Making Your Garden UFO Friendly UFOs have long since fascinated us, but why should we only imagine sharing “space” with our little ET friends? Making contact with UFO species is possible when you know how to invite aliens to your home. One of the best ways to let extraterrestrials know they’re welcome to visit is with the addition of cosmic garden plants. By adding the right plants to your garden “space,” you can create an inviting environment for all manner of otherworldly guests....

Barley Basal Glume Blotch Info What is basal glume blotch of barley? Also known as barley basal glume rot and spikelet rot, this disease is caused by the bacterium Pseudomonas atrofaciens (sometimes also called Pseudomonas syringae pv. atrofaciens), which is the same fungus that can also lead to septoria leaf blotch. It affects the glume of the plant, or the small bract that grows out of the stem partially covering each kernel of grain....

Help! My Gardenia’s Leaves are Curling! If leaves of gardenia are crinkling and wrinkling, there may be several factors at play. Gardenia Leaf Curl and Spider Mites Spider mites are often to blame when leaves of gardenia are crinkling. You may not notice the pests because they’re so tiny, but the fine webbing they leave on the foliage is a telltale sign. A gardenia affected by spider mites may also exhibit yellow or spotted leaves....

Why Isn’t My Garlic Ready? The simplest solution to a problem with bulb or clove formation is that your garlic plants simply aren’t ready. It takes at least 30 nights with temperatures lower than 50 degrees F. (10 C.) for good development of cloves. If you pull up a garlic plant and see a small bulb or a bulb with no apparent cloves, it may just not be ready yet. Leave the rest of the plants alone and give them some more time....

When Do Lychee Trees Fruit? Probably the most obvious answer to why a lychee isn’t fruiting is timing. As with every fruiting tree, the time must be right. Lychee trees don’t begin producing fruit for 3-5 years from planting – when grown from cuttings or grafting. Trees grown from seed, may take up to 10-15 years to fruit. So a lack of fruit may just mean the tree is too young....

Why Do Prayer Plants Leaves Turn Brown? Prayer plants are beautiful tropical foliage plants. They naturally live in the understory of Brazilian tropical forests and need moderate light and high humidity. This makes them perfect houseplants for most conditions. However, if you say, “my prayer plant has brown leaves,” you need to ask if you are providing those conditions. Prayer plants with brown leaves may be trying to tell you that the cultural conditions aren’t correct for this glossy leaved plant with a habit of folding its leaves together at night in worshipful prayer....

Healthy sago leaves are a deep green. If you notice your sago leaves turning yellow, the plant may be suffering from nutrient deficiencies. However, yellow sago palm fronds may also indicate other problems. Read on for information about what to do if you see your sago leaves turning yellow. My Sago Palm is Turning Yellow If you find yourself complaining that “My sago palm is turning yellow,” you may want to start fertilizing your plant....

How to Design a Native Garden Always become familiar with the types of native garden plants that may already be growing on your property. This not only gives you an idea of the types of plants that thrive in your particular location but also makes it easier as you begin gardening with native plants and adding them to your design. Native plants flourish in their natural environment and complement the surrounding landscape of your home....

Homemade Natural Dog Repellent Chili Pepper – This is one of the most common and most effective dog repellents. It is what you will commonly find in commercial organic dog repellents. The capsicum in the peppers will irritate the skin of the dog, particularly the sensitive area in and around the nose. The irritation will deter the dog from returning to the area. Common chili pepper powder sprinkled around the area will help repel all dogs....

Nerine lily bulbs are not hardy below 38 degrees F. (3 C.), so you should check your gardening zone before planting. You can also treat them as annuals but rather than waste these lovely flowers, pull the bulbs and overwinter them. Growing instructions for Nerine lilies are similar to most summer blooming bulbs. Nerine Bulb Information There are nearly 30 species of these bulbs, which are also called Bowden Cornish lily or Japanese spider lily....

