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Moving Plumeria Plants Established plants may suddenly no longer fit where they were growing. If a mature plant needs to be moved, plan a season ahead. At this time, cut around the root mass to sever some of the larger roots–also known as root pruning. This will stimulate new root growth, but roots will be easier to manage the next year when the plant is moved. Moving plumeria plants that are large can take a couple of gardeners....

How to Propagate Asiatic Lily Plants Asiatic lily is probably one of the most recognized of the lilies. Its impactful flowers and tall, elegant stems pack a real punch in the perennial flower garden. Asiatic lily propagation from seed is time consuming and may take two to six years to develop flowers. A quicker method to increase your stock of these plants is by division. A vegetative method using leaves is also possible but takes some serious patience....

Can You Grow Mesquite Trees from Cuttings? Mesquite trees can be propagated through seeds, grafts, or cuttings. Germination of seed is variable and requires special treatments. Grafts are the industry’s choice for speedy, true to parent plants. However, growing mesquite trees from cuttings may be easier and quicker. Young wood is easiest to root, while roots and suckers are also excellent choices for mesquite cutting propagation. Growing mesquite trees from cuttings also guarantees a clone of the parent plant, where seed grown trees exhibit genetic variation....

While you can go to almost any home improvement store or garden center and purchase adequate succulents, rare varieties, such as Turkish stonecrop (Rosularia spp.), may only be available in specialty nurseries or online. Many crafters, like myself, like to try out the latest trends while adding our own unique flare to these projects. Rosularia makes an excellent, unique addition to succulent crafts. Continue reading for more Rosularia information....

Benefits of Shade Gardening Shade gardens can have advantages over the more traditional, open sun gardens. The same tree that is blocking the sunlight is also providing a year-round structural focal point to enhance and complement your plantings. Walls and buildings offer a lovely backdrop to your beds while moderating temperature changes and protecting your plants from punishing winds. Just as sunny gardens allow you to grow certain plants those shady areas do not, reduced light areas permit growth of plants that cannot tolerate direct sunlight....

Overcrowding of rose bushes can lead to major problems with various diseases, fungal and others. Keeping our rose bushes spaced well allows for good oxygen movement through and around the rose bushes, thus helping keep the diseases at bay. The good oxygen movement also increases the overall health and performance of the rose bushes. Proper Spacing of Roses Depends on Where You Live We really cannot begin to know how far apart to plant our rose bushes without doing some research on them....

Summer Pear vs. Winter Pear The pear tree is native to coastal and temperate regions of Western Europe and North Africa and east across Asia. There are more than 5,000 varieties of pears! They are divided into two main groupings: the soft-fleshed European pears (P. communis) and the crisp, almost apple-like Asian pears (P. pyrifolia). European pears are best when ripened off the tree and are again divided into two categories: summer pears and winter pears....

About Tea Plant Seed Propagation Camellia sinensis, the tea plant, is an evergreen shrub that thrives in cool, moist regions where it attains heights of 20 feet (6 m.) with a broad 15-foot (about 4.5 m.) wide canopy. Growing tea from seeds is best accomplished in USDA zones 9-11. While tea plants are usually propagated via cuttings, it is possible to grow a tea plant from seed. Prior to germinating tea seeds, gather fresh seed in the mid to late fall, when the seed capsules are ripe and a reddish-brown color....

Out of Town Garden Care If you’re going to be gone for more than a few days, enlist somebody to provide plant care. Be sure it’s somebody you can trust, such as a friend or neighbor– preferably one who understands gardening and plant care. Better yet, work a deal to trade favors with a fellow gardener. Provide special instructions, such as a watering schedule and tips for plant care, including regular deadheading....

Groundcover for Sun and Shade This type of plant is used in a variety of other situations. Groundcover plants may trail or cascade over walls or rocks located in a garden or be used to draw attention to a hanging basket or other outside display container. These plants are also grown to alleviate erosion in sloping areas and to stop the spread of other plants that may be invasive. Take a good look at the area where you wish to add a groundcover and determine if it is primarily in the sun, the shade, or some combination of both....

