The Garden Helper

Helping Gardeners Grow Their Dreams since 1997.

No-dash-here, you've found The Real Garden Helper! Gardening on the Web since 1997

Gardening for Beginners

Your Garden Helper
Gardening Basics...
CHARTS, MAPS and GUIDES to the basic information needed to create your dream garden
Calendar of Gardening Tasks and Projects
TIMELY REMINDERS of what you should be doing in your garden each month
USDA Hardiness Zone Maps
PLANT HARDINESS ZONES so you can check to see if the plant you want is suited for your area
Plants suited to Specific Growing Conditions
INDEXES of POPULAR PLANTS grouped by lighting, soil conditions and garden themes
Creating a Variety of Garden Styles
Suggestions and tips for creating a variety of different 'THEMED GARDENS' and landscape styles.
Gardening Pests and Problems
PROBLEM SOLVING GUIDES and control methods for common gardening and house plant problems and bugs
Plants, Flowers, Trees and Shrubs
Planting, growing, and care guides for a wide variety of garden and landscape trees, plants, and flowers
Growing Fruits and Vegetables
How to create a vegetable garden with growing guides for many popular fruits and vegetables
Indoor Flowering and Foliage House Plants
How to grow and care for container grown, flowering and foliage house plants
Free Flower and Nature Screensavers
Enjoy the beauty that only Mother Nature could create with these free Screen Savers
Free Garden Photographs for Your Desktop
Collections of photographs of flowers and plants, critters and scenery. Free desktop wallpaper
Grandma's Favorite Cookie and Dessert Recipes
I accept no responsibility whatsoever, for weight gain brought on by ingestion of these goodies!
This, That, and Some Other Things
Pages for kids of all ages, webmaster resources, freebies, and a little about myself
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Monthly Gardening Calendars

What you should be doing this month!
Twelve Month Gardening Calendar
Your Gardening Projects for January
Your Gardening Projects for February
Your Gardening Projects for March
Your Gardening Projects for April
Your Gardening Projects for May
Your Gardening Projects for June
Your Gardening Projects for July
Your Gardening Projects for August
Your Gardening Projects for September
Your Gardening Projects for October
Your Gardening Projects for November
Your Gardening Projects for December

USDA Hardiness Zones

Will the plants you want to grow, grow in your area?
USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Maps
Last Killing Frost Date Map
Plant Hardiness Zones for Alaska
Plant Hardiness Zones for North-East US
Plant Hardiness Zones for North-Midwest US
Plant Hardiness Zones for North-West US
Plant Hardiness Zones for South-East US
Plant Hardiness Zones for South-Midwest US
Plant Hardiness Zones for South-West US
Plant Hardiness Zones for Hawaii
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Plants for Specific Growing Conditions

Will your plant grow and thrive under these growing conditions?
Index of Plant Care Indexes
Annual Plants and Flowers
Perennial Plants and Flowers that grow well in Partial Shade
Perennial Plants for Full Shade
Trees and Shrubs which grow well in the Shade
Bulbs, Corms, Rhizomes and Tubers;
Growing and Caring for Spring Flowering Bulbs
Flowers and plants that attract, feed and provide shelter for butterflies
Flowers and plants that attract, feed and provide shelter for Hummingbirds
Fragrant Flowers for a Desert Garden
Ground Cover plants that grow well in the shade
Ground Covers that grow well in the Sun
Guides to Growing Trees and Shrubs
Guides to Growing Vining Plants
Container grown Plants for Texas
Perennial Plants for Rock Gardens
Plants that can be grown in Alkaline soil
Plants Suited for an Indoor Topiary
Plants and Flowers for a Bird Friendly Garden
Flowering vines for a northern exposure
Non-toxic Plants for a Shaded Foundation
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Creating Different Garden Themes and Settings

Want to attract birds and wildlife to your yard?
Selecting and Preparing a New Garden Site
Creating and Maintaining Beautiful Gardens
Adding Water Features to Your Garden
Creating Splash Gardens
Containers and Planters... Growing Plants and Flowers in Them
Create a Bird Friendly Garden
Creating a Hummingbird Garden Habitat
Creating a Shade Garden
Creating Dish Gardens and Planters
Creating and Maintaining Terrariums
My Butterfly and Hummingbird Garden
Growing Ground Covers in your Garden
Raised Planting Beds in the Garden
Building Raised Planting Beds
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Gardening Pests and Problems

