How to Grow Garlic Growing garlic needs cool temperatures. Plant hard-neck garlic in the fall. Where there are cold winters, you can plant the garlic four to six weeks before the ground freezes. In milder winter areas, plant your garlic through winter but before February. How to Plant Garlic Follow these steps for growing garlic: Unless your soil is naturally loose, add a lot of organic matter like compost or well-aged manure....

Symptoms of Carnations with Fusarium Wilt Fusarium of carnations is caused by the pathogen Fusarium oxysporum. The initial symptoms of carnations with fusarium wilt are a slow wilting of shoots accompanied by leaf discoloration that gradually lighten the color from light green to pale yellow. The wilting and chlorosis is generally more evident on one side of the plant than the other. As the disease progresses, the stems split, displaying a characteristic brown streaking or discoloration in the vascular tissue....

Nebraska USDA Plant Hardiness Map for Gardeners If you live in Nebraska and are planning your garden, it is wise to check your location on the Nebraska planting map. The map above is based on the new USDA plant hardiness map, which is the result of 30 years of data collection across the United States. Depending on the zone you are in, certain plants will be able to survive winter temperatures in your area better than others....

About Meditative Gardening Meditation can mean different things to different people. Common definitions include a focus on mindfulness, curiosity, and intuition. Gardening as meditation can be both intentional or unintentional. As a matter of fact, the daily completion of growing tasks may naturally lend itself to the development of a closer connection with Earth and nature. The process of nurturing a garden requires patience and commitment. As the plants grow, gardeners learn how to best care for their plants....

When to Plant Vegetables in Zone 9 The growing season in zone 9 typically lasts from late February to early December. Planting season extends all the way to the end of the year if the days are mostly sunny. In light of those very garden-friendly parameters, here is a month-by-month guide that will carry you through an entire year of planting a zone 9 vegetable garden. Zone 9 Planting Guide Vegetable gardening for zone 9 takes place nearly year-round....

All Sweet Watermelon Plant Info What is an All Sweet watermelon? All Sweet is a direct descendant of the Crimson Sweet watermelon, and it may very well be what you picture when you’re asked to imagine a watermelon. All Sweet watermelon plants produce big fruits, usually measuring 17 to 19 inches (43-48 cm.) long and 7 inches (18 cm.) across and weighing in at between 25 and 35 pounds (11-16 kg....

What is Tatter Leaf Virus? Citrus tatter leaf was first discovered in 1962 in Riverside, CA on a symptomless Meyer lemon tree that was brought over from China. It turns out that while the initial rootstock Meyer lemon was symptomless, when it was inoculated into Troyer citrange and Citrus excelsa, tatter leaf symptoms cropped up. The conclusion was formed that the virus came from China and was imported into the United States and then on to other countries through the exportation and distribution of old bud-lines of C....

Prosperosa Plant Information Given the dozens of eggplant varieties available on the market, you may never have heard of Prosperosa eggplant (Solanum melongena ‘Prosperosa’). But it’s well worth a try if you are looking for a new type of eggplant for your garden. What is a Prosperosa eggplant? It’s an Italian heirloom variety that is both attractive and delicious. Prosperosa plants grow large, round, and often pleated fruits. They are a rich purple with creamy tones near the stem....

With all the materials available, it won’t take long to finish decorations for several tables. When possible, try to include someone who’s familiar with the little nuances of putting together a succulent display, but if nobody is available, look for instructions online. What is a Succulent Party? There are many reasons for a succulent party, as mentioned above and others. You can throw a succulent party just for entertainment. The growing popularity of low care succulent plants has piqued everyone’s interest in this favorite plant....

Elbow Bush Information Texas elbow bush is a native plant that’s found in prairies, along streams, and in brush. It grows to 15 feet (5 m.) tall with a 5 inch (13 cm.) diameter and can be described as a large shrub or a small tree. Its branches droop and layer, forming a thicket. Elbow bush information tells you that some Texas elbow bush plants bear female flowers, and others male....

