Posts

What Is a California Laurel A California Bay Laurel tree (Umbellularia californica) forms a rounded or pyramidal dense crown and can reach heights of 148 feet (45 m.), but typically reaches 80 feet (24 m.). Its glossy, leathery, yellow-green leaves give off a peppery, menthol odor when crushed. Small, yellow-green flower clusters appear from fall through spring, depending on its location, followed by olive-like purple-brown fruits, which can become a nuisance when dried fruits fall to the ground....

What is a Farleigh Damson? Farleigh damson plums are palm-sized bites of goodness. Their slight acidity and extra hardiness set them apart from standard plums. The trees are small and sturdy, which makes them excellent for windbreaks or hedges and they can be trained to a trellis or espalier. The damson tree is a subspecies of plum. Farleigh damson plums are longer and more oval than regular plums and smaller overall in size....

Formal garden styles always rely on geometric shapes such as squares and triangles, and straight lines, and usually concentrate on green, leafy plants instead of flowers. You can use formal garden design ideas to fill an entire backyard or simply to add an accent garden for a surprising corner of the lawn. What is a Formal Garden Design? When you picture a formal garden, you may imagine the great manor houses in England and France in past centuries, and you won’t be far off....

What is a lean-to greenhouse? Also known as a wall greenhouse, a lean-to greenhouse design takes advantage of an existing building, usually the house, by using it as one of the walls in its construction. Usually built on the east or south side of a house, a lean-to greenhouse extends out from a building, trapping in a small bit of perfect growing environment, despite the weather outside. Lean-To Greenhouse Plants and Design You can build your own lean-to greenhouse very frugally using found or salvaged materials, or spend more money to purchase a ready-made kit....

What is French Sorrel? French sorrel herbs are members of the Buckwheat family. Most gardeners grow French sorrel to use fresh in a variety of recipes. It is used in a similar manner to spinach but has a highly acidic taste that can overwhelm other flavors. It is also high in oxalic acid and, therefore, used sparingly by those that are bothered by the compound. The part of the plant used in cooking are the long, lance-shaped leaves....

Ligularia Plant Information The ragwort flower, or Ligularia, should not be confused with the toxic pasture weed ragwort, which is in the Senecio genus. The ragwort plants we are talking about have large toothed or notched leaves and produce spires of yellow flowers in late summer. The plants have a mounding habit, with some species carrying the foliage on long petioles. The name is derived from the Latin “ligula,” which means little tongue, and refers to the shape of the florets on the flower spire....

Reasons for Dragon Fruit not Blooming When flowers won’t form on pitaya, the plant’s care and environment may need a bit of tweaking. The following tips on caring for pitaya may help. If your pitaya won’t bloom, try moving the plant into a warmer or more sheltered environment. If the temperature drops below 65 degrees F. (18 C.), conditions may be too chilly. Some experts prefer to grow dragon fruit cactus in a greenhouse....

What is White Leaf Spot? The fungus causes circular, light tan to yellow leaf spotting. The lesions are about ½ inch (1.5 cm.) across, sometimes accompanied by dark streaking and splotching. Brassica white leaf spot is a fairly uncommon and generally benign disease of cole crops. It often coincides with heavy winter rains. When conditions are favorable, a characteristic fuzzy white growth of spores can be observed on the leaf spots....

What is Etiolation? Etiolation in plants is a natural phenomenon and is simply a plant’s way of reaching for a light source. If you have ever started seeds without sufficient lighting, then you have seen how the seedlings grow rather spindly with a long, abnormally thin, pale stem. This is an example of etiolation in plants. We generally know it as plant legginess. Etiolation is the result of hormones called auxins....

Protect Succulents From Rain The most obvious means of protecting cacti and succulents from rain is to grow them in containers with drainage holes. Container-planted specimens can then be moved to an area of protection whenever heavy or long-lasting rain is expected to fall. These plants have adapted to survive on limited water. Conditions to which they are native are often hot dry deserts. Succulent leaves have also adapted to storing water for future use....

