About Zebra Plants I’ve never been a big fan of Latin. Those long, difficult to pronounce binomials always trip up my tongue. I write them for gardeners who have an interest in such things and, yes, I admit I’ve spouted them off a few times to people who think gardeners are all overgrown children who like to play in the dirt, but the truth is, I prefer the more fanciful common names – until I run into something like zebra plants....

Chaste trees are one of the easiest flowering trees to grow. Not only do they thrive in the poorest of growing conditions, but their spectacular lavender blue blooms provide continual color throughout the summer months. So, you may be wondering, “are chaste trees good for containers?” Container Grown Chaste Trees In recent years, several smaller cultivars of chaste trees have been developed. These smaller varieties only reach heights of 3 to 6 feet (1-2 m....

Can You Eat Lambsquarters? Are lambsquarters edible? Most of the plant, including the leaves, flowers, and stems, are edible. The seeds are also edible, but because they contain saponin, a natural, soap-like substance, they shouldn’t be eaten in excess. Saponins, also found in quinoa and legumes, can be irritating to the tummy if you eat too much. Also known as pigweed, wild spinach, or goosefoot, lambsquarters plants are highly nutritious, providing a fair amount of a number of vitamins and minerals, including iron, folate, magnesium, phosphorous, and generous amounts of vitamin A and C, to name just a few....

Tips for Growing an Azalea Houseplant You can grow azalea indoors much like any other houseplant, but as with other blooming plants, there are a few tricks you need to know about the care of indoor azalea if you want to keep them blooming year after year. The first step in growing an azalea houseplant is to choose the right shrub. You are looking for greenhouse azaleas, not hardy azaleas, which are only grown outdoors....

Growing Baby’s Tear Plant Baby’s tear has a moss-like appearance with small round green leaves on fleshy stems. Mostly sought out for its low growing habit of 6 inches (15 cm.) tall by 6 inches (15 cm.) wide) and strikingly green foliage, this plant lacks a truly vibrant bloom. The flowers of the baby’s tear tend to be rather inconspicuous. This member of the Urticaceae group loves an elevated humidity level with moderately moist soil, perfect for terrariums and the like....

Studies show that Americans suffer from the effects of stress on an unprecedented scale. Now more than ever, we all could use a backyard paradise. Backyard Designs To Relax, Recharge, Reset It’s a paradox that relaxation is necessary to work efficiently. Some people take an exotic two-week vacation that’s meant to compensate for a year’s worth of stress. Instead, it’s important to unwind frequently, detoxing from the information overload that comes with modern life....

What is Biointensive Gardening? At the heart of the biointensive garden approach is the desire to use resources efficiently by doing more with less. Biointensive farming uses 99% less energy (both human and mechanical), 66 to 88% less water, and 50 to 100% less fertilizer than traditional commercial growing techniques. In addition, biointensive gardening builds a healthy soil structure and yields two to six times more food than traditional growing methods....

Barbarella Eggplant Info Eggplant ‘Barbarella’ is a variety of eggplant that may also be sold as Violetta di Sicilia. This variety originated in Italy. Barbarella eggplant produces five to six, medium-sized, one-pound (0.5 kg.) fruits on plants that grow about 24 inches (61 cm.) tall. These fruits have dark purple skin, with white to light pink hues, outlining their dark purple, lightly spiny calyx. The fruit is round, like a grapefruit or softball, with deep grooves and has creamy white flesh....

Chinaberry Bead Tree Information Native to Asia, chinaberry was introduced to North America as an ornamental tree in the late 1700’s. Since that time, it has naturalized across much of the south in the U.S. An attractive tree with brownish red bark and a rounded canopy of lacy foliage, chinaberry reaches heights of 30 to 40 feet (9-12 m.) at maturity. Loose clusters of small purple blooms appear in spring. Hanging bunches of wrinkly, yellow-brown fruit ripens in autumn and provide feed for birds throughout the winter months....

Borer Pests in Beans Bean pod borers such as the lima bean vine borer, also known as the legume pod borer, is a member of the Lepidoptera family. These destructive pests begin their rampage as larvae or grub-like caterpillars, which eventually morph into tiny moths. Lima bean borers may be found throughout the United States, but most commonly along the coastal plane from Delaware and Maryland, south to Florida, and west to Alabama....

