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Basic Wheelbarrow Care The Handle. You never really think about the handle of your wheelbarrow until it breaks or gets so rough that it gives you a splinter. Caring for wheelbarrows starts with the often-overlooked handles. Many wheelbarrows have wooden handles and to maintain them, first keep them clean. Wipe them down with a cloth after every use. If your wooden wheelbarrow handles get a little rough around the edges, use sandpaper to clean them up every once in a while....

Chaste Tree Pruning Info There are several reasons to prune a chaste tree. Left to their own devices, they grow 15 to 20 feet (4.5 to 6 m.) tall and 10 to 15 feet (3 to 4.5 m.) wide, but you can control the size through pruning chaste trees. You can also control the shape by chaste tree trimming. Carefully placed cuts can encourage the shrub to put on new growth....

Duranta Flowering Plant Info The Duranta flowering plant (Duranta erecta) may reach up to 10 feet (3 m.) in height, and flowers profusely from summer until the first heavy frost. The shrub-like plant is multi-stemmed and the branches are somewhat droopy. The stems may have sharp spines. Orchid-like flowers may be light blue to light purple in color. Some plants develop loads of yellow, ball-shaped drupes. Chemicals in the fruit may make them poisonous to humans, but harmless to birds that enjoy them immensely....

Echeveria Plant Information Echeveria parva succulents are great little garden survivors. They tolerate heat, drought and also cold snaps, yet are also lovely, with their red-edged rosettes and dramatic flower stalks. According to echeveria plant information, the ‘parva’ species is difficult to find in commerce, but it is worth the effort. Parva offers unique coloring, with icy blue-green rosettes trimmed in blood red accents. ‘Parva’ means dwarf in Latin, so it makes sense that Echeveria parva succulents are a small variety....

Four O’clock Flowers Four o’clock flowers, Mirabilis jalapa, were originally found in the Andes Mountains of South America. The Mirabilis part of the Latin name means “wonderful” and is an accurate description of the hardy four o’clock plant. Grow four o’clocks in poor to average soil for the most abundant production of four o’clock flowers. Many varieties of the flower exist, including some that are native to the United States. Native Americans grew the plant for medicinal properties....

Common Bugs That Eat Ginger Insects can be beneficial in the garden, but those that we call pests are the bane of the gardener’s existence. These are the bugs that target certain plants and aim to conquer and destroy. Ginger, both edible and ornamental types, are no exception and there are plenty of pests of ginger that will take every opportunity to eat your plants. Some of the many pests that like to go after ginger are:...

How to Take Care of Birds of Paradise Outside Bird of paradise is a clump-forming, evergreen plant. A mature clump can be 5 feet (1.5 m.) tall and wide. The waxy, gray-green leaves get some 18 inches (45.5 cm.) long and resemble banana leaves. Gardeners are particularly interested in the brilliantly hued flowers, each with three bright orange bracts and three indigo petals. It is these blossoms that give the plant its common name....

Indoor Plants that Need High Light Some examples of plants that need a lot of light are below. These plants would do best in a south or west window and direct light most of the day. Aloe – Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis) has long succulent spikes that grow from the center of the plant. The gel inside the leaves is used to relieve minor skin irritations and burns. This plant grows slowly and is undemanding of temperature and water....

How Hydroseeding Works Hydroseeding involves the use of a high-pressure hose to apply seeds onto tilled soil. The seeds are in a water-based grass seed spray (slurry) that may contain mulch, fertilizer, lime, or other substances to get a lawn off to a healthy start. The grass seed spray, which is often used to plant large areas such as golf courses and football fields, is often applied from a truck to ensure that the slurry is evenly mixed....

Birch Tree Lifespan How old do birch trees get? The answer to this question depends in part on the species of the tree. It also depends on its growing conditions. Paper birch trees (Betula papyrafera), also known as white birch or silver birch, are popular garden trees. The species is native to this continent. The lifespan of a paper birch in the wild is between 80 and 140 years. Cultivated paper birches have a much shorter life if they are grown in the home landscape....

