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What is Western Wheatgrass? Western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii) is one of the preferred foods for deer, elk, horses, and cattle in spring and occasional fodder for sheep and antelope. The plant may also be grazed in fall but protein levels are much lower. Western wheatgrass for forage and as a soil stabilizer makes this an important plant to grow and conserve. This wild grass begins growing in spring, goes dormant in summer, and sprouts anew in fall....

What is a Hackberry Tree? A hackberry is a medium sized tree indigenous to North Dakota but able to survive throughout most of the United States. Hackberry is an easy to identify member of the Elm family, though it belongs to a different genus (Celtis occidentalis). It has a distinctive warty bark surface sometimes described as stucco-like. It has 2 to 5-inch (5-13 cm.) long, alternate leaves with unequal bases and tapered ends....

Holly Fern Facts Also known as Japanese holly fern, this substantial plant reaches mature heights of 2 feet (0.5 m.) with a spread of about 3 feet (1 m.). Holly fern works well as a border plant or a ground cover. You can also plant holly fern in a container and grow it outdoors or as a houseplant. Although it doesn’t tolerate extreme cold, holly fern survives moderately harsh winters with no problem....

What is a Hot Bed? A hot bed, also known as a hot box, is a heated cold frame. A cold frame is a plant bed that is protected from the environment to keep it a little bit warmer than outside the frame. Essentially, a hot box is a miniature greenhouse. The main reason to use a hot box is to extend the growing season. There are several ways to do this, and many other reasons to look into garden hot box plans and to build your own....

Common Plants Poisonous to Horses There are many plants that have been identified as being toxic to horses. This is a list of some of the most common poisonous plants and is not, in any means, exhaustive: Alsike Clover Azalea Bracken Fern Buckwheat Buttercup Castor Bean Chokecherry Ground Ivy Horse Chestnut Locoweed Lupine Milkweed Mountain Laurel Oleander Poison Hemlock Ragweed Common Trees Poisonous to Horses There are many trees that have been identified as being toxic to horses....

Should I Mulch Around Trees? If you have a naturalized landscape with established trees, there is no reason to mulch around them. Fall leaf or needle drop is natural mulch. If you have a more manicured landscape, it is a good idea to mulch around trees, but care must be taken to keep the mulch away from the trunk of the trees. So called “mulch volcanoes,” wherein mulch is piled around the trunk of the tree, can have long term detrimental effects as it can become waterlogged, compact, harbor rodents and introduce pathogens....

Pawpaw trees are relatively small and found as understory plants in forests. The plant is hardy to United States Department of Agriculture zone 5, but it doesn’t travel well, so it is rarely found in supermarkets. Wonder how to eat pawpaw fruit? Well first you have to get your hands on a nice ripe specimen, probably only available at seasonal farmer’s markets. How to Eat Pawpaw Fruit In areas where the trees grow wild, foraging for pawpaw fruit may turn up a few specimens....

How to Plan a Seed Swap Hosting a seed swap in your community is not too difficult. Here are some tips to help get you started: Plan a seed swap in fall, after seeds have been collected, or in spring around planting time. Determine the best place to hold the sale. A small group can gather in your backyard, but if you expect a lot of people, a public space is better....

Best time for Repotting Anthurium Plants So when is the best time for repotting an anthurium plant? A rootbound anthurium should be repotted as soon as possible. If you aren’t sure if the plant is rootbound, look for the following clues: Roots circling around the surface of the potting mix Roots growing through the drainage hole Wilting foliage, even after watering Water runs straight through drainage hole Bent or cracked container...

How to Tell Ginkgo Sex Between Trees The gingko is a beautiful tree, growing in a diversity of climates. It is the only surviving specimen of the division Ginkgophyta that has not become extinct. There are many instances of prehistoric fossils of this tree being found, some dating as far back as 270 million years. Fossils were found on all continents with the exception of Antarctica and Australia. Needless to say, it’s been around awhile....

