These hardy and reliable plants can also serve as an integral part of the ornamental garden, naturalized landscapes, or even wildflower meadows. Due to their ability to attract and feed large numbers of pollinators, perennial asters are an especially popular choice for gardeners dedicated to creating habitat for bees and butterflies. While the options are nearly limitless, those who choose to grow a species called Aster tongolensis may especially want to understand the value of these perennials....

Best Apples for Cider Choosing the best apples for cider is a matter of taste. If you prefer your cider to be on the sweet side then opt for sweet apples such as Cortland, Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, or Red Delicious. If you like your cider tangy, choose tart apples such as Braeburn, Jonathan, McIntosh, or Pink Lady. Of course you can also use a blend of both for a tangy/sweet crowd pleasing combination....

While garden kits are not the most inexpensive option for growing succulents, they do include everything you’ll need. Grow succulents from seed by using a succulent seed starter kit to learn the process and to check your results. Contents of Succulent Garden Starter Kit We must consider that purchasing succulent seeds in any form has the potential to be a rip-off. Many reviewers of these kits appear pleased with their seed germination....

Planting with Elderberries Some gardeners make fritters from elderberry flowers and eat the fruit, raw or cooked. Others leave the berries for the birds and just use the hardy shrubs in a hedgerow. Whether or not you eat the blossoms or fruit of these shrubs, you can still make your garden more attractive by selecting appropriate elderberry plant companions. The shrubs thrive in USDA plant hardiness zones 3 through 10, so you’ll have many options....

About Tent Worms Although often confused with fall webworms, tent caterpillars are quite different. Tent worms are active in early spring while webworms become active near fall. Tent worms make their tent-like nests in the forks of branches while webworm nests are located at the ends of branches. Fall webworms also enclose foliage or leaves within these nests. Tent caterpillars do not. Tent worms prefer wild cherry trees and other ornamental fruit trees....

What is Ethylene Gas? Without scent and invisible to the eye, ethylene is a hydrocarbon gas. Ethylene gas in fruits is a naturally occurring process resulting from the ripening of the fruit or may be produced when plants are injured in some way. So, what is ethylene gas? Ethylene gas in fruits and vegetables is actually a plant hormone which regulates the plant’s growth and development as well as the speed at which these occur, such as hormones do in humans or animals....

In fact, this tree can make an attractive addition with interesting bark and foliage, beautiful flowers, and nice fragrance. They do especially well in areas that mimic their native environment. Most of these trees are rapid growers, reaching heights of about 30 to 180 feet (9-55 m.) or more, depending on the variety, with approximately 60 percent of their growth established within the first ten years. Tips on Growing Eucalyptus Trees All eucalyptus trees require full sun, however, some species, like E....

Evergreen Shrubs for Shade To find the right shade loving evergreen shrub for your yard, you should give some consideration to the size and shape of the shrubs you are looking for. Some evergreens for shade include: Aucuba Boxwood Hemlock (Canada and Carolina varieties) Leucothoe (Coast and Drooping species) Dwarf Bamboo Dwarf Chinese Holly Dwarf Nandina Arborvitae (Emerald, Globe, and Techny varieties) Fetterbush Yew (Hicks, Japanese, and Taunton types) Indian Hawthorn Leather-leaf Mahonia Mountain Laurel...

When to Fertilize Roses I perform my first feeding around mid to late spring– the weather patterns really dictate the first feeding of roses. If there has been a string of good, warm days and steady night temps in the upper 40’s, (8 C.), it is safe to start feeding the roses and watering them in well with either my choice of chemical dry mix (granular rose bush food) rose food or one of my choices of organic mix rose food....

During a recent warm summer in Provence, we plucked figs from a tree every day for a delicious and healthy no-fuss dessert. Figs are fun and fairly easy to grow, but there are a few important things to learn about fig tree care. How to Grow Figs in the Garden Buy your plants from a reputable nursery to avoid nematode problems with your figs. Other ways to obtain fig trees is to plant root suckers from other trees or obtain divisions or cuttings from mature plants....

