About Gardens and Hospice Hospice is end-of-life care designed to ease the passing of patients that have six months or less to live. Hospice is not only about palliative care but is also a philosophy of care that not only eases patient’s pain and symptoms but attends to their emotional and spiritual needs as well as those of their loved ones. The whole idea is to maximize the patient’s quality of life while at the same time tending to and preparing the patient for their impending death....

What is a lean-to greenhouse? Also known as a wall greenhouse, a lean-to greenhouse design takes advantage of an existing building, usually the house, by using it as one of the walls in its construction. Usually built on the east or south side of a house, a lean-to greenhouse extends out from a building, trapping in a small bit of perfect growing environment, despite the weather outside. Lean-To Greenhouse Plants and Design You can build your own lean-to greenhouse very frugally using found or salvaged materials, or spend more money to purchase a ready-made kit....

What is a Long Keeper Tomato? Long Keeper tomatoes are storage tomatoes grown specifically to be stored so they can be enjoyed in the early winter. While there are not many to choose from, there are several varieties of storage tomatoes. These include the Red October, Garden Peach, Reverend Morrows, and Irish Eyes Long Keeper. Long Keepers are a semi-determinate tomato that takes 78 days to harvest. The fruit is harvested before frost when it is a pale blush and stored at room temperature until ripened into a red orange about one and a half to three months post-harvest....

What is Miniature Narcissus? Miniature narcissus is just another name for a dwarf daffodil variety. Like regular-sized daffodils, they grow from fall planted bulbs and bloom in spring. The size of a dwarf daffodil depends on the variety, but generally they grow 4 to 6 inches (10-15 cm.) tall with flowers that are just one and a half inches (4 cm.). Some mini daffodil varieties to try include: Baby Moon: This variety produces cheerful yellow flowers that look like a classic daffodil....

Monk’s Hood Cactus Info There are numerous smaller succulents available today that weren’t available just a few decades ago. Plant breeders and collectors have been busy developing new species or breeding more of harvested wild species. This makes the selection for home gardeners broad and introduces us to monk’s hood cactus. It is endemic to the central Plateau of Mexico but is now widely found as a houseplant. Monk’s hood has interesting geometric form from all angles....

What is a Protectant Fungicide? Protectant fungicides are sometimes also called preventative fungicides. Like the name suggests, these are meant to be applied before a fungus takes hold, as they create a protective barrier that stops infection before it starts. These can be effective before a fungus is present, or when a fungus is present but has not yet entered the plant. Once your plant is already showing symptoms of infection, it’s too late for protectant fungicides to have an effect....

About Fringepod Seeds This plant is native to central areas of Northern California and Oregon. Official fringepod info says not enough people are aware of this attractive specimen. It appears to be somewhat rare when searching for seeds. Fringepod seedpods rise above a mound of tall racemes on delicate stems. Flowering, then turning to seed from March to May in California grasslands and meadows, the wildflower grows best in part sun areas....

If you’ve never heard of stacked garden beds, read on. We’ll give you the ins and outs of stackable raised beds as well as stack garden planters. Stacking Garden Beds Raised beds are extremely helpful when your own garden soil isn’t particularly fertile or is difficult to work. By adding a raised bed on top, you can save yourself the trouble of digging down so far in the bed, and give your crops a top layer of rich, well-draining soil....

What is a Tabebuia Tree? There are over 100 types of trumpet trees in the genus Tabebuia. Some can get up to 160 feet (49 m.) tall, but most are smaller trees of only 25 feet (7.5 m.) or less. They may produce multiple trunks or form a single leader stem. The flowers are a spring spectacle with 1 to 4 inch (2.5 to 10 cm.) wide blooms that hang in clusters....

What is an Elaiosome? An elaiosome is a small structure attached to a seed. It consists of dead cells and a lot of lipids, or fats. In fact, the prefix “elaio” means oil. These small structures may have other nutrients as well, including proteins, vitamins, and starch. Although it is not quite accurate, some people call seed elaiosomes arils. Why Do Seeds Have Elaiosomes? The main elaiosome function in seeds is to aid dispersal....