What is wrong with your plant?
Troubleshooting and Solving House Plant Problems
Insects and pests that invade your house plants
Pests and Problems in the Garden
Beneficial Insects in the Garden
Cause of Splits in Tomatoes
Codling Moths
Controlling Apple Maggots and Worms
Controlling Army Worms
Controlling Mealybugs on House Plants
Controlling Peach Leaf Curl
Controlling Slugs and Snails in the Garden
Controlling Springtails and Thrips
Correcting an Over-Fertilized Garden
Daffodils, Unexpected Freeze
Disadvantages of Clay Flower Pots;
Eliminating Unpopular Poplar Trees
Keeping Deer Out of your Garden
Horsetail Weeds, Equisetum arvense
Mold and Mildew on House Plant Soil
Moving Plants Out of Season
Problems With Cats in the Garden;
Slugs, Worms, Insects and Pests
Staking Top Heavy House Plants
Tips to Cure a Big Brown Thumb
Tomato Blight (My first Gardening Page!)
Tomato Blight 2
Controlling Weeds in your Lawn and Garden
Controlling Annual Weeds
Controlling Perennial Weeds
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Gardening Basics

Where do you start? What makes plants and flowers grow?
Gardening for Beginners
Glossary of Gardening Terms
Selecting and Preparing a New Garden Site
Planting Perennials and Annuals
Creating and Maintaining Beautiful Gardens
Selecting Healthy Plants and Flowers at the Nursery
Starting and Growing Plants from Seeds
Propagation by Air Layering
Propagation by Softwood Cuttings
Using Botanical Names to Identify Plants
Botanical Index of Flowers and Plants
Index of Flowers and Plants by Common Name
Acid Soil... How to adjust the soil pH in your garden
Bringing Your House Plants Back Indoors
Choosing, Using, and Caring for Gardening Tools
Composting, Turn Your Garden Waste Into Garden Gold
Composting and Using Charcoal Ash
Containers and Planters... Growing Plants and Flowers in Them
Differences Between Annual Plants and Perennial Plants
Dividing and Replanting Bulbs
Dormant Spraying of Trees and Shrubs
Drainage Problems in the Garden
Fertilizer Components and Uses
Frost Protection for your Plants and Flowers
Gardening with Your Children
A Child's Guide to Gardening
Lawns... Planting, Growing and Caring for Them
Official State Trees, Flowers and Birds
Positive Effects of Talking to Your Plants
Pruning Roses
School Projects and Science Fairs
Seed Saving... Collect and save your own seeds from year to year
Seed starting... Grow new plants from seed
Toxic and Poisonous House Plants
Toxic and Poisonous Garden Plants
Cats and Calla lilies
Diversions for Cats and Dogs
Transplanting Azaleas and Rhododendrons
Transplanting Large Specimen Plants
Wholesale Wedding Flowers?
Calla Lily Bouquets
Wildflower seeds... Collecting, Sowing and Growing Them
Wrought Iron Use as a Trellis
Recommended Books About Gardening
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Growing Requirements
for Garden and Landscape Plants

