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Growing a rabbit’s foot fern houseplant in a hanging basket shows off the furry rhizomes to their best advantage. The rhizomes can grow quite long and over time they take on a spider-like appearance. Never bury the rhizomes under the soil, however, as this encourages rot. Rabbit’s Foot Fern Care As with any houseplant, care of rabbit’s foot fern includes providing adequate light, proper moisture and temperature, and regular fertilization....

Red Delicious Apple Info If you love and admire the taste of Red Delicious apples, then you must want to learn more about the tree and how to grow it in the landscape. This general information is quite helpful for both growers and consumers. Red Delicious tree size ranges from 10-25 feet (3-8 m.) in height and 12-15 feet (4-5 m.) wide. It becomes more attractive when it bears white-pink colored flowers early in the season....

What is Blackheart Disorder? Celery is a member of the family Umbelliferae amongst whose other members are carrots, fennel, parsley, and dill. It is most often grown for its crunchy, slightly salty stalks, but celery roots and leaves are also used in food preparation. Celery grows best in fertile, well-draining soil with plenty of organic matter. With a small root system, celery is an inefficient nutrient forager, so additional organic matter is essential....

How to Make Play Gardens for Kids How to make play gardens? There’s really nothing to it! Simply designate a small space just for kids – a few square feet is plenty. If you don’t have a yard, you can make a children’s play garden on your balcony, using a wading pool, a large plastic storage container, or anything that will hold dirt. If you choose to use a plastic container, be sure to drill a few small holes in the bottom; otherwise, your play garden will be a soggy mess every time it rains....

Choosing Foundation Plants for the Front Yard Foundation plants for the front yard should be attractive year round. While many people prefer evergreens as foundation plants, you shouldn’t overlook the potential of deciduous plantings, as their leaf and twig color can be equally interesting. Use bright colors sparingly when located near the house, as these can be considered an eyesore up close and are better viewed at a distance. Plants located within 5 to 10 feet (1....

Growing Vines in Zone 9 Zone 9 gardeners are lucky – vines for zone 9 include both temperate species like Clematis terniflora that can tolerate summer heat and subtropical species like Aristolochia elegans that can cope with a few chilly months. In addition to common vines that grow in zone 9, like the familiar English ivy and Virginia creeper, there are many unique zone 9 vine varieties you can try. Many of these vines offer interesting leaf and flower shapes, fragrances, and a multitude of colors that will move your vertical garden beyond the ordinary....

About Zone 8 Shade Vines If you live in zone 8, you live in a warm climate with mild winters. That means you have a lot of choices for plants that will thrive in your garden, even if you have a lot of shade. Vines are popular in all zones because they grow quickly to cover things you don’t want to see, like that big air conditioning unit, but also because they soften lines, add pretty, colorful flowers, and foliage, and some even turn color in the fall....

What is a Christmas Rose Plant? Christmas rose plant is a member of the hellebore family. Like other types of hellebore, these flowers are known for their early season bloom. Christmas rose flowering time will vary greatly depending upon one’s own climate. While the plant may burst into bloom near the holiday season in warmer climates, most will see it begin to flower in late winter or very early spring. Christmas rose hellebore is an evergreen plant which produces glossy foliage, even during winter....

If you are interested in Christmas indoor topiary, read on. We’ll give you great Christmas topiary ideas so you can start making a Christmas topiary yourself. Plants for Christmas Topiaries Tired of buying cut Christmas trees? You aren’t alone. Although these trees may have been raised just to serve as holiday décor, something seems off about killing a tree in order to celebrate Christmas. Still, fake trees don’t have that natural element and not everyone has a big enough backyard to plant potted spruce after Christmas is over....

Gardening with Duct Tape What can gardeners do with duct tape? Outdoor uses of it are ideal due to this product’s durability and waterproof properties. For just a few bucks, gardeners can brighten up the yard, garden and patio. They can make unique, homemade gifts for family and friends. There are thousands of creative uses for duct tape. Let’s look at a few ways to use duct tape in the garden and around the house:...

