Posts

Why is My Ocotillo Not Blooming? Ocotillo plants are common in their native regions. The slender stems and tiny leaves are accents for the crimson blooms that decorate the tips of the branches. The plants make excellent natural screens and borders, adding bright garden accents during their bloom time. Native garden centers can provide you with healthy specimens of the plants for a natural and easy-to-grow desert landscape solution. Also known as Jacob’s Staff, Ocotillo is a tenacious desert dweller which is mostly leafless until the rainy season....

What is White Lace Flower? What is white lace flower? It’s an annual that blooms from early summer right through the first fall frosts. It grows to 30 inches (75 cm.) tall and spreads up to 12 inches (31 cm.), making it a good choice for a cottage garden. According to white lace flower information, the plant remains compact, producing wave after wave of complex white blossoms. The flowers have a central, flattened umbel of tiny blossoms, and this is surrounded by a ring of larger, daisy-like petals....

What is Radish White Rust Disease? White rust of radishes is caused by the fungus Albugo candida. The disease usually afflicts the leaves, although it may affect other parts of the plant as well. The fungus appears as white, raised spore masses on the underside of the leaves. The area affected may be barely visible to a ½ inch (1 cm.) across or larger. How is White Rust on Radish Spread?...

Why are My Avocado Leaves Burnt? Avocado leaf burn is fairly easy to recognize in avocado trees. You’ll see dry and scorched avocado leaves, and the damage is especially noticeable around the tips. Leaf burn also causes the affected leaves to fall from the tree well before normal dormancy. The condition makes it look as though extra-hot sunshine has burnt avocado leaves on your trees. This condition can also appear when the sky is cloudy, and the weather is cool or mild....

Why Mountain Laurel Leaves are Browning Below are the top reasons for brown leaves on mountain laurels: Desiccation/winter burn – Brown leaves on mountain laurels can be caused by desiccation, which occurs when winter wind draws moisture from the tissues. If the plant is unable to pull moisture from the soil, the water in the cells isn’t replaced and leaves turn brown. To prevent desiccation, ensure the tree is properly watered during dry periods....

Algae are plants but very rudimentary ones that lack roots, leaves and stems. They do photosynthesize but do not carry on traditional respiratory activities. The most common algae are probably seaweed, of which there are innumerable species. Algae require moist conditions, from soaking wet to boggy to humid. Algae growth on seed starting mix is common in cases where the site is moist and muggy. Such conditions promote the growth of these minute plants on your soil....

Flower Pollination Pollination is an important part of a plant’s life cycle. Before flowers can produce, they must be pollinated. Without flower pollination, most plants could not produce fruit or set seeds. Bees are the best-known pollinators, making their presence in the garden extremely important. Honeybees carry out more pollination than any other insect, which includes ants, beetles, butterflies, and moths. Nearly eighty percent of all crop pollination comes from honeybees....

Read on for more info on pecan cutting propagation. Pecan Cuttings Propagation Even without a crop of tasty nuts, pecan trees are appealing ornamentals. These trees are easy to propagate in several different ways, including planting pecan seeds and rooting pecan cuttings. Of the two methods, using pecan cutting propagation is preferable since each cutting develops into a clone of the parent plant, growing exactly the same type of nuts....

Pomegranate Winter Care Dense, bushy, deciduous plants, pomegranates (Punica granatum) can grow up to 20 feet (6 m.) tall but can be trained as a smaller tree. Pomegranates produce their best fruit in regions of cool winters and hot, dry summers. While they are more cold hardy than citrus, similar rules apply and specific efforts should be made for pomegranate trees in the winter. Suitable for USDA zones 8 to 11, pomegranate tree care in winter means moving the plant indoors, especially if they grow in an area with poor cold air circulation or heavy soil....

Euonymus Wintercreeper Vines Wintercreeper (Eyonymus fortunei) is an attractive, woody evergreen vine. Numerous varieties are available, including those with a strong climbing habit. Some vines reach heights of 40 to 70 feet (12-21 m.) quickly, making pruning wintercreeper vines necessary to keep it under control. E. erecta is a non-climbing variety with upright leaves and E. kewensis forms a lovely ground-hugging mat. If you have a large open area, or a place where other plants have failed, try wintercreeper....

