When to Pick Figs Wait until the figs are ripe to harvest. Figs will not continue to ripen after they are picked like many other fruits. You can tell that it is time for harvesting figs when the fruit necks wilt and the fruits hang down. If you pick a fig fruit too early, it will taste horrible; ripe fruit is sweet and delicious. As long as the fruit is still perpendicular to the stem, it is not ready to be picked....
Reusing Cardboard for the Garden When you think about it, cardboard is just a form of paper and comes from a natural source, trees. As a natural source, it will break down and release carbon into the soil. Garden upcycling with cardboard has many more benefits, however. You can use it as planters, to start a garden path, mulch a prepared bed, start a new bed and much more. It is important what type of cardboard you use in your landscape....
What are Gesneriads? Houseplant lovers will recognize many of the species in the Gesneriaceae family. Many of the plants make excellent indoor specimens and their wildly diverse forms make them a collector’s dream. Gesneriad culture can be challenging or stimulating, depending which way you look at it, but it is never dull. These plants often have sensitive systems to things like lighting, soil, and even water temperature and type, so growing gesneriad plants can be a challenge....
What Is a Goth Garden? Popular in the Victorian era, these once picturesque gardens used to be the equivalent to a fun-filled theme park in their day. Loaded with carefully orchestrated effects and morbid reflections of death, the gothic garden drew crowds then for the same reason horror flicks grab our attention today– a good scare. This, of course, need not always be the case. Gothic garden design can take on a more magical concept too, depending on the gardener....
Evergreen Plants for Indoor Décor Many types of greenery are suitable for indoor decorating, but the best choices are types that dry out slowly at warm indoor temperatures. Possibilities include: Pine Fir Cedar Juniper Boxwood Holly Ivy Yew Spruce Most of these retain their freshness for up to a month if they are kept cool. Looking for more natural décor ideas? Join us this holiday season in supporting two amazing charities working to put food on the tables of those in need, and as a thank you for donating, you’ll receive our latest eBook, Bring Your Garden Indoors: 13 DIY Projects for the Fall and Winter....
The Strophanthus Preussii Plant Strophanthus preussii plant hails from forest areas of Africa. It prefers moist areas and flowers in the first part of the dry season, with fruit forming at the end of the dry period. Once the rains arrive, it commences woody and foliar growth, getting nearly 40 feet in length in its native habitat. In cultivation, you can expect it to be significantly shorter. Strophanthus cultivation is not for the novice gardener, as this plant is very particular about its care and situation....
Smaller succulent plants often take on the form of bonsai, but you can also promote the shape. There are many succulents for bonsai, but the jade plant is probably one that is most frequently used. Traditional bonsai are planted in shallow dishes, which means they have little room for roots and will often need root pruning to keep the plant small. With succulents as bonsai, you generally won’t need to root prune....
Growing Kiwi in Zone 6 Kiwi are outstanding vines for the landscape. They produce beautiful leaves on reddish-brown stems that add ornamental appeal to an old fence, wall, or trellis. Most hardy kiwis require a male and female vine to produce fruit, but there are is one cultivar that is self-fruiting. Zone 6 kiwi plants take up to 3 years to begin producing fruit, but during this time you can train them and enjoy their elegant, yet vigorous vines....
While they have few problems with pests, sucking insects can cause distorted foliage and make hibiscus leaves all sticky. This is honeydew on tropical hibiscus or perennial plant leaves. It can cause sooty mold and problems for plant’s photosynthetic process. Hibiscus Leaves All Sticky A tropical hibiscus with sticky leaves or your hardy perennial in the garden with sooty black moldy leaves, both have the same problem. The honeydew on tropical hibiscus and perennials causes a gummy coating, which can be host and fuel to fungal spores that cause the sooty mold fungus....
How Do Cranberry Plants Reproduce? Cranberries do, of course, have seeds, but sowing seeds isn’t the usual method for cranberry propagation. Usually, cuttings or seedlings are used for reproducing cranberries. That isn’t to be said that propagating via seed can’t be done. Sowing cranberries from seed just requires patience and perseverance, as they can take anywhere from three weeks to several months to germinate. How to Propagate Cranberries If you want to propagate cranberries using cuttings or seedlings, remember that the plant will not start to fruit until it’s about three years old....
