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Learning more about Lenten rose care and requirements for indoor hellebore growth will reward gardeners with masses of long-lived blooms. Growing Indoor Hellebores Reaching just 20 inches (50 cm.) tall at maturity, Lenten roses produce flourishes of large blooms. Ranging in color, growers can expect intricately patterned flowers in shades of green, white, pink, and purple. Though each flower delicately nods downwards, their bright bursts of color are a welcome sign that spring is on the way....

How to Propagate Weigela Weigela bush propagation can be achieved through both hardwood and softwood cuttings. However, each of these weigela plant propagation techniques will be somewhat different. Below, we will take a more in-depth look at starting weigela from cuttings. Hardwood Weigela Propagation Hardwood propagation can be successfully used on many different varieties of hardwood trees and shrubs. Gardeners taking hardwood weigela cuttings most commonly do so just after the arrival of the first frost in the fall, or in the very early spring before the plant begins to leaf out....

About the Venus Fly Trap This unique species of plant is one of just a few carnivorous plants that gets much of its energy from trapping and consuming animals, usually insects. The Venus fly trap is native to boggy savannas in North and South Carolina. It grows in wet, sunny, humid conditions in soil that is slightly acidic and sandy. The native conditions for the fly trap are nutrient poor. The soil is poor, and the acidity makes it difficult for plants to take in nutrients....

How to Turn a Shrub into a Small Tree The experts know how to prune shrubs into trees and nurseries do it all the time with the standards they sell. What sets a tree apart from a shrub? The single stem. That means reducing the stems to one single trunk will give you the appearance of a tree even if the shrub doesn’t achieve soaring heights. Trimming large bushes into trees takes many years, but the results are professional, unique, and statuesque....

What is Hydrilla? Hydrilla management is the responsibility of pond and lake denizens. What is hydrilla? The plant is often confused with our native Elodea, but it has one or more teeth on the underside of the midrib. This gives the plant a rough feel when you drag your hand down the length of the stem. The plant is native to Africa, Australia, and parts of Asia but has managed to take over many areas of our native flora here in the U....

Darkling Beetle Facts It’s rare to see a darkling beetle in daylight, although you may occasionally find them running across the ground from one hiding place to another. They like to hide under bits of debris and clods of dirt during the day and come out to feed at night. Many types of birds, lizards, and rodents eat darkling beetle larvae, which are called mealworms. If you feed your pets mealworms, it’s better to buy them from a pet store or mail order source rather than collect them from the wild....

Growing Herbs to Repel Moths Herbs are very easy to grow. They take to containers easily and can be grown indoors if you have a nice, sunny, or partially sunny window to place them near. To use these herbs as a natural indoor moth repellant, grow a couple pots worth and when mature, harvest the herbs to dry. Create sachets using loose-leaf tea bags, cheesecloth, or another type of breathable fabric bag....

How to Grow Pomegranates Inside Pomegranate trees reach mature heights of up to 30 feet (9 m.), which makes them too tall for most home environments. You can get around the size problem when growing pomegranate houseplants by planting a dwarf pomegranate tree, which reaches heights and widths of 2 to 4 feet (61 cm. to 1 m.). Many people grow dwarf pomegranates strictly as ornamental trees because the small, sour fruits are loaded with seeds....

About Pasque Flowers Pasque flower (Pulsatilla patens syn. Anemone patens) is the state flower of South Dakota and found across much of the northern United States. It is a prairie flower with an early appearance in spring, often peeking out of the snow. Pasque flowers appear in March and stay through April. The flowers are the first players on the stage, to be followed later by their foliage. Pasque flowers are perennial herbs also known as prairie smoke, goslinweed and prairie crocus....

Are Crabapples Edible? The short answer to this question is: yes. However, there’s a longer answer to explain why. Crabapples aren’t actually a different kind of tree than apples. The only distinction is one of size. If a tree produces fruits that are bigger than 2 inches (5 cm.) in diameter, it’s an apple. If the fruits are smaller than 2 inches (5 cm.), it’s a crabapple. That’s it. Granted, those apples that have been bred to be bigger have also been bred to be better tasting....

