Variegated foliage is a great way to introduce foliar color to the home. The pink polka dot plant is a classic example of marked foliage, and there are several hybrids from which to choose. It is a pink and green houseplant with a variety of patterns available. Other pink houseplants may have more rosy leaf color, or may sport just tinges of the hue on the tips, ribs, or margins....

Florida Arrowroot Info This plant goes by several names: coontie, Zamia coontie, Seminole bread, comfort root, and Florida arrowroot but all fall under the same scientific name of Zamia floridana. Native to Florida, this plant is related to those that existed well before the dinosaurs, although it is commonly mistaken for a type of palm or fern. The Seminole Indians as well as early European settlers extracted starch from the stem of the plant and it provided a dietary staple....

Companion Planting with Flowers Flowers tend to have specific blooming times – planting something that blossoms in the spring next to something that blossoms in high summer will ensure bright color in that spot the whole time. Also, the foliage and flowers of the later blooming plants will help disguise the fading foliage of perennials that have already passed. That being said, some flowers just look good together with their complementary colors and heights....

When to Start Washington State Garden Tasks Gardening tasks for Washington occur year-round depending upon where you reside. The gardening to-do list starts in February with trimming back roses and doesn’t end until around October in most regions. Any time your soil is workable, you can start adding in compost and necessary amendments, but it’s the garden in March that demands the most attention. Washington state has an incredibly varied climate....

What is Gotu Kola? Gotu kola (Centella asiatica) is a low-growing perennial plant native to the warm, tropical climates of Indonesia, China, Japan, South Africa, and the South Pacific. It has been used for many centuries as a treatment for respiratory ailments and a variety of other condition, including fatigue, arthritis, memory, stomach problems, asthma, and fever. In the garden, gotu kola grows nearly anywhere as long as conditions are never dry and works well near water or as a groundcover in dark, shady areas....

Cinnamon Fern Plant Info Cinnamon ferns (Osmundastrum cinnamomeum) produce two distinctly different types of fronds. Fertile, plume-like, cinnamon colored fronds grow at the center of the plant, giving way to the plant’s name. They are surrounded by larger, green, sterile fronds. The contrast between the two results in an appealing, multi-dimensional plant. Cinnamon ferns have short creeping rhizomes that can be divided into two or more plants. Cut the dense, fibrous rhizomes apart between the crowns with a sharp knife or hacksaw....

What is Four-Winged Saltbush? Atriplex canescens is also known as chamiza, bushy atriplex, and fourwing shadscale. Native to the western U.S. and parts of Canada and Mexico, it is a dense shrub that can grow low, or more like a tree. It grows up to eight feet (2.4 m.) tall and wide. Four-winged salt bush has very deep roots, which makes it useful for erosion control. It has grayish-green leaves and unremarkable flowers....

Collecting Seeds of Mountain Laurel Kalmia latifolia, or mountain laurel, blooms May through June, with bursts of flowers lasting up to three weeks. Each flower develops into a seed capsule. Mountain laurel seed propagation requires conditions that match the wild ones in which the seeds will germinate. These include site, temperature, soil, and moisture. Growing mountain laurel from seed starts with harvest and acquisition. After bloom, the plant develops five chambered, globe-shaped capsules....

Ornamental Trees for Zone 4 Our suggested cold hardy flowering trees offer more than just spring flowers. The blossoms on these trees are followed by a shapely canopy of attractive green leaves in summer, and either brilliant color or interesting fruit in fall. You won’t be disappointed when you plant one of these beauties. Flowering Crabapple – As if the delicate beauty of crabapple blossoms isn’t enough, the blossoms are accompanied by a delightful fragrance that permeates the landscape....

Harvesting Banana Trees Banana plants are not actually trees but large herbs with succulent, juicy stems that arise from a fleshy corm. Suckers continually spring up around the main plant with the oldest sucker replacing the main plant as it fruits and dies. Smooth, oblong, elliptical, fleshy stalked leaves unfurl in a spiral around the stem. A terminal spike, the inflorescence, shoots out from the heart in the tip of the stem....

