Philodendrons are native to tropical America where they grow as understory plants. There are nearly 500 accepted species of this common plant. Philodendron was named by a popular floral chain as the plant of the year 2024. They named it Houseplant of the Year due to its spectacular foliage. But the Philodendron doesn’t need a title to be special. Its vibrancy and lushness add a verdant touch to a home, office, or other area....
If you’re a gardener and flower enthusiast, you’ll find the following old-fashioned perennial flowers and annuals have strong ties with the past. They can all help you create a cozy, nostalgic garden very easily. So try some of these nine old-fashioned garden flowers to ramp up the sentimental factor in your backyard or outdoor space. Old-Fashioned Perennials To Try Perennials are a must as they keep coming back year after year....
Native Species vs. Invasive Species A native species is an indigenous plant that evolved in place and without human intervention. A non-native species is one that was moved to another area either on purpose or unintentionally by human activity. Not all non-native species are invasive. What marks a plant as invasive are these characteristics: Not indigenous to where it currently growsIntroduced outside of its native range by human activityCauses harm to the local ecosystem or economy...
Note: This tree is classified as an invasive species and causes problems to natural habitats in many countries. Meet the Caribbean Pine The Caribbean pine is an evergreen conifer that grows rapidly, yet produces wood that is strong enough for use as timber. Native to Central America, it grows in the wild in the tropics from Nicaragua to Mexico, and in the Caribbean region as well as the Bahamas. It prefers low level plains and smaller hillsides from sea level to 2,000 feet (600 m)....
Properties of Clay Soil Like most new homeowners, I was excited to make the place our own. This included fixing up the inside of the home, redoing the landscaping around the house, and of course, planting a vegetable garden. The last turned out to be the hardest. After all, who thinks of taking a shovel and digging into the yard when looking at houses? Little did I know that under the thin covering of grass was approximately 2 feet (61 cm....
How Much Water Do Hydrangeas Need? Hydrangea water requirements are an important component of hydrangea care. These bountiful shrubs are not drought tolerant, so providing consistent watering will ensure your hydrangeas stay in peak performance year after year. But how much water do hydrangea plants need? It depends on the cultivar, but by selecting the right plant and putting it in the right place, you are ahead of the curve in meeting its watering needs....
However, with the right treatment, you can save your hedge. Leafminers are larval forms of a type of fly. They damage several types of plants, including many vegetables and ornamentals like boxwood. Here’s how to identify, remove and prevent boxwood leafminer. