Learning how to plant crocosmia bulbs can give your garden dimension and sunrise colors of red, orange, and yellow, and the funnel-shaped blooms have a subtle scent that increases when they are dried. Crocosmia Plants Crocosmia blooms are produced on slender stems of 2 feet (0.5 m.) or more in length. The flowers appear in May or June and the plant will keep producing all summer. Crocosmia flowers make excellent cut flowers for indoor arrangements....

Some sources say there are as many as 3000 varieties of bromeliads in general, with new ones discovered regularly. Not all are readily available, but many of the favorite types can be found for online ordering. Earth Star Info The Cryptanthus Earth Star is commonly referred to as the Starfish plant. Foliage of these plants is usually strap-like and brilliantly colored, often with lateral stripes in bright pink to red and various greens....

Is Planting Potatoes in Pallets Safe? The shipping industry uses pallets to ship materials and products all over the world. To prevent the spread of pests from one country to another, both the U.S. and Canada require pallet manufacturers to treat pallets in a manner that would kill harmful insects living in the wood. Heat-treated pallets are safe for building a pallet potato planter. Luckily, it’s easy to find out if your pallets were heat treated....

About Succulent Soil Mix Proper potting soil for succulents should encourage the entire pot to dry out quickly, as many issues come from wet soil on or below the root system. The difference in what we use for traditional plants and the media in which we plant succulents lies in the water retention aspect. Soil that is well aerated and well drained, while still holding moisture, is appropriate for other plants....

Environmental Dragon Fruit Problems Although dragon fruit is heat loving, it can be damaged by long periods of intense sun and heat, resulting in sunscald. To eliminate this pitaya problem, be sure to situate pitaya in an area where you can provide some shade during the hottest periods of the day, especially to young plants. That said, in general, dragon fruit is tolerant of drought, heat, and poor soil. It is also fairly tolerant of cold; however, damage to the plant will be apparent if temperatures dip below freezing for a long period of time, but pitaya will recover quickly from shorter durations of freezing temperatures....

About Indigo Plant Dye Indigo dyeing has been around for several thousands of years. Making indigo plant dye requires a fermentation process that causes a magical color change. The primary plants used to make indigo are woad and Japanese indigo, but there are a couple of lesser known sources. Whichever plant you acquire, there are numerous steps to making the dye. Indigo is said to be the oldest dye, with cloth in the hue found in Egyptian pyramids....

How to Spot Diseased Elephant Ear Plants If you have a Colocasia, you probably know that they are not at all frost tolerant, require regular, even water and a full sun location. These large-leaved plants can grow quite quickly and their production of leaves is prolific. Although they need plenty of water, they can develop problems in standing water or if they are allowed to dry out for long periods of time....

About Amaryllis Flowers Amaryllis bulbs are common around the winter holidays. The bold, nodding flowers on thick, erect stems bring a festive beauty to the home interior when skies are gray and temperatures are chilly outside. Once the flowers fade, you are still left with a spectacular plant. Caring for amaryllis plants after blooming varies a little from regular bloom care, but it is important to provide a dormancy period for the bulb if you want additional flowers in the future....

Choosing Flagstones for a Flagstone Path Natural flagstone walkways are a great way to create welcoming paths for a beautiful landscape. Flagstones are rocks that have been split into slabs and cut into irregular flag-like shapes. Flagstones are available in varying thicknesses, depending on the job at hand, from 1 ¼ to 2 inches (3-5 cm.) thick. They can also be found in different color variations and rock types to easily match the surrounding landscape design such as bluestone, limestone, or sandstone....

How to Force Amaryllis Bulbs in Soil Purchased forced bulbs allow you to enjoy flowers earlier than they are produced in nature. This jump-start on spring can brighten the dark spaces in the winter home. Amaryllis forcing indoors is easy and allows you to watch the tall stems grow right before your eyes. Take a do-it-yourself approach and try amaryllis bulb forcing. Kits are available readily or you can force the previous season’s bulb, provided you kept it in a dry location....

