What is a Bioretention System? Rain gardens are an important part of channeling and managing rain water. A bioretention system or stormwater planter is an innovative way of not only holding that water but allowing it to be purified before it is allowed to return to ground water or piped to main wild water sources. A bioretention planter also adds lively appeal to landscaping when appropriate filtering plants are present. A bioretention planter is a contained area with a flat bottom that is filled with plants....

About Tomato Sweetening All tomato varieties are not equal in the level of fruit sweetness. Homegrown doesn’t necessarily equal sweeter tasting. It turns out there are a number of factors in play with relation to tomato sweetening. The sweetness of a tomato is comprised of plant chemistry and other variables such as temperature, soil type and the amount of rain and sun given to the plant while growing. A balance of acidity and sugar are what make a tomato a tomato, and for some, those with a lower level of acidity and a higher level of sugar make for the best fruit....

Orchid Plant Types The variety of orchid plant types is amazing. Some bloom for weeks at a time, while others keep their flowers an amazing four months or more. Always check the tag that comes with the plant to determine the optimum temperature for your orchid. Choose one that fits in with your normal indoor environment, rather than trying to change your environment to fit the orchid. Different Varieties of Orchid Flowers As there are numerous orchid varieties to choose from, it would be impossible to list them all here, but some of the more common orchid plant types include:...

Organic and sustainable gardeners know that using copper in gardening repels slugs and snails without introducing harmful chemicals to the landscape. There are easy copper barriers to purchase or you can try a topical application of Bordeaux mixture to halt those munching pests in their tracks. Using Copper in Gardening Copper compounds are interesting substances that release ions that are toxic to some fungi and bacteria because they destroy proteins in plant tissue....

What are Joe-Pye Weed Flowers? Joe-pye weed flowers were named after a New England man that used the plant medicinally for helping people with typhus fever. In addition to its medicinal properties, both the flowers and seeds have been used in producing pink or red dye for textiles. In their native environment, these plants can be found in thickets and woodlands throughout the eastern half of North America. The plants are hardy from USDA Zones 4 through 9....

What to Grow in a Keto Garden Are you wondering what to grow in a keto-friendly vegetable garden? The following suggestions should pique your interest. Swiss chard – Swiss chard is healthy and easy to grow, and it’s also pretty to look at. The stalks can be eaten like celery, and the leafy tops are delicious raw or sautéed. Unlike many leafy vegetables, Swiss chard requires plenty of sunlight and tolerates heat as long as it’s well watered....

Preventing Leaf Drop on Plum Trees Control methods such as preventative tactics, cultural practices, and chemical control can be used to combat the issue, sometimes singularly or in conjunction. Most problems of leaf drop on your plum trees are cultural and environmental in nature, so examine these first. Some of these may include: Inadequate water or nutrients Space or sunlight inadequacies Deficient soil Low pH Temperature Root damage from cultivation...

Why Use Plants in the Living Room? Small space gardeners, those that live in capricious weather regions, and those of us who simply love plants everywhere we go often choose to decorate a living room with plants. The very words “living room” seem to conjure up things that are alive and natural influences. Living room houseplants may be in small pots, grow to the size of small trees, provide food or add a regional touch to the home....

About Low Light Indoor Plants The term “low light” can be very misleading. When you purchase a plant and the label includes it as a low light plant, it does not necessarily mean that these are indoor plants that need low light. It means that these are indoor plants that tolerate low light. Many of the houseplants that are sold are native to jungles around the world and grow on the forest floor....

What is Mounding Roses? Mounding roses is the building up of soil or mulch around the base of a rose bush and up onto the canes to a height of 6 to 8 inches (15-20.5 cm.). These mounds of soil or mulch help to keep the rose bush cold once they have gone through some freezing cold days and nights that have caused them to go dormant. I like to think of it as a time when the rose bushes are taking their long winter nap to rest up for a glorious spring....

