Growing Violets Indoors Can you grow violets inside? The short answer is: no. Violets like full sun, cool weather, and consistently moist soil. It’s hard to give them any of these things indoors, let alone all three. If you try growing violets indoors, they will likely get very spindly and eventually die. Violets are hardy annuals, meaning that they’ll survive a light frost in the fall, but won’t make it through a hard frost or a freeze....

Writing with Bedding Plants Using flowers to make words involves planting colorful flowering plants, usually annuals, close together so that they resemble a carpet – which is why this method of planting may also be referred to as carpet bedding. Forming words with plants works best if you have a fairly large space too. This allows you the room to spell out a word, like a name, or even to create interesting shapes or geometric designs....

Poinsettia Seed Pods The bright red “flower” of a poinsettia is not really a flower at all – it’s made of up special leaves called bracts that have evolved to look like flower petals. The real flower consists of the small, yellow parts in the center of the bracts. This is where the pollen is produced and where your poinsettia seed pods will develop. Poinsettias have both male and female parts and can either self-pollinate or cross-pollinate with other poinsettias....

About Cranberry Cutting Propagation Remember that cranberry plants do not produce fruit until their third or fourth year of growth. If you choose to try rooting your own cranberry cuttings, be prepared to add another year onto this time frame. Really though, what’s another year? When growing cranberries from cuttings, take the cuttings in the very early spring or in early July. The plant from which you take the cuttings should be well hydrated and healthy....

Firebush Cutting Propagation Learning how to root firebush cuttings is an easy process. Growing firebush from cuttings works well, as long as you can accommodate the plant’s growing conditions. Cut stem-tips from a healthy firebush plant. The length of each stem should be about 6 inches (15 cm.). Remove lower leaves from the stem, leaving the top three or four leaves intact. Cut the leaves in half horizontally. Cutting the leaves in this manner reduces moisture loss and takes up less space in the container....

Understanding Terms on Seed Packages The consistent use of terminology is a goal of most industries. It helps customers select products with features they most desire. Due to the limited space on seed packets and in catalog descriptions, seed companies typically rely on one to five letter seed abbreviations to convey important information about their products. These seed packet codes can tell gardeners which varieties are first generation hybrids (F1), whether the seeds are organic (OG), or if the variety is an All-America Selection winner (AAS)....

What are the Different Kinds of Firebush Plant? Firebush is the general name given to several different plants, a fact that can result in some confusion. If you’d like to read more extensively about this confusion, the Florida Association of Native Nurseries has a good, thorough breakdown of it. In more basic terms, however, all types of firebush belong to the genus Hamelia, which contains 16 distinct species and is native to South and Central America, the Caribbean, and the southern United States....

How to Divide Fern Plants As a general rule, ferns need to be repotted or divided every 3 to 5 years. If your plant is starting to die out in the middle and produce smaller leaves, chances are it’s outgrown its container or garden space. It’s possible to simply move it to a bigger container, but most gardeners choose dividing fern plants instead. Separating ferns is easy and almost always successful because, unlike a lot of perennials, ferns and their roots can take some serious manhandling....

Outdoor Decorating Ideas on A Budget Old toys make great planters, and you can pick them up for next to nothing at thrift stores and yard sales. For instance, fill the bed of a toy dump truck with potting mix and plant it with succulents or colorful annuals. Metal or plastic lunch boxes work too. Similarly, old, rusty, or beat-up wheelbarrows or toolboxes make great upcycled DIY garden décor when planted in a variety of colorful flowers, along with trailing plants like bacopa or calibrachoa to soften the edges....

What is a Twig Vase? A vase doesn’t have to be glass or ceramic. A vase made of materials you can find in your backyard is more interesting, more natural, and helps use up what you have on hand. A twig vase is simply a vase made out of small sticks from your garden. Twig covered vases can potentially look sloppy or too much like a craft project, but if you take some time to do it right, this is a great fall and winter centerpiece....

