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What is a Christmas Palm? The Christmas palm (Adonidia merrillii) forms a lovely smaller tropical tree suitable for home landscapes. What is a Christmas palm? The plant is also known as the Manila palm or dwarf Royal. It is native to the Philippines and useful in United States Department of Agriculture zone 10. The tree only gets 20 to 25 feet (6-8 m.) in height and is self-cleaning. Lucky warm season gardeners should know how to grow Christmas palm tree for diminutive tropical flair but easy maintenance....

What is Coconut Coir? Coconut fiber, or coir, a natural waste product resulting from the processing of coconuts, comes from the outer shell of the coconut husks. The fibers are separated, cleaned, sorted and graded before shipping. Coir mulch uses include brushes, ropes, upholstery stuffing and doormats. In recent years, coir has become widely used by gardeners as a mulch, soil amendment and potting soil ingredient. Coir Mulch Benefits Renewability – Coir mulch is a renewable resource, unlike peat moss, which comes from non-renewable, diminishing peat bogs....

Growing Flowering Bushes in Zone 9 Some shrubs are considered reliable, long bloomers in cold climates and warm climates alike. Certain varieties of these shrubs may just show better cold hardiness or heat tolerance than others. When purchasing zone 9 flowering shrubs, read tags and ask nursery or garden center workers plenty of questions to be certain the shrub is the right fit for your landscape. For example, if you live in a coastal area, be sure to ask how the plant tolerates salt spray....

Pear Tree Diseases Several pear tree diseases can attack your trees. Since these tend to occur in a regular sequence, you can anticipate them and take protective action where possible. Fire blight The most devastating problems with pears come from a disease called fire blight, caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora. The bacteria can remain in the area over the winter in fallen fruit or new shoots. With the spring warmth, it multiplies rapidly and you’ll see a liquid oozing from tree tissues....

Help, My Compost Tea Stinks! If you have smelly compost tea, the question is whether it is safe to use and, more importantly, just what may have gone wrong in the process. First of all, compost tea should not have an unpleasant odor; it should smell earthy and yeasty. So, if your compost tea smells bad, there is a problem. There are many different “recipes” for compost teas but all of them have three basic elements: clean compost, inert water, and aeration....

Lawn Care and Ant Hills The mounds and hills formed by ant colonies are not the only issue with these fascinating insects. Many species also have an interest in ranching, and will “farm” aphids and mealybugs, protecting them and assisting their daily needs in order to keep a local source of honeydew. Honeydew is the substance secreted by aphids and mealybugs and is something of a delicacy to ants. Having a colony of farming ants can mean real trouble for your veggies and ornamental plants, the food of choice for mealybugs and aphids....

Czar Plum Tree Info Czar plum trees have an interesting lineage. It is a cross between Prince Engelbert and Early Prolific. Samples of Czar plum fruit were sent to Robert Hogg in August 1874 from the growers, Rivers of Sawbridgeworth. This was the first year of the trees’ fruiting and was yet to be named. Hogg named the plum fruit Czar in honor of the Czar of Russia who made a momentous visit to the UK that year....

Reasons to Protect New Trees from Deer Watching wildlife is a peaceful and sentient activity. Deer are especially marvelous to view in the woods and fields but once they are in your garden, the gloves come off. Deer tree protection is necessary for many varieties of trees, as well as the newly planted babies up to a few years old. Deer have their preferences for nibbling, but young bark is especially appealing due to its flavor and tenderness....

DIY Christmas Gifts for Gardeners Most of these gift ideas for garden lovers are inexpensive to make. Gift baskets will cost more, depending on how much is inside, but cheap filler for baskets can be shredded paper or reused tissue paper that is bunched up. Here are some ideas to spark your creative juices: Decorative clay pots. Purchase or upcycle clay pots and paint. Use leftover craft paints in your storage box or buy them at craft stores....

If you’ve ever had to handle pigs in the garden, you know it’s no joke and might be wondering how to keep pigs out of the garden. Pig Garden Problems Pigs are highly intelligent but what really motivates them is food. They spend a good portion of their day eating or looking for things to eat. This is where your garden comes into play. Imagine being pigs in a pen....

