Posts

Information about Snowdrops Bulbs Snowdrop flower bulbs are small bulbs that are often sold “in the green” or undried. They can very easily dry out, so they won’t be happy sitting around for weeks on end waiting for you get around to planting them. You will want to purchase your snowdrop bulbs and plant them immediately after you receive them. Snowdrops are a pest-free plant. Rabbits and deer won’t eat them either, and most chipmunks and mice will leave them alone....

Staghorn Ferns and Cold In the wild, staghorn ferns are epiphytes, which grow on tree trunks, branches, or rocks in very warm, humid tropical forests. In warm enough climates, like southern Florida, staghorn fern spores, which are carried upon wind, have been known to naturalize, creating huge plants in the crotches of native trees like live oak. Although large trees or rocky outcrops host staghorn fern plants, the staghorn ferns do not cause any damage or harm to their hosts....

Info on the Stephanotis Flower When we talk about Stephanotis plant care, we’re talking about Stephanotis floribunda, or Madagascar jasmine, though it is not a member of the jasmine family. It is one of five to ten species identified within the genus of twining vine-like shrubs and is the most popular among indoor gardeners. The flowers present as narrow, tubular, waxy horns about 2 inches (5 cm.) in length. Each flower has a crown of five lobes and stamens that someone long ago thought looked like tiny ears, hence the name from the Greek stephanos (crown) and otis (ear)....

String Trimmer Information A weed eater is a hand-held tool consisting of a long shaft with a handle on one end and a rotating head on the other. The tools are sometimes called string trimmers or line trimmers because they cut down plants with rotating heads that feed out plastic string. Regardless of what you call a weed eater, they are very useful garden tools for those with large backyards or lawns....

Typical Summer Allergy Plants You know the symptoms. A stuffy head, runny nose, headache, weepy eyes, and itching. Summer plant allergies don’t have to ruin your vacation. Know the plants that cause summer allergies so you can avoid them and concentrate on sunny fun. Many of the allergy causing plants in summer are found wild in ditches, fields, and abandoned spaces. That means a casual hike for those that are sensitive can become a real drag....

Can You Grow an Eggplant Upside Down? Yes, vertical gardening with eggplants is indeed a possibility. The benefit to eggplant, or any veggie, is that it keeps the plant and resulting fruit off the ground and away from any pests that might want a snack and lowers the chances of soil-borne diseases. Hanging eggplants may result in a more robust plant, hence more plentiful fruit. Upside down eggplant growing is also a boon to the gardener lacking in space....

Starting a Vegetable Garden The first and probably the most important step is deciding what crops you want to grow and where you will be growing them. A 16×20 foot plot is a sufficient size for a family of three or four. Since you are new to this type of gardening, however, you might be better off starting out with something smaller. Consider growing your garden in small beds or even containers....

Climbing Vines in Zone 9 Climbing vines help direct the eye up to encompass many architectural details in the landscape. They also may produce flowers, fruit, attract butterflies or pollinators, feed birds, shade an area, or simply cover up a failing fence or other structure. Most of the vines for zone 9 are tough and need little extra care outside of watering and training them to a trellis or arbor. Climbing vines do need support to produce the best plant possible....

What are Multi-Headed Tulips? Multi-headed tulip flowers are show-stopping forms mostly derived from single late and botanical flowers. These bulbs can be a bit difficult to locate, but it is definitely worth the effort since the plant produces many more blooms than traditional tulips. There are many lovely types of multi-headed tulips from which to choose. The expanded color display is eye-popping and most can be planted quite late and still expect a bloom....

Planting a pollinator garden is more important than you may realize, and even a small garden can make a huge difference as pollinators have suffered greatly from loss of habitat, misuse of chemicals and spread of invasive plant and animal species. Many pollinators have disappeared and others are endangered. Read on to learn about a few of the many pollinator friendly plants. Plants that Attract Pollinators Native plants are the best plant pollinators, as native plants and pollinators have evolved together to adapt to your local soil, climate and growing season....

