If you keep orchids, sooner or later they will need repotting. In most cases, repotting is necessary, not because the orchid has outgrown its container, but because the growing medium has started to decay and restrict the flow of air to the orchid's roots.
Sharpening Your Lawn Mower Blades
It's easy to spot dull or damaged lawn mower blades. Instead of cutting the grass cleanly, they rip it-leaving you lawn looking brown and ragged, and even worse, more susceptible to disease.
Plan-Ahead Projects for Next Year's Garden
Winter is a great time for planning, preparing, and organizing next year's garden. Here are some plan-ahead projects for the winter months that will help you get a jump on next year's growing season.
Colds, coughs and sore throats are among the most common seasonal complaints. Although coughing sounds unhealthy, it is actually the bodys highly effective way of keeping our lungs and airways clear.
Pomegranate plants (Punica granatum) are diverse in their growth habits. They can range from small shrubs to trees reaching 20-30 feet tall. Native to northern India and the Middle East, these fruiting plants are naturally adapted to growing in regions where winters are cool and summers are hot.
Greywater is domestic waste water from activities such as laundry, dishwashing, and bathing. Unlike sewage water (which is referred to as blackwater), greywater can be safely recycled for use in the landscape without the use of any special treatment systems.
Papaya plants are typically grown in the tropical and sub-tropical climates. In the United States, they are cold hardy to USDA Hardiness Zone 9, but they can also be grown as container plants indoors.
Quinces (Cydonia oblonga) are fruit trees related to apples and pears. They require a chilling period to flower (100 to 140 days below 45ºF), and can be grown successfully in cooler tropical climates as well as colder temperate regions.
Kiwi vines grow up to 28 feet long and produce brown, egg-sized fruits covered with a fuzzy skin. Inside the fruit is a soft, juicy green pulp and dozens of small, edible black seeds. Kiwi fruits are rich in vitamin C, E, and potassium.
Plants are truly amazing. They create the oxygen we breathe, provide us with food, beverages, clothing, products for shelter, and medicines. Botany is the scientific study of plants.
Award Winning Plants for the 2012 Growing Season
With all of the new plants being introduced to the gardening marketplace each year, it's hard to know which are worthy of your time and attention. Here are four award winning plants-proven performers in gardens around the country-to keep an eye out for in 2012.
Green beans are an easy garden crop to grow. They don't require shelling, because they are eaten pods and all. Commonly referred to as "snap beans" or "string beans", some cultivars may also be yellow in color (wax beans), or have purple-colored pods (purple beans). Varieties of green beans that grow on short vines are called "bush beans. Varieties that grow on long vines are referred to as "pole beans."
Gardeners love to grow beets because they mature quickly and they can be grown in almost any climate. They are rich in anti-oxidants, and although grown primarily for their sweet-tasting roots, they also produce a cap of delicious, edible greens.
Artichokes usually take more than 150 days to mature from seed and are highly sensitive to extremes of hot and cold-a narrow set of growing requirements that eliminates them from most gardens. What most gardeners don't realize is that with the right variety and the proper care, these large, perennial vegetables can actually be grown as annuals in many parts of the country.
When you make your own cleaning products, you avoid exposing yourself and your family to hundreds of harsh chemicals. You also protect the environment, and save money, too!
How to Make a Hummingbird Garden
Their iridescent, jewel-like colors and unique behaviors make hummingbirds some of the most fascinating birds we can attract to our gardens. Making a hummingbird garden is easy. All you need to do is get their attention with the right kind of foods.
If you garden in a warm climate, you may want to consider growing a lemon tree. Even if you live in a cool climate, there are several dwarf varieties available that grow well indoors.
Honeydew melons may have a long growing season, but they are an interesting crop to grow. Although you may not see gigantic yields when the harvest finally does come in, the rewards of tasting your sweet, homegrown melons will be well worth your efforts.
Choosing the Right Groundcover
Groundcovers are useful for covering large areas in the landscape. They can also be useful for solving specific landscaping problems, like replacing grass in shady locations, providing erosion control on steep slopes, and providing cover in spaces where it's difficult to mow.
Vegetables That Taste Better After Frost
Most of us scramble get our vegetables harvested before the first frost. But did you know that the taste of some crops actually improves after being touched by frost? That is because some plants react to cold temperatures by producing sugars-turning what might normally be a bitter flavor into something delicious and sweet.
In autumn, when many garden perennials are winding down for the season, asters are just getting started. Prized by gardeners for their brilliant late season color, here are some tips for growing them.
Homemade Suet for Backyard Birds
Birds have very high metabolisms and demand high amounts of energy to maintain their daily activities. Suet is a great way to help them replenish the energy stores lost during nesting, migration, and cold weather.
Garden Accents: How to Add Charm without Adding More Work
Accessorizing with non-living things like birdbaths, sundials, and garden stakes is an inexpensive way to add charm to your garden without creating any more work. Here are seven classic garden accents and some tips for incorporating them into your landscape.
Celery can be grown in just about any climate as long as you have the time and patience. Traditional trench-grown celery, which requires specific soil conditions and constant attention over a long growing season, has given this vegetable its demanding reputation. However, many of today's celery varieties are self-blanching and therefore much less labor-intensive and easier to grow.
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Organic Solutions for Powdery Mildew
If you garden long enough, sooner or later you'll find yourself dealing with powdery mildew problems. This common fungal disease can affect virtually all types of plants. Here are some ways to tackle the problem organically.
Tips For Drying And Storing Seeds
It is true that garden seeds germinate best when they are fresh. If dried and stored properly, some vegetable and flower seeds can remain viable for several years. Here are some tips for keeping them for as long as possible.
Azaleas are beautiful and versatile in the landscape. They come in a variety of shapes, colors and sizes, and have a wide enough hardiness range that even gardeners in the coldest of zones can enjoy growing them.
Basil is one of the most popular herbs in the home garden. Known for its strong, peppery flavor (with hints of licorice), and its striking ornamental foliage. Basil is as versatile in the landscape as it is in the kitchen.