Why Do Christmas Cacti Drop Their Leaves? Most frequently grown as a houseplant, it has the distinct property of blooming when the days are shortest, bringing color and brightness when most other plants are dying or settling in for the winter. This is all the more reason to be concerned when your Christmas cactus is losing leaves. Preventing and fixing leaf drop on Christmas cactus may be as simple as pinpointing the problem....

Don’t fret, there are some tricks to getting pumpkin blossoms and harvesting big, beautiful fruit. Fertilizers and some homemade sprays may be just the tip on how to get blooms on pumpkins that are reticent to flower. My Pumpkin Plant is Not Flowering What could cause non-blooming pumpkin plants? The most common reason is impatience. Pumpkin plants flower after plants have established and developed several vital stems. When do pumpkin plants flower?...

What is Ornamental Switchgrass? This clumping grass may grow 4 to 6 feet (1-2 m.) tall. It has fine bladed foliage and produces a feathery inflorescence in late summer, which may be deep red or purple. The flower plume will persist well into fall and bears glossy red seeds. The foliage is bluish green most of the time and produces a haze of soft color in the landscape. Switchgrass is a perennial plant that has incredible versatility and hardiness, growing well in USDA zones 5 to 9....

Black Foliage Plants Black mondo grass – Black mondo grass produces dense clumps of true black, strappy leaves. Mondo grass works well as a ground cover and is also happy in containers. Suitable for zones 5 through 10. Smoke bush – Purple smoke bush can be trained to a graceful, small tree or it can be trimmed to remain shrub size. The intense purple fades to a brownish hue in late summer and then bursts forth with bright red and orange in autumn....

Identifying Purslane Plants Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) is a succulent plant that will grow outward in a circle shape close to the ground. The fleshy red stems will have small green paddle shaped fleshy leaves. Purslane flowers are star-shaped and yellow in appearance. Purslane can be found in clear uncultivated or recently cultivated soil. How to Get Rid of Purslane Purslane weed is best dealt with while the plant is still young....

Can You Grow Plants in Plastic Pots? The simple answer to this question is, of course. Durability, lightweight, flexibility, and strength are some advantages of growing plants in plastic containers. Plastic pots and containers are excellent choices for moisture loving plants, or for those of us who are less than regular with irrigation. They are made in every color of the rainbow and are usually made of inert material, often recycled....

What is a Skirret Plant? According to the 1677 Systema Horticulurae, or the Art of Gardening, gardener John Worlidge referred to skirret as “the sweetest, whitest, and most pleasant of roots.” Native to China, skirret cultivation was introduced to Europe in classical times, brought to the British Isles by the Romans. Skirret cultivation was common in monastic gardens, gradually spreading in popularity and eventually making its way onto the tables of the medieval aristocracy....

What is Smilax? Smilax is also known as greenbrier and occasionally carrion vine, due to its intense, slightly unpleasant scent. Other names for the plant include catbrier, bamboo vine, and Jackson vine. It is a common forage food found along the east coast of the United States. Smilax plant uses throughout history range from food to medicinal. Noteworthy in Smilax information references is its potential use to treat dementia and Alzheimer’s....

What is Sorghum? If you grew up in the midwestern or southern United States, you may already be familiar with sorghum plants. Maybe you’ve woken to your grandmother’s hot biscuits slathered with oleo and drenched in sorghum syrup. Okay, more likely a great-great grandmother routinely made biscuits with syrup from sorghum plants since the popularity of sorghum as a sugar substitute peaked in the 1880’s. Sorghum is a coarse, upright grass used for grain and forage....

Methods of Lychee Propagation Lychees are common fruits in Asian cuisine. They are grown in subtropical to tropical regions of the world and thrive in Mediterranean climates. Methods of lychee propagation are grafting, air layering, or by cuttings. You could also grow them from seed, but trees can take more than 10 years to bear and fruit may not be true to the parent. The quickest and most popular method used by commercial and home growers is air layering, with an 80 percent chance of success....