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How Do I Take Care of an Orchid Flower? Care of indoor orchid plants is easy once you learn how to grow them properly. These interesting flowers can be found in a range of colors and sizes depending on the variety. They make excellent accent plantings to nearly any home décor. Orchids require little care once all their basic needs are met such as light, temperature, and humidity. Orchid Growing Tips Most orchids require moist, well-draining conditions....

About Keeping Insects in a Terrarium A terrarium is essentially an enclosed garden. They usually include plants that prefer humidity and indirect light. With the right plants and insects together, you can create a more complete ecosystem. Keeping wild animals as pets is not ethical, and while there is some leeway for insects, help kids understand this general idea. Give kids the message that this is not an insect pet enclosure so much as a natural ecosystem for study....

Hydroponic Gardening at Home Hydroponics can be a major operation, including growing food with hydroponic farms on a large scale, but also a fun home project that is simple and easy. With the right materials and knowledge, you can scale the project to a size that works for you and your kids. Here’s what you need: Seeds or transplants. Start with plants well adapted to and easy to grow in a hydroponic system, like greens, lettuces, and herbs....

Disease resistant roses have been getting a lot of attention lately. What is a disease resistant rose and how can a disease resistant rose help you in your garden? Read on to find out. What are Disease Resistant Roses? This term “disease resistant” means exactly what it states — the rose bush is resistant to disease. A disease resistant rose bush is a hardy variety of rose that by its breeding can resist many attacks of disease....

Lilac Borer Information Lilac borer pests (Podosesia syringae), also known as ash borers, are clear-wing moths. However, according to lilac borer information, adult females look more like wasps. The insects are found throughout the continental United States. Borer larvae are what cause the lilac ash borer symptoms. The larvae are large, growing up to an inch (2.5 cm.) long. They damage lilacs and other plants by feeding on the phloem and outer sapwood of trees and shrubs....

Choosing Living Mulch Plants Companion planting isn’t anything new. Generally, we use companion plants to protect other plants from insects, disease, over grazing and to enhance root and fruit development. Living mulch plants provide numerous benefits to their companions in the garden and liven up the soil. The most common types of living mulch for vegetable gardens focus on fixing nitrogen and breaking up soil. Living mulch as a groundcover is used to keep weeds down, conserve moisture, and fill in landscape gaps....

Help, My Marigolds are Not Blooming! Marigold plants not flowering? In order to get more blooms on your marigolds, it helps to understand the most common reasons for no flowers on marigolds. Fertilizer – If your soil is moderately rich, no fertilizer is needed. If your soil is poor, limit fertilizer to an occasional light feeding. Marigolds in excessively rich (or overfertilized) soil may be lush and green but may produce few blooms....

Growing Mexican bird of paradise in a pot is relatively simple, as long as you can provide plenty of warmth and sunlight. Read on for information on growing potted Mexican bird of paradise. Growing Mexican Bird of Paradise in Containers The flower is suitable for growing in zones 8 and above; however, the plant will die down during the winter in zones 8 and 9. If you live in a northern climate, your best bet is to grow Mexican bird of paradise in planters and bring the plant indoors when temperatures drop in fall....

Why is Spider Plant Losing Green Color? In variegated plants, the white-colored parts lack chlorophyll and cannot photosynthesize. If your spider plant is losing its green color, it is not able to absorb enough energy from the sun to keep it healthy and vigorous. Most commonly this bleaching of the leaves is caused by too much sunlight. With too much sun, our skin tans or burns, but sunburn in plants causes leaves to bleach and blanch....

Nettleleaf Goosefoot Identification You can recognize nettleleaf goosefoot weeds by the roughly triangular or lancet-shaped leaves and the dense clusters of seeds at the tips of the stems. The dark green, glossy leaves have toothed edges and they give off a strong smell when you crush them. These plants grow up to 3 feet (1 m.) tall. Controlling nettleleaf goosefoot in the lawn is a matter of practicing good lawn care....