How to Decorate with Plants Indoors The larger the room you are working with, the bigger and more numerous the plants can be. Let’s face it, a single small green plant looks lost in a large empty space. Several flowering plants in a basket or arranged in small pots on the same table can serve as a beautifully colorful accent to a room. Tree-like plants have great importance in the sense of decorating....
Foraging Vines For Wreaths You can find grapevine wreath forms at any craft store, but it’s a lot more fun to create your own! The best time to harvest vines is late fall through early winter when leaves are falling and vines are starting to go dormant. If you harvest vines in late winter or early spring when the sap starts to flow (think maple syrup season), then your vines are likely to snap instead of bend....
Using Fertilizer for Preparing Soil for Bulbs For fertilizing bulbs, fertilizers can be inorganic which means they are chemically treated or laboratory created. They can also be organic, which means they came from natural or once-living sources. Your plants won’t care which one you use, but depending on your beliefs, you can choose the type that best fits in with your feelings on the issue. Inorganic fertilizers are more readily available, but be careful when using these, as fertilizing bulbs with inorganic fertilizer can burn roots, the basal plate, or even the leaves if the plant comes in direct contact with the fertilizer....
The goals of bird of paradise pruning are to remove old plant matter, thin the leaves, and take out damaged stems. Bird of paradise (Strelitzia reginae) is one of those plants that you don’t forget. It’s not just their sheer size and impressive foliage but the plant’s namesake blooms. Near life-sized crane’s heads in bright, exotic plumage are the focal point of this extraordinary tropical plant. The flowers will last 2 to 3 weeks before dropping petals and dying....
Information About Inula Plants Inula is a bushy herbaceous summer flowering plant. It blooms from July to October in most zones and produces 5-inch (12.7 cm.) blooms with slender rayed petals in yellow and deep orange-yellow. Most species are hardy to USDA planting zones 5 to 8. Inula is a low maintenance plants that usually get only about 1 to 1 ½ feet (30 to 45.7 cm.) tall with a similar spread....
All plants require pollination in order to make seeds and fruit, but sometimes Mother Nature, or even we gardeners, can prevent plants that need pollinators from getting the pollination that they need. What is Insect Pollination? Many types of animals are part of the pollination process. Some of these include bats, birds and even land mammals, but the most common pollinators are insects. Insect pollination is crucial to most gardens and is as simple as insects like bees, butterflies and wasps flying from flower to flower in order to collect nectar....
It’s tempting to think that the secret to a perfect garden is to drown unwanted weeds with chemicals. However, there are ways to weed your garden naturally. For the sake of the environment – and your pocketbook – herbicides should always be a last resort when all else fails. Read on to learn about controlling weeds without chemicals. Types of Weeds Before you begin your quest to weed your garden naturally, it may help to have a basic understanding of types of weeds....
While it’s all very well to tidy up the garden in winter, moderation is the key. As you work your way through fall garden chores, such as clearing out garden beds and raking up leaves, here are some fall cleanup tips to keep in mind. Lawn and Garden Cleanup As autumn brings cooler temperatures and brisk breezes, many gardeners start on their regular lawn and garden cleanup. The list of fall garden chores usually includes clearing out annual beds, cutting back perennials and raking up autumn leaves....
Lifesaver Cactus Plants Lifesaver plants can produce amazing 5-pointed, star-like blooms with zebra stripes and a thickened center that resembles a root beer-flavored Lifesaver. If this isn’t enough to intrigue you, they have fascinating 4-sided stems with soft teeth along the edges. In lower light situations, these are deeply green, but they attain a reddish tinge in full sun. These are not frost-hardy but you can try growing Huernia cactus on the patio in summer with some protection from the midday sun....
Choosing Low Light Flowering Houseplants Low light indoor plants are an excellent way to add greenery, but what about color? A low light indoor plant with flowers is harder to come by, but not impossible. Here are some great choices for houseplants that bloom with little light: African Violets – These are among the best flowers for low light indoors. African violets can bloom almost continually year round if they are kept happy....
