Posts

Cold Climate Rhododendrons The genus Rhododendron includes hundreds of species and many more named hybrids. Most are evergreen, holding onto their foliage all winter long. Some rhododendrons, including many azalea species, are deciduous, dropping their leaves in autumn. All require consistently moist soil rich in organic content. They like acidic soil and a sunny to semi-sunny location. Rhodie species thrive in a wide range of climates. The new varieties include rhododendrons for zones 3 and 4....

Can You Take Cuttings from Quince? The fruits are not as popular today as they were several centuries ago, but quince trees are still popular for their early season color show. Quince seedlings are fairly easy to make through cuttings. Rooting quince plants is not hard, but the method depends upon which variety of plant you have. The flowering variety seems to be easier than the fruiting variety. Fruiting cuttings may sprout but there may not be fruit and it may not be true to parent....

Do I Deadhead Milkweed? Milkweed is a glorious perennial wildflower native to North America. All through summer and into fall the plant is covered with flowers. It is a perfect plant in the native garden or just to colonize a vacant field. The blooms are excellent cut flowers, and in the garden, they are attractive to bees and butterflies. Deadheading milkweed is not necessary but it will keep the plants looking tidy and may promote further blooms....

Skimmia Information Japanese Skimmia welcomes spring with reddish-pink buds, which soon burst into masses of tiny, creamy white summertime blooms. If a male plant is nearby for pollination, female plants light up the landscape with bright red berries in fall and winter. Green-tinted bark and leathery green leaves provide a backdrop for the colorful blooms and berries. This compact, slow-growing plant reaches a mature height of 5 feet (1.5 m.) and a spread of about 6 feet (2 m....

Growing Crops in Small Spaces Gardening in small spaces can be challenging, regardless of one’s level of expertise. From potted plants to window boxes, reaping the rewards of these unique gardens often requires trial and error in order to produce abundant vegetable harvests. Ideal crops for small gardens will vary depending on how they will be planted. While those growing in the ground will be able to sow vegetables with larger root systems, gardeners who choose to use containers may have more success with plants better suited to these growing techniques....

Basic Snake Plant Care The snake plant is flexible about lighting and humidity but it is fussy about the amount of water it gets. About the only thing that will kill a mother-in-law tongue is overwatering. It thrives in small pots with crowded rhizomes and has few pest or disease problems. It is not necessary to fertilize, but if you feel like doing something nice for the plant, use a half dilution of houseplant food once a month during the growing season....

About Stalk Rot in Sweet Corn Rotting corn stalks can be caused by fungal or bacterial pathogens. The most common cause of sweet corn with rotting stalks is a fungal disease known as anthracnose stalk rot. This fungal disease is caused by the fungus Colletotrichum graminicola. Its most common symptom is shiny black lesions on the stalk. Spores of anthracnose stalk rot and other fungal rots rapidly grow in hot, humid conditions....

Garden train layouts can be simple ovals or elaborate winding paths up hills and through tunnels. The most important part of how to design a train garden is to add smaller plants so they don’t overwhelm the train itself. Whether you choose an antique model or a modern design, creating a garden train track can be a fun project for the whole family to enjoy. Train Gardening Information Train gardens should be planned out ahead of time....

Growing herbs upside down has certain benefits and a few drawbacks, but can be useful in small garden spaces. Upside down herbs are readily accessible and grow just as well as tomatoes when hung vertically. You can easily make your own hanging herb garden with just a few simple household items. Benefits of a Hanging Herb Garden Herbs that grow upside down are great space savers for gardeners who don’t have a convenient garden plot....

Northern Spy Apple Tree Facts So what are Northern Spy apples? Northern Spy is an older variety of apple, developed by a farmer in the early 1800s in Rochester, New York. What varieties it developed from is unknown, but this is considered an heirloom apple. The apples this tree produces are very large and round. The color of the skin is red and green streaked. The flesh is creamy white, crisp, and sweet....

