist pebbles. The houseplant will grow much smaller than outdoors, to a humble 2 to 4 feet tall. Fertilizer Give the plant organic, high-phosphorus fertilizer twice a month during the growing season. Apply after heavy rain, never before. Supplement with compost once a year. Pollination Bees and other flying insects commonly pollinate cardamom plants. In places where bees are scarce, hand pollination is necessary. However, timing is crucial since flowers only stay open for about one day. Farmers use a small tool or brush to transfer pollen grains from the male anther to the female stigma. Signs that fertilization was successful include the flower wilting and the ovary swelling. Types of Cardamom Cardamom comes from the ginger family but has two main genus lines: Elettaria and Amomum. Lanxangia is a less commonly cultivated genus, more closely related to the Amomum genus. Green cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum): Also called true cardamom, Siam cardamom, or white cardamom, this type is native from India to Malaysia. Black cardamom (Amomum subulatum): Also called Indian cardamom, this type is native to Nepal and China. Lanxangia tsaoko (formerly Amomum tsaoko): Also called black cardamom, this Chinese and Vietnamese native plant is commonly used in Sichuan cooking. Green Cardamom vs. Black Cardamom Green and black cardamom are used for flavoring foods, although green cardamom will also be used in sweets. Green cardamom has a sweeter, eucalyptus-type flavor, while black cardamom has a more robust, smokier flavor. With rich camphor or more menthol-like notes, black cardamom is best used in savory stews and curries. Harvesting Cardamom The best way to harvest this plant is to hand-pick each seed pod or fruit. Harvest when the seed pod is beginning to split. You also know it's ready for picking if the seed pod pulls away easily from the plant when you tug at it. Cardamom is the third most expensive spice by weight, just behind saffron and vanilla.1 There is a long history of trade and consumption for more than 1,000 years. In the early 1900s, German coffee planter Oscar Majus Kloeffer introduced cardamom to Guatemala. Until about 1980, India was the largest producer and exporter of cardamom until Guatemala took the lead. While cardamom is used around the globe, some of the main consumers are Middle Eastern countries, where the spice is often added to warm beverages, and Scandinavian countries, where it is often added as flavoring to cookies and cakes. As the primary ingredient in curry powder, cardamom can flavor rice, meat, vegetables, liquors, and ice cream. Guatemala and Mexico now use it to flavor chewing gum. In addition to culinary uses, cardamom is also used in cosmetics and perfumery. When storing cardamom, prevent air and oxygen exposure by keeping it in airtight containers, such as tight-fitting lids or vacuum-sealed bags. These methods preserve the freshness and potency of cardamom longer. Also, keep cardamom cool and dry, away from sunlight or heat sources. How to Grow Cardamom in Pots Cardamom grows well in pots. Start seeds with very moist soil. Plant them at least 1 inch apart. Each plant needs a pot at least 1 foot deep and 6 inches wide. If you plant multiple seeds in each 6-inch pot, only keep the strongest seedling and remove the others. Since this plant gets stressed during transplanting, it's best to grow it in a pot that is 12 to 14 inches wide to accommodate its full growth indoors. Ensure the container has ample drainage holes. If you live in a climate that gets wintery cold weather, bring the plant inside when temperatures drop to the 60s F. Most people grow the plant in the most humid part of the house, often the bathroom. When grown indoors, the plant rarely grows past 4 feet tall unless grown in a greenhouse. Pruning Cardamom doesn't need pruning, although removing dead or damaged leaves is fine by cutting the withered or old flower stems. Also, if the plant is growing larger than you like, trim it down to a size you prefer. Propagating Cardamom Propagate by dividing the rhizome root structure or by sowing seed. Consider dividing every three years so the rhizome does not overgrow its container or plot. To divide, here's how: Loosen the soil around the parent plant using a trowel and hand rake. Lift the rhizomatous roots from the ground. Use a sharp knife or a root saw to separate or split off a rhizome segment with at least four to five leaf shoots. Plant the segment elsewhere and replant the parent plant where it was. How to Grow Cardamom From Seed Purchase cardamom designed explicitly for planting, or if you have a mature plant that produces seeds, let the seed pods dry on the plant, then break them open to collect the seeds. Sow them as soon as you collect them from the plant. Presoak cardamom seeds overnight before planting. Plant the seeds in a warm, partially shady spot in loamy, rich soil. Expect germination to take about 30 to 40 days. Potting and Repotting Cardamom Cardamom gets stressed from transplanting, so it's best to grow cardamom in the container it will mature in. However, cardamom grows from a rhizome that can grow large and be divided after three to four years. To transplant a segment of the cardamom rhizome, get a similarly sized container and use moist, loamy soil to repot a piece of the cardamom with several leaf sheathes. Overwintering If your plant is kept outdoors during the warm summer temperatures, bring the plant indoors when the temperatures drop between 60 to 70 F. The plant gets stressed in cold temperatures and will die. Bring cardamom plants indoors during the late fall, winter, and early spring, and keep the plants in the most humid part of the house with filtered light. Bathrooms are one of the best spots for cardamom plants. In the colder months, from October to March, withhold fertilizer—also, water only when the soil is dry. The plant requires humidity, so keep the plant moist by misting, if necessary. Common Pests and Diseases While the cardamom plant is generally free from pests and disease, it may be affected by thrips or cardamom mosaic virus. Aphids spread the virus, so prevent the virus by keeping aphids away with a forceful water spray, insecticidal soap, or neem oil.