Wild Yellow Lily Information Canada lily wildflowers, native to the eastern areas of Canada and the United States, are hardy plants that grow in USDA growing zones 3 through 9. The plants, which reach mature heights of 2 to 5 feet (0.5 to 1.5 m.), are commonly found growing along roadsides, in moist meadows, and woodlands, along streams, or in marshy areas. The nectar from the fragrant blooms is highly attractive to hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees....

Below is a breakdown of vegetable gardening in winter for both northern and southern gardeners. Southern Vegetable Gardening in Winter If you are lucky enough to live in an area where hardy plants can survive winter temperatures, growing a winter vegetable garden is one alternative. Hardy vegetables which can be planted in fall for a winter or early spring harvest include the following: Bok ChoyBroccoliBrussels sproutsCollardsKaleKohlrabiLeeksMustard greensPeasRadishSpinachSwiss ChardTurnip Winter Maintenance for Veggie Gardens If you decide not to vegetable garden over winter or if you live in a northern climate, winter maintenance for veggie gardens helps prepare the garden for the spring planting season....

Plants for Winter Interest Just because winter days are cold and cloudy does not mean you cannot have colorful displays of shrubs with winter interest that lure birds into your backyard. Nature always manages to offer variety and beauty in the garden with sunshine, rain, and snow. Ideal winter plants for gardens thrive in the backyard when the cold settles in, creating texture and surprises in the landscape when summer shrubs are dormant....

Wintergreen Houseplants If you’ve ever seen wintergreen growing outdoors, you know that it is a gorgeous plant all year long. Like a holly tree, the wintergreen’s glossy leaves do not wilt and die in autumn. Wintergreen plants are evergreen. These shiny leaves contrast winningly with the plant’s flowers. The blossoms look like tiny, dangling bells. Wintergreen flowers ultimately produce bright Christmas-red berries. As you can imagine, all of these elements in a small pot on your holiday table looks festive and merry, indeed....

Growing bushes in zone 9 isn’t difficult, as many adapt well to the mild climate. Here are a few of the most popular zone 9 shrub varieties. Common Zone 9 Bushes Here are some of the most popular zone 9 shrub varieties for planting in the landscape: Blue star juniper – This lovely, low-growing shrub is ideal in or border or can be used as a groundcover in full sun or partial shade....

The amount of pinching you put into your Alternanthera plant care routine determines the growth habit of the plant. If you pinch out the growth tips regularly, the plants form a neat mound that looks fantastic in formal borders, and you can also use them in knot gardens. They remain attractive but take on a more casual appearance when you leave them alone. You can make a neat edging for your borders or walkways using Alternanthera....

Boston Fern Root Nodules Highly valued as an indoor plant, Boston fern thrives in pots or hanging baskets. In warm climates where temperatures are consistently above 50 degrees F. (10 C.), the fern is easily grown outdoors. If you ever repot or transplant a mature Boston fern, you may notice balls on roots of ferns. These balls, which develop where the fronds meet the underground rhizomes, are small, round growth nodules about the size of a grape....

Creating Your Fall Garden Planner Planning for the fall garden will help you organize your thoughts and goals and put them into action-oriented steps. Where you live and what your climate is like will determine when and how you do these tasks. Regardless of your zone, there are some typical tasks that should be in your autumn garden planner: Get more life out of annuals. Trim back leggy annuals, deadhead if necessary, and add a fertilizer to get more blooms....

Fall Leaf Life Cycle There is a scientific answer to why do leaves change colors in the autumn. The fall leaf life cycle starts with the end of summer and the shortening of the days. As the days get shorter, the tree does not have enough sunlight to make food for itself. Rather than struggle to make food through the winter, it shuts down. It stops producing chlorophyll and allows its fall leaves to die....

Information About Bat Flowers The bat flower (Tacca chantieri) is an exotic plant with flowers that mimic a bat in flight, deep purple with ruffled wings, and long, hanging filaments. Indoor blooms and those outside in semi-tropical climates may appear in spring and last until early autumn. Large, attractive leaves surround the bloom. Growing bat flowers requires a little extra bat flower care, but blossoms of this unusual specialty plant make the extra care of bat flower worthwhile....