Wintering a Coleus Plant Overwintering coleus plants is actually quite easy. They can be dug up and overwintered indoors, or you can take cuttings from your healthy plants to make additional stock for next season’s garden. How to Keep Coleus Through Winter Given adequate light, coleus overwinters easily indoors. Dig up healthy plants in the fall, just before cold weather hits. Make sure you get as much of the root system as possible....

Oyama Magnolia Tree The Oyama magnolia tree (Magnolia sieboldii) is a large flowering shrub native to the understory of forests in Japan, China, and Korea. One of its common names is the Korean magnolia. It is a vase shaped shrub with gray bark, coarse textured oval leaves, and lovely flowers. The blossoms appear in late spring, as fragrant magnolia flowers that can grow to four inches (10 cm.) in diameter. They are followed by showy pink fruit with bright scarlet seeds....

Pastel Garden Ideas Pastel colors are soft and light tones of pink, purple, blue, green, orange, and yellow. In marketing, we often see pastel colors used for baby stuff because these colors remind us of softness, sweetness, and security. At 3 a.m. when the baby is fussy and fighting sleep, it will be much easier to lull him or her back to sleep surrounded by soft colors and lights. Pastel colors also adorn everything around Easter time to celebrate the start of spring....

What is a peachleaf willow? It’s not hard to identify peachleaf willows since they have leaves that look similar to the foliage of peach trees. Read on for peachleaf willow facts that describe this native tree. What is a Peachleaf Willow? Peachleaf willow trees are small to medium sized trees growing to 40 feet (12 m.) tall. Peachleaf willow facts tell us that these trees may grow with one trunk or several and produce pale twigs that are glossy and flexible....

Different Pear Varieties So what are some common types of pear trees? There are three main varieties of pear trees: European, Asian, and hybrid. European pear varieties are the most classic examples of the pears you buy in the store. They have a sweet, juicy quality and include: Bartlett D’Anjou Bosc They’re picked hard on the vine then ripened in storage. They are also, unfortunately, very vulnerable to fire blight, a bacterial disease that’s especially prevalent in the southeastern United States....

Pests in Southwest Gardens Here are some of the more common southwestern garden pests you may come across in this region: Palo verde beetles Adult paloverde beetles are huge black or dark brown beetles often measuring more than 3 inches (8 cm.) in length. The larvae, pale greenish yellow with brown heads, are even bigger. Mature beetles lay their eggs in the soil, near the base of trees and shrubs. As soon as the larvae (grubs) hatch, they get to work feeding on the roots of shrubs and trees such as rose, mulberry, olives, citrus, and, of course, palo verde trees....

Plane Tree Information London plane trees grow wild in Europe and are increasingly cultivated in the United States. These are tall, sturdy, easy-grow trees that can get to 100 feet (30 m.) tall and 80 feet (24 m.) wide. The trunks of London plane trees are straight, while the spreading branches droop slightly, creating graceful ornamental specimens for large backyards. The leaves are lobed like stars. They are bright green and huge....

Plant Toxicity in Sheep Any kind of livestock that goes out to pasture (including urban and suburban areas) and grazes is at risk for finding plants poisonous for sheep. The boundaries between rural and urban areas are blurring in some places, and this may put sheep at greater risk. Backyard sheep may encounter types of plants they wouldn’t normally see in a pasture that could be harmful to them. With sheep and poisonous plants, it’s best to be proactive....

How to Grow Dwarf Gardenia Miniature gardenia plants have the same care and site requirements of the larger varieties. Gardenias are native to tropical and sub-tropical regions, and as such have little frost tolerance and perform best in hot weather. Following expert tips on growing dwarf gardenias can help avoid common mistakes that can compromise plant health or blooming. Good gardenia care starts with proper installation and site. These shrubs prefer acidic soil with a pH between 5....

Do Succulents Make Good Groundcover? Trying to develop a no fuss area of the garden with weed resistant properties and a visual appeal? Need some plants that can tolerate neglect, thrive in drought, and cover an unsightly area? Try growing creeping succulent plants. Groundcover succulents might just be the answer you’re searching for. Using succulents as groundcover offers the gardener many benefits and opportunities. Not only are they forgiving, they are also adaptable and have a unique beauty not found in many other plant families....

