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Cutting Back Moonflowers Moonflowers are beloved for their light, sweet-scented, trumpet-shaped, white to purple flowers, which bloom from dusk to dawn. Perennials only in warm climates of U.S. hardiness zones 10-12, moonflower vines are grown as annuals in cooler climates, where they have no trouble covering whatever structure you place them on. With its rapid and rampant growth, gardeners who prefer a tidy, tame garden may find themselves trimming moonflower plants three times a year to control their shape and growth....

Often, a peace lily won’t flower no matter how you care for it. This can be frustrating but there is a very good reason for this condition. Peace Lily Facts Peace lilies are members of the same family as philodendrons, both of which are Aroids. They are very popular tropical houseplants. Peace lily’s flower is especially appealing set amongst the dark green leaves. It lasts for at least a month but eventually fades and dies....

Help, My Watermelon Seedlings are Dying Watermelon damping off has a set of recognizable symptoms. It affects young seedlings, which wilt and often fall over. The lower part of the stem becomes waterlogged and girdled near the soil line. If pulled out of the ground, the plant’s roots will be discolored and stunted. These problems can be directly traced to Pythium, a family of fungi that lives in the soil. There are several species of Pythium that can lead to damping off in watermelon plants....

Nature Crafts for Kids You’ll probably find plenty of inspiration for kid’s garden projects in your own backyard or you may want to take your kids on a socially distanced nature walk around your neighborhood or local park. Here are three imaginative children’s activities for autumn: Fun with Terrariums Terrariums are fun projects for kids of any age. A quart or one-gallon jar works well, or you can use an old goldfish bowl or aquarium....

There are many uses for discarded clothing, hats, gloves, blankets, and sheets. And nylon pantyhose for gardening has multiple uses. They can dress a scarecrow for the garden, keep squash borers off your vines, support your cucurbits, protect your plants in winter, and more. Learn how to reuse old clothing and blankets in the garden. New Uses for Old Clothes: Scarecrows, Pantyhose Squash Supports, And Frost Protection Here are ways you may not have thought of to reuse items headed for the donation box in the garage....

Why Don’t My Sweet Peas Flower? Sweet pea flowers not blooming? There are several reasons why this happens. To pinpoint the cause in your plant, here are some possibilities to look for: Are your sweet peas getting enough light? Sweet peas should have direct sunlight for six to eight hours every day. The more light the plants have, the better they flower. And speaking of light, they prefer long days. The ideal day length is 16 hours, followed by eight hours of darkness....

Why Am I Getting No Fruit From My Cherry Tree? Cherry trees will fruit when they become old enough to blossom freely. Sour cherry trees mature at around the three to five year mark and sweet cherry trees at four to seven years. The overall health of the tree, which is influenced by a variety of factors, is the key to success when growing cherry trees. Most cherry tree problems result from environmental conditions (climate and weather) of the cherry tree or orchard; cultural practices such as watering, fertilizing, and pruning; pollination and fruiting habit....

Why is My Frangipani Not Flowering? Frangipani flowers come in a colorful array of tones. The bright hues of these five petaled beauties are standouts as container plants in cooler climes, or as garden specimens in warm climates. The foliage is glossy and nice to look at, but since most gardeners grow the plants for their profuse blooms, a non-blooming Frangipani is something of a disappointment. There are three main reasons for a Frangipani not blooming....

Northeast Gardening Chores in August It may seem like it’s about time to slow down on the garden to-do list. After all, it’s been a long summer of babying fruits, veggies, lawns, and other plants but now is not the time to quit. For one thing, it’s still hot, and keeping up on watering is of primary importance. If you haven’t been doing so all summer, set your mower to a higher length to allow the lawn to stay hydrated....

Symptoms of Oak Root Rot on Plum A tree with plum oak root fungus generally displays yellowing, cup-shaped leaves and stunted growth. At first look, plum armillaria root rot looks much like severe drought stress. If you look closer, you’ll see rotted stems and roots with black, stringy strands developing on larger roots. A creamy white or yellowish, felt-like fungal growth is visible under the bark. Death of the tree may occur rapidly after symptoms appear, or you may see a gradual, slow decline....