Beechdrops Info Beechdrop wildflowers (Epifagus americana and Epifagus virginiana) consist of brownish stems and spiky clusters of small, cream colored, tube-shaped flowers with prominent maroon or brown markings. Beechdrop plants bloom in late summer and autumn, and by late autumn, they turn brown and die. Although beechdrops reach heights of 5 to 18 inches (13-46 cm.), you may walk past a plant without noticing it because the colors of the chlorophyll-less plants are so dull....

Easy to Find Gifts for New Gardeners As the following gifts will most likely be useful soon, you can impress your friends or family members with your knowledge and all the thought you’ve put into these gifts. Gardening Calendar: This is an easy garden gift, with more selections than you might imagine. You can purchase large print or small print with room for notes, including beautiful photos of plants, flowers, and gardens....

What is Cotton Burr Compost? What is cotton burr compost? Usually, when cotton is harvested, the plant is run through a gin. This separates the good stuff (the cotton fiber) from the leftovers (the seeds, stems, and leaves). This leftover stuff is called cotton burr. For a long time, cotton farmers didn’t know what to do with the leftover burr, and they often just burned it. Eventually, though, it became clear that it could be made into incredible compost....

Bilko Napa Cabbage Plants Napa cabbage, with its sweet, mild flavor, can be eaten raw or cooked. Chinese cabbage is good for slaws, braising, stir frying, soups, and pickling. The nutritious veggie is high in vitamin K, potassium, calcium, and antioxidants. Uncooked cabbage promotes intestinal health with an important amino acid as well as adds roughage to your diet. The Bilko Napa cabbage variety boasts 12 inch (31 cm.) heads and disease resistance to clubroot and fusarium yellows....

What Is a Bird Garden? Bird friendly gardens are specifically curated to meet the needs of birds. This can include growing certain plants, as well as the addition of structures which provide food, water, and/or shelter. While manmade feeders, bird houses, nesting boxes, and bird baths are frequently used, you can meet these needs through the incorporation of natural materials and plant based design elements. Regardless of the garden size, the creation of a safe and inviting habitat for birds is key in attracting birds to the yard....

What is Black Spot Fungus? Don’t let the name fool you. Diplocarpon rosae, or black spot fungus, isn’t just a disease of roses. It can attack any plant with fleshy leaves and stems if the conditions are right. You’ve already taken the first step in treating black leaf spot. You’ve been inspecting your garden on a regular basis and you’ve caught it early. Black spot fungus begins to develop in the spring when temperatures reach into the sixties and the garden has been continuously wet for six to nine hours....

Bottlebrush plants need a very mild climate. If you live in an area cooler than USDA plant hardiness zones 8b through 11, grow bottlebrush in pots that you can move to a protected area for winter. Use a rich, peaty potting soil with a few handfuls of sand added to improve the drainage. If pruned hard every year, the plants will grow in pots as small as 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm....

What is a Bulb Jar? Basically, bulb glass vases are simply that – glass containers for forcing bulbs. The size and shape of bulb-forcing jars depend primarily on the type of bulb you are attempting to force. Hyacinth – Glass containers for forcing hyacinth bulbs can be simple, but they are often attractive containers that accentuate the beauty of the hyacinth blooms. Some hyacinth containers are collector’s items. Jars manufactured specifically for forcing hyacinth bulbs usually have a round, squatty bottom, a narrow midsection, and a rounded top that nestles the hyacinth bulb just above the water....

Can Bread Be Composted? Among many compost enthusiasts, whether or not to compost stale bread is a topic of debate. While those against it will insist that adding bread to compost will needlessly attract pests to your pile, other composters disagree. Choosing whether or not to compost stale bread will require research and consideration to each grower’s unique compost preferences. Adding Bread to Compost When adding bread to compost, there will be some considerations in order to obtain the best result....

Not the typical type of stress experienced by humans, plants experience stress that makes them more beautiful. These include water stress, sunlight stress, and cold stress. Let’s talk about how to safely stress your succulent and turn it red. How to Turn a Succulent Red in the Cold Many succulents, like Sedum Jelly Beans and Aeonium ‘Mardi Gras,’ can take cold temperatures down to 40 degrees F. (4 C.). Check for your succulent’s cold tolerance before exposing it to these temperatures....