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Make sure when you plant lime trees that you plant them on the south side of your home. This helps to take advantage of protection from winds and cold. They prefer full sunshine just as with any citrus fruit tree. Even under the best of circumstances, however, you can run into lime tree problems, like lime tree pests. Common Pests of a Lime Tree When is comes to lime tree pests, these are no more than the same pests that bother all citrus fruit trees....

What is a Cold Frame? Cold frames are used for hardening or tempering tender starts prior to transplanting and allowing them to acclimate to exterior conditions. Useful for growing cool weather crops in the very early spring, fall, and even winter, cold frames allow the home gardener to have access to fresh vegetables all year long. While hotbeds rely on an exterior heat source, such as soil heating cables or steam pipes, cold boxes (and sun boxes) rely solely on the sun as the heat source....

Mediterranean Fan Palm Information The Mediterranean fan palm is great in a standalone planting or can be planted with other Mediterranean fan palm plants to create a unique looking hedge or privacy screen. This palm is native to the Mediterranean, Europe, and North Africa. Leaves will be in a color palette of blue-green, gray-green, and/or yellow-green, depending on which of those regions they originate from. Here’s a fact you might want to remember if you’re ever on the game show Jeopardy: The Mediterranean fan palm is the only palm native to Europe, which is probably why this tree is also referred to as the ‘European fan palm....

Find out how to grow mistletoe for your own ready supply of kissing encouragement. Can You Grow Your Own Mistletoe Plant? Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that lives off another tree. Its favorite hosts are apple, hawthorn, lime, poplar, and conifers. The plants bear seeds inside the berries. They are best planted when fresh and harvested between March and April. Check their preferred host trees for caches of the berries....

Mandevilla plants need nighttime temperatures of around 60 F. (15 C.) to force blooming. They cannot tolerate cooler temperatures of less than 40 F. (4 C.) and an outright freeze will kill the vine. Northern gardeners who wonder, “Why won’t my mandevilla bloom?” may be in for some serious work to encourage this tropical wonder to brighten their landscape. Why Won’t My Mandevilla Bloom? Mandevilla are heavy bloomers in the right conditions....

What is a Nara Melon? Nara melon plants (Acanthosicyos horridus) are not classified as desert plants despite their growing location. Naras rely on underground water, and as such, bear deep water seeking roots. A member of the cucumber family, nara melons are an ancient species with fossil evidence dating back 40 million years. It was most likely responsible for the survival of Stone Age tribes into modern times. The plant is leafless, an adaption no doubt evolved to protect the plant from losing water through leaf evaporation....

What is Neem Oil? Neem oil comes from the tree Azadirachta indica, a South Asian and Indian plant common as an ornamental shade tree. It has many traditional uses in addition to its insecticidal properties. For centuries, the seeds have been used in wax, oil, and soap preparations. It is currently an ingredient in many organic cosmetic products too. Neem oil can be extracted from most parts of the tree, but the seeds hold the highest concentration of the insecticidal compound....

Reasons for No Blooms on Bleeding Heart Plants Bleeding heart was introduced as an ornamental to the West in the mid 1800’s. It became a very popular landscape plant and is still considered a wonderful addition to the woodland perennial garden. These attractive plants enter dormancy when hot temperatures arrive. This is a natural part of the plant’s life cycle, but you can learn how to get a bleeding heart to bloom in the warm season with a little trickery (as explained further on)....

Reasons for No Onion Bulbs One possible reason for a lack of onion bulb formation is the selection of the wrong type of onion for your area. In their natural environment, onions are biennials that have a two-year life cycle. The first year, the plant bulbs and the second year it flowers. Cultivators of onions grow them as an annual and harvest at the end of the first growing season. Onions are categorized as “long day” or “short day” varieties, with some intermediate varieties available as well....

Apples are a big export and likely the most common fruit trees grown in Washington State, but fruit trees for the Pacific Northwest range from apples to kiwis to figs in some areas. Growing Fruit Trees in the Northwest The Pacific Northwest borders the Pacific Ocean, the Rocky Mountains, the north coast of California, and up into southeastern Alaska. This means the climate varies somewhat from area to area, so not every fruit tree suited for one region of the Northwest is suited to another....

