Pumpkin or Large GourdVase or Mason JarPrunersSharp KnifeScissorsScooperFresh Cut Flowers First, measure the circumference of the vase, and cut a hole of about the same size in the top of the pumpkin. Scoop out the insides, but be sure to save them to share with the local wildlife. Set the vase inside the pumpkin, and fill it with water. Measure your flowers against the height of the pumpkin, and cut the stems so that the flowers reach just over the top of the hole....

Halloween Pumpkin Growing Tip #1 – Plant at the right time Many gardeners will tell you that growing pumpkins is easy, it’s keeping the pumpkins from rotting before Halloween that is hard. Mature pumpkins will rot quickly, so it’s important that your pumpkin is ripe right at Halloween. The best time for planting pumpkins depends on the variety and your climate. Normally, in the north, you should be planting pumpkins in mid to late May....

Can You Compost Styrofoam? Styrofoam is not recyclable in city waste programs. There are sometimes special facilities that will repurpose the material but not every municipality has one nearby. Styrofoam will not break down like organic items. It is made of polystyrene and is 98% air, which gives it the light texture and buoyancy characteristic of the product. It is also a possible human carcinogen, which has led to its being banned in many states....

What is a Rain Gauge? Rain gauges for home use are a fundamental tool in the home landscape. With a garden rain gauge, maintenance of garden irrigation can be managed and therefore, results in healthier plants and lawn. A rain gauge may prevent drought stressed plants or conversely, over watered areas which may contribute to a slew of issues. Overwatering is not only costly but may promote shallow roots, which in turn increase the plants susceptibility to disease....

What is Heart Rot Disease? All hardwood trees are susceptible to varieties of fungal infections known as heart rot tree disease. The fungi, especially Polyporus and Fomes spp., cause the “heartwood” at the center of these trees’ trunks or branches to decay. What Causes Heart Rot? The fungi causing heart rot in trees can attack almost any tree, but old, weak, and stressed trees are the most susceptible. The fungi destroys the tree’s cellulose and hemicellulose and sometimes its lignin, making the tree more likely to fall....

No Flowers on Oleander When you have no flowers on oleander, you have to question why. Oleanders are prized and beloved for their prolific blooms. If your oleander will not bloom, take a good look at its location. As other plants grow up around oleander, they may have started to block out the sun. Oleanders need full sun to bloom properly. Oleanders can have large root structures, if low-growing plants have grown too dense around the oleander shrub, they can compete for nutrients, causing weak or no blooms....

Facts About Redwood Trees Of the three types of redwoods, only two grow in North America. These are the giant redwoods and coast redwood, sometimes simply called redwoods. The other species – the dawn redwood – grows in China. This article covers some interesting facts about the redwood trees that grow in North America. For such a large tree, the coast redwood has a relatively small habitat. You’ll find redwood forests in a narrow strip of land on the West Coast that runs from Southern Oregon to just south of Monterey in Northwestern California....

Rose Curculio Damage If your rose blooms have petals that look a bit like Swiss cheese, have young buds that have failed to open, and are dried up, or have stems that are broken just below the bud, it is likely that you have been visited by rose curculio weevils. If left uncontrolled, they will totally take out your rose bush blooms! Keep an eye out for them and the damage they cause starting in late May to early June, depending on climatic conditions....

Scarlet sage plants, Salvia coccinea or Salvia splendens, are also known as scarlet salvia. One of the easiest salvias to find, plant the spiky specimen spring through summer, or even as late as fall in warmer areas. Scarlet sage herb is a perennial, but is grown as an annual plant in areas with cold winters. In cold winter areas, plant scarlet sage in spring for long-lasting enjoyment. Growing Scarlet Sage Start scarlet sage from seed or small bedding plants from the local nursery....

When to Plant Guava Seeds In commercial orchards, guava trees are vegetatively propagated by air layering, stem cuttings, grafting, and budding. For the home grower, guava seed propagation is a great experiment just as much gardening is. Guava trees can be grown in USDA zones 9a to 10b outdoors or in USDA zone 8 and below in a pot on a sunny, covered porch through winter or in a greenhouse. Although seed grown guava doesn’t reproduce true to type, it is an economical way to grow guava and isn’t uncommon....

