Posts

Lovage Herb Uses All parts of the herb are useable. The leaves are added to salads and the root is dug up at the end of the season and used as a vegetable. Stems can replace celery and the flower yields an aromatic oil. Interestingly, the lovage herb is a commonly used flavoring for confectionaries. You can use seeds and stems in candy making. The seeds are a common ingredient in flavored oils and vinegars, which steep in the liquid, releasing their flavor over time....

Help! My Gardenia’s Leaves are Curling! If leaves of gardenia are crinkling and wrinkling, there may be several factors at play. Gardenia Leaf Curl and Spider Mites Spider mites are often to blame when leaves of gardenia are crinkling. You may not notice the pests because they’re so tiny, but the fine webbing they leave on the foliage is a telltale sign. A gardenia affected by spider mites may also exhibit yellow or spotted leaves....

Why Don’t My Sweet Peas Flower? Sweet pea flowers not blooming? There are several reasons why this happens. To pinpoint the cause in your plant, here are some possibilities to look for: Are your sweet peas getting enough light? Sweet peas should have direct sunlight for six to eight hours every day. The more light the plants have, the better they flower. And speaking of light, they prefer long days. The ideal day length is 16 hours, followed by eight hours of darkness....

Insects that Attack Guava The Caribbean fruit fly is one of the most damaging pests in Florida guava production. The larvae infest the fruit, rendering it unfit for human consumption. To avoid fruit fly damage, fruit must be picked prior to full maturity, which means harvesting at least three times per week. The larvae of the guava moth will tunnel into the fruit, making it inedible, and feed on the foliage of the plant as well....

10 Flowers for a Pink Bouquet Chantilly Pink Snapdragon – These snapdragons’ beautiful pink blooms have a brilliant open flower form that makes them appear much different than those with the more traditional snapdragon shape. Chantilly blooms also look quite lovely when used in pink flower centerpieces due to their large flower spikes. Jersey Beauty Dahlia – Considered to be one of only a few heirloom varieties of dahlia, dating back to the 1920s, this cultivar produces large bright pink blooms that look stunning when used in pink bouquets....

Can You Re-Grow Beets from Tops? Beets brighten up any dish made from roasted root vegetables, from chips to borsht. While many of us are familiar with the bright pink, bulbous roots, not many of us have used the greens. They can be used similarly to Swiss chard or other dark green leafy veggie tops. They can be used fresh in salads but are best sautéed or chopped into stews and soups....

So what does smoke from cigarettes do to their health? Can plants filter cigarette smoke? Does Cigarette Smoke Affect Plants? Studies have already found that the smoke from forest fires negatively impacts trees that survive big blazes. The smoke seems to decrease a tree’s ability to photosynthesize and grow efficiently. There have also been a few studies about how cigarette smoke affects the growth and health of indoor plants. One small study found that plants exposed to cigarette smoke for 30 minutes per day grew fewer leaves....

Can You Add Potato Tops to Compost? There seems to be some debate about the safety of composting potato haulms. Of course, potato haulms in compost will decompose just like any other organic matter. Potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers are all members of the Solanaceae or Nightshade family and, as such, contain alkaloids that can be toxic. The conundrum is if composting potato haulms will render the resulting compost toxic in some way....

What is Soil Compaction? Soil compaction occurs when the soil is dense and closely packed together with minimal poor space. Healthy soil should be half soil—sand, silt, minerals, clay, organic matter—and half poor space. There are several issues with trying to grow plants in compacted soil: Tilling and digging in compacted soil is difficult. Plants can’t develop as robust a root system as they would in looser soil.The soil doesn’t absorb water as well, and it tends to pool....

Propagating Different Types of Plantlets on Houseplants Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) and strawberry begonia (Saxifraga stolonifera) are two of the easiest plants to grow offsets, as both produce smaller versions of themselves along the end of arching stems. The best way to grow them is to set little pots around the larger mother pot. Take the stolons and place them so the plantlets are resting on the surface of the compost in the little pots....

Why Do My Roses Have Holes in the Leaves? Holes, rips, or tears in rosebush leaves can be caused in different ways. In some cases, the wind whips the foliage so hard that the leaves will get puncture wounds in them from their own thorns. Small pea-sized hail will also cause holes, rips, or tears in the foliage. Larger hail stones can totally defoliate a rosebush and break off canes as well....

Why You Should Harden Seedlings When plants are grown from seed indoors, they frequently are grown in a controlled environment. The temperature is pretty much maintained, the light is not as strong as full sunlight outside, and there will not be much environmental disturbance like wind and rain. Since a plant that has been grown indoors has never been exposed to the harsher outdoor environment, they do not have any defenses built up to help them deal with them....

Identifying Spider Mites on Houseplants and Outdoor Plants Initially, spider mite damage will appear as small yellow or brown spots on the leaves of the plant. If the plant is badly infested, the plant’s health will suffer, it may develop completely yellow leaves and it may stop growing. Spider mite damage may also include a telltale spider web type webbing on the plant. Spider mites are arachnids and are related to spiders....

Diseases of Sweetbay Magnolia Sweetbay magnolia is a graceful southern tree, evergreen in many regions, that is a popular ornamental tree for gardens. A wide columnar tree, it grows to a height of 40 to 60 (12-18 m.) feet tall. These are lovely garden trees, and the silver undersides of the leaves glimmer in the wind. The ivory flowers, scented with citrus, stay on the tree all summer. Generally, sweetbay magnolias are strong, vital trees....

Are you interested in raising your own Szechuan pepper? Growing this sturdy plant isn’t difficult for gardeners in USDA plant hardiness zones 6 through 9. Read on and learn how to grow Szechuan peppers. Szechuan Pepper Info Where do Szechuan peppers come from? This fascinating tree hales from the Szechuan region of China. Szechuan pepper plants are actually more closely related to citrus trees than to familiar chili peppers or peppercorns....

What are Bare Root Roses? Some rose bushes may be ordered as what is called bare root rose bushes. When you buy rose plants with bare roots, these come to you in a box without soil and with their root systems either wrapped in wet paper or in clear plastic bags with some wet shredded paper to help keep the roots wet during shipment. Tips for Bare Root Roses Care After They Arrive Take the bare root roses out of the packing material, place them in a bucket of water for 24 hours, and then plant them in your new rose bed....

Moving Crepe Myrtles If you plant a tree, you hope to put in in a “forever” location, where it can live out its life comfortably and in harmony with its surroundings. But life happens all around us, and sometimes these plans don’t work out. If you planted your crepe myrtles in a spot you now regret, you aren’t the only one. Crepe myrtles flower best in sun. Perhaps you chose a sunny site but now neighboring trees are throwing shade on the area....

Common Chestnut Tree Problems Blight – One of the deadliest diseases of chestnut trees is called blight. It is a canker disease. The cankers grow fast and girdle branches and stems, killing them. The noble U.S. native, American chestnut (Castanea dentata), is a huge, majestic tree with a straight trunk. The wood is beautiful and highly durable. Its heartwood can be counted on in any situation where decay is a potential risk....

Making Compost in a Small Space Apartment and condo dwellers may want to try composting indoors but worry about the smell. There are actually new methods that do not create an odor and result in wonderful houseplant soil. Urban composting is often supported by municipal waste collection or private companies, but you can set up your own system at home and create a little black gold for your own use as well....

Water Lily Problems – Pests The more common problems with water lilies you are likely to see in your pond are from pests rather than diseases: Water lily aphids. You’ll know if you have aphids. They appear as little black spots all over aquatic plants, not just water lilies, and can ultimately cause yellowing and curling. Remove by rinsing leaves or submerge leaves for a day or two to drown aphids....