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Rejuvenating Old Forsythia Shrubs Forsythia shrubs are known for their excellent display of bright yellow flowers in late winter or early spring. These fountain shaped shrubs originated in Korea and China. They are deciduous and typically stand 6 to 10 feet (2-3 m.) tall. There are a couple dozen cultivars that come in a variety of sizes as well as leaf and flower color. Forsythias are great for screening out unsightly views and are excellent in the back of a mixed border planting....

Herbal Companion Plants for Rosemary Rosemary is good for more than the occasional chicken or potato dish. It has powerful scented oil which can attract or repel certain insects. Rosemary also keeps away some animal pests. It is even said to improve the flavor of sage when planted in proximity. So, the benefits to rosemary plant companions are numerous, plus you have another attractive herb that performs with honors in the kitchen....

How to Grow Roses on a Fence Roses on Chain Link Fences For tall chain link fences, attach a climbing rose to the fence to help hide the fence and add beauty to it. Plant the climbing rose bushes up close to the fence to grow up the fence easily and use it for support. Space the climbing rose bushes out at 6- to 7-foot (2 m.) intervals along the fence, as this gives them room to grow and spread out their long canes....

What is Rue Plant? While little known, growing rue herb in the garden can be helpful to a gardener in a number of ways. Its strong smell is a repellent to many creatures, including dogs, cats and Japanese beetles. Because of this, it makes an excellent companion plant. It has semi-woody growth, which means that it can be pruned into hedges. It attracts some types of butterflies, and, last but not least, makes a lovely cut flower....

Sweetbox Plant Info Creating a “no fuss” garden can be challenging; however, one plant can be the answer to your dreams. Sarcococca sweetbox shrubs have dwarf sized appeal, perennial foliage and surprisingly sweet smelling tiny flowers. You can stand several feet away and smell the delightful scent of just one sweetbox, but when you put them in a mass, the plants can perfume the entire landscape for weeks. Christmas box plants are so called because they are winter bloomers....

Verbena Seed Harvest There are about 250 varieties of verbena but only a fraction are commonly cultivated. Verbena seeds will not germinate evenly if exposed to extreme periods of cold. For this reason, cold region gardeners usually have to reseed their plants annually, either in a cold frame or indoors six weeks before the date of the last frost. The sweet little flowers of verbena brighten any garden plot or container....

Reasons for Soaking Seeds What happens to seeds when you soak them? Why should you soak your seeds? The short answer is because your seeds were designed to be abused. Mother Nature is not kind to a little seed. In the wild, a seed can expect to encounter harsh heat and cold, very wet or dry conditions and may even need to survive the acid-filled digestive tract of an animal. In short, seeds have developed over millions of years with defenses to survive awful conditions....

Benefits of Shade Gardening Shade gardens can have advantages over the more traditional, open sun gardens. The same tree that is blocking the sunlight is also providing a year-round structural focal point to enhance and complement your plantings. Walls and buildings offer a lovely backdrop to your beds while moderating temperature changes and protecting your plants from punishing winds. Just as sunny gardens allow you to grow certain plants those shady areas do not, reduced light areas permit growth of plants that cannot tolerate direct sunlight....

Should I Deadhead Lantana Plants? We get a lot of questions about deadheading lantana plants. While deadheading is sometimes a good idea, it can also get pretty tedious. The basic idea behind deadheading is that once a flower has faded, it’s replaced by seeds. The plant needs energy to make these seeds and, unless you’re planning on saving them, that energy could be better devoted to making more flowers. By cutting off the flower before the seeds start to form, you’re basically giving the plant extra energy for new flowers....

Are Rocks Glued to Soil Okay? Why, why, why, is my question. Apparently, basic plant retailers find gluing rocks to the top of the container and soil a method to reduce soil loss during transport. They may also do it as an aesthetic practice. Either way you may wonder, “should I remove glued down rocks in my plants?” That may depend upon the type of plant and whether it needs transplanting....

