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Incompatible Garden Plants There are a few basic rules of thumb when it comes to plants to avoid near one another. First, check that your garden plants are all about the same size and have the same light requirements. Planting very tall plants like tomato next to bush beans, for example, is a very bad idea since the tomatoes will very likely shade out the beans. When planting taller and shorter plants together, make sure that the shorter plants are spaced far enough away and oriented so the sun will shine on them during the day....

Common Reasons Why a Plant Does Not Bloom There are numerous reasons why plants may not flower. Here are the most common reasons for non-flowering in plants: Age– In many cases, a plant is simply too young to bloom. In fact, it can oftentimes take up to two or three years for some plants to mature, and others may take even longer to bloom. Flowering can also be altered on grafted plants, depending on the age and type of rootstock used....

Plant Propagation for Kids Teaching plant propagation to children begins with the simple activity of planting seeds. You can take it a step further with older children by including one or more methods of asexual reproduction, such as cuttings, division, or offsets. The amount of information to include depends on the child’s age and the time you have to spend on propagation. Starting Seeds with Kids Below is a simple procedure for teaching kids about seed propagation....

Planning and Growing a Garden Spa A spa garden can have one or two purposes: To grow spa herbs that you can use in bath products such as lotions, sugar scrubs, and facial masks OR to create a space that gives you a relaxing, restorative spa feel. There is every reason to do both. Create a beautiful garden that you can sit in and enjoy while also growing useful and fragrant herbs for your indoor spa session....

How to Grow a Viburnum Hedge Planning a viburnum hedge comes before planting one. Taking the time to assess your needs and landscape situation now will save you problems later. Lots of types of viburnum are available in commerce, many that are perfect for someone planting a viburnum hedge. Before you choose among the varieties, figure out the basics. You need to decide how tall and how deep you want the hedge....

It is important to note that not all windows are created equal. The size and type of window you have, in addition to any obstructions such as trees or other buildings, can have a great impact on the quality and amount of light that comes through. If your plant growth is weak or spindly, move it to a brighter location. Indoor Plants for East Window Light There are many indoor plants for east-facing windows....

Reasons for Garden Peas Not Producing Here are the top reasons why a pea plant may not be growing or producing as it should: Too Much Nitrogen Nitrogen is one of the macronutrients plants need. In the case of peas, more is not better. Peas are legumes, and these types of plants have the ability to take nitrogen from the atmosphere and convert it into a form used by plants. Legumes can even add nitrogen to the soil....

Planting nectar-rich flowers is one way to help bees and you don’t need wide open spaces to do this. Anyone with an outside balcony or patio space can grow container plants for bees. How to Grow a Potted Bee Garden Growing a container pollinator garden is not difficult. If you’re familiar with any type of container gardening, cultivating a bee garden in pots is as simple as switching to pollinator friendly container plants....

Different Kinds of Nemesia Nemesia blossoms with half-inch (1 cm.) flowers in colors such as pink, purple, blue, and white. Some plants reach up to 2 feet (61 cm.) tall and spread to a foot (31 cm.) while many are no taller than 6 to 12 inches (15-31 cm.). Their diminutive size makes blooms appear larger, and they are often so dense that foliage is nearly hidden. Older nemesia plant types bloom into summer, when they may balk at extreme heat....

Nectarines in Pots Growing a nectarine tree in the landscape is easy enough but what about nectarine trees for containers? When growing nectarines in containers, you have to accept that your tree won’t get to be as big as it would if it were planted in the ground, especially if you’re planning on moving the tree with the coming and going of winter. The ideal maximum size for a container is between 15 and 20 gallons (57-76 L....

What is Prickly Scorpion’s Tail? Scorpiurus muricatus is an unusual annual legume native to southern Europe. Listed by Vilmorin in the 1800’s, the plant has unique pods that twist and roll in upon themselves. The name “prickly scorpion’s tail” was no doubt given due to the resemblance but its other common name of “prickly caterpillar” is far more apt in my opinion. The pods do indeed look just like fuzzy, green caterpillars....

Yellowing Chrysanthemum Leaves – Poor Drainage If you see yellowing chrysanthemum leaves on your plants, take a look at your soil. Garden mums that are planted in heavy soil or soil that drains poorly are not happy plants. The plants need well-draining soil to thrive. If the soil doesn’t release water, the mum’s roots drown and you see your chrysanthemum plant yellowing. Your best bet in this case is to move the plants to a site with lighter soil....

Although the dappled willow grows fast and is an undemanding small tree, you may occasionally see problems with dappled willows. “What’s wrong with my dappled willow?”, you may question. Read on for an overview of dappled willow issues and tips for troubleshooting dappled willow. Troubleshooting Dappled Willow Willows are shrubs and trees known for their catkin-type seeds. These trees are susceptible to a variety of diseases and pest problems. Disease problems include:...

Reasons for a Droopy Aloe Plant No one likes flopping aloe leaves. You want an upright, sturdy aloe. To help your plant grow better, it helps to understand why the droop happens. There are a few possible reasons, or it could be a combination of more than one: Inadequate sunlight Poor watering practices A fungal infection Cold temperatures A too-shallow container My Aloe is Falling Over, Now What? If you have a leaning or drooping aloe, consider the above issues and make sure you provide the plant with the right growing conditions....

It’s a lot of fun to bring naranjilla into your garden, and inexpensive too, since you can easily grow naranjilla from seed. Read on for information about naranjilla seed germination as well as tips for propagating naranjilla seeds. Growing Naranjilla from Seed Naranjilla is a uniquely ornamental plant with an edible fruit that looks cool and tastes delicious. It’s a perennial shrub that doesn’t normally get above 8 feet (2 m....

How to Protect Plants from Late Spring Frost If you have seeds in the ground when a surprise frost is headed your way, they should be fine. The ground stores and holds onto heat effectively. However, if you have seedlings, they could suffer frost damage if you don’t protect them. For anything that has already germinated, sprouted, or bloomed, provide some protection. A simple way to do this is to stake a couple layers of plastic or garden fabric over the rows of plants....

How to Prune Climbing Roses First and foremost, a good rule of thumb for pruning climbing rosebushes is to not prune them for two or three years, thus allowing them to form their long arching canes. Some die back pruning may be required but hold it to a minimum! The two or three years is a “training time” for you to keep them trained to a trellis or other feature of your garden; keeping them tied back and growing in the desired direction early on is of the highest importance....

Pruning of Tomatillos Before you decide how to prune tomatillo plants, you must first determine your goals. The way you prune your plant helps determine the number of tomatillos the plants will produce and the size of the fruit. It also affects the date of maturity. Can I Prune a Tomatillo? While tomatillo pruning isn’t absolutely necessary, you can improve the health of the plant and the yield by pruning. First, determine whether you want one or two main central stems....

When rabbits eating bark off trees leave bare wood all the way around the tree, the damage is called girdling. The sap can’t flow past the damaged area, so the top part of the tree gradually dies. There is no way to repair this type of rabbit tree damage, so it’s best to remove and replace the tree. How to Protect Trees from Rabbits The only sure way of preventing rabbit damage is to surround the base of the tree with a cylinder made of hardware cloth....

Why Raspberries Won’t Form Sometimes it takes a bit of detective work to figure out why there’s no fruit on raspberry plants. But before you don your detective’s hat, let’s first consider how raspberries grow. The root of the raspberry plant is a perennial which sends up new canes each year. The individual canes act like a biennial, with each cane living for 2 years before dying. Everbearing raspberry canes produce berries twice in their lifetime — once in the fall of their first year and again in the summer of their second year....