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Succulent Rock Garden Design Rockeries are an excellent place to show off a succulent collection. Depending upon where you live, there are many sizes and growth forms from which to choose. Rock gardens afford dimension for the eye while also providing interesting textures and color. They are easy to upkeep if properly prepared and a long-lasting feature of interest in the garden. Before you install succulents in a rock garden, consider the size, shape, and height of your rockery....

What are Butter Beans? Chances are you have probably eaten butter beans at least once in your life. If you don’t live in areas that call them butter beans, you may be asking yourself, “What are butter beans?” Butter beans are also called lima beans, but don’t let the undeserved reputation of lima beans dissuade you from trying them. They had it right in naming them butter beans; fresh butter beans are rich and flavorful....

How to Care for a Poinsettia Tree Within their preferred range, outdoor poinsettia plants can grow to reach impressive heights. Though highly ornamental, these frost sensitive shrubs are simply not able to survive outside very specific growing conditions. Over the years, however, many plant professionals have taken great interest in replicating this same growth habit in new ways to make it more accessible to home gardeners. This passion, in tandem with the plant’s natural popularity, would eventually give way to the creation of much smaller, cultivated poinsettia trees....

Lovage Herb Harvest Information Lovage, sometimes referred to as “love parsley,” is indeed a member of the parsley family. The amorous nomenclature is in reference to its use as a love potion; in fact, the emperor Charlemagne decreed that lovage should be grown in all his gardens. That hopeless romantic! The name ‘lovage’ is actually an alteration of its genus name Levisticum, which refers to the plant’s Ligurian origins. Lovage, like many other ancient herbs, hails from the Mediterranean....

Basil lovers are in for a treat when growing tree basil. Its statuesque form and delicious scent really add a touch of the exotic to the garden. The tree basil plant is a monstrous example of this favorite herb, but is not a Mediterranean species. Instead, it grows naturally in warm regions and is only hardy to United States Department of Agriculture zone 10. The rest of us can enjoy it as an annual or overwinter the plant....

Types of Cacti Cacti vary in size, color, shape, and growing habits. They may grow in upright columns, spreading clumps, or spiny balls. They might even be found cascading over large rocks or in hanging baskets. Cacti are available in numerous varieties too, many of which produce stunning flowers. While many types of cactus are native to desert climates, most will tolerate a number of growing conditions. This versatility makes cactus landscaping possible nearly anywhere....

What are Weeping Silver Brich Trees? Weeping silver birch (Betula pendula) is a European species that is well suited to North American locations with mild summers and cold winters. It isn’t a low-maintenance tree, but it is well worth the time you put into it. Weeping silver birch growing conditions include full sun and well-drained, moist soil. The soil should never dry out. A thick layer of mulch around the base of the tree will help hold moisture in....

What are Allium Leaf Miners? Allium leaf miners are tiny insects. During the larval phase, they can reach a length of one-third of an inch (1 cm.). Adults are only one-tenth of an inch (0.25 cm.) long. Even so, these pests can ruin crops of onions, garlic, leeks, and other alliums. Their tiny size makes allium leaf miner adults hard to identify on site. On close inspection, you may be able to see a bright yellow spot on their heads....

If you’re looking for corn rootworm information, you’ve come to the right place. Read on to learn more about the corn rootworm beetle and how to control it on your home-grown corn. What are Corn Rootworms? Corn rootworms are the larval stage of the corn rootworm beetle, a pollen-feeder that can cause considerable damage to corn and soybeans. These yellow-green beetles are elongated, measure up to about 5/16 inches (8 mm....

Inside-Out Flower Information Inside-out flowers (Vancouveria hexandra) are wildflowers found growing in the forest floor in cool, moist, coastal mountain ranges of Oregon and California. The plant consists of wiry stems that grow from tangled mats of creeping underground stems. The leaves look somewhat like small ivy leaves, which gives this mounding plant a soft, delicate appearance. Large clusters of miniature white flowers appear in late spring and early summer. Inside-out flowers spread slowly, eventually forming large patches....

