Is Chickweed Edible? Native to Europe, chickweed was introduced to North America and other continents by immigrants who valued it as an herb. Its flowers and leaves are, indeed, edible, though in large quantities the saponoids it contains can cause stomach upset. Chickweed flowers and leaves can be eaten raw or cooked. Fresh flowers and leaves are tossed into salads, stir fries, stews, or pesto. Chickweed is also grown as feed for chickens and pigs, hence its common names clucken wort, chicken weed, and birdseed....

Ginseng as a Medicinal Herb In the United States, ginseng is extremely popular, second only to Ginkgo biloba. In fact, ginseng is incorporated into such varied products as tea, chewing gum, chips, health drinks, and tinctures. Medicinal ginseng is lauded for a host of miraculous cures, and has been used as an antidepressant, blood thinner, and immune system booster. Supporters say it relieves maladies ranging from upper respiratory infections to addiction to high blood sugar....

Is My Naranjilla Sick? Naranjilla is a pretty tough plant that will thrive in most situations, as long as you provide the right conditions. However, it can also be susceptible to a few diseases that can stunt growth and even kill your shrubs or reduce your fruit harvest. Here are some of the indications you may have sick naranjilla trees and what may be causing symptoms: Root knot nematode. The most common disease of naranjilla is infection by root knot nematodes, microscopic worms that survive in the soil....

What is a Lacecap Hydrangea? What is a lacecap hydrangea? It’s very similar to the mophead hydrangea plant. The big difference is that instead of growing round clusters of showy blossoms, this hydrangea grows flowers that resemble flat caps with frilly edges. The flower is a round disk of short flowers, edged with showier flowers. Lacecap Hydrangea Information A lacecap is a Hydrangea macrophylla like the mophead variety and its growing requirements are the same....

Reasons for Lantana with Yellow Leaves Premature dormancy – Lantana with yellow leaves may think winter is coming. Lantana is a perennial in warm, frost-free climates. Everywhere else, it grows as an annual or else needs overwintering indoors. Extremely drought tolerant once established, lantana are unable to tolerate cold weather. They die at the first frost. In warmer climates, they go dormant as the weather chills. If you area has been experiencing cool weather lately, your lantana will have noticed....

Not only is rosemary used as a Christmas tree a festive ornamental for the season, but it is predominantly disease and pest resistant, aromatic, a culinary treasure, and responds beautifully to pruning to maintain the shape. Additionally, a rosemary tree for Christmas can be planted in the garden to wait for the following holiday season while maintaining its role as an indispensable herb. How to Create a Rosemary Tree for Christmas With the burgeoning popularity of rosemary as a Christmas tree, you can easily purchase one for use during the holidays....

About Low Light Indoor Plants The term “low light” can be very misleading. When you purchase a plant and the label includes it as a low light plant, it does not necessarily mean that these are indoor plants that need low light. It means that these are indoor plants that tolerate low light. Many of the houseplants that are sold are native to jungles around the world and grow on the forest floor....

Drought-Tolerant Plants for Zone 8 Growing zone 8 plants in dry gardens is easy when you know the best types to choose. Below you will find some of the more commonly grown zone 8 drought tolerant plants. Perennials Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia spp.) – Black-eyed Susan have bright, golden yellow blooms with black centers contrast with deep green foliage. Yarrow (Achillea spp.) – Yarrow is a showy native plant with fern-like leaves and clusters of tightly-packed blooms in a huge range of intense colors....

Pests of Lychee Trees The lychee tree is handsome with its dense, round-topped canopy and large, glossy leaves. The tree grows slowly, but it gets both tall and broad in the right location. Flowers are tiny and greenish, and arrive on branch tips in clusters up to 30 inches (75 cm.) long. These develop into loose, drooping clusters of fruit, often a bright strawberry red but sometimes lighter pink. Each has a thin, warty skin that covers the succulent, grape-like fruit....

We’ll get you started with a few gardening tips to prevent lymphedema problems. What is Lymphedema? Gardening is a hobby that can challenge your body and your brain, depending on how you approach it. However, that doesn’t mean you have to give up your plants just because you’re at risk for lymphedema. Gardening with lymphedema is much like doing anything else with lymphedema, you simply need to modify your approach to your landscape....

