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How to Grow Candytuft Candytuft care involves planting in well draining, alkaline soil in a sunny location as the candytuft plant won’t grow in shade or overly damp soil. Acidic soil may need amendments such as lime to produce the candytuft plant. Growing candytuft is worth the effort as the delicate flowers appear in early spring through summer, often reblooming in fall. The candytuft flower is usually white, but some cultivars have pink or lilac blooms....

Self-Sowing Perennials for Gardens Planting perennials that self-seed can be a very good thing if you have an area you want to cover with perennial blooms. However, most self-seeding perennial flowers tend to be a bit aggressive, so plan carefully before you plant. Here is a list of some of the best self-sowing perennials for gardens, along with their USDA plant hardiness zones. Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus), Zones 3-7 Four o’clock (Miribilis jalapa), Zones 8-11 Bachelor buttons (Centaurea montana), Zones 3-8 Coreopsis/Tickseed (Coreopsis spp....

Zone 4 Hostas When it comes to selecting hosta varieties for northern gardens, nearly any hosta is perfect. However, it appears that light-colored hostas are more susceptible to damage by frost. Here is a list of some of the most popular hosta plants for zone 4. Giant Hostas (20 to 48 inches (50-122 cm.) tall) ‘Big Mama’ (Blue) ‘Titanic’ (Chartreuse-green with golden borders) ‘Komodo Dragon’ (Dark green) ‘Humpback Whale’ (Blue-green)...

Rabbit Manure Fertilizer Rabbit dung is dry, odorless, and in pellet form, making it suitable for direct use in the garden. Since rabbit dung breaks down quickly, there is usually little threat of burning the roots of plants. Rabbit manure fertilizer is rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, nutrients that plants need for healthy growth. Rabbit manure can be found in prepackaged bags or obtained from rabbit farmers. Although it can be spread directly onto garden beds, many people prefer to compost rabbit manure prior to use....

Coral Bells Perennial Coral bells (Heuchera) may also be known by alumroot. These perennial plants are hardy to USDA plant hardiness zone 3 and though they’re usually listed as evergreens in many climates, they can actually be found in several foliage colors—like bronze, purple, and more. The spikes of tall, bell-shaped blooms is where the coral bells flowers get their name and are just as impressive as the foliage color, blooming in late spring to early summer....

Do you think you might want to try symmetrical plant placement in your yard? Read on and learn more about balanced plant placement and creating plant symmetry. Tips on Symmetrical Plant Placement Symmetry in landscaping can be tricky because flower beds, window boxes, hanging baskets, containers, trees, shrubs, or other elements on each side of the centerline must be identical. Maintaining balance requires careful maintenance, including faithful pruning to maintain the mirror image....

What are Frozen Suncatcher Ornaments? Most people are familiar with suncatchers. Usually made of glass or other transparent materials, decorative suncatchers are hung in sunny windows and allow the light to cascade through. The same principle applies to DIY frozen suncatchers. Rather than using traditional materials, however, ice suncatcher crafts are frozen blocks of ice. Within the ice, crafters arrange various items such as seeds, pinecones, leaves, branches, and more. Frozen suncatcher ornaments are a creative way to naturally decorate yards, patios, and other outdoor spaces....

About Aristolochia and Butterflies Dutchman’s pipe (Aristolochia macrophylla) is a vining plant native to eastern North America and thrives in USDA zones 4 to 8. There are a number of other types of Aristolochia, most of which are sought after as a primary food source for the Pipevine swallowtail butterfly. It seems that the aristolochic acids of these plants serves as a feeding stimulant as well as provides a habitat for eggs with a feeding ground for the resulting larvae....

Echeveria ‘Ramillette’ Info Echeveria ‘Ramillette’ info indicates this is one of the hybrids that readily produce offsets. Ramillette succulents have the traditional echeveria rosette and pointy leaves with apple green color, tipped in red. Colors become more pronounced with bright sun and cooler temperatures. Summer and fall flowers are orange, tipped with shades of yellow. You might grow them in containers, dig them in fall from ground beds, or expect to replace them next spring....

