Ants in a Houseplant Believe it or not, ants don’t usually attack plants outright. They are most likely not after your plant, but rather aphids, scales, or mealybugs – tiny insects that can harm your plant. Ants love feeding on honeydew, the sweet and nutritious excrement these insects produce, so they’ll actually work to protect the pests from their natural enemies. Ants in a houseplant are a sign that your plant has other problems, and that they’re going to get worse....

How to Grow a Golden Barrel Cactus Think carefully before locating the golden barrel in your yard, especially if you have children or pets. In that circumstance, use a container or find a safe spot, as punctures from the spines are painful and, in some cases, these punctures may require antibiotics. Conversely, you can choose to use the plant as part of your home security system, locating it under low windows as a defensive planting....

What are Golden Jubilee Peaches? Golden Jubilee peach trees produce mid-season peaches that can be grown in cooler climates. They need about 800 chilling hours, temperatures below 45 F. (7 C.), to set fruit. They are a hybrid peach whose parent is the Elberta peach. The Golden Jubilee peach variety produces yellow-fleshed, sweet and juicy, freestone peaches that are ready for harvest in summer. The trees bloom in the spring with scented pink-tinted blossoms, which give way to yellow fruit with a flush of scarlet that can be used for canning or eating fresh....

Choosing a Tree By Its Mature Size Most people fail to consider the mature height and appearance of a tree when they are selecting one for their landscape. Trees are generally sold in containers, much smaller than their full-grown height. The tree’s shape will also say a lot about whether it is suitable for the area in which you want to place it. Sure, the tree might look great while it’s sitting there in the container, but once it’s planted and grown to the point of concealing your existence, or the roots have become entwined in your septic lines, how great is it then?...

Growing a Royal Fern Plant Royal ferns in the garden like consistently moist soil that is acidic and rich with organic matter; however, they are adaptable to lesser conditions as long as regular water is provided. Royal ferns in the garden resist damage from browsing rabbits and deer, making them a good specimen for shady, out of the way areas. When growing a royal fern plant, allow room for the plant to reach its optimum height and spread of 2 to 3 feet (61-91 cm....

What are Horse Chestnuts? You may be wondering, What are horse chestnuts? Horse chestnuts (Aesculus hippocastanum) are large flowering trees, similar to buckeyes, with showy, white blooms in spring. These are followed by attractive, spiny, green seedpods from midsummer through fall. In addition to their beautiful flowers and seedpods, horse chestnut trees also exhibit interesting bark with twisted limbs. One note of caution: do not confuse these ornamental tree with other chestnut trees (Castanea genus), which are edible....

Mizuna Greens Information Mizuna greens have been cultivated in Japan for centuries. They are likely originally from China, but throughout Asia they are considered a Japanese vegetable. The name mizuna is Japanese and translates as juicy or watery vegetable. The plant has deeply jagged, branched dandelion-like leaves, making it ideal for cut and grow again harvesting. There are two main varieties of mizuna: Mizuna Early and Mizuna Purple. Mizuna Early is tolerant to both heat and cold and slow to go to seed, making it an ideal green for continuous summer harvest....

What is a Shamrock Plant? The potted shamrock plant (Oxalis regnellii) is a small specimen, often reaching no more than 6 inches (15 cm.). Leaves are in a range of shades and delicate flowers bloom off and on during fall, winter, and spring. Leaves are clover shaped and some think the plant brings good luck. These leaves fold up at night and open when light returns. Also known as the lucky shamrock plant, growing Oxalis houseplant is simple and adds a touch of spring to the indoors during winter months....

Elements of Hydroponic Gardening There are many advantages to hydroponic gardening. For instance, all the required elements that influence healthy plant growth can be easily controlled and maintained. This includes factors such as light, temperature, humidity, pH levels, nutrients, and water. The ability to control these elements makes hydroponic gardening easier and less time consuming than gardening with soil. Light When using hydroponic gardening methods indoors, light can be provided through a bright window or beneath suitable grow lights....

