Growers Guide for Spiderwort – Tradescantia

Commemorating John Tradescant (died 1637), gardener to Charles I (Commelinaceae). A genus of 60 species of hardy perennial and greenhouse plants from North America and tropical South America. The hardy varieties are commonly called spiderwort, flower of a day, Moses-in-the-bulrushes, or devil-in-the pulpit. According to some botanists thegarden plants grown under the name Tradescantia virginiana belonging to a hybrid group […]

Growers Guide for Bird of Paradise Flower

STRELITZIA — Bird of Paradise Flower  A group of tender perennial plants, only one of which is commonly grown. This is Strelitzia Reginae, which has large ornamental leaves on long strong petioles (leafstalks), and bears brilliant orange and purple flowers, several together within a large bract, on stems 3 ft. or more high in spring. It is a native of […]

Growing Guide for Ornamental Brassica

The students have returned to school, your mailbox is crammed with a new crop of seed catalogs, the leaves are falling, and the days are getting shorter. Drive by your local garden center or roadside stand and the displays are filled with ornamental kales and cabbages. Autumn has arrived. Long after the first snowfall and frost have erased most traces […]

Selecting the Correct Tree to Plant

Planting a tree takes a lot of thought. We may have to consider if we want a tree that is: Lets read more about to assist in understanding these factors. Trees decorative throughout the year Decorative bark and good foliage color Broad-leaved ACER CAPILLIPES Young bark striated with white; young growths coral red, leaves turning crimson in autumn. A. davidii, […]

Rose Leaf – Black Spot

Black spot treatment A term which can be used to describe certain plant diseases which reveal themselves as black spots on the leaves. Some are quite startling in the color contrast with the green of the leaf, for example, black or tar spot on sycamore leaves. But the best known of all ornamental plant black spot diseases is that which […]

Grow Japanese Red Maple Trees from Seed

  Most Japanese Maple seeds ripen in the fall. Watch the tree and wait for the seeds to turn brown. The seeds are ready to be harvested when they are brown and can be easily removed from the tree. The seeds are attached to a wing, it’s best to break the wing off before storing or planting the seeds. Japanese […]

Protect your Pond from Predators

Where are the fish? You walk outside to feed your fish one day and when you reach your pond you find all your beautiful fish gone. How can this be? You look for Fred, Lucy, TA, and all your other fish but can’t find them. Your heart races to your mouth, you run around your pond, you check your skimmer, […]

How to grow spinach from seed

It has been estimated that a 10m (30ft) row of spinach supplies just about the right amount for a family of four during the summer months. But one sowing is not sufficient. Fresh young foliage is demanded and where spinach is much appreciated, successional sowings should be made fortnightly between late March and mid-July. For later autumn supplies and for […]

Decorative bark and good foliage color

Broad-leaved ACER CAPILLIPES Young bark striated with white; young growths coral red, leaves turning crimson in autumn. A. davidii, young bark shiny green, striated with white; leaves usually turn yellow and purple in autumn. Long chains of keys striking. A. griseum, paper bark maple, the outer bark peeling in papery flakes to show the copper-colored inner bark; opening leaves bronze […]

How to grow a pea plant from a pea seed

Peas There are dwarf and taller pea varieties. Although plants of the short, dwarf varieties may be grown without supports it is the custom to provide all garden peas with supports of some sort. Twiggy brushwood of the height the plants will attain is much liked by gardeners. Bamboo canes linked together with strong thread or garden twine often replace […]