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Trees & Houseplants : Home & Garden
How to Grow Pot Luck Cucumbers
Cucumbers are vigorous, successful summertime plants in home gardens, but can become quite large. These are vining plants that require plenty of space and a trellis or fence for growing, so aren't always well-suited for crowded gardens. The Pot Luck cultivar, though, maintains a small, compact form
Plants for Hot, Dry, Sunny & Sandy Soil
Vast areas of the United States offer gardeners little in the way of cooperation, thanks to hot, dry, sun-drenched climates and sandy soils. Some gardeners, however, have responded to the challenge by filling their water- and shade-starved landscapes with plants specifically adapted to hot, dry sand
How to Care for Raspberry Bushes
Raspberry bushes require little maintenance other than pruning, but the sweet, succulent summer fruit is a hard-won prize because it is picked from canes that bear fine thorns along with the berries. A raspberry plant is a long-lasting perennial, and its roots produce new canes every year. The canes
Muscadine Care
Muscadine grapes are simple to care for in the home garden and are relatively disease-free. You can make jelly, wine or pies out of these grapes, which grow well in the southern U.S. where winter temperatures don't often dip below 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Home gardeners won't require pesticides to pro
How to Replant Divided Hostas
Hostas are common plants in home landscaping that grow in circular clumps with large bushy leaves and can reach several feet in diameter. If you want to increase the number of hosta plants in your yard, it is possible to divide and replant divided hosta sections to propagate new plants. If you have
What Perennials Will Flower the First Year?
Perennial flowers such as coreopsis, verbena, penstemon, feverfew, Shasta daisy and lupine bloom the same year the seeds are planted. Perennial flowers stay in the garden year after year, returning, re-growing and spreading. Echinacea is a purple coneflower that blooms the year it is planted and is
How to Care for Pygmy Bamboo
Pygmy bamboo is a hardy but short bamboo that is only 12 inches high when fully grown. The deep green leaves of the pygmy bamboo make an attractive blanket of vegetation, so it is commonly used as ground cover. When cultivated outdoors, care must be taken to keep the pygmy bamboo population in check
Gifts With Dahlia Flowers
Dahlia flowers are beloved for their vibrant colors, long stems and bold shapes. Typically abundant in the summer, these flowers are a feature of many home gardens, and make a welcomed appearance at most retail floral shops during the warmer months. In addition to bringing pleasure to...
How to Kill Ants: Homemade
If you are concerned about spending money on expensive pesticides, homemade solutions exist for eradicating ants in your home. With a borax solution loaded into baits, you have a less expensive alternative to commercial varieties. Prepare several and place them in every room of your home where you s
How to Grow a Cactus in Zone 4
Perhaps you were an iguana in a previous life, or maybe you just love the desert and the wide variety of plants that grow in hot, arid environments. Even if you live in a northern clime, certain cacti are more tolerant of cold weather than you might imagine. And others can be grown as houseplants in
How to Grow Cubanelle Peppers From Seed
Cubanelle is a cultivar of Capsicum annuum, or chile de arbol, originating on the Caribbean islands. It is a sweet pepper similar in taste and appearance to poblano or guajillo chiles. The plant reaches 24 inches in height with a 24-inch spread, and it bears an abundant crop of fleshy, oblong fruit
The Philodendron's Light Requirements
Philodendrons are widely used houseplants grown for their large, succulent foliage. With more than 200 different varieties, philodendrons are among the easiest to grow of all indoor plants, cites the University of Rhode Island Extension. Philodendrons are broadly classified as climbers or non-climbe
How to Grow Passiflora for Incense
Passiflora or passionflower, is a flowering vine that produces vibrant purple flowers and oval, yellow to purple edible fruit. It grows quickly, reaching heights of 10 to 20 feet and can survive temperatures of 32 degrees Fahrenheit and below. Passiflora is a perennial, dying back in the winter and
Yucca Plant Care Instructions
Yucca is an evergreen shrub with distinctive sword-like leaves. Also known as the Spanish bayonet, yucca plants can grow up to 20 feet tall and produce clusters of white flowers. Growing best in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 through 11, the yucca is drought-tolerant plant of
How to Get Rid of Poa Annua Grass
Poa annua is a type of bluegrass that is considered an invasive weed species in many turf grasses. It is problematic for a bevy of reasons. The color of the blade is lighter than many other turf grasses making it difficult to blend in. It cannot perform well in summer heat causing die-back, thinning
Tips on How to Grow a Strawberry Begonia
A greenhouse is a good place for growing strawberry begonias.greenhouse image by Paulo Ribeiro from Fotolia.comA strawberry begonia is a small flowering plant that has rounded leaves on runners that form a cascading effect. This plant looks best in a hanging basket, though it can also be...
Environmental Landscaping Ideas for the California Foothills
The Sierra Nevada Mountains run along the Eastern border of California. The foothills on the western side of the mountains are a popular destination for people looking to live near some of the most beautiful mountains in North America. When landscaping a home or business in the foothills, you can ma
Wedding Ideas for Ivy Plants
Ivy adds a decorative accent to the base of a wedding cake.Comstock Images/Comstock/Getty ImagesIvy is traditionally thought to have protective qualities and is said to keep negativity at bay. It's evergreen nature signifies vitality, while it's strong clinging ability represents...
Bloom Time for the Common Boxwood
Common or American boxwood has been used in U.S. landscapes since colonial times. Plant boxwood to create formal hedges, topiaries or allow it to take its natural, rounded shape. The shrub grows between 5 and 10 feet high. It blooms in early spring, but the blooms are rather nondescript. Its main at
Yellowing Leaves on a Carolina Poplar
A cross between American Eastern cottonwood and the European black poplar, Carolina poplar (Populus x Canadensis) is a fast-growing, large tree that reaches 100 feet tall at maturity. The trees demand ample sunlight and moist, well-draining soil. Although a rugged, robust tree, it suffers from some