Your best bet to prevent the onset of disease is to plant varieties that are resistant to the major pathogens in your area. If you’ve ever seen apple trees growing in the wild, you may already know they are privy to a wide range of diseases. But what about homegrown apples? An apple enjoyed fresh off the tree is delectable, but you may have to work hard for your shiny piece of fruit....
In this guide, we’ll cover how to diagnose an infection on your plants and take the appropriate action to prevent the disease from spreading. While hellebores typically have a reputation for being trouble free, they can occasionally fall prey to disease. In our guide to growing hellebores, we cover everything you need to know to cultivate these early-blooming beauties in your garden. There are three main problems that can affect hellebores, each caused by a different pathogen....
Whether you want to save money and to opt for a more economical option or you’re not satisfied with the quality of potting mix you bought from the store, it’s a great idea to learn how to make your own potting soil. Ingredients for Homemade DIY Potting Mix Recipes Before you scroll down to read the recipes, learn about the main ingredients and their alternatives. 1. Peat moss or Coco Peat Peat Moss: It improves air circulation and retains water....
As if its versatility in the kitchen wasn’t enough to recommend it, the plant has also been shown to repel garden nasties like cabbage worms and root knot nematodes. Pimpinella anisum Lots of herbs – such as dill and fennel – have that gorgeous anise-like flavor, but anise is the OG. A member of the Apiaceae family, this plant is usually the source of that anise flavor that we know and love in liqueurs, gum, candy, and baked goods....
by Jennifer Poindexter Do you love crepe myrtles? Would you like to have more of them growing around your home, but you don’t want to break the bank in the process? You’re in luck. Many times, you can propagate plants from their mature counterparts. This allows you to create more of the same plant without spending any extra money. If you’re interested in propagating crepe myrtles, you’ve come to the right place....
Spreading mulch is an easy garden maintenance task that comes with a lot of benefits. Understanding when, how, and what kind to spread can feel complicated to beginners though, and there is a wrong way to do it. In this guide you’ll find all the information you need to choose the right mulch material for each of your gardens, plus how and when to spread it correctly. Below I’ll show you my simple 4 step process, and essential tool list, so you can easily spread mulch in your garden the right way....
If you want to create new garden beds with rich, healthy soil, you don’t have to buy a bunch of amendments at the store. Instead, try lasagna gardening. Hold on, I know what you might be thinking here. But I’m not referring to a garden where you grow all of the ingredients to make a yummy dinner. The lasagna method is a simple way to create a new growing space by layering rich organic matter, rather than digging or tilling....
Orchid cactus plants are fun to grow, and easier to care for than you might think. In this post, I’ll show you all you need to know in order to keep them thriving and blooming for years to come. The unique draping growth and large showy flowers make an orchid cactus a beautiful addition to any houseplant collection. Even a beginner can learn how to grow an orchid cactus and keep it thriving with the right advice on caring for them....
One of the most hated pests is the dreaded squash bug. Much like many common pests in the warmth of the spring and summer growing season, they suck plant juices from your beloved squash vines. They do a lot of damage and proliferate on plants too. That’s why is so important to identify squash bugs and take them out. Table of Contents What’s crazy is that squash bugs tend to attack winter squash varieties in the spring just as much as summer squash....
I live primarily in East Tennessee, though, which is in USDA Hardiness Zone 7b, where the first annual frost isn’t anticipated until October 22. With judicious use of row covers and by planting in full-sun areas, I can usually harvest green beans right up until that time. When I plan carefully, I can harvest fresh green beans, Phaseolus vulgaris, from the garden in autumn. I often have these homegrown vegetables for casseroles or three-bean salads I take to football tailgates, and sometimes for the potlucks that a particular group of my friends likes to hold on the weekends near Halloween....
In this article you will learn more about what a tree guild is, as well as how to create a cherry tree guild that improves fruit production, protects against disease, reduces long-term maintenance needs, and creates a beautiful focal point in the garden. Mimicking conditions of the natural environment in your design is a great way to encourage a home garden to thrive. Plants don’t grow in neat rows in the wild....
Jade plants (Crassula ovata) are some of the easiest to grow and hardiest houseplants making them the perfect choice for the beginner or lazy indoor gardener. However, if you start to see your jade plant turning red it can leave you wondering what’s wrong with it and what you need to do to fix the problem. Why Is My Jade Plant Turning Red? Several factors naturally influence a Jade plant turning red, including extremes of heat, excess sunlight, lack of water or nutrients....
The gardening world is full of ideas that may sound bizarre, and one of them is this–Using Match Sticks for Plants! Find out why you should do that, how to do that, and what its benefits will be in this article. Check out our article on Vicks Vaporub uses in the garden here Types of Matches There are two types of matches available–Safety and strike anywhere. For plants, you can use either of them....
Mini hoops for a winter garden: There are different types of Quick Hoops Benders, but this one makes hoops for 4 foot wide by 4 foot tall low tunnels. This fits my 4 by 10 foot beds perfectly and allows ample room to shelter mature kale, collards, leeks, and other tall crops. The bender comes with a lever bar and lag screws for securing the bender to a solid surface like a picnic table, work bench, or in my case, a heavy log....
1. DIY Pumpkin Flower Pot A feisty pumpkin works double duty as a planter to house seasonal mums in this simple DIY idea. 2. DIY Pumpkin Flower Planter This is the basic do-it-yourself pumpkin planter tutorial to see. Just carve out the flesh of the pumpkin under the edge of the opening, and you’re ready to go. 3. DIY Concrete Pumpkin Planter The CountryLiving.com has an excellent tutorial of this concrete pumpkin planter that you can make easily following their instructions....
When it comes to trailing houseplants, people always go for the most usual ones like pothos and philodendrons, not realizing that they are missing out on some species that are not really popular. Here’s one such list of 8 Cool Indoor Vines People Usually Don’t Grow, but you can try if you’re looking for alternatives. Here are the best vines you can grow in containers Cool Indoor Vines People Usually Don’t Grow 1....
Here are some out-of-the-box DIY Portable Garden Bed Ideas that will make your gardening chores easier! Check out some amazing Mobile Garden Ideas here DIY Portable Garden Bed Ideas 1. Movable Raised Planter Box This movable garden bed is made up of old shipping pallets. It looks aesthetic and costly but can be built from old shutters and casters. Find the DIY here. Find out some fantastic apartment balcony garden ideas here 2....
In this roundup, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite butterfly bush varieties and where possible, have provided links to our trusted affiliates. The butterflies and other pollinators this plant attracts provide ample motivation to plant a row of Buddleia. But they offer more: sweet smelling, colorful, arching blooms that demand little from you as the gardener to maintain. There are over 160 cultivars of butterfly bush, in nearly every color of the rainbow....
Plants Did you find a plant with yellow flowers in your garden space, but aren't sure what it is? There's actually a chance it could be a weed that's sprouted yellow flowers! In this article, we take a look at some of the most common yellow flowered weeds to help you identify these plants and replace them with other plants for local pollinators. By Jason White Last updated: March 24, 2022 | 11 min read A weed with yellow flowers growing in the wild might provide happiness to a child, but not necessarily most gardeners....
Here are the best Cold Hardy Tropical Plants you can grow in your garden. The best thing about the plants we’ve listed is that most of them can be grown in containers too! Create a tropical garden oasis on a balcony with these ideas here Cold Hardy Tropical Plants 1. Bamboo Botanical Name: Bambusa vulgaris USDA Zones: 7-10 Minimum Cold Tolerance: 10 F or -12 C Bamboos grow best in warm climates....
