Connecticut Hardiness Zone Map For Plants And Trees This is the Connecticut USDA zone map. This map will help you find the plant hardiness zone for your area. Understanding your plant hardiness zone will help you to create a lasting garden that will survive the winter weather in your area. In order to find your Connecticut hardiness zone, you simply need to find where you live on the map. You will see that it is a certain color....

What is the Characteristic of a Microclimate? A microclimate is a small area within a climate zone where the climate is slightly different from the zone predictions. A good example of a microclimate that is fairly large would be a valley where cold air settles. The temperature may be several degrees cooler than your zone maps indicate. Large bodies of water or urban area temperatures may also provide causes of a microclimate to form....

About Delmarvel Strawberry Plants Delmarvel strawberry plants bear very large fruit that has excellent flavor, a firm texture, and lovely strawberry aroma. These strawberries flower and then fruit in late spring and are suited to USDA zones 4-9. Besides being a prolific producer, Delmarvel strawberries are resistant to most leaf and stem diseases, fruit rots, and the five eastern strains of red stele caused by the fungus Phytophthora fragariae, a serious disease of strawberries....

Cutting Roses for Bouquets The first step in making a perfect bouquet is cutting the roses. This may seem simple, but there are some important things to remember when cutting flowers. First, start with a good pair of sharp scissors or shears. If they are too dull, they will crush the stem. A curved pair of sharp gardening shears is the best tool for the job. Choose roses with petals just starting to open in order to get long-lasting blooms for your arrangement....

What is Echeveria ‘Chroma’? Chroma echeveria plants are hybrid succulents created in California. They are comprised of a small rosette of up to 3 inches (8 cm.) across, which makes them the perfect size for a take-away gift. Their diminutive size isn’t their only selling point; they also have lovely shiny, deep rose to maroon foliage that can complement the bridal party’s colors. Echeveria ‘Chroma’ Info From the Crassulaceae family, Chroma succulents are only cold hardy to 20 to 30 degrees F....

What are Exfoliating Bark Trees? Exfoliating bark trees are trees whose bark naturally peels away from the trunk. Some trees with exfoliated bark have exfoliating bark as soon as they grow. Other trees may not develop their exfoliating bark until they have reached full maturity after many years. Trees with Interesting, Exfoliating Bark Some exfoliating trees include: Amur Chokecherry Chinese Dogwood Common Bald Cypress Cornelian Cherry Crepe Myrtle Drake Elm Eastern Arborvitae Eastern Red Cedar Japanese Stewartia Lacebark Elm Lacebark Pine Paper Birch Paperbark Maple Paper Mulberry Persian Parrotia Red Maple River Birch Shagbark Hickory Silver Maple Sitka Spruce White Birch Wax Myrtles Yellow Birch Yellow Buckeye...

How Do You Cut Back False Sunflowers? Cutting back false sunflowers is an easy process, though it helps to trim false sunflowers in stages to keep the plants looking their best throughout the growing season. For example, pinch the growing tips of young plants in spring to create full, bushy plants, then keep the plant deadheaded throughout the blooming season to prevent false sunflowers from going to seed prematurely. Cut the plants back by about half if they begin to look floppy or scraggly in early summer....

What is Side Dressing? What is side dressing? It’s simply what the name implies: dressing the plant with fertilizer by adding it to the side of the stems. Gardeners usually lay a line of fertilizer along the plant row, about 4 inches (10 cm.) away from the stems, and then another row the same way on the opposite side of the plants. The best way for how to side dress garden plants is by finding out their nutritional needs....

About Fish Emulsion Use Fish emulsion, or fish fertilizer for plants, is a fast-acting, organic liquid fertilizer made from the byproducts of the fishing industry. It is rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, plus trace elements such as calcium, magnesium, sulfur, chlorine, and sodium. Benefits to Using Fish Emulsion Not only is fish fertilizer an organic option, it is made from fish parts that would otherwise be wasted. It contains plenty of nutrients for quick absorption by plants....

The common flax plant, Linum usitatissimum, may be grown as a commercial crop in some areas. Flax is grown for the oil of its seeds, linseed oil, a protein source for livestock. Some commercial growers plant legumes as companions of the flax flower. How to Grow Flax Continued bloom of the flax flower is assured if conditions are right, due to self-seeding of this plant. A single planting in early spring provides an abundance of flax flowers in late spring and summer, but re-seeding by this plant assures a continued mass of growing flax in the meadow or natural area....

