Peach Leaf Curl Symptoms Signs of peach leaf curl usually appear within two weeks following leaf emergence. Symptoms of peach tree leaf curl include leaf curling and discoloration. Leaf color may be yellow, orange, red, or purple. There may also be deformed reddish colored warts on the leaves. Later leaves may turn gray or powdery looking. Fruit may also become infected, developing raised wart-like growths. Infected fruits often drop prematurely. Peach leaf curl can affect new twigs and shoots as well....

White Pine Tree Information White pines are lovely evergreens with graceful habits. The lush, 3- to 5-inch (7.5-12.5 cm.) needles make the tree look soft and attractive. White pine makes a fine specimen tree, but can also serve as a background plant, given its evergreen foliage. These trees grow in a pyramidal Christmas tree shape, with the tiered branches emerging at right angles from the central trunk. How to Plant a White Pine Tree Before you start planting white pines in the backyard, make sure you can offer the optimal growing conditions for this pine tree....

How to Attract Toads Attracting toads to your garden mostly involves creating the right kind of habitat for toads. If you keep this in mind, you’ll have no problem getting a toad to take up residence. Cover from predators– Toads are a tasty meal for many animals. Snakes, birds, and the occasional house pet will kill and eat toads. Provide plenty of foliage and slightly elevated areas where toads can stay safe....

Learning About the USDA Plant Hardiness Zones in New Hampshire New Hampshire can have cold winters, down to -35 degrees F. (-37 C.) in some parts. The New Hampshire USDA planting map divides this northerly state into six zones: 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, and 6a. In the beginning of 2012, the USDA released a new plant hardiness zone map that was the product of 30 years of data collection from all over the country....

Wallis’s Wonder Plum Information The Wallis’s Wonder plum variety originates from England, the Cambridgeshire region. It was intentionally created by Eric Wallis and his son, John, in 1960. The fruit growers working at Heath Farm crossed a Victoria plum with a Severn Cross plum. The result was a fruit that ripened later than most other plums and that stored well for a month or two. Wallis’s Wonder plums are juice and have a high-quality, tasty flavor....

What is Calabaza Squash? Calabaza squash plants, also known as Cuban squash and Zapollo, are useful because they’re especially resistant to pests and disease that can devastate other squash varieties. They’re not totally immune, of course, and can fall prey to downy mildew, powdery mildew, and the slew of bugs that attack squash like aphids, cucumber beetle, and squash vine borer. Compared to their cousins, however, Calabaza squash plants are quite tough....

Purple Vine Lilac Info What is hardenbergia? Purple vine lilac (Hardenbergia violacea) goes by many names, including false sarsaparilla, Australian sarsaparilla, purple coral pea, and just plain Hardenbergia. It is native to southeast Australia, where it thrives in rocky soils. It is not particularly cold hardy and can only live outdoors in USDA zones 9 to 11 (in zone 9 it may require protection from frost). In warm environments, it grows as an evergreen and can reach 50 feet (15 m....

Winter Care for Mums The steps for wintering mums start when you plant them. Make sure that you plant your mums in well draining soil. In many cases, it is not the cold that kills mums, but rather the ice that forms around the roots if they’re planted in soil that collects water. Well draining soil is essential to successfully overwintering mums. When planting your mums, also consider planting them in a somewhat sheltered location where they will not be exposed to winter winds that can decrease their chances of surviving the winter....

The witch hazel bush, found in woody areas, is often called water-witch as its branches were once used to search and find underground sources of water and minerals. Witch hazel is commonly used to treat insect bites, sunburn, and as a refreshing lotion for after shaving. How to Grow Witch Hazel Shrubs Witch hazel shrubs can reach 30 feet (9 m.) high and 15 feet (4.5 m.) wide at maturity and are often referred to as a tree due to this....

Selecting Wildflowers for Zone 4 Gardens Before delving too far into wildflower selection, it’s important to understand that USDA zones are based on temperature, and not necessarily on geography. A flower that’s native in one part of zone 4 may be invasive in another part. This is especially important to remember when planting wildflowers, as they are usually self-seeding (and more likely to spread) and because they are often meant to be low maintenance and able to survive in their native environment with very little intervention....

