Oak Tree Varieties There are dozens of oak tree varieties in North America. The varieties are divided into two main categories: red oaks and white oaks. Red Oak Trees Reds have leaves with pointed lobes tipped with tiny bristles. Their acorns take two years to mature and sprout the spring after they drop to the ground. Common red oaks include: Willow oak Black oak Japanese evergreen oak Water oak Pin oak...

What Do Hardiness Zones Mean? The USDA plant hardiness map is created and updated every few years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It divides North America into eleven zones by minimum average annual temperatures. The lower the number is, the lower the temperatures in that zone. Each zone represents ten degrees of temperature difference. Each zone is also divided into “a” and “b” segments. These represent five degrees of temperature difference....

About Tennessee Plant Hardiness and the USDA Planting Map If you live in Tennessee and are wondering about what kind of trees, shrubs or perennial flowers to put in your yard and garden, use the Tennessee USDA zone map above to locate your plant hardiness zone. Understanding your zone is critical to the success of your garden. The 2012 plant hardiness map replaces the 1990 map and is based on weather information collected over a period of thirty years....

Hydrangea Fertilizer for Proper Hydrangea Care and Feeding Hydrangea care and feeding is fairly simple once you learn some basic rules. Specially formulated hydrangea fertilizer is available but isn’t really necessary. A good all-purpose 12-4-8 or 10-10-10 composition will provide all the fertilizing hydrangeas need. Either a chemical source or organic matter can be used successfully. Applying a once a year slow-release chemical formulated for shrubs and trees is the simplest solution to hydrangea care and feeding....

Interesting Bladderwort Information The bladderwort family includes about 200 species, but only about 50 exist in the United States. Although the visible stems are bare, the plants have small, underwater leaves that resemble rubbery bladders. The bladders are equipped with tiny hairs that are triggered by small insects, like mosquito larvae and water fleas. The trigger opens a “trap door” that lures the creatures with a sweet, slimy substance. Once the creatures are lured into the trap, they are eaten and digested by the plant....

What is a Eureka Pink Lemon Tree? Variegated pink Eureka lemon is an ornamental treasure, both for its foliage and its fruit. The flesh of the lemon looks like a pink grapefruit; however, it doesn’t yield pink juice. The juice is clear with the ghost of pink in it and has an amazingly mild flavor. You could almost eat one of these fruits out of hand without excessive puckering. The variegated pink Eureka lemon tree is a medium sized citrus that translates well to container growing....

Victoria Plum Tree Information Victoria plums that ripen on a tree in your backyard orchard are really delicious eaten fresh. However, if you buy them in supermarkets, they may have been picked early and allowed to ripen off-tree, reducing the flavor. In either case, the plums from Victoria plum trees are excellent in jams and pies. The flesh cooks up to a puree the color of a sunset. It has a great sweet/sharp balance, with just a taste of almond....

Using Vines for Greenhouse Shade A greenhouse is designed to be warm and sunny. It’s where you can grow plants even in the depths of winter. This means that in summer it can turn into an oven. You could buy shade cloth to put up in the warmer months, but isn’t very attractive, and it may not be adequate either, especially in very warm and sunny climates. Instead, try using vines and tall plants to provide a natural screen....

When to Water Container Plants Potted plants tend to dry out more quickly than their in-ground counterparts. The small soil space and the construction of the pot mean the container stores very little moisture. In general, early morning or early evening is the optimal time to water your containers, as this will give the plant some time to take up the water before the heat of the day kicks in, but it will also allow excess water on the plant to evaporate quickly so that the plant is not vulnerable to fungus....

Root and Vine Rot of Watermelon Crops This disease is prevalent in hot climates and has been known to cause massive crop loss in the United States in Texas, Arizona, and California. Watermelon cannonballus disease is also a problem in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Brazil, Spain, Italy, Israel, Iran, Libya, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, India, Japan, and Taiwan. Watermelon vine decline is generally a problem in sites with clay or silt soil....