What is Birdsfoot Trefoil? Birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) is a plant with several agricultural uses. At least 25 varieties are available. Buying seeds from a local supplier ensures that you get a good variety for your area. For farmers, birdsfoot trefoil uses include: crop for cutting as hay livestock forage crop cover crop plant Home gardeners grow birdsfoot trefoil as a cover crop. There are some advantages to growing this uncommon plant instead of traditional cover crops such as alfalfa and clovers....

What Does Cow Parsnip Look Like? Cow parsnip (Heracleum lanatum) is easy to confuse with several other plants in the carrot family. Some of these plants can actually be dangerous, so identification is extremely important. What is cow parsnip? It is an herbaceous, flowering wild plant that develops umbels of tiny, white flowers in a cloud atop tall stems. The plants that are similar also develop the same umbels and have similar forms....

What Causes Little Cherry? If you are wondering what causes little cherry disease (LCD), the pathogens have been identified as three different viruses. They are believed to be spread from tree to tree by mealybugs and leafhoppers. They can also be spread by propagation and grafting. All three pathogens of this disease occur in the Pacific Northwest, among other locations. They are identified as: Little Cherry Virus 1, Little Cherry Virus 2, and Western X phytoplasma....

What is Sedum acre? Sedum acre‘s common name, goldmoss, is about as explanative as you can get. It is a low-growing groundcover that tumbles gleefully over rocks and other objects in the garden. The European native has become popular in North America primarily for its adaptability and ease of care. Gardeners know that caring for Sedum acre is a breeze and the sweet little plant has the ability to accent many other types of flora....

Tomato fruit set occurs when the flowers of the tomato plant are pollinated. This pollination usually happens with the help of wind or insects. However, sometimes the conditions for pollination are not conducive to fruit set. Luckily, for gardeners whose tomato plants are struggling, there are some options, like tomato hormone spray, to help encourage tomato fruiting. What is Tomato Set Spray? Failure to set fruit commonly occurs early in the growing season when temperatures are still cool....

What is Yangmei Fruit? Yangmei fruit trees are evergreens that produce purplish round fruit that looks somewhat like a berry, hence their alternate name of Chinese strawberry. The fruit is actually not a berry, however, but a drupe like cherries. That means that there is a single stone seed in the center of the fruit surrounded by juicy pulp. The fruit is sweet/tart and high in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. The fruit is often used to make healthy juices as well as being canned, dried, pickled, and even made into an alcoholic wine-like beverage....

What is Barnyardgrass? Barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-gallia) likes moist soils and grows in both cultivated and uncultivated areas. It is often found in rice, corn, orchard, vegetable and other agricultural crops. It can also be found in moist turf areas and marshes. This grass propagates by seed and grows in clumps where it roots and branches at the lower joints. Mature plants reach up to 5 feet in height. Stems are smooth and stalky and flat near the base of the plant....

Help! Why is My Watermelon Plant Not Producing? There may be a couple of reasons for no fruit set on watermelons. First of all, it’s a good idea to go over how to plant watermelon to eliminate any mistakes. You’ll want to choose the variety of watermelon to plant. They come in all different sizes, from 3 pounds to over 70 (1-30 kg.) and with red to yellow flesh. A couple of the big boys are Jubilee, Charleston Grey, and Congo while smaller, globe shaped melons include Sugar Baby and Ice Box....

What Causes Brown Edges on Leaves of Plants? When there are whole brown leaves on a plant, this can indicate several dozen problems; but when just the sides or tips of the leaf turn brown, there is only one problem– the plant is stressed. Most commonly brown leaf tips or brown edges on leaves are caused by the plant not getting enough water. There are several reasons why this may happen....

If you want to know how and when to fertilize this plant, read on for tips on feeding crepe myrtles. Crepe Myrtle Fertilizer Needs With very little maintenance, crepe myrtles will provide brilliant color for many years. You will need to start by siting them in sunny spots in well-cultivated soil and then fertilizing crepe myrtle shrubs appropriately. Crepe myrtle fertilizer needs depend on a large part on the soil you plant them in....