What is an Allegheny Serviceberry? Native to the eastern U.S. and Canada, the Allegheny serviceberry tree is a medium-sized tree with multiple stems that form a pretty shape in the landscape. It can grow well in yards and gardens throughout a wide range of climates, between USDA zones 8 and 10. Expect a serviceberry you plant to grow to about 25 to 30 feet (7-9 m.) tall. Growth rate is medium to fast for this deciduous tree....

How are Coffee Grounds Good for Lawns? It isn’t the caffeine that stimulates healthy grass growth, but rather the nitrogen, phosphorus, and trace minerals that coffee grounds contain. These nutrients are released slowly, which is a big benefit over quick release synthetic fertilizers. The nutrients in coffee grounds are slowly broken down, allowing the turf to have a longer period of time to absorb them ensuring stronger turf for longer. Using coffee grounds as lawn fertilizer is also good for the worms....

It isn’t unusual for an indoor avocado plant to become spindly. What can you do about a leggy avocado plant? Read on for helpful suggestions for preventing and fixing leggy avocados. Preventing Spindly Growth Why is my avocado plant too leggy? Trimming is an effective way to encourage the tree to branch out, but before you grab the shears, be sure the plant has optimum growing conditions in the sunniest window in your house....

Beavertail Prickly Pear Info Native to the deserts of the southwestern United States and northwest Mexico, beavertail prickly pear is well suited for rock gardens, cactus gardens, or xeriscape landscapes in USDA plant hardiness zones 8 and above. Growing beavertail cactus in containers is perfect for a sunny patio or deck. However, you’ll need to bring the plant indoors during the winter if you live in a chilly northern climate. Beavertail prickly pear cactus is generally disease-free, deer and rabbit proof, and requires very little care....

Billardiera Information While there are many types of billardiera plants, there are a couple that are favorites of gardeners and earn extra attention. An especially popular one is Billardiera longiflora, also known as appleberry and climbing blueberry. An evergreen vine, it is hardy in USDA zones 8a to 10b. It can reach 8 feet (2.5 m.) in length. In late spring to early summer, it produces flowers that can come in a variety of colors, including white, yellow, green, purple, and pink....

Watering blackberries sufficiently will yield the largest, juiciest fruit. So when it comes to blackberry irrigation, how much water do blackberries need? When to Water Blackberry Vines If you live in an area with average rainfall, you probably won’t need to water blackberries after the first growing year once they have been established. The first year of growth, however, is another matter. When watering blackberries, always water during the day and water at the base of the plants to minimize fungal disease....

Butterfly Sage Info Butterfly sage (Cordia globosa) gets its name because it is so attractive to butterflies and other pollinators. It produces clusters of tiny, white, star-shaped flowers that aren’t especially showy but are very popular among smaller butterflies who have a hard time feeding on bigger flowers. The plant’s other common name, bloodberry, comes from the abundant clusters of deep red berries it produces when the flowers fade. These berries are excellent for attracting birds....

What is Leaf Scorch? Leaf scorch is a physiological condition that results from poor environmental conditions. It is not an infectious disease. Leaf scorch looks like burned, brown, and dead areas of leaf tissue. Does Watering Grass in the Sun Burn it? This is an extremely persistent myth. There is no evidence that water on a leaf surface in the sun and heat will burn or scorch it. And yet, people notice a correlation, but it is coincidental or indirect....

Candy cane oxalis plants are botanically called Oxalis versicolor, meaning changing color. Candy cane oxalis flowers are red and white, hence the name. In early spring, trumpet shaped blooms appear, even on young plants. Gardeners in some areas may find blooms on the plant in late winter. Flowers of the candy cane oxalis plant appear white once the trumpets have opened, as the red stripe is on the bottom of the petal....

Okra Charcoal Rot Information Charcoal rot of okra is caused by a fungus in the soil called Macrophomina phaseolina. It lives in the soil, so it can build up each year and attack and infect roots year after year. The infection is most likely to set in when drought conditions have caused stress in okra plants. Signs of okra with charcoal rot include the characteristic ashy, gray appearance of infection on the stems that give the disease its name....