About Vegetables That Self Seed Those who grow their own lettuce know about vegetables that self-seed firsthand. Invariably, the lettuce will bolt, which simply means that it goes to seed. Literally, you can have looked at the lettuce one day and the next it has mile high flowers and is going to seed. The result, when the weather cools, may be some nice little lettuce starts. Annual veggies aren’t the only ones that self-seed....

Growing Virginia Creeper Vine Virginia creeper produces one of the most spectacular color displays of fall. The five-pointed leaves are usually just an average green but turn a brilliant crimson once temperatures cool. Virginia creeper can grow in sun to full shade, where soils are soggy to dry and even in lightly alkaline soils. The adaptability of the plant makes it suited for any site but care should be taken to keep it off wood siding and gutters....

How Do Orange Trees Pollinate? The process of pollination is the transfer of pollen from the male part of one flower, the stamen, to the female part of another flower, the pistil. In nature, this process is taken care of mostly by bees that carry pollen on their bodies as they move from flower to flower. If your orange tree is kept indoors or in a greenhouse, if you live in an area without many bees nearby, or if your tree is blooming but the weather is still cool (meaning the bees may not be out in force yet), you should consider manual orange tree pollination....

Pollinating Passion Fruit Vines Passion fruit goes by several common names, including Purple Granadilla and Yellow Passion, but there’s nothing common about it. The fruit is borne off a vigorous 15 to 20 foot (5-6 m.) vine that bears unique blossoms. Each node on the new growth bears a single, aromatic flower quite unique in appearance. The blossom is enclosed by three large green bracts and consists of five greenish white sepals, five white petals, and fringed with a corona of purple rays with white tips....

How to Make the Perfect Hanging Basket The term hanging basket is used to refer to any container planting that has been suspended. While most people are familiar with baskets designed to hang from fixed structures like porches, hanging baskets can also be placed in the garden with the use of free-standing plant hooks. Since these baskets can become quite heavy, it is important to make certain these structures are strong and sound before placing any hanging flower basket....

Oranges for Zone 8 Both sweet oranges (Citrus sinensis) and sour oranges (Citrus aurantium) grow in USDA plant hardiness zones 9 through 11. Although it is possible to start growing oranges in zone 8, you’ll have to take some precautions. First, select cold hardy orange tree varieties. Try “Hamlin” if you are growing oranges for juice. It is fairly cold hardy, but the fruit is damaged during hard freezes. “Ambersweet,” “Valencia,” and “Blood Oranges” are other orange cultivars that might grow outdoors in zone 8....

How to Harvest Cattails Virtually all parts of the cattail plant are edible at some point in the year. In summer, cattail harvesting can be as simple as picking one right off the plant. The lower part of the stem is white and, when eaten raw, tastes like cucumber. If you cook it, it tastes like corn. The pollen can be removed from the stalk simply by shaking into a paper bag....

Pollination of Hazelnuts Getting to be a hazelnut is a rather long process. Hazelnut flower clusters are produced more than a year before the nut is ready to harvest. First, male catkins begin to form in mid-May, appear in June, but don’t actually reach maturity until December or January. Female flower parts begin to form at the end of June toward the first part of July and are first visible in late November to early December....

Choosing which hobby farm livestock to raise will depend on the needs of the owner. Determining what are good hobby farm animals will help create a hobby that is both rewarding and enjoyable. What are Good Hobby Farm Animals? Choosing animals for hobby farms will depend on many factors. Among these considerations are location, size, needs, prior experience, and time that can be dedicated to care. In selecting animals to have on a hobby farm, many suggest starting small....

Bringing Outdoor Furniture and Garden Accessories Inside There are many ways to create some garden-house style. Bringing garden accessories indoors is easy and fun. Here are some tips to get you started: Who said a baker’s rack was just for the kitchen or dining area? Why not move it into a bedroom or another room in the house to use for displaying prized collections, plants, or books. Use end tables that are worn and weathered or are painted with a floral design....

Care of Houseplants Light Light is an important part of indoor houseplant care. In order to provide the right amount of light for your houseplant, make sure to check the tag on the plant when you purchase it. If the houseplant is given to you, ask the person giving it to you what kind of light it needs. Generally houseplants need either high, medium, or low light. Beyond this, a houseplant may need direct (bright) light or indirect light....