Posts

Can You Eat Pindo Palm Fruit? Jelly palms do indeed bear edible pindo fruit, although with the abundance of fruit dangling from the palms and its absence from the consumer market, most people have no idea the fruit of the pindo palm is not only edible but delicious. Once a staple of practically every southern yard, the pindo palm is now more often thought of as a nuisance. This is in large part due to the fact that pindo palm tree fruit can make a mess on lawns, driveways, and paved walkways....

Can You Eat Snapdragons? You’ll find me using snapdragons in the garden, a lot! It’s simply because I live in a mild climate and the little beauties pop up year after year, and I let them. And I’m not the only one using snapdragons in the garden. They come in tons of colors and sizes so whatever your garden scheme, there’s a snappy for you. I must confess that until recently it never occurred to me to wonder about eating snapdragon flowers....

What is canning? What is pickling? Would it surprise you to know that pickling is canning? Does that confuse the issue even more? Keep reading for the main difference between canning and pickling so you can decide how best to preserve your food. What is Canning? Canning is when you process and seal foods in a glass jar. Canned foods can keep for months and are ideal for many fruits and vegetables, as well as meats....

Planting Hosta in Cold Climates There are many beautiful varieties of hostas for zone 3. With their easy care and maintenance, hostas are an excellent choice for shady spots in the garden or borders. Planting a hosta in cold climates is as simple as digging a hole, putting the hosta in, filling the remaining space with soil, and watering. Once planted, water daily for the first week, every other day the second week, then once a week until established....

Concorde Pear Information Concorde pears, a fairly new variety, hales from the U.K. The trees are a cross between Comice and Conference pears, with some of the best features of each. These attractive pears display a rounded bottom and a long neck. The yellow-green skin sometimes shows a hint of golden russet. How to Grow Concorde Pears Plant Concorde trees anytime the ground is workable. Be sure to allow 12 to 15 feet (3-4 m....

Clematis Plant Types Long-lived perennial clematis vines are beloved in the flower garden for their wide range of bright colors and interesting flower shapes. Coming in both single and double flower forms, clematis flowers can easily complement established flower borders. Though the hardiness of clematis vines will vary depending on the location and the type planted, growers seldom have trouble finding a variety that will thrive in the garden. The vine’s growth rate and mature height will also vary greatly depending upon the types of clematis planted....

Growing Nut Trees in Zone 3 There are three common zone 3 tree nuts: walnuts, hazelnuts, and pecans. There are two species of walnut that are cold-hardy nut trees and can both be grown in zones 3 or warmer. Given protection, they can even be attempted in zone 2, although the nuts may not fully ripen. The first species is the black walnut (Juglans nigra) and the other is butternut, or white walnut, (Juglans cinerea)....

What to Plant with Chamomile Chamomile tea is used to spray on seedlings to prevent damping-off, a fungal infection that kills many young plants. By companion planting with chamomile, its natural anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties can help plants prone to fungus, mildew, mold, blight, and other common plant ailments. Annuals susceptible to fungal problems, such as zinnias, petunias, snapdragons, and verbena, as well as blight-prone vegetables, like tomatoes and potatoes, can all benefit by having chamomile as their neighbor....

Insect Pests on Bird of Paradise Plants On the whole, bird of paradise plants are relatively pest free. That doesn’t mean bird of paradise bugs are unheard of, though. Maybe the most common problem pests with bird of paradise plants are mealybugs and scale. Scale appears as hard little brown spots on the stems and undersides of the leaves. Mealybugs appear as white patches of fuzz on the leaves. Some other bugs that attack bird of paradise plants include caterpillars, snails, and grasshoppers, which all make their presence known with bite marks on the leaves....

One of the most common factors of poor nut production in pecan trees is the result of stressed trees. Pecan trees which become stressed are much more susceptible to many types of fungal disease, as well as increased insect pressure. These stressors not only impact the growth of the tree, but may also cause the quantity and quality of the pecan harvest to suffer. Events such as cold temperatures, high humidity, and even drought are all responsible for the potential loss of pecan harvests....

