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Vitamin-E Rich Veggies Can Help The U.S. Department of Agriculture agrees that most adult Americans don’t get enough of several important nutrients, including vitamin E. Children and adults over age 51 are particularly at risk of not getting enough of this essential nutrient. If you think you are among those that may be deficient in vitamin E, it’s always possible to supplement your diet with vitamin pills. However, according to Scientific American, the body doesn’t absorb synthetic forms of vitamin E as efficiently as vitamin E in its natural form....

Cherry Morello Information English Morello cherries are the most popular cooking cherries in the UK, where they have been grown for over four centuries. English Morello cherry trees also grow well in the United States. These cherry trees grow to about 20 feet (6.5 m.) tall, but you can keep them pruned to a considerably shorter height if you prefer. They are highly ornamental, with showy blossoms that remain on the tree for an exceptionally long period of time....

Fertilizer for Chinese Fringe Trees Nutrients can be leached from soil by rain and watering. While there are many nutrients shrubs and trees like, Chinese fringe plants need many for proper growth. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are the most important. These are the NPK ratios often listed on fertilizer packages. A fertilizer with equal amounts of NPK would be 10-10-10, for example. Lack of nitrogen in Chinese fringe plants can cause slow growth, small or malformed leaves, yellowing leaves, leaf drop, or premature autumn foliage color....

Greasy Spot Fungus The fungus caused by greasy spot is caused by the fungus Mycosphaerella citri. Whether you grow citrus trees for a fresh fruit market or processing plant or just for your own use, you need to be able to control greasy spot fungus. If you allow the fungus to simply live, you will end up with a ruined fruit crop. Grapefruits, pineapples, and tangelos are most susceptible to greasy spot than other varieties of citrus fruit plants....

About Claytonia Spring Beauty Spring beauty is a perennial spring flower native to the Midwest. It grows naturally in the woodlands of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Missouri. They spread by tubers that are actually edible and were eaten by early pioneers, but growing Claytonia tubers for food is not very efficient—they are small and time-consuming to collect. Claytonia flowering typically begins in April, but this depends on the location and weather....

How to Grow Lady’s Mantle in Containers Can you grow lady’s mantle in a pot? The short answer is yes! Relatively low growing and usually forming a clumping or mounding habit, lady’s mantle is well suited to container life. A single plant can reach a height of 24 to 30 inches (61-76 cm.) and a spread of 30 inches (76 cm.). However, the stems are thin and delicate, and the flowers are numerous and heavy, which often means the plant droops down under its own weight....

Desert Sunflower Info Hairy desert sunflowers (Geraea canescens) are common across much of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. This robust wildflower is happiest in sandy or gravelly desert conditions. Also known as desert gold, desert sunflower plants generally bloom in January and February, with sporadic reappearances in October and November. They are among the very first annual wildflowers to bloom in spring. As its name suggests, hairy desert sunflower is a close cousin to the tall garden sunflower that we all know and love....

Pruning Abutilon Plants Abutilon plants are native to South America, Africa, and Australia. They are tender evergreens that need a growing site with some sun to produce the lovely, lantern-shaped flowers. They also need some shade to thrive. Why do you need to think about pruning these plants? Abutilons get leggy as they grow. Most plants are prettier and more compact if you start pruning abutilon plants regularly. In addition, broken or diseased branches can allow in or pass on infection....

Pruning Unruly Junipers Can you prune an overgrown juniper? Unfortunately, the answer to this question isn’t a definite yes. Juniper trees and bushes have something called a dead zone. This is a space toward the center of the plant that doesn’t produce new leafy growth. As the plant gets bigger and thicker, sunlight is unable to reach its interior, and the leaves in that space fall off. This is completely natural, and actually the sign of a healthy plant....

Jefferson Gage Tree Care Jefferson gage plum trees require another tree nearby to provide pollination. Good candidates include Victoria, Czar, King Damson, Opal, Merryweather, and Denniston’s Superb, among others. Be sure your plum tree receives at least six to eight hours of sunlight per day. A location away from harsh winds is preferable. Jefferson gage trees are adaptable to nearly any well-drained soil, but they don’t perform well in poorly-drained soil or heavy clay....

