What is Pistou Basil? There are many different varieties of basil with different colors, leaf and plant sizes, and even flavors like hints of lime or cinnamon. Pistou has a typical basil flavor, sweet and licorice-like, but is milder than the garden-variety sweet basil. Pistou is also known for its compact size and small leaves, making it a good choice for container gardening. You can also use it as a short border plant along walkways, around the edge of a bed, or in any smaller garden space....

Swamp Milkweed Info What is swamp milkweed? Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) is a member of the milkweed family. It is thought to have earned its name from the pink flowers it produces (“Incarnata” means “flushed with pink.”) It produces these flowers in midsummer, followed by narrow seed pods that open to reveal flat brown seeds attached to the classic white tufts associated with milkweed plants. The flowers are very showy and good for attracting butterflies....

What is Urn Gentian? It is common in botany for a plant to have several scientific and common names. This is due to new classification systems and streams of information, as well as regional preferences. Gentiana urnula has been referred to as starfish succulent plant, but this name actually seems to belong to a cactus, Stapelia grandiflora— otherwise known as starfish cactus. Urn shaped gentian may also be called star gentian, but that is up to some debate as well....

What’s Wrong with My Plant? Good question! There are many possible reasons why your plant is looking sick, but you can usually narrow it down to common houseplant problems with water, light, pests, or disease. Learning basic houseplant troubleshooting may help you determine if your plant can be saved, or if all hope is lost. Environmental Problems Light – Environmental issues indoors often include problems with light. For example, a plant that looks long and spindly may be stretching to reach available light....

You can grow wheatgrass outdoors too, but it is easier to protect the quality of the plant in an interior setting. Whether you choose to grow inside or outside, the grass is a bundle of nutrients that are best accessed with juicing. Its use can be traced back 5,000 years to Mesopotamian civilization and is a member of the cereal family of grass-like foods such as barley and oats....

Why Do Beans Curl? Bent snap beans are often a huge surprise to beginning gardeners; after all, the beans at the store are perfectly straight in every way. There are many reasons that beans curl, but the most important one is variety. A lot of beans are just curly. They don’t necessarily advertise this on bean seed packages, but many varieties have some degree of curl to their pods. Sometimes, this straightens out on its own as beans mature, other times they grow curlier as time goes by....

One problem that people often see, however, is droopy Fittonias. If you have ever owned one, you know that a wilted Fittonia plant is a common issue! If your Fittonia is wilting, it can be caused by a few different things. Keep reading to determine which cause you may be dealing with and how you can fix it. Why Fittonia is Wilting Overwatering can cause yellowing and discolored leaves, as well as wilting....

Winter Season Vegetables Cool weather crops are, as a rule, leafy greens and roots. Vegetables that produce fruit, like tomatoes and squash, need lots of warmth and sunlight and are not really suited to cool season gardening. Leaves such as spinach, arugula, chard, parsley, and Asian greens thrive in cooler temperatures and can often handle at least light frost. Lettuce is a little less cold hardy, but it tastes the best when grown in cool weather....

Using Drip Irrigation Systems Drip irrigation kits are available at most garden centers. They allow you to water plants separately with emitters, or water groups of plants with micro-spray stakes or tapes that ooze water along their entire length. You can enlarge the system as plants grow or as new plants are added. Drip irrigation is excellent for home use and easy to install. This highly efficient watering method consists of a system of nozzles that deliver small quantities of water at low pressure directly to where it does the most good, at the root zones of plants....

Choosing Zone 4 Clematis Vines Jackmanii is probably the most popular and reliable zone 4 clematis vine. Its deep purple flowers bloom first in spring and then again in late summer through fall, blooming on new wood. Sweet Autumn is another popular cold hardy clematis vine. It is covered in small white, extremely fragrant flowers in late summer through fall. Listed below are additional clematis varieties for zone 4. Chevalier – large, lavender-purple blooms Rebecca – bright red blooms Princess Diana – dark pink, tulip-shaped flowers Niobe – deep red flowers Nelly Moser – light pink flowers with dark pink-red stripes down each petal Josephine – double lilac-pink flowers Duchess of Albany – tulip-shaped, light-dark pink blooms Bee’s Jubilee – small pink and red flowers Andromeda – semi-double, white-pink flowers Ernest Markham – large, magenta-red blooms Avant Garde – burgundy flowers, with pink, double centers Innocent Blush – semi-double flowers with “blushes” of dark pink Fireworks – purple flower with dark purple-red stripes down each petal...

