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Why Won’t My Asters Bloom? A blooming aster is a welcome sight. No matter the season, the cheery, daisy-like flowers always seem to light up the garden. Although generally pretty hardy, asters can seriously disappoint when they refuse to bud or flower. If your aster plants don’t bloom, don’t worry, fixing an aster with no flowers isn’t that difficult once you find the reason behind it. Growing asters is usually a pretty simple undertaking until it isn’t....

Planting wildlife container habitats is an excellent way for those with little space to attract bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. You’ll be helping other small wildlife creatures too. Wildlife Habitat in Pots In planting a wildlife container habitat, consider the selection of your container. By selecting plants of various sizes and bloom periods, you can craft unique and visually appealing pots. Potted wildlife gardens are only limited by your imagination....

What Causes Hibiscus Leaves Turning Yellow? The hibiscus leaf turns yellow as a way of signaling a specific need. Many factors contribute to hibiscus leaf yellowing. Becoming familiar with these factors allows you to fix the underlying issue before it becomes a problem. Nutrient deficiency causing hibiscus yellow leaves If your hibiscus is suffering from a nutrient deficiency, the leaves will turn partially yellow but remain on the plant. This can be easily corrected by adding fertilizer or amending the soil....

Flowering Vines in Cold Climates Gardeners tend to want variety in the landscape and it is tempting to purchase non-native flowering vines in summer. But be wary, these plants are usually reduced to annual status in colder climes where winter’s harshness will kill the root zone and plant. Growing hardy flowering vines that are native can reduce this waste and encourage wildlife in the landscape. Bougainvillea, jasmine, and passion flower vines are spectacular landscape additions, but only if you live in the correct zone....

Diseases of Zucchini Plants Zucchini plants are one of the easiest vegetables to grow. Provided with full sun, well-drained soil with plenty of organic matter worked into it, and water, courgettes will faithfully produce fruit all summer long. In fact, you may be giving it to friends and neighbors because the plant produces more than you can eat. The only things that can diminish this rampant growth are zucchini problems like insects and disease....

Is Alpaca Manure Good Fertilizer? Using alpaca manure as fertilizer is beneficial. Even with its lower organic content, alpaca manure is considered a rich soil conditioner. Alpaca fertilizer improves the soil quality and its ability to retain water. It is also good for plants, providing a fair amount of nitrogen and potassium and about average levels of phosphorus. Since alpaca manure is mostly found in pellet form and doesn’t have the same components as other livestock feeders, like cows and horses, it does not need to be aged or composted before use....

Training Plants up Porch Railings Growing plants along a porch railing can be a good way to conserve space in areas where this may be limited. While there are a number of suitable vines to choose from, some are better than others. Many vining plants will climb up and cling to your porch railing without much assistance, while others need a little help. To ensure that your chosen plant will cling vigorously, it’s a good idea to do some training initially and even as it grows....

About Blackberry Planting Blackberries are a common sight in many regions of the United States, eaten fresh or used in baked goods or preserves. Those who pick the wild rambling berries do so forearmed with the knowledge that the prickly vines are likely to inflict some damage whilst plucking the tender fruit. The good news is that growing blackberry bushes in the home garden doesn’t have to be an exercise in pain; there are new thornless cultivars available....

Canna Lily Pests The large, funnel-shaped spikes and brilliant, Flamenco dancer colors announce the blooming period of a Canna. They are marvelous plants with a tropical flair and an amazing ability to reproduce themselves as rhizomes replicate. Generally, a sunny location with well-draining soil and average water is enough to ensure summer blooms and healthy, glossy, broad leaves. Occasional pest problems do occur, as in any plant. Pests of Canna lilies usually come under the categories of sucking and chewing insects....

Tansy Plant Info The herb garden was the center of the home in the Middle Ages and eras prior. Today’s tansy uses in the garden are much more limited due to modern pharmaceuticals and different tastes over the years. However, this forgotten herb provides ornamental appeal and still packs all the medicinal and culinary wallop of the past. It is up to us to rediscover the healthy, natural tricks of our ancestors and decide for ourselves if herbal lore is useful to us today or simply an attractive addition to the perennial garden....

