gardeningnow

How to Plant Agapanthus Agapanthus planting is best done during the fall or winter in warm climates. Agapanthus makes a lovely back border or focal plant due to its height, beautiful trumpet-shaped flowers, and leaf texture. For a dramatic effect, plant a large grouping throughout a sunny garden spot. Agapanthus flowers can also be used in container plantings in cooler regions. Growing Agapanthus requires a sunny to partly shady location and regular water....

Which Fall Flowers are Perennials? When it comes to filling flower beds with autumn color, perennials are among the most reliable options. While it’s true that the purchase of perennial flowers requires some investment, many attractive varieties can be started from seed at relatively little cost. In time, established perennial plants will reward gardeners with a profusion of color and interest each autumn. Both perennial shrubs and smaller plant specimens can offer dramatic visual impact in the landscape....

How to Grow Canterbury Bells The Canterbury bells plant is hardy throughout USDA plant hardiness zones 4-10. It thrives in full sun to partial shade and appreciates moist, well-draining soil and reasonably cool temperatures. Therefore, if you live in a relatively hot climate, provide plenty of afternoon shade. Like most bellflower plants, Canterbury bells are easily propagated by seeds. These should be started in late spring or early summer, thinning as needed once seedlings become large enough....

How to Determine Your Microclimate The biggest key to finding microclimates in the garden is to be a keen observer. Throughout the entire year, growers will need to pay special attention to temperature. Noticing ranges in temperature can be quite helpful in identifying microclimates. Temperature is greatly impacted by the amount of sun which the garden receives. Finding the orientation of the yard will assist growers in determining what areas of the yard will receive the most direct sunlight....

Growing Clove Trees in Containers Can you grow cloves in containers? The jury is somewhat out. Depending upon who you ask, it’s either impossible or completely doable. This is due, in part, to the size clove trees can reach. In the wild, a clove tree can grow to 40 feet (12 m.) in height. Of course, a clove tree in a pot is never going to get close to as tall as that, but it is going to try....

White Spruce Information The most common white spruce tree use is Christmas tree farming. Due to their short, stiff needles and evenly spaced branches, they are perfect for ornament hanging. Beyond that, white spruce trees in landscapes are great as natural windbreaks, or in stands of mixed trees. If not cut down for Christmas, the trees will naturally reach a height of 40 to 60 feet (12-18 m.) with a spread of 10 to 20 feet (3-6 m....

Noble Fir Information Noble firs are tall, narrow evergreens with horizontal branches. According to noble fir information, they are popular Christmas trees and offer that lovely scent. However, only young noble firs are appropriate as holiday trees. Mature noble firs in landscapes can grow to 200 feet (61 m.) with a trunk diameter of 6 feet (2 m.). If you start noble fir growing, you’ll see that these trees have flat needles....

Making a Plant Go Dormant Normally, you don’t need to do anything to get a plant to go dormant. This usually happens on its own, though some indoor plants may need to be coaxed. Most plants can detect the shorter days towards the end of summer or early fall. As cooler temperatures begin to approach soon after, plant growth will start to decline as they enter into dormancy. With houseplants, it may help to move them to a darker and cooler area of the home in order to allow them to go dormant....

Plane Tree Allergy Problems The best places to see plane trees, sometimes called London plane trees, are in inner-city areas of European cities. They are also popular street and park trees in Australia. Plane trees are great urban trees since they are pollution-tolerant. Their tall trunks and green canopies offer shade in hot summers. The peeling bark presents an attractive, camouflage pattern. The spreading branches are filled with large palmate leaves, up to 7 inches (18 cm....

Arizona Barrel Cactus Information Fishhook cactus displays thick, leathery, green skin with prominent ridges. Cup-shaped yellow or red flowers with reddish centers appear in a ring around the top of the cactus in spring or late summer, followed by yellow, pineapple-like berries. Arizona barrel cactus commonly lives 50 years, and in some cases, may survive for up to 130 years. The cactus often leans towards the southwest, and older cacti may eventually fall over if not supported....

