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Pacific Northwest Gardens The Pacific Northwest covers a lot of ground from mountains to coasts and arid landscapes to rainforests. Each area of the region may be quite dissimilar regarding planting times so it’s a good idea to consult with your local Master Gardeners or nursery prior to planting. About the Northwest Planting Guide Along with other garden related chores, March is planting time in the northwest. The following northwest planting guide is just that, a guide....

Symptoms of Oat Leaf Blotch Fungi are probably one of the most common disease causes in cereal grains, such as oat crops. Oat leaf blotch occurs in periods of cool, moist conditions. Oats with leaf blotch develop later phases of the disease, which can damage the culm to the extent that it cannot develop seed heads. It causes symptoms that start as leaf blotch and move to black stem and kernel blight phases....

What is an Old Lady Cactus? Mammillaria is a large genus of cacti that are mostly native to Central America. Old lady cactus care is super easy, which makes it a perfect plant for a beginner succulent owner. With good care and the right situation, the plant may even surprise you with its classic hot pink, old lady cactus flower. Mammillaria hahniana is a rounded, chubby, little cactus with up to 30 short, white spines per areole....

Pawpaw as Cancer Treatment Before going any further, it’s important to state that Gardening Know How cannot offer any medical advice. This is not an endorsement of a certain medical treatment, but rather a laying out of the facts of one side of the story. If you’re looking for practicable advice on treatment, you should always speak with a doctor. Fighting Cancer Cells with Pawpaws How does pawpaw fight cancer? In order to understand how pawpaws can be used to fight cancer cells, it’s necessary to understand how cancer cells work....

What are Peach Stone Types? Peaches are categorized based on the relationship between the pit and the peach flesh. In other words, how well the flesh attaches to the pit. So, we have clingstone peaches, freestone peaches, and even semi-freestone peaches. All three can be found as white or yellow peaches. So, what is the difference between clingstone and freestone? What are semi-freestone peaches? Clingstone vs Freestone The difference between clingstone and freestone peaches is very simple....

What is Buttoning? Buttoning is the result of stress, brought about by unfavorable weather or other reasons in both cole crop vegetables and stone fruit trees. Buttoning produces misshapen vegetables and fruits as well as stunted growth. Cole Crop Buttons Kale, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbage are cool-season vegetables known as cole crops. The word cole refers to stem and is not relative to the fact that these particular vegetables are tolerant of cold weather....

What Plants are Poisonous to Bees? Believe it or not, there are flowers that are bad for bees. They cannot feed randomly on just any type of flower. Here are some examples of poisonous plants for bees: Carolina jessamine: This is a woody vine also known as yellow jessamine. It is found mostly in the southeastern U.S. Summer titi: Also called southern leatherwood or American cyrilla, summer titi should not be confused with spring titi, which is fine for honeybees....

Yellowing Chrysanthemum Leaves – Poor Drainage If you see yellowing chrysanthemum leaves on your plants, take a look at your soil. Garden mums that are planted in heavy soil or soil that drains poorly are not happy plants. The plants need well-draining soil to thrive. If the soil doesn’t release water, the mum’s roots drown and you see your chrysanthemum plant yellowing. Your best bet in this case is to move the plants to a site with lighter soil....

How to Grow a Rosemary Topiary A rosemary topiary is simply a shaped rosemary plant. You can grow your own and practice the art of topiary, or you can buy one that is already shaped. The latter option does require that you prune to maintain the shape if you want to keep it looking neat and tidy. What makes a rosemary a good plant for topiary is the fact that it is a woody plant with dense growth....

Facts About Redwood Trees Of the three types of redwoods, only two grow in North America. These are the giant redwoods and coast redwood, sometimes simply called redwoods. The other species – the dawn redwood – grows in China. This article covers some interesting facts about the redwood trees that grow in North America. For such a large tree, the coast redwood has a relatively small habitat. You’ll find redwood forests in a narrow strip of land on the West Coast that runs from Southern Oregon to just south of Monterey in Northwestern California....

