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Homemade Evergreen Wreaths There was a moment in our country’s history when store bought was better. Christmas was purchased in the drug store. Artificial trees were all the fashion, and the halls were decked with blinking lights, not boughs of holly. Everything that comes around, goes around though. Today, real is rated better than artificial and authentic wreaths from evergreen branches are so sought after that the garden store has a hard time keeping them in stock....

Baby Toes Succulent Plants Baby toes plants (Fenestraria rhopalophylla) are native to subtropical desert zones. They require bright sun and moderate water in well-drained soil with plenty of gritty matter. Mother Nature engineered them to be very tolerant of low nutrient soils with extreme weather conditions. The perennial succulents form columns of leaves that are thick and rise up like small toes with flattened tops. The tops possess a translucent membrane over the top of the leaf....

Keep reading and we will answer your questions about fertilizing tomatoes. What is the Best Tomato Fertilizer? Which tomato fertilizer you use will depend on the current nutrient content of your soil. Before you start fertilizing tomatoes, it is best to have your soil tested. If your soil is correctly balanced or high in nitrogen, you should use a fertilizer that is slightly lower in nitrogen and higher in phosphorus, such as a 5-10-5 or a 5-10-10 mixed fertilizer....

Freesia Growing Requirements As mentioned above, freesia is native to South Africa. In order to properly grow freesia in the garden, it is important to mimic its native habitat. Freesia plants bloom best when daytime temperatures are around 60 to 70 degrees F. (16-21 C.), and nighttime temperatures stay around 45 to 55 degrees F. (7-13 C.). However, freesia plants cannot tolerate any frost and will die if exposed to periods below 25 degrees F....

Garden Color Wheel Tips Like a painter, using color theory is very helpful in the planning stage. To create your own horticultural masterpiece, it helps to keep in mind a garden color wheel to help train the eye to use flower color combinations effectively. The easiest way to use a color wheel is to visualize all the primary colors of the rainbow – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet – in a pinwheel formation....

There are many gerbera daisy cultivars available, bred for their color and flower shape (single, double or multiple petals). For better results in how to care for a gerbera daisy plant, choose a variety that’s compact, as flower stems will be sturdier on compact plants, and one that suits the pot size or planting bed you will be growing in. How to Grow Gerbera Daisies Growing gerbera daisy plants is possible from seed, seedlings or division....

Do You Need to Deadhead Glads? Gladioli are queens of the landscape when they are in bloom. The majestic spires bear numerous flowers arrayed up the stalk, in hues that defy imagination. Gladiolus flowers last about a week but sometimes persist on the stalk for up to two weeks. They bloom consecutively with the lower buds opening first and the upper ones finishing several days later. Some gardeners feel that you must deadhead gladiolus flowers in order to force more blooms....

What is Cerinthe? In addition to its other names, Cerinthe is also known as honeywort or wax flower from the Greek ‘keros’ for wax and ‘anthos’ for flower. The plant is an herb related to borage, but the foliage is not as thickly haired. Instead, Cerinthe has thick, greenish gray foliage with softly rounded edges. New leaves are marbled with white, which disappears after the leaves mature. The leaves alternate in whorls up the stem in an attractive pattern....

About the Curry Leaf Herb The curry leaf tree (Murraya koenigii) is a small bush or tree that only grows 13 to just under 20 feet (4 to just under 6 m.) in height. The plant is tropical to sub-tropical and produces small, fragrant, white flowers that become small, black, berry-like fruits. The fruit is edible, but the seed is poisonous and must be removed prior to use. The foliage is the real standout; it’s arranged alternately on the stem and pinnate and is comprised of many leaflets....

What is a Shamrock Plant? The potted shamrock plant (Oxalis regnellii) is a small specimen, often reaching no more than 6 inches (15 cm.). Leaves are in a range of shades and delicate flowers bloom off and on during fall, winter, and spring. Leaves are clover shaped and some think the plant brings good luck. These leaves fold up at night and open when light returns. Also known as the lucky shamrock plant, growing Oxalis houseplant is simple and adds a touch of spring to the indoors during winter months....

