Purple Ash Tree Facts White ash trees (Fraxinus americana) are native to eastern North America. They are the tallest of native ash trees, growing up to 80 feet (24 m.) in the wild. While the trees have a pyramid form when young, mature trees have rounded canopies. The white ash cultivar, ‘Autumn Purple,’ stays somewhat shorter than the species tree. It is admired for its beautiful deep mahogany foliage in autumn....
Bacopa Plant Info Growing Bacopa (Sutera cordata) is simple, and it has many uses in the sunny to part shade garden. Bacopa plant info indicates that the small plant reaches no more than 6-12 inches (15-30 cm.) in maturity. The low-growing specimen spreads vigorously to cascade over a wall or quickly cover bare spots under taller plants. The happy Bacopa trailing annual is often covered with tiny flowers from June through October....
Baumann Horse Chestnut Info Baumann horse chestnut trees are a common landscaping and street planted tree throughout much of the United States. Reaching heights of 80 feet (24.5 m.), these trees provide growers with beautiful, white, flower spikes each spring. This, in tandem with their dark green foliage, make the tree a popular option for those wishing to add curb appeal to their properties. Though the name may imply it, Baumann horse chestnut trees are not members of the edible chestnut family....
Bee Orchid Facts Take a look at a blooming bee orchid and you’ll see that the name is well deserved. The fuzzy, little bee orchid flowers look like real bees feeding on three pink petals. This is one of nature’s clever tricks, as bees visit the plant in hopes of mating with the little faux bees. This bit of bee orchid mimicry ensures the plant is pollinated, as the male bees transfer the pollen to nearby female plants....
What is Biochar? Biochar Use in Gardens Biochar as a soil amendment enhances plant growth and reduces need for water and fertilizer. This is because more moisture and nutrients remain in the soil and don’t leach into the groundwater. Scientists believe that soil improved by biochar is more efficient, retaining critical nutrients such as magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, and nitrogen. Additionally, nutrients present in the soil are more available to plants, making good soil even better....
Bitter Tasting Basil Leaves A member of the Lamiaceae (mint) family, basil (Ocimum basilicum) is renowned for its aromatic and sweet tasting leaves. The herb is cultivated for the use of these leaves, which are high in essential oils and impart delicate flavor and aroma to a multitude of cuisines. It can be used either fresh or dried, although most people agree that dried basil doesn’t hold a candle to fresh basil....
What is Blanching? For many people, particularly those familiar with the vocabulary of cooking and preserving food, blanching means plunging a fruit or vegetable into boiling water for a very short period of time to stop the maturation process, then rapidly transferring it to ice water so the item does not become fully cooked. What is blanching in vegetable gardening, however, is something entirely different. It is the technique of covering a plant or plant part to prevent the development of color....
What is a Blue Hokkaido Squash? Blue Hokkaido, also referred to as Blue Kuri squash, is an open pollinated Japanese Kabocha type of squash that has a much longer shelf life than other types of Kabocha. Typical of Kabocha squash, Blue Hokkaido squash (Curcurbita maxima) has a flattened globe shape with as its name suggests, a blue-grey color. Additional Blue Hokkaido Info The golden flesh of Blue Kuri is sweet and can be used in dessert recipes as well as in savory/sweet side dishes....
Fall and winter are the best times to protect plants from spring fungal problems with homemade Bordeaux mixture. Issues such as downy and powdery mildew, and black spot can all be controlled with proper application. Fire blight of pear and apple are bacterial diseases that can also be prevented with the spray. Bordeaux Fungicide Recipe All the ingredients are available at garden centers, and the recipe that follows will help with making Bordeaux fungicide....
Caring for Boysenberries in Winter Mulch: Boysenberry winter protection includes several inches (5 to 10 cm.) of mulch such as straw, dried leaves, lawn clippings, pine needles, or small bark chips. Mulch protects the plant’s roots from fluctuations in soil temperature and also helps prevent soil erosion that often occurs in heavy rainfall. Apply the mulch in fall, after a few hard frosts. Aim for at least 8 inches (20.5 cm....