Difference Between Catnip and Catmint Many people wonder what is the difference between catnip and catmint. While basically considered the same plant as they share many of the same characteristics, there are differences between the two species. Catnip (Nepeta cataria) has less ornamental value in the garden than its catmint (Nepeta mussinii) counterpart. Catnip is also found to be highly attractive to cats, with many of them exhibiting a naturally induced euphoria around the plant....

Help, My Cauliflower Turned Purple! It happened to me the first time I grew cauliflower in my home garden; my cauliflower turned purple. It was my first foray into vegetable growing, about 20 years or more ago. Everything was an experiment. The Internet was more or less non-existent, so I often relied on my mother or aunt to clue me in on gardening problems and possible solutions. Thankfully, they told me this purple tint on cauliflower was not a disease, fungus or pest....

Choosing Shrubs for the Landscape Shrubs have many uses within the landscape such as foundation plantings, privacy hedges, and specimen plants. They can be used as backdrops, to define garden beds, and to simply add seasonal interest. Foliage differs from plant to plant, so look for foliage colors that will create a pleasing visual effect and subtle contrast to the other plants within the landscape. Fall foliage colors can range from silver, gold, and variegated varieties to red, purple, and dark green....

Gardening Tasks for Winter: Pruning When cleaning gardens over winter, the first item on the list is to remove all fading annuals and veggies. Ideally, you would perform garden cleaning in the fall, but if the days got away from you, do it now. These may be composted unless they show signs of disease of insect infestation. Next, it’s time for the lopper and pruning shears. If you haven’t done so already, cut back all perennials that either die back in the winter or benefit from dormant pruning....

Columbines (Aquilegia) are beautiful, flowering perennial plants for any garden or landscape. My home state of Colorado is also known as the Columbine State, as many columbine varieties grow well here. The traditional columbines that can be seen in the mountains here, as well as in several home gardens or landscaped settings, are typically pretty, white-centered blooms with purple or blue-black petals or bonnets. There are many varieties available these days though....

Managing Dracaena Pests Check regularly for dracaena pest problems. Take a look underneath the sword-like leaves, on the trunk, and at the base. A white cottony or waxy mass can indicate mealybugs or soft scale. If you find just a few bugs that eat dracaena, you may blast them off with a strong spray of water. Mealybugs go through stages, with the juvenile stage of crawlers doing the most damage. These pests cause stunting and leaf drop....

Common Viburnum Diseases Viburnum shrubs are very adaptable plants. That means they rarely have any disease issues. Common viburnum bush diseases encompass those caused by fungus, while other disease issues are rare. In most cases, correct siting of plants, adequate air circulation, and good watering practices can prevent these soil or air borne problems. Plants under stress are most prone to lasting damage from these types of illnesses. Foliage The most prevalent diseases affecting viburnums are fungal diseases of the foliage....

What is Eating My Pepino Melon? A relative rarity in the United States, but attaining some popularity, is the pepino melon. Native to the Andean region of South America, these small fruit are not actually melons at all but members of the nightshade family. Thus, the insects that feed on pepino melons are generally those that feed on members of the Solanaceae family, which includes tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplant. Pepino melons are delicious with a taste like honeydew melon and cantaloupe....

Ponytail palms are inexpensive, fun little houseplants with slow growth and minimal care needs. Place the little plant in full sun and water sparingly and normally it will continue its tortoise-paced growth and give you no trouble. About the only problem with these plants is overwatering. Can You Trim Ponytail Palm? Let’s be clear on the difference between trimming and pruning. Trimming may be done with shears and generally refers to the removal of the tips of leaves....

What Defines Steep Sloping Lawns? Steep sloping lawns are those that have a grade of 20% or more. A 20% grade rises one foot (31 cm.) in height for every 5 feet (1.5 m.) of distance. To put this into perspective, it’s dangerous to mow horizontally with a riding tractor on slopes with a 15% or greater grade. At this angle, tractors can overturn. In addition to mowing issues, growing grass on a slope becomes more difficult as the grade becomes steeper....