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Just as other flowers are drooping and loosing their blossoms, Mother Nature puts on a brilliant display with garden mums (Dendranthema grandiflora) in the fall. These flowers, also known as chrysanthemums or hardy mums, offer autumnal colors such as red, rust, orange and yellow, as well as lavender, cream and even chartreuse. Landscaping with mums involves planting and raising them under the best conditions for rewarding results in the fall.
Clivia miniata, or kaffir lilies, are large perennial flowering house plants native to South Africa. English and European growers first discovered them during the 1800s when explorers sent samples from Africa to Europe. Gardeners and homeowners cultivated them widely during the Victorian era. In 2011, enthusiasts grow these plants around the world for their attractive blossoms.
Arboricola plants are also known as umbrella plants and are common houseplants. You may notice several ailments from your plant, including yellowing leaves or a sticky white film. Both of these conditions have two different causes but are typically correctable.
Bayberry trees grow without cultivation, and you may find one growing on your property. Best known for its smell, which is used in candles and many other products, bayberry is an attractive landscaping plant. Bayberry, Morella pensylvanica, is a large shrub or small tree that grows in USDA hardiness zones 3 to 7. The shrub grows well in many soils, from sand to clay, and it drought-tolerant. Identify bayberry trees in the wild to observe them in their native habitat.
Junipers are common ornamental evergreen plants for the home landscape. They have a variety of uses, are very easy to care for and are seldom bothered by pests or disease. Bagworms are moths whose eggs overwinter in bags or cocoons and hatch in spring. The larvae build bags of their own, which they haul around behind them as they feed. In late summer the larvae sew up the bag and pupate for several weeks, emerging as adults. The cocoons or nests the insects make are bags made up of old plant material. As such, the bags resemble parts of the…
Growing houseplants in dark corners of the home allows the indoor gardener to brighten these dim spaces. Not all houseplants thrive in low-light conditions. Signs a plant suffers from insufficient light include sparse new growth, lower leaf loss, and pest and disease problems. Successfully growing houseplants in dark corners requires choosing indoor plants that remain healthy, despite limited lighting.
Redbuds (Cercis spp.) are deciduous members of the pea family and grow as shrubs or trees. The plants are favored for their spring-blooming, fragrant clusters of pea-like flowers in shades of pink and purple that appear on the tree even before the foliage. The flowers are followed by bean-like pods. The redbud tree is likely to be bothered by a number of pests, including bagworms.
Despite the popularity of Japanese holly, the shrub regularly suffers from the most disease problems of any of the hollies, according to North Carolina State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The fungus black root rot (Thielaviopsis basicola) and a variety of nematodes regularly plague the bush. Leaf spotting fungi and root rot can also occur on evergreen Japanese holly shrubs.
While tomato plants need ample sunlight to thrive and produce fruit, they also require some darkness to ensure that they grow normally. Darkness is necessary for some of the plant's growth processes.
Paperwhites are members of the narcissus or daffodil family. Unlike other daffodils, though, their bulbs are tender and can not stand cold weather. Paperwhites are often grown indoors and are easy bulbs to "force" into bloom any time of the year. Paperwhites are often discarded after flowering, but they can be preserved so they'll bloom again the next year. In addition, you can help prolong their flowering time while the paperwhites are in bloom.
Andrographis grows in many parts of Asia. Also known as Indian ginseng, it has a long history of use for an eclectic mix of purposes. Best known for boosting the immune system, WebMD says claims that it put the brakes on the 1919 flu epidemic in India remain unproven. Research does support some of its purported uses, but many suggested uses do not have any scientific backing behind them.
Squash blossoms signal the growth of new juicy squash fruit. Most squash varieties have similar-looking flowers. Popular species in American gardens include the summer squash or zucchini and the pumpkin. The flowers of several squashes make a tasty fried treat or extra ingredient in salads. Squash blossom identification is based on their distinctive yellow color, shape and the time of year you're likely to see them in the garden.
Andrographis (Andrographis paniculata), also called "The King of Bitters," is an annual herb that is native to India. Still, it can be grown in poor or rich soils in other climates where the growing season lasts between 90 and 120 days. Multibranched stems bearing green leaves and pinkish flowers grow to a height of 2 to 3 feet. Used for centuries as one of the main ayurvedic herbs, all parts of andrographis plants can be used to treat various conditions.