Methods of Measuring Soil Moisture Content How wet is my garden soil? How can I tell? Is it as simple as sticking your finger in the dirt? If you’re looking for an imprecise measurement then yes, it is. However, if you want a more scientific reading, then you’ll want to take some of these measurements: Soil water content – Quite simply, this is the amount of water present in a given quantity of soil....

Clamshell Orchid Information Clamshell orchid plants are native to the damp forests, woodlands, and swamps of southern Florida, Mexico, the West Indies, and Central and South America. Like many orchids, they are epiphytic plants that grow on tree trunks and branches where they survive by absorbing moisture and nutrients from rain, air, and water. Unfortunately, the plant population in Florida has been decimated by poachers and destruction of habitat. If you want to try your hand at growing clamshell orchid plants, purchase a plant from a reputable dealer....

How to Grow Peas in a Container Container garden peas will undoubtedly yield a smaller harvest than those grown in a garden plot, but the nutrition is all still there, and it’s a fun and low-cost means of growing your own peas. So the question is, “How to grow peas in containers?” Keep in mind that pot-grown peas require more water than garden grown, possibly up to three times a day....

Growing Cabbage in Pots Can you grow cabbage in a pot? Of course, you can! Growing cabbage in containers is easy, as long as you don’t crowd them. Cabbage plants can get huge, growing as high as 4 feet (1.2 m) and nearly as wide. Limit your plants to one per 5-gallon (19 L.) container. Your container-grown cabbage will still grow planted closer together, but the heads will be noticeably smaller....

Downy Mildew in Corn Crops Downy mildew is an infection caused by a fungus. There are a few varieties of downy mildew that affect corn and other grasses like wheat and oats. Some of the varieties include Crazy Top and Sorghum downy mildew. Regardless of which type may be affecting your sweet corn, the signs are similar, as are the methods for prevention and control. Sweet corn with downy mildew may exhibit several symptoms, including any of the following:...

About Pruning Crown of Thorns There are a couple of important things to know before you begin pruning crown of thorns. First of all, this gorgeous plant was named for a reason – the thorns are wicked. You’ll need long sleeves and a pair of sturdy garden gloves for pruning crown of thorns. Even more importantly, be aware that the gooey, milky sap that oozes from a cut plant may cause severe skin irritation in some people, and it can do serious harm if it gets in your eyes....

About Cupid’s Dart Flowers Catananche caerulea, or cupid’s dart, is a flowering perennial native to Europe. It forms clumps up to 30 inches (76 cm.) tall with thin, wiry stems and blue or lavender, daisy-like flowers. The leaves are narrow, grass-like, and grayish-green. The flowers start blooming in midsummer and continue into the fall. There are a few cultivars with different bloom colors; ‘alba’ has white flowers and ‘major’ has the usual lavender blooms but with dark purple centers....

About Deadheading Gardenias Gardenias are flowering evergreen shrubs hardy in zones 7 to 11. Their long lasting, fragrant white flowers bloom from late spring to fall. Each bloom can last several weeks before wilting. The wilted flowers then form into orange seed pods. Removing spent blooms on gardenia will prevent the plant from wasting energy producing these seed pods and put that energy into creating new blooms instead. Deadheading gardenias will also keep the plant looking nicer throughout the growing season....

Eucalyptus Pauciflora Information What is Eucalyptus pauciflora? The name pauciflora, which means “few flowers,” is actually a misnomer that can be traced back to some questionable botany in the 19th century. Pauciflora Snow Gum trees actually produce an abundance of attractive white flowers in the spring and early summer (October to January in their native Australia). The trees are evergreen and hardy down to USDA zone 7. The leaves are long, glossy, and dark green....

What is a Root Zone? Simply put, the root zone of plants is the area of soil and oxygen surrounding the roots of a plant. Roots are the starting point of a plant’s vascular system. Water and nutrients are pulled up from the oxygenated soil around the roots, called the root zone, and pumped into all the aerial parts of the plant. A proper and healthy plant root zone is spread out past the drip line of a plant....