How do you take care of your favorite plant?
Algerian Ivy, Hedera canariensis
Anemone, Anemone pulsatilla
Aster, Aster novae-angliae
Annual Asters, Callistephus chinensis
Azaleas, Azalea
Azalea, Problems
Bee Balm, Monarda didyma
Bellflowers, Campanula
Bergenia, Bergenia
Bishop's Cap, Epimedium
Black Eyed Susans, Rudbeckia hirta
Blanket Flower, Gaillardia grandiflora
Bugleweed, Ajuga reptans
Burning Bush, Dictamnus albus
Butterfly Bush, Buddleia davidii
Butterfly Lily, Hedychium coronarium
Butterfly Pea, Clitoria ternatea
Butterfly Weed, Asclepias tuberosa
Carnations, Pinks, Sweet Williams, Dianthus
Carolina Jessamine, Gelsemium sempervirens
Christmas Rose, Helleborus niger
Chrysanthemum, Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemums, Transplanting and Division
Chrysanthemums, School Project
Chrysanthemums, Winter Care
Chrysanthemums, Potted Plants
Clematis, Clematis
Clematis, Cuttings
Clematis jackmanii
Columbines, Aquilegia
Corydalis, Corydalis flexuosa
Daylily, Hemerocallis
Deer Fern, Blechnum spicant
Easter Lily, Lilium longiflorum
Fairy Lily, Zephyranthes
False Spirea, Astilbe
Gayfeather, Liatris spicata
Geranium, Pelargonium
Geraniums, Winter Care
Golden Bells, Forsythia
Golden Trumpet Vine, Allamanda cathartica
Heavenly Bamboo, Nandina domestica
Heather Calluna vulgaris
Holly, Ilex aquifolium
Honeysuckle, Lonicera japonica
Honeysuckle, Preparing for a Cold Winter
Hibiscus, Hibiscus moscheutos
Hydrangea, Hydrangea
Iris: Dividing and Transplanting
Ivy, Hedera helix
Ivy, Covered Walls
Ivy, Removing
Ivy, Dividing and Transplanting
Ivy Pests and Problems
Japanese Maple, Acer palmatum
Kale / Ornamental Cabbage, Brassica oleracea
Lakeview Jasmine, Jasminum
Lavender, Lavandula angustifolia
Lilacs, Syringa vulgaris
Maple Trees, Transplanting Saplings
Mock Orange, Philadelphus virginalis
Morning glories, Ipomoea
Mountain Cornflower, Centaurea montana
Ornamental Grasses, Care and Cultivation
Ornamental Grasses, Popular Varieties
Ornamental Grasses, Dividing Plants
Painted Nettle, Coleus blumei
Pansies, Viola
Passion flowers, Passiflora incarnata
Peonies, Paeonia lactiflora
Pinesap, Hypopitys monotropa
Plantain Lilies, Hosta
Poinsettia, Care and History
Poinsettia, Euphorbia pulcherrima
Poor Man's Orchid, Schizanthus wisetonensis
English Marigolds, Calendula officinalis
English Marigolds, Medicinal and Herbal Usage
Primroses, Primula
Purple Coneflower, Echinacea purpurea
Pussy Willow, Salix discolor
Rabbitbrush, Chrysothamnus nauseosus
Red Hot Poker, Kniphofia uvaria
Rhododendrons, Pruning
Rhododendron, Won't Bloom
Rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis
Sea Holly, Eryngium bourgatii
Sea Pink, Armeria maritima
Sedum "Autumn Joy", Sedum telephium
Shrubby Cinquefoil, Potentilla fruticosa
St. John's Wort, Hypericum
St. John's Wort, Medicinal and Herbal Usage
Strawflowers, Helichrysum bracteatum
Sweet Peas, Lathyrus odoratus
Vine Maple, Acer circinatum
Wild Violets, Viola pedata
Wallflowers, Erisimum
Yarrow, Achillea millefolium
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Fruits and Vegetable Gardening

Does home grown food really taste better? You Bet!
Fruits and Vegetables
Creating Vegetable Gardens
Vegetable Growing Tips, Planting Dates, Plant Spacing
Vegetables: Optimal Soil pH
Asparagus, Asparagus officinalis
Avocados, Persea americana
Bananas, Musa nana
Identifying Your Banana Plant
Brussels sprouts, Brassica oleracea
Coffee Plants, Coffea arabica
Edible Flowers from your Garden
Eggplant, Solanum melongena
Gourds, Cucurbita
Grape Vines, Vitis vinifera, Feeding
Horseradish, Armoracia
Kiwis, Actinidia deliciosa
Okra, Abelmoschus esculentus
Onions, Allium cepa
Peanuts, Arachis hypogaea
Potatoes, Solanum tuberosum
Characteristics of Different Potato Varieties
Raspberries, Rubus
Strawberries, Fragaria ananassa
Tomato Blight (My first Gardening Page!)
Tomato Blight 2
Tomatoes, Splitting
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Flowering and Foliage House Plants

