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This image provided by Hartley Botanic shows a Patio model glasshouse with its hinged top pane open. (Hartley Botanic via AP)

A dozen fresh-picked holiday gift ideas for gardeners

The best holiday gifts for gardeners will sow the seeds of anticipation for greener days ahead, and spread a little sunshine in the off season.

Spectacular festive light show twinkles at London’s Kew Gardens

A spectacular festive light show is filling UNESCO World Heritage Site Kew Gardens in London. More than one million lights are illuminating the Royal Botanical Gardens, providing a spectacle guaranteed to put visitors in the Christmas spirit.

This Dec. 29, 2018 image provided by D. Allan Drummond shows a bat flower (Tacca chantrieri) in Papaikou, Hawaii. (D. Allan Drummond via AP)

Spooky plants for Goth gardens

Think you’re ready for Halloween? You might have a pumpkin on the porch and enough candy to guarantee leftovers, but do you have any spooky plants in your garden?

This Nov. 3, 2023, image provided by Jessica Damiano shows fallen leaves on Long Island, New York. Done properly, allowing leaves to remain on the soil is one of the best ways to turn yard waste into free fertilizer while keeping it out of the landfill. (Jessica Damiano via AP)

There’s a movement to ‘leave the leaves’ in gardens and lawns. Should you do it?

Unless you’ve been living under a pile of leaves, you’ve no doubt heard about the “Leave the Leaves” movement that’s been gaining ground in recent years.

This Sept. 26, 2023, image provided by Lauren E. Sikorski shows Boom Boom White dahlias grown by Sow-Local, a specialty cut-flower farm in Oakdale, NY. (Lauren E. Sikorski via AP)

Plan now for a dahlia garden next year, and don’t be intimidated

Dahlias have an intimidating reputation. Beautiful and cheerful, they do require a planting, staking, digging up and storing-over-the-winter routine.

This image provided by Bugwood.org shows adult ants feeding on the sweet nectar-like substance secreted by a peony bud in Fort Collins, Colo. on May 7, 2006. (Whitney Cranshaw/Colorado State University/Bugwood.org via AP)

Are ants harmful to the garden? Usually not

Ants are common in the garden, possibly even swarms of them. But are the tiny little insects harmful to our plants? The general answer is no.

This July 28, 2023, photo provided by Jessica Damiano shows a purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) growing in a Long Island, New York, garden. The plants are heat- and drought-tolerant. (Jessica Damiano via AP)

The right plants and some TLC can help your garden get through the heat

The record-breaking heat that’s striking many places around the country and the world is doing a number on gardens.

This Aug. 25, 2023, image provided by Jessica Damiano shows a thriving border of Beacon Pink Lipstick impatiens in Long Island, New York. Together with other annuals and tender perennials, the plants carry the late-summer garden as hardy perennials begin to fade. (Jessica Damiano via AP)

It’s time to celebrate annuals, the type of loyal friend every gardener can use

Summer annuals are the champions of the late-season garden. True annuals, like zinnias and marigolds, are plants that complete their entire life cycles in one year.

This July 5, 2023, image provided by Jessica Damiano shows a scarlet lily beetle on an Asiatic lily stem on Long Island, N.Y. Caught early, the pests can be controlled by knocking them off plants into a container holding water, vinegar and dish soap. (Jessica Damiano via AP)

Catch garden pests and diseases early by keeping a close eye on your plants

Every day brings changes to the summer garden. Usually those are pleasant. But other times a plant that looked fine yesterday has pests or spots on it today.

This July 31, 2023, image provided by Jessica Damiano shows a squash plant with yellow, wilted foliage — symptoms that present after both flood and drought — on Long Island in New York. Crops that have been touched by flood water should not be eaten. (Jessica Damiano via AP)

Where flooding has become more frequent, here’s how gardeners can respond

Atmospheric scientists say extreme rainfall is more frequent now, and many parts of the world have seen flooding this summer. What does that mean for plants and gardens?

This July 17, 2022, image provided by Jessica Damiano shows a rabbit munching on clover in Twin Mountain, N.H. (Jessica Damiano via AP)

Rabbits and deer and voles, oh my! What’s eating your garden?

Nature is a beautiful thing, but sometimes it can wreak havoc on a garden. Insects and wildlife have to eat, of course, and when we lay out a veritable buffet, who can blame them for gorging?

FILE - Pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana) covered with rime appears in Ludwigsburg, Germany on March 12, 2010. Experts say some plants are more flammable than others but all plants can ignite under the right conditions. Those conditions include improper pruning, insufficient watering, and poor sanitation practices that allow dry, dead plant parts to remain on the soil surface. (AP Photo/Thomas Kienzle, File)

Some plants are more flammable than others. How gardeners can reduce the risks

The deadly wildfires in Hawaii this month were fueled in part by plants, in particular invasive grasses.

This Sept. 18, 2023, image provided by Jessica Damiano shows a low-maintenance Aloe vera plant in Syosset, NY. (Jessica Damiano via AP)

Easy houseplants for neglectful gardeners

The biggest hurdle in caring for a houseplant is often remembering not to neglect it. So, especially if you’re a houseplant novice, bring home a low-maintenance, happy-go-lucky variety.

This Oct. 2, 2023, image provided by Jessica Damiano shows maturing hips on a rose shrub on Long Island, NY. (Jessica Damiano via AP)

Rose hips’ seedpods provide a pop of color in the fall and winter garden

The rose has long been revered for its fragrance and beauty. But less lauded are the orange and red hips, or seedpods, that form after the flowers fade.

This 2022 image provided by SOW Local shows freshly cut ranunculus flowers in Oakdale, N.Y. (Chris Demchak via AP)

If you grow your own cutting garden, you’ll have beautiful flower bouquets all season long

If you grow your own cutting garden, you can have beautiful flower bouquets all season long. Almost every flower can be cut and enjoyed indoors.