True Bulb Basics The true bulb is a layered structure filled with plant carbohydrates with a plant shoot in the core. It has a basal plate where roots grow, fleshy scales or layers, the outer skin, the shoot at the center flanked by developing bulbets. Common spring bulbs, like daffodils and tulips, are true bulbs. There are two different types of bulbs which are in the true bulb category. Tunicate bulbs all have the outer skin or tunic....
What is Tomato Bunchy Top? Bunchy top virus of tomato, also known as potato spindle tuber viroid when infecting potatoes, is a serious problem in the garden. The tomato bunchy top viroid causes new leaves emerging from the top of the vine to crowd closely together, curl, and pucker. This mess isn’t just unattractive, it also reduces the number of viable flowers to near zero. If a gardener is lucky enough to get fruits from a plant affected by bunchy top, they’ll likely be tiny and very hard....
Cacti comprise some of my favorite plants due to their uniqueness of form and unusual characteristics. Propagation is done through grafting, stem cuttings, leaf cuttings, seed or offsets. Growing cactus from seed is a long process, as germination may be unreliable and growth is at a snail’s pace. Broadly, cacti that do not produce offsets can be propagated by grafting as long as there is a compatible rootstock. The grafted part is called a scion and the base or rooted part is the rootstock....
Can Grass Be Overwatered? Many gardeners don’t realize that water can be both good and bad for their lawns. Can grass be overwatered? Yes, it can, and the consequences for that smooth carpet of green are not pleasant. Overwatered grass is not just the result of too-eager homeowners. Water on the lawn can come from humidity and showers, as well as sprinkler hoses. And hot, wet summers are not an occasional happenstance in some locales....
Can You Grow Cranberries in a Pot? Not every gardener has the luxury of a huge yard to fill with plants. With so many amazing plants on the market these days, even those who do have large gardens may eventually run out of space. Lack of gardening space oftentimes leads to gardeners to try their hand at container gardening. In days of old, container plantings were generally the standard design which included a spike for height, a filler such as geranium, and a trailing plant like ivy or sweet potato vine....
Can You Grow Lavender in Zone 8? For thousands of years, lavender has been valued for its medicinal, culinary, aromatic, and cosmetic properties. It has also always been regarded as a beautiful ornamental plant. Native to the Mediterranean, most varieties of lavender are hardy in zones 5-9. A few varieties are known to hold up in the cold of zone 4 or the heat of zone 10. In warmer climates like zone 8, lavender has an evergreen, sub-shrub habit and may bloom throughout the year....
Growing Parsley in Winter So, the answer to the question “can you grow parsley in winter?” is… sort of. To fully understand about growing parsley in winter, it’s helpful to know a bit more about the lifecycle of parsley. Parsley is grown from notoriously slow germinating seed in the spring. To hasten germination, the seed should be soaked in water overnight before planting. Grow parsley in moist, nutrient rich, well-draining soil in either full sun or dappled shade....
Harvesting and planting seeds from your vegetable crops usually works, but you need to know which ones don’t need unique treatments for ultimate success. Tips on Vegetable Seed Growing Vegetable growers often save seed from their crops, especially when they have grown a desired species. Can you plant fresh seeds? Some plants will start just fine from newly harvested seed, while others need several months in a specialized environment to jump-start the embryo....
Cape Fuchsia Information Also known as cape figwort, cape fuchsia plants are native to South Africa. In fact, the name refers to that country’s Cape of Good Hope. Look for this bushy plant to reach mature heights and widths of about 3 to 5 feet (.91 to 1.5 m.). Cape fuchsia comes in a range of colors, including creamy yellow, peach, magenta, soft coral, apricot, pale red and creamy white, often with yellow centers....
Dutchman’s Breeches Growing Conditions Care of Dutchman’s breeches is fairly minimal when they’re located in the right spot. Dutchman’s breeches wildflower grows best in conditions similar to their native woodland habitat. Dappled shade and organic, humus soil, such as that found on the forest floor, facilitate the best growth. Acidic, moist soil is necessary for the brief bloom of the plant. Soil should dry out during dormancy for ideal Dutchman’s breeches growing....