When planning to do rock gardening, you want to make your rock garden plants and the rocks in the garden mesh with your home. The idea is to make the garden look natural. The more natural your rock garden plants look, the more attractive your rock garden will be to the onlooker. What are Some Good Plants for Rock Gardens? One thing to keep in mind with regard to plants for rock gardens is that most of the plants should be small in size....

Poinsettia Plant Toxicity Here’s the real truth about the toxicity of poinsettias: You can relax and enjoy these gorgeous plants in your home, even if you have pets or young children. Although the plants aren’t for eating and they might cause an unpleasant upset tummy, it has been proven time and time again that poinsettias are NOT poisonous. According to University of Illinois Extension, rumors regarding the toxicity of poinsettias have circulated for nearly 80 years, long before the advent of the Internet rumor mills....

Types of Juniper So many types of juniper exist that you are sure to find at least one perfect for your zone 9 garden. The types available in commerce range from low-growing junipers (about ankle height) to upright specimens as tall as trees. Short types of juniper serve well as groundcover and also offer erosion control on slopes. Medium-sized juniper shrubs, about knee-height, are good foundation plants, while tall and extra-tall types of juniper make good screens, windbreaks, or specimens in your garden....

Can You Grow Morning Glory in a Container? Since these plants can be a little wild once they get started, many people grow morning glory vines in pots to keep them contained. Not only can you grow morning glory flowers in a container, but it is recommended that you do so unless you have a large trellis or fence structure to run your plant along. Morning glories will eagerly wind their way around anything in their path and can sometimes take over other plants in your garden unless given a dedicated space....

Prepping Beds for Potatoes Properly preparing beds for potatoes is of primary importance. Neglecting potato bed preparation may result in inferior crops. Improperly prepared beds may be predisposed to soil compaction and poor aeration and drainage, three things that potatoes abhor. Consider what type of previous crop was in the bed. Be sure that any debris has been well composted and avoid planting in the area if it was recently planted with any other Solanaceae members (nightshade family) to reduce the risk of passing on bacteria or virus pathogens....

Predatory Thrips Identification For the most part, the bad guys look like the good guys, so predatory thrips identification might prove difficult. Another problem with identification is their size. Both types of thrips are only a half to three millimeters in length. This makes either type hard to spot. Banded thrips are black with white bands, while predatory black hunter thrips are dark brown to black with white wings. The beneficial six-spotted thrip looks like its name while the Franklinothrip is only found on avocado plants and has an unremarkable appearance....

About Quince Tree Propagation Before we go any further, there’s one important question: Which quince are we talking about? There are two very popular plants in circulation, and they both go by the name “quince.” One is known for its flowers, one for its fruit. They’re not closely related, but by a twist of fate, they both go by the same name. What we’re here to talk about is fruiting quince, Cydonia oblonga, which can be propagated by seed, cuttings, and layering....

Queen Palm Cold Damage The queen palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana) is a majestic tropical tree that can grow up to 50 feet (15 m.) in height. It is easily damaged by temperatures below 25 degrees F. (-3 C.). Winterizing queen palm trees that are at their mature height is nearly impossible. Smaller specimens can be protected from light freezes and snow. If exposure is brief, queen palm cold damage may be recoverable....

They are also prone to rotting if ranunculus bulb storage is not done properly. Learn how to store ranunculus so you can enjoy their brilliant colors and prolific displays of tissue paper-like blooms. When Do You Dig Ranunculus Bulbs? Bulb and tuber storage is not necessary in some zones, but if you have a tender variety, it would be a sin not to try and save them for the next year....

Yes, I do know that I compromised my rhubarb harvest by diverting energy into producing flowers and seed rather than actual edible stalks. Hey, I enjoyed a splendid show of flowers though and now have a rhubarb seed collection for planting more rhubarb next year! So, if you’re feeling rebellious, read on to learn more about how to collect rhubarb seeds and when to harvest seeds from rhubarb! How to Collect Rhubarb Seeds You could always obtain rhubarb plant seeds from your local seed supplier but saving rhubarb seedpods from your garden is much more gratifying....