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What is Ruellia? Ruellia flowers are 2 inch (5 cm.) long, funnel-shaped blooms growing on a perennial shrub. Originally native to Mexico, it is now found in the southwest United States, naturalized in many areas. Ruellia flowers from midspring through the first frosts of fall with purple or blue blooms (on occasion red or pink) on purple stems. The widely adaptable Ruellia brittoniana, also known as Mexican petunia, Mexican barrio, Mexican bluebell, and most commonly wild petunia, has an equally spreading habitat of about 3 feet (91 cm....

What Does Adventitious Mean? Plants with adventitious roots have an extra edge on plants with traditional root systems. The ability to sprout roots from parts of the plant that are not actual roots means the plant can extend and propagate itself from several means. That increases its chance of survival and ability to grow and expand. Some examples of adventitious root systems might be the stems of ivy, the rhizomes of fast spreading horsetail, or the roots that form from aspen trees and links groves together....

Anthurium Trimming Tips Anthurium trimming should be done regularly to keep the plant upright and balanced. Allowing older growth to remain on the plant may cause the stem to bend and may result in stunted growth. Here are some tips for healthy anthurium pruning: Take a close look at your anthurium plant, then begin pruning from the top down. Remove any discolored or dead leaves. Cut wilted or dead blossoms down to the base of the stem....

Antonovka Apple Facts What are Antonovka apples, you may ask. They are a winter producing group of apple trees originally from Russia. Antonovka fruit trees are often used as a rootstock to add cold hardiness to other apple types that can be grafted in. They are also used for seedling trees in northern areas. The common Antonovka apple is most normally grown in the U.S., but there are other varieties. Antonovka apple facts say it is a tasty, tart fruit right off the tree, having high acid, with flavor that mellows after time in storage....

What are Pheromone Traps? Since insects don’t have organs to detect smells like our noses do, it’s more accurate to think of pheromones as communication chemicals rather than scents. An insect releases the chemicals into the air in hopes that another insect will receive the message through sensors on their antennae. Insects use pheromones to send messages such as the location of territorial boundaries and food sources as well as to announce their availability as a mate....

Can You Grow Asparagus from Seeds? Asparagus is often grown from bare root stock crowns. The reason for this is that growing asparagus requires patience. Crowns take three growing seasons before they are ready to be harvested! Even so, this is significantly faster than if you try growing asparagus from seeds. That said, yes, asparagus seed propagation is very possible and a little cheaper than buying crowns. Asparagus seeds, or berries, turn bright red in autumn....

Creating Your Fall Garden Planner Planning for the fall garden will help you organize your thoughts and goals and put them into action-oriented steps. Where you live and what your climate is like will determine when and how you do these tasks. Regardless of your zone, there are some typical tasks that should be in your autumn garden planner: Get more life out of annuals. Trim back leggy annuals, deadhead if necessary, and add a fertilizer to get more blooms....

Symptoms of Barley with Foot Rot Foot rot on barley is usually noticed in early spring, shortly after the plants emerge from winter dormancy. The first symptoms are generally yellowish-brown, eye-shaped lesions on the crown of the plant, near the surface of the soil. Several lesions may appear on the stem, eventually joining to cover entire stems. The stems are weakened and may fall over, or they may die while still remaining upright....

Ocimum basilicum ‘Queen of Sheba’ has a mild flavor and may be used in pesto sauces and other Italian type dishes where light, basil flavor combines with other herbs to create that unique taste. Harvest a good amount of leaves for drying before allowing the lovely flowers to grow. As with other herbs, flowering or allowing the plant to bolt often changes the taste. Queen of Sheba Basil Care Growing Queen of Sheba basil is easy and quite similar to growing other basil types....

If you’re planting trees to light up the yard in March or April, you’ll be interested to learn about the different types of flowering trees out there. Read on for an overview. Spring Flowering Trees When you are ready for spring flowering trees in your backyard, you may want to grab the first one you see in the garden store. But that kind of spontaneity may be unwise when it comes to selecting trees....