What is Citrus Exocortis? Citrus exocortis, also known as scalybutt disease, was discovered in 1948 and was recognized mainly as a bark shelling disease. It kills bark and causes it to dry out, crack, and then lift off the tree in thin strips. This is known as shelling. It mostly occurs on citrus trees with trifoliate rootstock, although it may affect other types. The causes of citrus exocortis are viroids, pathogens that are even smaller and simpler than viruses....

What is Italian Late Garlic? Italian Late garlic is a softneck variety. This means it does not have the tough flower stalk of hardneck garlics that needs to be removed to encourage bulb development. Softnecks produce more cloves per bulb as well. The flavor of Italian Late is robust but not overly hot compared to other varieties. The taste is rich and lingers on the palate. This garlic’s aroma is very pungent....

Where Do Pine Nuts Come From? Many people eat pine nuts but ask: Where do pine nuts come from? Pine nuts come from pinyon pine trees. These pines are native to the United States, although other pines with edible pine nuts are native to Europe and Asia, like the European stone pine and the Asian Korean pine. Pine nuts are the smallest and the fanciest of all nuts. The taste is sweet and subtle....

What Does Marcescence Mean? What is marcescence? Have you ever seen a tree that has retained its leaves through the winter? Depending upon the variety, the tree may be experiencing marcescence. This occurs when some deciduous trees, usually beech or oak, fail to drop their leaves. This results in trees that are full or partially full, covered in brown, papery leaves. Winter marcescence is caused by the lack of enzymes produced by the tree....

Preparing Cannas For Canna Bulb Storage Before you can start storing canna bulbs, you must first lift the bulbs from the ground. Wait to dig the cannas up until after a frost has killed back the foliage. Once the foliage is dead, carefully dig around the canna bulbs. Remember that canna bulbs can multiply rapidly over the summer, so you will want to start digging a bit further out from where you originally planted the canna....

Woad Plant Reproduction Methods If you are looking to start dyer’s woad for the first time, there’s really only one tried and true method – sowing seeds. Woad seeds are really only viable for one year, so make sure you get fresh seeds. The seed pods contain a natural chemical that inhibits germination and washes away in the rain. This allows them to hold off on sprouting until conditions are wet enough to encourage good growth....

About the Acerola Tree Barbados cherry, or acerola, is a large, bushy shrub or small tree that reaches mature heights of about 12 feet (3.5 m.). This attractive shrub produces thick, bright green leaves. Small, pinkish-lavender flowers bloom from spring to fall, and may pop up year round in warmer climates – usually after irrigation or a rainfall. Acerola tree blooms are followed by shiny, bright red fruit shaped much like miniature apples or tiny cherries....

Alpine Geranium Plants Alpine geraniums (Erodium reichardii) are also known as Erodiums – this name comes from the Ancient Greek word for “heron.” The name is due to the shape of the plant’s immature fruit, which looks something like a water bird’s head and beak. The name has also carried over into the common English names Heron’s Bill and Stork’s Bill. Alpine geranium plants are mostly low growing. Depending on variety, they can range from low groundcover no higher than 6 inches, up to small shrubs at 24 inches....

Though finding adaptable and easy-to-grow plants is often a priority, it should also be noted that some species may cause more issues than good. The use of Brazilian waterweed in aquariums is just one example of how a single planting may come to overtake its aquatic home. With this in mind, many are left to ask, “Is waterweed invasive?”. Anacharis Plant Info What is Brazilian waterweed? Brazilian waterweed (Egeria densa syn....

Shrews in the Garden Although they are frequently mistaken for mice, shrews are insectivores. They dine on a variety of garden pests including slugs, snails, beetles, caterpillars, centipedes and millipedes, among others. Shrews also eat small mice and snakes and occasionally a small bird. They have huge appetites and can eat three times their body weight in a single day. Shrew live primarily in thick vegetation and moist plant debris. They generally don’t burrow, but they may take advantage of tunnels created by voles and moles....