Ethics of Permaculture Garden Design Adopting these principles into your landscape design is an eco-friendly method of gardening. It begins with understanding these three basic ethics: The Principles of Permaculture The three ethics of permaculture are further expanded and explained by the basic 12 principles of permaculture. Here are a few ways to apply these principles to your home garden: 

Letizia Sedeveria Plant Sedeveria ‘Letizia’ is a little jewel of a plant. This beautiful small succulent has stems some 8 inches (20 cm.) tall topped with small rosettes. Newer stems have leaves as well as rosettes but when the stems are mature, they are bare except for the rosette on top. Over cold, sunny winter days, the “petals” of this sedeveria turn deep red. They remain bright apple green, however, all summer long or all year, if grown in the shade....

About the Nevada Lettuce Variety Batavian or Summer Crisp lettuces, such as the lettuce ‘Nevada,’ are tolerant of both cool, spring temperatures and warming, summer temps. Nevada lettuce has thick, ruffled leaves with both a satisfying crunch and velvety smoothness. The outer leaves of Nevada can be harvested or allowed to grow into a gorgeous large, open head. An additional benefit of growing Nevada lettuce in gardens is its disease resistance....

Reine des Glaces Lettuce Plant Info Ice Queen lettuce is a French heirloom lettuce that was developed in 1883. Since it thrives in cool and even cold weather, it is a top choice for early spring sowing. Does that mean that lettuce Reine des Glaces wilts and bolts when the summer heat sneaks in? Not at all. In fact, it remains crisp and resists bolting even in summer. However, Queen of the Ice lettuce plants do prefer a few hours of afternoon shade in hottest weather....

Chrysanthemum Lifespan So how long do mums live? Chrysanthemums, or mums for short, can be divided into two distinct categories: garden and floral. These two varieties are bred with different goals in mind, and this results in very different lifespans. Floral mums are planted in the fall and pretty much all their energy is devoted to blooming. This makes for some spectacular blossoms, but it doesn’t give the plant enough time or resources to put down a good root system before the frost....

Propagating Norfolk Pines Norfolk Island pine plants look a bit like pine trees, hence the name, but they aren’t even in the same family. They do come from Norfolk Island, however, in the South Seas, where they mature into straight, stately trees up to 200 feet (60 m.) tall. Norfolk Island pine trees are not very cold tolerant. They only thrive in USDA plant hardiness zones 10 and 11. In the rest of the country, people bring them indoors as potted plants, often used as living non-traditional Christmas trees....

What is Nufar Basil? Even if you know and love basil, you may not be familiar with Nufar basil plants. What is Nufar basil? It’s a relatively new Genovese-type basil with a sweet, potent flavor. All basil is terrific, but Nufar basil plants are really something special. According to Nufar basil plant information, this variety produces the most flavor-packed leaves of any basil. The Nufar leaves are big and a vibrant dark green, ideal for any dish requiring basil flavoring....

Owl House Design Your owl box plans do not need to be fancy to be effective, but you’ll need to figure out how to build an owl house that is the right size to be a nest-substitute for the type of owl you hope to attract the garden. Obtain information on the size of the owl species before you begin your owl box plans. For barn owls, a simple wooden box about 38 by 18 by 12 inches (96....

Budding fruit trees is the principal method of propagating new fruit trees, but it is frequently used for a variety of woody plants. The technique is extensively used by commercial growers. Although it may seem complicated and mysterious, with a little practice and a lot of patience, budding can be done by home gardeners. As a rule, even beginners have better luck with budding than most other propagation techniques....

Pothos vs. Philodendron: Are Pothos And Philodendron the Same? Leaf shape: Philodendron leaves are distinctly heart-shaped, with a pronounced curve at the widest part of the leaf. The leaves, which grow from flexible, thin stems have a long, pointy tip that resembles a spout. Pothos plant leaves tend to be larger and they lack philodendron’s dramatic heart shape. Pothos leaf tips are shorter and less pointed. Leaf texture and finish: Philodendron leaves are thinner with a smooth, velvety feel....