What is a Cherokee Rose? Though it is actually native to China, Taiwan, Laos, and Vietnam, Cherokee rose plants have naturalized in the southeastern United States. Cherokee rose is a climbing rose. In the wild, its stems can grow up to 20 feet (6 m.). In the home landscape, the plants are usually pruned to about 6 feet (2 m.) and grown as hedges. In spring they produce single white blooms with yellow stamens....

When to Repot Christmas Cactus Most plants are best repotted when they display new growth in spring, but Christmas cactus repotting should be done after blooming ends and the flowers have wilted in late winter or early spring. Never attempt to repot the plant while it is actively blooming. Don’t rush to repot Christmas cactus because this hardy succulent is happiest when its roots are slightly crowded. Frequent repotting can damage the plant....

Maintaining clean hands in the garden (without gloves), requires a bit of extra tender loving care, but it’s possible. Read on for tips for keeping your hands clean and avoiding dirty fingernails, no matter how hard you’re working in the garden. How to Avoid Getting Dirt Under Your Fingernails These hand care tips for gardeners can help alleviate common issues with dirty fingernails and other related issues that come from not wearing gloves:...

Choosing Blue Petunias for the Garden When choosing blue petunias, consider whether you absolutely need a true blue petunia variety or if a blue-purple type will suffice. In the horticulture world, color names and descriptions can be vague; blue is often used to describe plants with blue or purple blooms. Unfortunately, these days with so many easy programs for editing and altering pictures, the blue coloration of many plants available online is often enhanced to look bluer than it really is....

Types of Naranjilla Plants There are no truly wild naranjilla plants. Plants are usually propagated from seed collected from previous crops, resulting in only three varieties of naranjilla, Solanum quitoense. While several South American countries cultivate naranjilla, it is most common in Ecuador and Columbia where the fruit is known as ‘lulo.’ In Ecuador, there are five different varieties of naranjilla recognized: agria, Baeza, Baezaroja, bola, and dulce. Each of these bears some slight difference from each other....

About Bacterial Canker of Tomatoes Tomato bacterial canker disease is caused by the bacteria Clavibacter michiganensis. Its symptoms can affect the foliage, stems, and fruit of tomatoes, peppers, and any plant in the nightshade family. These symptoms include discoloration and wilting of the foliage. Foliage tips may turn burn and crunchy, with yellow streaking around the brown. Leaf veins may become dark and sunken. Leaves wilt from tip to branch and drop....

Cranberry Cotoneaster Facts Cranberry cotoneaster plants are one of the low-growing cotoneaster varieties, rising only knee-high, but spreading three times that wide. The long stems grow in arching mounds and work well as groundcover. Additionally, they make one heck of an ornamental shrub. The leaves are small but an attractive, glossy green, and the shrubs look lush during the growing season. The flowers are tiny and pinkish-white. When the entire bush is in bloom, the blossoms are attractive, but even at their peak, the bloom is not dramatic....

Designing a Small Garden Space Enclosed residential gardens are more than just backyards. They should feel like outdoor extensions of your house, a place you can appreciate the sounds and smells of nature while still enjoying the comforts of home. One of the simplest ways to achieve this is to create a sense of enclosure, effectively carving out your own little piece of the outdoors and turning it into a living space....

About Elberta Peach Trees Elberta peach trees have so much going for them that it’s hard to know where to start. This wildly popular peach variety was developed in Georgia in 1875 by Samuel H. Rumph, who named it after his wife, Clara Elberta Moore. Those engaged in Elberta peach growing consider the tree to be among the best fruit producers. With just one tree, you can get up to 150 pounds (68 kg....

Emory’s Barrel Cactus Info Emory ferocactus grows outdoors in USDA zones 9 through 11. Even though they are hardy within these zones, plants grow best in regions with relatively little rainfall, since too much moisture can lead to root rot. Reaching heights of up to 4-8 feet (1.2-2.5 m.), these cacti thrive in desert and rock gardens. Though the plants may be able to handle an occasional light frost, it’s best that temperatures do not fall below 50 F....

