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About Spartan Juniper Trees Spartan juniper trees are a narrow cultivar of Chinese juniper, Juniper chinensis. The original tree is native to northeast Asia, including China. The Spartan cultivar is also known as Chinese Spartan juniper. Juniper has been grown in China for hundreds of years, well before western gardeners “discovered” the tree. This cultivar grows to some 15 feet (5 m.) tall but remains slender, between 3 to 5 feet (1-1....

Spinach lovers who have missed the ideal planting window may be left with questions like, “Can spinach be grown in summer” or “Are there any heat tolerant spinach varieties?” Read on to learn more. Can Spinach be Grown in Summer? Success in growing spinach in summer will vary depending upon climate. Those with cool summer temperatures may have moderate luck. Growers attempting to grow during the hotter months of the year; however, should look for summer spinach varieties....

Staghorn Fern Information There are 17 different species of staghorn fern (Platycerium alcicorne) – which in addition to common staghorn fern, go by a number of other common names that include elkhorn fern and antelope ears. Each one has antler-like foliage as well as a flat, basal leaf. The flat leaves are infertile and turn brown and papery with age. They overlap onto a mounting surface and provide stability for the fern....

Plants for Sunny Spots If you have lots of open spaces, choose plants that need full sun. Be sure to read the plant label on the tag. Some full sun plants also will designate “drought tolerant when established.” That means to water regularly the first season, so the plant has time to get established. Most full sun plants will perform well in a part sun situation as well. The following plants are sun lovers and can stand up to high heat: Trees and Shrubs Crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia spp....

Cover Crops to Suppress Weeds Using cover crops isn’t a novel practice, but it hasn’t been common in small gardens until recently. Although inorganic groundcovers have been widely used, this practice can be both messy and unsustainable, not to mention the substantial amount of black plastic gardeners have contributed to landfills. This year, cover crops should be front of mind – not only can they out-compete weeds, but many release chemicals into the soil that actually prevent weed seeds from germinating (a process known as allelopathy)....

Vacation Care for Houseplants First of all, the health of your houseplants will depend on the length of time in which you are away. Care of houseplants for short periods If you only plan on being gone for a short period of time, say less than a week, there are a few things you should do before leaving. The day before you leave for your trip, gather up all of your houseplants, removing any dead leaves or flowers, and give them a good, thorough soaking, draining all excess water from their saucers....

Taxus Yew Shrubs The Taxus yew shrub, belonging to the Taxaceae family, is a medium sized evergreen shrub native to the areas of Japan, Korea and Manchuria. The yew has green foliage with bright red berries. All portions of the Taxus yew are toxic to animals and humans, with the exception of the fleshy portion of the arils (the name for the Taxus fruit). The fruit lays hidden amongst the foliage of the female plant until September, wherein the short lived arils turn a striking red shade....

Technology and Garden Gadgets For luddites who treasure the peace and quiet of slow-paced, hands-on gardening, this may sound like a nightmare. However, using technology in landscape design is saving many people loads of time, money, and hassle. For people working in the field, using technology in landscape design is a dream come true. Just consider how much time is saved by computer-aided design (CAD) software. Design drawings are clear, colorful, and communicative....

How to Water a Rosemary Plant in the Ground Rosemary is a plant that is easy to grow in the ground, mostly because it’s rather drought tolerant. A newly planted rosemary needs to be watered frequently for the first week or two to help it become established, but after it’s been established, it needs little in the way of watering other than rainfall. Rosemary is drought tolerant and can go quite some time without being watered when planted in the ground....

To my surprise, the following spring this same sad little bleeding heart flourished in its new location and was covered with dramatic blooms and healthy lush green foliage. If you find yourself in a similar circumstance and need to move a bleeding heart plant, then read on to learn how. How to Transplant a Bleeding Heart Plant Sometimes we have a vision of a perfect flowerbed in our minds, but the plants have ideas of their own....

