Posts

About Yellow Leaves on Lily of the Valley Everyone has their “pet” plant. That one specimen or stand that they’d throw any kind of treatment at or try any crazy thing just to keep it going another day. For a lot of gardeners that plant is lily of the valley. That’s why when lily of the valley has yellow leaves, gardeners start to panic – and rightfully so. Yellow leaves on lily of the valley could mean a lot of different things, some that are easy, some that are not so easy....

Why a Parsley Plant is Wilting You’ve planted a variety of herbs in your cottage garden or a window box and now it’s time to let them flourish and begin using them in your favorite dishes. One day you look out the window and wonder, “Why is my parsley plant wilting?” Site conditions, lighting, moisture levels, disease, damping off and even failure to harden off seedlings can cause limp leaves and stems....

Reasons for Small Tomatillo Fruit It takes several grains of pollen to properly pollinate a tomatillo flower. The wind might blow around a few grains of pollen, but tomatillo pollen is heavy, and it takes a strong insect to move the pollen efficiently. This is where bees come in. Bees are by far the most efficient pollinators of tomatillo flowers. They have no trouble hefting around the heavy grains, but first, they must find the flowers....

Will Baby’s Breath Survive Winter? Baby’s breath cold tolerance is pretty good, both in perennial and annual form. The annual varieties grow in zones 2 through 10, while the perennials will survive in zones 3 through 9. The annuals, of course, will not need to be overwintered. If your climate is colder, you can simply plant them in the spring and enjoy flowers all summer. They’ll die back in the fall....

What are Woolly Adelgids? Only about a sixteenth of an inch (2 mm.) long, woolly adelgids (Adelges tsugae) have a huge impact on hemlock trees in the eastern part of North America. Their feeding practices cause needles and branches to brown and die, and if the infestation is left untreated, the tree starves to death. Here are some interesting facts about these tiny pests: All woolly adelgids are female. They reproduce asexually....

Planting Yellow Wax Beans There are both bush and pole yellow wax bean varieties. The basic sowing and cultivating techniques are similar to green beans, but it’s advisable to provide pole beans with a vertical surface for climbing. Yellow wax beans grow best in a sunny garden spot. They can be planted in the spring as soon as the soil warms and after the last frost date. Good drainage and warm soil are key elements for germinating seeds....

Zone 5 Hydrangea Varieties All the different varieties of hydrangeas, with their different bloom types, can seem a little confusing or overwhelming. Advice from other gardeners like, “don’t prune that or you won’t get any flowers,” may have you scared to do anything to any of your hydrangeas. While it’s true that if you cut back certain hydrangeas they won’t bloom the following year, other types of hydrangeas benefit from being cut back each year....

Growing Zone 8 Fruit Trees There is a wide range of fruit trees for zone 8. Here we are able to enjoy fresh, homegrown fruit from many of the common fruit trees such as: Apples Apricot Pears Peaches Cherries Plums However, because of the mild winters, zone 8 fruit trees also include some warmer climate and tropical fruits like: Oranges Grapefruit Bananas Figs Lemons Limequat Tangerines Kumquats Jujubes When growing fruit trees, though, it is important to know that some fruit trees require a pollinator, meaning a second tree of the same kind....

Zone 9 Fruit Tree Varieties Below are some examples of fruit trees for zone 9. Citrus Fruit Zone 9 is a marginal climate for citrus, as an unexpected cold snap will put an end to many, including grapefruit and most limes. However, there are a number of cold hardy citrus trees from which to choose, including the following: Owardi satsuma mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata ‘Owari’) Calamondin (Citrus mitis) Meyer lemon (Citrus x meyeri) Marumi kumquat (Citrus japonica ‘Marumi’) Trifoliate orange (Citrus trifoliata) Giant pummelo (Citrus pummel) Sweet Clementine (Citrus reticulata ‘Clementine’)...

When to Prune Hellebores The best time for pruning a hellebore plant is late winter or early spring, just as soon as the new growth begins to appear. This new growth should come straight up out of the ground as little stalks. These stalks should still be surrounded by a ring of last year’s big leaves. The old leaves may very well be damaged from the winter’s cold and looking a little rough around the edges....