Should You Replace Mulch? Mulch is laid down to retain moisture, repel weeds, and regulate soil temps. As time goes by, organic mulch naturally decays and becomes part of the soil. Some mulch breaks down more rapidly than others. Materials such as shredded leaves and compost break down quite rapidly while larger bark mulches take longer. Weather will also cause mulch to decompose more or less rapidly. So, the question of refreshing garden mulch depends on what type of mulch you are using as well as how weather conditions have been....

May Gardening To-Do List This is an appropriate time to divide clumps of bulbs previously growing in the landscape. Other perennials may be dug and divided now. Add some of the divided flowers into new beds, if needed. Are you getting an urge to plant tomatoes and other warm-season crops? Many sources advise waiting until June in some parts of the Southeast. While freezing nighttime temperatures are usually history by this time of year in most of the southern states, check your local forecast for 10 days ahead....

This is a good question, but before you jump in and start working with faded flowers among the painful spines, let’s look more closely to see if it’s always necessary to deadhead cactus flowers. Should Cactus Blooms Be Deadheaded? Sometimes, deadheading a cactus is not needed, as blooms drop when they’re finished. Removing spent cactus blooms is easier in this situation, you can just pick them up from the ground or other area where they’ve fallen....

September in the Southeast Divide and cut back perennials. If beds were too crowded, this is an appropriate time to dig and divide. There is still plenty of time left for them to establish a root system in new beds before winter’s cold in some part of the south. Divide daylily, iris, and monkey grass. Deadhead those that may bloom again in fall, like coneflowers. Amend the soil before planting in areas that grew summer veggies as they likely took up much of the nutrients....

What is 6-Row Barley? Growing 6-row barley has many uses. While European beer makers believe this specific type of barley should only be grown as feed for livestock, many North American brewers welcome the use of 6-row barley for beer. These 6-row barley plants are easily distinguishable due to the size and shape of their seed heads. Seed heads of 6-row barley plants maintain a somewhat unorganized appearance with varying sized kernels....

The sloped rock garden is also a visual triumph where inactive objects blend with living greenery. To create the perfect rock garden for sloped yards, try the following tips and tricks. Planning a Hillside Rock Garden Got a hillside? Try building a hillside rock garden. There are certain challenges to face, but once you have the infrastructure in place, the effect can be both appealing and functional. Drainage, soil retention, and choice of plants all come into play when planning a rock garden on a hill....

Stag Beetle Facts Some of the largest beetles in this family look like something out of a sci-fi movie. However, they are generous giants with just two things on their minds. One is mating and the other is eating rotten vegetation. Let’s take a closer look at stag beetle facts to understand their place in the landscape. There are more than 85 different species of stag beetles that range across the globe....

Growing Sunflowers as Food If you have decided to try growing sunflowers as food, there are a few things that you should keep in mind. Choose the right kind when growing sunflowers for food First, you need to choose the right kind of sunflower to grow. While there are now dozens of varieties of sunflowers to choose from, you should find one that is a confectionery sunflower seed or a non-oil seed....

The Ugli fruit tree originated in Jamaica. Citrus fruits are known to naturally hybridize, and such is the case with the Ugli fruit tree. How is Ugli fruit grown today? Plants are grafted to ensure the fruit remains true. Un-grafted plants might revert to another variety of citrus. The plants can only grow in frost free regions with plenty of sunshine. What is Ugli Fruit? The Ugli fruit tree grows 15-20 feet (4....

Common Lychee Problems The most common issues with these trees include lychee pests and diseases. Here are the most likely ones to affect your plant: Lychee tree pests Mites (leaf curl mites, red spider mites, etc.): You can normally spray mites with Neem oil or insecticidal soap to eradicate them. Citrus aphid: Spray citrus and other aphids with Neem oil or insecticidal soap if they become a problem. A blast of water on the tree can help knock them off too....