How to Care for a Bergenia Plant Growing Bergenia loves shade and dappled sunlight, so choose a darker corner of the yard or a bed up against the house that rarely gets full sunlight. Plant them 12 to 18 inches (30-46 cm.) apart early in the spring to fill the area without crowding them out. Choose a spot with well-drained, moist soil, and add compost to the bed as needed. Watch for flowers in the early spring....

What Seeds Make Good Sprouts? There’s no doubt that the mild flavor of both mung bean and alfalfa sprouts has contributed to their decades-old popularity in mainstream food culture. But germinating other types of seeds for sprouts can add a variety of flavor palates to your culinary dishes. Consider substituting cabbage or kale sprouts to your next stir-fry in place of shredded cabbage. The flavor is similar, but the sprouts will impart a different texture to the dish....

Growing Evergreen Trees in Zone 8 Zone 8 is temperate with hot summers, warm weather in the fall and spring, and mild winters. It is spotty in the west and stretches through parts of the southwest, Texas, and into the southeast up to North Carolina. Growing evergreen trees in zone 8 is very much doable and you actually have a lot of options if you want year-round green. Once established in the right location, your evergreen tree care should be easy, not requiring much maintenance....

What to Feed Bird of Paradise Plants Any bird of paradise plant, when planted in your garden, will benefit from a 2 to 3 inch deep (5 to 8 cm.) layer of mulch. Use organic materials such as wood chips, bark, leaves, and pine needles. Just make sure to keep a mulch-free zone of around 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 cm.) from your plants. Adding a bit of sand or gravel to the mulch will also help with drainage....

When Do Black Walnuts Fall? Juglans nigra, or black walnut, is a very hardy species of nut tree. The plant sets fruit in summer but the nutmeat isn’t ready until fall. This is the time of year you might want a hard hat if you are walking under a black walnut tree. Some of the hulled nuts can be nearly as big as a fist and pack quite a wallop when dropped from upper branches....

So which are the best flowering weeping trees for a small garden? Read on for our recommendations for blooming weeping trees. We’ll point out a few pink flowering weeping trees and a few purple ones. Blooming Weeping Trees Weeping trees are those with branches that cascade down instead of heading out horizontally or pointing upwards. They tend to lend a serene air to the backyard. The weeping willow is a classic example of a weeping tree, but it’s a big one and doesn’t offer showy flowers....

About Basil ‘Blue Spice’ Blue Spice basil plants have small, brilliantly green leaves. When the plants bloom, they produce dense spikes of dark purple bracts with light purple flowers reminiscent of salvia. As the plant matures, the stems darken to maroon and new leaves emerge blushed with purple. The flavor has the quintessential licorice flavor of sweet basil but with notes of vanilla, spice, and lemon. Its unique flavor profile lends itself well to tomato, eggplant, and zucchini dishes as well as meat, fish, and cheese dishes....

Book Ideas for Gardeners Gardening books for nature lovers make excellent gifts for any occasion, and it’s never too early to start thinking about those gift lists. With so many options, choosing the best gardening books can be quite difficult. Fortunately, we have compiled a list of our favorites. The New Organic Grower (Eliot Coleman) – Eliot Coleman is well known in the gardening community for his many books regarding season extension and growing throughout all four seasons....

Breadfruit Tree Pest Problems As a tropical plant, breadfruit trees are never exposed to periods of hard freeze, which can kill off or cause a dormancy period of pests and diseases. Fungal pathogens have an especially easy time establishing and spreading in these hot, humid tropical locations. However, despite the ideal environment for pests and disease, most growers describe breadfruit trees as relatively pest and disease free. The most common pests of breadfruit are soft scale and mealybugs....

Can You Prune Cabbage? Cabbages are cool season veggies that have a long shelf life of several weeks when kept in the refrigerator. Prior to harvest, cabbage must be nurtured and maintained as it grows, and part of this maintenance may include pruning cabbage plants. So, the answer is yes, pruning cabbage plants is possible and, in some cases, necessary. The purpose of pruning cabbage leaves back is to create overall healthier plants....