What is a Nighttime Herb Garden? A nighttime herb garden is designed to capture the moonlight and enhance the aroma of night-blooming plants. Sometimes called a moon garden, but made strictly with herbs, these unique backyard areas are intended for use during the evening hours, especially on moonlit nights. These gardens were a favorite of the nobility during the Victorian era. In order to distinguish themselves from the suntanned working class, the wealthy strived to maintain a pale complexion....

Getting Passionflower to Bloom “How do you get a passionflower to bloom?” is a question commonly asked on garden forums across the web and shouted in earnest over back fences everywhere. It would stand to reason that if your passionflower vine was growing wildly out of control, it should be setting blooms, but this isn’t always the case. Passion flowers require very exacting conditions to excite the urge to bloom. A passionflower not blooming is almost always due to something in the environment, so put on your detective pants and carefully inspect your plant’s living quarters while keeping the following in mind: Age: Passionflowers don’t always bloom right away....

Different Kinds of Oleander Plants Oleanders look something like olive trees with blossoms. They can grow from 3 to 20 feet (1-6 m.) tall and from 3 to 10 feet (1-3 m.) wide. The blossoms are fragrant and different kinds of oleander plants produce different color flowers. All oleander plant types are relatively low maintenance, however, and the shrubs are popular with gardeners in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 11....

Symptoms of Neck Rot in Onions Onion neck rot is a disease caused by a particular fungus, Botrytis allii. This fungus affects alliums such as garlic, leeks, scallions, and onions. It is often not identified until after harvest, when the onions are either damaged during transportation or not cured properly before storage. First, the tissue around the neck of the onion (the top, facing the foliage) becomes water soaked and sunken....

How to Winter Fuchsia Plants The goal of overwintering fuchsias is to keep them alive, not to keep them blooming. A fuchsia will not keep blooming through the winter. They need sunlight that is really only available outside in the summer. It is very difficult to imitate these conditions in your house. The best thing you can do to over winter fuchsias is to put them into dormancy, which is kind of a rest for plants....

What annuals grow well in the Pacific Northwest? The sheer number and variation of Pacific Northwest annual flowers available may surprise you. Why Grow Pacific Northwest Annual Flowers? Annuals are plants that germinate, bloom, set seed, then die back in a single season. Amongst Pacific Northwest garden flowers, you will find tender annuals such as marigolds and zinnias that can’t take chilly temps and hardier specimens like poppies and bachelor’s buttons which can handle a light frost....

Why A Pear Tree Has Yellow Leaves The most obvious cause of pear tree leaves turning yellow is, of course, autumn. If your days are getting shorter and nights are getting colder, that may be all there is to it. There are plenty of more troublesome causes though. Your tree could be suffering from pear scab, a bacterial disease that manifests itself in the spring with yellow spots that darken to brown or olive green....

Growing Espalier Pear Trees You can espalier a pear tree along a wall or fence, or else along a walkway. In either case, you’ll need to first plant the tree. Pick among pear trees suitable for espalier. One of the popular pear trees suitable for espalier is the Kieffer pear (Pyrus ‘Kieffer’). This cultivar grows fast and vigorously and doesn’t require pollinators. It generally starts producing fruit at two years old....

What is a Persian Violet? Persian violet (Exacum affine), or Exacum Persian violet, is an attractive perennial with bluish or white star-shaped flowers and shiny green leaves. These plants can be grown indoors, but they also flourish outdoors in USDA plant hardiness zones 5 through 11. This violet is usually purchased in full bloom and the flowers are evenly spaced over a rounded ball of foliage. The Persian violet blooms for about three or four months; after that, it can be difficult to get it to bloom again....

There are 11 species of pistachio nut trees with only Pistacia vera being grown commercially. It’s uncertain where pistachio nut trees originated, but possibly in Central Asia. Growing pistachio trees commercially for nut export occurs primarily in Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Italy, and Syria where the arid climate is optimal for growth. How to Grow a Pistachio Tree Climate is crucial when growing pistachio trees; ideal temperatures for pistachios are above 100 degrees F....