What is a Butterwort? Butterwort plants (Pinguicula) are tiny plants that can go unrecognized until they bloom. The leaves are a soft greenish yellow color, which probably led to the name. It could also be from the slightly greasy or buttery feel of the leaves. The plant forms low rosettes and blooms in spring with yellow, pink, purple, or white flowers. Site conditions must be considered when learning how to grow butterworts....

What is a Gravel Bed for Trees? A gravel bed is just what it sounds like, a “bed” or pile of gravel. Trees intended for transplant are planted in the gravel and kept there for up to six months. They are given water and sometimes liquid nutrients but not provided any soil. The lack of soil stresses the trees, which is required so they can focus their energy on producing more feeder roots to seek nutrients....

What is Burr Medic? Burr medic (Medicago polymorpha), also known as burr weed, is a type of trifoliate weed that can quickly spread throughout the lawn and garden if not controlled. You can recognize this weed by its green serrated leaves and reddish purple colored stems that creep closely along the ground. It also has small yellow flowers. After flowering, the tiny green pods produce prickly burrs. These will eventually dry up and turn brown, spreading seeds everywhere....

What is Persian Star Garlic? Persian Star purple garlic is a variety with a purple and white striped skin, making this garlic attractive not just for eating but also as decoration and in centerpieces. There are other purple stripe varieties, but this one has the most striking coloration. With origins in the central Asian nation of Uzbekistan, Persian Star garlic is a hardneck variety. This means it will grow a scape, a flowering stem, which is edible....

What is Rice Blast? Rice blast, also known as rotten neck, is caused by the fungal pathogen Pyricularia grisea. Like most fungal diseases, rice blast fungus rapidly grows and spreads in warm, humid weather. Because rice is usually grown in flooded fields, humidity is hard to avoid. On a warm, humid day, just one rice blast lesion can release thousands of disease-causing spores into the wind. The lesion can keep producing thousands of spores each day for up to twenty days....

What is Ringspot? Tomato ringspot virus is caused by a plant virus that’s believed to be transferred from sick plants to healthy ones through pollen and vectored throughout the garden by dagger nematodes. These microscopic roundworms live in the soil, freely moving between plants, albeit slowly. Symptoms of tomato ringspot vary in plants from highly visible, yellow ringspots, mottling, or general yellowing of leaves to less obvious symptoms like gradual overall decline and reduced fruit size....

How to Attract Robins With some key information, attracting robins to the landscape is relatively simple. These birds are present throughout most of North America, which makes them easily identifiable to many people. While robins in your garden may initially be cause for concern for some vegetable gardeners, it is important to note these birds are not likely to cause much, if any, damage. What Do Robins Eat? Unlike many birds, robins do not eat seed....

What to Do with Potatoes The potato famine is past us and spuds are a common and inexpensive kitchen staple. Whether you fry them, mash them, or slather them with toppings as a baked extravaganza, using potatoes for projects is an exciting way to elevate the lowly tater. Rescue a soup, clean household items, and make art to name a few unusual potato uses. If you have a bumper crop of spuds and they seem to be a plague, try having fun with potatoes....

Whorled Pogonia Information Isotria whorled pogonias come in two forms: the large whorled pogonia and the small whorled pogonia. The small whorled pogonia is considered rare, while the larger form of the plant is quite common. These woodland flowers thrive in shade, partial shade, or even fully shaded areas. They produce unique flowers that are not so much showy as just plain unusual. One strange bit of whorled pogonia information is its ability to self-pollinate....

Winter Care for City Gardens Winter plant treatment all depends upon the type of plants you’re growing. If it’s annuals you’ve got, they’re going to reach the end of their life cycle with the cold no matter what you do. Once they’ve died, chop them up and place them in a compost bin if you have one. If your space is too small for compost, you can still benefit from their nutrients by chopping them up and laying them back on top of the soil: over winter they’ll decompose and enrich the soil for the spring....