What is Escarole? Escarole, related to endive, is a cool season biennial commonly cultivated as an annual. Like chard, kale, and radicchio, escarole is a hearty green that thrives late in the growing season. Escarole has smooth, broad, green leaves that are commonly used in salad. The flavor of escarole is less bitter than other members of the endive family, very much akin to the taste of radicchio. It grows from a large rosette of light green leaves that gradate outwards to dark green on the outer edges....

Can You Grow Lily of the Valley in Pots? Lily of the valley is beautiful, but sometimes it can get a little out of hand. The plant grows from rhizomes – fleshy underground stems – and it reproduces itself by branching them out in every direction and putting up new shoots. With good soil, it can get downright aggressive and push out neighboring plants. One surefire way to get around this is by growing lily of the valley in pots....

Many herbs do exceptionally well as houseplants and include: Basil Chives Coriander Oregano Parsley Sage Rosemary Thyme Sweet marjoram is another such herb, which when grown outside in cooler climates may die during icy winter, but when grown as an indoor marjoram herb plant will thrive and often live for years in that mild clime. Growing Marjoram Indoors When growing marjoram indoors, there are a couple of considerations that apply to any indoor herb....

Planting Pears in the Home Garden Prior to planting pears in the home garden, pear tree size should be considered first. A full size tree can grow to 40 feet (12 m.). Depending on the size of your lot, you may want to consider a dwarf or semi-dwarf variety. While Bartlett is probably the most common home grown pear, there are several varieties available. Check with a trusted nursery in your area to discover which variety grows best....

Creeping Sedum Info Sedum plants come in many shapes and sizes and are prized for their quick establishment and “set it and forget it” nature. While a little bit of care is required for baby plants, once they have been in site for a couple of months, these charming succulents can mostly be left alone. Rockeries, paths, containers, and hilly areas are perfect sites for growing sedum groundcover, one of the lowest forms of the group....

Growing Specialty Herbs and Vegetable Crops Specialty crops that don’t grow well in your area or out of season can still be grown successfully. Farmers with greenhouses, high tunnels, and cold frames have an advantage over other gardeners. They can grow plants that won’t usually grow in their area, or grow them out of season. Imagine being able to grow fresh tomatoes year-round, or have a citrus tree in Maine. It is all possible....

How to Grow Summer Squash In order to get the best crop of summer squash plants, wait to plant the seeds in the ground until after any danger of frost. In most states, planting summer squash should be done in early spring. Sometimes, however, it could be later, depending on climate. When planting summer squash you want to start them in the ground by seed. Start about two to three seeds in an area that should be spaced 24 to 36 inches (61-91 cm....

How Corn Pollination Happens Corn (Zea mays) is actually a member of a family of annual grasses and while it doesn’t produce showy petals, it does have both male and female flowers on each plant. The male flowers are called the tassel. That’s the part that looks like grass gone to seed that blooms at the top of the stalk. As the tassel ripens, pollen is shed from the center spike downward to the lower fronds....

Hardy Yarrow Plants Can yarrow grow in zone 5? Absolutely. Most varieties of yarrow thrive in the range of zone 3 to 7. They will usually last up to zone 9 or 10, but in warmer climates they will start to get leggy and need staking. In other words, yarrow prefers cool weather. Most yarrow plants should be just fine growing in zone 5, and since the plants come in a wide variety of colors and tolerance of soil conditions, you’ll have no trouble finding zone 5 yarrow plants that suit your needs....

Ancient herbal remedies have made a comeback in recent years. This easy to grow herb is tolerant of many soil situations, but prefers deep, loose soil. Once the plant is established, it can be cut back several times during the growing season, either to mulch the leaves, or make a comfrey oil infusion. What can comfrey oil be used for? Comfrey Oil Benefits A comfrey oil infusion is a very common natural medical preparation....

Growing Dandelions for Tea Our ancestors knew a thing or two about natural health and how to use nature’s bounty to heal all manner of ailments. Dandelion herbal tea was a constant in many homes and all parts of the plant are edible. It has some potential to benefit cancer patients, improves liver health, and contains numerous nutrients and antioxidant properties. Plus, it’s free (making it a godsend to thrifty individuals) and tasty....

Biggest Hot Pepper Pests Glorious hot chilies and spicy peppers add punch to a host of recipes. Fruit with holes or shredded leaves though can compromise your crop. What’s eating hot pepper plants? Mammals and birds usually avoid such spicy fare, but insects don’t seem to mine the capsaicin laced peppers. There are several pepper plant bugs that can spell serious problems to your pepper harvest. Probably the number one hot pepper plant insects are the pepper weevils and pepper hornworms....

About Strawberries for Zone 9 Most of zone 9 is made up of California, Texas, and Florida, and of these, the major areas within this zone are coastal and central California, a good chunk of Florida, and the southern coast of Texas. Florida and California, as it happens, are actually good candidates for growing strawberries in zone 9. In fact, many popular strawberry varieties are actually patented in these two states....

How to Repot a Houseplant When it’s time to repot your plant, you should use a combination of plastic pots and peat-based compost. Of course, this depends on the plant’s requirements. First, soak the clay pot for a day before using it so the pot won’t draw the water out of the compost. Pots are available in all sorts of sizes but you usually only need four or five different sizes....

What Plants Need to Grow Let’s take a look at the most important factors for growing healthy plants. Water and Nutrients Like humans and animals, plants need both water and nutrients (food) to survive. Most all plants use water to carry moisture and nutrients back and forth between the roots and leaves. Water, as well as nutrients, is normally taken up through the roots from the soil. This is why it’s important to water plants when the soil becomes dry....

Signs That a Tree is Dying The signs that a tree is dying are many and they differ greatly. One sure sign is a lack of leaves or a reduction in the number of leaves produced on all or part of the tree. Other signs of a sick tree include the bark becoming brittle and falling off the tree, the limbs dying and falling off, or the trunk becoming spongy or brittle....

How to Dry Caraway Seeds Harvest ripe caraway plants when the seed pods have dried and changed color but haven’t yet shattered. Divide the plants into small bunches. (You can also uproot entire plants). Put each bunch (or plant) in a paper sack with the top of the bag gathered and tied around the stems. Poke a few small holes in the sack to provide air circulation. Hang each bunch upside-down in a dry room where temperatures are consistently between 70 and 80 degrees F....

Is it Good to Roll a Lawn? Rolling a lawn should not be done yearly, but there are some situations where rolling your lawn is a good practice. Times when to roll the lawn are: Rolling a new lawn after seeding Rolling a new lawn after sodding After a turbulent winter, when fluctuating temperatures have caused some soil heaving If your lawn has been made bumpy by animal tunnels and warrens...

Planting Impatiens Flowers Impatiens plants are normally purchased as well-rooted plants from the garden center. They can also be propagated from seeds or cuttings very easily. When you bring your annuals home from the store, make sure that you keep them well watered until you get them in the ground. They are very sensitive to lack of water and will wilt quickly if they lack water. You can use impatiens flowers as bedding plants, border plants, or in containers....

Houseplant Bleeding Heart Bleeding hearts can get quite large over time, so choose a pot that is about twice as wide as the root ball of your plant, and that also has a drainage hole. Next, select a good all-purpose potting mix for your plant. Outdoors, these plants love plenty of organic material, so choose a potting mix that has plenty of organic material, or at least fertilizer blended in it in order to give your indoor bleeding heart plant a good start....