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Information About the Heart Fern Plant The scientific name for the heart leaf fern is Hemionitis arifolia and is commonly referred to by a number of names, including tongue fern. First identified in 1859, heart leaf ferns are native to Southeast Asia. It is a delicate dwarf fern, which is also an epiphyte, meaning it grows upon trees as well. It makes not only an attractive specimen to add to the fern collection, but is being studied for purported beneficial effects in the treatment of diabetes....

Can You Grow Peony in Hot Weather? Designated appropriate to grow in USDA hardiness zones 3-7, many gardeners in more southern areas wish to grow the exquisite blooms of the peony plant. Since that’s a large part of the country, growers and hybridizers have experimented to help fulfill this desire for gardeners in the Deep South and California. Both areas have experienced success with growing heat tolerant peonies. But with more than 3,000 peony cultivars available, some direction in what variety to grow is helpful....

Companion Planting with Heather Heather is the overall term for either heathers or heaths. Both plants have similar growing needs and are evergreen with elegant, colorful blooms. When planted en masse, heathers and heaths make a swath of tones and foliage with easy appeal and graceful texture. Adding some dimension to such plantings further enhances the garden area and increases interest year around. There are several common heather companion plants due to their preference for the same growing conditions but also some surprises that will give the heather garden a whole new appearance....

Hellebore Plant Companions Evergreen plants make great hellebore companion plants, serving as a dark backdrop that makes the bright colors pop in contrast. Many shade-loving perennials are attractive companions for hellebores, as are bulbs that bloom in early spring. Hellebore also gets along well with woodland plants that share similar growing conditions. When selecting hellebore companion plants, beware of large or fast-growing plants that can be overwhelming when planted as hellebore companion plants....

Why Does My Wisteria Smell Bad? Flowering vines are much sought after for their ability to cover unsightly areas, provide privacy, give shade, and for their beauty. A commonly planted vine that encompasses all these attributes is the wisteria. Wisteria vines often have the bad reputation of monopolizing a garden space. This is true of Chinese and Japanese varieties, so many gardeners opt for ‘Amethyst Falls’ wisteria. This variety is more easily trained to a trellis or arbor and it blooms heavily a few times each growing season....

Why Grow Natural Chicken Feed? Many people who raise chickens allow the chickens to roam free range. That’s great if you have sufficient land, but even so, during the winter months the chickens still need to be fed. This can get pricey, especially if using organic food. Then there are the burgeoning legions of city folks who are trying their hand at raising their own poultry. These folks can let their chickens run amok, but most people don’t....

Tower gardens utilize vertical space as opposed to planting horizontally in traditional garden settings. They require some type of support structure, openings for plants, and a watering/drainage system. DIY tower garden ideas are endless and creating your own unique homemade garden tower can be fun and easy. How to Make a Tower Garden An array of materials can be used when constructing a homemade garden tower such as old planters, recycled containers, bits of fencing, or scraps of PVC pipe....

Learning what causes sticky honeydew sap and how to remove honeydew can get your plants back to normal and allow you to repair the damage. Ignoring the issues of honeydew secretion and its partner, sooty mold, can result in leaf drop and insect spread. What Causes Sticky Honeydew Sap? Honeydew secretion begins when plants are attacked by forms of aphids, mealybugs, soft scale and other insects that feed on the plant....

What is Hoodia? Picture a low-growing plant with plump, spiny limbs and an attractive flower that smells like rotting flesh. It probably doesn’t represent a plant you want in your home, but this African native succulent has been a staple of the indigenous people’s diet and may signify some hope for those challenged with obesity. Hoodia has been on the menu for thousands of years in South Africa and may soon be coming to a store near you....

What is a Cranberry Bog? The flooded crop site I have envisioned is called a bog. I guess someone told me that when I was a kid, but what is a cranberry bog? It’s an area of soft, marshy ground, usually near wetlands, an important part of how cranberries grow, but not the entire story. Where Do Cranberries Grow? A cranberry bog needs to have acidic peaty soil for fruitful berries....

How to Grow Moss Indoors Learning how to grow moss indoors is a simple task; in fact, this can be a good project for parents and children to do together. Start with a clear glass container that has a lid, such as a terrarium or a large jar. Place about an inch (2.5 cm.) of pebbles in the bottom of the container, then top that with about an inch (2.5 cm....