African Marigold Information Also called American marigolds or Aztec marigolds, African marigolds are annuals that bloom from early summer until frost. African marigolds are taller and more tolerant of hot, dry conditions than French marigolds. They also have larger flowers that can be up to 6 inches (15 cm.) in diameter. If deadheaded regularly, African marigold plants will usually produce many large blooms. They grow best in full sun and actually seem to prefer poor soil....

Soil for Amaryllis Plants Amaryllis bulbs grow best when they’re slightly crowded, so you don’t need too much potting mix. Your pot should leave only 2 inches (5 cm.) between its sides and the edges of the bulb. Amaryllis bulbs don’t like to sit in damp soil, and too much material around them can lead to them becoming waterlogged and rotten. A good soil for amaryllis plants is well-draining. You can use nothing but peat as the soil for amaryllis plants, but keep in mind that peat is hard to rehydrate once it dries out....

Help, My Apricot Fruit is Splitting! As mentioned, apricots are fruit trees with relatively few problems. Those they do have are brought about through poor care or environmental stress. The issue of apricots cracking open is no exception. Fruit split in apricots is most likely caused by an environmental stressor, namely a lack of irrigation followed by a sudden onslaught of water. Apricot trees are rapid growers but only live for 20-30 years, so giving the tree the best care possible is crucial to good fruit set....

From lawn care to flower planting to fungicide spraying, there are plenty of chores ready and waiting. Learn more about South Central garden maintenance for April. April Gardening in the South-Central Region April gardening begins with lawn care. After a winter with low moisture and cold winds, it’s time for some TLC. As weather warms, more spring annuals can be planted. In Texas and Louisiana, they are moving toward summer annuals....

I have been considering planting and growing pawpaw trees, but I have a bit of trepidation about the whole deer issue. Are pawpaws deer resistant? Is there a way of keeping deer out of pawpaw trees? Let’s find out more together. About Pawpaw Trees and Deer Are pawpaws deer resistant? Yes – as it turns out, they are classified as a “very resistant” deciduous shrub. A classification such as this, however, should not be interpreted as “completely resistant....

Are Store-Bought Potatoes Safe to Grow Growing grocery store potatoes which have sprouted can produce a delicious crop of potatoes which are safe to consume. However, there is one caveat with growing potatoes from the store. Unlike seed potatoes, which are certified to be free of disease, grocery store potatoes may be harboring pathogens like blight or fusarium. If you’re concerned about introducing disease-producing plant pathogens into your garden soil, you can always grow sprouted potatoes in a container....

Aronia Berry Information Aronia berries contain as much sugar as grapes or sweet cherries when fully ripe, but the bitter flavor makes it unpleasant to eat out of hand. Mixing the berries in dishes with other fruit makes it more tolerable. A mixture of half Aronia berry juice and half apple juice makes a refreshing, healthful drink. Add milk to Aronia berry tea to neutralize the bitterness. A good reason to consider growing Aronia berries is that they never need insecticides or fungicides thanks to their natural resistance to insects and diseases....

August Garden To-Do List When considering August garden chores, remember your primary objective is to keep your plants healthy through the heat. Extra water may be necessary for southeastern gardens in summer if rainfall is limited. Here are some things to do this month: Lawn Care Often there is little time left for anything extra, especially lawn maintenance that is needed badly in the heat of summer. The experts recommend mowing every five to ten days with a sharp mower blade and removing just one third from the height of the grass....

If you live in an apartment, you may think a raised bed is out of the question, but with a little ingenuity, creating a raised apartment garden is very possible. Read on for balcony raised bed ideas and tips. Raised Garden Beds for Balconies Attractive raised garden beds are readily available and easy to put together. However, it’s not difficult to create your own raised bed on a balcony. Generally, a simple wooden box is the easiest way to go....

Apple Cider Vinegar for Health Vinegar use dates back as far as 8,000 years ago when it was used primarily as a preservative and condiment. Around 400 B.C., Hippocrates began prescribing vinegar to treat a number of medical ailments. As to apple cider vinegar, it had been a traditional home remedy for many years before D.C Jarvis M.D. published his book Folk Medicine: A Vermont Doctor’s Guide to Good Health in 1958....