Planting Butternut Squash The butternut squash growing season begins when all danger of frost is past and the soil is well warmed by the sun, about 60 to 65 degrees F. (15-18 C.) at a 4-inch (10 cm.) depth. Butternut squash plants are extremely tender. The seedlings will freeze with the slightest frost, and seeds will only germinate in warm soil. Like most other vining vegetables, butternut squash cultivation begins with a hill....

Growing Cauliflower Seeds Cauliflower is a cool-season biennial in the Brassicaceae family. Amongst its species name of Brassica oleracea, cauliflower shares ties with: Brussels sprouts Broccoli Cabbage Collards Kale Kohlrabi Generally, cauliflower is white, although there are some colorful purple varieties out there and even a green, spiky variety called Veronica Romanesco. Cauliflower needs well-draining, fertile soil that is rich in organic matter. While it prefers a soil pH of 6....

Chameleon ground cover, of the Lizard’s-Tail family, is attractive. Colors of red, bronze, cream, and yellow border green leaves when growing chameleon plants. Chameleon ground cover is an herbaceous perennial, dying back in winter. In June and July, inconspicuous flowers bloom, but are most often not noticeable. Containing Growing Chameleon Plants If you’re interested in having the chameleon plant growing in your yard, pond, or bog, look at ways to minimize chameleon plant care by planting in containers and contained areas....

Can You Grow Azaleas in Cool Regions? You can find different species of azaleas growing in the wild through the entire temperature range, from the arctic to the tropics. Azaleas can thrive anywhere that has acidic soils, sufficient water, limited humidity, and winds, and a lack of very high and very low temperatures. For years, most of the azalea cultivars were developed for moderate climates, and azaleas seemed the realm of warmer regions....

How to Grow Pineapples from Tops Rooting and growing pineapple tops is easy. Once you bring your pineapple home, cut off the leafy top about half an inch (1.5 cm.) below the leaves. Then remove some of the lowest leaves. Trim off the outer portion of the pineapple top at the bottom of the crown, or stem, until you see root buds. These should resemble small, brown-colored bumps around the stem’s perimeter....

Numerous varieties of snapdragon exist with dwarf, intermediate and tall flowering stems that provide a range of colors to work with in the garden. Snapdragons are available in most colors except blue and co-ordinate or contrast with other early spring bloomers. Height of the snapdragon may reach 3 feet (1 m.) or as short as 6 inches (15 cm.). Planting snapdragons out can be among the first late winter gardening tasks....

About Spring Starflower Plants The keys to spring flowers are good site location, soil drainage, and preliminary bulb care. Ipheion bulb care starts with proper installation and soil preparation. Knowing when to plant Ipheion starflower bulbs ensures healthy plants that won’t get floppy and produce enticing spicy, scented flowers and attractive arching strappy foliage for years. Try growing spring starflower bulbs in rockeries, borders, containers, and even under trees and shrubs....

Stokes Asters Flowers Stokes aster flowers come in a range of pale and perky shades. The muted yellow cultivar ‘Mary Gregory’ may be combined with the shorter ‘Purple Parasol’ for compatible, long-lasting color and frilly texture in the summer flower bed. Stokes asters have flowers as big as 4 inches (10 cm.), with frilly petals and intricate centers. Stokes asters flowers bloom from late spring through summer in shades of silvery white, electric blue, and rosypink....

How to Grow Sweet Potato Plants When growing sweet potatoes, start out with “slips.” These are small pieces of potato tubers that are used to start the sweet potato plants. These slips are to be planted into the ground as soon as all chance of frost has ceased and the ground has warmed. In order to grow and harvest sweet potatoes, the soil needs to be kept moist during the season where the plants sprout....

Air Pruning Roots How does air pruning work? In nature, a plant’s roots can grow wherever they please. In a container, of course, there’s a firm border to their growth space. It is because of this, the roots will butt up against the wall and often continue to grow along it, creating the root-bound spiral shape so common in potted plants. The roots grow thick and intertwined, inhibiting nutrient and water access and possibly eventually strangling the plant....