November in the Northeast If rain is scarce, continue to water trees and shrubs weekly until the ground freezes. Irrigate your lawn thoroughly, especially if summer has been dry or you’ve allowed the grass to go dormant. Cover perennial beds with 2 to 3 inches (5-8 cm.) of straw or mulch after the ground has frozen to protect roots from free-thaw cycles that can push plants out of the soil. Mulch will also protect groundcovers and shrubs....

All of these things can cause a tree to start showing signs of bacterial wetwood. Bacterial wetwood (also known as slime flux) is not usually serious but can be a chronic disease that can eventually cause the tree’s decline if it isn’t watched. Why Do Trees Ooze Sap When Infected with Bacterial Wetwood? Why do trees ooze sap? The bacterial wetwood will cause cracks in the wood of the tree where sap starts oozing out....

What are Floating Row Covers for Gardens? The use of garden row covers has increased in the last decade in the commercial and home garden. The best row covers for your garden depends on what you are using the row covers for. Some people use row covers exclusively for pest protection while others use them for frost protection or water irrigation. Floating row covers are made of very lightweight woven material that allows light and water to penetrate, but provides protection against sudden drops in temperature common in many growing regions....

About Blackfoot Daisies Blackfoot daisy plants (Melampodium leucanthum) are native to Mexico and the southwestern United States, as far north as Colorado and Kansas. These tough, drought-tolerant wildflowers are suitable for growing in USDA plant hardiness zones 4 through 11. Blackfoot daisies thrive in rocky or gravelly, acidic soil, making them an ideal choice for dry environments and rock gardens. Bees and butterflies are attracted to the sweet smelling, nectar-rich flowers....

How to Grow Peanuts Indoors Indoor peanut growing isn’t at all that difficult. Simply start by filling a pot with lightweight potting mix. One 5 to 6 inch (13-15 cm.) container is large enough for starting five or six seeds. Be sure the container has a drainage hole in the bottom; otherwise, your peanut plant is likely to suffocate and die. Remove a small handful of raw peanuts from the shells....

Biennial flowering plants require two growing seasons to set seed. While growing caraway from seed will require some attention to detail, the process of propagating caraway is simple. How to Propagate Caraway Plants There are two methods by which one is able to propagate caraway– seeds and caraway plant cuttings. Thriving in full sun, caraway should be planted in well-draining soil. To ensure a bountiful harvest, always make certain the garden bed is weed free until plants have become fully established....

How to Grow a Money Tree First thing you need when growing these trees is, of course, some seed. Again, you should be aware that growing money trees from seed takes time, and lots of it, but in the end you’ll be financially rewarded. Money trees are available by denomination – pennies will yield a dollar tree, nickels a five-dollar tree, dimes a ten-dollar tree and quarters a twenty-dollar tree. I prefer dollar trees, as they seem to have a higher yield per season over all, and over time dollars add up....

If a stem of your mature Christmas cactus is getting woody, it doesn’t mean that anything is amiss. That means that there is no reason to try fixing a Christmas cactus with woody stems. Read on for more information about woody Christmas cactus. Woody Christmas Cactus Stems A Christmas cactus that is cared for properly will last a long time, a quarter-century or even longer. Ideal Christmas cactus growing conditions include light shade in summer and full sunlight during fall and winter....

The spring-blooming spirea has a delicate cascading habit with large clusters of white flowers poised on arching branches. The summer-blooming spirea bush boasts beautiful pink, white, or red flowers atop upright branches. Both varieties are prized for their shape and flowers. How Do I Grow Spirea? Growing spirea shrubs is extremely easy, and these flexible plants are hardy in just about any growing zone. Spirea bushes are available at most garden supply stores and greenhouses and should be planted during the spring or fall for best results....

Caring for Coleus in Containers Growing coleus in a pot is an ideal way to keep it. It won’t grow larger than the container it’s in, but if moved to a bigger container, it will fill it out, reaching as high as 2 feet tall. Since they will stay compact if need be, coleus in pots pair well with other plants. You can plant them as shorter ground cover in large pots featuring a tree or tall shrub, or you can plant them as the main tall attraction surrounded by other trailing plants around the outside edge....