How to Grow Mexican Tarragon Mexican tarragon is perennial in USDA plant hardiness zones 9 through 11. In zone 8, the plant is usually nipped by frost, but grows back in spring. In other climates, Mexican tarragon plants are often grown as annuals. Plant Mexican tarragon in well-drained soil, as the plant is likely to rot in wet soil. Allow 18 to 24 inches (46-61 cm.) between each plant; Mexican tarragon is a large plant that can reach 2 to 3 feet (61-91 cm....

Morning Glory Plant Family Morning glories are members of the Convolvulaceae family, which takes on a number of forms, depending on the part of the world in which it developed. There are over 1,000 types of morning glory flowers, from colorful climbers to subtle groundcovers. From cheerful flowers to edible plants, how many morning glory relatives do you know? Here are some of the most common morning glory varieties. The most familiar of the morning glories for the garden is probably the domestic morning glory vine....

Help, My Lawn pH is Too High! Soil pH is represented by a rating of 0 to 10. The lower the number, the higher the acidity. The neutral point is 7.0, and any number above this is more alkaline. Some turf grasses like a bit more acidity, such as centipede grass, but most are fine around 6.5. In high pH soils, you often need to lower yard pH. This is relatively easy but should start first with a simple soil test to determine how much acidity needs to be added....

Perennial flowers give great value due to their annual shows. It is important to maximize our purchases by choosing plants that fit their environment, both in form and hue, but also in temperament. New England perennials must be adaptive to some fairly harsh weather, where deep freezes are common, but summer heat can be oppressive. Fortunately, breeding programs are always coming out with hardier plants that withstand deep freezes and are resistant to disease, deer and other pests....

Touring Gardens While Homebound While there are far too many online garden tours to include here, these are a few examples that may speak some interest: Founded in 1820, the United States Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C. is one of the oldest botanic gardens in the nation. This virtual tour of a garden includes a tropical jungle, desert succulents, rare and endangered plants, and much more. Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, on the Big Island of Hawaii, boasts more than 2,000 species of tropical plants....

Pruning Flowering Almonds Ornamental almonds are easy to grow. The plants are not picky about soil conditions as long as the site is well-drained, and they grow well in full sun or partial shade. However, in order to obtain more flowers on the tree, you’ll do better to plant them in sun. The amount of sun the tree gets impacts how heavily it blooms. Flowering almond trees bloom in spring before they begin to leaf....

Carnivorous Plants in the Garden Here are the most common species for carnivorous plant gardens: Pitcher plants are easy to identify by a long tube, which contains liquid that traps and digests insects. This is a large group of plants that includes American pitcher plant (Sarracenia spp.) and tropical pitcher plants (Nepenthes spp.), among others. Sundews are attractive little plants that grow in various climates around the world. Although the plants appear to be innocent, they have tentacles with sticky, thick drops that look like nectar to unsuspecting insects....

Furniture Made of Pallets You probably see stacks of pallets outside the hardware or grocery store every time you visit. These square or rectangular wooden structures are used to hold store products when they are being transported. In most cases, they are considered disposable. Once the transport is complete, stores are usually happy to give the pallets to anyone who can use them– which means that if you want to create furniture made of pallets for your garden or patio, you can!...

Sweet Potato Vine Winter Care If you have space, you can simply bring the plants indoors and grow them as houseplants until spring. Otherwise, there are several easy ways of overwintering a sweet potato vine. Overwintering Sweet Potato Tubers Bulb-like tubers grow just beneath the surface of the soil. To overwinter the tubers, cut the vines to ground level, then dig them up before the first frost in autumn. Dig carefully and be careful not to slice into the tubers....

Tips for Passion Flower Care Their vibrant colors and heady fragrance make the passion flower a welcome addition to any garden. Unfortunately, because of its origins, most species of passion flower can’t overwinter in many gardens in the United States, although there are a few that will survive up to USDA plant hardiness zone 5. Most varieties will grow in Zones 7-10. Because they are vines, the best place for growing passion flowers is along a trellis or fence....