To begin exploring flower gardening basics, you will need to consider several key aspects of setting these gardens. By learning a few general rules, those wishing to learn how to grow flowers can curate their own lush green spaces. How to Grow Flowers Before planting, those wishing to begin growing a flower garden should consider which types of flowers they would like to plant. Both positive and negative attributes will apply, regardless of the flower types selected....

Propagating Dracaena Cuttings There is more than one way to propagate dracaena by cuttings. One of the simplest is to take off the crown. Cut just below the bunch of leaves at the top of the plant and be sure you get at least one node. Place the cut end in water and put it in a warm spot. The roots should start to grow quickly, as long as you keep it warm....

What is a Mosquito Fern Plant? Mosquito fern gets its name from the belief that mosquitoes cannot lay their eggs in still water covered by this plant. Azolla is a tropical and sub-tropical water plant that resembles moss more than ferns. It has a symbiotic relationship with blue-green algae, and it grows well and quickly on the surface of still or sluggish waters. You are most likely to see it on the surface of ponds, but slow-moving streams may also be a good setting for mosquito fern....

Can Poinsettias Grow Outdoors? Can poinsettias grow outdoors? How? Yes. In the right climate and with the right planting location and care, these bright Christmas favorites can shoot up to 10 foot (3 m.) shrubs in rapid order. If it’s your potted holiday plant that makes you ask about planting poinsettia outdoors, you have to start treating the plant well from the moment it arrives. Water your potted poinsettia when the soil starts getting dry and place it in a sunny location in your home, protected from air currents....

Scrophularia Information As you might have guessed, red birds in a tree plant is named for the masses of red flowers, which look much like a flock of bright red birds. The blooming season lasts all summer and well into autumn. Red birds in a tree is pollinated by hummingbirds. Many gardeners appreciate the plant for its high resistance to hungry rabbits. In its native environment, red birds in a tree plant grows primarily in steep, rocky slopes, pinon-juniper woodlands, and high-elevation coniferous forests....

How to Grow Snow Peas Before planting snow peas, be sure temperatures are at least 45 F. (7 C.) and that all chance of frost for your area has passed. Although snow peas can survive frost, it’s better if it can be avoided. Your soil should be ready for planting snow peas. Make sure it is dry enough; if the soil is sticking to your rake, it’s too wet to plant....

Weeping Hemlock Growing There are a number of weeping hemlock varieties available to gardeners, all known collectively as ‘Pendula.’ Sargent’s hemlock (‘Sargentii’) is one of the most popular. Others include ‘Bennett’ and ‘White Gentsch.’ A moderate grower, weeping hemlock reaches mature heights of about 10 to 15 feet (3 to 4.5 m.), with a width of up to 30 feet (9 m.), depending on how the tree is pruned. Weeping hemlock displays spreading branches and dense foliage with a delicate, lacy texture, but there’s nothing fragile about weeping hemlock trees, which grow in USDA plant hardiness zones 4 through 8....

Bromeliad Guzmania Plant Guzmania plants are perennial plants in the bromeliad family. There are over 120 different guzmania plants and all of them are native to South America. These tropical beauties are known as epiphytic plants and attach to trees with roots that never reach the soil. Striking bracts grow from the center of the plant and can be red, yellow, orange, or deep purple depending on the species. Leaves are thin and dark green....

Identify Poison Plants With so many houseplants available today, it’s difficult to know which are poisonous houseplants. While there is no tell-tale sign that a plant is poisonous, there are a few standard signs that can help you identify potentially toxic plants. These signs for possible poison plants are: Milky sap Naturally shiny leaves Plants that have yellow or white berries Umbrella shaped plants While following this list will not eliminate all toxic houseplants, it will help steer you clear of a great many of them....

Inch Plants in the Garden Inch plant thrives in USDA zones 9 to 11. It can withstand a very light frost, but nothing more. It can be used as a groundcover or encouraged to cascade down ledges to form an attractive curtain that produces small white blossoms. If you really want fluminensis inch plants in the garden, opt for the “Innocence” variety that has been bred to be less invasive and more attractive....