If you’re looking for a plump, tender pea, Dwarf Gray Sugar pea is an heirloom variety that doesn’t disappoint. Dwarf Gray Sugar pea plants are bushy, prolific plants that reach heights of 24 to 30 inches (61-76 cm.) at maturity but are known to get somewhat larger. Growing Dwarf Gray Sugar Peas Gardeners love this pea plant for its lovely purple blossoms and early harvest. The Grey Sugar bush pea bears small pods that are delightfully sweet and delicious with a crisp texture....

How to Grow Cryptanthus Cryptanthus plants prefer a well-draining, but moist growing medium. A rich, organic soil works well for most varieties, but gardeners can also use a mix of sand, peat, and perlite. Most varieties remain small and only require a 4- to 6-inch (10-15 cm.) pot. Planter size for larger types of Cryptanthus bromeliads can be determined by matching foliage size to pot width. Place your potted Earth Star where it can receive levels of light and humidity similar to its native environment on the Brazilian rainforest floor – bright but not direct....

During a recent warm summer in Provence, we plucked figs from a tree every day for a delicious and healthy no-fuss dessert. Figs are fun and fairly easy to grow, but there are a few important things to learn about fig tree care. How to Grow Figs in the Garden Buy your plants from a reputable nursery to avoid nematode problems with your figs. Other ways to obtain fig trees is to plant root suckers from other trees or obtain divisions or cuttings from mature plants....

Freesia Plant Problems Graceful and elegant, freesias bring some understated class to the garden border or can create a massively impressive planting all by themselves. Although these iris relatives are generally hardy, there are some diseases and pests that can cause them serious issues. When you have problems with freesias, it’s important to know what you’re dealing with so you can choose an appropriate course of action. Freesia plants are pretty tough and hardly complain, but once in a while you’ll have trouble with freesia plants, so we put together a list of common freesia diseases and freesia pests to help make identification a little easier....

Ideas for Community Garden Projects Here are some popular garden club project ideas to help spark your creativity. Community wildlife certification – This is a major project done in partnership with the National Wildlife Federation’s (NWF) Community Wildlife Habitat Program, which encourages citizens to create wildlife-friendly communities. The National Wildlife Federation’s website provides suggestions for homes, schools, and communities to create NWF-certified wildlife habitats. Historic preservation – If you have historic sites in your community, beautifying the area is one of the most rewarding garden club project ideas and a great way to showcase spectacular heirloom roses or perennials....

Designing Your Shade Border Yes, even the soil in shady areas can vary — hot, dry shade to cool, moist shade. Once you’ve carefully considered both light and soil requirements for your shaded area, finding suitable shade-loving plants is easy, especially in the border. When it comes to foliage plants, don’t be afraid to integrate every color of green into your shade border, using bright greens to the darkest olive greens....

What is Vermiculite? Vermiculite can be found in potting soil or purchased by itself in four different sizes for gardening with vermiculite. Germinate seeds using the smallest size of vermiculite as a growing medium and the largest size for improved soil aeration. Vermiculite is the name of a group of hydrated laminar minerals (aluminum-iron magnesium silicates) which look like mica. Horticultural vermiculite is processed with massive heat that expands it into accordion shaped pellets composed of multiple layers of thin plates....

Using Gourd Maracas Maracas, also referred to as rumba shakers, are musical instruments native to Puerto Rico, Cuba, Colombia Guatemala, and regions of the Caribbean and other Latin American countries. Sometimes they are made of leather, wood, or plastic, but the traditional material is a gourd, dried calabash, or coconut filled with seeds or dried beans. When using gourds for maracas, select one that will easily fit in the palm of the hand....

What is Lawn Grass Rust Fungus? Rust is a fungal disease that occurs on turf grasses when their growth is slowed. This usually happens in late summer or early fall, during periods of dry weather or when the grass is low on nitrogen. Lawn rust can weaken the vigor of the grass and open it to other diseases and turf problems. Grass rust fungus spreads easily through its spores but rust fungus in lawns does not require fungicides in most cases....

Take a deep breath and keep reading because we have plenty of Christmas garden shopping ideas. You may even be able to save a bundle on Green Monday gift ideas! What is Green Monday? Green Monday is a term coined by the online retail industry to represent the best sales day of the month in December. This day is the last Monday of December with at least ten days before the Christmas holiday....