Tips for Smutgrass Control Controlling smutgrass begins in spring, as the invasive grass must be actively growing when treatments are applied. If smutgrass appears in your turf, natural area or flower bed, you’ll want to immediately get rid of smutgrass, but spraying is usually not effective until spring. If you can kill smutgrass before it reaches the ornamental areas of the landscape, this is the desired smutgrass control, but chemicals for controlling smutgrass can also kill other grasses that you wish to keep....

Should You Deadhead Lily Flowers Deadheading is the term given to removing the spent flowers from a plant. With some plants, deadheading actually encourages new flowers to bloom. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for lilies. Once a stem has finished blooming, that’s it. Cutting off the spent flowers isn’t going to make way for any new buds. Deadheading lilies is still a good idea for a couple of reasons, though. For one thing, it cleans up the appearance of the plant as a whole....

How to Make a Toad House You can make a garden toad house from a plastic food container or a clay or plastic flowerpot. When deciding what to use as a toad house, keep in mind that plastic containers are free and easy to cut, but clay pots are cooler in the heat of summer. If you plan to decorate your toad house with children, make sure you use a washable paint....

Are Birds Pollinators? Bees are the most important pollinators globally. They get a lot of the attention for this reason and also because their populations are declining, putting our food supply at risk. We require pollinators to move pollen between flowers in order to get fruit production. But birds play a role too. Bird pollinated flowers are mostly wildflowers, which are much less important from a food standpoint. In North America, there are no commercial food crops that rely on birds....

Should I Fertilize Seedlings? Do seedlings need fertilizer? The short answer is yes. While seeds have enough power inside themselves to germinate, the nutrients essential to healthy growth aren’t usually present in soil. In fact, the problems that small seedlings suffer from can often be traced back to a lack of nutrients. As with most anything, though, too much fertilizer can hurt just as much as not enough. Make sure when feeding seedlings not to give too much, and don’t let granular fertilizer come directly into contact with the plant, or your seedlings will get burnt....

Dracaena Water Requirements Although dracaena plants are native to subtropical regions, these houseplants do not tolerate wet soils. When potting up dracaena, make certain that the plants are situated in a well-draining container. This step will help to prevent root rot and other stress-related diseases. How much water does dracaena need and when to water dracaenas? A general rule of thumb is to only water dracaena when the soil feels dry to the touch....

Ornamental Dwarf Cornel Plants Dwarf cornel dogwoods, often called bunchberry but a different species than the bunchberry flowering vine, are a decorative addition to your garden or backyard. These short shrubs spread quickly via runners that grow from the horizontal rootstock. The shrubs grow into a thick groundcover 4 to 10 inches (10-25.5 cm.) tall. Dwarf cornel dogwood is extremely pretty during the summer, since it bursts into flower in June or July....

Growing Shrubs from Elderberry Seeds Pretty and practical, elderberry shrubs (Sambucus spp.) decorate your yard with showy flowers that later become dark purple berries. The shrubs can be propagated from cuttings, which produce plants that are biologically identical to the parents. It’s also possible to get new plants by growing elderberry from seed. For those who have elderberry plants already, it’s easy and free to obtain seeds since they are found in every berry....

About Emperor Francis Cherry Trees Emperor Francis sweet cherry trees are suitable for growing in USDA plant hardiness zones 5 through 7. Plant at least two or three trees nearby for pollination, including one variety that flowers about the same time. Good choices include any sweet cherry except Bing, such as: Celeste Morello Stella Montmorency Stark Gold White Gold Growing Emperor Francis Cherries Plant Emperor Francis cherry trees in late fall or early spring....

Excalibur Plum Facts Excalibur is a cultivar that was developed about 30 years ago to improve upon the Victoria plum. The fruits are larger and also are generally considered tastier than those from the Victoria tree. Excalibur plums are large, red, and sweet, with a yellow flesh. You can enjoy them fresh, but Excalibur plums also stand up well to cooking and baking. They can be canned or frozen to preserve them through the winter....