Reasons for Brugmansia Not Blooming Here are the most common reasons for brugmansia not blooming. Not old enough A brugmansia must be mature before it can produce blooms. If your brugmansia was started from seeds, it may take up to five years to bloom. If your brugmansia was started from a cutting, it may take three to four years before it blooms. They can bloom sooner than this, but if your brugmansia is younger than what is listed above, this is most likely the cause....

Plum Pocket Info Plum pocket symptoms begin as small, white blisters on the fruit. The blisters enlarge rapidly until they cover the entire plum. The fruit enlarges to ten times or more the size of normal fruit and resembles a bladder, giving rise to the common name “plum bladder.” Developing spores give the fruit a gray, velvety appearance. Eventually, the interior of the fruit becomes spongy, and the fruit becomes hollow, withers, and falls from the tree....

Is There a Blue Hibiscus? Blue hibiscus flowers are related to mallows. Their flowers can be rose, violet, purple or white. Info about blue hibiscus growing in gardens indicates there are no ‘true’ blue flowers. Botanically, this plant is called Alyogyne huegelii. Another Latin name for blue hibiscus flowers is Hibiscus syriacus, varieties ‘Blue Bird’ and ‘Azurri Satin’. Being of the Hibiscus genus, I would say they are hibiscus, though this latter term defines blue hibiscus in gardens as a Rose of Sharon, a plant that commonly grows and multiplies aggressively in landscapes of the Southeast United States....

Kumquat Not Flowering Kumquats are small trees and typically top out at 10-12 feet (3-3.5 m.). They have attractive, bright, medium-green leaves and aromatic, white flowers. They are prized for both their edible components and their ornamental value. Sometimes people struggle with how to get blooms on a kumquat tree. No pretty white blooms. No lovely scent. No fruit. That is sad. They ask “When do kumquats bloom?”. They look for kumquat flowers in spring, which is the wrong time by the way....

Choosing Edible Types of Sage Plant There are many types of sage plant and not all of them are edible. When choosing a sage plant for your herb garden, choose one such as: Garden Sage Purple Sage Tri-color Sage Golden Sage How to Grow Sage The best place for planting sage is in full sun. Your sage plant should be put in a well draining soil, as sage does not like its roots to remain wet....

What is a Root Knot Nematode? A root knot nematode is a parasitic, microscopic worm that invades the soil and the roots of the plants in the soil. There are several varieties of this pest but all of the varieties have the same effect on plants. Root Knot Nematode Symptoms Root knot nematode can be spotted initially by stunted plant growth and a yellow color to the plant. To confirm the presence of this parasite, you can look at the roots of the affected plant....

Difference Between a Miniature Rose and a Miniflora Rose The differences between a miniature rose bush and a miniflora rose bush can be of importance to gardeners. When deciding what size container to use or where in the rose bed or garden to plant them, the size of the rose bush or its “habit” does factor into the decision. One rule I learned early on when starting to grow mini roses is: “Miniature refers to the size of the bloom, not necessarily the size of the bush!...

Root System on Lilac Lilac roots aren’t considered invasive and as long as you leave enough space between the tree, or shrub, and the structure, there is little risk from planting lilacs near foundations. Lilac roots generally spread one and one-half times the width of the shrub. A distance of 12 feet (4 m.) from the foundation is generally enough to prevent foundation damage. Potential Damage from Lilac Roots It’s very unlikely that lilac bush roots will break through the side of a foundation....

Easy to Grow Shrubs Most gardeners have, at one time or another, brought in an utterly beautiful plant only to find that it required daily nurturing. This gets old fast. Easy to grow shrubs tolerate a variety of growing conditions and are vulnerable to relatively few insect pests and diseases. Choosing Flowering Bushes When you shop for flowering bushes, low maintenance is important. Always take your hardiness zone and the size of the site into consideration....

About Nectarine ‘Arctic Rose’ Has it ever occurred to you that a nectarine tastes like a peach without fuzz? Well that hunch was right. Genetically, the fruits are identical, although individual cultivars may look or taste different. Nectarine ‘Arctic Rose’ (Prunus persica var. nucipersica) is one cultivar that both looks and tastes different from other peaches and nectarines. What is an Arctic Rose nectarine? It is a freestone fruit with white flesh....