home sectionhome sectionAnthony Waterer spiraea is part of a family of easy-to-care-for deciduous shrubs. This variety grows to a height of 3 feet. During the summer, it is covered with domes of carmine-pink flowers with pink or cream-tinged leaves. Proper pruning will encourage your Anthony Waterer spiraea shrubs to flower vigorously.
Host plants for caterpillars provide an important link in the butterfly lifecycle. Caterpillars feed on the leaves, stems and flowers of certain plants, eventually pupating into butterflies. Plant larval food sources, and you attract and keep caterpillars and the resulting butterflies in your garden. Many caterpillar host plants also make an attractive addition to the garden. Providing a wide selection of host plants is important, as some caterpillar species dine on specific plants.
Aerva javanica is known by several names, including kapok bush, desert cotton, snow bush, Aerva persica and Aerva tomentosa. It is often grown as an herb or an ornamental shrub, but in Australia, it is considered a weed, growing wild across the northern portions of the country. Aerva javanica is grazed by animals, but only when other, more tasty plants are unavailable, according to The Australian Weed Committee sponsored by the Australian government. If you have Aerva javanica in your landscape, there are a few ways you can get rid of it.
Plants serve people in almost countless ways. In landscape design, besides providing beauty, sometimes plants are used to screen houses from each other or from unsightly elements such as light poles or utility meters. They can act as a fence or shield a window from view, adding privacy to a home. They can be placed as a screen against traffic, discouraging people or animals from crossing it. They can help buffer noise if a home is next to a busy street, and even serve as a windbreak in areas where there are frequent strong winds.
Over 120,000 species of moths are known to man. Moths are Lepidoptera, like butterflies. Moths come in a variety of sizes and colors, so though you may be certain that the gray-winged insect visiting your flower at night is a moth, a variety of identifying factors could reveal that it's a butterfly. Careful research and observation can help you properly identify the mysterious creature visiting your garden.
Tickseed (Coreopsis ssp.) is a hardy perennial that thrives in U.S. Department of Agriculture Zone 5 through Zone 9. Tickseed has composite flowers that are primarily yellow, although some have orange to red discs in the center, and they can have either single or double sets of rays. Tickseed self-seeds, blooms the first season and can sometimes become a nuisance. These long-blooming flowers can be encouraged to bloom even longer by trimming, or deadheading, any spent flowers.
More than 11,000 species of caterpillar occur in North America, according to entomologists at Auburn University; many of them host on oak trees. With such overwhelming numbers, it can be tough to determine which caterpillar is munching on your tree. A good description of the caterpillar, the type of oak and your location may be just the clues your need to solve the puzzle.
There are a variety of insects that attack trees and their leaves, making the tree more susceptible to disease problems and other health issues. Keeping trees free of serious insect problems helps protect the growth of the trees and ensures that they are capable of producing new growth throughout the spring, summer and into the autumn.
Woodferns (Dryopteris spp.) are the archetypal fern, characterized by long, soft fronds that arch gracefully outward. There are many Dryopteris species referred to as "woodferns," some of which are quite rare. Note that not all Dryopteris species are woodferns. As with all wildflowers, purchase your ferns from garden centers or mail-order sources, rather than collecting them from the wild.
Butterflies in their caterpillar, or larval, stage need specific plants for food. Butterfly species have different types of mouth parts that are suited to specific plants. A female butterfly knows instinctively which plants to lay her eggs on. The hatched caterpillars begin eating immediately. They may spend the entire caterpillar stage of their lives on one leaf or plant, eating enough to create their cocoon and become a butterfly. Individual species within larger categories of butterflies also choose specific plants for food.
The garden tiger moth and its caterpillar are vividly colored creatures once common in Europe but quite rare in North America. Numbers have also been declining in Europe since the end of the 20th century. The reason larval and adult forms have such striking colors is because they are toxic. The caterpillar can also sting.
A garden filled with hundreds of brightly colored butterflies is a beautiful, inspiring sight. Gardeners frequently plant a wide array of flowering plants known to appeal to these insects. Another aspect of hosting butterflies is to provide food for their larvae. Caterpillars have different plant requirements and preferences from adults, though often the plants that attract the adults also feed the young. By planting host plants for both young and mature butterflies, a steady supply of these attractive guests is assured.
