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What is Eastern Filbert Blight? Caused by the fungus Anisogramma anomala, Eastern filbert blight is a disease that makes growing European filberts outside of Oregon very trying. The small, spindle-shaped cankers become larger every year, eventually growing all the way around a branch to prevent the flow of sap. Once this happens, the stem dies. Tiny, black fruiting bodies grow inside the cankers. These fruiting bodies contain spores that spread the disease from one part of the tree to another, or from tree to tree....

Facts About Emu Bush Hundreds of species belong to the genus Eremophila, and some call the plant Eremophila emu bush. All emus are native to Australia’s dry inland areas. They vary significantly in size and growth habit, ranging from prostrate shrubs to 15-foot-high (5 m.) trees. Most grow from 3 to 10 feet (1-3 m.) high and 3 to 6 feet (1-2 m.) wide. An Eremophilia emu bush will bloom in winter months in this country, from December through April, which happens to be Australia’s summer....

If you love the drama of autumn leaves, you can create a fall leaf garland to decorate a doorway, inside or out. Read on for tips on how to make a DIY fall garland. Garland of Autumn Leaves People who are into crafting know how easy and cheap it can be to make something wonderful out of found objects for little to no money. In the autumn, those found objects might be gathered under a tree in your backyard or on the street....

Best Fall Vegetables for Containers Here are a few suggestions for potted fall vegetables and tips on successful fall container gardening. Arugula: Arugula is a salad green also known as “rocket.” Plant this member of the mustard family in late summer or early fall, then harvest in four to six weeks. Collards: Collards are hardy, leafy greens, perfect for container vegetable gardens. Plant seeds up to six to eight weeks before the first average frost in your region....

Reasons for Ficus Tree Dropping Leaves First of all, realize that it is normal for a ficus tree to lose some leaves. A few leaves dropping off a ficus tree will not hurt it and it will regrow, but if your ficus is losing more than a few leaves, the following reasons could be why: Change in environment – The most common cause for dropping ficus leaves is that its environment has changed....

Fire Conscious Gardening: How to Firescape With a little careful planning, a firescaped landscape doesn’t need to look very different from any other landscape, but the landscape should inhibit the spread of fire. The basics of landscaping for fires, also known as creating defensible space, include the following: Selecting Fire-Resistant Plants Select plants according to their ability to withstand the threat of wildfires. For example, a traditional landscape that includes a lot of evergreens or ornamental grass increases the risk your home will be involved in a wildfire....

While flower only arrangements are beautiful in their own right, why not explore more non-traditional options – such as fruit and flower arrangements. They can even make great gifts for others. Fruit in Flower Arrangements? The arrangement of fruit and flower bouquets can be quite unexpected. While the concept of fruit in flower arrangements is not new, creative-minded florists are now using these “ingredients” in exciting ways, and so can you....

Controlling Geese in the Garden Before we discuss what you can do about geese in the garden, you should know that there are some things you can’t do to Canada geese because they are protected by law. You can’t capture or kill Canada geese, except as outlined by your state’s hunting regulations. You can’t disturb a goose that is sitting on a nest or remove or destroy the eggs. You can’t harass geese once they begin nesting, but you can remove accumulated nesting material before they nest....

Can You Transplant Grapevines? Relocating an old grapevine is not an easy undertaking. Grapevine roots are deep when compared to many other types of plants. They do not produce excessive roots, but the ones that they do grow extend deep into the earth. This can make transplanting grapevines very difficult, as you have to dig deep enough to capture the entire root system. In old vineyards, this is accomplished with a backhoe....

When to Plant Durham Early Cabbage Set out cabbage plants four weeks before you expect your last frost in spring. For a fall crop, plant six to eight weeks before the first frost is expected. Cabbage is a cool season crop and the Durham Early variety is one of the hardiest. Cabbage needs steady growth to be ready for harvest before hot temperatures arrive. You may also grow from seed. Start seeds indoors, allowing six weeks for development and adjusting to the cold before planting into the garden....