What are Frozen Suncatcher Ornaments? Most people are familiar with suncatchers. Usually made of glass or other transparent materials, decorative suncatchers are hung in sunny windows and allow the light to cascade through. The same principle applies to DIY frozen suncatchers. Rather than using traditional materials, however, ice suncatcher crafts are frozen blocks of ice. Within the ice, crafters arrange various items such as seeds, pinecones, leaves, branches, and more. Frozen suncatcher ornaments are a creative way to naturally decorate yards, patios, and other outdoor spaces....

An herbal vinegar infusion is simply vinegar with herbs which can come from your own garden, or purchased. Many herbal vinegar recipes can be found, but they are all in tune on the basics. Materials for Herb Infused Vinegar To make DIY herbal vinegars, you will need clean, sterilized glass jars or bottles and lids, vinegar (we’ll get to that later), and fresh or dried herbs. The bottles or jars need to have corks, screw-on caps, or two-piece canning lids....

Does Hyacinth Bean Need Pruning? Hyacinth bean, also known as Lablab, is a vigorous climbing annual. It is a warm season plant native to Africa, but it has become an established food crop in many other countries. The ornamental aspect of the plant has taken off in warmer parts of the Americas. Deeply purple beans and amethyst and violet blossoms make the plant an attractive addition to any landscape. Hyacinth bean pruning isn’t strictly mandatory, but it does help keep the growth of this speedy sprouter in check, so it’s always a good idea to learn how to prune a hyacinth bean and establish a healthier, more sturdy set of vines....

Benefits of Putting a Container at a Downspout Under a rain gutter, containers with native plants catch runoff from the eaves and roof of your home. They filter the water and slowly release it back into the ground where it re-enters the groundwater system or aquifer. If you do it right, this is like a miniature rain garden, which traditionally goes in a depression in your yard that collects rainwater. By allowing the water to slowly filter through the garden or container, it enters the groundwater cleaner....

Early Spring Blooming Bulbs When it comes to early flowering plants, most people think of bulbs. There are a few early spring flower bulbs that can bloom even before the snow is gone. Early spring bulbs include: Snowdrops Crested Iris Crocus Wood Hyacinth Grape Hyacinth Winter Aconite Snowflake Fritillaria Early Spring Flowering Shrubs Flower bulbs are not the only plants that can bloom in early spring. There are several dramatic early spring blooming shrubs....

Echinacea Plants as Herbs Echinacea is a native American plant and one of the most popular herbs in this country. People in North America have been using coneflowers medicinally for centuries. Medicinal Echinacea was used for years in traditional medicine by indigenous Americans, and later by colonists. In the 1800’s, it was believed to provide a remedy for purifying the blood. It was also thought to deal with dizziness and treat rattlesnake bites....

Growing Shrubs from Elderberry Seeds Pretty and practical, elderberry shrubs (Sambucus spp.) decorate your yard with showy flowers that later become dark purple berries. The shrubs can be propagated from cuttings, which produce plants that are biologically identical to the parents. It’s also possible to get new plants by growing elderberry from seed. For those who have elderberry plants already, it’s easy and free to obtain seeds since they are found in every berry....

Information About Emmer Wheat Did you think I just switched topics? No, farro is actually the Italian word for three varieties of heirloom grains: einkorn, spelt, and emmer wheat. Referred to respectively as farro piccolo, farro grande, and farro medio, it has come to be the catch-all word for each of these three grains. So, what exactly is emmer wheat and what other emmer wheat facts and nutrition info can we dig up?...

Fertilizer for Garden Ferns About the most harmful thing you can do for ferns is too much. Ferns are very sensitive to over-fertilization. In nature, they get the nutrients they need from fallen leaves or evergreen needles and rainwater running off their tree companions. The best thing to try if ferns look pale and limp is to add organic material like peat, leaf mold, or worm castings around the root zone....

What is a Flamingo Willow? The flamingo willow tree or shrub is a popular Salicaceae varietal grown for its stunning variegated foliage. Growing dappled willow trees have leaves that are light green mottled with white in the spring and summer and the “flamingo” inspired new growth of deep pink color. In the fall and winter, the tree really stands out with bright red stems showcasing the unique foliage, which will eventually yellow and drop off....