How to Fertilize a Shooting Star Blooming in spring to early summer, shooting star is a native North American wildflower. You may see it in fields and meadows, but you can also cultivate it in your yard, especially if you are interested in native beds. As the name suggests, the delicate flowers look like falling stars, hanging high from tall stems. Fertilizing shooting star plants is important to keep them healthy and to promote the production of the beautiful flowers, the main reason for having them in your garden....

Characteristics of Small-Flowered Bittercress Cardamine parviflora may be confused with similar looking plants such as C. pensylvanica (Pennsylvania Bittercress) and C. hirsuta (Hairy Bittercress). Small-flowered bittercress is an erect bittercress weed variety with elongated clusters of stalked flowers borne upon branching stems. The tiny flowers bloom from March to May and are followed by small, slender pods. The blooms of sand bittercress are about one-eighth inch (3 mm.) across with four rounded white petals accented with six pale yellow stamens....

Smoke tree Propagation Smoke tree is an unusual and attractive ornamental. When the plant is in flower, from a distance it appears to be covered with smoke. Smoke tree is also ornamental in autumn when the leaves turn multi-colored. If you have a friend with one of these trees/shrubs, you can get one yourself by smoke tree propagation. If you are wondering how to propagate a smoke tree, you’ll find you have two different options....

A variegated form of bishop’s weed plant is popular in home gardens. This form, (Aegopodium podagraria ‘Variegatum’) displays small, bluish-green leaves with white edges. The creamy white color provides a luminous effect in shady areas, which probably explains why bishop’s weed plant is also known as “snow on the mountain.” Eventually, you may notice variegation loss in bishop’s weed plants. If your bishop’s weed is losing its variegation, read on for information....

Webworm Lawn Damage The first signs of sod webworm feeding are found in spring. The chewing activity of the worms removes the tender top growth of the grass and leaves behind thin patches of shorter grass. As they grow, the webworms cause larger areas of brown sod. These are usually in sunny locations and dry spots, such as curb edges and along driveways. The worst evidence is seen in late July and August and may be mistaken for drought stressed grass that has entered summer dormancy....

Choosing Southern Fruit Trees Fruit you can grow in the south is often chosen by your zip code on specialized nursery sites. Local nurseries and even big box stores can purchase appropriate trees for the growing zones they serve. Autumn is often the best planting time for fruit trees. While it is no problem to find just the right southeastern U.S. fruit trees for your area, you still have many decisions to make:...

Can You Grow Spices? Most definitely. Growing your own spices from plants is a great way to keep diversity in your diet and add interest to even the most basic of food. It is key to providing a diverse palate for your family. There are many spices you can grow yourself, creating a rich variety of flavors. Spices and herbs are often terms used interchangeably but are in fact different things....

Spirea Bush Transplanting Spirea bush transplanting from a container is easy. Pick a sunny, well-drained spot in your garden. Dig a hole that’s a couple of inches (5 cm.) deeper than your container and twice as wide. It helps to set the container in the hole as you dig to get a feel for the size. Fill the bottom of the hole with a couple of inches (5 cm.) of compost....

Why Do My Tomatoes Crack? Sometimes, the fluctuation of temperatures during the spring can cause issues for newly growing tomato transplants. This is why it’s so important to mulch your plants, either with organic mulch like wood chips or plastic. This mulch will also conserve moisture and even prevents disease from spreading. When it comes to mulch and tomatoes, red plastic mulch has shown to be the best mulch to help prevent tomato cracking....

When to Spray Plum Trees for Insects Creating a schedule for when to spray plum trees for insects is helpful if you are as absentminded as I am. You can do this by specific dates or, more importantly, maintain your schedule by the stage of the tree. For instance, is it in a dormant phase, is it actively growing or is it fruiting? Whichever works for you, the important thing is to stick to the annual spray maintenance schedule for when and what to spray on your plum trees....

