I am extremely fond of spicy food and it is fond of me as well. Out of this marriage has grown a desire to cultivate my own hot peppers. A good place to start seemed to be growing jalapeño peppers, since they are spicy, but not deadly. One problem though; my jalapeño peppers are not hot. Not even a little bit. Same issue from my sister’s garden sent to me via text with a terse message of, “No heat in jalapeños”....

Common Camellia Problems Several diseases affect camellia plants. The most common include petal blight, canker, leaf gall, root rot, and camellia yellow mottle leaf virus. Petal blight affects camellia flowers, causing them to turn brown. This fungal disease generally occurs in spring and is usually due to abundant moisture. Petals develop small, brown spots that quickly enlarge until the entire bloom has browned. The infected flowers will usually drop within one to two days....

Hanging Herbs to Dry Hanging herbs to dry at room temperature is the easiest and least expensive way of how to dry herbs. Remove the lower leaves and bundle four to six branches together, securing with string or a rubber band. Place them upside down in a brown paper bag, with stems protruding and tie closed. Punch small holes along the top for air circulation. Hang the bag in a warm, dark, area for about two to four weeks, checking periodically until the herbs are dry....

Yellow Leaves on a Lemon Tree Often, lemon tree leaves turn yellow when the plant is experiencing some kind of major change in nutritional intake. This might mean that the plant has a parasite or it could indicate a need for improved feeding techniques. Here are a few of the most common reasons your lemon leaves are turning yellow: Seasonal changes Many lemons today are grafted onto deciduous rootstocks, meaning that they’ll be forced by their hosts to hibernate through the winter....

Mountain laurel is a North American native evergreen shrub. It produces lovely spring flowers that look a bit like brightly colored candy. It is hardy in United States Department of Agriculture zones 4 to 9. This rather broad distribution makes the plant well adapted to many conditions. However, they do not perform well in clay soil, and need dappled light in southern locations. A mountain laurel losing leaves may be suffering from too much sun if they are in hot, scorching light....

October in the southeast has arrived, bringing autumn blooms and new chores for us in the garden. Regional gardening tasks will vary, depending on your exact location in the southeast. October Garden To-Do List Flower gardeners may take this cooler season to divide and upgrade beds of early spring blooming bulbs. Your entire bed can be shifted around and enlarged with the additional plant material. You may place some in containers for spring displays that are easy to locate indoors and in bare spots outside....

Problems with Parsley Plants There are very few cuisines that don’t taste and look better with a bit of fresh parsley, but this old-fashioned herb is more than a garnish on your breakfast plate. It has a history of use as wreaths and garland, medication, and flavoring. Growing parsley is simple once you get over the slow germination hurdle and it is easy to harvest in a progressive manner, so a fresh supply is always available....

Container growing works with many types of fruit trees including persimmon trees. And planting persimmon trees in pots can solve a lot of problems. Read on for more details about how to grow a persimmon tree in a pot on the patio. Growing Persimmons in Pots Growing persimmons in pots is an excellent way of avoiding bad soil or cold climate issues. You can completely control the type of soil your persimmon tree is planted in, and you can change its growing site if necessary....

My Garden Box Subscription Gifts for Gardeners When I received my first box, I quickly became a fan. The plants are packaged really well – even the box itself is nice! Depending on the monthly theme, you can receive anywhere from 1-3 plants, plus everything else needed to complete your garden project – soil, quality containers, fertilizer (if necessary) and illustrated instructions that also include plant care tips and fun facts....

Common Diseases of Lilacs Although lilacs are a hardy bunch, they can succumb to problems like any other landscape shrub. Be on the lookout for these diseases: Bacterial blight – The bacteria Pseudomonas syringae causes early shoot and branch dieback, distorted leaves, and leaf spots that start out olive green but soon develop water-soaked areas. Those spots turn brown with yellow margins and begin to die. Blossoms may become limp or turn brown suddenly....