Keeping Plants Near Showers and Tubs Putting plants in your bathroom is not only possible, but is also an excellent way to dress up this space. Bathrooms are often the perfect environment for tropical houseplants. There’s one obvious thing that sets the bathroom apart from all the other rooms in your house: moisture. With the shower and sink running several times per day, the humidity in bathrooms is high. If you tried to grow a cactus next to your bathtub, you’d probably be disappointed....

Vanda Orchid Info Orchids grow terrestrially or epiphytically. The family of Vanda orchids is all epiphytic, which means the plants cling to tree bark or hand from cracks in cliffs and rocky areas. This means their roots are in relatively little soil, just whatever organic matter the crevasse or crack collected over time. Vanda orchid plants bloom several times a year with 1 to 4 inch (3-10 cm.) blooms in a host of colors....

How to Plant Zucchini in Pots A container with a diameter of at least 24 inches (61 cm.) and a minimum depth of 12 inches (31 cm.) is best for container grown zucchini. Any type of container works well as long as it has at least one good drainage hole in the bottom. For example, a large, plastic storage container with drainage holes drilled into the bottom makes a good planter....

Choosing Hanging Plant Hooks In exploring ways to hang plants, our first priority will be to examine the needs of the plants. Choosing hooks for hanging baskets will have to take into account the amount of both light and moisture where the plants are to be placed. This can be exceptionally tricky when designing indoor green spaces, and may even require the addition of a supplemental grow light. Taking the mature size of the plant into consideration will be imperative....

When to Harvest Potatoes For winter storage, it’s best to let the plant and the weather tell you when to harvest potatoes. Wait until the tops of the vines have died before you begin harvesting. Potatoes are tubers and you want your plant to store as much of that flavorful starch as possible. Temperatures of both the air and soil should also factor into when to dig. Potatoes can tolerate a light frost, but when the first hard frost is expected, it’s time to get out the shovels....

One such problem that we receive many questions about here at Gardening Know How pertains to tomato plants that produce abnormally small fruit. If you’ve noticed that your tomatoes are too small, read on to learn some reasons why tomato fruit won’t grow to an appropriate proper size. Why Does Tomato Fruit Stay Small? The most common cause for small tomatoes is stressed plants. When plants are experiencing stressing circumstances, such as extreme drought or heat, insect infestation, or disease, they oftentimes stop sending their energy into flower or fruit production....

One of the fabulous features of petunias is that they blossom all season long. Whether you place them in a hanging basket or position them as a focal point in your annual flower beds, these prolific bloomers just keep producing. There is a caveat, however. Many gardeners find themselves back at the nursery complaining that “my petunias are getting leggy.” All the flowers end up at the end of the lanky bare stems....

Anyone living in a very warm area might consider growing a dwarf ylang ylang tree in a container to benefit from those glorious ylang ylang flowers. Read on for more information about this unusual tree. Cananga Odorata The ylang ylang tree is often referred to by its botanical name and called a Cananga tree. The term ylang ylang tree is also appealing. In Tagalog, a primary language in the Philippines, the term “ylang-ylang” means “flower of flowers....

If you want to make your backyard into a wonderful spot for taking pictures, read on for information about how to create a photographer’s garden. You’ll also find tips for garden photography. What is a Photography Garden? What is a photography garden? It is, quite simply, a garden filled with images that someone with a camera would love to snap. This could be a hummingbird sipping from a salvia, a bee on a rose, a tree standing bare in winter moonlight, or dew drops on a birch leaf....

So what does that mean for Alaskan houseplants? Being indoors will keep them from freezing, but even shade-loving plants need some sun. Read on for tips on houseplant growing in Alaska. Winter Gardening in Alaska Alaska is cold, very cold, in winter and it is dark. In some areas of the state, the sun does not make it above the horizon all winter long and winter can extend for nearly nine months....