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Ginger Plants in the Wild Backyard Garden Wild ginger plants (Asarum and Hexastylis species) are 6 to 10 inches (15-25 cm.) tall with a spreading habit of 12 to 24 inches (31-61 cm.), depending on the variety. Wild ginger plants tend to grow moderately slowly and are non-invasive with evergreen, kidney-shaped or heart-shaped leaves. Versatile and easily grown, growing wild ginger is an excellent choice in a woodland garden, as a shade ground cover or mass plantings....

What is a Hand Spreader? Hand spreading seeds or fertilizer without some type of tool isn’t recommended. You won’t be able to space the material very well, which means you’ll end up with clumps of seeds and fertilizer as well as bare patches. An inexpensive tool for hand spreading seeds and fertilizer more evenly and easily is a handheld spreader. Just what is a hand spreader you may wonder? This is a small, simple device with a hopper to hold the seed or fertilizer....

Hanging Container Lettuce Hanging basket lettuce makes an attractive accent to any home or office and takes up virtually no floor space. All you need for growing hanging lettuce is a sunny balcony or southern facing window that receives six to eight hours of direct sunlight per day. This method also works great for gardeners searching for an easy way to grow slug free greens. How to Make a Hanging Lettuce Basket To grow lettuce in hanging baskets you’ll need to gather a few supplies:...

About Evergreen Groundcovers for Zone 7 Picking perennial plants for the landscape is an important choice, as you will be living with those selections for years to come. When deciding upon an evergreen groundcover in zone 7, the hardiness of the plant is only one of the considerations. You must also opt for plants that are suited to the site conditions such as sun exposure, soil type, ease of care, and water accommodations....

Growing Yucca in Zone 7 Regions Yucca plants are evergreen, even in cool climates. With heights up to 7 feet (2 m.) and sword-like foliage, they are oftentimes used as dramatic specimen plants in landscape or xeriscape beds. Even smaller varieties are excellent plants for hot, dry rock gardens. Yucca does not fit into every landscape though. I frequently see yucca plants that seem out of place in formal or cottage style gardens....

Growing Herbs in Zone 6 Many herbs, by nature, are naturally hardy, especially the perennial varieties that reliably return year after year. Others are far more tender and can’t really be attempted unless you’re living in zone 8 or above – or you grow them indoors. If you love a certain herb that you want to cultivate but it isn’t suited to your zone 6 climate, you can grow the herb in a pot and then bring it indoors for the winter....

What are the Health Benefits of Goldenseal? Native Americans used goldenseal to treat a variety of conditions including fevers, ulcers, and skin disorders. Today the herb is often used to treat colds, nasal congestion, and respiratory ailments–frequently in combination with Echinacea. Goldenseal is also taken to relieve tummy complaints such as ulcers, diarrhea, and constipation as well as a variety of skin conditions and rashes. An eyewash made of goldenseal is believed to help eye infections and mouthwash is used for painful gums....

Fennel Growing Problems Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is an herbaceous, short lived perennial plant in the carrot or Apiaceae family that is used for its licorice-like flavor. The dark green feathery foliage of fennel can rise to over 6 feet (2 m.) in height. Hailing from the Mediterranean, fennel is usually grown as an annual, although some types are hardy in USDA zones 4-9. There are both common fennel and Florence fennel (var....

What is Homalomena? What is Homalomena? Homalomenas are tropical to subtropical native plants found in such humid climes of Columbia, Costa Rica, Borneo, Java, Sumatra, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Nearly 135 species of Homalomena plants can be found in the rainforest floors of southern Asia east to Melanesia. These indigenous florae are among the more than 100 species of tropical plants in the aroid family of Araceae. Through Central America and northern South America, there are 12 additional species of growing Homalomena plants alone....

What is hot lips plant? Read on for more hot lips plant info and tips on growing this unique specimen. What is Hot Lips Plant? There are over 2,000 species of Psychotria, the genus under which hot lips falls. Where does hot lips grow? Psychotria elata is part of the tropical rainforest understory flora of the Americas. It is a unique plant with uninteresting flowers but fabulous lip-like bracts. The plant can be difficult to grow and has very special cultivation conditions....

