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Those living in warm weather areas will need to pay special attention to heat tolerance when selecting the varieties to grow. ‘Green Magic’ is especially adapted for growth throughout a wide range of temperatures. Read on for more info. How to Grow Green Magic Broccoli Green Magic broccoli is a hybrid variety of heading broccoli. The Green Magic broccoli variety matures in as little as 60 days from transplant and produces large, densely-packed heads....

Potatoes in a trench are “hilled” as they grow to encourage root growth and more tubers. About Potato Trenches and Hills Anyone can grow potatoes. You can even grow them in a bucket or garbage can. The method where you trench and hill potatoes produces more tubers and is easy to do even in a new garden. Just make sure you have adequate drainage and a soil pH of 4....

Plectranthus Spurflower Information Blue spurflowers are fast-growing, shrubby plants that reach mature heights of 6 to 8 feet (1.8 to 2.4 m.). The thick, velvety stems support plump, pale grey-green leaves with intense purple undersides. Showy, bluish-purple flowers bloom throughout much of the season, depending on climate. Plectranthus is a rambunctious plant that generates new plants from seed, or by resprouting stem fragments within the soil. Keep this in mind, as some types of Plectranthus can be invasive and harmful to native vegetation in certain areas....

Help, I Have Plum Tree Bugs! First of all, don’t panic. Early identification of plum tree bugs will help you to figure out how to control or eradicate them. Inspect the tree often for any signs of infestation. Here are the most common plum tree insect problems to watch out for: Plum Curculio One of the most common plum tree pests is plum curculio. This ½-inch (1.25 cm.) long beetle overwinters in the soil and then emerges in the spring....

Also called a porcelain berry vine (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata), the plant produces clusters of interesting berries once in late summer and fall. The berries start out white, but gradually darken to shades of pink, lavender, turquoise, blue, and black as they age. Each cluster may have berries of several different colors. Birds and squirrels relish the berries, but people find them inedible. How to Grow a Porcelain Vine Porcelain vines are hardy in USDA plant hardiness zones 5 through 9....

How Do You Grow Watercress in Pots? If you have a water feature in the garden, it is a great place for growing watercress in containers, as you are able to mimic the native watery conditions in which cress thrives. You may also grow container watercress herbs in a bucket with 2 to 3 inches (5-7.5 cm.) of water, allowing the soil to stay saturated. The key is to keep the roots submerged under water....

How to Prepare Plants for Winter Protecting plants in winter will require research. First, understand winter conditions within your garden, as well as the needs of the plants. While those living in mild climates may only need occasional protection from light frosts, gardeners elsewhere may need to implement several techniques to ensure the survival of garden plants through winter. Protecting plants in winter from light frost is fairly straightforward. With a few simple techniques, plants can survive brief cold snaps....

Prostrate Holly Info Low growing holly is known as prostrate holly, Ilex rugosa, and tsuru holly. The plant is native to Japan and eastern Russia, and has adapted to growing in harsh winter conditions. In its native ecosystem, prostrate holly grows on mountain slopes. The higher up it is, the lower to the ground its growth will be. The leaves of prostrate holly are narrower than other types of holly. They are oval and oblong in shape and are bright green in color....

Tips on Growing Protea Plants One of the first things necessary in growing protea is soil. Protea plants must have well-drained soil. Their roots grow mostly horizontally, just below the surface of the soil. If water is allowed to sit and pool on the surface, the roots will become waterlogged and the plant will die. If you’re planting your protea outside, mix bark and grit into your soil to improve drainage....

Tomato Plant Protection If your tomato plants are being eaten and you have ruled out birds or insects as the culprits, animals could be the problem. Most gardeners are used to battling rabbits, squirrels, or deer but don’t think much about protecting plants from these other animal pests: Woodchucks Gophers Chipmunks Opossum Raccoons Moles Voles We also don’t like to think that our own pets and livestock (like goats) could be the problem....

