The Most Common Bugs in Ohio Valley Gardens Aphids – Aphids are tiny, soft-bodied insects which feed on a number of garden vegetables. Look for curled leaves and honeydew. Cabbage Root Maggots – Suspect cabbage root maggots when cruciferous vegetable wilting is not due to dry conditions. The white legless pests can be seen on the roots. Cabbage Worms – From boring into cabbage to chewing holes in cruciferous leaves, cabbage worms can be prevented with barrier pest control methods....

An Effective Barrier Copper wire in the garden is touted as the best barrier solution. Copper mesh repels snails and slugs with an unfavorable reaction when they try to cross it, much like a shock. They turn and head the other way. However, copper will deteriorate, and it will need to be replaced at some point. These pests like to feed on hosta, basil, delphinium, lily, marigold, strawberry, lettuce, cabbage, and beans, to name a few....

About Growing Pink Peony Plants Peonies are large and showy flowers that grow on small shrubs with attractive green foliage. There are two main types: an herbaceous peony dies back each year, while a tree peony has woody stems that remain even while the leaves drop in the fall. Both types produce similar flowers, with many varieties in pink. To grow peonies in the garden, make sure they get about six hours of sunlight per day and soil that is neutral to slightly acidic....

When to Prune Pitcher Plants If you are wondering when to prune pitcher plants, understand that trimming pitcher plants is not a daily or weekly task. In fact, pitcher plants can go for a long time without requiring a pruning. Sometimes, however, pruning a pitcher plant will increase its vigor and create a fuller plant, and these are the pitcher plant pruning opportunities you want to take advantage of. First, if your pitcher plant blooms, you should prune off the blossoms of a pitcher plant when they wilt, just as you deadhead other plants....

Growing Calendula from Seed Growing calendula is easy, as this plant will tolerate a lot of different conditions. It likes full sun or partial shade, prefers well-drained soil, and tolerates frost and colder temperatures. It is deer resistant and will tolerate poor quality soil. Collecting and sowing calendula seeds is pretty easy and worth the effort to keep enjoying this flower season after season without buying transplants. After the blooms have passed, they will produce seed heads, which if left alone will lead to self-propagation and volunteer plant growth....

Planting Marigolds with Tomatoes So why do marigolds and tomatoes grow well together? Marigolds and tomatoes are good garden buddies with similar growing conditions. Research studies have indicated that planting marigolds between tomatoes protects the tomato plants from harmful root-knot nematodes in the soil. Although scientists tend to be skeptical, many gardeners are convinced that the pungent scent of marigolds also discourages a variety of pests such tomato hornworms, whiteflies, thrips, and maybe even rabbits!...

Planting Next to Japanese Maples Japanese maples thrive in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6 through 9. They prefer acidic soil. When you are trying to select candidates for planting next to Japanese maples, only consider plants with the same growing requirements. Plants that love acid soils can be good Japanese maple companions. You might consider planting begonias, rhododendrons, or gardenias. Begonia cultivars grow happily in USDA zones 6 through 11, producing large blossoms in a vast array of colors....

Herbs Against Evil In many different cultures, it has long been said that there are some plants that repel evil. While some gardeners may disregard information concerning a plant’s ability to serve more alternative purposes, others may be quite interested in learning more about these “evil fighting herbs.” Folklore and stories handed down throughout history have long mentioned other uses of trees, plants, and herbs. Whether hoping to rid their homes of witches or other evil spirits, herbs were used in the form of wreaths, incense, or even loosely scattered throughout the home....

Can you grow your own dog food? You can, but take time to learn about the best plants to grow for your dog. The following information should help. Vegetables Dogs Eat Plants toxic to dogs are always something you want to avoid. But you probably didn’t know there are actually a number of healthy fruits and vegetables for dogs that you access, or grow, all the time. Here are some great choices to grow in your garden if you’re not already:...

About Podocarpus Plum Pines Unlike most conifers, plum pine trees don’t have cones. Instead, they have single seeds attached to the branch by a fleshy, bluish black branch. The seeds are edible and are often eaten raw or made into jams and jellies (if the birds don’t get them first). Plum pine trees, also known as Illawarra plum, grow slowly the first couple of years, eventually reaching heights of 25 to 40 feet (8-12 m....