Three Main Strawberry Varieties Picking the right strawberry cultivar requires a combined knowledge of hardiness, disease resistance, flavor, size, and time of fruiting. There are June-bearing, ever-bearing, and day-neutral strawberries, each with a different time and duration of fruiting. You can also go all out and plant each of the three different types of strawberries in the garden. Just be prepared for the berry onslaught as the summer rolls around. Time of bearing is a major divider in the classes of strawberries....

Creating Water-Efficient Landscapes Many people associate water-efficient landscapes with sand, gravel, cactus or scarce plantings, and a desert-looking appearance. On the contrary, a successful water-efficient garden is a balanced landscape that uses water efficiently and balances the lawn area, shrubs, and flowers with the surrounding hardscape. By applying a few simple guidelines, your lawn and garden can cope with drought conditions while minimizing water waste, as all too often water is applied inadequately, resulting in significant waste due to over watering, evaporation, or runoff....

Vegetable Garden Books to Munch on This Fall We think it’s time to talk about books on vegetable gardening that have been published recently. There’s always something new to learn about growing vegetables and there’s nothing more comforting on a cool day than thumbing through books on vegetable gardening as we wait for the next spring planting season. So, if you’re into growing vegetables and need some current vegetable gardening info, read on....

Greenhouse Irrigation Water for greenhouses may be piped in professionally or brought in through a hose or drip system. Whichever method you use in your approach, the creation of timing, flow amounts, zones, and type of delivery are all part of greenhouse irrigation. Simple Water for Greenhouses Unless you are growing xeriscape plants, your greenhouse denizens need water. Greenhouse watering systems may be sophisticated in-ground plumbed constructions or just a simple hose and some sprayers....

Lawn Watering Guidelines Here are the basic guidelines for when and how to water your lawn more effectively. When to Water Lawns The best time to water lawns is when the grass begins to show signs of stress. A stressed lawn will look slightly wilted with a bluish-green tint instead of its usual emerald green. If footprints or lawnmower tracks remain on the grass 30 minutes after you mow or walk across it, the lawn is stressed....

What is Hugelkulture Bed? Layered garden beds are nothing new. Lasagna or sheet gardening is an element of landscaping where you flip your sod and layer it with newspaper, cardboard, straw, or other carbon materials and then soil. The resulting layers compost quickly and add tilth and nutrients to the soil. Hugelkultur garden beds have much the same purpose. Instead of sod, however, these rely upon a basis of logs and branches....

Oxblood Lily Info Oxblood lily (Rhodophiala bifida) is a fall blooming plant which goes dormant in summer. The blooms look similar to amaryllis, but the two plants are not related. Each bloom is only open for 2 to 3 days, but the flowering clump will produce for up to a month. The bulbs are not common in many parts of North America but can be found quite extensively in Texas where they were first introduced....

What is Garden Upcycling? Upcycled garden projects are all over sites like Etsy, Pinterest, and others. Creative gardeners are eager to share their artistic approach to recycling in the garden. All it takes are a few interesting items and some crafting ingredients along with an interest in creating new forms of art work. We aren’t all artists, but with some guidance even the novice can fashion some fun and quirky statements for the landscape....

What is Wasabi? The hot, delicious green paste is derived from the wasabi vegetable root. Wasabi vegetable root is a member of the Brassicaceae family, which includes cabbage, mustard, and horseradish. In fact, wasabi is often referred to as Japanese horseradish. Wasabi plants are native perennials found along stream beds in mountain river valleys in Japan. There are several varieties of wasabi and amongst them are: Wasabia japonica Cochlearia wasabi Wasabi koreana Wasabi tetsuigi Eutrema japonica...

What’s Wrong with My Chicory? Chicory is a perennial herb native to the Mediterranean. It grows quite tall on stiff stems, producing green leaves and daisy-type flowers with sky-blue petals. Some gardeners grow chicory as ornamental plants, while others consider it a vegetable crop. The type of chicory you select depends on how you intend to use the plant. Chicory grows like a weed in Europe and has naturalized along road ways and open spaces in this country....