When Does Climbing Hydrangea Bloom? Climbing hydrangea blooms in late spring and summer. After a season or two comes and goes without a bloom in sight, gardeners may become worried about their vines. Take heart, because in most cases, there is nothing wrong. These vines are notoriously slow to become established and produce their first flowers. In fact, several seasons may come without blossoms. Rest assured that they are worth the wait....

Composting Coffee Grounds Composting with coffee is a great way to make use of something that would otherwise end up taking up space in a landfill. Composting coffee grounds helps to add nitrogen to your compost pile. Composting coffee grounds is as easy as throwing the used coffee grounds onto your compost pile. Used coffee filters can be composted as well. If you will be adding used coffee grounds to your compost pile, keep in mind that they are considered green compost material and will need to be balanced with the addition of some brown compost material....

Common Carrot Diseases at a Glance Carrot diseases may stem from fungal, bacterial or other causes. Here are some of the more frequent issues you may come across. Fungal Diseases Crown and root rots are caused by Rhizoctonia and Pythium spp. pathogens. Common symptoms to look for are the tops of carrot roots turning mushy and rotting, and the foliage may die to the ground as well. Roots also become stunted or forked....

Growing Flowering Bushes in Zone 9 Some shrubs are considered reliable, long bloomers in cold climates and warm climates alike. Certain varieties of these shrubs may just show better cold hardiness or heat tolerance than others. When purchasing zone 9 flowering shrubs, read tags and ask nursery or garden center workers plenty of questions to be certain the shrub is the right fit for your landscape. For example, if you live in a coastal area, be sure to ask how the plant tolerates salt spray....

Common Geranium Diseases Alternaria Leaf Spot: Alternaria leaf spot is marked by dark brown, water-soaked circular spots that are ¼ to ½ inch (6 mm. to 1 cm.) in diameter. Upon examination of each individual spot, you will see the formation of concentric rings, which are reminiscent of the growth rings you see on the stump of a cut tree. Individual spots may be surrounded by a yellow halo. The most common course of treatment for geranium problems like this is an application of fungicide....

Managing Dracaena Pests Check regularly for dracaena pest problems. Take a look underneath the sword-like leaves, on the trunk, and at the base. A white cottony or waxy mass can indicate mealybugs or soft scale. If you find just a few bugs that eat dracaena, you may blast them off with a strong spray of water. Mealybugs go through stages, with the juvenile stage of crawlers doing the most damage. These pests cause stunting and leaf drop....

This warm-climate plant grows year-round in USDA plant hardiness zones 9b and above, but gardeners in more northern climates can grow ginger in a container and harvest the spicy roots year-round. Although you can start any time of year, spring is the optimum time for planting ginger in a container. Want to learn about growing ginger in containers? Read on. How to Grow Ginger in a Pot If you don’t already have access to a ginger plant, you can purchase a chunk of ginger about the size of your thumb or a little longer....

Cotyledons on Plants and Classifying You can study cotyledons by viewing a split peanut. The cotyledon is the little bump at the top of the half nut and will sprout in ideal conditions. The cotyledon forms at the crest of the endosperm, which carries enough plant nutrients to jump-start the sprouting process. The photosynthetic cotyledons will look quite dissimilar from the true leaves and only last a short time. When viewing a seed, it is often quite easy to see what a cotyledon is....

If attaching creeping fig to a wall is your desire, the first year of growth can be slow, so have patience and use a few tricks to get your fig clinging to the wall in subsequent years. How Creeping Fig Attaches and Grows Some vines need a lattice or fence to cling to and grow, but creeping fig can attach to and grow up any type of wall. They do this by secreting a sticky substance from the aerial roots....

Symptoms of Crown Gall on Pears As mentioned, a pear tree with crown gall shows wart-like swellings (galls) on its roots and crown. On occasion, the galls may be seen on the trunks or branches as well. A preponderance of galls actually disrupts the uptake of water and nutrients into the tree from the root system. This causes the tree to look generally unhealthy. What Causes Pear Crown Gall? Crown gall afflicts 140 genera in 60 different families worldwide....