Over Fertilization Too much fertilizer can be detrimental to houseplants. Over fertilization can actually decrease growth and leave plants weak and vulnerable to pests and diseases. It can also lead to the ultimate demise of the plant. Signs of over fertilization include stunted growth, burned or dried leaf margins, wilting, and collapse or death of plants. Over fertilized plants may also exhibit yellowing of the leaves. Salt buildup, which accumulates on top of the soil, can also be a result of too much fertilizer, making it harder for plants to take up water....

Containers In Summer: How To Keep Containers Cool Instead of dark pots that retain heat, use light-colored pots that reflect sunlight and keep planters cooler. Terracotta, concrete, or thick, glazed ceramic will keep cool potted plants more efficiently than plastic. Double potting — putting a smaller pot inside a larger pot — is an easy tactic to keep planters cool. Be sure both pots have drainage holes, and never let the inner pot stand in water....

Prevention of Powdery Mildew The best way to take care of powdery mildew is by prevention. Be sure to start with healthy plants. One powdery mildew homemade prevention tactic is to simply prune back any dead plant material during the normal pruning time. Do not plant things too close together in order to allow ample air circulation around the plants. It is important to not plant in damp, shady areas, as that is a prime location for powdery mildew....

About Impatiens Plant Irrigation Watering impatiens in your flowerbeds and borders depends largely upon the soil in which they’re planted and the kind of light they get. Soil, ideally, will be rich and well-draining with a good amount of compost and organic matter worked in before planting. Morning sun, partial morning sun, or filtered sun (such as through tree branches) is a good fit for most older variety impatiens. Newer types of this flower, called SunPatiens, can take more sun than older varieties like balsam and some New Guinea impatiens....

Iris care is minimal once the growing iris is established. Iris plant care consists mainly of dividing the iris plants to assure continued blooms. Iris plants are abundant multipliers but once the rhizomes of iris plants become crowded, the iris flowers may be limited and the rhizomes need to be separated. About Iris Flowers The most commonly planted iris in the United States is the bearded iris. Height of the bearded iris plant ranges from 3 inches (7....

When and How to Repot a Jasmine Plant As a jasmine plant grows, the roots wrap themselves around inside the pot, much like any other plant. The proportion of roots to potting soil slowly changes, until you have more roots than soil. This means the amount of material that holds moisture is less than when you first planted. So when you water your jasmine plant and it needs watering again after two or three days, it’s time to repot....

About Javelina Resistant Plants There are plants that wild pigs don’t like and even some that repel them. Keep in mind, though, as with deer, if an animal is hungry enough, it will eat anything. So, if you’re in a prolonged drought or experiencing forest fires that are burning out their habitat, it is unlikely that you can keep them totally out of the garden. Be careful around javelina also, as they may harm people and pets when they feel trapped or threatened....

Knautia Plant Info Knautia is an easy, long-blooming perennial in the garden. These beautiful plants display large amounts of dark pink to almost red pin-cushion blooms that are a little smaller than those of the Scabiosa plant. The foliage of growing Knautia plants is light and cut beautifully. They are not to be planted singly and must have other Knautias around them so they look “like they belong.” I have never seen (nor do I ever want to see) one Knautia plant all by its lonesome....

Not only is rosemary used as a Christmas tree a festive ornamental for the season, but it is predominantly disease and pest resistant, aromatic, a culinary treasure, and responds beautifully to pruning to maintain the shape. Additionally, a rosemary tree for Christmas can be planted in the garden to wait for the following holiday season while maintaining its role as an indispensable herb. How to Create a Rosemary Tree for Christmas With the burgeoning popularity of rosemary as a Christmas tree, you can easily purchase one for use during the holidays....

Ready to hear more about the Couroupita guianensis? Read on to learn exactly how curious this tree is. You’ll understand better why all primary Cououpita guianensis uses are ornamental. Cannonball Tree The cannonball tree (Couroupita guianensis) is a deciduous tropical tree that hails from the rainforest regions of the Guianas Island. It is a soft-wooded relative of the Brazil nut family and grows to some 75 feet (25 m.) tall....

