Placing plants in a candle holder is a decorative, DIY solution for a planter. Learn how to grow a plant in a candle jar for a unique potting solution. Starting a DIY Candle Planter Candle jar planters are a neat way to use up leftover containers after all the wax has burned away. A DIY candle planter is a pretty solution for using up the holder and just needs a few touches to really make it special....

DIY candles for Christmas can spruce up your holiday décor with personalized scents and fresh embellishments from the garden. Crafting Homemade Christmas Candles Homemade Christmas candles only require a few ingredients – soy wax or other type of wax you choose, a length of wick for each jar, a Mason jar or votive candle holders, and fragrance. When the DIY holiday candles have completely cooled, you can decorate the jar with fancy ribbon, herb or evergreen sprigs, or printed labels....

Figuring out your particular soil type isn’t as complicated as you might think, and it requires no expensive lab tests. You can implement DIY soil testing very easily by using a jar test to measure soil texture. Let’s learn more about this type of soil texture jar test. How to Test Soil Using a Mason Jar In simple terms, soil texture refers to the size of the soil particles. For example, large soil particles indicate sandy soil, while clay is made of very small particles....

Characteristics of the Best Drought Tolerant Annuals Annuals are plants that live for only one growing season. Generally, flowering annuals bloom all summer, then set seed before they die when the weather turns cold in autumn. The best drought-tolerant annuals tend to have smaller leaves, which minimize moisture evaporation. The leaves may be waxy to retain moisture, or they may be covered with silvery or white hairs to reflect light. Drought-tolerant annuals often have long roots so they can reach for moisture deep in the soil....

Ornamental Dwarf Cornel Plants Dwarf cornel dogwoods, often called bunchberry but a different species than the bunchberry flowering vine, are a decorative addition to your garden or backyard. These short shrubs spread quickly via runners that grow from the horizontal rootstock. The shrubs grow into a thick groundcover 4 to 10 inches (10-25.5 cm.) tall. Dwarf cornel dogwood is extremely pretty during the summer, since it bursts into flower in June or July....

Vitamin K Rich Veggies Vitamin K is a fat-soluble nutrient that promotes healthy bones and helps coagulate blood. In fact, the “K” comes from “koagulation,” the German word for coagulation. There are bacteria in the human intestines that produce Vitamin K naturally, and the body’s liver and fat can store it. Because of this, it’s not common to have too little vitamin K. That being said, it’s recommended that women get an average of 90 micrograms of Vitamin K per day, and that men get 120 micrograms....

Signs of Boron Toxicity Boron toxicity symptoms usually aren’t the result of small amounts of boron generally found in soil. However, some areas have boron in the water in high enough concentrations to cause boron toxicity in plants. Plants with too much boron initially display yellowing or browning of foliage. Leaf tips become dry, with the symptoms eventually taking over entire leaves. Boron toxicity symptoms are different depending on the plant, and instead of damage to the foliage, some plants may ooze a gummy substance from the branches or trunk....

Torpedograss Identification The methods on how to get rid of torpedograss do not encompass selective herbicides or mechanical measures. This is bad news for those of us who prefer not to use chemicals on our landscape. You could just leave the stuff alone but it would first take over your lawn and then move to the garden beds. Torpedograss weeds spread by their numerous seed but also from even tiny fragments of rhizome....

Eucalyptus Pauciflora Information What is Eucalyptus pauciflora? The name pauciflora, which means “few flowers,” is actually a misnomer that can be traced back to some questionable botany in the 19th century. Pauciflora Snow Gum trees actually produce an abundance of attractive white flowers in the spring and early summer (October to January in their native Australia). The trees are evergreen and hardy down to USDA zone 7. The leaves are long, glossy, and dark green....

Fertilization of Coconuts The coconut is the most important palm economically. It is the most widely grown and used nut in the world, utilized for its copra – which is the source of coconut oil used to make everything from soaps, shampoos, and cosmetics to a myriad of foodstuffs. The trees can be propagated from seed –a coconut — but are generally purchased as young palms from a nursery. On an interesting note, the coconut fruit can float for long distances in the ocean and still germinate once it has been washed ashore....

