Of the approximately ten species of echinacea that grow natively throughout the United States and into Canada, most are easily recognizable, bearing the telltale, prominent, brown to black, seed-producing center cone with bright purple to pink petals that arch down from the center. However, one native variety, known as Echinacea paradoxa, stands out from other native echinacea plants. The “paradox” indicated in this variety’s name comes from the fact that it is the only native echinacea to produce yellow petals rather than the traditional pink to purple colored petals of the most naturally occurring species....

Cold Hardy Clematis If someone mentions clematis, even novice gardeners usually know what plant is being cited. These vigorous vining plants have several pruning and blooming classes, which are important to note, but their hardiness is another trait required when purchasing these lovely flowering vines. Clematis vines in cold climates should be able to survive the extreme temperatures that often occur. Extended winters with excessive cold temperatures can kill the root system of any plant that is not adapted to that level of cold....

Most plants have green leaves, so the question is: What plants have red berries? Read on for 10 great trees and shrubs with beautiful Christmas-red berries. What Plants Have Red Berries? Red berries on shrubs are more common than you might think, but not all bear fruit around the holidays. Some bloom in spring and fruit in summer, like high bush and low bush cranberries, strawberries, and raspberries; here and gone before the first frost....

Pruning Rhododendron Guide Although there is often little need for pruning rhododendrons, especially in naturalized settings, these shrubs respond well to the occasional trimming. In fact, excessive growth may require a heavy pruning. Trimming rhododendrons is typically done for maintenance, shaping, and rejuvenation– as is the case for overgrown plants. The most common type of pruning is maintenance pruning, which simply involves the removal of spent flowers and old, dead wood....

What are Facing Walls and Windows? The direction the wall faces the sun can either increase or decrease the amount of sunlight a plant gets, as well as determine the amount of shelter the plant receives. Facing walls can also help or hinder where rainfall is concerned. If you stood still and watched your shadow as the sun moved, you would have some idea of how to use facing walls and windows....

Chasing Aesthetic Room Plants There are many reasons to collect and care for houseplants, and aesthetics is a big one. Plants in the home can make your air cleaner, boost your mood, and ease stress, but owning plants simply because they look good is valid. To maintain your stunning collection of aesthetically pleasing houseplants, you need to keep searching. Here are five beautiful plants you might not have considered and that would look good in any home....

Basil Plant Flowering If your basil plant has flowered, the question of what to do depends on what you are growing the herb for. Basil is a member of the mint family, Lamiaceae, with over 40 known varieties. Most folks grow it for its aromatic and flavorful foliage, redolent of mint and clove with slight peppery notes. Although basil is most often associated with the Mediterranean or Italy, the herb actually originated in Asia– Thailand, Vietnam, and parts of India– where it is often grown as a perennial....

Staving Off Bay Tree Diseases Bay trees are remarkably adaptable in USDA zones 8 to 10. This perennial is really more of a large bush than a tree, but it accommodates shearing into almost any form. Bay laurel has a fairly rapid growth rate at 12 to 24 inches (30 to 61 cm.) per year. It is a low maintenance plant with few requirements or problems. In the event of any issues in this stoic plant, it’s important to learn how to treat a sick bay tree and what the most common diseases are that occur in this plant....

What is Companion Planting Companion planting, also called intercropping, is the practice of growing two or more crops in close proximity. Using the three sisters as an example, consider the benefits each plant offers: Beans fix nitrogen into the soil which is utilized by the corn and squash.Corn provides a support for the beans to climb.Squash acts as a living mulch. Plus, the prickly leaves deter deer and raccoons from the corn and beans....

These tough plants tolerate a variety of conditions and are hardy in USDA plant hardiness zones 5 through 9. Find out more about butterfly bush planting and care. Butterfly Bush Planting Planting a butterfly bush in an optimum location minimizes the time you’ll spend on maintenance. Choose a sunny or partly shaded area where the soil is well-drained. Soil that is constantly wet encourages rot. When planted in good quality garden soil, a butterfly bush rarely needs fertilizer....