How to Feed a Guava Tree Guavas are classified as a heavy feeder, which means they require more nutrients than an average plant. Regular applications of guava tree fertilizer are needed to keep pace with this fast-growing plant in order to ensure the production of bountiful high-quality flowers and fruit. The use of a guava tree fertilizer with a 6-6-6-2 (nitrogen–phosphorus–potassium–magnesium) ratio is recommended. For each feeding, scatter the fertilizer evenly on the ground, starting a foot (31 cm....

What is a Kenya Hyacinth Snake Plant? This handful of a name refers to Sansevieria parva, most commonly known as Kenya hyacinth snake plant. This is a succulent that is hardy in the U.S. in zones 10 and 11, but for everyone else, it makes a great houseplant. Native to East Africa, flowering Sansevieria plants have narrow, spike-shaped leaves that grow between eight and sixteen inches (20.5 to 41 cm.) long....

Growing Annuals in Zone 9 A comprehensive list of annuals for zone 9 is beyond the scope of this article, but our list of a few of the most common zone 9 annuals should be enough to pique your curiosity. Keep in mind that many annuals may be perennial in warm climates. Popular Annual Flowers Common in Zone 9 Zinnia (Zinnia spp.) Verbena (Verbena spp.) Sweet pea (Lathyrus) Poppy (Papaver spp....

About Parel Hybrid Cabbage An early season cabbage with just 45 to 50 days to maturity, you can start Parel from seed and have mature, fully grown heads of cabbage in just about six weeks. This is a green ballhead cabbage that forms particularly tight, compact heads. You can grow more of this variety in a smaller space than with other types of cabbages. The outer, wrapper leaves of Parel are bluish green and protect a very dense, white head....

Growing Raspberries in Zone 9 In general, raspberries are hardy in zones 3 to 9. However, different types and cultivars are better suited for different areas. Red and yellow raspberries tend to be more cold tolerant, while black and purple raspberries can die out in areas with extremely cold winters. Red raspberries fall into two categories: Summer bearing or Everbearing. In zone 9, the canes of everbearing raspberries can be left on the plant to overwinter and produce a second set of fruit in early spring....

When Do I Harvest Radishes? When you think of radishes, many people think of the small, round red type of radish but the fact is that there are a number of different types of radish in a variety of hues and sizes. Knowing what type of radish you are growing will tell you when to pick radishes. The small red radish most of us are used to will be ready to harvest as soon as three weeks from planting....

Red and Green Flowers for Christmas Though the task of crafting memorable centerpieces for the holidays may seem intimidating, doing so is actually quite simple when considering a few floral arranging basics. First, DIY-ers will want to select a vase. Large, tall vases are ideal for adding dramatic appeal, while smaller, low vases are better for dinner tables. As you explore ideas for Christmas floral arrangements, always consider how the display will draw the eye, making certain not to cause interference between guests....

In the past, fingertips succulent, native to northern Baja California and southern California, was known as mission lettuce or chalk lettuce because the edible leaves were considered to be a delicacy. If this bit of information has piqued your curiosity, read on and we’ll provide a few tips on growing fingertips succulents. How to Grow Fingertips Lady fingers care is easy and growing fingertips plants is suitable in USDA plant hardiness zones 7 through 10....

Planting a Young Aspen The easiest method of starting young aspen trees is vegetative propagation by means of root cuttings. Aspens do all the work for you, producing young plants from their roots. To “harvest” these saplings, you cut off the root suckers, dig them out and transplant them. Aspens also propagate with seeds, although this is a much more difficult process. If you are able to grow seedlings or buy some, aspen seedling transplants will be virtually the same as root sucker transplants....

Male and Female Squash Blossoms It’s all a part of that Birds and Bees story your mother told you and when it comes to squash plants, the emphasis is definitely on the bees. Whether it’s the summer varieties such as zucchini squash, crook neck squash, and straight yellow squash or winter types like butternut squash, spaghetti squash, and acorn squash, all squash have one thing in common. There’s a male squash blossom and a female squash blossom, and without at least one of each and a few busy bees, you won’t be eating any squash....