Guide

Keep true annuals by collecting seed for next year’s planting — it’s simpler than fighting biology.

Yes, elephant ear plants are edible after thorough cooking, but all parts contain toxic calcium oxalate crystals when raw. This safety guide covers which varieties are safe, how to prepare them, and the critical cooking time that keeps you from getting sick.

Can you prune nandina in summer? Yes, for light trims and selective cuts, but save the main annual prune for late winter or early spring.

Propagating hibiscus from cuttings is straightforward when you take 4-6 inch softwood pieces from new growth in spring, dip in rooting hormone, and keep them in a humid, indirectly lit environment for 3-8 weeks.

Can you bring petunias inside for the winter? Yes—here is exactly how to overwinter them indoors using the cool-dormancy method or active-growth setup with grow lights.

Can you keep a hydrangea plant indoors permanently? No — standard hydrangeas need a cool winter dormancy and cannot survive year-round as houseplants.

Prune loropetalum right after spring bloom, not in summer, to protect next year’s flowers — light shaping only after mid-June if necessary.

Learn whether you can propagate a fern with division, rhizome cuttings, bulbils, or spores — plus which method works fastest at home.

Move the cutting to bright shade and keep the humidity tent on until roots appear at six weeks — that single habit saves more dogwood cuttings than any rooting hormone ever will.

Can you bring ferns inside for winter? Yes, but timing and humidity make the difference between a fern that thrives indoors and one that turns brown in weeks.