What are Bulb Flies? You may have seen bulb flies flitting about your garden and thought nothing of it. The narcissus bulb flies look a bit like tiny bumblebees and seem charmingly innocuous. The lesser bulb flies look like flies but still don’t seem very sinister. The true villains are the larvae of either species. Once eggs are laid and larvae hatch, they creep into soil and burrow into the base of the bulb....

Greenfly Information Now that we’ve sorted out the difference between greenflies and aphids, (there really is no difference), let’s consider a few aphids and greenfly facts. In some areas of the world, greenflies, or aphids, are known as plant lice, which is an appropriate name for the tiny bugs that gather en masse on leaf joints or the underside of leaves. The eggs usually hatch in early spring and immediately get busy sucking the sap from tender, new growth....

Veggies and Herbs for Container Foliage Using edibles as ornamentals to accentuate the beauty of potted annual flowers isn’t a new thing. Many people tuck an herb in here or there amongst their hanging flower baskets. The idea of using vegetable plants as ornamentals first and foremost over growing them for food is a newer inspiration. Really, this is a win-win proposition since many of these ornamental vegetable plants are also decorative edibles....

What are Paphiopedilum Orchids? There are about 80 species and hundreds of hybrids in the Paphiopedilum genus. Some have striped or variegated leaves, and others have flowers with spots, stripes, or patterns. Many of these varieties are prized by collectors. Paphiopedilum orchids are nicknamed “slipper orchids” because of the unusual shape of their flowers. However, they are different from the North American wildflowers known as lady’s slipper orchids. Most Paphiopedilum species are terrestrial orchids, which means they grow in soil....

What Causes Citrus Melanose? Citrus melanoses disease is caused by a fungus called Phomopsis citri. The citrus melanose fungus can infect any type of citrus tree, but grapefruit and lemon are most susceptible to it. The fungus grows on dead twigs on trees, and it then spreads to other areas of the tree and other trees by water dispersal. Citrus Melanose Symptoms Symptoms of citrus melanose can be seen most clearly on leaves and fruit....

What Causes Plant Mutations? When a grower notices a favorable plant mutation, he or she can duplicate the effect through cuttings, grafting, or division. Many variegated plants were cultivated from a mutation in a pure green tree or shrub, for example. Most gardeners can relate to finding solid green shoots in a variegated plant when new growth reverts to solid green. Removing the new green shoots can help keep the variegation intact....

What is a Hand Weeder? When people talk about a hand weeder or a hand-held garden weeder, chances are good they’re all thinking of the same tool. A hand weeder is small, about the size of a regular garden trowel. It has a very similar handle in size and shape. Instead of a trowel’s head, however, the handle is attached to a long, thin metal pole that ends in two forking tines that are roughly 1 inch (2....

For more Japanese stewartia info and tips on Japanese stewartia care, read on. What is a Japanese Stewartia? Native to Japan, the Japanese stewartia tree (Stewartia pseudocamellia) is a popular ornamental tree in this country. It thrives in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 8. This lovely tree has a dense crown of oval leaves. It grows to about 40 feet (12 m.) tall, shooting up at the rate of 24 inches (61 cm....

What is a Lilly Pilly Plant? Australians are very familiar with the lilly pilly shrub (also spelled lilli pilli). It is native to that country, where it grows in the wild up to 90 feet (27.5 m.) tall. However, it is smaller in cultivation. Those planting lilly pilly bushes report that cultivated plants stop at 30 feet (9 m.). The lilly pilly plant is a fairly large fruit tree with a weeping crown....

What Is a Paperbark Maple? Paperbark maple trees are small trees that grow to 35 feet (11 m.) over some 20 years. The beautiful bark is a deep shade of cinnamon and it peels off in thin, papery sheets. In some places it is polished, smooth, and shiny. In summer the leaves are a soft shade of blue green on the upper side, and a frosty white on the underside. They grow in threes and can get to five inches (12 cm....