An espalier fruit tree can make an exceptional focal point for bare areas along outdoor walls of the home or other structures. When trained on a trellis, these plants can also serve as attractive screens to hide unsightly views or to add privacy. Read on to learn more about how to espalier and fruit tree training. Fruit Tree Training You can train espalier trees by removing undesired growth. The best plants for espalier fruit tree training are those with flexible branches....

Indian poke plants Corn lily American false hellebore Duck retten Earth gall Devil’s bite Bear corn Tickle weed Devil’s tobacco American hellebore Green hellebore Itch weed Swamp hellebore White hellebore They are not related to hellebore plants, which are in the Ranunculus family, but are instead in the family Melanthiaceae. False hellebore flowers may be in bloom in your backyard. What is False Hellebore? Indian poke plants come in two varieties: Veratrum viride var....

What is Feather Reed Grass? Feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora) is a clumping ornamental grass with numerous cultivars. It is a deciduous plant, but is one of the first of the family to show foliage in early spring. Feather reed plant may grow 3 to 5 feet (1-1.5 m.) tall and produce an inflorescence in June that starts green and slowly blushes to purple or pink. The flower head becomes grain-like seeds within a few days....

Feeding a Mountain Laurel Mountain laurels are broad-leafed evergreens that grow in the wild as multi-stemmed shrubs. The leaves, like holly leaves, are shiny and dark. And the branches of mature laurels are delightfully gnarled. Mountain laurel produces flowers in late spring or summer. The blooms range from white to red and are an essential part of the woodlands in the East. They grow in zones 4 to 9, and look beautiful cultivated with rhododendrons or azaleas....

Feeding Cyclamen Plants Generally, a complete houseplant fertilizer for cyclamens is recommended, like a 10-10-10 or 20-20-20. Fertilize every three to four weeks. Cyclamen plants with yellowing leaves may benefit from a complete houseplant fertilizer with added iron. To promote and prolong blooms, feed cyclamen plants with a fertilizer high in phosphorus, like 4-20-4, at the beginning of winter just as blooms start to develop. Cyclamen plants like slightly acidic soil and can benefit from an acid fertilizer once a year....

What is Fiber Optic Grass? The plant is hardy in USDA plant hardiness zones 8-11. It can be potted up and moved indoors in other areas or just enjoyed as an annual. Ornamental fiber optic grass forms a mound with sprays of errant stems springing from the center of the plant like a punk hairdo. The ends of the stems have tiny white flowers that give the overall effect of little lights at the end of the foliage....

Best Flower Seeds to Start With When beginning to garden, planning a new growing season can feel quite exciting. With so many available options, it can be easy to overestimate your own abilities. It is for this reason that many gardeners suggest starting small, with only a few different varieties of easy to grow flowers seeds. Flower seeds for beginners most frequently refer to those which are easy to handle, germinate readily with little attention, and those that do not require frequent care from the grower after planting....

Immature Fruit Drop If fruit tree blossoms aren’t thinned prior to opening, up to 90 percent of the small, hard fruit that develops right after pollination will eventually be shed from the tree. This can be a natural part of tree fruit development, since few fruit trees can divert enough energy from growing to support all these new fruits. Naturally, they shed the fruits if they can so that other fruits in the cluster or on that branch can grow larger....

Types of Mulch for the Garden There is a wide variety of mulch types available, which can be broken down into two large groups: organic and inorganic. Organic – Organic, or natural mulches, include such things as hardwood chips, pine straw, grass clippings, and crushed leaves. Inorganic -Inorganic, or synthetic mulches, include pebbles, crushed rock, plastic, rubber mats, or chips. Organic mulch tends to cost less than synthetic mulch but has to be replaced more frequently due to deterioration....

What is a Sunken Garden Bed? So what is a sunken garden bed? By definition this is “a formal garden set below the main level of the ground surrounding it.” Gardening below ground level is not a new concept. In fact, sunken gardens have been used for centuries – most commonly when the availability of water is limited. Areas prone to dry, arid conditions, such as desert climates, are popular sites for creating sunken gardens....

