What is an Etrog? The origin of etrog, or yellow citron (Citrus medica), is unknown, but it was commonly cultivated in the Mediterranean. Today, the fruit is primarily cultivated in Sicily, Corsica and Crete, Greece, Israel and a few of the Central and South American countries. The tree itself is small and shrub-like with new growth and blossoms tinged with purple. The fruit looks like a large, oblong lemon with a thick, bumpy rind....

Are Eucalyptus Trees Flammable? Eucalyptus trees are widespread in California and have been introduced to many other warm states. In California, the trees have spread so prolifically that there are entire woodlands almost completely made up of gum trees. Efforts are underway to eradicate the introduced species and return woodlands to their native species. This is because the eucalyptus has displaced natives and it changes soil composition where it grows, altering other life forms as it does so....

How to Take Care of Lawns in Fall Fall lawn care is critical to a maintaining a beautiful front yard. You’ll need to change the cultural care you offered your grass in summer to fit the new season and the lawn’s needs. Here are some lawn care tips for the fall: Watering – When you are caring for autumn lawns, watch your irrigation. With the dry, hot summer behind you, your lawn needs less to drink....

Farfugium Leopard Plant Info Leopard plant is native to Asia. Some cultivars sport variegated, leopard-spotted leaves, thus the descriptive name. Small, daisy-like flowers atop 3- to 4-foot (1 m.) stems appear in late November or early December. However, much like hosta, some gardeners pinch the spiky blooms to direct energy to the leaves. Leopard plant is evergreen in USDA plant hardiness zones 7 through 10, but the plant dies down if temperatures drop below 30 F....

How to Fertilize a Norfolk Island Pine Tree Norfolk pine trees don’t require a lot of fertilization. If you are lucky enough to be able to grow these trees outdoors, they should be able to take care of themselves, especially once they have become established. If your tree is in a container, however, it will benefit from some regular feeding. Norfolk pine trees have a very regular growing schedule – they grow in the summer months and they are dormant in the winter....

Fig trees need winter protection in areas where the temperatures will drop below 25 degrees F. (-3 C.). There are two types of fig wintering that can be done. The first is fig tree winter protection for fig trees in the ground. The other is fig tree winter storage for trees in containers. We’ll look at both. Ground Planted Fig Tree Winter Protection If you live in a colder climate and you’d like to try to grow figs in the ground, winterizing a fig tree properly is especially important to your success....

What are Fig Nematodes and What Do They Do? Nematodes are microscopic roundworms that live in the soil and feed on the roots of plants. While some nematodes are actually beneficial, there are many that damage or even kill the plants they infest. There are several species of nematode that can infest fig roots, including dagger nematodes, lesion nematodes, and ring nematodes. By far the most common and the most dangerous, however, are root knot nematodes....

How to Grow Flashy Butter Oak Lettuce Plants Lettuce ‘Flashy Butter Oak’ is a cool weather plant, ready to pick about 55 days after planting. You can harvest baby lettuce or wait a couple weeks longer for full heads to develop. Flashy Butter Oak lettuce plants grow in nearly any type of moist, well-drained soil. Add a generous amount of compost or well-rotted manure a few days prior to planting. Plant Flashy Butter Oak lettuce as soon as the ground can be worked in spring....

What is Fritillaria Michailovskyi Plant? Known as Michael’s flower, this plant is a fall bulb that blooms in the spring. It is a perennial belonging to the same family as lilies and native to Turkey. Each plant grows to about 8 or 10 inches (20-25 cm.) in height and 5 to 7 inches (13-18 cm.) across. The foliage of Michael’s flower fritillary is long and narrow, grass like, and a gray green color....

Planting Fruit Trees in Zone 7 Gardens In any hardiness zone, fruit trees require rich, fertile soil that drains well. Pests and diseases of fruit trees can vary somewhat from zone to zone, as certain pests and diseases thrive in specific conditions. However, trees that are properly planted, watered and fertilized are better able to withstand disease and pests. Just like a herd of gazelle being stalked by lions, the young, weak or sick are usually the first to fall victim....

