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Kitchen Composting Info It may seem odd at first to save old food and trimmings on your kitchen counter. Traditionally we called that garbage, but new efforts to educate the public have now trained us in waste reduction and reuse of organic items. Composting kitchen waste can be as simple as burying the food scraps in the dirt or using a 3-stage composting bin or tumbler. The end results are nutrient-rich soil additives that increase porosity and help hold important moisture in the soil....

Grow the coral bean with other colorful plants, as the shiny leaves may become sparse during summer heat. Flowers are shaped like an arrowhead and blooms appear profusely on numerus annual stems. They are a magnet for hummingbirds. About Coral Bean Planting Also called the Cherokee bean, this family of plants grows in warm-season climates around the world. In most areas without freezing temperatures, the perennial remains or dies back to return in spring....

What is a Gas Plant? So, what is gas plant beyond a bit of an old wives tale? Growing gas plants (Dictamnus albus) reach a height of about 4 feet (1 m.) tall with quite woody stems at the base. In the early summer, June and July, Dictamnus gas plant blooms with long, spikes of white flowers set off by glossy green leaves. Once the flowers have faded, spectacular seedpods remain that are commonly used in dried floral arrangements....

Keep reading for information on propagating a dieffenbachia plant. Dieffenbachia Propagation Dieffenbachia is also known as the dumb cane because the stems and leaves contain a chemical that will sting and burn the mouth for weeks if it comes in contact with the tender flesh. It can also cause loss of speech and the sap or juice from the stems can irritate the skin. Always wear rubber gloves and consider using eye protection every time you work with your dieffenbachia, especially when rooting a dieffenbachia clipping....

Easy Care Patio Plants Whether you have a yard or garden at all doesn’t matter. As long as you have a balcony, patio, or deck, you can fill it with plants and flowers. An easy to care for patio garden can be simple if you choose the right plants, those that do well in pots and require little maintenance to thrive. Some easy to grow container plants include: Herbs: If you have a sunny patio, herbs will thrive....

About English Daisy Flowers English daisy flowers (Bellis perennis L.) have a yellow disk in the center and are surrounded with delicate petals of white, pink, or even red. Flower stems usually reach 3 to 6 inches (8-15 cm.) in height. Sometimes called lawn daisy or European daisy, petals of the flower fold up at night and open again with the sun. Unfortunately, attractive English daisy flowers easily reseed and are sometimes considered a weed, particularly when growing in areas of the lawn....

What Does Epsom Salt Do for Grass? Epsom salt, or magnesium sulfate (MgSO4), does indeed contain magnesium, which is an important component of chlorophyll. It is touted as a safe, natural product that can be used to increase everything from seed germination, nutrient absorption, growth, and general health of lawns and plants. There are a multitude of precise formulations for veggies, lawns, shrubs, trees, and houseplants. You need only look on the internet (unless you still read the newspaper!...

About Fernleaf Lavender Plants Fernleaf lavender (Lavendula multifida) is also commonly known as French lace lavender. The names refer to its fern-like leaves, which are grayish green, deeply lobed, and can be described as lacy. You can grow fernleaf lavender in your herb garden and harvest both the flowers and leaves. Use them in cooking or in soaps and other care products, potpourri, and scented sachets. This lavender need not be limited to herbal uses, though....

Check out the following tips for fertilizing outdoor container plants. How to Feed Potted Plants Here are some common types of container garden fertilizer and how to use them: Water-soluble fertilizer: Feeding container garden plants with a water-soluble fertilizer is easy and convenient. Just mix the fertilizer in a watering can according to label directions and use it in place of watering. As a general rule, water-soluble fertilizer, which is quickly absorbed by plants, is applied every two to three weeks....

About Garden Hose Maintenance A garden hose is essential in the backyard, providing you with a movable water source to irrigate plants or wash down the wheelbarrow and other materials. You’ll want to avoid cheap, low-quality products and buy a tough, well-made hose that will last. Once you invest the money, it just makes sense to care for the hose. Unlike metal tools, hoses don’t need to be oiled down, but there are other rules for hose upkeep....