You can donate or even specifically grow vegetables for a food bank. Millions of people in this country struggle to obtain adequate food. Gardening for food banks can fill that need. So how do food banks work and what types of food bank vegetables are most in demand? Read on to learn more. What is a Food Bank? A food bank is a nonprofit organization that stores, packages, collects, and distributes food and other items to those in need....

How Hydroseeding Works Hydroseeding involves the use of a high-pressure hose to apply seeds onto tilled soil. The seeds are in a water-based grass seed spray (slurry) that may contain mulch, fertilizer, lime, or other substances to get a lawn off to a healthy start. The grass seed spray, which is often used to plant large areas such as golf courses and football fields, is often applied from a truck to ensure that the slurry is evenly mixed....

Watering Norfolk Pines How much water does a Norfolk pine need? The short answer is not very much. If you live in a warm enough climate to have your trees planted outdoors, you’ll be happy to know that they need basically no extra irrigation. Container grown plants always need more frequent watering because they lose their moisture quickly. Even so, Norfolk pine watering should be limited – only water your tree when the top inch (2....

Tips for Creating a Mediterranean Garden Mosaic tiles are commonly used in Mediterranean gardens and are seen decorating walls, tables and pots, regardless of size. Substitutes for mosaic tiles can come from broken dishes or stained glass. Simply use mosaic adhesive and sanded grout found in craft and tile stores. Instruction manuals will provide an array of design ideas as well. Alternatively, seashells can be implemented. If space permits, add a small table and chair or two to create your very own sanctuary, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life....

Deadheading Calla Lilies Unlike many other flowers, calla lily deadheading won’t cause the plant to create more blossoms. Each calla is designed to create a certain number of flowers, sometimes one or two and other times as many as six. Once those blooms have died off, the plant will only show foliage until the following spring. So if it won’t create more flowers, why do you deadhead calla lily plants? The reasons are twofold:...

Reasons for Picking off Faded Cosmos Blossoms Should you deadhead cosmos? The flowers are so small it seems like it may be more trouble than it’s worth, but there are ways to make the job go quicker. Instead of nipping off individual flowers with a thumbnail like you might do with a marigold or petunia, use an inexpensive pair of scissors to cut multiple blooms at the same time. Cosmos is among the easiest of flowers to naturalize in your garden, which means when it goes to seed it will grow wildly anywhere it can reach....

Eliminating Bulb Plants The first thing you will have to do when trying to remove bulbs from garden areas is to put a black plastic covering over the bulbs during growing season. This will block out all the sunlight and will prevent bulbs from growing. In the fall, dig out the unwanted bulbs. If any of the plants are above ground, you can pull them out, but this might leave some roots and sections of the bulb underground....

Read on for more information about this useful tree. Pignut Hickory Tree Pignut hickory (Carya glabra) is a tall, deciduous tree, native to the Eastern areas of the United States. It can grow to 100 feet (33 m.) in the wild, with short, picturesque branches and a spreading crown. This hickory makes an excellent shade or street tree in cultivation since it is attractive in all four seasons. In springtime, the pignut hickory tree’s bud scales open....

What is Tall Fescue? Grass that adapts well to clay soil is a rarity. Tall fescue grass is one such sod grass, and it also has low mowing and fertilization needs. It does, however, need frequent deep watering in summer. It works as a lawn in either sunny or partially shady areas. Tall fescue in lawns stays green in winter unlike the warm season turf varieties. The plant is available in numerous cultivars, many of which resemble fine fescue but have wider leaf blades....

Facts About Thistle Thistle is an adaptive plant which can grow almost anywhere from roadsides and pastures to flowerbeds and lawns. Depending upon the species, thistle can be biennials which form low-growing rosettes their first year. After flowering their second year, biennials die. Other types of thistles are perennials. They grow and spread for many years. Worldwide, approximately 200 species of thistle have been identified, many of which are native to North America....