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Growing Vegetables in Strange Places Let me preface before I dive into growing vegetables in strange places. One person’s strange is another’s normal. Take the Mansfield Farm in Anglesey, North Wales, for example. This Welsh couple grows strawberries in drainpipes. It may seem strange but, as they explain it, not a new concept. If you’ve ever looked at a drainpipe, there is every likelihood that something is growing in it, so why not strawberries?...

Collarette dahlia varieties, for instance, can easily add appeal to flower borders and cut flower gardens. Exactly what are Collarette dahlias though? Collarette Dahlia Info With thousands of cultivars, dahlias are among the most dynamic options for the flower garden. Ranging in size from dinnerplate to pompon, dahlia flowers can quickly become an obsession. Collarette dahlia varieties produce a flower with a very specific structure. Collarette dahlia blooms are flat with a small inner ring of flower petals around the center....

Orchid Air Roots So what are orchid tendrils? As noted above, orchids are epiphytes, which mean they grow on other plants – often trees in their native tropical rainforests. Orchids don’t hurt the tree because the humid air and the surrounding environment provide all the plant’s necessary water and nutrients. That odd-looking orchid root or stem assists the plant in this process. In other words, orchid air roots are perfectly natural....

What Causes Carrot Leaf Blight? Leaf blight in carrots can be grouped into three different categories: alternaria leaf blight, cercospora leaf blight, and bacterial leaf blight. Bacterial leaf blight (Xanthomonas campestris pv. carotae) is a very common disease that thrives and spreads in moist environments. It begins as small, yellow to light brown, angular spots on the edges of the leaves. The underside of the spot has a shiny, varnished quality....

What Do Commercial Landscapers Do? What do commercial landscapers do? Commercial landscape design and services do a lot more than you might think. It is not just mow and blow. Commercial landscapers can help you plan and install a workplace frontage that is within your budget and inviting. They can provide monthly or seasonal maintenance services for weeding, mowing, trimming, pruning, and plant replacement. They can proactively see what needs to be done so your business looks its best....

What is a Leopard Tree? Something about this exotic tree with feathery foliage makes you think of Africa. But leopard tree information says it’s native to Brazil. The leopard tree has an open crown and its groups of small, thin leaflets provide light to moderate summer shade. The tree also offers panicle spikes of sunny yellow flowers at the stem tips. But the tree’s best feature is its smooth, mottled trunk, and ivory bark with brown or grey patches....

Where Does the Toborochi Tree Grow? The tree is native to countries in South America. It is not native to the United States. However, the toborochi tree is or could be cultivated in USDA plant hardiness zones 9b through 11. This includes the southern tips of Florida and Texas, as well as coastal and southern California. It’s not hard to identify a toborochi tree (Chorisia speciosa). Mature trees grow trunks shaped like bottles, making the trees look pregnant....

What is a Weed Tree? Weed trees are not a special kind of tree. They are unwanted tree seedlings that grow in your yard, young trees that you didn’t plant and don’t want. The status of “weed tree” is determined by the gardener. If you are thrilled to find the seedlings, they are not weed trees at all but volunteer trees. If you are not thrilled and want to get rid of volunteer trees, they qualify as weed trees....

What is Alkaline Soil? Alkaline soil is referred to by some gardeners as “sweet soil.” The pH level of alkaline soil is above 7, and it usually contains a great deal of sodium, calcium, and magnesium. Since alkaline soil is less soluble than acidic or neutral soil, availability of nutrients is often limited. It is due to this that stunted growth and nutrient deficiency are common. What Makes Soil Alkaline? In arid or desert areas where rainfall is slim and places where there are dense forests, soil tends to be more alkaline....

Read on to learn more about contour gardening. What is Contour Gardening? You don’t always get land that is perfectly flat or has straight lines. Sometimes you just have to wing it and get creative to make garden beds. Don’t force beds where they aren’t naturally fitting into the landscape. Instead, use the oddness of the land’s configuration by building contour beds. Developing contour garden rows makes sense. It allows you to work with the land rather than against it....