Reasons for Flower Drop on Lemon Trees Lemon trees are sensitive to changes in their environment. Sudden fluctuations in temperature or climate can lead to lemon blossoms falling off. Lemon trees grow best in a sunny, permanent site where they can actively grow year round. They require full sun for healthy bloom and fruit production and may drop blooms if they are placed in too much shade. Lemon trees are even less tolerant of frost than orange trees....

Fraises de Bois Strawberry Info What are Fraises de Bois strawberries? Fraises de Bois (Fragaria vesca) translates from French to “strawberries of the woods.” They are frequently called alpine strawberries and woodland strawberries. Different varieties are native to Asia, Europe, and North America. They can sometimes be found growing in the wild. The plants themselves are very small, reaching 4 to 8 inches (10-20.5 cm.) in height. The berries are minuscule, especially by supermarket standards, and don’t tend to reach more than half an inch (1....

When to Start Garden Plans Garden planning in winter (or even fall) is the perfect balm for the dreary season. Of course, there is no wrong time to start planning for the coming spring, but don’t leave it too long or you’ll be rushing. This down time is the perfect time to prepare for what comes next. There isn’t much you can do out in the garden, but indoors you can assess, plan, and purchase....

Getting Community Garden Grants Getting a community garden started can get costly. Depending on the size of your garden, its location, and whether or not it already contains a water source, you could be looking at anything from $3,000 to $30,000 just to get the ball rolling. Before you start despairing, you should look into grants. Check with your local government to see if your space may qualify. There are countless private grants that you can apply for as well, many of which are listed here....

Most species of Loropetalum bear maroon, purple, burgundy, or even nearly black leaves presenting a unique foliar aspect for the garden. Occasionally your Loropetalum is green, not purple or the other hues in which it comes. There is a very simple reason for Loropetalum leaves turning green but first we need a little science lesson. Reasons a Purple Loropetalum Turns Green Plant leaves gather solar energy through their leaves and respirate from the foliage as well....

Read on to learn more catclaw acacia facts and helpful tips on growing catclaw acacias. Catclaw Acacia Facts Catclaw acacia (Acacia greggii) is named for Josiah Gregg of Tennessee. Gregg, who was born in 1806, traveled through much of the Southwest studying trees and geology and eventually gathered his notes into two books. In later years, he was a member of a biological expedition to California and western Mexico. Catclaw acacia tree consists of formidable thickets of plants armed with sharp, hooked thorns that can tear your clothing – and your skin....

Growing German Primroses German primrose plants prefer sandy loam, cool temperatures, and indirect moderate light. They cannot tolerate bright summer sun, and do best indoors near, but not too close to, an eastern or western window, where they can soak up the briefer, less intense morning or afternoon light. Water your German primrose moderately; don’t over soak the soil, but don’t let it dry out completely. Growing German primroses is easy, as long as you take some precautions....

What is a Jackman Clematis? First introduced in 1862, the jackmanii clematis vine is named after a nurseryman named George Jackman. From early spring throughout summer, vigorous blooms consistently cover the plant, creating a spectacular garden display. This characteristic makes jackman hybrid clematis an excellent choice for perennial flower borders, even in colder USDA growing zones. At maturity, these deciduous vines can quickly grow to reach heights of up to 10 ft....

Rapsodie Tomato Information Rapsodie, may also be spelled Rhapsody or Rhapsodie, is a beefsteak variety of tomato. If you buy beefsteaks in the store, you are most likely getting the cultivar called Trust, but vegetable growers are starting to put in more Rapsodie, and this is a great choice for your own garden. Like other beefsteak tomatoes, Rapsodies are large and bright red. The skin is thin and ribbed. Each tomato has multiple locules, the seed compartments inside the fruits....

Growing Wildflower Bulbs Wildflower gardens are most commonly established through the planting of seed. This is an easy and cost-effective way to plant large flower beds or smaller spaces within the lawn. However, many gardeners may also include wildflowers that come from bulbs. The creation of a wildflower garden can be done under a wide range of conditions. Whether planting tall flowers or a casual planting within the lawn, flowering bulbs can help homeowners achieve the desired look....