What Causes Vein Clearing and Cherry Crinkle? Vein clearing is evidenced by the loss of the plant’s green color in its veins, which usually will turn yellow first. The condition will sometimes appear on otherwise healthy trees. Cherry crinkle leaf originates in the buds of a tree, and the symptoms show up early in the season. It does not seem to be contagious and does not spread naturally from one tree to another....

Today, sweet woodruff is most commonly used as a ground cover in shady areas. Sweet woodruff ground cover, with its star-shaped whorls of leaves and lacy white flowers, can add interesting texture and spark to a deeply shaded part of the garden. Sweet woodruff care is easy and taking the time to plant sweet woodruff is well worth the effort. How to Grow Sweet Woodruff Herb Sweet woodruff herb should be planted in a shady area....

What is a Tea Garden? So what is a tea garden? A tea garden is a place to grow your favorite herbs for tea, and much more. Tea herbs are visually appealing and delightfully fragrant. Even birds and butterflies delight in the seeds and nectars that the plants produce. Your tea garden will allow you to sit among these beautiful creatures while enjoying your herbal tea creations. Tea Plants for a Garden Use your favorite tea herb plants to create your unique tea garden design....

How Does Temperature Affect Plant Growth? High temperatures affect plant growth in numerous ways. The most obvious are the effects of heat on photosynthesis, in which plants use carbon dioxide to produce oxygen, and respiration, an opposite process in which plants use oxygen to produce carbon dioxide. Experts at Colorado State University Extension explain that both processes increase when temperatures rise. However, when temperatures reach uncomfortably high limits (which depends on the plant), the two processes become unbalanced....

Terrarium Supplies Nearly any clear glass container is suitable, and you might find the perfect container at your local thrift shop. For example, look for a goldfish bowl, a one-gallon jar, or an old aquarium. A one-quart canning jar or brandy snifter is large enough for a small landscape with one or two plants. You don’t need a lot of potting soil, but it should be lightweight and porous. A good-quality, peat-based commercial potting mix works well....

What is a Tit-Berry? Tit-berry shrubs (Allophylus cobbe) are generally shrubby in habit but may also be a climber or on occasion even a tree that can reach 33 feet (10 m.) in height but more commonly is no more than 9 to 16 feet (3-5 m.) tall. The foliage is a glossy dark green distinguished by its make up of three serrated leaflets that may be densely haired to smooth....

Signs of Spinach Tobacco Ringspot Spinach with tobacco ringspot virus is a disease of minor concern. This is because it is not very common and does not affect an entire crop as a rule. Tobacco ringspot is a very serious disease in soybean production, however, causing bud blight and failure to produce pods. The disease does not spread from plant to plant and is, therefore, not considered an infectious issue. That being said, when it does occur, the edible part of the plant is usually unusable....

About Top Dressing with Sand According to the Institute of Food and Agriculture at the University of Florida, top dressing home lawns with sand is more harmful than helpful. Experts agree that sand should only be used on a lawn to level low areas, cover exposed tree roots, and to fix heavy thatch build up. Even in those cases, it is recommended that you top dress with a rich, fine compost instead of sand....

If you have a lantana that is struggling in its current location or has outgrown its space and is not playing nice with other plants, you may be searching for some tips on how to transplant lantana. Can You Transplant Lantanas? First and foremost, if you live in a climate with frost-free winters, be sure to check with your local agencies before bringing lantana plants to a new area. It is considered an invasive weed and serious problem in some parts of the world....

Controlling Asparagus Beetles There are two main types of asparagus beetle: the common asparagus beetle and the spotted asparagus beetle. Both are primarily orange, but the common asparagus beetle has black wings dotted with white, while the spotted asparagus beetle is entirely orange dotted with black. Controlling asparagus beetles is the same, however, regardless of species. Asparagus beetles are (not surprisingly) most common and damaging on asparagus plants. Both adults and larvae feed on the spears and tips, scarring them....