What is an Oriental Lily? Asiatic and Oriental are two of the most popular forms of true lilies available. Asian lilies bloom in June to July while Oriental bulbs start to appear in August. Both are quite easy to grow with thick, rigid stems, strappy leaves and showy flowers. Oriental lily cultivars, however, tend to have larger flowers. Orientals also thrive in cooler regions and can tolerate less than ideal soil conditions....
What is False Freesia? Also called scarlet freesia, false freesia plants have had various taxonomical classifications, including Lapeirousia laxa, Anomatheca laxa, Anomatheca cruenta, and Freesia laxa. This African native grows in a clump with spiky iris-like leaves. False freesia leaves stay around 8 inches (20 cm.) tall. False freesia produces a cluster of six trumpet-shaped flowers per stem. Flower color can vary from white to shades of pinks and reds, depending on the variety....
Symptoms of Potatoes with Spindle Tuber Viroid Spindle tuber of potato disease is a pathogen whose main host is potatoes, but which may also affect tomatoes and solanaceous ornamentals. No obvious symptoms are observed in potatoes with mild strains of the disease, but severe strains are another story. With severe infections, potato foliage will be spindly with overlapping leaflets, sometimes upward rolling, often twisted and wrinkled. Leaves at ground level are often in an upright position rather than those in healthy plants which rest on the ground....
Check out these smart garden techniques and take home some inventive ideas that can help you in the landscape. What is Smart Gardening? Smart technology is all the rage, but did you know it translates to useful help in the garden? Whether you are a lazy or simply uninformed gardener, gardening with technology can help with chores and tasks common in the landscape. From smart irrigation systems to self-control lawn mowers, technology has its finger on the gardener’s pulse....
Growing White Petunia Plants Petunias are one of the most popular garden annuals. They can be used in beds, borders, containers and hanging basket. They’re low maintenance, heat tolerant and most varieties bloom from spring to fall. Petunias also attract helpful pollinators, such as bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. In mild weather locations, petunias may even self-sow, providing an abundance of blooms year after year. Because of their vast color varieties, petunias are also excellent for seasonal/holiday displays, such as patriotic red, white and blue beds or pots....
Why Are Peppers Hot? An ingredient called Capsaicin is what gives peppers their fiery spice. It is odorless and tasteless except for the hot element. How little or how much of this substance each pepper creates within depends on different factors. These factors have long been the subject of much research. What is Capsaicin? Capsaicinoids are the chemical produced in fruits of the plant. It is an oil-like compound, repelling water and is primarily located in the membranes of the fruit, as well as more lightly in the flesh....
Growing black cherries are conical to ovoid in shape. These rapidly growing deciduous trees turn beautiful shades of yellow-gold to red in the fall. Wild black cherry trees also bear 5-inch long white flowers in early spring which turn to tiny but juicy, reddish black edible berries during the summer months. Additional Information on Wild Black Cherry Trees The leaves and twigs of growing black cherries contain hydrocyanic acid, which has the potential to poison livestock or other animals when consumed in large quantities....
Why Butterfly Bush Leaves Are Yellow Butterfly bush is aptly named because it draws bees and butterflies but also emits a strong scent in the evening which attracts moths. This plant has beautiful 6 to 12 inch (15-31 cm.) long flower spikes but ashy green unremarkable foliage. If butterfly bush leaves are yellow, it might be due to plant stress or it might be an insect invasion. These vigorous growers are not subject to many disease or insect issues and are resilient enough that they don’t need regular babying....
Pests of Apples To properly devise a plan of attack against these marauders, we must first identify what they are. Unfortunately, there are numerous pests of apples just a few of which are: Round headed apple tree borer Apple maggot Codling moth Plum curculio San Jose scale Then there are secondary pests like: European red mites Red banded and oblique banded leafrollers Rosy apple aphids Green fruitworms Leafhoppers Japanese beetles Wooly apple aphids...
Are Artichokes Cold Hardy? Artichokes are native to the Mediterranean, which makes one think they wouldn’t tolerate the chill of winter very well. Surprisingly, given proper care, overwintering artichoke plants is very possible. The edible part of the plant is actually the flower head. When allowed to bloom, this is a neon purple that is quite stunning in its own right. Artichokes do not set flower buds until their second year of growth, so protecting artichokes in winter is essential....