Can I Save Seed Potatoes for Next Year? There are many schools of thought with regards to saving seed potatoes for planting the successive year. Many people say to just use USDA certified seed potatoes. This will indeed be the most direct route to a healthy, disease free crop of spuds, but these seed potatoes can also be quite pricey. Although a cheaper idea, attempting to use non-organic supermarket potatoes for seed is not recommended, as they are often treated with chemicals to prevent sprouting during storage; hence, they will likely not sprout after planting....

Growing Daphne Plants Before you decide that this fragrant beauty is just what you want, there are a couple of things you should know about daphne. First of all, the plant is poisonous. In fact, it is so toxic that chewing on the flowers, foliage, or red berries can be fatal. You should never plant daphne shrubs where pets or children play. Another potential problem with daphne is that it is known to die suddenly and seemingly without cause....

Cassia Tree Info If you live anywhere north of growing zone 10b and don’t have a climate controlled greenhouse, the answer is probably no. If you do meet one of those requirements, you’re in luck. Cassia tree info tells us that, depending on the species, these trees come in evergreen, semi-evergreen, and deciduous types with brilliant pink, orange, red, white, or yellow flowers. Yellow is the most common flower type and gives the tree one of its many common names, the gold medallion tree....

Drift Rose Companion Plants Drift roses were created by crossing ground cover roses with miniature rose bushes. The beautiful colors of the drift roses add a very nice touch to rose beds. Drift roses make great companion plantings in rose beds with some of the leggy shrub rosebushes and Grandiflora, hybrid tea rosebushes, and even at the base of some climbers. While being a great companion plant themselves, there are also some other garden designs using drift roses as the main feature planting....

When fungal diseases, such as tar spot or powdery mildew, are in an area, unless your landscape is in its own protective bio-dome, it is susceptible. You can take preventative measures, treat your own plants with fungicides and be religious about garden clean up, but you can’t catch every airborne spore or infected leaf that may blow into your yard. Fungus happens. So what do you do in autumn when you have a yard full of fungal infected fallen leaves?...

The first step is identification, as many types of sedge weed control are specific and there are more than 12 varieties of problem sedge. These are some of the more common found in lawns: Yellow Nut Sedge (Cyperus esculentus) Purple Nut Sedge (Cyperus rotundus) Annual Sedge, Watergrass (Cyperus compressus) Cylindric Sedge (Cyperus retrorsus) Globe Sedge (Cyperus croceus syn. Cyperus globulosus) Read your herbicide labels carefully for instructions on how to control sedge....

Common Cosmos Flower Types For home gardeners, the most common cosmos flower types are Cosmos bippanatus and Cosmos sulphureus. These varieties of cosmos flowers can be further broken down into specific types, or cultivars. Cosmos bippanatus Cosmos bippanatus cultivars display cheerful, daisy-like flowers with yellow centers. The plants, native to Mexico, usually top out at 2 to 5 feet (61 cm. to 1.5 m.) but may attain heights of up to 8 feet (2 m....

There are many types of daisies available in commerce today. Most belong to the Asteraceae family with 1,500 genera and 23,000 species. While some of them look like the classic daisies of childhood, others come in bright colors and different shapes. Read on for information about daisy plant varieties as well as tips for growing different daisy cultivars. Different Types of Daisies The term “daisy” comes from “day’s eye.” Plants called daisies close at night and open in the morning light....

Flowering dogwoods range in color from white to pink or red and generally bloom for about two to four weeks in early spring. They also add summer and fall color, with rich green foliage color in summer and reddish purple leaves during fall. This is oftentimes followed by brilliant red berries in winter. Proper dogwood care will bring these lovely trees to their height of beauty. How to Grow Dogwood Trees In their natural habitat, dogwoods are understory trees, which are generally surrounded or protected by other larger trees....

For many years, along with co-workers, I would water each individual plant with a hose and rain wand. Yes, it really is as time consuming as it sounds. Then four years ago, I started working for a landscape company/garden center with a drip irrigation system that waters all the tree and shrubs. While this may sound like a huge part of my workload was eliminated, drip irrigation has its own set of challenges and drawbacks....