Posts

Growing Summer Flowers in Kentucky Heat A well-established flower bed or border can create a welcoming garden space. In addition to often needed curb appeal, a profusion of blooms will be quite attractive to pollinators and beneficial insects. While some flowers in Kentucky heat will wilt, others will thrive. To begin choosing flowering plants suited to Kentucky gardens, first consider the plant’s growth requirements and characteristics. Let’s take a closer look at several popular flower options....

Gardening from scraps has gained a lot of popularity, and it’s a great tool for teaching children about the growth process. Creating a kitchen scrap garden will also help you teach lessons related to food waste, organic growing, and sustainability. What is a Kitchen Scrap Garden? Sometimes referred to as a “quickie vegetable garden,” gardening with things from your kitchen is an easy way to grow produce parts that would usually be discarded, meaning that new vegetable plants are grown from items that would otherwise be headed toward the compost pile....

Reasons for a Plant that Smells like Lemon Not everyone can grow a lemon tree, but there are plenty of lemon smelling plants that can be grown either in the garden or in containers. Some plants that smell like lemon are edible herbs, while others are only lemon scented when a bloom is smelled or a leaf is crushed. Essential oils in these plants are responsible for imparting that citrusy scent; a result of chemical compounds such as d-limonene, citral, citronellal and a variety of terpenes....

Reasons for No Fruit on Lemon Trees The first question would be, do the trees flower? Flowers lead to fruit, and a lack of blooms means your tree cannot produce. Some reasons for this would be incorrect cultivation, lack of nutrients, insufficient water and bad rootstock. If the plant does bloom but still fails to fruit, this might be because the tree is not old enough. Lemon tree fruiting occurs at three to five years old, depending upon the rootstock....

If you search the internet for declining moth populations, you will find many efforts to help rebuild their populations in the United Kingdom, but very little mention of saving moths in the United States. However, moth populations have been declining drastically here since the 1950s. Continue reading to learn how you can help by attracting moths to your garden and providing them with safe habitats. Attracting Moths to Your Garden Moths play an important but understated role in the cycle of life....

What is Purple Love Grass? Eragrostis purple love grass is a North American native bunchgrass that forms a neat, tight clump. It spreads by means of underground rhizomes and also from the abundant seeds that drop to the ground. Cattle will graze on purple love grass until the flowers bloom, but it is usually considered a weed when it is found in pastures. Several species of grass, including some weeds, belong to genus Eragrostis....

Pachira Money Tree Money tree plants are native from Mexico to northern South America. The trees can get up to 60 feet (18 m.) in their native habitats but are more commonly small, potted ornamental specimens. The plant has slim green stems topped with palmate leaves. In their native region, money tree plants produce fruits that are oval green pods divided into five chambers inside. The seeds within the fruit swell until the pod bursts....

What is Bacterial Pea Blight? Recognizing the various diseases that can occur on vegetable plants is a challenge. Bacterial diseases come in many forms and attack many types of plants. One of the more common is bacterial blight in peas. It can spread through rain splash, wind, or mechanical methods. That means it can become epidemic in field situations. However, the symptoms are mostly cosmetic, except in very severe cases, and most plants will survive and produce pods....

Facts About Pinyon Pines If you read pinyon pine information, you find that the pinyon pine – a small pine tree that rarely grows above 20 feet (6 m.) tall – is extremely water efficient. It thrives in its native range in the American southwest on 15 inches (38 cm.) or less of annual precipitation. Pinyon pine grows yellow-green needles, about 2 inches (5 cm.) long, that remain on the tree for some eight or nine years....

Planning and Growing a Garden Spa A spa garden can have one or two purposes: To grow spa herbs that you can use in bath products such as lotions, sugar scrubs, and facial masks OR to create a space that gives you a relaxing, restorative spa feel. There is every reason to do both. Create a beautiful garden that you can sit in and enjoy while also growing useful and fragrant herbs for your indoor spa session....