About Creeping Bentgrass Weeds Bentgrass is a cool season grass that can appear in and spread in the home lawn. While this type of grass is considered a weed to most, especially in southern regions, it does have some very useful applications. In fact, bentgrass is most often used on golf courses on putting greens and tee boxes. Creeping bentgrass has a shallow root system and a shaggy appearance. The shaggy texture of the grass allows it to be cut back much shorter than other types....

What is a Stock Plant? Stock plants are healthy specimens of plants you wish to propagate. Their entire purpose is to be the genesis of a new generation of the same kind of plant. Depending upon the variety of plant, stock plants are the source of cuttings, graft material, seeds, bulbs, or tubers. This is why they are often called mother plants. All vegetative plant material that is grown from the stock plant is genetically identical to the parent and is called a clone....

Learning About the North Dakota USDA Plant Hardiness Map The USDA has been publishing plant hardiness maps since 1960. Used as a foundational tool for gardeners and plant distributors, this map divides the country in zones based on average extreme winter low temperatures. This data is useful when choosing which plants will do best in your region, particularly those that will survive and thrive in your winter climate. North Dakota is divided into two major zones and four subzones, according to the new 2012 North Dakota planting map....

Matucana Cactus Plant As natives of the high Andes mountainous ranges of Peru, specific temperature guidelines are needed for blooms. Cool nighttime temps and warm daytime temperatures are necessary. This is the most certain way to get Matucana to flower. Blooms appear on the happily located plant as early as two to three years. Plants usually bloom in late spring or summer. These plants bloom at night, so be prepared for a brief moment of joy when blooms appear....

About Melaleuca Tea Trees Tea trees are native to the warmer regions of Australia where they grow wild in tropical and subtropical swampy areas. You’ll find many different types of tea trees, each with its own dramatic variations in needle and blossom shades. Melaleuca tea trees attract attention in your garden. Tea tree information suggests that one of the most attractive features is the trunk, with its gorgeous, papery bark. If you are thinking of growing a tea tree, note that the tree can get 20 feet (6 m....

What is Milky Spore? Long before horticulturalists coined the terms “integrated pest management” and “biological controls,” the bacterium Paenibacillus papillae, commonly called milky spore, was commercially available to control Japanese beetle larvae, or grub worms. Although it isn’t new, it is still considered one of the best methods of control for Japanese beetles. After the larvae eat the bacteria, their body fluids turn milky and they die, releasing more of the bacterial spores into the soil....

Mistflower Info Commonly called hardy or wild ageratum or mistflower, mistflowers are botanically named Conoclinium coelestinum and classified as a wildflower. The plant closely resembles the garden variety of ageratum, only larger. Wild ageratum grows on stems reaching 2 to 3 feet (61-91 cm.) tall. Composed of florets, flowers of some cultivars may have a purple or pinkish tint and can be as big as 4 inches (10 cm.) across. Blue mistflowers remain intact longest and retain their color without looking dried up....

Mountain Laurel Information You’ll find many lovely cultivars of mountain laurel to choose from, thanks in large part to Dr. Richard A. Jaynes of Hamden, Connecticut. Here are just a few of his enticing creations: ‘Elf’ is a dwarf that grows 3 feet (1 m.) tall with pale pink or white blossoms. ‘Heart of Fire’ has deep red buds that open to pink flowers with dark pink edges on a 5 foot (1....

Transplanting Mock Orange Shrubs If you buy mock orange shrubs in containers, you’ll need to transplant them into the flower beds. Alternatively, you may be moving a mock orange bush from one location in the garden to another. In either case, you’ll want to prepare the new planting site, removing weeds and working the soil well. Mix generous amounts of peat moss, compost, or composted manure into the existing soil. After that, add transplanting fertilizer to the soil to assist in new root development....

Mulch Selection Info Picking a mulch type is the first step when choosing mulch for the garden. Mulch is available in two basic types: organic mulch and inorganic mulch. Choosing the best mulch depends on a number of factors, including purpose, appearance, availability, and expense. Organic Mulch Organic mulch, made of plant matter that breaks down over time, includes material such as: Bark chips Composted yard waste Pine needles Straw Buckwheat hulls Leaves Grass clippings...