Overdam Feather Reed Grass Info What is Overdam feather reed grass? It’s a variegated variety of feather reed grass, a very popular cool-season, ornamental grass. It’s a naturally occurring hybrid between Asian and European species of grass. It is hardy in USDA zones 4 through 9. The plant grows quickly, with its foliage usually reaching 1.5 to 2 feet (0.46 to 0.60 m.) in both height and spread. In the summer, it puts up stunning flower and seed plumes that are golden in color and can reach 6 feet (2 m....

What is Peach Brown Rot? Brown rot is a fungal infection that can impact peaches and other stone fruits. Brown rot of peaches is caused by the fungus Monilinia fructicola. It infects trees in two stages. During blossoming, flowers will develop brown spots and quickly die. Look for dusty fungal growth on the dead blooms and cankers on the twigs. The infection can also set in during peach ripening, triggered by the fungal growth on the flowers and twigs in the spring....

What is Potato Elephant Hide? Researchers are unclear on the exact causes of potato elephant hide disorder, but they believe it happens when potato tubers grow irregularly. Sometimes part of the surface of the potato will expand faster or slower than another part, causing potato tuber cracking on the surface. This cracking isn’t serious, but it can give potatoes a scaly appearance. Although these potatoes look ugly, they’re perfectly safe to eat because the cause isn’t pathogenic....

Growing a Variegated Sweet Iris Plant The 2- to 3-foot (61-91.5 cm.) tall, sword-like, variegated foliage of sweet flag iris plants add interest to any garden style, even when the plant is not in bloom. Its lavender blue colored flowers bloom in late spring to early summer and its sweet fragrance attracts many pollinators. However, it is not just a beautiful ornamental plant. Orris root powder and orris oil are made from the rhizomes of zebra iris plants and are used in many herbal medicines and natural beauty products....

If you are wondering what trees bloom in the summer, read on. We’ll give you our picks for the best summer flowering trees. Trees That Flower in Summer What trees bloom in the summer? There are so many varieties! Let’s talk purple flowers first. The jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia) offers ferny foliage all year long, but in summer, this is set off by gorgeous blooms of breathtaking purple flowers. Its layered canopy makes the jacaranda a great shade tree that will bloom and grow during the heat of summer....

In her poem, The Holly, Edith L.M. King perfectly describes the traits we love in holly plants. Holly’s deep, evergreen foliage and bright red berries are sometimes the only sign of life in the winter landscape. Commonly associated with Christmas, everyone knows of holly’s winter appeal. However, you may wonder does holly bloom or what other interest does holly have in the garden? Continue reading to learn more about holly fruiting and flowering times....

Feeding pond plants is not always a necessity, depending on the condition of your pond. But if you do decide to go ahead, you’ll need to know how to fertilize submerged aquatic plants and when to feed them. Read on for the details of adding fertilizer for pond plants. Fertilizing Pond Plants If you have a water element like a pond or lake as part of your garden, you may wonder whether it is necessary to fertilize the water plants....

Pruning in the Garden Nothing improves the appearance of a garden like pruning at just the right time. The plants look neater, and they’ll often reward you with a fresh flush of flowers after a good trim. The best time for pruning in the garden depends on the type of plant. Do you have to prune garden plants? Most plants will survive without pruning, but they will live longer, healthier lives and look better if you do prune them....

What is a Seed? Plant life starts with seeds unless the plant reproduces by spores or vegetatively. Where do seeds come from? They are the byproduct of a flower or flower-like structure. Sometimes seeds are encased in fruits, but not always. Seeds are the primary method of propagation in most plant families. The seed life cycle starts with the flower and ends with a seedling, but many steps in between vary from plant to plant....

How to Find the Seed End of Potatoes Which end of the potato is up? Basically, the only thing to remember when planting potatoes is to plant with the eyes facing up. Here’s a little more detail: Small seed potatoes that measure 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm.) in diameter (about the size of a chicken egg) can be planted whole with, as noted, the eye facing up. Preferably, the seed potato will have more than one eye....