If you are hoping for tips on how to restore overgrown lawns without chemicals, you’ve come to the right place. Read on for an overview of how to embark on overgrown lawn care. Fixing an Overgrown Lawn You might have purchased a property with an overgrown backyard and need to deal with it. Or you might have simply failed to do lawn maintenance in your own yard for a spell and are dismayed with the results....

How Peach Tree Borers Damage Trees Peach borer larvae tunnel through cracks and wounds within bark, feeding on the sapwood. Peach tree borers attack near the soil line, with most activity occurring a few inches (8 cm.) below the ground. Eventually, the bark begins to peel off damaged areas, making the tree susceptible to other pests and disease. Adults, which resemble wasps, are most prevalent from mid-May to early October. During this time, eggs are laid on the trunks of trees, hatching within a week to ten days....

What is a ‘Pink Quill’ Air Plant? Also known as Wallisia cyanea or Tillandsia cyanea, pink quill plants are a dependable tropical perennial. Native to Ecuador, the small evergreen plant grows best in USDA growing zones 9 through 12. Throughout the gardening season, quill bromeliads produce rosettes of thin grass-like foliage. Though the plant is relatively short at maturity, its foliage is known to sprawl and reach impressive widths. Masses of leaves range in color from glossy green to attractive shades of silver and gray....

The Perfect Valentine’s Day Plants Philodendron – Perhaps the most popular heart-shaped-leaf plant, Philodendron are valued for their ability to thrive in low-light conditions. Most varieties require very little care and can happily adorn your sweetie’s office space for years. For the busy professional, consider the beloved Heartleaf Philodendron variety (Philodendron hederaceum). With its 2 to 3 inch (5 to7.6 cm.) leaves and fast-growing vines, this heart-shaped plant is ideally suited for hanging baskets and trellises....

What is Gardening RDA? Recommended daily allowance, or RDA, is a term used most often to refer to daily dietary needs. These guidelines make suggestions regarding daily caloric intake, as well as suggestions regarding daily nutrient intake. However, some professionals have suggested that a recommended daily gardening allowance may contribute to an overall healthier lifestyle. British gardening expert, David Domoney, advocates that as little as 30 minutes a day in the garden can help burn calories, as well as reduce stress....

Why are My Homegrown Tomatoes Sour? There are over 400 volatile compounds in tomatoes that give them their flavor, but the prevailing factors are acid and sugar. Whether a tomato tastes sweet or acidic is also often a matter of taste – your taste. There are hundreds of varieties of tomatoes with what seems like more options all the time so there is bound to be a tomato for you. One thing that most people can agree on is when something tastes “off....

May Gardening Tasks for the West May is still planting time and putting in more seeds is part of every garden to-do list. Almost any warm season vegetable can be planted in May in western gardens. Stay away from lettuce, peas, and other crops that do not like the heat. Instead, start heat-loving tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and melons. You can also put in beans, okra, corn, cucumbers, and squash too. That’s not all....

Do Blanket Flowers Need to Be Deadheaded? The simplest answer is no. Removing blooms on blanket flower that are spent is not necessary to the survival or growth of the plant. The reason that people deadhead flowering plants is to keep the flowers going longer, to avoid seed production, and just to keep the plant looking nice and tidy. For perennials like blanket flower, you can get all of these benefits from deadheading....

Tips on How to Make Rose Honey Herbal preparations have been part of human history farther back than the oldest recordings. The use of plants as food, seasoning, and medicine is a time-honored tradition. Honey affords numerous benefits in each category, but when you make a rose petal-infused honey, you combine the flower’s benefits with that of the sugary syrup. For a fun, delicious, and healthy option, learn how to make rose honey....

While you can go to almost any home improvement store or garden center and purchase adequate succulents, rare varieties, such as Turkish stonecrop (Rosularia spp.), may only be available in specialty nurseries or online. Many crafters, like myself, like to try out the latest trends while adding our own unique flare to these projects. Rosularia makes an excellent, unique addition to succulent crafts. Continue reading for more Rosularia information....