Are you looking for the ultimate spreading flower for your garden beds or containers? Wave petunias are a wonderful hybrid that will transform your garden. In this article, plant expert Matt Dursum covers how to plant, grow, and care for these stunning bloomers. Wave® petunias are some of the most stunning flowers for spreading over beds and containers. They spread fast and cover surfaces with waves of color, true to their name. They almost form carpets of colorful blooms in magnificent pinks, lavender, and lilac. Besides their color and vigorous growing habit, they’re easy to maintain. If you’re a novice gardener, you’ll love their carefree nature. Grow them in containers, hanging gardens, garden beds, or in your favorite pots. Keep reading below to learn how to grow these wonderful petunia varieties. They’ll quickly become one of your favorite flowers. What Is It? Wave® petunias are hybrid petunia varieties that have a spreading growth habitat. The Japanese beer maker Kirin partnered with PanAmerican Seed to create a new petunia variety in 1995. They wanted a petunia that would stun the world with its beauty. The first Wave® petunia was the Purple Classic. Since then, the company has marketed the flowers around the world. The Home and Garden Television Network (HGTV) first broadcasted the flowers on US television in 1999 as an advertisement. Today, Wave® petunias are some of the world’s most beloved petunia varieties. You can find several cultivars, including ‘Carmine Velour,’ ‘Lavender,’ and ‘Misty Lilac.’ Characteristics Like other petunia varieties, Wave® hybrids grow vigorously. They can grow as tender perennials or as annuals. They can be sensitive to cold and need plenty of warmth and sunshine to thrive. As they grow, they spread out to form a carpet-like cluster of flowers around a foot high. The blooms last for the entire summer if they’re well cared for. Native Area As mentioned before, these petunias are hybrids. However, the genus Petunia comes from South America. Its origins lie in the vast plains of Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil. European horticulturalists first started hybridizing petunias in the 19th century. Since then, new hybrids created five distinct types of plants in the genus. Grandiflora produce huge flowers up to 5 inches wide while milliflora flowers stay under 2 inches. Multiflora varieties produce tons of flowers, while floribundas combine the traits of multiflora and grandiflora. Wave® petunias are trailing varieties grown for their spreading growing habits. Planting These hybrids grow great in just about any container or garden bed. They’ll thrive as hanging plants or spread out like carpets of colorful ground cover.

Blue thimble flower pockets West Coast landscapes every spring. It erupts with blue flower clusters that look like pincushions, attracting birds, butterflies, and bees into your yard. Plant this annual wildflower in sunny borders, wild gardens, or raised beds. Native wildflowers are excellent choices for empty soil. They thrive with little maintenance or care, providing endless blooms with few inputs. Blue thimble flower, also known as Gilia capitata, is one such native wildflower—it’s drought hardy, full sun tolerant, and adapts to many different soil types. I first saw this plant at a native plant garden in Oregon. It burst into bloom in midsummer, with dozens of bees flocking to its flowers. At that moment, I knew this was a wildflower to treasure. I collected some seeds and sowed them in my garden. Now I have annual blue globe-shaped blossoms every summer! It’s that simple. Blue thimble flower thrives throughout meadows, grasslands, and chaparral landscapes in the western United States. Find it naturally amongst common madia, native grasses, and California poppies. It comes to fruition in late spring or midsummer as ephemeral wildflowers fade. Plant it in the same area as checkermallow, western spring beauty, or large leaf avens to stagger continuous blooms. Whether you’re new to native wildflowers or a seasoned enthusiast, the blue thimble flower is a wonderful plant for West Coast gardeners. Consider adding it wherever you have full sun and good drainage. What Is It? The blue thimble flower is an annual wildflower in the phlox family. It is a close relative of “bird’s eyes,” another California native plant in the genus Gilia. It also goes by the names blue gilia and globe gilia. Each spring, seeds germinate into little clusters of fancy, dissected foliage. The leaves resemble divided parsley leaves at first glance—look closer and you’ll notice your blue thimble flower’s foliage is lacier and more succulent than parsley. Native Area Find blue thimble flowers flourishing from British Columbia south through California, and east to the Rocky Mountains. They prefer locales with six to eight hours of direct sunlight. This means they thrive in meadows, as well as in valleys, chaparral ecosystems, and rocky hillsides. These wildflowers prefer warm temperatures to set flowers and seeds. As days grow longer, blue thimble flowers grow taller. They adapt to clay soils, although they benefit from additional shade and drainage when growing in clay. Characteristics Gilia flowers are one of the greatest pollinator magnets! Their flower clusters contain loads of blue pollen