What is Curly Parsley? This is an easy-to-grow type of parsley with round, curly leaves. The taste is stronger than that of the flat-leaf type and not too similar. Curly parsley uses include garnishing plates, often along with a fruit slice. You may also chop it finely and use as the parsley called for in those recipes, although the round curly leaves require more effort to wash than the flat-leaved type....
What is Fetterbush? Fetterbush (Lyonia lucida) is a deciduous shrub native to the southeastern United States. Its aspect is open and arching, while leaves are thick and leathery, a lustrous dark green. If you start growing fetterbush, you’ll fall for the drooping, urn-shaped flowers that can last all spring long and into summer. They grow at the branch tips in clusters, in varying shades of pink. Some are almost white while others are a deep, rich shade....
The unique flavor and the crazy looking plant are kid favorites and they can be involved in growing romanesco broccoli. Learn how to grow romanesco and expose your friends and family to a unique brassica that can be used fresh or cooked. What is Romanesco? Your first glimpse of this strange vegetable will have you wondering, what is romanesco? The neon green color is unearthly and the entire head is spiked unevenly....
Azaleas Turning Brown One day your azalea flowers are bright and beautiful. The next day you see brown blossoms. What could be wrong? When your azalea blooms turn brown, first look to cultural care. Azaleas are generally healthy plants if you meet their growth requirements. Too much or too little water, the wrong exposure, or soil may result in browning flowers. What do azaleas need? That depends on the type of azalea you have and there are many....
Winged Elm Tree Information The winged elm gets its name from the very broad, warty growths, thin and wing-like, that grow along its branches. The “wings” are irregular and sometimes look more like knots than wings. The tree is a small one, usually growing to a height of 40 to 60 feet (12 to 18 m.) tall. Its branches form a vase shape with an open, rounded crown. The leaves of the winged elm are small and oval, a dark green color with paler, hairy undersides....
What is Solanum pyracanthum? Solanum pyracanthum is the botanical name for porcupine tomato or devil’s thorn. Solanum is the genus of the tomato family, and this plant bears many discrete resemblances to tomatoes. A Madagascar native, it was introduced to the U.S., but has not shown itself to be invasive. This is because the plant is very slow to reproduce and birds avoid the berries, so the seeds don’t get distributed....
Sweet Thorn Information In their native South Africa, Acacia karoo trees are beneficial wildlife trees. Birds nest in them and the flowers attract insects to feed the birds. Ten species of butterflies depend on the Acacia sweet thorn for their survival. The sweet gum that oozes from wounds in the bark is a favorite food of many species of wildlife, including the lesser bushbaby and monkeys. Despite the thorns, giraffes love to eat their leaves....
Identifying Azalea Lace Bug Damage Lace bug damage to azaleas normally occurs on the leaves and will look like silvery, white, or yellow spots. This is caused by these azalea insects, literally sucking small sections of the leaf dry and killing that section of the leaf. As these azalea leaf pests move on across the leaf, more and more spots will appear. You will also know if you have these azalea insect problems by looking at the underside of the leaves, where the azalea lace bug tends to be found....
Bacterial Canker of Cherry What causes bacterial canker on cherry trees? Bacterial canker is a disease caused by the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae. If you see dark, sunken cankers on young fruit trees, your orchard may be infected. These are the first sign of bacterial canker on cherry trees. A careful inspection of the canker will help identify the disease. The inner tissue of the canker is orange. Brown streaks push up and down the branch into healthy tissue....
Planting Around a Black Walnut Tree Planting around a black walnut tree can be fatal to some plants because of black walnut toxicity, which causes an allelopathy that affects the growth of certain plants in the same area. Plants are classified as either being sensitive to the black walnut or black walnut tolerant plants. There is a specific chemical, called juglone, that occurs in the whole black walnut tree. This chemical causes black walnut toxicity in other plants which then causes sensitive plants to yellow, lose their leaves, wilt and eventually die....
