Gardening 101

Remove one sheet from a newspaper. If it is a broadsheet newspaper such as the Tribune, tear in half down the fold. Fold the page in half lengthwise.

Slip the jar out of the pot.

Roll the paper around the jar, keeping the folded edge fairly even (it becomes the rim of the pot).

These rugged perennials were part of the prairie landscape of the Midwest, which makes them hardy, drought-tolerant and disease-resistant. The 'cone' is the protruding center of the daisylike mid- and late-summer daisylike flowers; in fall and winter, the seeds in the cone feed birds. Echinacea purpurea, purple coneflower, which has lavender flowers and with orange centers, is the garden favorite. But a recent breeding explosion has led to flowers in white, magenta, orange and yellow and some truly weird shapes. Not all the recent developments are as sturdy as the original species, but "some of the newer hybrids are wonderfully fragrant," says Jan Little, who heads the Plant Clinic at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle (www.mortonarb.org). Kevin McGowen, product development and education specialist at Midwest Groundcovers in St. Charles, likes a tough, compact hybrid echinacea, Pixie Meadowbrite. Where to plant: In full sun and (yup, you guessed it) well-drained soil. Dig in plenty of compost when you plant. Water weekly for the first year. Achilles' heel: Can't tolerate soil that stays wet.

For bright, all-season bloom, petunias are hard to beat, even though your grandmother probably loved them. They are annuals, meaning that they flower all summer and then die -- unlike perennials, which bloom only for a few weeks but live from year to year. The trumpet-shaped flowers are often pink or purple, but there are varieties in yellow, apricot, red, white and candy-striped. In recent years, breeders have created hybrid varieties with different habits for different purposes, so read labels carefully. Wave petunias, for example, are low-growing and spreading, good for hanging baskets. Supertunia petunias are more compact, good for standing containers. Tidal Wave petunias are taller and bushier and can form a colorful 18-inch-high hedge. Where to plant: In full sun in well-drained soil. To supply nutrients for constant flowering, dig a slow-release fertilizer made to last three to four months into the soil when you plant. Water regularly, more when it's hot. In pots, water even more frequently and sprinkle another dose of fertilizer on the potting mix in late July. Deadhead by pulling off spent blooms. For more flowers, pinch back plants in July when they get scraggly.

In order to make the newspaper pot (right), you'll need to find a can or round bottle (left) about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter and at least 3 inches tall (for example, a spice jar, soy-sauce bottle, tomato-paste can).

"Ditch lilies" is one name for common orange daylilies (Hemerocallis fulva) because they can fend for themselves on country roadsides. Originally from Asia, daylilies have been bred into tens of thousands of varieties with summer flowers ranging from near-white yellows through oranges and reds to deep purples. Each flower lasts only a day but there are several on each stalk. Look for plants labeled "reblooming," which means they will flower again after the big burst in July. For smaller spaces, look for compact reblooming cultivars such as lemon-yellow 'Many Happy Returns' or 'Stella d'Oro' (the macaroni-and-cheese orange denizen of countless gas-station medians). "You can just about throw them in the ground and step on them, and they'll be fine," says Jennifer Brennan, education director at the Chalet nursery in Wilmette. Where to plant: In full sun in compost-rich soil that is well-drained but reasonably moist. Water weekly the first year. For more blooms, deadhead (remove spent blooms before they form seed pods). For daylilies, that means clipping off the whole flower stalk a couple of inches above the ground once all its buds have bloomed. Achilles' heel: Planting too deep. Set the plant in the garden at the same level as it was in the pot.

Tuck the open end of the paper inside the cylinder. Use the jar to mash it down against the table (body weight helps). The mashed end becomes the bottom of the pot and holds the cylinder together.

Cluster pots in a waterproof container for bottom watering and to keep pots upright. They will sit sufficiently flat once filled with moist soil. Sow seed according to packet directions, water and voila!