Favorite Shrubs for Southern Gardens Use flowering shrubs as single specimens for a focal point in the front landscape or as an attractive border that provides privacy. A shrub border may also block noise from street traffic or noisy neighbors. Take advantage of a mixed border to add all your coordinating favorites. Classic Southern Azalea In the Southeast, these sometimes-fragrant blooms are a staple in many beds and gardens. Azalea shrubs come in a variety of types and a range of colors....

Dormant oil sprays are used on fruit trees before the buds begin to swell and suffocate insects and their eggs nesting in branches. Using dormant oil on fruit trees doesn’t completely eliminate the problem with these pests, but it is the best way to cut off most of the population, leaving a simpler problem later in the season. Spraying of Dormant Oils What is dormant oil? It’s an oil based product, typically petroleum but can also be vegetable oil based, especially designed for use on fruit trees....

Why is my Schefflera Sticky? Scheffleras have gorgeous, large, glossy leaves arranged in a circle around a central stem. Each of the leaflets that make up the entire umbrella design can get up to 12 inches (31 cm.) long in mature plants. Indoor plants benefit from having the leaves dusted and it is during this activity that you may notice something new on the plant– sticky stuff on schefflera foliage. The culprits may be several sucking insect pests which deposit excrement called honeydew on their host plant’s foliage, creating sticky schefflera leaves....

What’s Wrong with My Strawberries? Strawberry plants produce nutritious, aromatic, sweet fruit. They vary in hardiness depending on the cultivar. Wild strawberries are hardy to USDA zones 5 to 9 while cultivated strains are hardy to USDA zones 5 to 8 as perennials and as annuals in USDA zones 9 and 10. You’ve probably purchased strawberries, put them in the refrigerator, and then a day or two later went to use them only to discover a white film on the strawberries....

One product of those efforts is the Sun Leaper tomato variety. Keep reading to learn more about Sun Leaper tomato care and how to grow Sun Leaper tomato plants. Sun Leaper Information Sun Leaper is a variety of tomato bred at North Carolina State University in an effort to develop more heat tolerant plants. In the university’s region, where summer night temperatures tend to reach a minimum of 70 to 77 degrees F....

About Sun Loving Houseplants There are many houseplants for sunny windows, and it is important to understand where to place these within your home so that they can do their best. You’ll want to avoid northern exposure windows since these do not typically get any direct sun at all. Eastern and western exposure windows are good options, and southern-facing windows would be the best option for sun loving houseplants. Remember to place your houseplants right in front of the window for best results....

What is a Swamp Azalea? Swamp azalea is also known as swamp honeysuckle and clammy azalea, the latter because the flowers secrete a substance that makes them moist. The flowers bloom well after the leaves have appeared and may be white or pink. This is a deciduous wetland shrub that thrives in moist soils and tolerates periodic flooding. Swamp azalea growth can be as much as 12 feet (3.6 meters) wide and up to about five feet (1....

Teacup Fairy Garden Ideas Even with limited skills, you can design a teacup garden that’s unique and expressive. To make traditional teacup mini gardens, begin by drilling a small hole in the bottom of a discarded teacup. Place one or more tablespoons of pea gravel in the bottom of the cup. Use the saucer as a drip tray. Next, fill the cup with good quality potting soil. Use a mix containing vermiculite, perlite or peat moss to facilitate drainage....

What is a Thryallis Plant? Thryallis (Galphimia glauca) is an evergreen shrub of medium size that produces yellow flowers year round. It thrives in sub-tropical climates, and in the U.S. is becoming more popular for hedging and ornamental use in South Florida. Thryallis grows to about six to nine feet (two to three m.) tall and forms a dense and compact oval shape. It can be used alone or alternated with other shrubs to create a variety of textures, sizes and colors in a hedge....

About Thuja Evergreens Trees and shrubs in the Thuja genus are fast-growing evergreens. They are more commonly known as arborvitae and feature dark green foliage. Some species develop bronze streaks in winter. While arborvitaes have lost some of their popularity with gardeners in recent years, the cultivar ‘Green Giant’ is an exceptional plant. A vigorous and beautiful evergreen, Green Giant (Thuja x ‘Green Giant’) grows rapidly into a pleasing pyramidal shape....