To use the USDA Alabama zone map, find the area of the state you live in, note the color and then check that color on the legend. This will be the planting zone you live in. This Alabama USDA zones map is based on the 2012 USDA map, where the USDA changed the current zones to reflect the warmer temperatures that have occurred due to climate change. Now that you know what your planting zone is in Alabama, you can use this to purchase plants....

Autumn Fern Info and Growing Like all ferns, the autumn fern produces no seed and no flowers are required. Thus, ferns are strictly foliage plants. This ancient woodland plant thrives in partial or full shade and moist, rich, well-drained, slightly acidic soil. However, autumn fern can tolerate short periods of afternoon sunlight, but won’t perform well in intense heat or prolonged sunlight. Is autumn fern invasive? Although autumn fern is a non-native plant, it is not known to be invasive and growing autumn ferns in gardens couldn’t be easier....

Baneberry Information In addition to doll’s eye, white baneberry (Actaea pachypoda) is known by a variety of alternate names, including white cohosh and necklace weed. This is a relatively large plant that reaches mature heights of 12 to 30 inches (30.5-76 cm.). Clusters of small, white flowers bloom atop thick, reddish stems in late spring and early summer. The rounded berries (which may also be purplish-black or red) show up from late summer to early autumn....

What is Cotton Burr Compost? What is cotton burr compost? Usually, when cotton is harvested, the plant is run through a gin. This separates the good stuff (the cotton fiber) from the leftovers (the seeds, stems, and leaves). This leftover stuff is called cotton burr. For a long time, cotton farmers didn’t know what to do with the leftover burr, and they often just burned it. Eventually, though, it became clear that it could be made into incredible compost....

Boston Fern Fronds Turning Black Isn’t Always Bad There is one case in which a Boston fern with black fronds is perfectly natural, and it’s good to be able to spot it. You may see small black spots on the undersides of your fern’s leaves, lined up in regular rows. These spots are spores, and they’re the fern’s way of reproducing. Eventually, the spores will drop to the soil below and grow into reproductive structures....

What is Bunch Disease in Pecan Trees? Pecan tree bunch disease is a mycoplasma organism that attacks the tree’s foliage and buds. The characteristic symptoms include bunches of willowy shoots growing in bushy patches on the tree. These are the result of an abnormal forcing of lateral buds. The bushy areas of willowy shoots may occur on one branch or a multitude of limbs. The disease develops during the winter and symptoms manifest in late spring to early summer....

When to Fertilize Camellias The best time to fertilize camellias is in the spring after the flowers fade. Before fertilizing camellia plants, pick off all the faded flowers from the shrub and clean up fallen flowers from the ground around the shrub. This keeps the bush looking neat and prevents the formation of seeds. Seed formation drains energy from the plant and limits growth. Removing the flowers also helps control blight, which is a serious problem for camellias....

Mexican heather plants, which actually aren’t members of the heather family, are suitable for growing in the warm climates of USDA plant hardiness zones 9 to 11. You can grow Mexican heather as an annual if you live in a chillier climate. How to Plant Mexican Heather Planting Mexican heather is uninvolved, although the plant benefits from a little added compost or manure if soil is poor. Allow at least 18 inches (46 cm....

Cauliflower Seed Germination Cauliflower grows best at around 60 F. (15 C.). Too far below that and the plant will die. Too far above it and the head will “button,” meaning it will break off into lots of small, white parts instead of the desired solid, white head. Avoiding these extremes means growing cauliflower from seeds very early in the spring, then transplanting them outside. The best time for planting cauliflower seeds indoors is 4 to 7 weeks before the last average frost....

Corn Borer Life Cycle Also known as the corn root borer, these destructive pests do their damage as larva. Young larvae eat leaves and munch on corn tassels. Once they are done eating leaves and tassels, they tunnel their way into all parts of the stalk and ear. The 1 inch (2.5 cm.) long, fully mature larvae are flesh colored caterpillars with a red or dark brown head and distinct spots on each body segment....