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What is Direct Sowing? Not all gardeners will opt for direct sowing. What is direct sowing? This is when you plant seeds directly out into prepared garden beds. That is a fine solution for gardeners in the warm climates, but northern gardeners have to cheat a bit and start earlier indoors. Seed packets have good guidelines for the different zones but waiting until May or June for cold climes can result in poor crops with plants that take several months to produce from sowing date....

Grape Dead Arm Info What is grape dead arm? For about 60 years, grape dead arm was a widely recognized and classified disease known to affect grapevines. Then, in 1976, scientists discovered that what had always been thought to be a single disease with two distinct sets of symptoms was, in fact, two different diseases that almost always appeared at the same time. One of these diseases, Phomopsis cane and leaf spot, is caused by the fungus Phomopsis viticola....

Letterman’s Needlegrass Info Letterman’s needlegrass (Stipa lettermanii) has a fibrous root system with long roots extending into soil to depth of 2 to 6 feet (0.5-2 m.) or more. The plant’s sturdy roots and its ability to tolerate nearly any soil make Letterman’s needlegrass an excellent choice for erosion control. This cool season grass is a valuable source of nutrition for wildlife and domestic livestock, but isn’t usually grazed later in the season when the grass becomes sharp-tipped and wiry....

What is Night Scented Stock? Annual flowers add a different dimension and style than perennials. Perennials are aggressively consistent while annuals need to be sown every year to grace the garden with their visage and scent. Night scented stock plant is one such gentle annual denizen. The flowers are a sweet wonder in faded tones that seem like they stepped out of another century. However, it is the aroma of these blooms that is the real attraction....

However, once you start reading up on growing fruit trees, you’ll discover many fruit trees planted by seed can take three to eight years to start producing fruit. In eight years, the kids may be off to college or starting families of their own. For this reason, many gardeners choose to purchase immediately fruiting trees that are grafted on already established rootstock. What is rootstock? Continue reading to learn about rootstock plants....

What is Xylella? Xylella leaf scorch is a bacterial disease caused by the pathogen Xylella fastidiosa. This bacteria is believed to spread by insect vectors, such as leafhoppers. It can also be spread from grafting with infected plant tissues or tools. Xylella fastidiosa can infect hundreds of host plants, including: Oak Elm Mulberry Sweetgum Cherry Sycamore Maple Dogwood In different species, it causes different symptoms, earning it different common names. When xylella infects oak trees, for instance, it is called oak bacterial leaf scorch because the disease causes the leaves to look as if they’ve been burned or scorched....

About Glowing Plants Do you have solar lights in the backyard or garden? If glowing plants were available, you could do away with those lights and just simply use the plants themselves. It’s not as far-fetched as it sounds. Fireflies and some kinds of jellyfish glow in the dark, as well as certain types of bacteria. Now scientists have worked out a way to transfer this glow-in-the-dark quality to living things that usually don’t glow, like plants....

Vehicle Injury to Trees It could happen to anyone on an icy street. Lose control of your vehicle and, wham, you’ve hit a tree. These incidents are more common in winter or, unfortunately, during holiday revelry when the operator has had too much to drink. Large trees that overhang streets are also victims of large trucks that smash into the branches and break and distort them. Whatever the cause, accident damage to trees can be a simple fix of pruning off the remaining damaged portion or the entire trunk may be crushed....

Symptoms for Eggplants with Verticillium Wilt Verticillium wilt in eggplants is caused by a fungus that lives and overwinters in the soil for years. It not only occurs in nightshades but also cucurbits, evergreens, herbs, flowering ornamentals, and even trees. The disease attacks vascular tissue, disrupting the movement of nutrients and water. Over time, the plant will become stunted, fail to produce useable fruit, and eventually die. The plant material is still very contagious and has to be destroyed rather than go into the compost heap....

What is a Fir Clubmoss? Fir clubmoss has a long history of medicinal and magical use. In medieval times, the plants were woven into wreaths and armbands. When worn, these adornments were thought to give the wearer the ability to understand the language of birds and beasts. The spores from the clubmosses were used to create bright, but brief, flashes of light in Victorian theater, allowing magicians and actors to disappear....