and nectar; native bees, bugs, and birds flock to them for sustenance. If your vegetable garden is low on pollinators, this is a good annual to sow amongst them. As they bloom, they’ll help bugs pollinate your crops. Delightful wildflowers are often easy to care for; this species is no different. Plants reseed readily on bare soils at the end of their lifetimes. Do not fret if you notice your plants dying after they form seeds—that is a part of these annuals’ natural life cycle. They bloom, form seeds, and then die before winter cold arrives. Because they are reseeding annuals, these wildflowers don’t function well with competition. They typically grow year to year in areas where their seeds readily access light, soil, and water. Where perennials thrive, they may overshadow young thimble seedlings and prevent them from germinating. Planting Blue thimble flowers flourish wherever they grow—they work well in containers, raised beds, borders, or wild plantings. So long as they receive good drainage, low water, and full sun, these annuals will pop up every spring from seeds. These wildflowers don’t grow over three feet, so you can plant them in small or large spaces. Some species they work well with are sunflowers, purple coneflowers, and western buttercups. These plants aren’t overly competitive, and they’ll leave some bare soil so the seeds can germinate. Growing from Seed Seed sowing is the easiest way to start this wildflower. Sow seeds in spring or fall on bare soil—you can lightly cover them to keep them in place with an eighth-inch layer of soil, although this isn’t necessary. Blue thimble flowers naturally reseed themselves on the surface. Once you’ve broadcast your seeds, water the area well. Fall-sown seeds will germinate earlier than spring-sown ones. Determine whether you’d like early, late, or continuous blooms, and sow accordingly. Find these seeds alone, or in wildflower mixes. They often make up wonderful pollinator mixes with other native phlox, sunflowers, and wallflowers. Transplanting Don’t worry if you missed seed sowing, as you can often find these annuals in pots at nurseries before they bloom. Transplant young plants without blooms into your garden from spring to early summer. Dig a hole as deep and twice as wide as the root ball. Then, put the roots in the hole and backfill until soil covers them. Water the soil well to help your transplants establish themselves. After a week or two of consistent watering, you can cut back on your schedule. Overwatering established gilia causes root rot; avoid this by watering less as these wildflowers begin to bloom. How to Grow Blue thimble flowers grow easily from seeds. They’re so prolific, they’ve spread and naturalized in some regions in the eastern United States! Care is so simple that you’ll wonder why you don’t have these wildflowers in your garden already. Light These native flowers appreciate full sun—they need six to eight hours of direct sunlight daily. They’ll grow in partial shade, but not as well as if they’re under full sun. The only time you’ll want to choose partial shade is if your soil is clay; in clay soil, these wildflowers benefit from some shade from the afternoon sun. Water Blue thimble flower is a low-moisture plant. It survives harsh direct sun and drought throughout its native range. These wildflowers often take advantage of spring or early summer rains, soaking up the water. They then bloom and set seeds for the next generation before dying back. You’ll want to simulate these natural conditions within your garden. Water if early spring rains are absent; don’t water if you have continuous spring rainfall. These plants need considerably less water as they flower and set seeds, so you may not have to water while plants grow and bloom. In the native plant garden near my home, these annuals survive without additional irrigation through the summer. Soil Gilia plants must have adequate soil drainage to survive. They function poorly in waterlogged, boggy, or moist soils. Plant them in sandy or rocky locales where water drains freely. They benefit from some organic matter in the soil but rarely need extra fertilizer. Mulch or compost benefits these native flowers—apply it once or twice a year around the plants’ stems during spring or summer. A top layer of mulch simulates organic matter in the wild that naturally falls and decays around established plants. Avoid placing compost down after this plant has sown seeds in the fall, as a thick layer of organic matter can stifle germination next spring. Fertilizing Fertilizer is not necessary! Compost or mulch applications once or twice a year supply the nutrients this wildflower needs to survive. Maintenance You have control over this plant’s life cycle in your garden. Deadhead spent blooms to force new blue pincushion flowers. Deadheading tricks the plants by convincing them they haven’t produced seeds yet. They’ll keep blooming until winter frost arrives. Deadheading also prevents self-sowing. If you’d rather this wildflower not spread, cut spent blooms before they drop seeds. Propagation Annuals don’t typically propagate like other plants–you can’t take cuttings or divisions of this native species. The main way they reproduce is through self-sown seeds. Utilize these seeds to influence where they germinate.