What is a Plum Tomato The five tomato types are based primarily upon the size and shape of the tomato, as well as its culinary uses. Plum tomatoes tend to be oval in shape and are longer from stem to tip than they are wide. Some plum tomato varieties are more pear-shaped while others are cyclindrical. Plum tomatoes can also vary in size. Mini plum or grape tomato varieties average 1-2 inches (2....

How to Control Pondweed Before you use herbicides, there are a couple of other pondweed control methods that are worth considering. Prevention is the best method of control, so think carefully before you plant. If you decide to plant them, use containers to hold the roots rather than in the mud at the bottom of the pond. In small ponds, try getting rid of pondweeds by removing them manually. In large ponds, releasing grass carp in the pond will keep the plants under control....

Can You Grow Potatoes in a Cardboard Box? Can you really grow potatoes in a cardboard box? Yes. In fact, growing potatoes in cardboard boxes couldn’t be simpler and with little to no cost to the grower. Cardboard for your potato plant box can often be obtained for free from a grocery store or the like, or even from someone who has recently moved and wants those moving boxes gone. Potato seed for planting potatoes in cardboard boxes can be obtained at nearly any garden center or nursery for very little or, for an experiment with the kids, culled from some old spuds you’ve let go past their prime....

Common Plant Pests to Look Out for The flying, crawling pests are out and bugging your veggies, ornamentals, and flowers. Holes in your leaves, sooty mold, tunnels in soil, yellow and dying turf, damaged fruit, mounds in the lawn… these are just a few of the signs that your garden is under attack by some of the most common garden pests. The type in your landscape will depend upon the area in which you live, but the majority of these are found across North America....

Why Lobelia Plants Turn Brown Below are the most common reasons for brown lobelia plants. Environmental Issues Brown plant tissues are often the result of tissue death, both big and small. When cells are no longer able to receive nutrients from their transport tissues, they wither and collapse. Many different problems can interfere with these transport mechanisms, but always check your plant’s growing conditions first — often under or over watering is to blame....

How to Prune a Currant Bush Currant stems naturally grow from the ground and form a low growing bush. The question of how to prune a currant bush can be answered with just a few steps. Fruit production in the home requires that the gardener learn how to trim currant bushes. Pruning currant bushes is necessary to keep the form of the plant, remove any diseased material and, most of all, to keep the plant’s interior open....

Why Plant Purple Trees? Trees with bright foliage in colors other than green add interest and complexity to a landscape. Purple foliage trees are popular and provide a lovely contrast to smaller trees or shrubs with lighter or variegated leaves. The interest in different types of purple trees has helped to increase the choices available in commerce. Today you will be able to select small, medium, or tall trees in a wide range of shades of purple, from lavender to almost black....

Pruning a red twig dogwood can help keep those branches red. If you are wondering how to prune red twig dogwood trees, just keep reading! Keeping Red Twig Dogwood Small Red twig dogwood (Cornus sericea) is a wonderful shrub. It grows fast and provides interest in the garden all year. The sharp-tipped leaves are deep green in summer but turn purple red in autumn. Small white flowers appear in early summer and the smooth, deep red branches make the shrub eye-catching in a winter landscape....

About Reine Claude de Bavay Plum The Reine Claude de Bavay plum was named after the Director of the Vilvoorde Horticultural Station, located near Brussels. It was first cultivated in 1932 and imported to Britain in 1846. Today, the gage ‘Reine Claude de Bavay’ is a common greengage variety in France as well. Greengage plums are green during most of their life on the tree, and green or yellow-green when ripe....

Why Should I Remove Landscape Fabric? There are valid reasons for getting rid of landscape fabric or avoiding its use altogether. First off, does landscape fabric degrade? Yes! Over time, landscape fabric can deteriorate, leaving holes that weeds grow through. Torn bits and wrinkles of degraded landscape fabric can make even a newly mulched bed look shabby. In addition to deterioration, the breakdown of mulch, plant debris, and other materials that blow into landscape beds can form a layer of compost on top of the weed block fabric....