About Green Needles on a Blue Spruce Don’t be surprised if you see green needles on a blue spruce tree. They may be perfectly natural. The blue color of blue spruce needles is caused by epicuticular waxes on the needles that reflect specific wavelengths of light. The more wax on a needle, the bluer it is. Neither the amount of wax nor the blue color is uniform across the species. Some trees can grow decisively blue needles, but others of the same type have green or blue-green needles....

Why Do Pear Tree Leaves Curl? Below are some of the most common reasons behind the curling of pear tree leaves and what can be done to alleviate the problem: Pear Curling Leaf Midge A native of Europe, the pear curling leaf midge has found its way across most of the United States since it first arrived on the east coast in the 1930’s. It is often responsible for curling pear tree leaves in young trees....

How Light Affects the Growth of a Plant All things need energy to grow. We get energy from the food we eat. Plants get energy from light through a process called photosynthesis. This is how light affects the growth of a plant. Without light, a plant would not be able to produce the energy it needs to grow. What Kind of Light Do Plants Need? While plants need light to grow, not all light or plants are the same....

About Quince Leaf Blight Quince leaf blight is the most common reason for quince leaves turning brown. Small spots on the leaves is the first sign of quince leaf blight. The tiny spots form larger blotches, and soon, the leaves turn brown and drop from the plant. Shoot tips may die back, and the fruit may be brown and distorted. In severe cases, the disease may be fatal. The fungus (Diplocarpon mespili) overwinters on diseased leaves and dead shoots that fall from the tree....

About Zone 7 Wildflowers Most wildflowers grow easily from seed and wildflower seed mixes are readily available. If seed mixes are the route you plan to take, it’s a good idea to do a little research on each wildflower that is listed on the package. One region’s wildflower can be another region’s invasive weed. Wildflowers can quickly spread by self-seeding, naturalizing, or forming colonies through vast root structures. Wildflowers can also be annual, biennial, or perennial, and this can depend on what zone you’re in....

Selecting a Container for Potted Wildflower Plants Any container that will hold soil will do fine for wildflowers. Make sure that the container is clean and dry before you begin. If there are no drainage holes in the bottom of the container, make several holes to allow the water to drain. Good choices for containers include half whiskey barrels, plastic pots, or wooden window boxes. Even something like an old tire or old wheelbarrow make neat places to plant wildflowers....

Is Covering Plants in Cold Weather Really Necessary? Frost covering for many plants is of limited use, and the best way to protect plants, according to horticulturalists at University of Georgia Extension, is to ensure your plants are properly watered, fed and protected from pests during the spring and summer. Healthy plants are hardier and can withstand cold weather better than weak, unhealthy plants. Most importantly, plan carefully and choose plants that can survive in your growing zone....

Growing Yellow-Eyed Grasses Plant yellow-eyed grass seed in a cold frame outdoors, or directly in the garden in fall. Yellow-eyed grass thrives in moist, well-drained soil. Alternatively, stratify the seed in the refrigerator for two weeks. To stratify the seeds, place them in a handful of damp peat moss within a plastic bag. After two weeks, plant the seeds indoors. Keep the potting moist and watch for the seeds to germinate in nine to 14 days....

Zone 5 Dry Shade Gardens If you have a tree with a dense canopy, the area under the tree is probably in dry shade. Moisture is blocked from above by the tree’s leaves and branches and absorbed from below by thirsty roots, leaving little moisture for other plants to survive. There is no doubt that this is a difficult area to landscape, but there are some shade-loving plants that thrive in dry conditions....

Harvesting Seeds of Agapanthus Although you can purchase agapanthus seeds and you’ll know exactly what color to expect, it’s easy to harvest seeds of agapanthus when the pods turn from green to pale brown in late summer or autumn. Here’s how: Once you have removed the agapanthus seed pods from the plant, place them in a paper bag and store them in a dry location until the pods split open. Remove the seeds from the split pods....