About Colored Plastic Mulch Plastic mulch, virtually unknown just a little while ago, is coming into its own. These days, many farms and backyard gardens use “plasticulture” to modify microclimates and improve crop quality. In fact, the benefits of using plastic mulch are numerous. It warms the soil, minimizes evaporation, limits leaching of nutrients from the soil, and results in more and better crops that are ready to harvest earlier. Mulch, of course, is a material you layer over garden soil to reduce weeds, hold in water, and control soil temperature....

Can You Grow Peppers Upside Down? Absolutely, it’s possible to grow inverted pepper plants. Apparently, not every veggie does well upside down, but upside-down pepper plants are a go, probably because they don’t have really deep roots. Really, though, why wouldn’t you try growing peppers upside down? Upside-down gardening is a space saver, lacks pesky weeds, foils pests and fungal disease, doesn’t need staking and, thanks to gravity, delivers water and nutrients easily....

Can You Grow Plumeria Inside? Yes, you can, and this article will explain the basics of how to grow plumeria plants indoors year-round. You can obtain potted plumeria plants at your local nursery or propagate your own from cuttings. Make sure your plants or cuttings are potted with a coarse well-draining potting mix. A cactus mix, in particular, should fit the bill. However, you may prefer to concoct your own mix....

Growing Quince in a Container Before we get any further, it’s important to clear up which kind of quince we’re talking about. There are two major plants that go by the name “quince” – fruiting quince and flowering Japanese quince. The latter can be grown successfully in containers, but we’re here to talk about the former, also known as Cydonia oblonga. To create even more confusion, this quince is not related to its Japanese namesake and shares none of the same growing requirements....

When to Pick Caraway Caraway is a biennial herb whose leaves, roots, and seeds can be eaten. The plant prefers cool weather and is most often sown in spring or autumn. The deeply notched leaves form a rosette in the first year while it develops the deep taproot. Long stems form during the second year and bear umbrella-like clusters of white to pink flowers. Seeds start ripening a month after flowering and is followed by plant death....

Growing Pearly Everlasting Known botanically as Anaphalis margaritacea, pearly everlasting plants are native to much of northern and western parts of the United States and grow in Alaska and Canada as well. Small white flowers grow on pearly everlasting– clusters of tight buds with yellow centers resemble pearls on a string, or in a cluster. Foliage of pearly everlasting plants is grayish white too, with small fuzzy leaves adorning this unusual specimen....

What is Carolina Geranium? A close relative of the perennial cutleaf geranium (Geranium dissectum), Carolina geranium, also known as Carolina cranesbill, is a winter annual or biennial in some zones. Growing only 8 to 12 inches (20-31 cm.) tall, this hardy geranium is easily identified by its deeply lobed, palmate leaves, red-pink hairy stems, small, pale pink-lavender five petaled flowers that bloom in spring, and long tapered seed pods that resemble a crane’s beak....

Celandine Poppy Info Celandine poppies (Stylophorum diphyllum) are also known as wood poppies and are members of the Papaveraceae family. They are found growing in damp areas of woods in shaded or partially shaded places. Commonly found in the woodlands of northern parts of the United States, this showy spring bloomer is native to Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, and Ohio. Woodland poppies have bright yellow flowers and interesting dissected leaves. This pretty wildflower blooms from March through May....

According to the history of green beans, they have been a part of our diet for thousands of years, although their appearance has changed somewhat. Let’s take a look at the evolution of green beans in history. Green Beans in History There are actually more than 500 types of green beans available for cultivation. Not every cultivar is green, some are purple, red, or even striated, although the bean inside will always be green....

How Do Cherry Trees Pollinate? Not all cherry trees need a compatible cultivar, so how do cherry trees pollinate? The sour cherry varieties are almost all self-fruiting. This means they can get pollen from the same cultivar to produce fruit. The sweet cherries, with few exceptions, need pollen from a different but compatible cultivar to set cherries. Pollinating a cherry tree in the sweet category with the same cultivar will not result in fruit....