Can you grow beautiful plants and flowers indoors? Of course!
Growing Indoor Flower and Foliage Plants
African Violets, Saintpaulia ionantha
African Violets, Propagating leaf cuttings Part 1
African Violets, Propagating leaf cuttings Part 2
African Violets, Feeding
Aloe plants, Aloe barbadensis
Amaryllis, Hippeastrum
Banana Plants
Identifying Your Banana Plant
Begonias, Rieger Begonia
Begonia Rex, Iron Cross Begonia
Boston Fern
Boston Fern 2
Feeding Ferns
Bird of Paradise, Strelitzia reginae
Bird of Paradise, Dividing
Brazilian Plume, Jacobinia carnea
Calla Lilies and African Violets, Repotting
Carnivorous Insectivores
Butterworts, Pinguicula
Cobra Lilies, Darlingtonia californica
Pitcher Plants, Sarracenia
Sundews, Drosera
Venus Flytraps, Dionaea Muscipula
Christmas tree selection and care
Citrus Tree (Dwarf), Citrus mitis
Citrus Tree (Dwarf), Pests and Problems,
Coffee Plants, Coffea arabica
Crown of Thorns
Cyclamen as a house plant
Dumbcane, Dieffenbachia
Dumbcane, Propagation by Air Layering
Easter Lily, Lilium longiflorum
Flowering Easter Plants, Care and Culture
Elephant Ear Philodendron (Selloum), Philodendron bipinnatifidum
Firecracker Flower, Crossandra infundibuliformis
Flowering Maple, Abutilon hybridum
Forcing Hardy Spring Bulbs Indoors
Gardenia, Gardenia jasminoides
Jade Plants, Crassula argentea
Jade Plant: Pests and Problems
Jade Plants: Propagation
Jade Plants: Re-rooting and Re-potting
Jade plants: Sticky Substance
Jerusalem Cherry
Kafir Lily, Clivia miniata
Norfolk Island Pine, Araucaria heterophylla
Orchids, The Queen of flowers
Orchids as House Plants
Parlor Palms, Chamaedorea elegans
Indoor Palm Trees
Ornamental Peppers, Capsicum annuum
Peace Lilies, Spathiphyllum floribundum
Philodendron Care and Cultivation
Pin Cushions, Nertera granadensis
Poinsettia, Care and History
Polka Dot Plant, Hypoestes phyllostachya
Prayer Plants, Maranta leucoreura
Prickly Pear Cactus Opuntia
Rosary Vine, Ceropegia woodii
Rubber plant: Care and Culture
Rubber Plants: Pruning
Shamrocks, Oxalis oregona
Spider Plants, Chlorophytum comosum
Wandering Jew, Tradescantia zebrina
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Free Flowers and Nature for Your Desktop

Does your computer feel beautiful? Free wallpaper for your monitor!
Free nature, flower and plant desktop wallpaper
The Colors of Autumn
Buds and Blooms
All Creatures, Great and Small
Cats and Kittens
Wallace Falls State Park
Cruising America
Nature and Flowers
Waterfalls
Series One Nature Photographs
Series Two Nature Photographs
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Free Flower and Nature Screensavers

Tired of that same old screensaver? These are Free!
Free nature, flower and plant screen savers
The Colors of Autumn
Buds and Blooms
All Creatures, Great and Small
Cats and Kittens
Wallace Falls State Park
The Dream Garden
Cruising America
Nature and Flowers
Waterfalls
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Christmas Cookies
and Other Decadent Desserts

Do you have the munchies? Oh Oh!
Grandma's Favorite Christmas Cookie Recipes
Rosette Cookies
Snickerdoodles
Ribbon Cookies
Raspberry Gems
Soft Raisin Cookies
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal
Rolled Sugar Cookies
Spritz Cookies
Doggie Cookies... Woof!
Neiman Marcus Cookies
Cherry Surprises
Pecan Puffs
Peanut Butter Balls
Fresh Pumpkin Cookies
Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
Burnt Cream
Blueberry Decadence
Blueberry Sauce
Blueberry Muffins
Banana Nut Bread
Neiman Marcus Popovers
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This, That, and the Other Thing

Need a break from gardening? You're sure to find something to do here!
Kid's Stuff
Winnie the Pooh
A Celebration of Christmas
Official State Trees, Flowers and Birds
Library of Free Web Page Graphics and Animation Files
Cats Cry for Justice
Awards Received by The Garden Helper
 
Recommended Books About Gardening
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