What is Smallage? As mentioned, smallage (Apium graveolens) is often referred to as wild celery. It has a similar, yet more intense, flavor and aroma than celery along with similar looking stalks, but the stalks are not usually eaten. Smallage stalks are much more fibrous than celery stalks. The leaves can be used in a variety of ways and have a strong celery flavor. They look almost exactly like flat-leaved parsley....

Where to Plant Fruit Trees Site selection is critical to the success of fruit tree production. Fruit trees require full sun but will tolerate part shade; however, fruit quality will be diminished. Deep, sandy loam soils that drain well are best. For heavy soils, plant fruit trees in raised beds or on berms built up to improve drainage. For those with a limited garden area, small-sized fruit trees can be planted amongst ornamentals....

What is Soybean Rust? Soybean rust disease is caused by one of two different fungi, Phakopsora pachyrhizi and Phakopsora meibomiae. P. meibomiae, also called the New World type of soybean rust, is a weaker pathogen that is found in small areas of the western hemisphere. P. pachyrhizi, called Asian or Australasian soybean rust, on the other hand, is far more virulent. First reported in Japan in 1902, the disease was only found in tropical to semitropical regions of Asia and Australia....

What is a Specimen Tree? This is a tree planted apart from other trees that is used as a focal point of a garden or backyard. Many gardeners like using a specimen tree in the landscape. If you plant trees in a group or in a mass, the trees themselves are less important than the grouping. A tree planted alone is itself a landscape feature. These solo tree features are called specimen trees....

Spinach Anthracnose Info Anthracnose is a disease that affects a wide range of vegetable crops and is the result of the presence of a number of fungi in the genus Colletotrichum. Anthracnose of spinach plants is mostly caused by the fungus Colletotrichum spinaciae, although it has also been traced to Colletotrichum dematium. Symptoms of anthracnose on spinach plants start as small, watery, dark green to black spots on the leaves. These spots grow in size and turn light brown and papery....

How to Set Goals in the Garden These may be as detailed as you wish, but don’t make them too complicated. A few achievable goals that you can accomplish are better than a long list of wishes that you can’t get to. Once you’ve completed or are on the way to completing your garden resolutions, you may find you can add other projects. Your goals may include growing organic food for your family and having plenty left over to put up for the winter months....

Don’t forget Hagrid’s Garden, which provided Harry Potter and Ron Weasley with ingredients for their magic potions. A Dr. Seuss garden theme provides a wealth of ideas with imaginary plants such as snick-berries and other oddities – like trees with crazy, twisty-turn trunks and colorful flowers atop spiral stems. And this is just a sampling of the storybook garden themes you could create. Read on to learn more. Ideas for Storybook Gardens Coming up with storybook garden themes isn’t as difficult as you might think....

What is a Sugarberry Tree? Native to the southeastern United States, sugar hackberry trees (Celtis laevigata) can be found growing along streams and flood plains. Although usually found in moist to wet soils, the tree adapts well to dry conditions. This medium to large deciduous tree grows to around 60-80 feet (18.5 to 24.5 m.) in height with upright branching and a rounded spreading crown. With a relatively short life, less than 150 years, sugarberry is covered with light gray bark that is either smooth or slightly corky....

Can You Grow Sugarcane in Winter? Sugarcane is the common name for the genus Saccharum that grows almost entirely in tropical and subtropical parts of the world. As a rule, sugarcane cannot withstand freezing, or even cool, temperatures. There is, however, one variety of sugarcane that’s cold hardy, called Saccharum arundinaceum or cold hardy sugarcane. This variety is reported to be cold hardy all the way down to USDA zone 6a....

Considering environmental factors such as water needs and amount of sunlight will be key in growing successful window boxes. Read on for window box designs for full sun locations. About Full Sun Window Boxes The light requirements of plants are one of the most important aspects to consider when choosing plants for your containers. While some boxes will receive mostly shade, due to their location, others may be positioned in full sun....