Posts

Developing a true French potager is no different from any other garden, but you should include some classic French vegetables. There are many plants for French cuisine, as the country has a diverse palate and gastronomic adventure. The true French chefs focus on the country’s local cuisine, which must be as fresh as possible. To emulate their work, having your own plants for French cooking will bring in country grown feel to traditional recipes....

About Cherry Leaf Spot in Plums This disease is a fungal infection that attacks plum trees and both tart and sweet cherry varieties. The optimal conditions for the development of the infection include temperatures around 60 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit (15 to 20 degrees Celsius) and either high humidity or rain. With the right temperatures, just a few hours of moisture can be enough to trigger the spores to germinate and begin infecting a tree....

Different Kinds of Nemesia Nemesia blossoms with half-inch (1 cm.) flowers in colors such as pink, purple, blue, and white. Some plants reach up to 2 feet (61 cm.) tall and spread to a foot (31 cm.) while many are no taller than 6 to 12 inches (15-31 cm.). Their diminutive size makes blooms appear larger, and they are often so dense that foliage is nearly hidden. Older nemesia plant types bloom into summer, when they may balk at extreme heat....

Japanese Aucuba Propagation You can take aucuba cuttings almost any time of year, but you’ll get the best results from the fast-growing stem tips cut in spring or from semi-ripe stems cut in summer. Cut 4 inch (10 cm.) tips early in the day, before the sun has a chance to dry them out. Stick the cut stems in rooting medium or water following the directions below as soon as possible....

It turns out that pollinating raspberry plants is somewhat of a natural wonder. How are Raspberries Pollinated? Raspberry blooms are self-pollinating; however, bees are responsible for 90 to 95 percent of pollination. Honeybees or solitary bees are solely responsible for pollinating raspberry bushes, and they have quite a job of it. About Raspberry Plant Pollination To comprehend how raspberries are pollinated and realize the complexity involved in pollinating raspberry bushes, you need to understand the structure of a raspberry flower....

Symptoms of Rust on Sweet Corn At first, symptoms of corn rust fungus show as tiny, yellow, pin prick spots on leaves. Seven days after these symptoms appear, they develop into reddish brown pustules that are formed on the upper and lower surface of the leaf. The pustules then rupture, and the small, cinnamon-colored spores are revealed. The pustules may be circular or elongated and can be found in bands or patches....

September Gardening Tasks Here are a few suggestions for your autumn gardening to-do list: September is an ideal time to plant new trees and shrubs. The soil is still warm and roots have time to establish before freezing weather arrives. However, it’s wise to wait a couple of weeks if the weather is still hot in your region. September in the Northwest is a great time to add new perennials or to fill empty spots in your garden beds....

What is Root Pruning? When you are transplanting established trees and shrubs, it’s best to move them from one location to another with as many roots as possible. The roots and soil that travel with the tree or shrub make up the root ball. Usually, a tree or bush planted in the ground will spread its roots far and wide. It would be impossible, in most cases, to try to include all of them in the plant’s root ball....

Spinach lovers who have missed the ideal planting window may be left with questions like, “Can spinach be grown in summer” or “Are there any heat tolerant spinach varieties?” Read on to learn more. Can Spinach be Grown in Summer? Success in growing spinach in summer will vary depending upon climate. Those with cool summer temperatures may have moderate luck. Growers attempting to grow during the hotter months of the year; however, should look for summer spinach varieties....

Why is My Sunflower Not Blooming? Sunflowers are the cheeriest of blossoms. Their happy yellow faces turn to follow the sun’s progress across the sky. Many contain edible seeds beloved by humans and birds alike. So it’s distinctly disappointing when you have sunflower plants with no flowers, but understanding your sunflower blooming problems is the first step to solving them. Look at growing conditions Why, you may ask, are my sunflower plants not blooming?...