Also ambiguously called sword fern, the Boston fern is a specific cultivar of Nephrolepis exaltata called "Bostoniensis." Tolerant of the low light and humidity in homes and offices, the Boston fern endures as a classic indoor plant. It also will grow outdoors in a container or in the ground as long as the weather never drops below freezing.
Holly bushes belong to a large family of deciduous or evergreen plants that also includes trees. Hollies are commonly identified by their toothed or spiny leaves. A fungal infection can lead to yellowish or white growth on leaves.
Either a cool season perennial or annual, ryegrass (Lolium spp.) flourishes when grown as a pasture, turf or lawn. Grown from seed, ryegrass is directly sown on to the soil's surface or overseeded onto warm-season grass varieties to produce winter color.
Andrographis and herbal formulas that include andrographis are perhaps best known for their potential to treat or prevent the common cold. You might take andrographis for a variety of other health purposes as well, but you should talk with your doctor beforehand.
Squash blossoms do not just produce tasty fruit; plucked and stuffed with cheese they are a treat to eat. When growing squash plants in a rainy area, keep an eye on your blossoms for infection by the mold Sclerotinia.
Holly bushes (Ilex spp.) come in hundreds of evergreen or deciduous varieties. The holly plant group also contains trees, which grow anywhere between 1 and 50 feet tall. Declining hollies are likely to be suffering from a fungal infection.
Mold can occur in areas of the home where moisture, heat and lack of adequate ventilation create the conditions that mold needs to grow. Outdoors, mold plays a part in decomposing organic materials and recycling their nutrients, but indoors, mold can be trouble. Homeowners should be vigilant in inspecting their homes for mold growth, which can cause health effects such as asthma, respiratory infection, allergic illnesses and toxic poisoning in some individuals, according the State of North Carolina Public Health.
The home gardener pays particular attention to providing sufficient light for germinating seeds, growing healthy seedlings and keeping plants lush, green and flowering. Plants need more than the right kind of fluorescent light or the latest LED grow-light, however. Many plants need downtime, an absence of light, to begin seasonal growth or to produce fruit or flowers.
Zucchini is a popular and easy-to-grow vegetable from the cucurbit family. The warm-season vegetable grows on compact vines and is ready to harvest in 50 days after germination. Blossom rot is a disease common to all cucurbits including zucchini.
Darkness causes some plants to curl up until morning. For others, like most daylilies, darkness signals the close of a brief, day-long bloom and the end of the flower. But for the night bloomers, after dark is the time to shine. Where a plant lives in relation to the equator and the poles determines its growing season, rate of growth and often, size, all related to hours of darkness and light.
Whether you are growing your own potatoes or choosing them from a store, certain details about the potato such as color, texture and appearance will help you determine if the potato is ripe. If you know what qualities to look for, picking out the ripe potatoes will be simple and quick.
Spathiphyllum is an excellent choice for dimly lit areas. One of its common names, closet plant, comes from the fact that it thrives in very little light. Other common names include peace lily and Mauna Loa.
Boston ferns were used as houseplants in the 19th century, but the native habitat of the fern is in swamps and forests of Florida. Boston ferns also are found in Mexico, Africa, Polynesia, and Central and South America.
Bagworms, or Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis, are larval moths. Bagworms prefer to attack juniper, pine and cedar, but they also infect deciduous trees. Heavy bagworm infestations cause severe plant damage or death.
Plants require specific conditions for proper growth and development, including soil with the correct nutrients, adequate water, proper temperatures and varying amounts of sunlight. Many plants continue growing when exposed to constant lighting, but they still grow best when allowed a period of darkness every day.
Blossom rot is a problem that affects squash and tomatoes. Although troubling, this problem is preventable and treatable. Blossom rot is not the same as blossom drop, in which flowers do not get pollinated and drop from the plant. Blossom rot affects the plant after fruit begins to form.
Clivia miniata is native to eastern South Africa. It is an attractive winter-blooming plant that is difficult to propagate, but once it gets started, it is easy to grow and care for.
When reading a book in the dark, you may choose to use an LED reading light. The general style of the LED reading light consists of one small LED bulb, which can provide enough light for you to clearly see the page that you are reading without any dimness.