What is a Sucker on a Rose Bush? A grafted rose bush consists of the above-ground rose bush you desire and the below-ground rootstock. The above-ground portion is typically not hardy enough to survive in all climatic conditions. Thus, it is grafted (budded) onto another rose that is extremely hardy so that the overall rose bush is capable of surviving in most climates. A truly great idea this was and is!...

What is Hand Pollination? Hand pollination is the manual transfer of pollen from the stamen or male part of the flower to the pistil or female part. The purpose of hand pollination is to assist in the reproductive process of the plant. Hand pollination techniques depend upon the plant’s sexuality as well as the reason for the process. The simplest of the hand pollination techniques is simply to shake the plant....

Will Rust Disease Kill Onions? First, the gardener must know what is puccinia allii and how to recognize it. The fungus overwinters in plant material and is most destructive in regions with heavy rain and fog. Over irrigating can also promote the formation of the spores that cause the fungal disease. The fungus appears as white to yellowish spots on the foliage and enlarge as the disease progresses. The spots become orange and they develop into black lesions over time....

Understanding Seed Expiration Dates If you look on the back of your seed packet, there should be some type of dated information, at least with most reputable sources. For example, it may have a “packed for” date, which is typically when the seeds were packed, not necessarily when they were harvested. As with many items you find at the grocery store, you may have “sell by” or “best by” date, which normally indicates the end of the year those seeds were packed....

What is an Annual Plant? The answer to “what is an annual plant?” is, generally speaking, a plant that dies within one growing season; in other words — an annual plant cycle. The annual plant cycle is in reference to a once-a-year cycle of life. Annual garden plants germinate from seed, then blossom, and finally set seeds before dying back. Although they die back and must be replanted each year, they are generally showier than perennial plants with a long bloom period from spring to just before the first fall frost....

Autumn Gardening Ideas Gardening in autumn is a pleasure due to the cooler temps, but you need to plan ahead for truly spectacular flowering fall gardens. The following autumn gardening ideas will help you create a beautiful fall garden. When planning for a beautiful fall garden, start early. Your foundation plantings or trees and shrubs will form the backbone of the garden and will then be embellished with fall garden flowers, either annual or perennial....

How to Plant a Bare Root Heuchera Heuchera is a shade to partial sun plant that is native to North America. There are many varieties from which to choose and the plants are almost unmatched to brighten up low light spaces. Collectors can find Heuchera in many different hues, from burgundy to coral, with many tones in between. When you receive Heuchera in the mail, you will often be presented with a plastic bag that has holes in it, a bit of sawdust and a wisp of root....

What is Beach Morning Glory? Beach morning glory is also called railroad vine due to its scrambling nature and ability to cover less used tracks and roadsides. It is adapted to coastal areas where sand is plentiful and the soil is well-draining. Salt, heat, and wind don’t bother this plant and it is common to see it splayed across a dune in coastal regions. The large mats it forms help stabilize sand where it grows just above high tide....

Bright flowers and a minty fragrance make bergamot (Monarda) plants ideal for perennial borders. Bergamot is known by several other names, including bee balm, monarda, and Oswego tea. The shaggy-looking clusters of flowers begin blooming in midsummer and last for several weeks. These mop headed flowers attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, making the plant ideal for a wildlife garden. Even better is the fact that bergamot is appropriate for nearly all climate zones....

Mulch for rose gardens truly is a marvelous thing! Mulch helps to hold in the priceless moisture for rose bushes and other plants, saving on the amount of watering we need to do. The mulch also stops, or at least discourages, weeds from coming up in rose beds and robbing the moisture, not to mention keeping the weeds and grass from robbing the nutrients intended for rose plants. Best Mulch for Roses Having tried several different types of mulch over the years as well, I have narrowed it down to two types that I use around my rose bushes and in the gardens, one non-organic mulch and one organic mulch....