By keeping the grass in the lawn and out of garden beds, edging reduces the amount of time spent on lawn maintenance. The ideal lawn edging can be mown over easily or can at least minimize trimming needs. There are numerous lawn edging options to choose from, and they can be decorative or inconspicuous within the landscape. Types of Lawn Edging Lawn edging is a great way to help define borders, creating a barrier between the lawn and other areas of the landscape....

Growing Grass in Shade isn’t the Only Solution Growing grass in deep shade is next to impossible. Prune your trees as much as possible without hurting their health or shape to reduce shade. This will allow as much light as possible to reach the growing grass. In deep shade where tree pruning is impossible or ineffective, shade loving groundcovers such as English ivy, ajuga, liriope, or pachysandra may be a more attractive solution....

Preventing Melon Blossom End Rot This disease occurs when the end of the fruit that was attached to the bloom is deprived of calcium at a critical point in development. Small spots appear that may enlarge and become infected by other diseases and entered by insects. Preventing melon blossom end rot is something most gardeners aspire to. Blossom end rot in melons can be prevented by following these suggestions: Soil Testing Take a soil test before you plant the garden to learn the pH of your garden soil....

Toad Lily Flowers Toad lily flowers are often borne on upright, arching stems. Foliage varies with cultivar, as does the color of toad lily flowers, although most have the spotted appearance for which toad lilies are recognized. The toad lily plant grows taller in soils that are consistently moist. Tips for Toad Lily Care Tricyrtis hirta, the common toad lily, is most widely grown in residential gardens. Reaching 2 to 3 feet (61-91 cm....

Can You Plant Tomatoes with Potatoes? It seems logical that you could plant tomato plants next to potatoes since they are in the same family. It is okay to plant tomatoes near potatoes. The operative word here is “near.” Because both tomatoes and potatoes are in the same family, they are also susceptible to some of the same diseases. These solanaceous crops host fungi that cause Fusarium and Verticillium wilt, which spread throughout the soil....

Moving Crepe Myrtles If you plant a tree, you hope to put in in a “forever” location, where it can live out its life comfortably and in harmony with its surroundings. But life happens all around us, and sometimes these plans don’t work out. If you planted your crepe myrtles in a spot you now regret, you aren’t the only one. Crepe myrtles flower best in sun. Perhaps you chose a sunny site but now neighboring trees are throwing shade on the area....

Tree vs. Split Leaf Philodendron Before getting into how to repot a lacy tree philodendron, we must first explain the confusion often associated with growing these and split leaf philodendrons. While they look alike and sometimes go by the same name, these are two totally different plants. Split leaf philodendron plants (Monstera deliciosa), aka Swiss cheese plants, are characterized by the large holes and fissures that appear naturally in the leaves with exposure to the sun....

However, in zones 9-11, bougainvillea can grow outdoors year round, climbing and covering as much as you let it, taking only a short semi-dormancy break in early spring. Whether grown as an indoor or outdoor tropical vine, pruning a bougainvillea may seem like a daunting task, especially if you have the more common thorny types. Continue reading to learn how to prune bougainvillea. Trimming Bougainvillea Plants Bougainvillea is a deciduous, tropical vine, hardy in zones 9-11....

If you propagate the plant by taking cuttings, it is important to transplant those rooted cuttings at the correct time to give them the best chance of survival. Likewise, if you are thinking of moving a trumpet vine that is mature, timing is important. Read on for information on how to transplant a trumpet vine. Moving a Trumpet Vine Don’t get too worried about transplanting trumpet vine plants. The plants are very resilient, so resilient, in fact, that more people are concerned about their aggressive growth pattern than about them not doing well....

Eggplants from China tend to be elongated and deeply purple with glossy skin. They are excellent in stir fry and soup. They are quite easy to grow as long as they receive plenty of sun and heat. This article will provide information on how to grow Chinese eggplants and use them once harvested. Chinese Eggplant Information Although there may be more, a quick web search turned up 12 types of Chinese eggplant....