Morning Glory Pest Problems There are two common types of insect pests affecting morning glories; both are sucking pests. One is the cotton aphid and the other sucking pest is a spider mite. Cotton aphids come in many colors. They like to attack the morning glory in the morning. They are difficult to see, but if you look closely, you will observe a mass of aphids on a leaf that is yellowed and crinkling....

When to Mow Naturalized Bulbs You have to wait until the foliage dies back naturally before mowing bulbs in the lawn. This allows the bulb to re-absorb the nutrients in the foliage and use the energy for next year’s blooms. Without these nutrients, bulbs make a poor showing the following year and over time they die out. Small bulbs that bloom in early spring may die back before the time for the first mowing....

Pacific Northwest Native Pollinators Native northwest bees are champion pollinators, buzzing as they move pollen from plant to plant in early spring to late fall, ensuring the continued growth of a wide range of flowering plants. Butterflies aren’t as effective as bees, but they still have an important role to play and they are especially drawn to plants with big, colorful blooms. Bees The obscure bumblebee is native to the West Coast, from northern Washington to southern California....

Providing Warmth to Orchids During Winter One of the most important considerations for orchid over winter is temperature. Orchids can tolerate colder temps ore than most people realize, but it isn’t ideal. Drops in temperature, even to just above freezing, for a short period are fine as long as the plant does not freeze or frost. The ideal temperature range is 50 to 80 degrees F. (10-27 C.). Windows, where orchids often sit for the light, can get too cold, especially at night in the winter....

Sweet Potato Vine Winter Care If you have space, you can simply bring the plants indoors and grow them as houseplants until spring. Otherwise, there are several easy ways of overwintering a sweet potato vine. Overwintering Sweet Potato Tubers Bulb-like tubers grow just beneath the surface of the soil. To overwinter the tubers, cut the vines to ground level, then dig them up before the first frost in autumn. Dig carefully and be careful not to slice into the tubers....

Fruit moths in peaches aren’t easy to control, but the following information should be helpful. Read on to learn more about oriental fruit moths in peaches. Peach Fruit Moth Symptoms Adult fruit moths are gray with dark gray bands on the wings. The adults lay tiny, disk-shaped eggs on twigs or the undersides of leaves. They fly in the evening or sometimes early in the morning. The eggs are white but eventually change to amber....

In spite of all this negativity, don’t be discouraged. With a little advance planning and a careful choice of hell strip perennial plants, you can turn the hell strip into an urban oasis. Read on for examples of suitable perennials for hell strips. Tips on Hell Strip Landscaping Check ordinances and be sure your city allows hell strip planting. Although many cities have certain restrictions and guidelines, most are happy to see the area beautified and cared for....

Persimmon Fruit Tree Diseases Although persimmon trees are generally healthy, sometimes they do come down with persimmon tree diseases. Crown Gall One to keep your eye out for is crown gall. If your tree suffers from crown gall, you will see galls—rounded growths—on the persimmon’s branches. The roots will have similar galls or tumors and harden. Crown gall can infect a tree through cuts and wounds in its bark. Persimmon disease control in this case means taking good care of the tree....

History of Planting Poppies Growing poppy flowers are said to spring up on ravaged battlefields, as long ago as the 12th century. White poppies appeared on battlefields left by Mogul warrior Genghis Khan and were sighted in war zones following some battles of World War I. Thus, they have come to symbolize death and rebirth. The red poppy symbolizes fallen warriors and commemorates Veteran’s Day in the United States. Growing poppy flowers have been used for medicinal and culinary purposes over the centuries....

Potatoes in a trench are “hilled” as they grow to encourage root growth and more tubers. About Potato Trenches and Hills Anyone can grow potatoes. You can even grow them in a bucket or garbage can. The method where you trench and hill potatoes produces more tubers and is easy to do even in a new garden. Just make sure you have adequate drainage and a soil pH of 4....