Dwarf Pine Trees Planting dwarf pines is a great idea when you want the green color and the conifer texture but your space is too tall for a forest. There are a large number of dwarf pie varieties that make growing dwarf pines easy. Your best bet is to review the different dwarf pine varieties. Pick dwarf pine trees based on their mature size, hue of needles, hardiness zone, and other particulars....
Covering Chain Link Fences with Plants There are a few things to consider when covering chain link fences with plants. Before deciding which plant you will use, think about what you would like the plants that grow on fences to accomplish: Do you want flowering vines for fences or foliage vines? Do you want an evergreen vine or a deciduous vine? Do you want an annual vine or a perennial vine?...
What is Poison Hemlock? Thanks to the imagination of mystery and gothic novel writers, most of us have heard of poison hemlock. You may have seen it without realizing what it is because of its resemblance to cultivated plants and other weeds. Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) is a poisonous invasive weed that has caused many accidental deaths because of its resemblance to carrots, including the wild carrot (Queen Anne’s lace). The poisonous agents in the plant are volatile alkaloids found in every part of the plant....
What is Potato Dickeya – Blackleg Potato Symptoms Two groups of bacteria cause this infection: Dickeya, which is one alternate name for the disease, and Pectobacterium. Previously these groups were both classified under the name Erwinia. Blackleg caused by Dickeya is more likely in high-temperature conditions, and is, therefore, more common in warmer climates. The symptoms of this bacterial infection begin with lesions that appear water soaked. These turn up on the base of the plant’s stem....
You’ll find a variety of purple hues and tones – in heights from 3 to 15 feet (1 to 5m.) to complement every area of the landscape. Purple Leaf Shrubs Why not start with shrubs you might not know yet like red filbert (Corylus maxima Atropurpurea)? It’s a handsome plant that grows to 12 feet (4m.) tall and grows edible nuts. Another good choice is smokebush (Cotinus coggygria), a many-stemmed shrub with purple foliage and feathery purple flowers that look like haze....
Problem Insects for Bleeding Heart Below are the three most common pests found on bleeding-hearts: Aphids are one of the most troublesome bleeding-heart pests. Also known as plant lice, aphids are tiny green or black bugs that damage the plant by sucking out the sweet sap. They are usually found en masse on stems or the undersides of leaves. A few aphids don’t cause much trouble, but a heavy infestation can weaken and kill a plant....
Pruning a Mock Orange Mock orange is an old-fashioned favorite with its large, white, fragrant flowers that bloom in late spring. Hardy in zones 4-9, most varieties mature to a height of 6-8 feet (2-2.5 m.) and have a natural vase shape. With a just little maintenance, a mock orange shrub can be a beautiful addition to your landscape for many years. Before pruning any plants, you should always sanitize your pruners or loppers to prevent the spread of pests and diseases....
Pruning in Winter If you have deciduous trees and shrubs in your backyard, you know how different they look in winter than in summer. As these plants lose their foliage in fall to prepare for dormancy, you see their “bones” clearly, their trunk (or trunks) and all of their branches. Winter pruning trees and shrubs makes a lot of sense. Since the plants are essentially “sleeping” during dormancy rather than actively growing, they will lose less sap from trimming than they would in summer....
Seedbox Plant Info Marsh seedbox plants are short lived, perennial members of the evening primrose family. In fact, they are also known as water primrose plants. Other names for the plant include floating seedbox and floating primrose willow. They are hardy in USDA zones 4 through 8 and thrive in areas where ground moisture remains constant. Their notable characteristic is a cube shaped seed box which rattles when the seeds are ripe....
Interested in growing strawberries in shade? Read on to learn about shade tolerant strawberry varieties. Can Strawberries Grow in Shade? It is true that strawberries need at least eight hours of sunlight to produce, so what a shaded yard needs aren’t the cultivated strawberry we’ve become accustomed to. Instead, you are looking for a shade tolerant strawberry which will be a variety of wild strawberry. Cultivated strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa) are hybrid species of the genus Fragaria created by the fusion of Chilean Fragaria chiloensis and the North American Fragaria virginiana....