How To Prepare Chestnuts Roasting chestnuts by an open fire was a common treat in our great grandparents’ time. But during 1904, a terrible blight affected the American chestnut and decimated much of their population. The trees have been reestablished in recent decades and now are more common. If you are new to the food, keep reading to learn how to harvest and store chestnuts. Ways to Roast Chestnuts at Home The “open fire” is not as common an option in modern life, but you can roast chestnuts in the oven, or use a microwave or boiling water....
Two Common Diseases of Pawpaw Trees Powdery mildew usually isn’t deadly, but it can stunt growth of new shoots and will certainly affect the appearance of the tree. Powdery mildew is easy to recognize by powdery, whitish gray areas on young leaves, buds, and twigs. Affected leaves may take on a wrinkled, curled appearance. Black spot on pawpaw is recognized by masses of tiny black spots on the leaves and fruit....
What are Coriander Seeds? Coriander is a seasoning. It is a hard, round little seed that is a light brown color. Coriander seeds are ground and used in breads, Indian and Middle Eastern foods, Latin and Asian cuisine and is also a component of pickling spices. Cilantro seed answers the question, “What is Coriander?” The coriander plant goes to seed if it is planted when summer is in full swing. If you want cilantro for the citrusy leaves, you need to plant it when temperatures are still cool in spring....
Cotton Root Rot of Sweet Potatoes Phymatotrichum root rot, also called phymatotrichum cotton root rot, cotton root rot, Texas root rot or ozonium root rot, is a highly destructive fungal disease caused by the fungal pathogen Phymatotrichum omnivorous. This fungal disease affects more than 2,000 species of plants, with sweet potatoes being particularly susceptible. Monocots, or grass plants, are resistant to this disease. Sweet potato phymatotrichum root rot thrives in the chalky, clay soil of the Southwestern United States and Mexico, where summer soil temperatures consistently reach 82 F....
Creeping Gloxinia Info Creeping gloxinia is a relative of foxglove. Although it is commonly referred to as creeping gloxinia, it is not related to gloxinia plants. It has been placed in numerous genera and finally landed in Lophospermum. What is creeping gloxinia – a tender climbing plant with bright pink (or white), deeply throated flowers that coat the plant in deep color. Lophospermum plant care is fairly specialized, but the plant has no serious pest or disease issues....
About Powdery Mildew on Cucurbits Powdery mildew that infects cucurbit is caused by one of two fungal species: more commonly Erysiphe cichoracearum and less commonly Sphaerotheca fuliginea. While any kind of cucurbit could be susceptible to these fungi, most varieties of cucumbers and watermelons are now resistant. Unlike some other types of fungal infections on plants, powdery mildew does not require standing water. The most favorable conditions for an infection are medium-high humidity and temperatures between 68 and 80 degrees F....
Flowering Quince Pruning You’ll need to trim flowering quince back between autumn and before leaf break-in in springtime. This is the case with most other bushes that flower in spring. Most light pruning is generally undertaken just after flowering. Heavy structural pruning is done in winter while the plant is dormant. Failure to trim flowering quince can result in leggy, overgrown plants. Pruning a flowering quince encourages the tree to produce vigorous new growth....
St. John’s Wort Pruning St. John’s wort is an undemanding shrub that grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9. If your shrub has fewer and fewer flowers every year, you may want to start pruning St. John’s wort. These are delightful plants to have in your garden: bright and colorful and easy-care. However, annual pruning is necessary to keep the St. John’s wort nicely shaped and full of summer flowers....
How to Dry Tomatoes Drying tomatoes doesn’t require any special equipment, but is faster when done in a dehydrator or oven. The fruits should be blanched to remove the skin, which holds in moisture and will extend the drying time. Dip the tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds and then plunge them into an ice bath. The skin will peel up and you can pare it off. When choosing how to dry tomatoes, consider your weather....
With its winter rains and generally mild weather, the West Coast has its own garden calendar. Here is a regional to do list for the last month of the year to help you prepare for the year to come. December in the West The Pacific Ocean plays a large role in West Coast weather, from Washington down to the southern tip of California. December brings rain, not snow, to most areas, and the weather is usually good enough for continued planting....
