Gloves, spades, rakes, hoes, and shears – the list of required tools grows quickly. Though many gardeners manage to accumulate these implements over time, the cost of such items may feel impossible for others. Donate Old Garden Tools Seasonal care of gardening tools is among the most commonly overlooked garden tasks by gardeners. Each fall, garden tools should be thoroughly cleaned and stored out of the weather during the winter....

Growing Elderflowers The flowers of the elder have been used for centuries and longer, but in modern times have been forgotten by many. Whether you want to add an elder to your garden to add shade and a new shrub or to try the flowers, growing it will be easy. It will grow well in full sun and partial shade and in nearly any type of soil, from clay to sandy....

Japanese Elkhorn Cedar Information Elkhorn cedar trees are evergreens with very short needles that grow outward in a branching pattern on opposite sides of the stems, giving the tree an overall scaled look. In summer, the needles are green, but in autumn through winter, they turn an attractive rust color. This happens to varying degrees based on variety and individual tree, so it’s best to pick yours out in autumn if you’re looking for a good color change....

Epsom Salt and Garden Pests You may be familiar with using Epsom as fertilizer for your garden plants or even your lawn, but what about Epsom salt insect control? Here are a few ideas for using Epsom salt as pesticide: Epsom Salt Solution Insect Control– A mixture of 1 cup (240 ml.) Epsom salt and 5 gallons (19 L.) of water may act as a deterrent to beetles and other garden pests....

People who practice gratitude regularly sleep better and have stronger immune systems. They enjoy happier relationships and are able to express more kindness and compassion. How To Show Garden Gratitude Grateful gardening is a simple process that, with regular practice, soon becomes second nature. Practice grateful gardening for at least thirty days and see what happens. Here are a few thoughts to get you started with expressing garden gratitude:...

Reasons Why Figs Won’t Get Ripe The long and short of why a fig tree is taking a long time to ripen its fruit or the figs won’t get ripe at all is stress. Fig trees are very susceptible to stress and when under stress, they will slow down or even stop ripening their fruit. The most common stress responsible for when figs don’t ripen is lack of water, especially in high heat conditions....

Wrinkled Jade Leaves: Underwatering In nature, jade plants store water in their leaves, which allows the plants to survive dry periods. The leaves of a well-hydrated jade are plump, while thin, wrinkled jade leaves are a good sign that the plant needs water. Don’t go by appearance alone, however, and never water without feeling the potting mix first. Ideally, water only when the potting mix is dry nearly to the bottom of the container....

How to Use Fly Repelling Herb Plants The following fly repellent herbs can be planted just outside the door, in areas such as decks or patios where you tend to sit, or inside on the kitchen window — basically anywhere that you want to repel flies with herbs. The fly repelling qualities of herbs are heightened when the foliage is bruised or moved about, allowing the essential oils — the fly bane — to release....

Getting a Clivia to Bloom Again Young clivia plants can be much less expensive, but you will need to be quite patient to ever see it bloom, as it can take anywhere from two to five years for a clivia to bloom for the first time. It is better to purchase an already blooming clivia plant, which is usually in February and March. With a little effort, you can prolong clivia blooms or get clivia to flower again....

About Cold Hardy Fruit Trees The U.S. Department of Agriculture has developed a system dividing the country into plant hardiness zones based on coldest annual temperatures. Zone 1 is the coldest, but regions labeled zone 4 are also chilly, getting down to negative 30 degrees F. (-34 C.). That’s pretty cold weather for a fruit tree, you may think. You would be right. Lots of fruit trees are not happy and productive in zone 4....

Ideas for Community Garden Projects Here are some popular garden club project ideas to help spark your creativity. Community wildlife certification – This is a major project done in partnership with the National Wildlife Federation’s (NWF) Community Wildlife Habitat Program, which encourages citizens to create wildlife-friendly communities. The National Wildlife Federation’s website provides suggestions for homes, schools, and communities to create NWF-certified wildlife habitats. Historic preservation – If you have historic sites in your community, beautifying the area is one of the most rewarding garden club project ideas and a great way to showcase spectacular heirloom roses or perennials....

When to Use Fungicide When using fungicides in your garden, it’s important to first determine if your plant actually needs a fungicide. Many symptoms can be from other causes, so using garden fungicides may do more harm than good. The first thing that should be done is to contact an expert, either at a local nursery or agricultural extension office. They can help you determine what is wrong with your plants and can also recommend the proper types of fungicide to use....

Gardens in the Southwest Often referred to as the desert southwest, with searing temperatures and arid conditions, there are many tropical and subtropical plants, as well as edibles, that thrive in the southwest garden. While watering may be the most obvious of tasks, there are several other items to put on your garden to-do list to keep plants blooming, producing, and happy. If at all possible, you need a watering system....

Growing Zone 6 Plants Basically, the lower a zone number is, the colder that area’s weather is. Zone 6 usually experiences a yearly low of -10 F. (-23 C.). It stretches in something like an arc, more or less, across the middle of the U.S. In the northeast, it runs from parts of Massachusetts down into Delaware. It stretches south and west through Ohio, Kentucky, Kansas, and even parts of New Mexico and Arizona before turning northwest up through Utah and Nevada, ending in Washington state....

How to Attract Turtles From an aquatic turtle’s point of view, the ideal garden pond has lots of plants and insects for food, as well as structural features such as small coves along the edge of the pond and rock piles for climbing and hiding. Dig shallow coves with a shovel to create micro-environments that will shelter turtles in garden ponds. Use rocks of varying size to build piles with crevices....

False Garlic Plant Info Garlic vine is known as the false garlic plant because it is unrelated to edible garlic. However, it can be used as a substitute for garlic in an emergency. Growing garlic vine in very rewarding because it produces beautiful lavender blossoms, bell-shaped and fragrant. According to plant lore, a garlic vine eliminates the bad luck from a house. Garlic Vine Uses If you are interested in growing garlic vine, you have many options as to where to plant it and how to use it....

My Cyclamen Won’t Flower Cyclamen is a Mediterranean plant. Summers in Mediterranean regions are difficult for some plants to bear because of the intense sunlight and little or no rain. Some Mediterranean plants, such as cyclamen, enter a dormant period during summer. They drop their leaves and flowers and rest until late summer or early autumn. You can help them through their resting phase by providing ideal conditions for their summer nap....

Do hydrangeas rebloom? The plants only bloom once annually, but there are reblooming hydrangea varieties. Will Hydrangeas Rebloom if Deadheaded? There are things in this world you can control and things you can’t. With hydrangeas, you can control how many blooms they get, their size, their health, and even in some cases their bloom color. One of the big questions is how to get them to rebloom. Will hydrangeas rebloom if deadheaded?...

Goodwin Creek Grey Lavender Info Goodwin Creek Grey lavender plants (Lavandula ‘Goodwin Creek Grey’) are known for their attractive silver to gray foliage and for their relatively short spikes of deep purple to blue flowers. The plants tend to reach 2 feet (61 cm.) without flowers and 3 feet (91 cm.) with flowers. While it is difficult to grow lavender indoors, largely because it can so easily fall victim to humidity and fungus, this variety tends to fare better inside than most....

Greenhouse Fennel Plants Fennel is a member of the carrot and parsley family and is related to dill, caraway, and cumin. It produces aromatic fruits that are incorrectly referred to as seeds. While the fennel seeds are a delicious addition to many foods, this perennial is more commonly grown for its bulb. The fennel bulb does not grow underground but above the soil line. As it grows, soil is piled up around it (blanching) to keep the bulb from becoming green and to retain its sweetness....