Identifying Shot Hole on Apricot Trees Apricot shot hole fungus is Wilsonomyces carpophilus. It overwinters on buds that are infected and also on twigs. The spores on these parts of the tree can be transferred during winter and spring rains and when water splashes up from the ground. Those spores need 24 hours of moisture to set in and cause infection, so wet and humid conditions tend to lead to the spread of this disease....

Powdery Mildew Fungus on Trees Powdery mildew attacks many plants, and trees with powdery mildew are no exception. Trees can be infected by different fungi. Most powdery mildew fungus on trees release overwintering spores when conditions are moist. Moist conditions are also necessary for the spores to germinate and infect a tree. Once a tree is infected, however, the fungus grows well without humidity. Preventing and Treating Powdery Mildew on Trees Trees with powdery mildew are not usually damaged seriously by the fungus, but fruit trees are the exception....

What are Tree Aphids? These tiny, soft-bodied, pear-shaped insects can be almost any color. Aphids on tree foliage and shoots feed by sucking fluid from the tree through a slender mouthpart called a proboscis. They feed in clusters, usually on the undersides of leaves near the point where the leaf attaches to the stem, or on tender young shoots and buds. As they feed, they secrete a sticky fluid called honeydew....

Magnolia Tree Pruning Although pruning magnolia trees is not necessary, young trees can be shaped as they grow. Trimming a magnolia tree when it is young will also improve the health of the tree and encourage more blooms. Mature magnolia trees do not recover from pruning and can sustain fatal wounds. Therefore, magnolia tree pruning on older specimens should only be done as a last resort when necessary. When to Prune Magnolia Trees Knowing when to prune magnolia trees is important....

Common Diseases of Pears There are a few very common and easily identifiable diseases of pears. Of these, fire blight is the worst, as it can spread very rapidly. It appears as cankers that leak out a creamy ooze on any or all parts of the tree, blossoms, and fruit. The area around the canker takes on a blackened or burned appearance, hence the name. Fabraea leaf spot, leaf blight, and black spot are all names for a spread of brown and black spots that form on the leaves late in the summer and cause them to drop....

Plants in a Boreal Forest The wide ribbon of taiga boreal forest extends across the top of North America, Europe, and Asia, just south of the arctic tundra. Additional taiga can be found at high elevations in the mountainous western region of North America. North American taiga was covered with glaciers at one time, and as these glaciers receded, they left gouges that filled with rainwater, creating lakes and bogs. Taiga plants have to tolerate very harsh growing conditions in order to survive....

The United States, Canada, and the U.K. provide easy to read hardiness zone maps. These indicate where a plant is capable of growing by providing the lowest minimum temperature the specimen can withstand. These are defined by climactic conditions and divided into geographic locations. World hardiness zones differ dependent upon the climate, so a South African gardener, for instance, will need the plant hardiness zones for South Africa and, more specifically, for their part of the country....

Pollinators in east-north-central states of the upper Midwest are an essential part of the native ecosystem. Bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, ants, wasps, and even flies help carry pollen from plant to plant. Many would not exist without these pollinators. For gardeners, whether you grow fruits and vegetables or you just want to support the local ecosystem, it’s important to use native plants to attract and keep pollinators. What are the Native Pollinators in Upper Midwest States?...

Upside Down Watering Issues While upside down gardening is often used for tomatoes, you can also grow a variety of plants including cucumbers, peppers, and herbs. Upside down gardening offers many benefits too. The planters may be the answer when cutworms or other nasty creatures in the soil are making short work of your plants, when you’re losing the battle against weeds, or when your back is tired of bending, stooping, and digging but watering the containers can be a challenge....

What are Garden Scissors Used for? If you read pretty much anything by your favorite gardening guru about which tools are must-haves for the garden, you will find no mention of scissors. I strongly disagree. Perhaps, my adoration for my garden scissors stems from a childhood memory of snipping dandelion heads from the lawn. The adults didn’t have time to mow, so I was paid a penny for each dandelion head....