About Tea Plant Seed Propagation Camellia sinensis, the tea plant, is an evergreen shrub that thrives in cool, moist regions where it attains heights of 20 feet (6 m.) with a broad 15-foot (about 4.5 m.) wide canopy. Growing tea from seeds is best accomplished in USDA zones 9-11. While tea plants are usually propagated via cuttings, it is possible to grow a tea plant from seed. Prior to germinating tea seeds, gather fresh seed in the mid to late fall, when the seed capsules are ripe and a reddish-brown color....

Using Teepee Structures in the Vegetable Garden Teepees in vegetable gardens are quite common for vine crops. A teepee garden trellis can be complex or as simple as a basic teepee of three poles lashed together. Since they are easy to move, using a teepee plant support is ideal for veggies like runner beans that may not be in the same spot next year. The structure is not only visually appealing and simple to make, but it puts veggies at a convenient height for harvest....

Why Should You Thin Citrus Trees? As a gardener, you want the biggest crop of oranges, lemons, or limes you can get from your citrus orchard. So why should you thin citrus trees, pruning out some of those immature fruit? The idea behind thinning fruit on citrus trees is to produce less but better fruit. Often, young citrus trees produce many more tiny fruits than the tree can bring to maturity....

What are Butter Beans? Chances are you have probably eaten butter beans at least once in your life. If you don’t live in areas that call them butter beans, you may be asking yourself, “What are butter beans?” Butter beans are also called lima beans, but don’t let the undeserved reputation of lima beans dissuade you from trying them. They had it right in naming them butter beans; fresh butter beans are rich and flavorful....

Tree Bark Function For all intents and purposes, tree bark is the skin of the tree. The main tree bark function is to protect the phloem layer. The phloem layer is like our own circulatory system. It brings the energy produced by the leaves to the rest of the tree. How Removing Tree Bark Affects a Tree Because the tree bark’s function is to protect the layer that brings food, when tree bark is scratched or damaged, this tender phloem layer below is also damaged....

Water Requirements for Citrus Trees Watering your lemon trees or other citrus trees is tricky. Too little water and the tree will die. Too much and the tree will die. This can leave even an experienced gardener asking, “How often do I water a citrus tree?” With ground-planted citrus trees, watering should happen about once a week, whether from rainfall or manually. Be sure the area has excellent drainage and that you soak the ground deeply at each watering....

Big Blooms but No Tomatoes on the Tomato Plant Several factors can lead to a lack of fruit setting, such as temperature, irregular watering practices, and poor growing conditions. You don’t need two plants in order to produce fruit either—this is a popular misconception. Lush Foliage but No Tomatoes If you’re troubled with lots of lush foliage on your tomato plants but can’t seem to get any tomatoes, it may be due to poor lighting or watering....

Tomato Plant Leaf Curl Virus Curling tomato leaves may be a sign of a viral infection. Normally this virus is transmitted through whiteflies or through infected transplants. Though it can take up to three weeks before any symptoms develop, the most common indicator of the disease is the yellowing and upward curling of the leaves, which may also appear crumple-like. Plant growth soon becomes stunted and may even take on a bush-like growth habit....

Essential Tools Every New Gardener Needs You don’t need anything fancy or expensive to get started in gardening. A few hand tools for a new gardener will be adequate enough and fit nicely into a small tool belt or apron for easy access. These may include items such as: Gloves: Invest in a good pair that fit well. Gardening gloves should be breathable and waterproof. You won’t regret spending a little extra on these....

About Tower of Jewels Plants This variety of Echium is native to the Canary Islands off the coast of Morocco. In this region the weather is mild with sunny, warm sea breezes in summer and cool, but not freezing, winters. Echium tower of jewels starts its first year of life as a grayish to silver rosette set low to the ground. In the second year, it produces a tall, thick flower spire with slightly ragged silver foliage below....

Can You Move a Mature Avocado Tree? Sometimes it’s necessary to think about moving an avocado tree. Maybe you planted it in the sun and now it’s become a shady area. Or maybe the tree just grew taller than you thought it would. The tree is mature now though and you’d hate to lose it. Can you move a mature avocado tree? You can. Avocado transplanting is indisputably easier when the tree is young, but transplanting an avocado tree is possible even if it’s been in the ground for some years....