Why Leaves are Falling off Firebush It’s typical for firebush to drop a few old leaves every year, but losing more than normal is an indication of some type of shock to the shrub. If you’re noticing firebush leaf drop, or if there are no leaves on a firebush, consider the following problems: Shock– Sudden changes in temperature, either too cold or too hot, may be to blame for a firebush losing leaves....

What Causes Lychee Fruit Drop? If your fruit is dropping early, there could be several reasons. Lychee trees generally set more fruits than it is possible to hold, so some dropping can be the result of natural attrition. Stress can increase natural fruit drop in lychee, and stress may be increased by drought, temperatures that are colder than normal, or nutrient deficiencies. Lychee is notoriously ready to drop fruit early, so being careful to minimize stress is important....

Banana Fusarium Wilt Symptoms Fusarium is a soil-borne fungus that enters the banana plant through the roots. As the disease progresses upward through the plant, it clogs the vessels and blocks the flow of water and nutrients. The first visible banana fusarium wilt symptoms are stunted growth, leaf distortion, and yellowing, and wilt along the edges of mature, lower leaves. The leaves gradually collapse and droop from the plant, eventually drying up completely....

Symptoms of Potato Fusarium Wilt The first sign of potatoes with fusarium wilt is yellowing of the leaves, following by wilting, rolling, or curling, sometimes affecting leaves on only one side of the plant. Symptoms of fusarium wilt typically begin on the lower part of the plant, eventually moving up the stem. The potatoes themselves may be blemished or decayed, often with sunken brown areas, especially at the stem end....

Gardening Tasks for Western Regions “The West” can mean a lot of things to a lot of different people, so it’s important to get on the right page. Here in the U.S., we classify California and Nevada as the West, leaving Oregon and Washington in the Pacific Northwest region and Arizona in the Southwest. So, when we talk about gardening in the West, that’s what we mean. Wherever you live in California or Nevada, most of your August to-do list will involve irrigating and harvesting crops....

Garlic Varieties to Grow Garlic’s history is long and convoluted. Originally from Central Asia, it has been cultivated in the Mediterranean for over 5,000 years. Gladiators ate garlic prior to battle and Egyptian slaves purportedly consumed it to give them strength to build the pyramids. There are basically two different types of garlic, although some folks lump elephant garlic as a third. Elephant garlic is actually a member of the onion family but is a variant of the leek....

Growing Gonzales Cabbages This cabbage plant is moderately easy to grow indoors or by directly sowing in soil outdoors. The cold hardy cabbage (USDA zones 2 to 11) can be grown in spring, fall, or winter and can tolerate a hard frost. Seeds should germinate within 7 to 12 days. The Gonzales cabbage plant also is suitable for container culture. To grow indoors, start seeds four to six weeks before the last frost....

Most species of Loropetalum bear maroon, purple, burgundy, or even nearly black leaves presenting a unique foliar aspect for the garden. Occasionally your Loropetalum is green, not purple or the other hues in which it comes. There is a very simple reason for Loropetalum leaves turning green but first we need a little science lesson. Reasons a Purple Loropetalum Turns Green Plant leaves gather solar energy through their leaves and respirate from the foliage as well....

Desert greening is the process of introducing species that thrive in the local conditions and contribute by adding biomass, nitrogen, and other items. The end result should ideally produce food for humans and animals, and take advantage of any source of water. Developing a desert food forest relies upon implementing important strategies combined with the proper selection of plants. What is a Desert Food Forest? Utilizing certain techniques, desert greening is possible....

Propagating Dracaena Cuttings There is more than one way to propagate dracaena by cuttings. One of the simplest is to take off the crown. Cut just below the bunch of leaves at the top of the plant and be sure you get at least one node. Place the cut end in water and put it in a warm spot. The roots should start to grow quickly, as long as you keep it warm....