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Yoga and Gardening – How it Can Help There are many documented benefits of yoga, some of which you’ll feel right away, while others come with regular practice. Yoga can help strengthen muscles, improve flexibility, lower blood pressure, improve circulation, increase mobility, and relieve stress or depression. For gardeners, one of the most important benefits of yoga is pain relief. Yoga is known to relieve lower back pain, arthritis pain, and all kinds of chronic pain....

How to Garden with a Baby Only take a baby into the garden when old enough to sit, crawl, and/or pull up. Find a sturdy, lightweight playpen for a shady spot near the garden. Be realistic as to how long the baby will be entertained with a few toys and the outdoor experience. It may seem obvious to most people but you shouldn’t take the baby out in the heat of the day....

Today’s gloxinias are hybrids bred to quickly produce a large number of blossoms. These gloxinias produce an outstanding display for about two months, but once the flowers fade, the plant rarely comes back because it invests all its energy into flowers rather than sturdy roots. Therefore, these plants are best grown as annuals, and since they are discarded after the bloom cycle, gloxinia flower care focuses on keeping the plant looking fresh while it is in bloom....

Can You Grow Orchids in Zone 9? While many varieties of orchids are truly tropical, you can find several that are cold hardy and that can easily grow in your zone 9 garden. What you will find, though, is that most of these temperate varieties of garden orchids are terrestrial rather than epiphytes. Unlike their tropical gardens that don’t require soil, many of the cold hardy varieties need to be planted in soil....

Potato Container Garden The best potatoes to use for container gardening are those that mature early. Choose certified seed potatoes, which are disease-free. The potatoes should mature in 70 to 90 days. You can also choose a variety from the supermarket that you enjoy. Be aware that some potatoes take 120 days until harvest, so you need a long growing season for these types of potatoes. There is a wide range of potato container garden methods and mediums....

How to Harvest Thyme Knowing when and how to harvest thyme will garner the best results when drying. Woody stemmed herbs are best harvested just before blooming for peak flavor. Cut the stems for drying fresh thyme, just before a growth node. This will increase bushing and ensure a constant supply of the tasty leaves. Morning is the best time of day for harvesting thyme. How to Dry Thyme After harvesting thyme, wash it and shake off the excess water....

About Hawthorn Trees A hawthorn tree is a hardy, fruit-bearing, flower-growing tree that has been known to live for up to 400 years. The hawthorn flowers twice a year and from the flowers comes the fruit. Each flower produces seed, and from the seed, shiny red berries hang in clusters from the tree. The best climate for growing hawthorn trees is in USDA plant hardiness zones 5 through 9. These trees love full sun and good drainage....

There are lots of homemade garden gifts to try your hand at. Use these as a basis for developing our own ideas. Handmade Gifts Using Homegrown Herbs Many suggestions here include offering one of your favorite recipes along with the herbs you’ve grown that are used in the dish. This is particularly good for recipes that include basil, as we always seem to have more than we need. Lavender and rosemary are included in a number of food recipes and other items like homemade bath bombs, fragrant lavender wands, and tea bags for the bath....

Growing Potted Nasturtium Plants Growing nasturtiums in a container couldn’t be easier, even for kids or beginning gardeners. You can start seeds indoors about a month before the last expected frost in your area, and then move them into a container when they have a few sets of leaves. While occasionally finicky about transplanting, to eliminate this problem, just start the seeds in peat pots. That way, you can simply pop the little peat pots directly into the larger container without disturbing the roots....

How to Stake a Gladiolus Native to South Africa, southern Europe, and the Near East, these perennial favorites are grown from corms planted in the early spring. As mentioned, the weight of all these blooms, the sheer height of the plants – glads can grow as tall as 5 feet (1.5 m.) – and/or rainy or windy conditions may result in gladiolus that are falling over. So, how to hold up glads in the garden?...

