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Gardening in regions with little ambient humidity or precipitation can be challenging. Such conditions explain the American southwest. There are 4 deserts: the Great Basin, Sonoran, Chihuahua, and Mojave. These regions are very dry but experience a brief rainy season. Plants must be able to withstand such arid and hot conditions. Native Arizona bushes and other plants of the region are best accustomed to the natural weather patterns and will establish more quickly than imported plants....

Anyone lucky enough to be growing this plant may be wondering how to harvest starfruit once mature. This article can help with that. Starfruit Harvest Time Carambola trees grow in warm climates. As a warm-weather, fruit-bearing plant, starfruit trees don’t require a chill period to promote spring blooming and fruit production. As such, starfruit trees are a bit unusual in that they don’t necessarily bloom in a particular season. This means starfruit harvest time can vary throughout the year....

Sweet Broom Info A common bit of sweet broom info is its relation to the pea family or Fabaceae. This is evident in its bloom form, and also means the plant has the capacity to fix nitrogen in soil. The plant was popular for its rapid growth and low sweet broom shrub care. But is sweet broom invasive? It was used by the United States transportation department to colonize disturbed roadsides after building trans-continental roads and to enhance soil properties but is now considered invasive in some regions....

Vacation Care for Houseplants First of all, the health of your houseplants will depend on the length of time in which you are away. Care of houseplants for short periods If you only plan on being gone for a short period of time, say less than a week, there are a few things you should do before leaving. The day before you leave for your trip, gather up all of your houseplants, removing any dead leaves or flowers, and give them a good, thorough soaking, draining all excess water from their saucers....

Teacup Fairy Garden Ideas Even with limited skills, you can design a teacup garden that’s unique and expressive. To make traditional teacup mini gardens, begin by drilling a small hole in the bottom of a discarded teacup. Place one or more tablespoons of pea gravel in the bottom of the cup. Use the saucer as a drip tray. Next, fill the cup with good quality potting soil. Use a mix containing vermiculite, perlite or peat moss to facilitate drainage....

The ability to teach and interest them in growing beautiful green things will allow them to develop a love for the world and the natural hum of its cycles. Small children are endlessly fascinated with plants and the growing process, but gardening with teens poses more of a challenge. Their self introspection makes outside garden activities for teens a hard sell. Interesting garden activities for teens will bring them back to this wholesome family activity....

Although it is possible to acquire almost any cultivar or variety these days from a specialty plant store, the idea of gifting plants has not lost its appeal. But before you organize a pass-along-plant sale or plant swap, you may be interested to hear more about the history of this American tradition. Pass It Along Plants Was the term “passalong plants” first used by Steve Bender and Felder Rushing in their book of that name published some decades ago?...

What is a Virginia Peanut? Virginia peanut plants do not bear “true nuts,” such as those that grow overhead in trees. They are legumes, which produce edible seeds in pods underneath the ground, so planting and harvesting Virginia peanuts are easy tasks for the average gardener. Virginia peanut plants are high-yielding, and they produce larger seeds than other peanut types. Virginia Peanut Information Virginia peanut plants produce peanuts after a unique life cycle....

Observing the Water Cycle in the Garden Learning about the water cycle is an important part of basic earth science, ecosystems, and botany. Simply observing the movement of water through your yard and garden is one easy way to teach this lesson to your children. The basic concept about the water cycle to teach children is that water moves through the environment, changing forms and constantly recycling. It is a finite resource that changes but never goes away....

Maybe you have no garden space or very little or maybe it’s the dead of winter, but either way, you’d love to grow your own greens and herbs. The solution could be right at your fingertips – a countertop kitchen garden. Interested in learning how to make a countertop garden? The following article contains some terrific countertop garden ideas or inspiration for an idea of your own. What is a Countertop Kitchen Garden?...