In the Maryland, Delaware and DC region alone there are over 40 distinct species of bees. And let’s not forget bats, birds, butterflies, and other beneficial critters we depend on for pollination. What can we do to help them? The human race can’t survive without pollinators of all kinds. Pollinators make the world go round, make our food crops more robust and our flowers more beautiful. But did you know some flowers are more beneficial for them than others?...

Can You Grow Clematis in Containers? Growing Clematis in pots is slightly more involved, as potted Clematis plants require more attention than in-ground plants. However, Clematis container growing is definitely possible, even in climates with chilly winters. Clematis for Containers Many varieties of Clematis are suitable for growing in containers, including the following: “Nelly Moser,” which produces purplish pink blooms “Polish Spirit,” with violet-blue flowers “The President,” which displays blooms in a rich shade of red “Sieboldii,” a dwarf variety with creamy white flowers and purple centers...

Predatory Thrips Identification For the most part, the bad guys look like the good guys, so predatory thrips identification might prove difficult. Another problem with identification is their size. Both types of thrips are only a half to three millimeters in length. This makes either type hard to spot. Banded thrips are black with white bands, while predatory black hunter thrips are dark brown to black with white wings. The beneficial six-spotted thrip looks like its name while the Franklinothrip is only found on avocado plants and has an unremarkable appearance....

How to Propagate Cyclamen When you want to learn how to propagate cyclamen, remember that there are at least 20 different species of this plant. All are native to the Mediterranean region and require mild temperatures to thrive. Propagation methods that work well for one species may be problematic for another. Two of the most common species are hardy cyclamen and florist cyclamen. The former is easily propagated by cyclamen seed propagation or dividing cyclamen tubers....

No Flowers on Oleander When you have no flowers on oleander, you have to question why. Oleanders are prized and beloved for their prolific blooms. If your oleander will not bloom, take a good look at its location. As other plants grow up around oleander, they may have started to block out the sun. Oleanders need full sun to bloom properly. Oleanders can have large root structures, if low-growing plants have grown too dense around the oleander shrub, they can compete for nutrients, causing weak or no blooms....

How Do I Get Rid of Lilac Bushes? Lilac shrubs reproduce by seeds, but they also grow new plants from suckers. Shoots grow from the roots parallel with the surface of the soil. As they go along, they send up sucker shoots. Each of these can grow into a new bush. A single lilac plant easily forms a grove of these shrubs over time. It may be the emergence of the grove that causes you to ask: “How do I get rid of lilac roots?...

While reusing plastic Easter eggs is an option from one year to another, you may be looking for other ways to reuse them. Surprisingly, Easter eggs in the garden may have quite a few uses. Ways to Reuse Easter Eggs When exploring upcycled Easter egg ideas, the options are only limited by your imagination. Using Easter eggs in the garden may initially sound like “out of the box” thinking, but their implementation can actually prove to be quite practical....

Growing Lilac from Cuttings Propagating lilac bushes from cuttings is tricky, but definitely not impossible. Take cuttings of lilac bushes from tender new growth in late spring or early summer. Mature growth is less likely to root. Take several cuttings to increase your chance of success. Take cuttings in the morning when the weather is cool and the plant is well-hydrated. Cut 4- to 6-inch lengths (10-15 cm.) of tender, new growth....

Harvesting Rye Plants Rye is grown as a food crop in many parts of the world and the cereal is frequently a central ingredient in breads. However, in home gardens, rye is often grown as an inexpensive and effective cover crop. One of the hardiest cereal crops, rye can be seeded later in fall than similar crops. It is stronger and faster growing than wheat. As a cover crop, it offers an extensive soil-holding root system and does a great job at keeping weeds down....

As stated previously, sago palms are either male or female. Females form a flat, slightly rounded cone with rich, golden tones. The male cone resembles a pine cone and is more erect, growing up to 24 inches (61 cm.) tall. If the two are nearby, the male pollen fertilizes the female sago palm flower head and around December bright red seeds will form on her. These will naturally disperse through birds and wind, and the “flower” parts will disintegrate....