Troubleshooting Petunia Wilting Problems Wilting petunia flowers can mean many things. Maybe the most common (and easily fixable) is improper watering. Like lots of plants, petunias respond to a lack of water by wilting. Don’t just water them more though! Wilting petunia flowers can also be a sign of too much water. Always check the soil around your petunias before watering–if the soil is still damp, don’t water it. Lack of sun can also lead to the wilting of petunias....

How Much Water Does a Trumpet Vine Need? Trumpet vine water requirements are pretty minimal. If you’re looking for a spot to plant your new trumpet vine, choose one that drains well. Wait for a heavy rainfall, then examine the soil in your garden. Choose a place that drains quickly, and avoid areas where puddles form and hang around for a few hours. When you first plant your trumpet vine seedling, give it plenty of water to soak the root ball and encourage new shoots and roots to grow....

Types of Shade-Loving Shrubs There are many types of shade-loving shrubs for the landscape. Some of the more popular ones include: Carolina allspice– Carolina allspice is a shade-loving shrub that not only adds interest with its reddish purple flowers, but this shrub also emits a pleasant, spicy aroma. Honeysuckle– Also worthy in the shade garden is the fragrant honeysuckle shrub. While you may find numerous varieties to choose from, the climbing variety will add height when trained on a trellis or similar structure....

Can Urine Be Used as Fertilizer? Can urine be used as fertilizer without laboratory treatment? Scientists seeking to answer that question used cucumbers as their test subjects. The plants were chosen because they and their plant relatives are common, they’re easily contaminated with bacterial infections and are eaten raw. Cucumbers showed increases in both size and number after feeding the plants with urine, showed no difference in bacterial contaminants from their control counterparts, and were equally as tasty....

What is a Houseplant Box? A houseplant box is literally what it sounds like, a planter box indoors. Boxes for houseplants can be purchased and there are tons of fabulous ones to choose from or you can make your own plant boxes indoors. Ideas for Boxes for Houseplants An indoor planter box can take many forms. It can look like a traditional exterior window box either affixed to the wall or raised on legs, either long or short, or plant boxes indoors may be placed along a window as outside ones or on any wall or surface provided there is enough light....

Planting Groundcover to Deter Deer In areas where deer are a problem, the long-term solution is to plant groundcovers that deer won’t eat. In general, groundcover plants deer leave alone are those with thorny or prickly leaves and stems, herbs with pungent aromas, plants with hairy leaves and poisonous plants. Deer like tender young leaves, buds and nutrient-rich vegetation. The key is finding deer-proof groundcovers that grow well in your area....

How to Upcycle Old Doors Build a garden bench: Use two old doors to make a garden bench, one door for the seat and one for the backrest. You can even cut an old paneled door into quarters and make a small, one-person (or child sized) garden bench chair. There will be two long panels and two shorter panels just right for a seat, back, and sides. Construct a Pergola: Two old doors in the garden can be used to build a pergola....

Kinds of Catalpa Trees People either love catalpa trees or they hate them. These trees are tough and adaptable, so much so that they have been labeled “weed trees.” It doesn’t help that the tree is messy, dropping its large leaves, flower petals, and cigar-shaped seed pods as they fade. Still, the catalpa is a resilient, drought tolerant, and attractive tree used by indigenous people for medicinal purposes. It grows fast, putting down an extensive root system, and can be used to stabilize soil that may be subject to landslides or erosion....

What are Vegetable Cover Crops? In lieu of tilling garden soil at the end of the growing season, gardeners are finding value in sowing what is best described as “green” manure cover crops. These vegetable cover crops are planted in the fall, grow over winter, and then are tilled into the soil in the spring. Cover crops prevent erosion of garden soil and leaching of nutrients over the winter, once these plants are tilled into the soil, they begin returning nutrients to the garden....

Vegetable landscaping allows the grower to enjoy home-grown fruits and vegetables and save on their grocery bills without having to have a large separate vegetable garden. Landscaping with Vegetables So, what vegetables can be used for landscapes? There are plenty. Vegetable landscapes are nothing more than mixing flowers and vegetables throughout the garden, otherwise known as edible landscaping. In this type of garden design, you can have fruit and nut trees growing in the same place as your ornamental plants....

