What is a Spanish Firecracker Vine? Related to many vigorous vining plants such as morning glory in the Ipomoea family, the firecracker vine is a showy, twining annual perfect for growing up a sturdy fence or trellis in a full sun area. Also referred to as exotic love vine, this plant was originally called Mina lobata and retains this name with many gardeners. Banana shaped blooms grow together on one side of the branches, earning it the common name of Spanish flag too....

Wrinkled Jade Leaves: Underwatering In nature, jade plants store water in their leaves, which allows the plants to survive dry periods. The leaves of a well-hydrated jade are plump, while thin, wrinkled jade leaves are a good sign that the plant needs water. Don’t go by appearance alone, however, and never water without feeling the potting mix first. Ideally, water only when the potting mix is dry nearly to the bottom of the container....

Flowering Maple Information Abutilon is a type of warm weather plant that grows in tropical or sub-tropical climates. Although hardiness varies, abutilon is suitable for growing in USDA zones 8 or 9 and above. In cooler climates, it is grown as an annual or an indoor plant. Size also varies, and abutilon may be a shrubby plant measuring no more than 19 inches (48 cm.) in height, or a tree-like specimen as large as 6 to 10 feet (2-3 m....

Using a Metal Ring for Containers Rings, which come with installation hardware, are usually found in black or silver, but they’re easily spray painted to match your décor. If you’re unsure how to use a ring to hold a flowerpot, the following simple ideas may get you started: Freeing up space for more plants? If you’re running out of space for plants, flowerpot mounting rings allow you to take advantage of unused wall space....

Store-bought pumpkin puree often contains loads of sugar and preservatives. But it’s easy to make pumpkin puree from scratch, to make your own for homemade pie pumpkin cooking. Start by growing your own organic pumpkins and then follow a few short steps for home grown and homemade pumpkin pie. Varieties to Grow You will want one of the smaller pumpkins in most cases. The bigger pumpkins have stringy, often almost tasteless flesh, but the pie varieties are firmer and sweeter....

Galax Plant Information Also known as beetleweed or wandflower, Galax (Galax urceolata) is a low-growing evergreen native to the eastern United States – primarily in the deep or moderate shade of the Appalachian Mountain forests. When Galax grows under deciduous trees, the shiny, heart-shaped leaves turn greenish red or deep maroon in winter sunlight, then back to bright green with the arrival of spring. Racemes of dainty white blooms appear in late spring and early summer....

How Gardening Helps in Recovery from Addiction Helping addiction with gardening should only be done after or while receiving professional support. This is a serious disease that is best treated by mental health and addiction professionals. Used as a supportive therapy or activity, gardening can be very useful. Gardening is a healthy activity to replace drug or alcohol use. People in recovery are often encouraged to take up one or two new hobbies to fill in extra time in beneficial ways....

How to Attract Turtles From an aquatic turtle’s point of view, the ideal garden pond has lots of plants and insects for food, as well as structural features such as small coves along the edge of the pond and rock piles for climbing and hiding. Dig shallow coves with a shovel to create micro-environments that will shelter turtles in garden ponds. Use rocks of varying size to build piles with crevices....

Help, My Grapevine is Dripping Water! Grapevine bleeding may happen at any time during active growth, usually when heavy pruning has been done. As soil temps reach 45-48 degrees F. (7-8 C.), root growth surges, leading to a jump in xylem activity. Xylem is the woody support tissue that carries water and minerals from the root systems through the stem and into the leaves. Bleeding in grapes usually only occurs during the dormant period of growth if there is plenty of water available to the roots....

What are Early Robin Cherries? Discovered by a Washington orchardist in 1990, Early Robin is a large yellow cherry with a reddish blush. This heart-shaped cherry has a sweet flavor that makes it an ideal choice for fancy desserts, or for snacking by the handful. Early Robin cherries are marketed as a type of Rainier cherry. They are sometimes known as Early Robin Rainier. When do Early Robin cherries ripen? Rainier cherries ripen in late spring through early summer....