Two species of cosmos are grown in gardens in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 5 through 10. Cosmos sulphureus is native to the U.S. and produces yellow, red or orange flowers. Cosmos bipinnatus is native to Mexico and blooms in pastels: lavender, white or pink. The culture for both species of cosmos is the same. Cosmos grow in poor soil in hot, dry locations, so they are considered low-maintenance garden annuals.
Lace bugs destroy evergreens and deciduous plants. As they feed on the underside of a leaf, they create large yellow spots on the leaf's upper side. This will impair blooming and may kill the plant. Lace bugs hatch in the late spring and begin feeding soon after. One way to kill lace bugs is to spray the plant's leaves with insecticidal soap.
A riparian buffer is a strip of vegetation between a water body and an area of human activity. Riparian buffers are able to improve and protect stream water by reducing erosion and filtering runoff from urban and agricultural uses. Additionally, buffers can provide a wildlife habitat and may be a source of income through government cost-share programs or specialty crops. Planting a riparian buffer requires a fair amount of assessment and planning, in addition to the physical site preparation and planting.
Tomato plant seedlings need to be transplanted before they are moved to the garden. The transplanting occurs in two stages. The first stage occurs when the first true leaves are formed while the other transplant is performed when the seedlings are 6 to 10 inches in height.
Lace bugs are insects 1/4 to 1/8 of an inch long that feed on azalea bushes. Gardeners may first notice their azalea bushes declining in health because of lace bug damage. It is important to get an early start on treatment because lace bugs can eventually cause the plants to die.
Orange algal growths are commonly observed on plants and other surfaces in warm climates. Leafy ferns may also be seen growing from tree branches in some climates, prompting concerns from gardeners about the health of the tree. Parasitic plants that can damage host vegetation do exist, and well-known examples include mistletoe and squawroot.
The bougainvillea is a showy, colorful and spreading plant that blooms year-round in warm climates. Unfortunately, bougainvilleas are somewhat vulnerable to a variety pests and diseases that may lead to decline or even death, particularly if a plant is improperly maintained or placed in a poor growing environment.
Ferns were the first plants to develop leaves, and evolved about 360 million years ago. Now there are approximately 12,000 species of ferns growing all over the world. Some ferns live in a symbiotic relationship with fungi. The fungi live on the roots of the fern and help them gather mineral nutrients.
Ferns are valued most for their ornamental characteristics. The landscape benefits from ferns, which improve soil fertility and help prevent erosion. The fronds and croziers of some ferns are edible.
Ferns are a popular choice for shade gardens and houseplants. Their delicate divided leaves store spores, which are their method of propagation. Botanists have identified 10,400 species of ferns in the plant division Pteridophyta. These varieties provide gardeners an endless selection of plants for gardening. In addition to gardening, researchers have discovered other uses for ferns, which may surprise you.
Numerous plants play host to the caterpillars of moths and butterflies. Each moth or butterfly species prefers to lay its eggs on certain plants so the caterpillars have an instant food source once they hatch.
Once vegetable seedlings begin to germinate in your garden, it may be difficult to distinguish one plant from another, especially if you forgot to label each section. The same challenge exists when searching among unlabeled seedlings at a nursery. Upon a closer look, once the plant has developed its first true leaves (cotyledons), you will notice each vegetable has its own distinctive shape and properties. It is important to identify seedlings, so you can meet specific care guidelines for each vegetable, such as spacing requirements. Also, you will want to distinguish vegetable seedlings from weeds, so you know which plants…
The ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center confirms Gerber daisies are safe for cats. These attractive flowers are also safe for dogs and horses, making them a perfect plant to add the hues of the rainbow to any garden.
According to ScienceDaily, the number of plant species in the world (approximately 380,000) outnumber mammal species (5,490) many times over, with those plants ranging from the tiniest leafy green to huge, tree-like growths. To fully understand the plant kingdom, teach yourself about plants and their basic parts. Utilize this topic as an opportunity to learn about plants on your own or study with industry experts.
It can be quite a challenge to identify whether you have a new garden plant or a weed sprouting up in your yard. Sometimes, they look similar. According to the University of Illinois Extension, there are several surprising weeds such as yews, phlox, yucca and wild violets. Though they may be attractive, they grow aggressively and choke out wildflowers and other native plants by stealing water, light and nutrients.
Common milkweed, known scientifically as Asclepius syriaca, is an invasive wildflower in North America, valued by conservationists and gardeners for its importance to the life cycle of the monarch butterfly. It is easy to buy and plant.