What is a Volunteer Plant? Volunteer plants are those that come up in the garden with no effort on your part. They germinate from seeds dropped by flowers in previous years or seeds can arrive stuck to the fur and skin of small animals. Birds that visit your garden bring seeds contained in berries and fruit that they ate at their last stop. Plants can sneak under fences by means of underground stems and rhizomes....

Weed Killer in Soil The first thing to realize is if the weed killer was still present, chances are your plants would not be able to survive. Very few plants can survive a weed killer chemical, and the ones that do are either genetically modified to do so or are weeds that have become resistant. Chances are, the fruit or vegetable plant you are growing isn’t resistant to weed killer, or most herbicides in general....

What Does Biennial Mean? So what are biennial plants? The term biennial is in reference to the plant’s longevity. Annual plants live just one growing season, performing their entire life cycle, from seed to flower, in this short period of time. Only the dormant seed is left to cross over into the next growing season. Perennial plants live three years or more. Usually, the top foliage dies back to the ground each winter and then regrows the successive spring from the existing root system....

What are Eucalyptus Leaves Used For? As mentioned, eucalyptus foliage is a common ingredient in herbal cold and flu remedies. Other common eucalyptus leaf uses include massage oils, bath additives, as a tea, and in potpourri. While the wood has been used for centuries by aborigines for boats, boomerangs, and spears, the essential oils found in the foliage are prized for their antiseptic properties used to treat coughs, sore throats, and other infections....

Rose Hip Information Rugosa roses are known to produce an abundance of rose hips, these wonderful roses can be grown for the multi-purpose of enjoying their beautiful blooms set against their wonderful foliage as well as using the hips they produce. The old-fashioned shrub roses also produce wonderful rose hips and offer the same enjoyment. If the rose hips are left on the bush and never harvested, the birds will find them and peck out the seeds, eating these fine fruits as a great source of nourishment in the winter months and beyond....

What are Santina Cherries? Santina cherry trees, the result of a cross between Summit and Stella, were bred at Pacific Ari-Food Research Station in Summerland British Columbia in 1973. Santina cherries are multi-purpose and can be eaten fresh off the tree, cooked, or preserved by drying or freezing. They are delicious incorporated into hot or cold dishes. Santina cherries paired with smoked meat and cheese is a delightful treat. Santina Cherry Tree Care Santina cherries are self-fertile, but harvests will be more plentiful and the cherries will be plumper if there is another sweet cherry tree in the vicinity....

Whitegold Cherry Info Whitegold cherry info states that the tree is self-pollinating and does not need a partner to set fruit. That is just one of the amazing traits of this delicious fruiting plant. The tree is not a very common variety, but if you can find one, it produces some of the tastiest, golden blush cherries available. This unusual cherry tree is a cross of Emperor Francis and Stella, a self-fertile cherry....

When you are putting together a “parts of a tree” lesson for children, it’s a great opportunity to engage them with the magical world of nature. Read on for some ideas on interesting ways to show how a tree functions and the work the different tree parts accomplish. How a Tree Functions Trees are as diverse as humans, different in height, breadth, shape, color and habitat. But all trees function in largely the same way, with a root system, a trunk or trunks, and foliage....

What is Pomology? Pomology is the study of fruit, specifically the science of growing fruit and nuts. Pomology was officially introduced in the United States with the inception of a pomology division of the USDA in 1886. Importance of Pomology in Horticulture Pomology is an important science. Fruit trees are not easy to grow and require specific information on how to cultivate depending upon the variety and cultivar. Some of this information has been passed down and some has been improved upon over time by the work of pomologists....

Del Monte Pink Pineapple If you’re wondering how a pineapple can have pink flesh, the answer is simple. Like other red or pink-fleshed fruits, the coloration comes from lycopene. This is the same pigment found in tomatoes, red peppers, and watermelon. Pink pineapple fruit is an exciting innovation as lycopene has antioxidant properties. This pigment has been shown to reduce the risk of certain types of cancer and to slow the spread of cancer cells....