Growing Greek herbs were used fresh or dried in powders, poultices, ointments and tinctures to treat a variety of physical ailments. Medical issues such as colds, swelling, burns and headaches were all treated using Mediterranean herb plants. Herbs were often incorporated in incense and were the main component of aromatherapy oils. Many culinary recipes included the use of herbs and gave rise to the common practice of ancient Greek herb gardening....

What is Double Duty Gardening? Give your plants a workout. Multi-functional plant gardening lets plants provide not only their beauty but some other attribute. For instance, barberry, with its arching stems and bright reddish leaves, is a standout for color, but when planted under a window, its thorny stems make quite a burglar deterrent. There are many double duty plants– you just need to consider what jobs you need them to do before selecting specimens....

Diseases of Nectarine Trees Nectarine disease symptoms may not be readily apparent, and you may have to do some serious observation to locate diseases of nectarines. Others are visually evident and not hard to identify. If your nectarine tree is looking or performing differently than in years past, take note. It is not always evident that your nectarine tree has a disease. Perhaps the tree no longer looks healthy and vibrant....

Trimming a Palm Tree Some experts recommend avoiding all palm tree pruning, but most suggest you avoid cutting too much or too often. When should you think about pruning palm plants? Think about cutting back a palm tree if you notice dead or dying fronds. Removing these fronds by pruning palm plants not only prevents breakage damage, but also eliminates nesting places for rats, scorpions, and other pests. Another good reason to start trimming a palm tree is when it has become a fire hazard or visual hazard in your yard....

Spectacular blooms appear on the tree in early spring. If you’re in an appropriate area, you may want to grow your own palo verde tree. It grows well in USDA zones 8 through 11. Read on to learn how to plant palo verde trees in suitable areas. Palo Verde Tree Information Palo verde tree information indicates that a naturally occurring hybrid of this tree, the Desert Museum palo verde (Cercidium x ‘Desert Museum’), is best to grow in your landscape....

About Early Gold Pear Trees If you’re looking for a tasty pear, Early Gold is tough to beat. There are other reasons to grow this pear tree, like shade and ornamental qualities, but the best reason is to enjoy the pears. They are light green to gold in color and have a crisp, sweet, white flesh. You can enjoy Early Gold pears fresh off the tree, but they also hold up well in desserts, baked goods, and when canned....

Why is My Phlox Yellow and Dry? Phlox plants are specifically prone to fungal diseases such as southern blight, rust, powdery mildew, etc. Powdery mildew is the most common fungal disease of phlox plants. This disease is first noticed by the powdery white spots or coating on plant tissues. The disease may progress to phlox yellowing and drying out, as well as excessive leaf drop. Fungal diseases can deplete phlox plants of vital nutrients and water by interrupting the plant’s natural flow of xylem and phloem and its ability to photosynthesize properly....

When to Harvest Mushrooms If you buy a complete mushroom kit, the instructions will give a time frame for picking your mushroom harvest. This is really an estimate since, depending upon conditions, the mushrooms may be ready to pick a couple days earlier or later than the instructed date. Also, size is not an indicator of when to pick. Bigger isn’t always better. The general rule of thumb is to begin picking your mushroom harvest when the caps turn from convex to concave – turning down to turning up....

Himalayan Birch Trees The white barked Himalayan birch is typically grown as an ornamental and known for its brilliantly bright white bark. It thrives in USDA hardiness zones 4 through 7. Whitebarked Himalayan birch (Betula jacquemontii), when heathy, is truly a delightful ornamental. Most birches have a graceful look, but this species is especially so. Its open, pyramidal form is draped with showy catkins – to 5 inches (12.7 cm.) long – in spring....

What is a Banana Trunk Planter? In many tropical regions, the production of bananas is a major industry. After the bananas are harvested from the central trunk of the tree, that section of the tree is then cut down in order to promote growth for the next crop. As a result, banana harvesting produces a multitude of plant waste. Inventive gardeners have started using these trunks as a sort of natural container garden....