Plumeria Flower Fertilizer Plumeria plants require a lot of phosphorous. This is the middle number on fertilizer labels. You also want to avoid fertilizers with too much nitrogen, which is the first number on fertilizer labels. Nitrogen encourages growth, and if you’re trying to grow a tree in a pot, this is the last thing you want. Using a plumeria flower fertilizer with a low first number will make for a more compact tree....

Native to Central and South America, giant dutchman’s pipe is a warm climate plant suitable for growing in USDA plant hardiness zones 10 through 12. Giant Dutchman’s pipe plant prefers temperatures 60 F. (16 C.) and above and won’t survive if temperatures fall below 30 F. (-1). Interested in learning how to grow giant Dutchman’s pipe vine? It’s surprisingly easy. Read on for more information on Giant dutchman’s pipe plant....

Can You Grow Lily of the Valley in Pots? Lily of the valley is beautiful, but sometimes it can get a little out of hand. The plant grows from rhizomes – fleshy underground stems – and it reproduces itself by branching them out in every direction and putting up new shoots. With good soil, it can get downright aggressive and push out neighboring plants. One surefire way to get around this is by growing lily of the valley in pots....

Hand pollinating squash isn’t a difficult task, but it can be tedious. The first important step of hand pollination is to make sure your plants are producing both male and female flowers. If the weather is too hot or too cold, the production of female flowers will be low, making hand pollination a little difficult. How to Hand Pollinate Squash When you pollinate by hand, identify the male and the female flowers....

When to Harvest Lettuce Harvesting heads of lettuce successfully depends in large part on planting at the proper time for your location. Lettuce is a cool season crop that cannot handle extreme heat, so picking lettuce heads is most successful before temperatures skyrocket in summer. The variety planted will somewhat determine when to harvest lettuce, as will the season of planting. Generally, about 65 days after planting is when to harvest lettuce planted in the fall, while harvesting heads of lettuce from a winter planted crop will take about 100 days....

How to Transplant Pampas Grass In many small gardens, one pampas grass plant may quickly outgrow the area in which it is planted. Though the process of pampas grass transplanting is relatively simple, it is also quite labor-intensive. Moving pampas grass or dividing it must be done early in the spring before any new growth has started. To begin transplanting pampas grass, the plants will first need to be pruned. Since the grass can be relatively sharp, carefully remove the foliage down to about 12 inches (30....

About Different Pine Trees While the group of pine trees are all found in the family Pinaceae, they are not all the same. They are grouped into nine genera. Those in the genus Pinus are referred to as pine, while others in the Pinacea family include larch, spruce, and hemlock. A key to identifying pine trees is the fact that the pine needles are attached together in bundles. The sheath holding them together is called a fascicle....

How to Grow Indian Hawthorn Indian hawthorn is an evergreen, so the dark green, leathery foliage remains on the branches all year, taking on a purplish color in winter. The shrub survives winters in mild climates and is rated for USDA plant hardiness zones 8 through 11. You’ll find many uses for Indian hawthorn plants. Planted close together, they form a dense hedge. You can also use rows of Indian hawthorn as barriers or dividers between sections of the garden....

Is Sugarcane Good for You? Sugar gets a bad rap these days, and certainly there is such a thing as too much sugar. However, if you are interested in more natural, unprocessed sugar to supplement a healthy diet, why not grow your own sugarcane. The types of sugarcane most useful in home gardens are syrup and chewing canes. Syrup sugarcane can be processed to make syrup, as it doesn’t crystallize easily....

History of the Green Rose Most Rosarians agree that Rosa chinensis viridiflora first appeared during the mid-18th century, perhaps as early as 1743. It is believed that she originated in the area that later was named China. Rosa chinensis viridiflora is seen in some old Chinese paintings. At one time, it was forbidden for anyone outside of the Forbidden City to grow this rose. It was literally the sole property of the emperors....

What Causes Citrus Slow Decline? Slow decline of citrus is a major concern to growers, and it should be to you as well if you have a home orchard. Trees with this condition lose vigor and show yellow foliage and small fruit. The citrus nematode (Tylenchulus semipenetrans) is responsible for this decline. Nematodes are microscopic roundworms that live in soil and plant tissues and feed on plant roots. The citrus nematode was first noted in 1913....