Boxwoods have fallen out of favor with some gardeners in recent years. They are the gardeners that remember trimming boxwood bushes into severe and often geometric shapes that have no place in the more casual gardens of today. They also remember how much time and effort it took to keep them in formal rigidity. And that, my friends, is a shame. Trimming Boxwood Bushes Boxwood bushes have an undeserved reputation and should be a welcome addition to the modern landscape....

Puncturevine Control This low-growing, carpet-forming plant is considered a noxious weed in several states, including Nevada, Oregon, Washington, California, Colorado and Idaho. What makes puncturevine weed so vicious? This plant produces spiny seed burs that are sharp enough to cause severe pain to feet and hooves. They are sturdy enough to puncture rubber or leather, which means they can poke through shoe soles or bike tires. The spiny burs are harmful to agricultural crops, such as wool and hay, and they can damage the mouths and digestive tracts of livestock....

What is a Rain Gauge? Rain gauges for home use are a fundamental tool in the home landscape. With a garden rain gauge, maintenance of garden irrigation can be managed and therefore, results in healthier plants and lawn. A rain gauge may prevent drought stressed plants or conversely, over watered areas which may contribute to a slew of issues. Overwatering is not only costly but may promote shallow roots, which in turn increase the plants susceptibility to disease....

Purpose of Skinny Leaves on Plants When scientists began to examine plants with long, thin leaves (Fun fact: Approximately 7,670 types of plants with long and narrow leaves exist), they discovered some commonalities. Plants near the equator tended to have larger leaves, but as you move toward the poles and into deserts, you see more leaves that are long and thin. Why would plants with long, thin leaves abound in arid and northern regions?...

What are Arum Plants? While calla lilies, also known as arum lilies, have the same showy spathe as plants in the arum family, they are not true members of the Araceae group. However, since they are very recognizable plants, their appearance helps explain what arum members look like with exception to height, spathe colors, and leaf sizes. All types of arum plants are poisonous and may not be suitable in gardens with pets and children....

Popular Shrubs for Hedges Shrubs for hedges should suit your purpose as well as your location, and a large part of your success in gardening with hedges depends on choosing the right plants. Deciduous hedges provide cooling shade for the garden in summer while allowing warming sunlight in during the winter months, but they aren’t a good choice for situations where you want year-round privacy. Evergreen hedges are great for areas where winters are cold and you will have few other plants to break the monotony of the winter landscape....

Pruning Walnut Trees Trimming a walnut tree properly is vital to your investment. When you are developing a young walnut tree, you are developing its structure. You need to decide how high up you want the scaffold (side) branches on the trunk. For harvesting nuts, you might start your scaffold branches as low as 4 ½ feet (1.5 m.). For a shade tree, you might start your side branches at 6-8 feet (2 to 2....

Orange Tree Pruning Why should you prune citrus such as orange trees? Pruning orange trees can improve aeration and increase light through the canopy, thus improving fruit quality and yield. Pruning out water sprouts can improve productivity in some cases as well. Ease in harvesting of oranges and a reduction in potential injury due to falls from ladders are also the results of trimming back an orange tree to reduce its overall height....

Why Trim a Cherry Tree? Pruning cherries, or any fruit tree for that matter, is of paramount importance. The primary reason for trimming cherry trees is to ensure the most optimal access to sunlight. Cherry tree pruning allows for aeration, allowing light channels to penetrate the tree, allowing a better fruit set, ease of harvest, and the ability to battle or thwart disease. So in essence, when you trim a cherry tree back, it will be allowed to develop a proper form, yielding higher quality fruit earlier in its life and remaining healthier overall....

What is Agar? You may remember agar from your high school biology class. It can be used to grow viruses, bacteria, and even plants. This nutrient rich material actually comes from a species of algae. It is transparent, which allows the grower to view the roots of new plants. Agar is also used in some foods, fabric, and in cosmetics. Agar has been part of scientific study for decades, if not longer....