Layia Tidy Tips Info If you’ve not heard of tidy tips, you might be wondering just what they are. Tidy tips wildflowers are an annual flowering plant producing daisy-like blooms on a stout, succulent stem. As with other succulents, the stems of tidy tips wildflowers hold and disperse water as needed by the plant. This makes caring for tidy tips simple. Often, when growing tidy tips, you’ll find this annual flower lives on existing rainfall once established....

About Spilanthes The toothache plant is also known as eyeball plant and peek-a-boo plant in reference to its alien looking flowers. Resembling something akin to a daisy at first, upon closer inspection the blooms of Spilanthes toothache plant are shaped like yellow 1 inch (2.5 cm.) olives with a shocking deep red center– very much like those of a large mammal. Toothache plant is a member of the Asteraceae family, which includes asters, daisies, and cornflowers but with a truly unique flower and memorable numbing effect when ingested....

How to Plant a Lime Tree Many people choose to purchase a lime tree from a local nursery rather than grow them from seed (though they are very easy to grow from seed). Once you have purchased your lime tree, you will need to plant it. The steps for how to plant a lime tree are pretty much the same whether you plan on planting it in the ground or in a container....

Choosing Low Light Flowering Houseplants Low light indoor plants are an excellent way to add greenery, but what about color? A low light indoor plant with flowers is harder to come by, but not impossible. Here are some great choices for houseplants that bloom with little light: African Violets – These are among the best flowers for low light indoors. African violets can bloom almost continually year round if they are kept happy....

Easy to Grow Shrubs Most gardeners have, at one time or another, brought in an utterly beautiful plant only to find that it required daily nurturing. This gets old fast. Easy to grow shrubs tolerate a variety of growing conditions and are vulnerable to relatively few insect pests and diseases. Choosing Flowering Bushes When you shop for flowering bushes, low maintenance is important. Always take your hardiness zone and the size of the site into consideration....

Downy Mildew of Onion Crops Onions, garlic, chives, and shallots are all susceptible to being infected by the fungus that causes this type of downy mildew. The fungus overwinters in the soil in many locations, which means that it can become endemic in a garden or field, ruining crops year after year. The spores of the fungus spread and cause infection, especially in conditions that are cool, humid, and moist. Onions with downy mildew have leaves with irregular spots ranging from pale green to yellow to brown in color....

Echeveria Minima Information The wide variety of succulent forms, sizes, and colors ensures the group are a collector’s dream. Echeveria minima plants are perfect either alone in containers or as part of a group of showy succulents. These plants are not cold hardy but growing Echeveria minima outdoors during the spring and summer will give your patio a desert feel. At just 3 to 5 inches (8-13 cm.) tall, these succulents fit into almost any garden scheme....

Find out how to grow mistletoe for your own ready supply of kissing encouragement. Can You Grow Your Own Mistletoe Plant? Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that lives off another tree. Its favorite hosts are apple, hawthorn, lime, poplar, and conifers. The plants bear seeds inside the berries. They are best planted when fresh and harvested between March and April. Check their preferred host trees for caches of the berries....

Controlling mistletoe plants is extremely important in areas like northern California where the plant is a pest and colonizes production orchards. Mistletoe in Trees Mistletoe in trees steals nutrients and water from the host tree. The little shrub-like plant sends out root type organs, called haustoria, into the cambium of the tree and pirates the tree’s carbohydrate and moisture sources. Overall, this doesn’t harm the tree a great deal unless there are many mistletoe plants on it....

Help, My Wax Plant Won’t Flower Wax plants are lovely foliage plants that can be trained to a trellis or allowed to dangle. These exciting plants have glorious thick, shiny leaves that lead us to its common name. In good conditions, Hoya plants produce clusters of starry flowers, some of which have a sweet scent. Hoya plants need to be fully mature to flower. This typically means 5 to 7 years before you see the first bloom....

Pacific Northwest Native Pollinators Native northwest bees are champion pollinators, buzzing as they move pollen from plant to plant in early spring to late fall, ensuring the continued growth of a wide range of flowering plants. Butterflies aren’t as effective as bees, but they still have an important role to play and they are especially drawn to plants with big, colorful blooms. Bees The obscure bumblebee is native to the West Coast, from northern Washington to southern California....

Uses of Neem Tree Oil – Familiar primarily to organic gardeners in the United States, neem oil is made by pressing the oil-rich neem seeds. The oil is highly effective against a variety of pests, including: Aphids Mealybugs Fungus gnats Whiteflies It is also useful as a natural insect repellent and is often incorporated into shampoo, soap, lotion, and other skin care products. Additionally, the oil makes a great fungicide for issues like powdery mildew, black spot, and sooty mold....

Nierembergia Cupflower Information Cupflower Nierembergia is native to South America. Although cupflower is generally classified as an annual, it can be grown year round in USDA planting zones 9 through 11. Nierembergia cup flowers work well along a garden path or border, but this lovely little summer bloomer really shines in a container or hanging basket, which allows the flowers and feathery foliage to trail over the side of the container....

My Butterfly Bush is not Blooming There are a few reasons a butterfly bush will not bloom, most of them related to stress. One of the most common is improper watering. Butterfly bushes require plenty of water, particularly in the spring during their main period of growth. In the summer, they need steady watering during periods of drought. At the same time, the roots will rot very readily in standing water....

What is Orange Bramble Rust? Orange rust is a disease that can infect blackberries, black and purple raspberries, and dewberries. Red raspberries are immune. The disease is caused by two different species of fungus. One, Arthuriomyces peckianus, is more common in the northeastern U.S. and affects all the types of brambles listed above. The other, Gymnoconia nitens, is more common in the southern U.S. and mostly affects blackberries. Orange rust infection relies on very wet, relatively cool conditions....

About Orange Trees for Zone 9 Yes, citrus abounds in zone 9 and there are a number of reasons for this. First of all, in this thermal belt, weather is affected by both coastal and interior weather patterns. Dry, hot air is the order of the day, but cool, moist air is pushed inland from the coast. This results in hot summers with rare winter frosts. Zone 9 gardeners can look forward to a growing season that starts in late February and lasts through the month of December....

How to Prevent Bud Blast The causes of orchid buds dropping can be many. In nature, orchids grow on the tops of trees in a tropical environment. There are many types of orchids, so the best thing you can do is research the specific needs of your particular variety. Most need a lot of light and humidity and don’t do well in potting soil. The best way to prevent bud blast in orchids is to mimic their natural environment as closely as possible....

Pansy Orchid Growing Pansy orchid growing is mostly a matter of changing the plant’s environment to most closely resemble how its ancestors grew, with temperatures that aren’t too hot in the daytime and plenty of moisture to encourage floral growth. Study its habits throughout the year and you’ll learn how to grow a Miltonia orchid plant. These plants will bloom early in the spring and the flowers will last up to five weeks in most cases....

What to Do When Parsley Bolts By the time the parsley plant has gone to seed or bolted, it’s too late. The best idea is to learn how to keep parsley from bolting in the first place, or at least how to slow down the inevitable process. If your parsley plant is bolting, it will likely have not much left in it. Probably the best idea is to pull it up and replant....

What to Do With Pawpaws You may be new to pawpaw fruit or have a pawpaw tree in your backyard. Either way, pawpaw benefits transcend the culinary and their applications have the ability to skyrocket health. The most common pawpaw fruit uses are in recipes where their custard-like texture and mild tropical flavor enhance beverages, candies, pies, puddings, cocktails, and other dishes. The internet is filled with pawpaw fruit ideas, recipes of which your doctor would approve, and topical remedies that can save your pocketbook....