Should You Fertilize an Apple Tree? As mentioned, it is likely that an apple tree will need both calcium and potassium feedings annually, but to really ascertain what other nutrients your tree will need, you should do a soil test. A soil test is the only way to really determine what type of fertilizer for apples might be needed. Generally, all fruit trees thrive in a soil pH of between 6....

The scent is unmistakable and intoxicating. Lilacs have been in cultivation for at least 500 years and represent old money and crumbling mansions. The bushes are hardy and require little attention, including fertilizer, except in nutrient-poor regions. For those plants, rejuvenation pruning might be a better answer, but you can also apply lilac plant fertilizer in spring for added health. Knowing when to feed a lilac will promote better blooms and avoid heavy foliage....

Firebush Seed Propagation You can treat firebush as a small tree or a large shrub. It grows between 6 feet and 12 feet (2-4 m.) tall and wide and delights gardeners with its lively, orange-red flowers. This plant really grows fast. If you plant a short specimen in spring, it will be as tall as you are by winter. Firebush can even get to 15 feet (5 m.) tall with a trellis or support....

Fittonia Nerve Houseplants The nerve plant, or Fittonia argyroneura, from the Acanthaceae (Acanthus) family, is a tropically found plant with striking leaves of pink and green, white and green, or green and red. Foliage is primarily olive green with veining taking on the alternate hue. For specific color characteristics, look for other Fittonia nerve houseplants, such as F. argyroneura with silver-white veins or F. pearcei, the carmine pink-veined beauty. Named for its 19th-century discoverers, the botanists Elizabeth and Sarah May Fitton, the Fittonia nerve plant does indeed flower....

What is Fruiting Maturity? Fruit development and maturation does not necessarily go hand in hand with ripening. Ripening may be part of the fruit maturation process, but not always. Take those bananas, for instance. The growers pick the bananas when they are mature and ship them when they are unripe. The bananas continue to ripen off the tree, growing softer and sweeter. This is due to a plant hormone called ethylene....

Do Fungus Gnats Harm Spider Plants? Fungus gnats are attracted to spider plants and other indoor plants because they like organic soil and warm, humid conditions. Fungus gnats are nuisances but they generally don’t harm plants. However, certain species of fungus gnats lay eggs in the soil where the larvae feed on the roots or, in some cases, may even burrow into the leaves and stems. This is when some type of fungus gnat control is needed, as the larvae can be harmful in large numbers, and may damage plants or stunt plant growth....

What is a Bow Rake? A bow rake is shaped very differently from your average leaf rake. The tines are short, only a few inches (8 cm.) long, and they are parallel to each other, setting them apart from the fanning shape of a leaf rake’s tines. The tines are perpendicular to the long, straight handle. They are strong and rigid, usually made of metal. While using a bow rake to collect leaves is not unheard of, the sharpness and strength of the tines make it more suited to heavier duty projects....

Northwest Gardening Tasks for July Keep your garden clean. An excess of garden debris is not only unsightly, but it invites pests and disease. Use slug bait to control slugs and snails in shady areas. Non-toxic slug baits are safer for pets and wildlife, but deadly for the slimy pests. Watch for spider mites when summer days are dry and dusty. Often, daily bursts of water from a garden hose are enough to keep them in check....

Attracting Butterflies with Lantana Plants Butterflies have a highly evolved sense of smell and are attracted to the sweet-smelling nectar of many plants. They also are attracted to plants with bright blue, purple, pink, white, yellow, and orange blooms. Additionally, butterflies prefer plants with flat or dome-shaped clusters of small tubal flowers that they can safely perch on as they drink the sweet nectar. So, does lantana attract butterflies? Yes! Lantana plants provide all these butterfly preferences....

About Companions for Beets Companion planting is an age-old method wherein the gardener combines two or more different crops to the mutual benefit of one or all of them. Almost any plant can benefit from companion planting in one way or another and planting companions for beets is no exception. Benefits of companion planting might be to add nutrients into the soil, act as a support for vining plants, shade roots to keep them cool and moist, deter pests, and even provide shelter for beneficial insects....