Guajillo Acacia Info – What is a Guajillo? Senegalia berlandieri (syn. Acacia berlandieri) is also known as guajillo, Texas acacia, thornless catclaw, and mimosa catclaw. It grows in USDA zones 8 through 11 and is native to the deserts of the southwestern U.S. and northeastern Mexico. Guajillo can be considered a large shrub or a small tree, depending on how it is grown, trained, and pruned. It grows to 10 to 15 feet (3-4....

What is a Hand Spreader? Hand spreading seeds or fertilizer without some type of tool isn’t recommended. You won’t be able to space the material very well, which means you’ll end up with clumps of seeds and fertilizer as well as bare patches. An inexpensive tool for hand spreading seeds and fertilizer more evenly and easily is a handheld spreader. Just what is a hand spreader you may wonder? This is a small, simple device with a hopper to hold the seed or fertilizer....

If you are wondering how to grow a coral bark willow, then you’ve come to the right place. About Coral Bark Willow Shrubs Coral bark is a subspecies of golden willow and thrives in USDA plant hardiness zones 4 through 8. Coral bark willow shrubs produce new growth that is a brilliant red-orange color, making them valuable additions to the winter garden. These are deciduous plants that lose their long, lance-shaped leaves in fall....

About Japanese Willow Pruning All too often homeowners realize that cute little willow with the pink and white foliage can quickly become an 8 to 10 foot (2-3 m.) monster. As they grow and age, they can also lose a lot of the unique foliage colors that drew your eye to them in the first place. Fortunately, with regular pruning and trimming, the size and shape can be maintained. Pruning Japanese willows will also encourage new colorful growth....

Identifying Brown Canker on Roses Brown canker causes eaten away looking spots of a light chestnut brown coloration in the centers of the canker sections with deep purplish margins around the canker affected sections. Small flecks and purple-colored spots will form upon the leaves of the infected rose bush. This fungal disease typically attacks the canes of rose bushes while they are buried under our winter protection. Treating and Preventing Brown Canker Brown canker is typically worse on roses that are protected by the soil mounding method of winter protection....

Why Do Cucumbers Have Tendrils? Cucumber plants are vines and in the wild, they are meant to climb up objects in order to take the best advantage of sun exposure. The higher up a cucumber plant can climb, the less likely it is that they will compete with other plants for sunshine. In order to do this, cucumber plants have evolved with a system where specially developed leaves are sensitive to touch....

Citronella Geranium Poisoning in Dogs and Cats Citronella geraniums have deeply lobed, green leaves and small, pinkish or lavender flowers that grow on multiple stems. They grow 2 to 3 feet (0.5 to 1 m.) tall and thrive in sunny situations. When crushed, the “mosquito” plant’s leaves smell like citronella, an essential oil cultivated from lemongrass varieties. Oil of citronella, which is a naturally occurring insect repellent, is a main ingredient in many pesticides....

About Japanese Snowball Trees Topping out at 15 feet (5 m.), Japanese snowball trees might better be termed shrubs. Japanese snowball shrubs grow in a range of 8 to 15 feet (2-5 m.) for mature height, and a little larger for mature spread. Snowballs are upright, multi-stemmed shrubs. Japanese snowball trees flower heavily in spring. The pure white clusters appear in April and May, some reaching 4 inches (10 cm.) wide....

Kentucky Coffeetree Information The Kentucky coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus) is a unique deciduous tree, as you won’t find this combination of features on any other plant. It is because of this; you’ll make a statement if you plant Kentucky coffeetree in landscapes near your home. The new foliage of this tree grows in pinky-bronze in springtime, but the leaf tops turn blue-green as they mature. They blaze yellow in autumn, making a nice contrast with the dark seed pods....

Lady Ferns in the Garden Locating lady fern plants may require observation of the spot before planting. Lady ferns in the woodland garden do best in a lightly shaded spot or an area that gets dappled sunlight year-round. Plant them in a loamy soil that is slightly on the acidic side, amended with shredded oak leaves or other organic material that is well composted. Soil should be well-draining so that roots do not rot....