Echinocereus Ladyfinger Plants Echinocereus pentalophus is a cactus native to Mexico and known in English as ladyfinger cactus. The name comes from the stems that are long and narrow, like fingers. They grow from the center, erect when small, but more sprawling and spilling when longer. This feature makes the ladyfinger a great choice for a bed that needs a low spreading plant, or a container or hanging basket. Ultimately, ladyfinger cactus plants will spread out to about 3 feet (1 m....

English Holly Facts English holly plants are found primarily in Europe. The lovely trees are common throughout Britain, where you can find entire forests of them. You can also find them in western and southern Europe and western Asia. These hollies can be identified as either large shrubs or else small trees. The typical height of English holly plants is only 10 to 40 feet (3 to 12 m.). The deeply lobed leaves are the primary joy for those growing English hollies....

Popular Zone 9 Evergreen Trees Here are some good zone 9 evergreen tree varieties: Privet – Extremely popular in hedges because of its fast growth and neat shape, privet is an exceptional choice for the zone 9 landscape. Pine – A very broad range of trees, pines tend to be evergreen and many are hardy in zone 9. Some good zone 9 evergreen varieties of pines are: Virginia Short Leaf Southern Yellow Japanese Black Mugo White...

How Many Types of Fig Trees are There? There are over 700 named varieties of fig trees, but many of them are of no use to home gardeners. All of the varieties fall into four fig types: Caprifigs – Caprifigs only produce male flowers and never bear fruit. Their only purpose is to pollinate female fig trees. Smyrna – Smyrna figs bear all female flowers. They have to be pollinated by a caprifig....

What is a Flamingo Willow? The flamingo willow tree or shrub is a popular Salicaceae varietal grown for its stunning variegated foliage. Growing dappled willow trees have leaves that are light green mottled with white in the spring and summer and the “flamingo” inspired new growth of deep pink color. In the fall and winter, the tree really stands out with bright red stems showcasing the unique foliage, which will eventually yellow and drop off....

April in the Southeast The Southeast region of the United States ranges down much of the East Coast, including Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. Although the climate in these states can vary dramatically, they are all similar in that April is an exciting time with relatively mild temperatures and bursts of new growth everywhere. That means it’s the perfect time to get out into the garden. Gardening To-Do List So what April garden chores should you be thinking about this month?...

About Wild Mustard Weeds Wild mustard (Sinapis arvensis) is an aggressive weed native to Europe and Asia, but one which was brought to North America and has now taken root. It is an annual that grows about 3 to 5 feet (1-1.5 m.) and produces yellow flowers. You will often see these plants growing densely by the roadside and in abandoned areas. They are mostly problematic in cultivated fields, but wild mustard plants can take over your garden too....

What is Black Rot on Grapes? Black rot of grapes is a fungal disease that persists in grapevines for many years without treatment. The earliest signs of disease appear as yellow circular lesions on young leaves. As these lesions spread, they brown and sprout black fungal fruiting bodies that look similar to grains of pepper. With advancing disease, lesions may girdle the petiole of individual leaves, killing them. Eventually, the fungus spreads to the shoots, causing large black elliptical lesions....

Green Needlegrass Information What is green needlegrass? Green needlegrass (known as both Stipa viridula and Nassella viridula) is a cool-season perennial bunchgrass. Native to the prairies of North America, it ranges as far south as Arizona. Its blades reach a mature height of 1 to 2 feet (30.5-61 cm.). In early summer, it puts up flower shoots that extend the height of the grass to 16 to 36 inches (40.5-61 cm....

Grow a Minimalist Garden A minimalist garden isn’t for everyone. It should be an extension of your style from inside your home to the outside. It also can work to open a small space such as a minimalist balcony garden. The tips below will help you learn how to create a minimalist garden. How to Use Minimalism in Your Garden Design Once you’ve decided to create a minimalist garden, it’s important to plan your garden....