If you leave the debris, your new plants will have a hard time pushing their way to the soil surface when they germinate. That’s where a soil sifter tool comes in handy. What is a soil sifter? Read on for information about using soil sifters including tips on how to make one yourself. What is a Soil Sifter? If your experience with sifting is limited to flour, you probably need to read up on soil sifter tools....

What is a Virginia Pine Tree? Virginia pine trees in the landscape are primarily used as barriers, naturalized forests, and inexpensive, slow growing forests. They are scrubby plants with little ornamental appeal and become gnarled and bent in advanced years. Interestingly, the trees are grown in the south as Christmas trees. The Virginia pine is a classic, evergreen conifer. Most specimens reach between 15 and 40 feet (5-12 m.) in height with low branches and a pyramid shape when young....

Anthracnose is a serious disease of many crop and ornamental plants. On tomato plants, it can decimate the crop, producing inedible fruits. This is a disaster for commercial growers but also affects home gardeners. Anthracnose of tomatoes results in lesions on both green and ripe fruit. Continue reading for important tomato anthracnose info, including how to prevent and treat the disease. What is Anthracnose on a Tomato? Essentially, anthracnose is a fruit rot....

Aztec Sweet Herb Growing Aztec sweet herb growing is productive when you grow it in an area that receives full sunlight. It needs the warmth, especially during cold months, if it’s going to continue growing and providing you with herbs you can use in your food. Aztec sweet herb plants (Lippia dulcis) grow well in the ground and in large containers you set outdoors. It’s ideal for planting in a hanging basket, which allows you to add a little more beauty to your yard....

What is Buffalo Grass? Buffalo grass is native to North America. What is buffalo grass? It is the only native grass that is also useful as a lawn grass. Buffalo grass lawns are warm season turf which are drought tolerant with better cold resistance than other warm season grasses. The grass is quite tolerant of a range of conditions and establishes with seed, sod, or plugs. As an extra bonus, care of buffalo grass is minimal, and mowing is infrequent....

What is Dutch Elm Disease? A fungal pathogen, Ophiostroma ulmi, is the cause of Dutch elm disease. This fungus is spread from tree to tree by boring beetles, making Dutch elm protection difficult at best. These tiny beetles burrow under the bark of elms and into the wood beneath, where they tunnel and lay their eggs. As they chew through the tree’s tissues, the fungal spores are rubbed off onto tunnel walls where they germinate, causing Dutch elm disease....

What is False Azalea? If you need a deciduous shrub for your shade garden, don’t be put off by the common names of Menziesia ferruginea. It can’t be blamed because of its resemblance to azalea or huckleberry plants. This shubby flowering plant thrives in moist shady areas, growing to 12 feet (4 m.) tall. The loosely grouped, spreading branching can make it a little straggly. The shrub produces oodles of small, upside-down, urn-shaped coral or yellow flowers in summer....

What is False Freesia? Also called scarlet freesia, false freesia plants have had various taxonomical classifications, including Lapeirousia laxa, Anomatheca laxa, Anomatheca cruenta, and Freesia laxa. This African native grows in a clump with spiky iris-like leaves. False freesia leaves stay around 8 inches (20 cm.) tall. False freesia produces a cluster of six trumpet-shaped flowers per stem. Flower color can vary from white to shades of pinks and reds, depending on the variety....

What is Marseille Basil? Marseille is just one of many varieties of basil, and as the name suggests, it comes from France. It is sometimes called the ‘queen of fragrance’ because what it is most known for is its strong aroma. It smells sweet and slightly of licorice, much like other types of basil, but the fragrance is much more potent. Marseille basil is also notable for its small, compact size....

Summer Savory Uses in the Garden What is summer savory? It’s the annual equivalent of its close perennial cousin winter savory. While summer savory lasts for only one growing season, it’s thought to have the most superior flavor. It’s a popular ingredient in meat recipes, as well as oil, butter, and vinegar infusions. Its flavor shines the most in bean dishes, however, earning it the name “the bean herb.” Summer savory plants grow in a mound-like formation and tend to reach a foot (31 cm....