When to Start Washington State Garden Tasks Gardening tasks for Washington occur year-round depending upon where you reside. The gardening to-do list starts in February with trimming back roses and doesn’t end until around October in most regions. Any time your soil is workable, you can start adding in compost and necessary amendments, but it’s the garden in March that demands the most attention. Washington state has an incredibly varied climate....

April in the Northwest region may be fraught with rain and temperatures that fluctuate but with the assistance of some cloches or low tunnels, the veggie garden is foremost on a gardening to-do list. This isn’t the only chore in need of being done, however. Northwest Gardening in April April in the Northwest brings with it warmer temperatures, albeit for many regions lots of rain. For the diehard gardener, a little rain isn’t an issue and April gardening tasks wait for nobody....

Uses for Cold Frames There are a number of ways to build a cold frame. They may be made out of plywood, concrete, or hay bales and covered with old windows, Plexiglas, or plastic sheeting. Whatever materials you choose, all cold frames are simple structures used to capture solar energy and create an insulated microclimate. Gardening with cold frames allows the gardener to lengthen the garden season, harden off seedlings, start seedlings earlier, and overwinter tender, dormant plants....

Gardening with Vertical Planters If you don’t want to spend a lot on those vertical planting bags, then vertical gardening with shoe organizers is a great alternative. A vertical garden in a shoe organizer is also great for those of us with limited sun in our gardens. Often, you may get great sun exposure on just the deck or hitting the side of a shed, but nowhere else in the yard....

Green Anjou Pear Info Green Anjou pears are sweet, juicy, mild pears with a hint of citrus. The perfect all-purpose pear tree, Green Anjou is delicious eaten fresh but holds up well to roasting, baking, poaching, grilling, or canning. Unlike most pears that change color as they ripen, Green Anjou pear variety may take on a very slight hint of yellow when it ripens, but the attractive green color generally remains unchanged....

Green Social Distancing at Work and Home If you have a business or workplace that will be opening up again after the coronavirus lockdown, keeping workers and clients or customers appropriately distanced is important. We are all aware of the need, but it isn’t natural for us to stay 6 feet (2 m.) or more apart at all times. Physical barriers come in handy as reminders and guidelines. Here are some ways to use plants as social distancing barriers in an office, store, or restaurant:...

Also known as wire grass, it has any airy appearance due to its wiry stems and small, shiny leaves. While it is a groundcover in nature, container grown angel vine plants will cascade and spill over a pot’s edges beautifully. It can also be easily grown on a trellis or topiary. Growing Angel Vine in a Pot Angel vine is typically grown as an annual outdoors but is adaptable in a container as a houseplant or outdoors too....

The key to successful fruit production in any climate is selection of appropriate crops and varieties. The right fruit crop spells the difference between success and frustration. Late Summer Fruit Some of the best late summer fruits are berries. They are also sweet and delicious. For the earliest harvest, go for strawberries that start ripening in June. Pick them when the entire fruit is red. Most berries may be harvested for three to four weeks....

How Peanut Plants Improve Soil Fertility Nitrogen is a key ingredient in the formation of soil organic matter. Peanut cover crops release nitrogen into the soil as the plant decomposes. Microorganisms decompose the plant and release the nitrogen into the soil as they die. Most crop residue contains far more carbon than nitrogen and soil bacteria need both. Improving the soil with peanut planting allows around 2/3 of the fixed nitrogen to be left in the soil, which is then available to the following year’s crops....

Growing ponytail palm outdoors is possible in warmer climates and caring for ponytail palm outdoors is not difficult. Read on for more information about how to grow a ponytail palm outside. Can You Plant Ponytail Palms Outside? If you live in a very warm climate like that found in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 11, growing ponytail palm outdoors is entirely feasible. They can grow to 30 feet (9 m....