A work from home garden room could be a “she-shed” or other outbuilding, but it could also be right in the great outdoors. It doesn’t have to take a lot of money, but it will take some planning to create a dedicated garden home office. Consider the needs of the space such as internet access, electricity, good lighting, shelter from extreme sun and the glare that comes with it, and privacy....

Fig trees and their sweet fruit are gaining popularity with home gardeners across the globe. Once confined to the regions around the Mediterranean Sea, figs are now found everywhere in the world where the winters are mild. The trees are relatively pest free and easy to propagate, so why does that one simple question keep popping up? Why are my fig leaves turning yellow? Reasons for a Fig With Yellow Leaves Just like people, plants can suffer from stress, and stress is the cause of those yellow leaves on fig trees....

Common Reasons for Leaves Turning Yellow There are many conditions that affect plant growth. Plants are susceptible to temperature variations, sensitive to chemicals and excesses of nutrients, require specific soil compositions and pH levels, have varying lighting needs, are prey to certain pests and diseases, and many other factors influence their health. Yellowing leaves on plants can be a sign of any of these out of balance or even certain nutritional or chemical influences....

When to Plant Crops in Zone 5 When do you plant vegetables in zone 5? This is a very important detail if a successful garden is to be achieved. Young starts are very susceptible to late season freezes. Zone 5 can experience temperatures of -10 to 0 degrees Fahrenheit (-23 to -18 C.). Planting anywhere near the time of year these temps are experienced is plant suicide. You need to know the date of your last frost....

Evergreen Groundcover Varieties for Zone 8 Here are some of the best plants for evergreen groundcover in zone 8: Pachysandra – Pachysandra likes partial to full shade. Reaches 6 to 9 inches (15-23 cm.) in height. Prefers moist, fertile soil. Effectively crowds out weeds. Confederate Jasmine – Confederate jasmine likes partial shade. Produces fragrant white flowers in the spring. Reaches 1 to 2 feet (31-61 cm.) in height. Drought tolerant and needs well-draining soil....

Trees that Tolerate Full Sun Many trees prefer growing in a site that gets sun all day long. If you are looking for trees for sun in zone 9, you’ll have to select among hundreds. It will be easier to narrow down the field if you evaluate other qualities, you’d like in trees for sun in zone 9. Consider things like: Do you want an ornamental with showy flowers? Are you thinking of zone 9 trees for full sun that also provide an autumn display?...

Acacia Koa Information Where do Acacia koa trees grow? Acacia koa is native to Hawaii and is found growing naturally on most of the islands. It is also the largest native tree in the state. The wood of the tree is prized for furniture and crafts, but it is hard to come by and is mostly used from remnants or harvested in pasture areas. These trees grow naturally in the upland forests of Hawaii, and when grown in yards and gardens are prized for shade and screening....

Achimenes Flower Culture Magic flowers got their nickname of hot water plants due to the fact that some people think that if they submerge the entire plant pot in hot water, it will encourage blooming. This interesting plant grows from small rhizomes that multiply rapidly. The foliage is bright to dark green and fuzzy. Flowers are funnel-shaped and come in a wide variety of colors including pink, blue, scarlet, white, lavender, or purple....

Can You Compost Soap? Keen to keep our Earth green and healthy? The compost pile is an effective way to reduce your waste and reuse it for all its glorious benefits. Soap scraps get too small to use easily and are often discarded, which begs the question, is soap bad for compost? It seems logical that something you deem safe enough to cleanse your body with should be ok to go into the garden heap....

What are Japanese Scout Beetles? Japanese beetles are a metallic green, oval, and less than ½ inch (1 cm.) long. The copper-colored wings do not entirely cover the abdomen, which has a row of five tufted hairs on either side. Both males and females have this distinctive color and marking, although females are slightly larger. Newly hatched larvae are about 1/8 inch (3 mm.) in length and a semi-transparent creamy color....