How to Grow Orchids from Seed Learning how to grow orchids from seed is tricky indeed, but we’ve provided a few basic details for you to consider. Orchid Seeds: Orchid seeds are incredibly tiny. In fact, an aspirin tablet weighs more than 500,000 orchid seeds, although some types may be slightly larger. Unlike most plant seeds, orchid seeds lack nutritional storage capability. In their natural environment, seeds land on soil containing mycorrhizal fungi, which enters the roots and converts nutrients into usable form....

Providing Warmth to Orchids During Winter One of the most important considerations for orchid over winter is temperature. Orchids can tolerate colder temps ore than most people realize, but it isn’t ideal. Drops in temperature, even to just above freezing, for a short period are fine as long as the plant does not freeze or frost. The ideal temperature range is 50 to 80 degrees F. (10-27 C.). Windows, where orchids often sit for the light, can get too cold, especially at night in the winter....

About Grasses Most grasses once established are fairly low maintenance requiring little to no additional watering or food. If their care free maintenance doesn’t draw you in the fact that they are quite disease and pest resistant might. Even deer steer clear of most grasses. Grasses grow rapidly, quickly attaining their full height of as much as 8 feet (2.4 m.) in a season. Plus, they look great year round, even into the winter where the tasseled blooms and height add interest to an otherwise drab landscape....

Monkey Puzzle Tree Info Monkey puzzle tree has to be seen from a bit of a distance to really be appreciated. When young, the plants look like something from the dinosaur age and that impression doubles as the trees reach their full mature size. Cold region gardeners should not try growing a monkey puzzle outdoors, but potted plants can be tried in the home interior. The plant really flourishes in temperate zones where it can receive the cooler temperatures it craves and plenty of rainfall....

About Pineapple Lily Cold Tolerance Pineapple lily is an Africa native, so it is not adapted to cold winters and is not cold hardy. This pretty plant is striking in the garden, with spikes of showy flowers that resemble pineapple fruits. It’s a great choice for warm climate gardens, but it can also be grown in colder regions with the right care. If you leave the bulbs out in the garden over the winter they may become injured....

Choosing Perennials for the Pacific Northwest Native flowering plants are a good place to start when choosing perennials for northwestern U.S. Perennial flowers in this area have several advantages. They have acclimated to conditions domestic to this region such as the amount of rainfall and soil conditions. This means they are guaranteed to return reliably year after year, unlike more exotic subtropical perennial choices. However, many subtropical plants will not only survive year after year but thrive....

Philodendron houseplants thrive indoors year round without complaint, but they enjoy an occasional stay outdoors in a shady spot when the weather permits. Taking the plant outdoors also gives you a chance to flush the soil with plenty of fresh water and clean the leaves. Unlike most houseplants, philodendrons don’t experience as much stress when moving from indoor to outdoor settings. How to Care for a Philodendron Philodendron care incorporates three basic needs: sunlight, water and fertilizer....

Making a Plant Go Dormant Normally, you don’t need to do anything to get a plant to go dormant. This usually happens on its own, though some indoor plants may need to be coaxed. Most plants can detect the shorter days towards the end of summer or early fall. As cooler temperatures begin to approach soon after, plant growth will start to decline as they enter into dormancy. With houseplants, it may help to move them to a darker and cooler area of the home in order to allow them to go dormant....

Of course, over years of attempts, we’ve learned a few tricks to keep the weeds at bay. In addition to pulling, digging, and spraying with homemade weed killers, there’s another simple tool we might add to our weed-killing toolbelt – boiling water weed control. It makes sense, as even those irritating weeds cannot exist after being scalded. If you’re new to using boiling water in the garden, you may have questions or wonder if this method really works....

You’ll also have to consider different compost so the plant lives longer than half a year. For this reason, it helps to know how to choose containers for houseplants and potted planting mediums that will improve their overall health. Pots for Houseplants In choosing containers for potted environments, it helps to know that planters or pots range in many sizes but there are four sizes that are most used. For most houseplants, sufficient pot sizes are 6 centimeters (2 in....