Reasons for Brown Peace Lily Tips In a healthy peace lily, the stalks bearing the beautiful lily-like flowers emerge from a mounding mass of glossy green leaves. If you see brown tips on peace lily leaves, review your cultural care immediately. Brown peace lily tips almost always result from improper care. Every species of houseplant has its own requirements for essentials like water, fertilizer, sun, and soil. If you get any one aspect wrong, the plant will suffer....

One of the most ecologically important groups of plants is the conifers, or plants that have cones, and one conifer that is familiar to everyone is the pine tree. Growing and caring for pine trees is easy. Pine trees (Pinus spp.) range in size from the 4 foot (1 m.) dwarf mugo to the white pine, which soars to heights of over 100 feet (30 m.). The trees vary in other subtle ways as well, including the length, shape, and texture of their needles and cones....

Is Pineapple Sage Edible? The fragrance may lead one to wonder is pineapple sage edible? Indeed it is. Leaves of the pineapple sage plant may be steeped for teas and the minty-tasting blossoms can be used as an attractive garnish for salads and deserts. Leaves are best used fresh. Pineapple sage flowers may also be used in jelly and jam concoctions, potpourri, and other uses limited only by the imagination. Pineapple sage has long been used as a medicinal herb with antibacterial and antioxidant properties....

Pinto Bean Information Native to Mexico, pintos take about 90 to 150 days to grow as a dry bean but can be harvested earlier and eaten as a green snap bean. They come in both determinate (bush) and indeterminate (pole) varieties. They require very little care, although they need more space between plants than other bean types. Since they are indigenous to subtropical climes, they can be sensitive to cold. Pintos need long, warm summers with full sun exposure of at least six hours per day....

In the Maryland, Delaware and DC region alone there are over 40 distinct species of bees. And let’s not forget bats, birds, butterflies, and other beneficial critters we depend on for pollination. What can we do to help them? The human race can’t survive without pollinators of all kinds. Pollinators make the world go round, make our food crops more robust and our flowers more beautiful. But did you know some flowers are more beneficial for them than others?...

Julius Gaius Caesar Considering the role Caesar played in shaping the West, as the greatest general in the history of the Roman Republic, it isn’t surprising that a few plants were named for him. After all, he had the seventh month of the year named after him too. Though this is ancient history today, Caesar is remembered today because of the Shakespeare play Julius Caesar about how he was assassinated by Brutus on the Ides of March....

How to Grow Calceolaria Indoors While this annual can be grown both indoors and out, the most popular use may be as a potted houseplant. Once you look into the native environment for this bright flower, you’ll know how to grow Calceolaria. It comes from Central and South America in the cooler plains areas where water and bright sunlight aren’t so abundant. Pocketbook plant care works best when you try to imitate its native home....

What is a Ponderosa Lemon? Ponderosa lemons derive from a chance seedling discovered in the 1880s and are most likely a hybrid of a citron and a lemon. They were named and launched into commercial nurseries in 1900. The fruit of the dwarf Ponderosa lemon looks much like that of citron. It bears large, grapefruit sized, pale green fruit with a thick, furrowed rind. While the fruit is juicy, it is extremely acidic....

Can You Add Potato Tops to Compost? There seems to be some debate about the safety of composting potato haulms. Of course, potato haulms in compost will decompose just like any other organic matter. Potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers are all members of the Solanaceae or Nightshade family and, as such, contain alkaloids that can be toxic. The conundrum is if composting potato haulms will render the resulting compost toxic in some way....

Container Grown Cyclamen While they prefer cool weather and actually bloom in the winter, cyclamen plants can’t tolerate temperatures below freezing. This means that if you live in a cold winter environment and want your plants to make it past their dormant summer period, your only options are growing them in a greenhouse or in pots. Unless you already have a greenhouse, pots are certainly the easier route. Growing cyclamen in containers is also a nice way to take advantage of their blooming period....