Cool Weather Vegetables and Heat Cool weather crops can take a day or two of extreme heat as long as their root system is kept moist. They basically shut down all non-essential functions and just hang in stasis. If temperatures stay hot for longer, however, cool season crops in summer heat can be lost. The longer the heatwave lasts, the greater the damage to the plants. As above, the plants first go into stasis, which means they reduce photosynthesis, don’t set flowers, or grow....

What are Corn Plant Tassels? The male flower of the corn plant is known as a corn tassel. After the bulk of the plant growth is complete, tassels will appear on top of the plant. Corn plant tassels can be green, purple, or yellow. The tassel’s job is to produce pollen that encourages the growth and ripening of the corn ear. Wind carries the pollen to the female flower, or the silk, on the corn plant....

Crepe Jasmine Plants Don’t be fooled by the name “jasmine.” At one time in history, every white flower with a sweet fragrance was nicknamed jasmine, and the crepe jasmine is not a real jasmine. In fact, crepe jasmine plants (Tabernaemontana divaricata) belong to the Apocynaceae family and, typical of the family, broken branches “bleed” milky fluid. The shrubs flower in spring, offering generous amounts of white fragrant blossoms. Each has its five petals arranged in a pinwheel pattern....

Curly Top of Beet Plants As mentioned, the leaves of the beet plants are stunted and rolled upward when beet curly top disease is present. Also, the veins on the underside of infected leaves become irregularly swollen with bumps. Not only do the leaves of the beet plants become distorted, but the virus affects young roots as well. They become stunted and distorted and often die. The death of these rootlets leads to production of new rootlets developing into a “hairy root” symptom that mimics the symptoms of rhizomania....

Dark Green Bouquets and Floral Arrangements

Dealing with Rocky Soil Oftentimes, when new homes are built, soil fill or topsoil are brought in to create a future lawn. However, this layer of fill or topsoil is usually only spread 4-12 inches (10-30.5 cm.) deep, using whatever inexpensive fill they can to get by. Normally, a depth of 4 inches (10 cm.), which is sufficient for lawn grasses to grow in, is what you get. What this means is that when you go to plant your landscape or garden, it is not long before you hit the rocky subsoil that lies beneath the illusion of a lush green yard....

Gardening Truths vs. Fiction Debunking common garden myths and focusing on the real facts about your garden is just one waygardeners can feel more confident in their ability to maintain a healthy and productive green space. I know it helps me, so I’m sharing some surprising gardening facts that you may not know (but should). Do-it-Yourself Pesticides and Herbicides Did you know that one of the most commonly found posts online is about homemade solutions for managing weeds and insects in the garden?...

Best Easter Flowers Any flowers you can get your hands on as Easter approaches are great flowers for Easter décor. But there are certain blooms that are more often associated with the spring holiday that are easier to get this time of year, or that display the pretty, pastel colors you like to use at Easter: Tulips. Tulips are the obvious choice for spring decorations of any kind, but they are never disappointing....

The plant can quickly grow long and leggy, but if you learn how to prune dill, the plants will produce plenty of the aromatic spice for all your favorite dishes, including jars and jars of pickles. How to Prune Dill Plants It’s a good idea to plan on staking an individual dill plant since it can grow very tall, up to 2 to 3 feet (61-91 cm.). If you have more than one or two plants, however, they often help support one another....

Common Diseases of Young Cowpeas The two most common young southern pea problems are root rot and damping off. These problems can both be caused by three different pathogens: Fusarium, Pythium, and Rhizoctonia. If the disease hits the seeds before they germinate, they will likely never break through the soil. If dug up, the seeds might have soil clumped to them by very thin threads of fungus. If the seedlings do emerge, they often wither, fall over, and eventually die....

Making a Fall Centerpiece from the Garden The backyard is full of interesting finds that can be combined with fruits, flowers, pumpkins, and gourds for fall décor centerpiece ideas. Add a creative container or carved out pumpkin to show off your bounty. First, visualize a theme. Do you want to emphasize certain colors? Do you want an outdoorsy, dried look or a whimsical, pumpkin filled arrangement? Start collecting the backyard bounty....

