About Herbs that Grow in Zone 3 The key to growing herbs in zone 3 is in the selection; choose appropriate zone 3 herb plants and plan to grow tender herbs, such as tarragon, as an annual or grow them in pots that can be moved indoors during the winter. Start perennial plants from seedlings in the early summer. Start annuals from seed in the early summer or sow them in a cold frame in the fall....

Cold Hardy Vines for Zone 4 Ivy – Especially popular in New England, where these cold hardy vines climb up the buildings to give the Ivy League schools their name, Boston ivy, Engleman ivy, Virginia creeper, and English ivy are all hardy to zone 4. Grapes – A huge number of grapevine varieties are hardy to zone 4. Before planting grapes, ask yourself what you want to do with them. Do you want to make jam?...

ZZ Plant Leaf Propagation It is common to find a ZZ plant in an office setting with low light and no fresh air. The uncomplaining plant, Zamioculcus zamiifolia, is also known as eternity plant, fat boy, aroid palm, and many more common names. It hails from the southeast coast of Africa and has been an important houseplant in the industry for years. ZZ plants grow from large thick rhizomes. Propagating ZZ plants is as easy as separating these or you can try rooting leaf cuttings....

The options are vast with varieties ranging from 6-7 feet (1.8-2.1 m.) tall to just 3-4 feet (0.9-1.2 m.) tall at maturity. The oversized flowers feature ruffled petals in all shades of pink, red, magenta, white, and bicolor, some with dark centers or intense veining atop leaves that are green to dark wine purple. If you’re looking to try your hand at growing one of these spectacular plants, let’s look at the 5 things you need to know about growing rose mallow....

When to Prune an Almond Tree There are two basic types of pruning cuts, thinning cuts and heading cuts. Thinning cuts severe limbs at the point of origin from the parent limb while heading cuts remove just a portion of an existing branch. Thinning cuts open and thin out tree canopies and control the height of the tree. Heading cuts remove buds concentrated at shoot tips which, in turn, stimulates other buds....

Adding Aluminum to Soil Using aluminum in garden soil is a quick way to lower the soil pH for acid-loving plants such as blueberries, azaleas, and strawberries. You should only use it when a pH test shows that the soil pH is too high by one point or more. High aluminum soil levels are toxic to plants. It takes between 1 and 1.5 pounds (29.5 to 44.5 mL.) of aluminum sulfate per 10 square feet (1 sq....

American Persimmon Tree Facts American persimmon trees, also called common persimmon trees, are easy to grow, moderate-sized trees that reach about 20 feet (6 m.) tall in the wild. They can be grown in many regions and are hardy to U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone 5. One of the uses for American persimmons is as ornamental trees, given their colorful fruit and intensely green, leathery leaves that turn purple in the fall....

Materials for Making Animal Track Casts Only a few materials are needed for making casts of animal tracks: plaster of Pariswaterplastic bag or containersomething to stir withbag to bring the animal footprint molds home in Optionally, you will also need something to surround the animal track to contain the plaster of Paris as it sets. Cut rings from a plastic soda bottle or the like. A small shovel will be handy as well to lift the set animal footprint molds up out of the soil....

Anthuriums are often grown on a piece of lava rock or bark because they are epiphytic and produce long aerial roots to attach to surfaces. They are relatively disease- and pest-free but are fussy about humidity and moisture. A droopy anthurium could have water issues, lighting problems, or a rare case of blight. Find out the answers to why an anthurium with drooping leaves is doing poorly and save your tropical prized plant....

Phony Peach Disease Damage First observed in Georgia around 1890, apricots with phony peach disease (PPD) have a compact, flat canopy– the result of shortening of the internodes. Foliage tends to be a darker green than normal and infected trees usually flower and set fruit early and hold their leaves later in the fall than those uninfected. The result is smaller fruit combined with a considerable reduction in yields. Twigs on diseased apricots not only have shortened internodes but an increase in lateral branching....