Should You Mulch Groundcovers? Does groundcover need mulch? This oft asked question has a couple of answers. The benefits of organic mulch are numerous and the only drawback would be when planting seed, which may have difficulty pushing up through the mulch. Although, mulching around groundcover isn’t strictly necessary either. Most plants will establish just fine without any mulch at all but using it could ease your maintenance routine. The whole idea behind groundcover is to give a natural carpet of low maintenance plants....
Cacti come in a dazzling array of sizes, forms, and colors. Growing a Silver Torch cactus plant will provide your home with one of the most stunning examples of these succulents. Make sure you have plenty of room for the multiple ten-foot (3 m.) tall stems. Silver Torch Cactus Facts The genus name, Cleistocactus, comes from the Greek “kleistos,” which means closed. This is a direct reference to the plant’s flowers which don’t open....
Staghorn Fern Chain Support Small staghorn fern plants are oftentimes hung from tree limbs or porches in wire baskets. Sphagnum moss is placed in the basket and no soil or potting medium is used. In time, a happy staghorn fern plant will produce pups that may cover the whole basket structure. As these staghorn fern clusters grow, they will become heavier and heavier. Staghorn ferns that are mounted on wood will also grow heavier and multiply with age, causing them to be remounted on larger and heavier pieces of wood....
You can grow trees from sucker plants, which are just baby trees that grow from horizontal roots of the parent plant. They will grow to maturity if given the right conditions. If you have other places in your landscape where you would like a tree or perhaps a friend would like one, consider preserving your suckers. How to Grow Trees from Suckers The first step in sucker tree growing is to remove the sucker plant as carefully as possible from the ground....
Insect Repelling Full Sun Plants Without wasting any time, we assure you there truly are many plants that deter insects away from our fruit, veggie, and ornamental plantings. They can also keep pesky, biting insects away from us, our families, and our pets. Most are herbs, so we might already be growing a few of them. Just as the fragrance and flavor of herbs is enjoyable for us, it is unpleasant for many pests that would damage our crops and our bodies....
An apple tree that not only produces an abundance of fresh fruit but also makes an appealing landscape plant is Sweet Sixteen. Continue reading to learn how to grow a Sweet Sixteen apple tree. Sweet Sixteen Apple Info Sweet Sixteen apples are loved by apple fans because of their sweet, crisp fruit. This apple tree produces an abundance of medium to large mid-season apples. The skin is a blushing pink to red color, while the sweet, juicy, crisp flesh is cream to yellow....
How to Grow a Teddy Bear Sunflower Growing Teddy Bear flowers by seed isn’t complicated. The most important thing is to plant seeds where your Teddy Bear sunflower plants will be exposed to full sunlight. Well-drained soil is also an absolute requirement for any type of sunflower. Plant Teddy Bear sunflower seeds after you’re sure all danger of frost has passed. Prepare the soil prior to planting sunflowers by digging a generous amount of compost, well-rotted manure or other organic matter into the top 6 to 8 inches (15-20 cm....
What is Aster Root Rot? Rhizoctonia affects many types of ornamental perennials and even a few herbs and shrubs. This widespread fungus causes blights, rots, and damping off. Aster stem rot information indicates the disease as starting in soil. The stem rot can progress in the plant to leaves and blooms. Aster stem and root rot is a result of the fungus Rhizoctonia solani. The pathogen is a soil borne organism that occurs in many types of soil....
What are Tree Lichens? Lichens on trees are a unique organism because they are actually a symbiotic relationship between two organisms — fungus and algae. The fungus grows on the tree and can collect moisture, which the algae needs. The algae, in return, can create food from the energy of the sun, which feeds the fungus. Lichen on tree bark is completely harmless to the tree itself. The rhizines (similar to roots) allow them to attach to the but do not go deep enough to harm the tree in any way....
About Pruning Boysenberries Boysenberries resulted from a cross between the European raspberry, the blackberry, and the loganberry by Napa farmer Rudolf Boysen during the 1920s. These luscious berries offer the dark color and intense sweetness of a blackberry with the tartness of a raspberry. Boysenberries are brambles, like their genetic parents, and many varieties have canes armed with noteworthy thorns. Like most brambles, boysenberries require a trellis system to support their weight....