As far as adaptable, colorful plants go, you can do worse than the croton petra. The distinctive foliage generally grows well as an indoor plant or an outdoor shrub or hedge. You don't need to possess an ultra-green thumb either to make petras do well--just knowledge of basic plant maintenance and consideration of outdoor temperature should suffice. They also make great decor for hotels, since there are many colors to choose from and the colors often can remain vivid year-round.
Angel's Trumpets (Brugmansia and Datura) are tropical plants not to be confused with trumpet vines (Campsis), a winter hardy, invasive climber that also produces trumpetlike flowers. Brugmansia and Datura are cousins in the Solanaceae family. In order to identify the colors of the trumpets, you must first identify which genus of trumpet you have in your yard, because the different plants have different color schemes.
Nothing ruins an azalea faster than an infestation of azalea lace bugs. In large populations, these unwelcome visitors can wreak havoc on unsuspecting gardeners and landscapers. However, with the large number of insecticides currently available today, azalea owners can begin to fight back against these pests.
South Africa is known for its semi-desert and grassland areas, not a place you would think to find beautiful garden plants. Despite the dry, hot temperatures of the country, there are a large variety of plants that make up colorful and easy to grow gardens. South Africa holds 10 percent of the world's flowering plants, making it easy to develop gardens throughout the year.
The upper deck of a house is created to enhance a view and provide a light, airy place for rest and relaxation. If neighbors have windows or decks that overlook the upper deck of your home, you may need a privacy screen or barrier. Create one using potted plants, trees and foliage to maintain your view while staying out of sight of your neighbors.
Burdock, also known by the scientific name Arctium minus, is an ecologically invasive plant found along roadsides and in disturbed ground throughout the northern United States. A biennial, the burdock weed starts as a small rosette-shaped plant its first year then shoots up to 4 or 5 feet tall its second year. The common burdock's pink, thistle-shaped flowers of summer dry and drop spurred seeds that cling to fabric, animals' fur and plant material with tenacity, rapidly spreading new plant growth to other areas. The long, deep taproot and ease of seed distribution makes this noxious weed difficult to extinguish,…
Imagine your dream garden. Chances are that in addition to flowers, shrubs figure prominently. Whether your ideal garden is an informal country garden with heirloom plants or a classic garden with rows of neatly-trimmed hedges, shrubs can add beautiful and functional design elements. How you arrange the shrubs depends on the size available and the function of your garden. Knowing your soil conditions and sunlight patterns will also help in the selection of shrubs. All you need to begin is a vision of your garden.
The bougainvillea is a tropical or semitropical flowering plant that sports a profusion of papery blooms ranging from white to vibrant scarlet and purple. Over 300 varieties of bougainvilleas exist around the world. This attractive flowering plant is hardy to the mid-30s F, but frost or snow can kill it. Bougainvilleas need at least 5 hours of full sun daily in order to bloom well. Fond of humidity, the bougainvillea makes an attractive potted outdoor plant, which you can move indoors in the winter. But don't expect your bougainvillea to perform well if you grow it indoors year-round.
Homeowners with streams running through their property face a unique challenge. They are custodians of a piece of a watershed--a large area that carries water to rivers, lakes and eventually the sea. As custodians of streams, they have a responsibility to landscape them not only to integrate with their property, but to also protect their contribution to the watershed.
A fruit flies are brown, have red eyes, are equipped with clear wings and are smaller than a typical house fly, only growing to less than a third of an inch long. Identify a fruit fly, which can be found hovering around over-ripe or rotten fruit, with gardening information from a Florida plant enthusiast in this free video on fruit trees.
Stonecrop, or sedum, are flowers that come in different colors and are succulent. Identify stonecrop plants by their cactus-like blooms with help from a sustainable gardener in this free video on flower gardening and plant care.
May people turn to gardening as a relaxing hobby that beautifies the yard. Some garden as a source of food. Gardening, however, is a riskier hobby than you might think. Toxic plants commonly grow in gardens. These plants are poisonous to your children, your pets and yourself. For this reason, it's important to identify toxic plants.
Nobody wants their pet to ingest something dangerous, but its hard to know which plants are toxic for dogs, and which are safe. If your dog likes to chew on various plants in the backyard, your four-legged friend might be getting more than just extra roughage. Here's how to identify common garden plants that could poison your pet.
