Edible Nasturtium Flowers and Leaves Many people assume it is the leaves that are edible, like an herb or salad green, but you can use the flowers too, for culinary decoration and for eating. Both the leaves and the flowers have a peppery, spicy flavor and add a bite to green salads. They can also be used in cooked dishes but should be added in the last few minutes to avoid overcooking....
How to Harvest Oregano Oregano is a hardy perennial herb that may die back in extremely cold winters. Preserving the tasty leaves is simple. Wait until morning after the dew has dried when harvesting oregano. The essential oils in herbs are highest in concentration in warm mornings. The best flavor is achieved when the herb is harvested just as flower buds form. Use scissors or garden shears to remove stems from the plant....
How to Design an Herb Garden When designing an herb garden, you should consider how it will be used beforehand and plan accordingly. For instance, kitchen gardens should be located near the home for easy access to herbs as needed during harvesting. The most basic herb garden needs to be located in an area receiving at least four to six hours of sunlight. All plants should be easily accessible, especially when used for cooking or dried arrangements....
Herbs for Zone 9 Herbs thrive in warm temperatures and at least four hours of bright sunlight per day. The following list provides good examples of zone 9 herb plants that thrive in plenty of morning sunlight, with a little protection during the afternoon. Basil Chives Cilantro Mint Oregano Parsley Peppermint Rosemary Sage Tarragon The herbs below need at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight per day. Otherwise, these hot weather herbs won’t produce the essential oils that provide their distinctive aroma and flavor....
Joshua Tree Information The Joshua tree is the largest of the yuccas. It is an evergreen perennial plant that starts out as a stem-less rosette and gradually grows a thick trunk decorated by sword-like leaves. The leaves grow in clumps off a scaffold of open ranging branches. The effect is bizarre, yet picturesque, and is a hallmark of the Mojave Desert. Leaves are up to 14 inches (35.5 cm.) long, sharply tipped and bluish green....
Growing Hyssop as a Garden Plant Although most hyssop plants are grown in herb gardens, they also have their place in flower gardens as border plants. Hyssop makes a great edging plant when grown in masses as well, but did you know that hyssop plants can also be grown in containers? When you grow hyssop in containers, make sure the pot is large enough to accommodate the large root systems. Hyssop plants prefer to be grown in areas with full sun or partial shade....
When Do Hydrangeas Bloom? Hydrangeas are woody flowering shrubs grown for their beautiful blossoms. As to when hydrangeas bloom, the simple answer is that a usually a hydrangea flowers from mid-spring through the late summer or early fall. The answer isn’t more definitive because the timing for hydrangea flowers depends on other factors besides just being a hydrangea. So, if you have a hydrangea that’s not blooming this season, you may need to learn more about your specific variety and other factors that can influence its flowering....
Recognizing Target Spot of Tomato Target spot on tomato fruit is difficult to recognize in the early stages, as the disease resembles several other fungal diseases of tomatoes. However, as diseased tomatoes ripen and turn from green to red, the fruit displays circular spots with concentric, target-like rings and a velvety black, fungal lesion in the center. The “targets” become pitted and larger as the tomato matures. How to Treat Target Spot on Tomatoes Target spot tomato treatment requires a multi-pronged approach....
What is Pigweed? Pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus) is one of the most common weeds seen in pastures in the U.S., but you are also likely to see it in your garden. Like other weeds, it is tough, growing in a variety of conditions and resisting many herbicides. There are actually many types of plant called pigweed, a vast family also known as amaranth. The family probably originated in the Americas but now grows throughout the world....
What are Jonagold Apple Trees? Jonagold apples, as their name suggests, are derived from Jonathan and Golden Delicious cultivars, inheriting many of the best qualities from their parents. They are super crisp, large, yellow/green apples blushed in red, with creamy, white flesh and both the tartness of a Jonathan and the sweetness of a Golden Delicious. Jonagold apples were developed by Cornell’s apple breeding program at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, New York in 1953 and introduced in 1968....