Choosing Places to Hang Plants If you’re wondering where to hang plants, there’s nothing wrong with hanging a basket from a tree branch. Steel S-hooks, which come in a range of sizes, make easy work of hanging baskets in the garden. Be sure the branch is sturdy, because baskets filled with damp soil and plants are very heavy and can easily break a weak branch. Railing planters or decorative brackets, suitable for outdoor hanging plants on fences or balconies, are available in a vast range of prices, styles, and materials ranging from plastic to wood or galvanized metals....

How to Harvest Oregano Oregano is a hardy perennial herb that may die back in extremely cold winters. Preserving the tasty leaves is simple. Wait until morning after the dew has dried when harvesting oregano. The essential oils in herbs are highest in concentration in warm mornings. The best flavor is achieved when the herb is harvested just as flower buds form. Use scissors or garden shears to remove stems from the plant....

When to Harvest Potatoes For winter storage, it’s best to let the plant and the weather tell you when to harvest potatoes. Wait until the tops of the vines have died before you begin harvesting. Potatoes are tubers and you want your plant to store as much of that flavorful starch as possible. Temperatures of both the air and soil should also factor into when to dig. Potatoes can tolerate a light frost, but when the first hard frost is expected, it’s time to get out the shovels....

There are two main types of cucumber. Slicing varieties are meant to be eaten fresh, while pickling types are bumpy, rough, and require blanching and pickling for the best flavor. Whichever variety you choose to grow, you need to know how to tell when cucumbers are ready to pick. When to Pick a Cucumber Cucumbers need a long growing season and are ready for harvest in 50 to 70 days....

Uses for Sweet Flag Plants The most commonly used part of the sweet flag plant is its rhizome, which can be used to repel insects, scent a room, or give you something tasty and interesting to chew on. The flavor is usually described as spicy and strong, similar to ginger or cinnamon, with a bitter aftertaste. The leaves, too, can be bruised and hung around the room for their pleasant scent....

Tips on Hydrangeas That Take Heat Keep in mind that even sun tolerant hydrangeas and heat tolerant hydrangeas benefit from afternoon shade in hot climates, as too much direct sun can wilt the leaves and stress the plant. Also, even relatively drought tolerant hydrangea shrubs need water during hot, dry weather – sometimes every day. So far, there are no truly drought tolerant hydrangea shrubs, although some are more tolerant of dry conditions than others....

When to Pick Hot Peppers Most peppers take at least 70 days from transplanting and another three to four weeks thereafter to reach maturity. Hot peppers often take longer. Be sure that you know what type of pepper you have planted and then look up the days to maturity. If you have a plant tag or seed packet, the planting time should be there. If not, there’s always the internet. If you have no idea what variety you are growing, you will need to ascertain harvest time by other means....

Growing Hydrangeas in Zone 9 While there are a few hot weather hydrangeas that can tolerate zone 9 gardens, it doesn’t usually just come down to temperature. Hydrangeas love water– that’s how they got their name. That means that if you live in a zone 9 that’s especially arid, you’re going to want to plant a hydrangea that’s especially drought tolerant. If you live in a moister part of zone 9, however, your options are much more open and really only restricted by temperature....

Indoor Plants That Need Medium Light Examples of medium light loving plants are as follows: African violet: The African violet (Saintpaulia) is your classic indoor plant. It blooms like crazy for some people, and never for others. This is a good plant to experiment with. It has fuzzy leaves that form a rosette and the flowers come in a variety of pink and purple shades. It likes average to warm temperatures along with medium to high humidity....

How Much Light Does a Staghorn Fern Need? In the wild, staghorn ferns grow in the nooks and crannies of trees in tropical forests. This means that they are adapted to the bright but dappled sunlight that filters down through the branches of the trees. You can recreate this setup easily by hanging your own staghorn fern outdoors on the trunk of a large tree. While dappled sunlight is good, staghorn ferns also do extremely well in bright, indirect light....