What is a Twig Vase? A vase doesn’t have to be glass or ceramic. A vase made of materials you can find in your backyard is more interesting, more natural, and helps use up what you have on hand. A twig vase is simply a vase made out of small sticks from your garden. Twig covered vases can potentially look sloppy or too much like a craft project, but if you take some time to do it right, this is a great fall and winter centerpiece....

Do Coleus Plants Have Flowers? Many gardeners are charmed by the spikes of tiny blue or white flowers produced on coleus at the end of the season. These little blooms make a charming cut flower or may be left to enhance the beauty of the plant. Once a coleus has flower spikes, though, it may become leggy and develop a less attractive form. You can stop this in its tracks with a little word of advice or enjoy the new display made by the energetic blooms – whatever you prefer....

Do Gladiolus Plants Need Staking? It depends on the variety, as plants can reach heights of 2 to 6 feet (1.5-2 m.). Gladiolus staking will prevent tall gladiolus falling over in a strong wind as the plant matures, or even under the weight of the beautiful blooms. The good news is that staking gladiolus isn’t difficult and won’t take much of your time. How to Stake Glads Place a stake near the base of the plant....

How Often Does Pineapple Bear Fruit? Pineapple (Ananas comosus) is a perennial plant that flowers once and produces a single pineapple. So yes, the pineapple does die after fruiting, sort of. Pineapple plants do not fruit more than once– that is, the mother plant doesn’t fruit again. Commercial growers’ favored cultivar is ‘Smooth Cayenne,’ grown for its flavorful, seedless fruit and lack of spines. Commercial pineapple plant fruiting is grown on a two to three year fruit crop cycle that takes 32 to 46 months to completion and harvest....

About Dwarf English Cherry Laurel This plant, Prunus laurocerasus ‘Nana,’ goes by many common names: dwarf English laurel, dwarf cherry laurel, and Nana English laurel. Whatever you call it, this is a versatile and attractive evergreen shrub. As the names suggest, it grows low and compact. The leaves are large and glossy green, and the flowers bloom white with a pretty fragrance. The cherry in the name is for the berries....

What are Episcia Plants Episcia are a genus of brilliantly colored plants which are native to the tropical rainforests of Central and South America. Related to African violets, Episcia are herbaceous perennials which propagate by sending out stolons or runners. Caring for Episcia can be challenging, as these plants are quite particular about their environment. Episcia Plant Info Common name: Flame Violet, Carpet Plant Light: Bright, indirect Water: Consistently moist Temperature: Above 65 degrees F....

Facts About Chrysanthemum Flowers Chrysanthemums were cultivated in China as early as 15th century B.C. The plants were used as herbs and the roots and leaves were eaten. The plant migrated to Japan several centuries later and thrived in the temperate climates of Asia. Today, the plant is a common fall garden sight and gift plant. One fascinating bit of chrysanthemum information is that its favorable reputation in the U.S. doesn’t translate to some European countries where it is known as a death flower....

When grown as houseplants, they need a regular misting or dousing in water, but do air plants need fertilizer? If so, what type of air plant fertilizer is used when feeding air plants? Do Air Plants Need Fertilizer? It is not necessary to fertilize air plants, but feeding air plants does have some benefits. Air plants only bloom once in their lifetime and after blooming produce “pups” or small offsets from the mother plant....

Avocado Fertilizer Requirements What are avocado fertilizer requirements? The feeding of avocado plants is determined by the soil composition. That is, we fertilize to make up for any nutritional deficiencies in the soil, not to directly feed the tree with its nutrient requirements. Avocados need nitrogen, first and foremost, and a little zinc. You can use a citrus tree fertilizer as an avocado fertilizer or go organic and use compost, coffee, fish emulsion, etc....