Grocery prices are going up. It’s something we can’t escape from, and probably a trend of the future. But you can cut those bills in half if you grow a kitchen garden. A kitchen garden bed is one of the better ways to ensure fresh produce, know what is going into your food, and enjoy the great outdoors. What is a Kitchen Garden? Our grandparents had great kitchen garden ideas....
Leaf Drop on Boston Fern Even though it looks awful when leaflets fall from Boston fern plants, this symptom isn’t generally indicative of a serious problem. More often, the cause of Boston fern losing leaves is something in the care the plant’s receiving, and that can be changed overnight. Most often when leaves or leaflets yellow, dry up, and drop, it’s due to one of these common problems: Age of leaves – Older leaves will eventually dry and die....
The word clone comes from the Greek “klon,” which means twig. In plants, cloning is the production of a cell that is genetically identical to the parent. If you have a favorite plant that can be hard to source, it might be useful to clone plants at home. You need to know several important steps on how to clone a plant in soil. Some clones may also be started in water....
Common Reasons for a Plant Dropping Leaves Leaves drop for many reasons, including environmental stress, pests and disease. Listed below are some of the most common causes for leaves falling off. Shock – Shock from transplanting, repotting or dividing, is probably the number one reason for leaf loss in plants. This can also be true of plants going from an indoor environment to an outdoor one and vice versa. Fluctuations in temperature, light, and moisture can have an adverse effect on plants, especially as they are transitioning from one environment to another—often resulting in the loss of foliage....
Salinas Lettuce Information California’s Salinas valley is the foremost lettuce-growing region in the world. One of the area’s most popular types of lettuce, Salinas iceberg lettuce is grown across the United States and much of the world, including Australia and Sweden. How to Grow Salinas Lettuce Plant Salinas lettuce as soon as the soil can be worked in spring. Plant a fall crop, if desired, in June or July. You can also plant Salinas lettuce indoors three to six weeks ahead of time....
What are Nematodes? Nematodes are parasites that attack plants. They are roundworms that are microscopic in size, so that you can’t see them, and they feed on the roots of plants. The nematodes of lettuce infestations may be one or more of numerous varieties. There are nearly 50 species of nematodes that may feast on lettuce, depending on geographic location. Nematode Damage in Lettuce The type of damage that nematodes cause in lettuce depends on the species causing the infestation....
If you’re wondering how to create a medieval garden and what medieval garden plants should be included, the following tips may help. Medieval Garden Design If you’re interested in medieval garden design, keep in mind that you can portray an idea without being completely authentic. Usually, it’s best to keep things simple. Most medieval gardens were enclosed by walls or fences constructed of supple wood from willows, witch hazel, forsythia, plums, or sweet chestnut....
Melianthus Honeybush Information What is a honeybush anyway? It’s a lovely shrub often grown for its textured foliage. If your garden lacks texture, honeybush cultivation might be just the ticket. Unlike flowering plants, those grown for their foliage usually look better every passing week, and make their neighbors look better too. Melianthus honeybush information describes the shrub’s foliage as 20-inch (50 cm.), pinnately compound, saw-tooth margined leaves. What that means is that honeybush produces long, graceful leaves like giant ferns....
Mexican primrose flowers (Oenothera speciosa) are one such example. Though creating a profusion of pink blooms in borders, their invasive nature often causes many growers to look for solutions in removing the plants. Read on for more info on Mexican primrose control. About Mexican Primrose Plants Also known as showy evening primrose, pink evening primrose, and pink ladies, like its cousin the yellow evening primrose, this plant can quickly get out of hand....
Slime mold on grass is not damaging to the turf, but if appearance is a problem you can remove it. You might think this mold turfgrass disease should be killed to protect the health of your grass. However, treatments are not effective and this interesting organism might be better left undisturbed. This is something you decide after you learn a few facts about lawn slime mold. Lawn Slime Mold Although most often you will find a black substance on lawns in moist warm conditions, slime mold can come in many colors....
