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Maypop Weed Control In certain areas, including the southeastern United States, tangled patches of wild passionflower weeds cause problems in hay fields, croplands, wooded areas, pastures, on rocky slopes and along roadsides. Wild passionflowers grow rapidly by means of an extensive system of underground roots, and getting rid of the plants isn’t an easy task. Read on to learn more about maypop weed control. Getting Rid of Wild Passionflowers Naturally If you want to control ornamental plants in your garden, remove suckers and wayward growth as soon as you notice it....

Controlling Whiteflies in the Greenhouse and Indoors Effectively controlling whiteflies begins with familiarity of their life cycles, including various species. They deposit their eggs on the undersides of leaves, often in a circular or crescent-shaped pattern. Once hatched, they begin feeding on the plants until the adults emerge, whereupon they fly to nearby plants, lay eggs, and repeat the cycle all over again. They can produce hundreds of eggs within a month or so....

About Head Smut on Corn Corn head smut is a fungal disease of corn plants that is caused by the pathogen Sphacelotheca reiliana. It is a systemic disease that can infect a plant as a seed but the symptoms do not appear until the plant is in its flowering and fruiting stages. Head smut can be easily mistaken for another fungal disease of corn, common smut. However, corn head smut only displays its very specific symptoms on the tassels and heads of corn whereas common smut’s symptoms may appear on any part of an infected corn plant....

How to Use Verbena for Groundcover While some verbena varieties grow as bushes that can reach 4 to 5 feet (1-1.5 m.) in height, there are plenty of other varieties that stay low to the ground. Some are trailing plants that spread along the ground. They put out creeping stems that root themselves easily in the ground and establish new plants. Others are just low-growing, upright plants that top out at about 1 foot (30....

How to Dry Peanut Plants Peanut curing in gardens doesn’t occur directly but only after harvesting. Peanuts, also known as goobers, goober peas, ground peas, ground nuts, and earth nuts, are legumes that uniquely flower above ground but fruit under the soil. Peanuts are categorized by either nut variety (Spanish or Virginia) or by their growth habitat — either runner or bunch. Virginia peanuts are the type found at baseball parks around the country with one or two large kernels per peanut pod....

Lipstick plant is easy to get along with and requires minimal care, but it can become shaggy and overgrown. Cutting back a lipstick plant keeps the plant healthy and restores its neat, tidy appearance. When to Prune Lipstick Plant Prune lipstick plant after the plant stops flowering. Blooms develop at the tips of new stems and pruning lipstick vines before flowering delays blooming. However, a good trim after flowering stimulates the plant to produce more blooms....

How to Grow a Dahlia Plant Dahlias are classified according to flower shape and petal arrangement. The plants are borne from tubers, which require well-drained soil and plenty of sunlight. Caring for dahlia plants starts at installation with the cultivation of the soil and healthy tubers. Learning how to grow a dahlia plant will likely lead to a hobby, as the spectacular blooms are quite addictive and the presence of one or two will lead to plenty more in subsequent seasons....

Why You Should Be Deadheading Your Flowers Deadheading is an important task to keep up within the garden throughout the growing season. Most flowers lose their attraction as they fade, spoiling the overall appearance of a garden or individual plants. As flowers shed their petals and begin to form seed heads, energy is focused on the development of the seeds, rather than the flowers. Regular deadheading, however, channels the energy into the flowers, resulting in healthier plants and continual blooms....

Devil’s Club Information Devil’s club plant (Oplopanax horridus) is a historical medicinal and herbal plant used for centuries by First Nations people. It is also known as devil’s walking stick or bear’s claw. Oplopanax devil’s club is found from Alaska down through the western-most Canadian provinces and into Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. It is also found in the Great Lakes area. The plant is well armored, with spines of many different sizes decorating the stems and even undersides of leaves....

The fluffy powder-puff flowerheads grow in shades of pink, purple, blue, and white and may reach 24 to 30 inches (60 to 76 cm.) in height. These taller floss flowers like “Blue Horizon” and “Red Top” bloom in the colors red and blue, and can add a patriotic display for 4th of July when combined with the shorter white flowering types of the plant. Taller ones are of the Ageratum Houstonianum type....