Chinese Pistache Tree Trimming The mature Chinese pistache is a wonderful, medium sized, ornamental tree, perfect for southwest regions. It is both pest free and easy maintenance once it has attained its adult silhouette. This attractive tree can go through an awkward “teenage” stage, however. While it is young, it can look gangling and awkward, with a long gooseneck and few or unevenly spaced branches. This is the time for Chinese pistache tree trimming....

Plants for Full Sun in Zone 9 Here are some good sun-loving zone 9 plants: Bluebeard – Bluebeard blooms with striking blue flowers in late summer and early fall. Attracts butterflies. Butterfly Bush – Butterfly bush produces fragrant clusters of flowers in red, blue, white, and every shade in between. English Lavender – English lavender is extremely fragrant and drought tolerant. Produces delicate purple flowers. Hummingbird Mint – Hummingbird mint is fragrant and puts up prolific, very bright spikes of flowers that attract hummingbirds and butterflies....

Although the process of growing these flowers is relatively simple, there are some issues that may cause failure at bloom time, like chrysanthemum verticillium disease. Verticillium of Chrysanthemums While many plant issues and diseases show distinctive signs and symptoms early in the growing season, others do not. Chrysanthemum verticillium wilt is one of these and is caused by certain types of verticillium fungus. Mums with verticillium wilt are unique in that the presence of infection may go undetected by growers throughout the vast majority of the growing season....

Clove Tree Propagation Tips Clove trees grow in wet, tropical regions. They require consistent temperatures of 70 to 85 degrees F. (21-30 C.) that do not dip below 50 degrees F. (10 C.). Clove trees can grow in full sun to part shade. Commercially, they are grown in regions within 10 degrees of the equator, where companion trees such as jacaranda and mango can provide them with some shade. Common clove trees grow approximately 25 feet (8 m....

Mixing Shrubs with Forsythia Bush Varieties Despite its bright spring color display, forsythia isn’t meant to be a specimen or stand-alone plant. The color lasts only three weeks at most, and once the flowers are gone, forsythia is a plain Jane of a plant. The foliage isn’t particularly attractive and for most forsythia bush varieties, there is no pretty fall color. You can overcome the shrub’s limited season by surrounding it with other shrubs to create a border with several seasons of interest....

Gravel Weed Plants Before attempting to eradicate the weed population in your gravel areas, you should first identify what type of weed you are going to battle with to figure out the best method of elimination. There are three basic types of gravel weed plants: broadleaf weeds, grassy weeds and woody weeds. Broadleaf weeds – these have just that, broad leaves with prominent veins. The leaves atop the weed are alternate and the others appear opposite one another....

Planting annual flower beds is a quick and easy way to add large sections of dramatic color to home flower gardens. With careful planning, annual flower borders can provide vibrant bursts of color throughout the entire growing season, at very little cost to gardeners. Annuals with Yellow Flowers Easy to grow annual flower varieties are especially popular with beginner gardeners and those who hope to design growing spaces that are both colorful and inviting to guests....

Take potatoes for instance; many people say not to add them to the pile. The reason in this case is the spuds’ desire to replicate and become more potatoes, turning into a pile of tubers instead of an organic mixture. Squashing the tubers before adding them to the pile will solve this problem. But what about onions in compost? Can you compost onions? The answer is a resounding, “yes.” Composted onion waste is just as valuable an organic ingredient as most any with a few caveats....

Planting Poppies in Containers It is not difficult to grow poppies in containers as long as you plant them in the correct sized pot, use quality soil, and give them adequate light and water. Ask your local nursery to help you choose the variety of poppies you want. You can choose by color, height, and type of bloom – single, double or semi-double. Any medium-sized container is perfect as long as it has never contained chemicals or other toxic materials....

Whatever your reason for growing sunflower fields, you will find out very quickly that there is one detail that you need to pay attention to. This is weed control in sunflowers. Due to the fact that sunflowers grown from seeds can take up to two weeks to appear, weeds can very easily establish themselves and then shade the sunflower seedlings, which will stunt the sunflowers’ growth. You have three major options with weed control in sunflowers....