What are False Root Knot Nematodes? Sick spinach plants? It can be difficult to figure out what is affecting these leafy greens since the signs of disease often mimic one another. In the case of false root knot spinach, the above ground symptoms may mimic certain wilt and other fungal diseases. It can also appear as a nutrient deficiency. To be certain, you may have to uproot a spinach plant and look for characteristic galls on the root system....

Care and Uses for Tupelo Trees There are many uses for tupelo trees in areas large enough to accommodate their size. They make excellent shade trees and can serve as street trees where overhead wires aren’t a concern. Use them to naturalize low, boggy areas and places with periodic flooding. Tupelo trees are an important food source for wildlife. Many species of birds, including wild turkeys and wood ducks, eat the berries and a few species of mammals, such as raccoons and squirrels, also enjoy the fruit....

What is a Leopard Tree? Something about this exotic tree with feathery foliage makes you think of Africa. But leopard tree information says it’s native to Brazil. The leopard tree has an open crown and its groups of small, thin leaflets provide light to moderate summer shade. The tree also offers panicle spikes of sunny yellow flowers at the stem tips. But the tree’s best feature is its smooth, mottled trunk, and ivory bark with brown or grey patches....

Madame Galen Plant Info If you need a plant that will both be beautiful and yet doesn’t need much maintenance, try growing a Madame Galen. This gorgeous trumpet vine relative can grow up to 25 feet (8 m.) in length and climbs using its aerial roots. In just a couple of seasons, any eyesore in your landscape can be transformed with lacy foliage and bright colored blooms. Best of all, Madame Galen needs no special care and only minimal maintenance....

What is Fertilizer Burn? Simply put, fertilizer burn is a condition that results in the burning or scorching of plant foliage. Fertilizer burn is the result of over fertilizing plants or applying fertilizer to wet foliage. Fertilizer contains salts, which draw moisture out of plants. When you apply excess fertilizer to plants, the result is yellow or brown discoloration and root damage. Fertilizer burn symptoms may appear within a day or two, or it may take a couple of weeks if you use a slow-release fertilizer....

Grapevine Fanleaf Degeneration Grapevine fanleaf degeneration is a common grape virus transmitted by dagger nematodes. Not only is it one of the most severe viral diseases of grapes, but the oldest known, with descriptions going back to 1841. Any species of grape can be infected, but Vitis vinifera, Vitis rupestris, and their hybrids are the most susceptible. You should be on the watch for this disease anywhere grapes grow, especially in states with known infections like California, Washington, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, and Missouri....

Homesteading Information What is homesteading? Starting a homestead is often thought of as a ranch or farm. Usually, we think of someone who lives outside of society’s food and energy chains. A look at homesteading information informs us that the goal is self-sufficiency, which may even go as far as avoiding money and bartering for any necessary goods. Broadly, it means doing what you can for yourself in the space in which you live....

Viburnum Leaves Turning Brown So why do viburnum leaves turn brown? In most cases, fungus is to blame. Below are the most common situations for browning in these plants: Fungal spot or Anthracnose Take a close look at your browning viburnum leaves. If they have irregular brown spots that are sunken and dry, they may have a fungal spot disease. The spots begin small but merge together and may appear red or gray....

Wild Turkey Control Wild turkeys in garden areas are certainly upsetting, but before you assume that the wild turkey you saw this morning was the same one that ate your corn down to nothing, you’ve got to do a little legwork. More often than not, crop damage is caused by wildlife other than turkeys; they’re simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Look around the damaged plants for signs of scratching or turkey-shaped footprints....

What are Wireworms? Wireworms are the larvae of what is commonly known of as the click beetle. The click beetle gets its name from the clicking sound it makes when trying to flip itself over from on its back. Wireworms have a very slender, hard body; are yellow to brown in color; and range in size from ½ to 1 ½ inches (1.3 to 3.8 cm.) in length. These pests can cause significant damage to young corn and other plants....