There are 11 species of pistachio nut trees with only Pistacia vera being grown commercially. It’s uncertain where pistachio nut trees originated, but possibly in Central Asia. Growing pistachio trees commercially for nut export occurs primarily in Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Italy, and Syria where the arid climate is optimal for growth. How to Grow a Pistachio Tree Climate is crucial when growing pistachio trees; ideal temperatures for pistachios are above 100 degrees F....

Preparing Soil for Rose Bushes in Your Rose Bed Things to do in fall Dig up the soil in the proposed area with a shovel and go at least 18 inches (46 cm.) deep. Leave the big clods of dirt for a few days, letting them naturally break up and fall apart as much as they will. Usually, after about a week, you can move on with preparation for your new garden or rose bed for next year....

Wisteria has become a popular climbing vine for trellises, patio overhangs, fences, and buildings thriving best in USDA hardiness zones 4 through 9, depending on the variety. Graceful, drooping wisteria blossoms create a heady environment for courtyards, patios, and areas where summer shade is welcome. Growing Wisteria from Seed Although wisteria plants are fairly fast growing, if you’re looking to propagate one from seed pods, you should know that when started from seed, they can take fifteen or more years to bloom, and the resulting plants don’t always hold true to the parent plant....

Causes for Plants Going Brown in Center Crown and Root Rot The center rotting out of a plant is almost always related to crown or root rot. Most plants can’t tolerate a soggy environment, especially those with crowns densely covered with leaves, like African violets. When you keep the soil wet all the time, fungal pathogens take advantage of the humidity that develops under the leaves of these low-growing plants, reproducing rapidly....

Are There Green Flowers? Yes, green flowers exist in nature but are less commonly used in the garden. Green flowers are often found in floral bouquets however; sometimes as nature made them and sometimes dyed green. Gardeners often overlook including green flowers into the garden, probably because they worry they will just blend in with other foliage, but some plants have stunning green flowers that can stand alone as specimens or compliment other plants....

Where Did the Poinsettia Come From? In order to fully understand or appreciate this plant, it is helpful to take a look at where the poinsettia comes from. The poinsettia is native to Central America, near southern Mexico. It was introduced to the United States in 1828 and got its name from Joel Roberts Poinsett. Poinsett was the first U.S. Ambassador to Mexico with a passion for botany. Upon discovering this shrub, he became so enchanted with its bright red blooms that he sent some to his South Carolina home to be propagated....

Why is My Dill Plant Turning Yellow? We all know dill as a main flavoring in canned pickles, as a fresh herb for flavoring fish and for its seeds as a culinary accent to a variety of recipes. This plant is thought to be from the Mediterranean and has a host of health benefits as well. The slender, hollow stems and airy foliage combined with the umbels of bright yellow flowers also enhance any garden bed....

Why Should I Remove Landscape Fabric? There are valid reasons for getting rid of landscape fabric or avoiding its use altogether. First off, does landscape fabric degrade? Yes! Over time, landscape fabric can deteriorate, leaving holes that weeds grow through. Torn bits and wrinkles of degraded landscape fabric can make even a newly mulched bed look shabby. In addition to deterioration, the breakdown of mulch, plant debris, and other materials that blow into landscape beds can form a layer of compost on top of the weed block fabric....

When to Plant Bulbs for Summer Flowers Summer flowering bulbs can maximize a flower garden with bountiful blooms. Since flower bulbs that bloom in summer are frequently tender to frost, they are most commonly planted after the weather has warmed in the spring. Planting time will also vary depending upon each bulb type and the gardener’s USDA growing zone. Though some summer garden bulbs are grown as annuals, many types can be lifted and stored indoors over winter....

What is a Tiered Garden? A tiered garden consists of one or more retaining walls which form two or more level areas. For homes that are built on hills, creating a tiered garden design will not only make the yard more usable, but it can also increase the value of the property by adding outdoor living space. What should homeowners consider when building a tiered garden? Safety is a major concern....