Secrets of Versailles palace perfume gardens

The Versailles flower gardens were once a symbol of the French king’s expeditionary might and helped water-deprived courtiers perfume their skin.

This May 26, 2023, image provided by Jessica Damiano shows a soaker hose system installed in a raised vegetable garden bed on Long Island, N.Y. Using soaker hoses or other drip irrigation methods instead of overhead sprinklers saves water and money, reduces waste and helps protect plant health. (Jessica Damiano via AP)

How you water the garden can save you money, gallons and your plants, too

If you water your garden right, you can save water and money and make plants healthier. Watering with a hose allows you to direct water precisely where you need it, above the roots.

This Sept. 8, 2023, image provided by Justine Damiano shows a hummingbird seemingly suspended in the air in Southwick, Massachusetts. Hummingbirds must beat their wings in a figure-8 motion up to 80 times per second in order to hover in one spot. (Justine Damiano via AP)

How to help migrating hummingbirds and see their antics up close

Most of the hummingbirds that visited our gardens over the summer are now on their way to winter homes in Central America.

White House gardens show signs of Spring

White House staff gave a tour of the executive mansion’s gardens where flowers and trees are starting to bloom, signaling that Spring has arrived in the oldest continually maintained landscape in the United States.

Weed-killing robot displayed at IFA tech show in Berlin

Looking after you garden could get a little bit easier, thanks to a new autonomous gadget. An AI-powered robot that can find and kill weeds has been launched at this year’s IFA tech show in Berlin.

Chinese developer Country Garden says it can’t meet debt payment deadlines after sales slump

Chinese property developer Country Garden has warned it cannot meet deadlines to repay its loans as the company struggles to restructure its debts.

This image released by the Bronx Zoo shows a man dressed in a spider costume during the Boo at the Zoo event at the Bronx Zoo in New York on Oct. 2, 2020. Botanical gardens and zoos across the country have become go-to destinations for Halloween. They aim to be fun, while also inspiring kids to learn about nature. (Julie Larsen Maher/Bronx Zoo via AP)

Zoos and botanical gardens find Halloween programs are a hit, and an opportunity

Botanical gardens and zoos across the country have become go-to destinations for Halloween. The festivities and fun also are a chance to inspire kids and grownups to learn about nature.

New York Knicks' Isaiah Hartenstein, left, and RJ Barrett, right, try to get the ball from San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Wembanyama has a rough debut at Madison Square Garden as the Knicks rout the Spurs 126-105

Victor Wembanyama’s first game at Madison Square Garden was one of the worst of his young career, as the No. 1 draft pick managed just one basket in the first three quarters of the New York Knicks’ 126-105 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

This September 2021 photo provided by Richard Gill shows a tomato with a genetic mutation in North London, England. The anomaly occurs when tomato cells divide abnormally due to hot or cold weather, resulting in an extra segment that develops outside the fruit. In this case, two extra segments have developed, lending the appearance of horns. (Richard Gill @happymrgill via AP)

The mutant tomatoes are here, and they come in peace

It’s that time of year, when some gardeners discover they have a tomato plant that produces mutants. Many look like Squidward. Others are horned.

South Africa's Rassi Van Der Dussen celebrates his century during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup match between New Zealand and South Africa in Pune, India, Wednesday, Nov.1, 2023. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

South Africa look to end India’s winning run at majestic Eden Gardens in Cricket World Cup

Every time India has played in the Cricket World Cup, the fans have come out in large numbers to support the home team.

This photo provided by the Chester County, Pa., District Attorney's Office shows escaped prisoner Danilo Cavalcante. Cavalcante, who was recently convicted of fatally stabbing his girlfriend, escaped Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023, from a suburban Philadelphia prison and prosecutors say he is also wanted in his native Brazil in a separate slaying. (Chester County District Attorney's Office via AP)

Prison guard who missed killer’s escape is fired, as hunt for fugitive focuses on botanic garden

Pennsylvania officials say a prison tower guard has been fired after a convicted murderer slipped out on his watch in a brazen escape.

This June 3, 2023, image provided by Jessica Damiano shows farm-fresh strawberries and rhubarb for sale in Glen Cove, N.Y. (Jessica Damiano via AP)

June is rhubarb picking time in the garden, so pucker up

Years ago, when my now-grown daughter Justine was a toddler, we visited a U-pick farm where she plucked plump, ripe strawberries from a field of sprawling plants.

A rose of Bulgaria is photographed at the perfume gardens of the Chateau de Versailles, west of Paris, Thursday, May 25, 2023. The Versailles flower gardens were once a symbol of the French king’s expeditionary might and helped water-deprived courtiers perfume their skin. Now, they have been reimagined to give today’s public a glimpse — and a sniff — into the gilded palace’s olfactory past. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Flower power and diplomacy: Versailles perfume gardens transport public back in time

VERSAILLES, France (AP) — The Versailles flower gardens were once a symbol of the French king’s expeditionary might and helped water-deprived courtiers perfume their skin.

This Nov. 13, 2023, image provided by Jessica Damiano shows light reflecting off a mirror placed behind a newly rehomed spider plant on Long Island, NY. (Jessica Damiano via AP)

A slow transition to winter keeps houseplants healthy

If you’re bringing outside plants indoors for the winter, they need to get used to the new conditions.

This Oct. 28, 2019, image provided by Jessica Damiano shows parsley, sage, basil and chives growing in a raised bed herb garden in Glen Head, N.Y. (Jessica Damiano via AP)

Tips for growing herbs (you don’t even need a garden)

You don’t even need a garden.