Sweet Viburnum Information The extremely fragrant flowers of the sweet viburnum are tiny, but the shrub is enormous. At 20 feet (6 m.) tall, it qualifies as a small tree. In springtime, the entire canopy is covered with the tiny blossoms. This has long made it a landscape favorite. Growing sweet viburnum bushes is recommended in warmer regions of the country, like coastal areas. The species thrives in USDA plant hardiness zones 8b through 10a....

Bare Root Roses or Container Roses The first thing to consider is what kind of packaging your roses are in. If your roses come as bare-root plants, you should not be planting your rose bushes in the fall. Bare-root plants take longer to establish themselves and will most likely not survive the winter if planted in the fall. Container packaged roses establish themselves much more quickly and can be planted in the fall....

What are Carrot Rust Flies? The carrot rust fly is a tiny insect that doesn’t harm your carrot crop in the adult form. But when the insect lays eggs in May to June on the surface of the soil, the pests hatch within a few days and the larvae, or maggots, tunnel down under the surface of the soil. This is where they make contact with the roots, feeding and living in the vegetables....

About Vines in the West Vines serve so many purposes in a garden. You can find flowering vines that fill your backyard with a sweet fragrance, and you also can grow vines to cover a pergola or for shading a patio. Vines provide a vertical element in a backyard and also can cover up an ugly wall or unsightly building. The habitat value cannot be ignored either. Vines in the West provide food (in the form of pollen and berries) and shelter to birds, bees, and small mammals....

What is a Volunteer Plant? Volunteer plants are those that come up in the garden with no effort on your part. They germinate from seeds dropped by flowers in previous years or seeds can arrive stuck to the fur and skin of small animals. Birds that visit your garden bring seeds contained in berries and fruit that they ate at their last stop. Plants can sneak under fences by means of underground stems and rhizomes....

What is Walking Stick Cabbage? Walking stick cabbage is not well known, but those gardeners who grow it, love it. It almost looks like a Dr. Seuss plant, with a very tall, sturdy stem, up to 18 feet (5.5 m.) high, topped by a fluff of cabbage/kale leaves. Native to the Channel Islands, it is an edible ornamental and will certainly attract attention in your garden. The plant grows faster than Jack’s beanstalk....

The bad news is that fireflies are disappearing all over the world. Their diminishing numbers are due to use of toxic chemicals, destruction of wetlands, urban sprawl, clearing of forests, and light pollution. Are you interested in discovering ways to attract lightning bugs? Just keep reading to find out how to get lightning bugs in your yard. Lightning Bug Information Fireflies are nocturnal insects. Despite the name, they aren’t flies, but rather a type of winged beetle....

What are Blue Lake Beans? Heirloom blue lake beans are a popular variety that has been around for generations. The pole version was the predecessor, but the bush was developed from it in 1961. These gardener favorites produce straight, long pods that were favorite canning beans. The pods all mature at roughly the same time, which makes them perfect for canning and freezing, but they taste great fresh too. This bean variety came to be in the early 1900’s as a pole bean, but due to its popularity it was soon developed into a bush type....

What are Itoh Peonies? In the early 1900’s, plant breeders scoffed at the idea of cross breeding herbaceous peonies with tree peonies; the species were considered too different and incompatible. In 1948, after thousands of failed attempts, Japanese horticulturist, Dr. Toichi Itoh, successfully created seven peony hybrids from a tree peony bred with an herbaceous peony. These were the first Itoh peonies. Sadly, Dr. Itoh passed away before ever seeing his creations bloom....

Xerographica Air Plant Information Hardy plants accustomed to drier air of Central and South America and Mexico, xerographica plants generally do well in most indoor environments. Commonly known as air plant, tillandsia is a genus with over 450 species. Xerographica, a striking, silvery plant with large, curly leaves, is often considered the king of all tillandsia air plants. Growing xerographica houseplants is relatively simple. How to Grow Xerographica Plants Indoors Most tillandsia air plants are accustomed to humid environments, but xerographica plants are able to tolerate relatively dry air....