What Upper Midwest Gardening Looks Like in June By June in Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Iowa, the final frost has passed, and summer is in full swing. Temperatures are rising, the garden is blooming and growing, and it’s not so late in the growing season yet that drought has become an issue. Your garden to-do list in June will be long and varied. The most important thing to remember this month though is to get on top of chores....

Eliminating Chipmunks with Traps Traps can be an effective way to rid chipmunks from your garden. Since chipmunks are small, you can use the same types of traps for chipmunks that you would for rats. Both snap traps and live traps are an option for getting rid of chipmunks. Snap traps will kill them, while live traps will make it so you can transport them to a more suitable location. Be aware that chipmunks are protected animals in some states....

About Golden Creeper Plants Also known as beach creeper and coughbush, golden creeper is a low-growing, deciduous shrub. It is native to Florida, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Belize, and Honduras, where it is found growing wildly in sandy coastal areas. However, it has lost many of its native habitats in Florida. Golden creeper is hardy in zones 10-12 and grows in poor soils where little else can grow. Golden creeper is a sprawling, vine-like shrub that grows 1-3 feet (30....

Growing Ocotillo Ocotillo provides architectural interest and fantastic color displays of bright, red to pink flowers. The ocotillo plant is a succulent with good drought tolerance once established and a cold hardiness of 10 F. (-12 C.). Growing ocotillo requires a well-drained soil in full sun. Ocotillo plant tends to lose its leaves when exposed to extreme drought, but leafs out in spring and summer rains. Ocotillo really has no special needs and is an easy to grow plant provided it is used in a climate that can provide plenty of sun and heat....

If pink happens to be your shade of choice, you’re in luck. You can select from a long list of pink aster varieties. Read on for a few of the most popular pink aster flowers. Pink Aster Varieties Below are some of the more commonly grown types of pink aster: Alma Potschke – This variety lights up the garden with its bright reddish-pink aster flowers and yellow centers. Height 3....

Rose Verbena Plant Info This North American native, also known as clump verbena, rose mock vervain, or rose vervain, is commonly found growing wild in fields, prairies, pastures, meadows, and wooded areas across the eastern United States, as far west as Colorado and Texas. Rose verbena uses include adding to flower beds, rose gardens, borders, or hanging baskets. The sprawling nature and ability to root at the nodes make this plant a worthy groundcover....

Growing Roses In Containers I have grown Hybrid Tea and Floribunda rose bushes in containers, as well as miniature and mini-flora rose bushes. The containers I have used for container roses are approximately 20 inches (50 cm.) across at the top and 14 to 20 inches (35-50 cm.) deep. It must have a drainage hole, or your roses run the risk of problems such as root rot, mold and fungal attacks....

A lazy gardener’s dream, yucca is a tough plant that tolerates extreme conditions including dry soil, punishing sun, intense heat, and harsh winds, which means it rarely requires water, fertilizer, or pruning. In general, too much care is worse than no care at all. However, the critical factor that can’t be ignored is soil. Type of Soil for Yuccas Grown Outdoors In its natural environment, outdoor yucca plants thrive in dry, sandy, gritty soil where most plants won’t grow....

You can change your luck if you grow indoor plants that are hard to kill, and yes– they do exist. Growing low-maintenance plants indoors isn’t impossible if you choose the right plants. Hard to Kill Houseplants Here are some of the more commonly grown hard to kill houseplants: Snake Plant – With its sturdy, sword-shaped leaves, the snake plant is a toughie that thrives with neglect. In fact, too much attention will harm this hard-to-kill plant....

Dragon’s Tongue in an Aquarium The dragon’s tongue aquarium plant is not fully aquatic. It enjoys and thrives in high humidity. It can exist with wet roots and occasional submersion but usually does not live for an extended time underwater. It’s easily confused with red dragon’s tongue macroalgae (Halymenia dilatata) and numerous other related plants which are fully aquatic. Try to learn exactly which type you have. This dragon’s tongue plant is sometimes sold as fully aquatic, which is a mistake, and can experience the issue discussed above....