Uncommon Names of Plants That Will Make You Laugh Here are a few funny plant names that will make you laugh, and we promise they’re all G-rated. Shaggy Soldier (Galinsoga quadriradiata): This is a fast-spreading, weedy plant. The pretty, daisy-like flowers of shaggy soldier have white petals and golden centers, thus the alternate name of Peruvian daisy. Butcher’s Broom (Ruscus aculeatus): Butcher’s broom displays tiny, greenish white flowers on leafless stems....

Garden Color Wheel Tips Like a painter, using color theory is very helpful in the planning stage. To create your own horticultural masterpiece, it helps to keep in mind a garden color wheel to help train the eye to use flower color combinations effectively. The easiest way to use a color wheel is to visualize all the primary colors of the rainbow – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet – in a pinwheel formation....

Are you intrigued? Let’s explore some ideas for making money from gardening. How to Make Money Gardening Here are some garden money-making tips and ideas to get you started, many of which require nothing more than your own personal gardening experience: Grow microgreens for selling to vegan/vegetarian restaurants or grocery stores. Sell herbs to restaurants or specialty grocery stores. Sell cut flowers to farmers’ markets or florists’ shops. Sell garlic for eating or planting....

Yoga and Gardening – How it Can Help There are many documented benefits of yoga, some of which you’ll feel right away, while others come with regular practice. Yoga can help strengthen muscles, improve flexibility, lower blood pressure, improve circulation, increase mobility, and relieve stress or depression. For gardeners, one of the most important benefits of yoga is pain relief. Yoga is known to relieve lower back pain, arthritis pain, and all kinds of chronic pain....

Almanacs contained a wealth of information, including weather guides and tips for farmers. What advice do Poor Richard’s Almanack quotes give us about gardening? Benjamin Franklin Facts Many of us think of Benjamin Franklin as a statesman who helped steer the United States of America in its early years. But before that, he was a printer, owner and operator of the Benjamin Franklin Print Shop. His greatest business success came from Poor Richard’s Almanack, written under the pseudonym of Richard Saunders....

If you don’t have access to gardening groups where you live, you can still enjoy gardening with friends. Exploring new ways to invite friends in the garden will help to further create a growing environment that truly thrives – in more ways than one. Gardening with Friends Gardens and friendship often go hand-in-hand. It is fairly obvious that fellow growers will be eager to share tips and techniques learned throughout the years....

Garlic Problems in the Garden Garlic pests and diseases can ruin your harvest, sometimes without you even knowing it until it’s too late. Others wait to emerge until later, causing problems when drying garlic. Either way, it’s a huge headache. The most common problems of garlic are caused by these common types of pathogens: Fungal By far, fungal problems are the most common garlic plant problems. You may get an early hint that something’s wrong, like early yellowing of foliage or white or gray, fluffy growth low on the stem....

Uses for Tree Bark You may be wondering why you should consider harvesting tree bark. There are several interesting uses for tree bark, and any one of them can lead you to tree bark harvesting. One use is culinary. While some bark, like pine, is edible, none is particularly delicious. But if you are in a life-and-death situation and must find a source of food in the wild, pine bark will keep you alive....

Causes of Geraniums with Yellow Leaves One of the most common causes of yellowing leaves is too much moisture or overwatering. Generally, on overwatered plants, the bottom portions of geraniums have yellow leaves. They may also develop pale looking water spots. If this is the case, you should immediately stop watering and allow the plants to dry out. Remember, geraniums are drought-tolerant plants and they do not like too much water....

Ginseng Ficus as a Bonsai Ginseng ficus (Ficus retusa) is one variety of this large group of fig trees. Native to southeast Asia, the ginseng ficus is also called banyan fig, Taiwan ficus, and laurel fig. It is most striking in appearance because it grows thick roots that stay exposed above the surface of the ground. As a bonsai, the effect is of a small tree standing on legs. The tree grows oval-shaped, dark green leaves....