What is a Shinseiki Pear? Shinseiki, also called New Century, is a variety of Asian pear. Asian pears are true pears, but they are significantly different from European pears. Most noticeably, they lack the typical pear shape and are round, more like apples. The flesh is also firmer and crisper, also reminiscent of apples. They are less juicy than European pears and are best for fresh eating and cooking. By growing Shinseiki Asian pears, you’ll get a large harvest of fruit....

Tips for Growing Fruits and Vegetables in Containers Patio fruit trees and dwarf vegetables are smaller cultivars selected not only for their petite size, but also for the volume of edibles they produce. These traits make them ideal fruits and vegetables for containers. If you are interested in growing your own patio garden plants, here are a few tips to get you started: Provide adequate sunlight. These may be small garden plants, but most require large amounts of light to flower and fruit....

Hosta Particulars Hostas range from the largest at 4 feet (1.2 m.)to the tiniest at only a couple inches (5 cm.). Most Southern Hostas grow in a clump from 1½ to 2 feet tall and wide (.5 to .6 m.). The long-lived perennials, hardy to USDA zones 3 to 9, can be blue, yellow, green or variegated with long, sword-shaped or heart-shaped leaves, sometimes accented with wavy edges or a puckered texture....

Signs of Spinach Aster Yellows Spinach that is yellowed and stunted may have Aster yellows. This common disease causes foliar damage, and in crops grown for their foliage, such as spinach, the effects can be devastating. Aster yellows on spinach is transmitted by an insect vector. The disease has a symbiotic relationship with the insect, who overwinters it and incubates it until it has multiplied. In spinach, the foliage becomes faded and yellow....

Spotted Spurge Identification Spotted spurge (Euphorbia maculata) is a dark green plant with red stems that grows low to the ground in a mat-like fashion. It will grow outwards from the center in a rough wagon wheel shape. The leaves are oval shaped and have a red spot in their center (which is why this spurge is called spotted spurge). The flowers on the plant will be small and pink. The entire plant has a hairy appearance....

Spring vs. Fall Always spring clean your garden rather than doing a fall cleanup to protect pollinators and other beneficial insects. Avoiding cleanup of dead plant material in the fall isn’t procrastinating. It is an important way to protect your ecosystem. The material protects insects, promotes the growth of microbes, and ultimately further up the food chain supports birds and other animals. Should I Clean up My Garden Early? There is a very good reason to wait on cleaning your garden – pollinators....

Where to Start Seeds Indoors Gardeners with the luxury of a heated greenhouse are way ahead of many other plant growers. Germinating seeds indoors is often the only option, especially for northern gardeners. All the items necessary to start seed inside can be found online, at nurseries, or big box stores. They are fairly inexpensive and often reusable. You may also create your own seed starting set up by saving egg cartons as flats, mixing your own seed starter medium, and using seed saved from the previous year’s harvest....

What Can I Plant with Ginger? Ginger roots, or rhizomes, are the source of the pungent, spicy flavoring used dried or fresh in many world cuisines. It has numerous health benefits and thrives in humid, warm regions. Ginger is harvested by digging up the whole plant, so be sure to start numerous rhizomes to ensure a continuous supply of this delicious root. When you are installing your rhizomes, consider some good companions for ginger that will make a convenient culinary garden or simply provide weed cover, insect repellent, and natural mulch....

What are Sunpatiens Plants? Sunpatiens is a hybrid bred by the Japanese seed company Sakata. It is a careful combination of wild “traditional” impatiens (from a plant species native to Indonesia) with the larger, heat-loving Impatiens hawkeri, native to New Guinea. The result is a variety of impatiens that thrives in full sun and hot, humid weather, and blooms straight through from spring to autumn. It’s an excellent container and bedding flower for long lasting color....

Distinguishing Eupatorium plants can be confusing, as many plants formerly included in the genus have been moved to other genera. For instance, Ageratina (snakeroot), a genus that now contains more than 300 species, was formerly classified as Eupatorium. Joe Pye weeds, previously known as types of Eupatorium, are now classified as Eutrochium, a related genus containing about 42 species. Today, most plants classified as types of Eupatorium are commonly known as bonesets or thoroughworts– although you may still find some labeled as Joe Pye weed....