Wild West North Central Vines The High Plains region is a genuine breadbasket for the nation and has rich soil necessary for large scale agriculture. Homeowners can benefit from this soil by planting native vines for plains or at least those with similar cultivation needs. Wild vines in the Northern Rockies often make excellent additions to the garden and are already adapted to the cold winters and sizzling summers. If you are a hiker, you are already aware of the local flora available in nature....

What are Desert Gems Cacti? Most cacti are green with maybe a bit of blue or gray mixed in. Desert Gems cactus plants are natural plants that turn the color scheme on its head. While they have been artificially colored, they are still natural cacti and grow just like any plant. They stay relatively small and work nicely in a combined dish garden or as stand-alone specimens that bring a pop of color to your interior....

One of the more common methods to divert and move water is to build a French drain. Read on to learn what a French drain is and how to build one. What Are French Drains Used For? French drain systems can be installed to help divert excess water away from homes or low areas in the landscape. These underground “ditches” contain perforated pipe and gravel that gently slope and allow water to freely drain away to ditches, retention ponds, storm drains or rain gardens....

Jewel Strawberry Info The berries from a Jewel strawberry plant are exactly what you picture when you think of this variety of fruit. Firm, deeply red, and juicy; the berries adapt to a host of uses. What are Jewel strawberries? They are on the list of the top 10 strawberries. The plants are resistant to the more common strawberry problems and self-pollinate, with fruit that has a delicious scent and flavor....

What are Living Walls? What are living walls? Living walls for birds are simply a bird friendly hedge that acts as a bird safe privacy screen. The hedge is typically comprised of a mix of tall and short plant species that work together. A living wall for birds not only provides habitat for birds, pollinators, and other creatures but it also lends privacy, reduces noise, and defines the edge of your landscape....

Odontoglossum Plant Care Odontoglossum orchid plants aren’t the easiest orchid to grow, but they’ll reward you richly if you can meet their basic needs. Temperature: Odontoglossum orchid plants prefer cooler conditions and are fairly picky about temperatures. Keep the room below 74 F. (23 C.) during the day and about 50 to 55 F. (10-13 C.) at night. Orchids in warmer rooms will need additional water and humidity. Light: Sunlight should be bright but not intense, such as an east-facing window or a lightly shaded south-facing window, although odontoglossum orchid plants in high temperatures require a little more shade....

What are Old English Roses? The roses referred to as English roses are often called Austin roses or David Austin roses. These rose bushes were introduced around 1969 with the introduction of rose bushes named Wife of Bath and Canterbury. Two of Mr. Austin’s rose bushes named Mary Rose and Graham Thomas were introduced in Chelsea, (West London, England) in 1983 and seemed to spark popularity for his English roses in that country as well as the rest of the world....

Pinon Nut Information According to New Mexico State University Extension, the tiny, brown pinon nuts (pronounced pin-yon) saved early explorers from almost certain starvation. NMSU also notes that pinon was critical to Native Americans, who used all parts of the tree. The nuts were a major food source and the wood was used for building hogans or burned in healing ceremonies. Many area residents continue to use pinon nuts in very traditional ways....

What are Double Blooms? You likely know double flowers when you see them, but what exactly is the definition of this phenomenon or bloom type? A single flower has a certain number of petals, although this number can vary by species. For example, the American Rose Society defines a single rose as having just four to eight petals per flower. Double flowering plants have some multiple of the number of petals on a single bloom....

What Causes Gummy Stem Blight? Watermelon gummy stem blight is caused by the fungus Didymella bryoniae. The disease is both seed and soil-borne. It can be present in or on infested seed, or overwinter for a year and a half on infected crop residue. Periods of high temperature, moisture and humidity foster the disease – 75 F. (24 C.), relative humidity over 85% and leaf wetness from 1-10 hours. Wounds on the plant either caused by mechanical equipment or insect feeding along with powdery mildew infection predispose the plant to infection....