What is a Garden Quadcopter? A garden quadcopter is an unmanned drone somewhat like a mini-helicopter but with four rotors. It flies autonomously and can be controlled with a smartphone. They go by various names, including but not limited to quadrotor, UAV, and drone. The price of these units has dropped considerably, which probably accounts for their varied uses from photography and video uses to police or military engagements, disaster management and, yes, even gardening with drones....

Japanese Maple Pests There are several possible insect problems with Japanese maples. The most common Japanese Maple pests are the Japanese beetles. These leaf feeders can destroy the looks of a tree in a matter of weeks. Other Japanese maple pests are scale, mealybug, and mites. While these Japanese maple pests can attack a tree of any age, they are usually found in young trees. All of these pests present as tiny bumps or cottony dots on twigs and on leaves....

While one invasive species eating another doesn’t seem so bad, kudzu bugs also eat plants that gardeners love. That means seeing kudzu bugs on plants is definitely not a welcome site. Read on for information on kudzu bug control including tips for getting rid of kudzu bugs. Kudzu Bugs on Plants The kudzu bug is a “true bug” about the size of a ladybug but dark in color. It uses piercing mouthparts to suck water and nutrients from plants....

What better way to celebrate than to collect a bouquet of fresh cut garden flowers as a gift for the host of your next Labor Day party, or simply to brighten up your own table? Labor Day Flower Arrangements Labor Day flower arrangements can be a fun way to use the garden in your next celebration. While floral Labor Day arrangements can be purchased, those created from the garden are only limited by the imagination....

What is Lawn Pattern Landscaping? A typical, freshly mowed lawn is patterned in back-and-forth stripes or maybe concentric rings. Sometimes, you’ll see diagonal stripes and a grid where the different directions of the mower meet. These are lawn mowing patterns, and they’re the basics. There are important reasons to change up the pattern in which you mow: Going over the same areas again and again with mower wheels can kill or damage grass....

How to Tell When a Pumpkin is Ripe Color is a Good Indicator Chances are that if your pumpkin is orange all the way around, your pumpkin is ripe. But on the other hand, a pumpkin doesn’t need to be all the way orange to be ripe and some pumpkins are ripe when they are still completely green. When you are ready to harvest a pumpkin, use other ways to double-check whether it is ripe or not....

Growing Brugmansia from Seeds Brugmansia seeds are enclosed in a cork-like covering. The seeds themselves resemble small beans. When growing brugmansia from seeds, you can choose to leave this covering in place or remove it. Keep in mind, however, that taking the seed covering off will allow for faster germination and sprouting. Plant brugmansia seeds about half an inch (1 cm.) deep in a mixture of sand and peat. Water well....

Though beautiful, live plants and fresh cut flowers can be expensive, and may not last as long as desired. Why not create Christmas paper flowers instead? Learning how to make Christmas flowers can be fun and still enhance the atmosphere of any celebration. How to Make Christmas Flowers The creation of flowers, such as poinsettias, out of paper is an interesting way to curate spaces during the holidays. In addition to serving an accent to home décor, flowers like DIY paper poinsettias are an excellent way to involve the entire family....

Transplanting Calla Lilies The best time to transplant calla lilies (Zantedeschia aethiopica) is in the spring after all danger of frost has passed and the soil is beginning to warm. Choose a location with organically rich soil that holds moisture well. Callas grow well in low, moist areas where most other rhizomes would suffer from root rot. The plants tolerate full sun in areas with mild summer, but where summers are hot they need morning sun and afternoon shade....

What is Bean Sunscald? Bean sunscald is a common disorder that it basically just a sunburn. As people, when exposed to too long in intense UV rays, our skin burns. Though plants do not have skin like ours, they can also experience burning or scalding from intense UV rays. Bean plants seem especially susceptible to sunscald. It first shows up as a bronze or red-brown speckling of the upper leaves of bean plants....