National Red Wine Day You don’t need an excuse for lifting a glass of red wine with friends. However, there’s one day when it’s particularly appropriate: National Red Wine Day. It’s truly a thing, a national day to celebrate this delightful drink. When is National Red Wine Day? It’s right at the end of summer, on August 28th. There’s no better way to fete this holiday than drinking a little wine made from your own grapes....

About Sweet Corn Plants Corn is categorized by its sugar into “standard or normal sugary (SU), sugar enhanced (SE), and supersweet (Sh2),” according to sweet corn info. These types also vary by how quickly they should be consumed or put up and the vigor of the seed. Some sources say there are five categories of corn, others say six, but these include different varieties, like popcorn. Not all corn will pop, so you must have a special kind that turns itself inside out when high heat is applied....

Types of Juniper So many types of juniper exist that you are sure to find at least one perfect for your zone 9 garden. The types available in commerce range from low-growing junipers (about ankle height) to upright specimens as tall as trees. Short types of juniper serve well as groundcover and also offer erosion control on slopes. Medium-sized juniper shrubs, about knee-height, are good foundation plants, while tall and extra-tall types of juniper make good screens, windbreaks, or specimens in your garden....

Reasons for Potato Plants Not Producing Gardeners often go wrong when preparing their potato beds because they neglect to test the soil’s fertility before adding fertilizers or other organic material. A moderate level of fertility is desirable at planting time, especially if this isn’t the first time you were left asking yourself why no potatoes formed below those lovely, dark green potato leaves. When nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus are in balance in moderate to high amounts, your bed is primed for planting....

Potted blanket flowers are just one example of a versatile and easy-to-grow plant for containers that is sure to delight throughout the summer season. About Potted Blanket Flowers Blanket flowers, which are hardy to USDA growing zones 3 through 9, are most commonly referred to as a native wildflower. They are a natural choice for those wishing to attract beneficial insects and pollinators to the garden. The bright, cheery, red-orange blooms also make them an ideal candidate for use in the cut-flower garden....

How to Grow Russian Sage in a Pot When it comes to growing Russian sage in containers, bigger is definitely better because a large pot provides ample space for the roots to develop. Russian sage is a tall plant, so use a pot with a sturdy base. Any pot is fine as long as it has at least one drainage hole in the bottom. A paper coffee filter or a piece of mesh screening will keep the potting mix from washing through the drainage hole....

Symptoms of Black Root of Radish Black root in radish is a fairly common disease in cool, wet soils. It can occur at any point in plant development, resulting in seedling death or rotten roots. Black root of radish has no cure, but there are several cultural methods that can help protect your crop from this fungal disease. The signs of radish black root disease are unmistakable once the roots are harvested, but initial symptoms can be a little trickier to recognize....

Rain Barrels and Mosquito Pests While using a rain barrel in the garden is great for water conservation among its other benefits, mosquitoes are a constant threat, as they carry life-threatening diseases. Learning how to control mosquitoes in a rain barrel is just as important to controlling them anywhere else, especially since the pests take advantage of standing water to help carry out their life cycle. Here are some things you can do to minimize their presence: Dish soap– Liquid dish soap creates a slick film on the surface of the water....

Ridding the Garden of Monkey Grass Monkey grass is normally a favorite addition among gardeners, as it is extremely easy to grow and care for. It’s also the plant’s hardiness and carefree nature that can result in its invasiveness though, as the eagerly growing monkey grass begins to turn up in unwanted areas of the landscape. That’s when monkey grass control becomes necessary. How to Get Rid of Monkey Grass Removing monkey grass can be difficult but not impossible....

Rock cress has many uses in the garden but its most popular uses are as an attractive border in a rock garden or dangling down over a rock wall or ledge. Rock cresses are alpine plants and will thrive where other plants fail, such as on hills and slopes. Purple rock cress ground cover (Aubrieta deltoidea) hugs the ground like a mat and displays rich, purple flowers in April through the middle of May and has a lovely scent....