Why Tomatoes are Hollow Inside? Tomato fruits may end up hollow if they weren’t completely pollinated as flowers or something failed in early seed development. This happens for a variety of reasons, including improper temperature or excessive rains that may interfere with pollinator activity, or incorrect fertilization, especially when levels of nitrogen are high and potassium are low. Hollow fruits, also known as puffiness in tomatoes, can’t be reversed in fruits already developing, but future fruits can be protected by doing a soil test before fertilizing....

Can You Move Wild Rose Bushes? Of course, you know that it is not okay to go transplanting wild roses from someone else’s land or even public park land without permission. Since lots of people consider these bushes weeds, permission may not be difficult to come by. In fact, some, like the multiflora rose, can become quite invasive in certain areas. If you have these shrubs growing on terrain you own or if you get the owner’s permission, it’s perfectly okay to think of moving wild rose bushes into your garden....

How to Winterize a Holly Desiccation occurs when moisture is lost faster than it can be absorbed, usually due to harsh winter winds, sunlight, and long periods of cold, dry weather. It is most likely to occur to young hollies during the first couple of winters. You can apply holly winter protection in the form of an anti-desiccant but follow directions closely because applying the products too early can cause more harm than good....

Why is My Schefflera Leggy? There are numerous reasons why your umbrella plant is getting leggy. With older plants, it is natural for the older mature to drop off. Leaf drop is also caused by sudden extremes in temperatures, such as cold and hot drafts near doorways, from air conditioning, or heating vents. Keeping your plant too dry, or even too wet, can cause its foliage to drop off as well....

About Thrips on Houseplants Thrips on indoor plants are not as common as thrips on outdoor plants, but they do occur and it is important to take care of them before the damage becomes too difficult to deal with. Like any pest, it is best to identify them early in order to have the best chance in getting rid of them. There are many species of thrips and some feed on leaves, flowers, buds, and even fruit....

Why Weeds in the Lawn Can Be Helpful One of the major benefits of having a weedy lawn is that many weeds in your lawn attract butterflies and caterpillars. Common lawn weeds, such as plantain, dandelion, and clover are sources of food for the Buckeye butterfly, Baltimore butterfly, Eastern tailed blue butterfly, and a great many others. Allowing some of these common weeds to grow in your garden encourages butterflies to lay their eggs in your yard, which will result in more butterflies in your garden later on....

Low Chill Apple Trees Most apple trees require a certain number of “chill units.” These are the cumulative hours that winter temperatures drop to 32 to 45 degrees F. (0-7 C.) during the winter. Since U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone 9 has relatively mild winters, only those apple trees requiring a lesser number of chill units can thrive there. Remember that a hardiness zone is based on the lowest annual temperatures in a region....

Even today, when it’s easier than ever to take photos thanks to cell phones, botanical images have a role to play and many find sketching plants a relaxing hobby. Read on for botanical drawing information, including tips on how to draw plants yourself. Botanical Drawing Information Photographs cannot take the place of botanical illustrations. Artists making drawings of plants can provide detail that a photograph may not reveal. This is especially true for cross section drawings that include many layers of detail in a plant....

New Mexico Olive Tree Facts The New Mexico olive (Forestiera neomexicana) is also known as desert olive tree because it thrives in hot, sunny regions. New Mexico olive usually grows many spiny branches. The bark is an interesting shade of white. Tiny but very fragrant yellow flowers appear on the shrub in clusters in spring even before the leaves. They are an important nectar source for bees. Later in summer, the plant produces attractive blue-black fruit....

Native Gardening in the Pacific Northwest What are the benefits of native gardening in the Pacific Northwest? Natives are beautiful and easy to grow. They require no protection in winter, little to no water in summer, and they co-exist with beautiful and beneficial native butterflies, bees, and birds. A Pacific Northwest native garden may contain annuals, perennials, ferns, conifers, flowering trees, shrubs, and grasses. Below is a short list of native plants for Northwest region gardens, along with USDA growing zones....