What Causes Papaya Damping Off? Damping off in papaya is seen as a serious disease in high heat situations. Very young seedlings are most susceptible and become more resistant as they grow. The fungus causes stem tissues to collapse and eventually the little papaya plant will die. Both pre-emergence and post-emergence damping off can occur. The first occurrence causes seeds to fail to germinate, while the second slowly kills young plants....

What is a Chia Plant? Chia (Salvia hispanica) is a member of the Lamiaceae, or mint, family. Adding chia to your plantings provides a valuable nectar source for bees and butterflies. These herbaceous hardy annuals grow to 3 feet tall (91 cm.). They have thick, dark green leaves that are wrinkled and deeply lobed. Tiny, soft, gray hairs cover the upper side of the leaves as well. The chia plant has several stems rising from the plant’s base....

What is a Cornelian Cherry Plant? Cornelian cherries (Cornus mas) are actually members of the dogwood family and native to areas of Eastern Europe and Western Asia (they even survive in Siberia!). They are shrub-like trees that can grow up to 15-25 feet (4.5 to 7.5 m.) in height if left unpruned. The plant can live and be fruitful for up to 100 years. They bloom early in the season, even prior to forsythia, and bloom for an extended period of time, carpeting the tree in a yellow haze of tiny blossoms....

Takanotsume Pepper Info When these chili peppers are young and green, they are often used for cooking. The ripe, red peppers are generally dried and used to spice up a variety of dishes. Hawk claw chili peppers grow on bushy plants that reach heights of about 24 inches (61 cm.). The plant is attractive and its compact growth is well suited for containers. How to Grow Hawk Claw Chili Peppers Plant seeds indoors in January or February, or start with small plants from a greenhouse or nursery....

What is a Rugosa Rose? Also known as Japanese rose, rugosa rose bushes are beloved for their adaptability and floriferous habit. Quickly forming dense thickets of growth, these bushes are especially attractive to pollinators. Flowers, usually ranging in shades of white, pink, and red, bloom profusely early in the summer season and continue until the fall. Beyond flowering, these rose bushes create large quantities of brightly colored rose hips. These hips add considerable ornamental value from fall into winter....

Screwbean Mesquite Info What is a screwbean mesquite tree? Hardy in USDA zones 7 through 10, the screwbean mesquite tree (Prosopis pubescens) ranges from the American Southwest and Texas into Central and South America. It is small for a tree, usually topping out at 30 feet (9 m.) in height. With its multiple trunks and spreading branches, it can sometimes grow to be wider than it is tall. It differs from its cousin, the traditional mesquite tree, in a few ways....

Flowering gardens are sometimes shared across a property line, improving the appearance of more than one landscape. Perhaps, you’re growing a cutting garden with plenty of blooms to supply fresh flowers for two households. While most garden sharing is for the food, keep in mind there are other reasons too. What is a Shared Garden? Communal gardening may spring from a community garden or simply from sharing and working a plot of land with one or more neighbors....

What is a Spineless Prickly Pear? The spineless prickly pear is a type of evergreen cactus that, unlike other types of prickly pear cacti, isn’t armed and dangerous. If you are looking for a succulent that looks like a cactus but doesn’t have long, pointed spines, an Ellisiana cactus might be the plant for you. According to spineless prickly pear information, the plant offers many attractive features in addition to not having spines....

As with many other orchid varieties, Oncidium orchid care depends on keeping the plants in loose, well-drained rooting medium and imitating the environment in which it first developed. How to Care for Oncidium Dancing Ladies What is an Oncidium orchid? It’s a species that has developed without the benefit of soil (epiphytic) and which grows long spikes covered in colorful flowers. Start growing Oncidium orchids by choosing the right rooting mix....

What is Double Streak Virus? Double streak tomato virus is a hybrid virus. Tomatoes with double streak virus have both tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and potato virus X (PVX). TMV is found the all over the planet. It is the cause of losses of tomato crops both in the field and greenhouses. The virus is, unfortunately, very stable and can survive in dried plant debris as long as a century. TMV is not transmitted by insects....