As plants get settled into summer, June garden tasks are many and varied. Read on for a regional to do list as well as tips for western gardening in June. Western Gardening in June June garden tasks in the West range from harvesting to planting to protecting your garden. While there may be regional differences, most gardeners on the west coast will have the same basic list. Let’s start with strawberries, one of the tastiest fruits coming ripe in summer....

How to Keep Your Vegetables Fresh in the Refrigerator If you have ever grown a vegetable garden, you understand the battle to get veggies processed in some manner while eating as much fresh from the beds as possible. Avoiding waste and enjoying the seasonal bounty is one of the summer’s delights, but you need some tips on keeping veggies longer. Refrigeration is key to this effort but so are humidity, containers, companions, and other factors....

Why Moss Grows in Lawns The first thing to understand before taking steps for killing moss is that moss is an opportunistic plant. It will not push out grass or kill plants to take hold. It will simply move in to a spot where nothing is growing. Moss in your lawn is normally an indicator that something deeper is wrong with your lawn, and the moss is simply taking advantage of the empty dirt that dead grass left behind....

When Do You Pick Kumquats? The word “kumquat” originates from the Cantonese kam kwat, which means “golden orange” and is a traditional gift during the Lunar New Year as a symbol of prosperity. Although often referred to as a type of orange and a member of the citrus family, kumquats are actually classified under the genus Fortunella, named after the horticulturalist Robert Fortune, who was responsible for introducing them to Europe in 1846....

Drought Resistant Flowers Drought hardy flowers are flowers that will thrive in areas that receive little rainfall or areas with sandy soil where the water may drain away quickly. Of course, like all flowers, drought tolerant flowers are broken into two groups. There are annual dry area flowers and perennial dry area flowers. Annual Xeriscape Flowers Annual drought resistant flowers will die away each year. Some may reseed themselves, but for the most part, you will need to plant them every year....

Basil as a Companion Plant Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) is an easily propagated warm-weather herb which can survive winters in USDA zones 9 to 11. In other climates, this herb is often grown as a outdoor annual in the summer or in pots that can easily be moved indoors when the temperature drops. Due to its strong scent, basil has biochemical pest suppression abilities that can benefit a range of companion plants....

What are Lingonberries? Lingonberries are commonly used in Swedish food and are considered to be a crucial accompaniment to many Swedish dishes such as potato pancakes, Swedish meatballs, and stuffed cabbage rolls. Lingonberries (Vaccinum vitas-idaea) are also referred to as cowberries, mountain or lowbush cranberries, red bilberries, or whortleberries. They are a close relative of the cranberry and blueberry. Native species of lingonberry bear an annual crop of small, red berries that taste much like cranberries....

Preserving Carved Pumpkins By nature, an organic container will eventually break down. Keeping pumpkins from rotting after you have gone to all the work to make them into planters is a tricky proposition. Many crafters are simply happy to have them for a month and then plant the whole thing in the ground when the container begins to discolor and get soft. If you want yours to last longer though, location and a little care can extend the life of your container....

Propagating Magnolia Seeds In addition to transplanting and growing a magnolia seedling, you can also try your hand at growing magnolias from seed. Propagating magnolia seeds takes a little extra effort because you can’t buy them in packets. Once the seeds dry out, they are no longer viable, so in order to grow a magnolia tree from seed, you have to harvest fresh seeds from the berries. Before you go to the trouble of harvesting magnolia seed pods, try to determine whether the parent tree is a hybrid....

Mesophytic Plant Info Mesophytic environments are marked by average to hot temperatures and soil that is neither too dry nor too wet. Most mesophytic plants don’t do well in soggy, poorly drained soil. Mesophytes commonly grow in sunny, open areas such as fields or meadows, or shady, forested areas. Although they are sophisticated plants with a number of highly evolved survival mechanisms, mesophytic plants have no special adaptations for water or for extreme cold or heat....