Beet Plant Fertilizer Feeding beet plants is almost as important as soil tilth and water. Prepared beds should have organic matter worked into the soil to increase porosity and add nutrients, but beets are heavy feeders and will need supplemental nutrients during their growing period. The right combination of nutrients is important for knowing how to fertilize beets. The right kinds of nutrients mean bigger roots with a sweeter flavor. All plants need three major macro-nutrients: nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus....
Bellwort Wildflowers There are five species in this genus, Uvularia. This family of plants is named after the flower’s resemblance to the uvula as well as the curative powers the herb possesses for throat ailments. Merry bells is another name for this cheery little woodland herb. The native plants are part of a temperate understory forest ecosystem. Bellwort plants get up to 24 inches (61 cm.) tall and spread 18 inches (46 cm....
How to Get Rid of Invasive Plants Yard management includes keeping weeds and invasive flora out of the garden beds and lawn. This can be tricky on some plants due to underground stolons, deep taproots, and the ability to spring back from even a tiny bit of plant material. Natural invasive plant control methods include hand pulling or digging up the offensive specimen. Mechanical removal is often the simplest and doesn’t require a permit, special training, or chemicals....
Choosing Flowers For Hanging Baskets By far, intense sunlight and the speed at which soil moisture evaporates are the biggest concerns when hanging flower baskets in full-sun exposure. Choosing flowers which are well adapted to hot, dry conditions is recommended. Two popular choices are Calibrachoa and Black-eyed Susan vines. Also called million bells or trailing petunia, Calibrachoa were introduced in the 1990’s and soon became a favorite in hanging baskets for full sun and heat....
First Aid for Ailing Houseplants To keep your houseplants as healthy as possible, it helps to become familiar with some of the most common houseplant afflictions and their remedies. Browning leaf edges/tips: When the leaf edges are brown and crisp or new growth withers, your houseplant may be suffering from a variety of things such as low humidity or high temperatures. Likewise, the plant may have been allowed to dry out completely between watering intervals....
What is a Boysenberry? What’s a boysenberry? As mentioned, it’s an amazing, hybrid berry comprised of a mix of raspberries, blackberries, and loganberries, which in themselves are a mix of raspberries and blackberries. A vining perennial in USDA zones 5-9, boysenberries are eaten fresh or made into juice or preserves. Boysenberries look much akin to an elongated blackberry and, like blackberries, have a dark purple color and a sweet flavor with a hint of tartness....
Container Grown Milkweed Plants There are more than 100 species of milkweeds that grow in North America, and not all of them are hosts for the Monarch. Some draw Monarchs for nectar, but butterfly lovers are likely looking for those plants that encourage the dropping of tiny eggs on them. Let’s take a look at some that are native or naturalized plants and that can grow successfully in a container. These include:...
How to Grow Patio Vegetables Start by choosing a sunny location for your patio vegetable garden. Most garden plants require at least six hours of direct sunlight per day. Ideally, your location for growing vegetables on your porch will be near a faucet to facilitate watering, and the overall layout will be aesthetically pleasing. Next, determine how much room you have for growing vegetables on your porch. How many planters or pots will the space comfortably hold?...
Occasionally, you miss a few or the weather is extreme and you end up with freeze-damaged plants. You can’t always save these damaged individuals but there are some methods on how to treat frozen plants. Can you save a plant that has been frozen? The process works on some but the approach is on a case-by-case basis. You have nothing to lose by treating freeze damage to plants, and you might be surprised with the renewal of one of your garden favorites....
Caring for Sick Cyclamen Before you decide something is wrong, remember that the leaves on a healthy cyclamen plant turn yellow and drop off in summer. This is perfectly normal—the plant is just preparing to go dormant. After a summer nap, the leaves regrow. Indoor cyclamen diseases infect plants during the winter growing period. There is no cure for many of these diseases, and the best course of action is to discard them before the disease spreads to other plants....