Sugarcane is a tall tropical grass, a species of Saccharum and in the Gramineae family, that originated in Asia. First cultivated for sugar in the middle ages, the sugarcane now supplies more than 70 percent of the world's sugar.
The plant commonly known as the sago palm, is actually not a palm at all, but rather a cycad. Cycads are one of the oldest plant varieties in the world, and are thought to have covered most of the Earth’s surface during the Mesozoic period. The most common of these cycads today is the Japanese sago, also known as the Sago palm, because of its palm-like appearance.
Mildew can grow anywhere if you do not take precautions to prevent it. Mildew will show up even inside something as secure as a wall safe. All this blotchy pest needs to flourish are a few basic conditions of temperature and humidity.
Grow indoor plants successfully in dark rooms by choosing varieties that thrive in low light. The houseplant experts at the University of Illinois tell us that low-light conditions for plants are defined as follows: a few feet away from a north-facing window, 3 to 10 feet from an east- or west-facing window, and 15 to 20 feet away from one that faces south.
Paperwhites are a type of daffodil (Narcissus spp.). There are 50 different species of daffodil. The botanical name for the paperwhite species is Narcissus tazetta. Due to the high number of narcissus species, horticulturalists have divided them into 13 different groups, categorizing them according to the different characteristics of each group. Paperwhites are in Division 8.
Holly bushes belong to the Ilex plant family, which has nearly 400 different varieties. The shrubs have prickly edged, dark-green, shiny foliage and red berries. The fruit is not edible by humans but is a favorite with small mammals and birds. Holly bushes range in size from 1 to 70 feet and grow in full sun and well-drained, acidic soils. The majority of problems with holly bushes are due to fungi. Holly shrubs are also susceptible to temperature fluctuations and iron deficiency.
If you're looking for an attractive live plant to spruce up a dark corner of your home, you need to select a plant that can grow in semi-darkness. Not all plants can thrive in low-light conditions--many will weaken or refuse to bloom when faced with a lack of sunshine. But some species of plants do adapt to or even prefer semi-darkness. Chinese evergreens, dracaenas and peace lilies all grow well in semi-dark conditions.
Many types of plants grow indoors, but some of them need more light than others. If you want to grow a plant in a room that gets little natural sunlight, and not much in the way of bright fluorescent light, either, you'll have fewer options. But you can find some plants that will thrive in a dark room.
Cryptomeria japonica, also known as the Japanese cedar, is considered one of the most beautiful and useful plants in Asia. It has been in use for centuries in construction, furniture making, decoration and planting. Cryptomerias have only the one genus, but many varieties have been derived from the original strain to form completely new looking plants.
Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) is also referred to as cottage ivy, Japanese ivy, Boston creeper and Japanese creeper. Boston ivy is a deciduous vine with dark green leaves which turn red during fall. The plant also bears bluish berries in the fall. Boston ivy is popularly used to cover building walls and fences. The vine grows well even in poor soils and thrives in sun or shade. Boston ivy is a native plant of Japan.
Fraser fir, scientific name Abies fraseri, also known as the Southern balsam fir or Southern fir, is a medium-sized tree that is loved for its scenic beauty in the southern United States, where its primary role is to protect local watersheds. It is an important species for protecting shade-loving undergrowth in high-altitude forests.
Bayberry bushes are tough, hardy plants that have pleasantly scented foliage and berries. Colonial Americans used the berries to add scent to candles for use during special occasions such as Christmas, since collecting and rendering the berries was a big job. Bayberry plants are native to the continental United States and grow vigorously along the eastern coast and throughout the south. The Pacific Bayberry, also called the California Wax Myrtle, is native to Canada, Washington and Oregon. Bayberry shrubs are known by a variety of common names such as candleberry, tallow shrub, waxberry and tallow berry, all of which seem…
Korean ginseng is one of only two true ginsengs (the other is American ginseng). Of all the plants called "ginseng," this is the one most prized by the Chinese. The root of the plant has been used as a healing herb for more than 7,000 years. In China, the ginseng root is called Jin-chen ("like a man") since the shape of the root sometimes resembles the human body. The plant is also referred to as Panax, Asian or Chinese ginseng.