About the Round Head Shovel Gardeners know that the right tool, used in the right way, can ensure success on every task. We treasure our tools like a chef treasures his/her knives. Round point shovel uses extend past digging to scooping and are useful in transplanting, trenching, moving compost or mulch, and many more applications. Taking care of the tool will extend its life when its edges are kept sharp and the shovel is clean and dry....

What is Cucuzza Squash? Cucuzza is a summer squash in the botanical family of Lagenaria, which boasts a plethora of other varieties. This edible squash is related to the calabash, also known as water gourd or bird’s nest gourd. A vigorous squash, fruit is born from vines that can grow 2 feet (61 cm.) a day. The fruits are straight, green gourds, occasionally with a minor curve to them. The skin is dark green and medium hard....

How to Help Robins in My Yard Glorious inhabitants of our backyards and open spaces, these common red-breasted birds may overwinter in cold regions or go to warmer climates. In areas where they stay for the cold season, robins in winter may need a little help with food and habitation. Some tips on how to help winter robins will help preserve these lovely birds and give you a close up look at their breeding and life cycles....

Growing Chocolate Mimosa Not only is the deep chocolate hue of the foliage unusual and elegant, but it also makes care of chocolate mimosa trees easier. The darker foliage makes the tree both accepting of heat and drought tolerant, according to chocolate mimosa information. Deer dislike the odor of the leaves, so you don’t have to worry about these animals munching up your tree. You’ll appreciate the unusual leaf color, but you’ll also love the 1 to 2 inch (2....

Blackberry Agrobacterium Diseases There are a few agrobacterium diseases of blackberries: cane gall, crown gall, and hairy root. All are bacterial infections that enter the plant through wounds and create galls or tumors on either the canes, crowns, or roots. Cane gall is caused by the bacteria Agrobacterium rubi, crown gall by A. tumefaciens, and hairy root by A. rhizogenes. Both cane and crown galls may afflict other bramble species. Cane galls occur most commonly in the late spring or early summer on fruiting canes....

Signs of Excessive or Inadequate Aloe Watering Excessive aloe plant watering can cause it to rot, often killing these beautiful and useful succulents. Watering an aloe can be tricky because they will suffer with too much water but can shrivel and die with too little. In the absence of a moisture meter, doling out the proper amount can be difficult. In order to keep those glorious sword-like leaves thick and healthy while preventing root damage, a hands-on approach is warranted....

Reasons for Fig Tree Ants Botanically speaking, fig is not exactly a fruit; it is a special structure called synconium, which protects a bunch of tiny flowers that are arranged within its cavity. There is a small opening called ostiole, or eye, through which wasps enter the chamber inside and fertilize the flowers. When the fig is ripe, other insects (including ants) also enter the fruit through this opening to take a free meal....

Are Juniper Berries Poisonous? First, it is important to take a closer look at what we consider a juniper berry. Juniper is a conifer that occurs naturally in many parts of the world. They can be found in the forms of small sprawling shrubs, medium-sized shrubs, right up to medium-sized trees. Juniper varieties are native to North America, Europe, and Asia. Throughout history, different parts of juniper have been used in different culinary and medicinal recipes, though it is the juniper berries that are used in juniper’s most noteworthy recipes....

Nuts or Seeds? In order to demystify the difference between nuts and seeds, we need a working definition. Here’s why it gets confusing. A nut is a one-celled, one-seeded dry fruit with a hard shell (pericarp). So we just mentioned it has a seed, so why isn’t it a seed? Well, for one thing, nuts tend to cling to their shells and only a nutcracker or mechanical equipment shall separate the two....

Australian Gardening Style Grow an Australian garden in any style you choose. Design your ornamental beds to complement the design of your home. Plant eye-catching shrubs or upright dwarf conifers in available corners. Follow the slope or slant of your property and plant erosion control specimens where needed. Garden design in Australia may replicate the natural landscape using water features, rocks, and native plants. About Australia Garden Plants Plants for gardening in Australia may include a shrub or tree border to add privacy or block the noise of traffic from the street....