How To Use Different Types of Compost Spreaders Compost spreaders come in varying sizes as well as manual and motorized. You also can buy a tow-behind compost spreader if you own a garden tractor or ATV. Large volume spreaders are ideal for field use, while smaller spreaders benefit orchards, vineyards and small-scale vegetable farming. Before you go out and purchase equipment, make sure it is the best equipment for the job, and it fits within your budget....

About Indian Almond Trees Indian almond trees are very attractive, heat-loving trees that only thrive in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 and 11. That may be traced back to their origins in tropical Asia. Indian almond cultivation generally occurs in tropical and subtropical regions in North and South America. They naturalize easily and are considered invasive in some regions. If you are considering growing an Indian almond, you’ll need to know the size and shape of the tree usually reaches some 50 feet (15 m....

What Causes Yellow Leaves on Rose of Sharon? Poorly drained soil is one of the primary reasons for rose of Sharon leaves turning yellow. The moisture can’t drain effectively and soggy soil suffocates the roots, which causes drying and yellowing rose of Sharon leaves. You may need to move the shrub to a more suitable location. Otherwise, improve drainage by digging a generous quantity of compost or bark mulch into the soil....

What is De Morges Braun Lettuce? Most lettuce varieties take up very little space in the garden and can be planted in succession or as companions with other garden plants, giving us the opportunity to grow several different varieties, which can be harvested over and over for fresh salad mixes throughout the growing season. Certain tasty lettuce varieties, such as ‘De Morges Braun’ lettuce, are also aesthetically pleasing to the eye and can be tucked in small spaces of ornamental beds or containers....

Winterizing Lilac Shrubs Lilacs are one of the most winter hardy ornamental plants around. Do lilacs need cold protection? They can withstand temperatures of -40 degrees F. (-40 C.) but may need some protection from icy winds that damage the flower buds. They need well-draining soil to prevent frozen water from damaging their roots and killing the tree. Lilacs that have not been grafted are hardier than those that have been grafted to rootstock....

Low Maintenance Garden Tips Low maintenance landscaping involves methods for reducing the amount of watering, weeding, pruning, deadheading, and dividing you have to do on a regular basis. One way to reduce watering and weeding is to add a thick layer of mulch, such as bark or shredded leaves, to your garden beds. The mulch will suppress weeds and retain soil moisture. You can also install a drip irrigation system on a timer, so you don’t have to wrestle with the hose....

What is a Stock Plant? Stock plants are healthy specimens of plants you wish to propagate. Their entire purpose is to be the genesis of a new generation of the same kind of plant. Depending upon the variety of plant, stock plants are the source of cuttings, graft material, seeds, bulbs, or tubers. This is why they are often called mother plants. All vegetative plant material that is grown from the stock plant is genetically identical to the parent and is called a clone....

Help, There is White Mold on My Bean Plants! Gray or white mold on beans is an indicator of either a fungus or bacterial infection. Powdery or downy mildew (usually found only on lima beans) is caused by fungal spores that germinate on dry foliage when the humidity is high. Especially common in the late summer and fall, these mildew diseases do not usually kill the plants but it does stress them, potentially resulting in a lesser crop yield....

About Dracaena Leaf Drop The leaves of the dracaena are magnificent, long, thin and green as palm foliage, with some types like the striking Madagascar dragon tree (Dracaena marginata), edged in bright pink. These Common houseplants are also spiky and can scratch you if you aren’t careful. If your dracaena plant starts dropping leaves, you may be alarmed. But some dracaena leaf drop is completely natural. Like other plants, the dracaena drops older leaves as it matures....

Eastern Black Swallowtail on Parsley Parsley is suitable for growing as a perennial in USDA plant hardiness zones 4 through 9. By planting parsley, you’re doing a huge favor for eastern black swallowtail butterflies, as this species feeds only on a few plants, including: Dill Parsley Fennel Carrots Queen Anne’s lace Providing parsley for butterflies can create a home for a native population that you can observe throughout their lifetime. Eastern black swallowtails, appreciated for their delicate beauty, are recognizable by their black wings, each marked with two rows of bright yellow spots, which are larger and brighter in males....