Although not classified as a different species, French tarragon herbs should not be confused with Russian tarragon, which has a less intense flavor. This tarragon herb is more likely to be encountered by the home gardener when propagated by seed, while French tarragon herbs are entirely propagated via vegetation. True French tarragon may also be found under the more obscure names of ‘Dragon Sagewort,’ ‘Estragon,’ or ‘German Tarragon.’ How to Grow French Tarragon Growing French tarragon plants will flourish when planted in dry, well-aerated soils with a neutral pH of 6....

About Freesia Seed Pods Freesias are native to South Africa. Freesia plants will naturalize over time, developing new little corms, which can be separated from the parent plant and set out individually, increasing the number of these sweetly scented blooms. Another way to increase your stock of the flowers is by planting from seed. First, you must harvest the freesia seed pods. They are an early season bloomer that prefer to flower before summer heat, when the plant will go mostly dormant....

Desert greening is the process of introducing species that thrive in the local conditions and contribute by adding biomass, nitrogen, and other items. The end result should ideally produce food for humans and animals, and take advantage of any source of water. Developing a desert food forest relies upon implementing important strategies combined with the proper selection of plants. What is a Desert Food Forest? Utilizing certain techniques, desert greening is possible....

Choosing Groundcover Plants for Beneficial Bugs Why choose a groundcover for “good” bugs? Selecting low plants that attract beneficial insects, like bees, to your yard and garden can improve vegetable yields by increasing pollination. At the same time, providing a beneficial insect environment for predator bugs helps reduce the number of harmful insects which damage edible crops and flowers. By adding groundcover and low plants that attract beneficial insects, gardeners can reduce or eliminate the need for harmful pesticides....

Morel mushroom growing conditions are difficult to pinpoint. Some are associated with certain trees, while others defy the rules and appear in disturbed soils. With all the fungi’s unique needs, some expert tips are necessary on how to grow morel mushrooms. If you love hearty, flavorful mushrooms, you may wonder, “Where do morels grow?” Avid mycologists are stumped by that question, too. Traditionally these mushrooms have resisted cultivation, but scientists are hard at work learning more about growing morel mushrooms....

Choosing Tropical Plants Most people are apprehensive when it comes to growing tropical plants because of their exotic appearance and hot, humid origins. While these plants may seem impossible to grow outside of a tropical rainforest, they are not. Some of the most commonly seen plants found growing in the jungle will also thrive in temperate regions. These can include: Ferns Hostas Bromeliads Wild ginger Bamboo Cycads, such as sago palms Palms Begonias Bananas Rhododendrons...

Are Thai Peppers Hot? The fruit of the Thai pepper plant is indeed hot, hotter than jalapenos or serranos. To really appreciate their fiery flavors, consider their Scoville rating at 50,000 to 100,000 heat units! Like all hot peppers, Thai chili peppers contain capsaicin which is responsible for their tongue-tingling heat and can burn skin for up to 12 hours. About Thai Pepper Plants Thai chili peppers were introduced into Southeast Asia hundreds of years ago by the Spanish conquistadors....

What is a Harmful Algal Bloom? Algae are very simple plants that form the base of aquatic food webs. They grow in water and photosynthesize like other plants. Under certain conditions, algae grow rapidly, forming large blooms. Some algal blooms are harmful because they produce toxic substances. The toxins move through the food chain, harming all kinds of animals, from plankton to large fish and marine mammals and birds. A bloom can occur in the ocean and in lakes....

The Harvesting of Coconut Trees Coconut is the most economically important of the palm family, and is grown as both a food crop as well as an ornamental. Coconuts are cultivated for their meat, or copra, which is pressed to release oil. The residual cake is then used to feed livestock. Coconut oil was the leading vegetable oil in use until 1962 when it was bypassed in popularity by soybean oil....

Growing a Japanese Herb Garden Up until the 1970s, plant imports were not very regulated. Because of this, for centuries immigrants to the U.S. from other countries, such as Japan, usually brought with them seeds or live plants of their favorite culinary and medicinal herbs. Some of these plants thrived all too well and became invasive, while others struggled and died in their new environment. In other cases, the early American immigrants realized that some of the same herbs already grew here....