Fall Planted Flower Bulbs for Zone 4 There are a host of cold-hardy bulbs. Many spring-blooming varieties actually require a chilling period to break the dormancy of the embryonic plant inside the bulb. But a word of caution… many of the fall-planted bulbs are not hardy when confronted with extremely deep freezes. Culture is also a factor when planting bulbs in cold climates. Preparing the soil and enhancing drainage and fertility can help ensure color displays from bulbs....

About Bushes for Zone 5 Climates Shrubs are an important feature in a landscape. Evergreen shrubs become anchors of permanence and deciduous shrubs add interest with their changing foliage and blossoms throughout the seasons. They add scale and structure to the garden in conjunction with trees and other perennials. Before planting zone 5 shrubs, do some research and carefully consider their requirements, ultimate size, adaptability, and seasons of interest. For instance, does the shrub have a creeping habit, is it mounded, and what is its overall spread?...

When to Plant Fall Vegetables in Zone 6 You probably won’t find many starter vegetables in your local garden center in autumn, when most gardeners have put their gardens to bed for the winter. However, many cool-season vegetable seeds can be planted directly in the garden. The goal is to get the seedlings planted outdoors in time to take advantage of the last days of summer warmth. The exception is veggies in the cabbage family, which should be started by seed indoors....

Hardy Flowering Trees Selecting ornamental trees for zone 7 can be overwhelming, as there are literally tons that you could choose from. To make your selections easier, here are some of the more popular types of ornamental trees you may find suitable for this zone. Crabapple (Malus spp.) – Pink, white, or red flowers in spring, colorful fruit in summer, excellent color in shades of maroon, purple, gold, red, bronze, or yellow in autumn....

Popular Cut Flowers for Vases

About Chinese Fringe Plants Loropetalum plants are native to Japan, China, and the Himalayas. The plants may be as tall as 10 feet (3 m.) but are usually small trees of 5 feet (1.5 m.). The leaves are oval and glossy green, set on stems with crinkly brown bark. Blooms appear in March to April and last for up to two weeks on the stems. These flowers are 1 to 1 ½ inch (2....

About Ornamental Cabbage Ornamental cabbage, also called flowering cabbage, has smooth, wavy edges with bright rosette centers of pink, purple, red, or white leaves. It grows about a foot (31 cm.) wide and up to 15 inches (38 cm.) tall with a mounding habit. Though considered edible– it has a very bitter taste– ornamental cabbage is more often used as a food garnish. It may be consumed with a double-boiling method to reduce bitterness or sautéed in olive oil....

Psyllium Plant Information Desert Indianwheat plants (Plantago ovata) are annuals that grow wild, like weeds. They are also cultivated in Spain, France, and India. The leaves are used much like spinach, either raw or steamed. The mucilaginous seeds are also used to thicken ice cream and chocolate or sprouted as part of a salad. The plants are low growing, 12 to 18 inches (30.5-45.5 cm.) tall, herbaceous, and have a white flower spike....

Anthracnose Disease Info Anthracnose is a fungal disease that tends to attack plants in the spring when the weather is cool and wet, primarily on leaves and twigs. The fungi overwinter in dead twigs and fallen leaves. Cool, rainy weather creates perfect conditions for the spores to spread. Dry and hot weather stop the progression of the disease that may begin again once the weather conditions become optimal. The problem can be cyclic but is rarely fatal....

Apple Winter Protection Apple trees provide beauty all year, with frothy blossoms in spring, foliage and fruit in summer, culminating with mature apples in autumn. Apples in winter also have a serene, stark beauty. Proper winter care powers the entire, year-long cycle. Regardless of apple tree cold tolerance, your tree needs help getting ready to face the colder weather. Apples that get good care in summer and fall are already on the way toward appropriate winter protection....