Becoming Familiar with Different Carrots to Grow Carrots of both the hybrid and heirloom variety come in a wide array of shapes, sizes, colors, and tastes. Though diversity among carrot varieties is an asset, many of these are seldom offered in chain grocery stores. With so many options, finding kinds of carrots that are suited to the specific needs of growers is a task worth accomplishing. By learning more about each type of carrot, home growers can make better-informed decisions regarding which types will grow well in their own gardens....

Flag Irises vs. Siberian Irises So, what is the difference between flag iris and Siberian iris? Flag iris plants When people talk about “flag iris,” they are generally referring to wild iris. Flag iris includes blue flag (I. versicolor), commonly found in boggy areas and swamps of the northeastern United States, and yellow flag (I. pseudacorus), which is native to Europe but now found in temperate climates around the world. Both are types of beardless iris....

Keeping Cats Away from Flower Arrangements Any bouquet that contains something toxic to cats is a risk, no matter how cat-safe you think you have made it. Even with cat-friendly flowers, there are still good reasons to cat proof your arrangements. You would probably like to keep the flowers looking nice for one. If your cat nibbles the plants, though, eating too much of even a safe plant can lead to vomiting....

Tips For Transplanting Plants How do you know when to divide perennials? When plants start dying out in the middle, it’s time to divide. However, it’s best to split plants before they start to suffer. Overcrowded plants have to compete for nutrients and water. They can also become diseased if they do not get enough airflow. You want to divide perennials before they start to look bad. Water plants well the day before you divide them to make sure they are happy and hydrated....

Garden Themed Costumes Admittedly, it’s easier to dress up as a ghost than a plant since all it requires is a sheet and some scissors. However, creating garden themed costumes is more fun. Starting with a solid green outfit gets you on your way toward a plant costume. If you don’t have anything green, consider dying last year’s white summer capris and a T-shirt. A green sheath dress works too or simply a green poncho....

When to Repot Peace Lilies Does my peace lily need repotting? Peace lily is actually happy when its roots are slightly crowded, so don’t rush to repot if the plant doesn’t need it. However, if you notice roots growing through the drainage hole or circling around the surface of the potting mix, it’s time. If the roots become so compacted that water runs straight through the drainage hole without being absorbed into the potting mix, it’s time for an emergency peace lily repotting!...

With today’s recycling push, many of us go through the chore of sorting the paper when we’re finished and getting it into the recycle bin. Some of us must drive it to a recycling area. But what else can you do with the large volume of newsprint? Have you considered… Newspaper to Control Weeds? The avid gardener is always looking for new ways to control those pesky weeds that sprout in our lovingly laid out flower and vegetable beds....

Flowering dogwoods range in color from white to pink or red and generally bloom for about two to four weeks in early spring. They also add summer and fall color, with rich green foliage color in summer and reddish purple leaves during fall. This is oftentimes followed by brilliant red berries in winter. Proper dogwood care will bring these lovely trees to their height of beauty. How to Grow Dogwood Trees In their natural habitat, dogwoods are understory trees, which are generally surrounded or protected by other larger trees....

How to Plant Drumstick Allium Bulbs At heights of 24 to 36 inches (61-91 cm.), drumstick allium plants are difficult to miss. Showy drumstick allium flowers add beauty to sunny beds, borders, wildflower gardens, and rock gardens, or you can plant them in a mixed garden with tulips, daffodils, and other spring bloomers. You can also plant drumstick allium bulbs in containers. The long, sturdy stems make drumstick allium flowers ideal for cut flower arrangements....

Diseases of Eucalyptus Trees When it comes to diseases of eucalyptus, wet weather, poor drainage, or damp conditions that prevent air circulation from reaching the center of the tree are often the culprits. Anthracnose – This group of fungal diseases affects primarily branches, twigs and leaves, and is recognized by curled, distorted growth and small black, tan or brown lesions. Younger trees are most susceptible. Anthracnose is related to excessive moisture and often follows moist springtime weather....