Recycled Raised Bed Ideas When spring cleaning time comes around, we often find items that are not used. Consider using some of these for recycled raised bed ideas. Even an old bucket can make a perfect mini, recycled plastic raised garden bed. Sources for materials might also include construction sites, grocery stores, transport companies, and other areas where excess items go unused. Pretty much anything that can hold enough soil for root growth may be used to make a planter or raised bed....

Using Fertilizer for Preparing Soil for Bulbs For fertilizing bulbs, fertilizers can be inorganic which means they are chemically treated or laboratory created. They can also be organic, which means they came from natural or once-living sources. Your plants won’t care which one you use, but depending on your beliefs, you can choose the type that best fits in with your feelings on the issue. Inorganic fertilizers are more readily available, but be careful when using these, as fertilizing bulbs with inorganic fertilizer can burn roots, the basal plate, or even the leaves if the plant comes in direct contact with the fertilizer....

What is a Stale Seedbed? Stale seedbed weed control may be a practice used by our grandparents because it allows pesky weeds to emerge before the coveted crop. Studies have shown that the majority of weeds that will germinate after soil disturbance are in the top 2.5 inches (6 cm.) of soil. Encouraging these seeds to grow and then either flaming or using an herbicide will kill the weeds. Then carefully planting the crop without disturbing soil should result in less weed pests....

A common mainstay in many gardens either in containers or as bedding plants, impatiens are one of the easiest flowering plants to grow. These attractive flowers can be easily propagated as well. So if you’re looking for an easy way to add more of these flowers to the garden, impatiens rooting takes little time or effort. Rooting Impatiens Cuttings in Soil Most of impatiens plants are propagated by cuttings. Choose a non-flowering stem on the impatiens with at least two leaf nodes and make a cut just below a node....

Is There a Blue Hibiscus? Blue hibiscus flowers are related to mallows. Their flowers can be rose, violet, purple or white. Info about blue hibiscus growing in gardens indicates there are no ‘true’ blue flowers. Botanically, this plant is called Alyogyne huegelii. Another Latin name for blue hibiscus flowers is Hibiscus syriacus, varieties ‘Blue Bird’ and ‘Azurri Satin’. Being of the Hibiscus genus, I would say they are hibiscus, though this latter term defines blue hibiscus in gardens as a Rose of Sharon, a plant that commonly grows and multiplies aggressively in landscapes of the Southeast United States....

Is Spinach a Shade Plant? If you flip a spinach seed packet over and examine the growth requirements, you’ll find spinach does best when planted in full to partial sun. Full sun refers to six or more hours of direct sunlight per day, while partial sun generally means four to six hours. As a cool-weather crop, spinach doesn’t fit neatly into either one of these categories. In early spring and late fall when the sun resides lower in the sky and its rays are less intense, spinach shade tolerance is low....

Problems Growing Peppers Whether it’s pepper plant bugs attacking them or the numerous diseases that can affect pepper plants, your first line of defense is knowing what to look for. Common Pepper Plant Bugs There are several insects and creatures that enjoy feeding on pepper plants. Most of them can be easily removed by hand or with a spray of soapy water. You’ll need to check your plants frequently for bugs and worms to make sure they don’t proliferate....

Italian Stone Pine Information Italian stone pine is easily recognizable, as it is one of the only pines to form a high, rounded crown. Hardy to USDA plant hardiness zone 8, this pine doesn’t tolerate lower temperatures happily. Its needles brown in colder weather or wind. If you grow Italian stone pine trees, you will notice that as they mature, they develop multiple trunks close to one another. They grow between 40 and 80 feet (12....

Gardeners seeking jimsonweed information before new seeds scatter are at a distinct advantage in the battle against this beautiful, but treacherous plant. What is Jimsonweed? Jimsonweed (Datura stramonium) is a smelly, but lovely, plant that’s native to India. It was introduced by colonists as they traveled across the country – the first settlers to notice this weed growing were at Jamestown. Several groups used the poisonous plant tissues and juices for medicinal purposes, including treating burns, coughs and as a painkiller....