Nandina Plant Pruning Despite the common name, nandina plants are not bamboo at all, but they resemble it. These tall shrubs are both stiffly upright and very graceful. Adding them to your garden adds texture and an oriental touch. Although you probably need to prune heavenly bamboo to keep it looking its best, the shrub offers so much in return. It is evergreen and provides ornamental features in every season. In spring and summer, it offers frothy white flowers that turn to bright berries in autumn and winter....

Plants That Grow Well With Radishes Companion planting has been practiced for centuries and was a common Native American practice illustrated perfectly in the “three sisters” method of cropping where corn, squash, and beans were planted to support each other, enhance nitrogen, utilize space, and shade weeds. Each plant has something to offer the other and radish companion plants can fulfill the same needs. Planning is a key feature in intercropping where space, size, growing conditions, and nutrient needs are all considered for a seamlessly compatible garden....

Can You Hard Prune Rosemary? Gardeners are sometimes hesitant to make drastic cuts on rosemary shrubs because a few herbs with similar, woody stems don’t recover if you make severe cuts. A mature rosemary plant, however, tolerates this drastic pruning, even into the woody parts of the stem. You can do light pruning and harvesting any time of year, but a rosemary plant responds best to hard pruning in winter when it isn’t actively growing....

The Science Behind Tomato Ripening Most experienced gardeners can recognize when a tomato is about to ripen. As the fruit reaches its mature size, it changes from a vine-green color to a paler yellow or whitish green hue. This telltale sign is followed by blushes of pink or orange appearing on the blossom end of the fruit. In commercial tomato production, there is a name for tomatoes which begin to show their mature color....

Rooftop gardens not only provide a unique way for urbanite gardeners to do what they love most, but can also save on energy since rooftop plants supply buildings with additional insulation and shade. Furthermore, rooftop gardens can absorb rainfall, reducing runoff. Creating a Rooftop Garden Design Nearly any type of roof can accommodate a rooftop garden. However, it’s important that you have a licensed professional check out the structural capacity of the building beforehand in order to assess whether or not the roof is stable enough to support the additional weight of a rooftop garden....

These tough, flexible plants seem almost bulletproof, but when brown rosemary plants appear in the garden, you may wonder, “Is my rosemary dying?”. Although brown rosemary needles aren’t a particularly good sign, they are often the only early sign of root rot in this plant. If you heed their warning, you may be able to save your plant. Causes of Brown Rosemary Plants There are two common causes of rosemary turning brown, both involving environmental problems that you can easily correct....

My Sago Palm Looks Sick Planting a sago palm in your landscape means you have a living fossil that is unique and ancient. These amazing plants resemble palms but are in a class all to themselves. Their leaves and growth habit are similar but they produce a cone rather than a flower to reproduce. The large, slow-growing trees bear feathery, needle-like leaves arching from the trunk. These may grow up to 4 feet (1 m....

What is a Saltwater Aquarium? Learning about a saltwater aquarium for beginners is fine, but understand before you dive in that these ecosystems require meticulous and regular care, or the fish will die. Be prepared to put in lots of time and effort. A saltwater aquarium is simply a tank or container with saltwater into which you put species that live in that type of environment. It’s like a small slice of the ocean....

Seed Starting: Broccoli History Broccoli (Brassica oleracea) belongs to the large family Brassicaceae/Crucifera, which includes other vegetables like Brussels sprouts, kale, collard greens, cauliflower, cabbage, and kohlrabi. Broccoli is a cool weather plant originating from Asia Minor and the eastern Mediterranean. This Brassica has been harvested from at least the first century AD, when the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder wrote of his people’s enjoyment of broccoli. In modern gardens, broccoli took a while to catch on....

About Shade Plants for Wet Sites You may think finding wet-tolerant shade plants is a challenge. Often, when looking up shade plants, you will get a list of shade plants for dry areas, not shade plants for poor drainage or wet sites. But there are many, and shade plants for wet sites aren’t limiting either. There are interesting, moisture-loving plants for the shade that bloom or have unique foliage shapes and colors....