Japanese Maple Varieties for Warmer Climates If your heart is set on growing Japanese maples in zone 8, then the following varieties deserve a second glance: Purple Ghost (Acer palmatum ‘Purple Ghost’) produces ruffly, reddish purple leaves that turn green and purple as summer progresses, then back to ruby red in autumn. Zones 5 to 9 Hogyoku (Acer palmatum ‘Hogyoku’) is a sturdy, mid-size tree that tolerates heat better than most Japanese maple varieties....

Best Flowers for Hanging Baskets While some of the better options for hanging baskets include trailing plants, nearly any plant will work, including veggies, when given the proper growing conditions. However, some plants do work better than others. For this reason, listing some of the most popular of these should make choosing plants for hanging baskets a bit easier. Let’s take a look at some of the most common perennial and annual hanging plants....

Can Olives Grow in Zone 8? If you love olive trees and live in a zone 8 region, you may be asking: can olives grow in zone 8? The U.S. Department of Agriculture designates areas as zone 8a if the average coldest winter temperature is 10 degrees F. (-12 C.) and zone 8b if the lowest temperature is 20 degrees F. (-7 C.). While not every olive tree variety will survive in these regions, you can succeed at growing olives in zone 8 if you select hardy olive trees....

Can You Eat Radish Greens? Yes indeed, you can eat radish greens. In fact, they are super nutritious and delicious, tasting much like their relatives, the turnip greens or mustard. So how come many of us have never tasted this culinary delight? Many varieties of radish have foliage peppered with slight hairs. When eaten, these hairs assault the tongue with an unpleasant prickly sensation. This is no doubt a defense of the plant which, after all, does not want to be eaten; it wants to continue to mature into seed pods....

How to Grow Filbert Trees Hazelnut trees, also called filbert trees, are hardy in USDA plant hardiness zones 4 through 8. When growing hazelnuts in the coldest part of this range, choose American hazelnuts, which are more cold tolerant than the European types. Temperatures below 15 degrees F. (-9 C.) after the flowers bloom can cause crop loss. Hazelnuts need 15 to 20 feet (4.5-6 m.) of space to spread. They adapt to almost any soil as long as it is well-drained, but perform best in a soil with plenty of organic matter....

Developing Healthy Gardening Habits As a leisure interest, gardening of some sort appeals to almost everyone. It is a stress reducer, gets you out into fresh air, creates beauty and food, and is an activity that those of any age can enjoy. There are also soil microbes that actually enhance your mood. Gardening for health is a pastime rich with possibilities and joys. Just be sure you do it with some safety practices in mind....

When to Prune Holly Bushes A common question is when to prune a holly bush plant. Most people can prune a holly bush while the plant is dormant (in winter). In fact, December is actually a great time for holly bush pruning. Trimming holly bushes helps them keep their shape and appearance looking neat. However, not all varieties are pruned at the same time. It is important to know when to prune holly bush varieties....

What is hot lips plant? Read on for more hot lips plant info and tips on growing this unique specimen. What is Hot Lips Plant? There are over 2,000 species of Psychotria, the genus under which hot lips falls. Where does hot lips grow? Psychotria elata is part of the tropical rainforest understory flora of the Americas. It is a unique plant with uninteresting flowers but fabulous lip-like bracts. The plant can be difficult to grow and has very special cultivation conditions....

Can you Compost Biodegradable Plastic? Biodegradable plastic has been touted as the solution to the problem of plastic pollution. Sounds great in theory, but the problem is that many “compostable” plastic bags, cup lids, and utensils do not break down during composting. On top of that they then contaminate recyclable plastic resulting in a real mess for recyclers. The truth is that most compostable plastics are made from polyester called polylactic acid (PLA) that ends up in landfills along with the plastics made in the 1950’s....

What Makes Healthy Bog Gardens? The most defining characteristic of a bog is water. If you have a pond or a natural area that is consistently too wet to grow much, consider turning it into a bog garden. A bog is a particular type of wetland area that builds up dead plant material (mostly moss) and turns it into acidic peat. Once you have built a bog, it needs certain things to stay healthy....