What is Lychee Fruit? Lychee fruit is a rarity in the United States, probably because it isn’t commercially grown on the mainland with the exception of small farms in Florida. Because of this, it isn’t any wonder you’re asking what is lychee fruit. While it isn’t commonly found here, lychee has been prized for centuries by the Chinese who passed it along to Burma in the late 17th century, who in turn brought it to India....
What is Mint Rust Fungus? Mint rust is caused by a fungus, Puccinia menthae, which only infects plants in the mint family, especially spearmint and peppermint. It is encouraged by overhead irrigation, which frequently allows water to stand on plant leaves long enough for the fungal spores to germinate. Closely planted mints, or those that need to be thinned, are at a heightened risk due to increased humidity around the plants....
What is Container Monoculture Design? Gardeners generally shy away from monoculture. It’s not considered good practice because putting the same types of plants in the same space encourages the accumulation of pests and disease particular to those plants. The difference between that traditional idea of monoculture and monoculture container groupings is that with containers you can more easily swap out diseased plants. You can also disinfect and change out pots to prevent the spread of a disease....
Mukdenia Information What are Mukdenia plants? Mukdenia information tells us that they are low-growing herbaceous perennials, perfect for leafy ground cover in cool and mild climates. Several species of plants are grouped in the botanical genus Mukdenia syn. Aceriphyllum. They include Mukdenia rossii and Mukdenia karasuba. With either of these species, Mukdenia plant care is not difficult. Growing Mukdenia Plants If you are considering growing Mukdenia plants, it’s important to read up on them and their needs first....
Easy Mum Propagation Through Division Propagating mums is fast and easy when done through division. Mums benefit from division every three to four years to enhance the form and flowering of the plant. This is done in spring and yields a spare plant or two. The centers of mums can begin to get leggy and may even die out when they get older. In spring, when the mum begins to show signs of sprouting, dig out the entire root ball of the plant....
Why is My Tree Dead? Some tree species live longer than others. Those that grow slowest generally have longer life spans than trees with rapid growth. When you are selecting a tree for your garden or backyard, you’ll want to include life span in the equation. When you ask questions like “why did my tree suddenly die,” you’ll want to first determine the tree’s natural life span. It may simply have died of natural causes....
Can you really use nasturtiums for pest management? If you’re fighting pests in your flower garden, you may want to give it a try! Read on to learn more about nasturtium insect management, along with a few helpful tips on how to control pests with nasturtiums. Using Nasturtiums as Pest Control While some gardeners are dubious, many seasoned growers are convinced that nasturtium insect management is a critical aspect of a healthy garden....
Onion Water Needs Onions need a lot of water, but the soil should never get soggy. Ideal onion water needs are to irrigate to a depth of an inch (2.5 cm.) once a week rather than a light sprinkling each day. If you are watering onions with a hose or sprinkler, water in the morning rather than during the heat of the day, which will just end up being evaporated. Overhead watering can spell trouble....
Oriental vs. Asiatic Lily Oriental and Asiatic lilies aren’t the same, but both of the popular, hybrid lilies are strikingly beautiful and right at home in the home garden. Although Oriental lilies are slightly trickier, both are easy to grow, and learning to tell the difference between Asiatic and Oriental lilies isn’t all that difficult either. Asiatic Lily Info Asiatic lilies are native to several areas of Asia. The plants, which reach mature heights of 1 to 6 feet (0....
What’s Eating My Pecans? Pecan trees produce edible nuts that have a rich, buttery flavor. Sweet and delicious, they are used extensively in cake, candy, cookies, and even ice cream. Most people who plant pecans do so with the nut harvest in mind. If your pecan tree is at long last producing a heavy crop of nuts, it’s time to celebrate. Keep an eye out; however, for pests that eat pecans....
Growing Apples from Seeds Growing apples from seeds is easy, but there is a caveat. The odds that you’ll get the exact fruit from the seed of your favorite variety are extremely low. It is more likely that you’ll get a tiny, tart apple that isn’t particularly tasty. The problem is that apples reproduce sexually, cross-pollinate freely and have a lot of genetic diversity. Variety is the name of their game....
Germinating Peach Pits Although you can plant a peach pit directly in the soil during fall and wait for spring germination nature’s way, you can also store the seed until early winter (Dec/Jan.) and then induce germination with cold treatment or stratification. After soaking the pit in water for about an hour or two, place it in a plastic bag with slightly moist soil. Store this in the refrigerator, away from fruit, in temps between 34 and 42 degrees F....
About Peonies That are Red If you’ve only seen peonies that are soft, pastel shades of pink, you’ll be surprised by the difference a little color can make. While rose-colored peonies are lovely, red peony flowers will turn heads. Peonies that are red are all show-stoppers in the garden. If you decide to start planting red peonies, you’ll find astonishing color variation. Some red peony varieties are a bright blood red, while others carry orange, brown, or maroon overtones....
Balcony Planter Ideas Nearly endless balcony planter ideas can be found online in blog articles and social media posts. However, determining which balcony containers are ideal for your specific needs can sometimes feel quite difficult. When choosing pots for balcony gardening, gardeners first need to consider the growing conditions in their space. This includes characteristics like amount of sunlight, rainfall, and wind exposure. The size of your balcony will also be an important factor in the selection of containers....
Can You Grow Nemesia in a Pot? Annual plants really round out the spring and summer garden. They provide a real “pick-me-up” as you wait for perennials to come to full flower. Nemesia has blooms that resemble tiny snapdragons or lobelia blooms and come in many bright colors. Try using nemesia in planters, either en masse or mixed with other annuals. Keeping nemesia in a pot allows you to control where you use the plants and in high heat regions, makes it easy to move them at midday to a slightly cooler location....
Tree Branch Breaking Brittle tree branches break when faced with strong winds, heavy snowfall, or ice, and they sometimes break under their own weight. The best way to keep tree branches from breaking is to keep them strong and healthy. This means watching them closely for disease symptoms, pruning them while they are young to encourage strong structure, and watering them often enough to prevent drought stress. Some problems with trees are beyond the homeowner’s control....
Pruning Tips for Knock Out Roses When it comes to pruning Knock Out rose bushes, I recommend the best time to prune Knock Out roses is in the early spring just as with any other rose bushes. Prune out the broken canes from the winter snows or wind whipping of the bushes. Prune out all dead canes and prune the overall bush back by about one-third of its overall height. While doing this pruning, be sure to keep an eye on the finished shape of the bush desired....
When to Trim Weigela It is best to prune weigela shrubs in the late spring after they have finished blooming. Trimming weigela bushes right after they bloom will keep you from inadvertently pruning off next year’s flowers. This is because weigela blooms on wood that it is a year old. The wood that grows this year will bloom next year. Pruning weigelas after blooming means that you’ll pruning before the blooming wood has a chance to grow....
Why Use Asters That are Purple? While purple asters have several different tones, their cool hue sets off numerous other colors. When paired with yellow flowers, the effect is absolutely stunning with the sunny tone blending with the stormy sky hue. When you plant different types of purple aster in a grouping, the effect is jaw dropping. Since purple is one of the “cool colors” on the color wheel, it is supposed to relax you....
Recognizing Cercospora Leaf Spot of Radish If you had a nickel for every potential disease or pest issue that could affect your vegetable patch, you would be rich. Radishes are fairly hardy plants but even they are prone to disease. One of the common diseases is cercospora leaf spots on radish, also known as early blight. It resembles many other leaf spot diseases, unfortunately, so it can be difficult to diagnose....