Holes in Leaves of Hosta Sometimes a closer look may reveal there are holes in hosta leaves. This is not a regular occurrence, but we don’t want our plants damaged. Likely, the damage will occur as spring ends and summer comes with the high heat that attracts eggs to hatch and pests to feed on our young, growing plants. Tattered leaves may appear, ruining the appearance of our perfect shade beds and gardens....

Why Didn’t My Tree Lose its Leaves? Deciduous trees lose their leaves every fall and grow new leaves each spring. Some usher out the summer with fiery fall displays as the leaves turns yellow, scarlet, orange, and purple. Other leaves simply brown and fall to the ground. Particular types of trees sometimes lose their trees at the same time. For example, once a hard frost sweeps through New England, all the ginkgo trees in the region promptly drop their fan-shaped leaves....

Aloes look spectacular alone or in an arrangement with other succulents. The thick, serrated leaves make an excellent foil for softer rounder plants with similar cultivation needs. Aloes need little supplemental care as long they are grown in well drained, slightly gritty soil with adequate sun exposure and occasional water. Insects affect plants that are not well cared for or are in stressful conditions. Why is Aloe Sticky? Once you rule out exposure to chemical residue or another plant’s sap, the logical conclusion is honeydew....

Why Won’t My Forget-Me-Nots Bloom? There’s nothing quite like the show put on by a big, healthy stand of forget-me-nots in the garden, but what happens when those forget-me-nots won’t bloom? Since the plants must reseed to continue their legacy, a lack of blooms is more than just a cosmetic inconvenience – it could spell the end of your stand! When a forget-me-not plant doesn’t bloom, it’s often an easy-to-fix problem....

Information About Wild Lady Slipper Orchids Cypripedium species are native across much of North America as well as parts of Europe. This adorable little plant has only two leaves, which branch out from the center where its single flower stalk also grows. The unique flower looks just like a lady’s slipper (oftentimes spelled as such), closed tightly except for a small opening in the front. Blooms range in color from white and yellow to deep pink and nearly purple shades....

Keep reading for winter container garden ideas. Winter Container Care How do you go about container gardening in winter? It’s true, you won’t be able to grow tomatoes on your doorstep in January. With a little knowledge of the plants you’re working with though, and a lot of ingenuity, you can have beautiful container winter gardens all around your house. The first thing to be aware of is the USDA hardiness zone you live in....

Creating a Woodland Garden Design The best way to create a woodland garden in your yard is by taking clues from nature. Look to your surroundings for help. How do the natural wooded areas grow? What native plants do you see? Now look at your own area. How is the light, the soil, drainage, etc.? Once you have examined all of these factors, you’re ready to design a plan for your woodland garden....

Those of us who do not live in D.C. do not have to travel hundreds of miles and fight crowds of tourists to enjoy beautiful flowering trees like this. While unique, exotic flowering trees were once hard to get, today most of us have the leisure of just going to a local garden center and selecting from many ornamental trees. Even in cooler climates, like zone 5, there are many choices of flowering trees....

But, no matter how often we tend to our plants, sometimes a disease affects our garden and the tomato plants suffer. These diseases can affect everyone from the gardener with just one patio tomato to the farmer with an acre-sized plot. Read on for a listing of the 10 most common diseases that affect tomato plants plus tips to cure and prevent infection. Prevention Many diseases can be prevented with the right planting methods and good practices: Plant tomatoes far enough apart to provide good air circulation and do not water overhead....

If you are wondering what trees can be planted in the fall, read on. We’ll give you a short list of our favorites. Is Fall a Good Time to Plant Trees? It is uncontested that the best seasons for tree planting are spring and fall. While spring planting works for many trees, there are more than a few good reasons to wait and plant trees in the fall. For one thing, fall temperatures range from moderate to cool and get even cooler still in winter....