April Ohio Valley Garden To-Do List Here are a few ideas you might want to add to your monthly gardening to-do list. Lawn Mowing season gets underway this month. Prepare for that first lawn mowing by adding these tasks to your gardening to-do list for April. Pick up debris. Remove those twigs, leaves and trash which have accumulated over the winter. Fill in low spots. Backfill those bumpy dips in the yard with quality top soil....

Keep reading to find out more about growing areca palm in the home. Areca Palm Houseplant Info A full-grown areca palm houseplant is quite expensive, so they are usually purchased as small, tabletop plants. They add 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 cm.) of growth per year until they reach a mature height of 6 or 7 feet (1.8 or 2.1 m.). Areca palm is one of the few palms that can tolerate trimming without serious harm, making it possible to keep mature plants indoors for their full lifespan of up to 10 years....

Australian Tea Tree Information Australian tea tree plants are suitable for growing in USDA plant hardiness zones 9 through 11. Although mature height depends on the species, Australian tea tree plants in the garden generally reach heights of 10 to 25 feet (3-8 m.). Australian tea tree displays small, leathery, bluish gray leaves and gray bark that adds to its textural appearance. Lovely apple blossom-like flowers bloom in early spring. Australian tea tree plants are drought tolerant once established, withstanding wind and poor, sandy soil....

Common Diseases of an Avocado Tree Cankers – Cankers are usually only minor diseases of an avocado tree, but they’re highly visible. These sores on tree trunks and branches may sink slightly and ooze gum, giving the sore a rusty appearance. Cankers can often be cut out of limbs, but cankers in trunks often kill affected trees. Fruit rots – Fruit rots, caused by fungal pathogens, typically occur where sanitation is poor and tree stressors are high....

When Can I Transplant Azaleas? The best time for relocating an azalea bush really depends upon your climate. Azaleas are hardy in USDA zones 4 through 9, which is a very wide range as far as temperature. If you live in a lower numbered zone with cold winters, the best time for azalea transplanting is early spring, before new growth has started. This will give the roots a full growing season to become established before the bitter cold of winter, which can really damage a weak, newly-transplanted bush....

Yellowing Bamboo Leaves Bamboo is a popular ornamental and edible plant. Many homeowners and gardeners plant bamboo because it can screen out unwanted views or create a private space. Bamboo is fast growing and spreads quickly. Like all ornamental plants, bamboo has certain requirements to stay healthy. True bamboo has hollow stems and bright green leaves. If your bamboo leaves are yellow, this could be a sign that your plant is failing....

Signs of Yellow Dwarf Virus of Barley Crops Symptoms of barley yellow dwarf virus vary depending on the crop, but the primary signs of disease are stunted growth and discoloration. Older leaves of wheat plants may turn yellow or red, while corn turns purple, red, or yellow. Diseased rice plants turn orange or yellow, and barley with yellow dwarf becomes a distinctive shade of bright, golden yellow. Yellow dwarf virus of barley can also cause water-soaked areas on the leaves....

Since plants only carry flowers for part of the year, leaf identification is often more useful. Read on for information on how to tell plant leaves apart, including tips on identifying flowers by their leaves. How to Identify Plant Leaves There are some plants with such unique leaves that most people can identify them. For example, the sugar maple leaf (the central image on the Canadian flag) is quite well known....

Beautiful Rose Varieties When it comes to selecting the most beautiful roses, it will be essential to consider one’s own personal preferences and style. Choosing garden roses will also require that growers pay close attention to growth requirements for each species as well as the bloom season. Since beautiful, romantic roses are popular for use in floral arranging and design, it will be imperative to choose cultivars whose beauty and elegance combine with an extended vase life....

Cold Hardy Fern Plants Growing ferns in zone 5 really doesn’t require any special treatment, provided the plants you ultimately choose for the garden are, in fact, zone 5 ferns. This means as long as they’re hardy to the area, the ferns should pretty much thrive on their own, other than the occasional watering in overly dry situations. Lady fern – Hardy to zone 4, lady fern can reach anywhere from 1 to 4 feet (31 cm....