Although many ivy plants are evergreen, Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) is deciduous. It is perfectly normal to see your Boston ivy losing leaves in autumn. However, Boston ivy leaf drop can also be a sign of disease. Read on to find out more about Boston ivy leaf drop. Leaves Falling from Boston Ivy in Autumn Boston ivy is a vine that is especially popular in dense, urban areas where a plant has nowhere to go but up....

Calla Lilies with Green Blooms Unless you are growing the ‘Green Goddess’ variety of calla, you might be surprised by green calla lily flowers. Calla lilies are not true lilies. They are in the same family as the Jack-in-the-pulpit. The flowers are not what they seem either. The flower’s petals are called the spathe. The spathes are modified leaf structures, which fold around the spadix. The spadix bears the tiny true flowers....

Growing Your Own Bridal Bouquet There are a few reasons to grow your own wedding flowers. Weddings are expensive, and floral arrangements are a surprisingly costly part of the price tag. Also, imported flowers can sometimes be treated with harmful pesticides that get released into the local environment. By growing your own flowers, you can save a lot of money and help the environment, but it’s not always easy. When you’re growing your own bridal bouquet and floral arrangements, the number one concern is timing....

Can You Grow Peas Indoors? Indoor gardeners rejoice. You can learn how to grow peas inside and enjoy either the sprouts in salads or fully formed pods. Plant successive crops and you can even have fresh peas year around. An indoor pea plant needs 8 to 10 hours of bright light. You can either place it in the sunniest location of the home or use grow lights. Many varieties grow well in containers and will flourish indoors, but snap pea, snow pea and dwarf pea plants are the easiest....

Read on to learn about growing Capture cabbages, with helpful tips on Capture cabbage care. Growing Capture Cabbages At 87 days from the date of transplanting into the garden, Capture F1 cabbage is relatively slow to develop. Plant as early as possible, especially if you live in an area with short growing seasons. Plant these cabbage seeds directly in the garden about three weeks before the last expected hard frost in your area....

Prairie Clover Information Purple prairie clover plants (Dalea purpurea) are perennials that produce upright, stiff stems and bloom from May to September. The flowers are bright purple and form as fuzzy cones on the top of the stems. Bees and other pollinators find these blooms irresistible. In their native habitat, clover thrives in sandy to alluvial soils, requiring little moisture after the plants have been exposed to spring rains. Clovers have an extensive branching root system and make excellent erosion control....

Amaryllis Care Instructions for the First Flowering Because the amaryllis produces such brilliantly-colored flowers, many people put them in their homes in the winter. Growing amaryllis indoors requires little of you during the first winter. The bulb will be ready to bloom in early winter, around November, and most stalks will produce two to four flowers. All you need to do is keep the amaryllis watered and out of harm....

Growing Crown of Thorns Plant Outdoors Lots of people grow a crown of thorns plant (Euphorbia milii) as a unique houseplant, and unique it is. Also called crown of thorns euphorbia, it’s one of the few succulents with real leaves – thick, fleshy, and tear-shaped. The leaves appear on stems that are armed with sharp, inch-long (2.5 cm.) spines. The plant gets its common name from the legend that the thorny crown worn by Jesus at his crucifixion was made from sections of this plant....

When Does Climbing Hydrangea Bloom? Climbing hydrangea blooms in late spring and summer. After a season or two comes and goes without a bloom in sight, gardeners may become worried about their vines. Take heart, because in most cases, there is nothing wrong. These vines are notoriously slow to become established and produce their first flowers. In fact, several seasons may come without blossoms. Rest assured that they are worth the wait....

How to Get a Climbing Rose to Climb Climbing roses need your attention to help train them in the way that they should go. I have read recommendations to let the climbing roses grow for two to three years without pruning them except to remove broken or damaged canes. This is a good recommendation, but it does not mean that they need no attention. While growing in those first years, keep an eye on where the canes are growing and help train them by tying them back to the support structure you have chosen....

Coneflower Pests The most common insect pests that affect coneflowers include sweet potato whiteflies, aphids, Japanese beetles, and Eriophyid mites. Sweet potato whiteflies – Sweet potato whiteflies live and feed on the undersides of leaves, sucking out plant juices. Oftentimes, the presence of these pests results in the growth of black sooty mold. In addition, you may see leaf yellowing and shredding. Sweet potato whiteflies can also transfer diseases, such as vector viruses....

Garden Roach Control Just like every other creature on the planet, cockroaches are looking for food, water, and shelter. If you find roaches in the garden, you are likely providing all three. So, the first thing to do when controlling garden roaches is to remove any food or water sources and minimize areas that will harbor the pests. Pest control experts refer to this as “exclusion.” Look around the yard for any sources of water such as upturned flower pots, watering cans, or buckets and remove them....

Before You Plant Horseradish… The best way to be certain you’ll be able to control your horseradish plant is to containerize it from the beginning. Whether or not you sink the container into the ground is up to you, but planting it first in a barrel, bucket or some other kind of sturdy pot can help confine the roots so they don’t spread to areas where they’re not wanted. If you use a clay or ceramic container, however, the roots are likely to break through and spread, regardless....

Artichoke Plant Types Artichokes are one of those playful foods that have both the leaves and choke to enjoy. I’m a leaf kind of person myself and have always grown these beautiful, big plants for eating and as ornamentals. All types of artichoke can be quite expensive in the supermarket but are easy to grow and can give diversity to your produce selections. Artichokes are thistles and related to one particularly wicked one – the stinging thistle....

About Onions for Different Climates The three basic types of onions grown in gardens are short-day, long-day, and day-neutral. Each of these onion plant varieties is more suited to a particular region than another. For instance, in the north, from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. (zone 6 or colder), summer days are long, so you would grow long-day onions. In the south (zone 7 and warmer), summer days don’t swing much in length in comparison to winter days, so grow short-day onions....

Why Turn Raised Bed into Cold Frames A cold frame uses insulation and radiation from the sun to create a warmer climate in the garden. This allows you to grow plants earlier in the spring, start seeds outside earlier, and grow longer in the fall or winter. How much you can extend the growing season depends on your climate and zone, and also on the insulating properties of the cold frame....

Is Japanese Yew Poisonous? The fact that Japanese yew doesn’t mix with dogs or children is an important limiting factor in the tree’s use. Consider the toxicity of the plant along with the way you and your family will use your garden before deciding to plant Japanese yew. Japanese yew contains toxins called taxine A and B, which can be fatal if ingested by dogs, cats, horses or people. The primary symptoms are tremors, difficulty breathing and vomiting as well as seizures in dogs....

Fall Garden Maintenance Fall garden prep before winter enhances the appearance of the yard and ensures that tender plants get some TLC to protect them before cold weather hits. Planting New Plants You can also use this time to sink spring bulbs and plant some cool season plants to fill in gaps in the landscape and brighten up the end of season garden. Some autumn garden ideas to add color to the landscape are:...

Dandelion Weed Fertilizer Dandelions are actually incredibly useful. Not only can you eat the tender young greens in the early spring, but later in the season, you can dry the larger leaves and use them for tea. The tight green buds can be eaten and the mature, fully opened blossoms can be used for jelly and tea. Even the milky sap extruded from the plant has been used topically to remove warts....

Several garden edging ideas are offered here, with emphasis on cost, appearance, and ease of installation. Choose a flower garden border that is not only easy on the budget but blends in well with your landscape features. Flower Bed Edging for Home Gardens There are several types of garden bed edging, from plastic to wood to stone. You can even leave out the edging material and just create a trench around the bed....