Symptoms of Botrytis on Roses The botrytis blight fungus is sort of grayish brown and looks fuzzy or wooly. The botrytis blight fungus seems to attack mostly hybrid tea rose bushes, attacking the leaves and canes of the subject rose bush. It will prevent the blooms from opening and many times causes the bloom petals to turn brown and shrivel up. Botrytis Control on Roses Rose bushes under stress will be extremely vulnerable to this fungal disease....

What is a Tree Lily? Growing tree lilies are tall and the stalks are large but, in spite of the name, they are not trees; they are herbaceous (non-woody) plants that die down at the end of each growing season. Average height of a tree lily is 4 feet (1 m.), although some varieties may reach heights of 5 to 6 feet (1.5 to 2 m.) and sometimes more. The plant is available in bold colors such as red, gold, and burgundy, as well as pastel shades of peach, pink, pale yellow, and white....

What is Trench Composting? Trench composting is nothing new. In fact, the Pilgrims learned how to put the theory into action in a very practical way when Native Americans taught them to bury fish heads and scraps in the soil before planting corn. To this day, trench composting methods may be slightly more sophisticated, but the basic idea remains unchanged. Creating a compost pit at home not only benefits the garden; it also reduces the amount of material that usually goes to waste in municipal landfills, thus reducing the expense involved in waste collecting, handling, and transportation....

About Varieties of Fountain Grass Fountain grass plants (Pennisetum alopecuroides) are native to Eastern Asia and Australia where they are found growing along streams, in meadows, and open woods. Fountain grass plants have deep green, clumping foliage that initially grows upright but as the plant matures, begins to gracefully arch resembling a spouting fountain. Plants attain a height of 12-48 inches (30 cm. to just over a meter) depending upon the fountain grass cultivar....

Types of Chrysanthemums Single – Single chrysanthemums, one of the most common varieties of mums, are distinguished by a flat center and up to five radiating rows of long, daisy-like petals. The leaves, which are lobed or toothed, have a distinct aroma when crushed. Examples include Amber Morning, Daisy, and Tenderness. Pompom – Of all the different types of mums, pompom mums are among the smallest and the cutest. Pompom mums produce several colorful little globe-like blooms per stem....

Solving the Mystery of Empty Pods When gardeners find no seeds in pod varieties of vegetables, it’s easy to blame the problem on a lack of pollinators. After all, pesticide use and diseases have reduced honeybee populations among producers in recent years. A lack of pollinators does reduce yields in many types of crops, but most pea and bean varieties are self-pollinating. Often, this process occurs before the flower opens. Additionally, lack of pollination in pod-forming plants usually causes flower drop with no pod formation, not empty pods....

Lawn Substitutes for Warm Regions Groundcovers make excellent lawn alternative plants for the south and they don’t need as much maintenance. Environmentally, alternative plants make sense because they don’t need as much water or chemical treatment as lawn grass. Depending on the plant you choose, they can also serve as wildlife habitat. On the other hand, a dense lawn is a clean air factory, converting much more air than most of the alternatives....

Wasp Deterrent The best way to deal with wasps is to minimize their numbers by deterring them from the area. Do not keep any food (including your pet’s) lying around. Keep drinks covered when outdoors and always ensure that garbage cans are tightly sealed. Also, keep any fallen fruits from nearby trees or shrubs, as well as in the garden, picked up as their sweet juices attract the wasps. How to Get Rid of Wasps If you already have a wasp problem and you need to know how to kill wasps, then it helps to understand what type you are dealing with and their particular nesting habits....

Identifying Zone 8 Weeds Here is a list of some of the most common zone 8 weeds and how to both recognize and manage them: Crabgrass – Crabgrass resembles miniature corn plants, but as the plant matures, the blades bend to the ground and takes on a star-like appearance. While the plant branches out, it continues to develop new shoots from the center. A healthy lawn that is regularly watered, mowed, dethatched, and fertilized will have the best chance of withstanding an invasion of crabgrass....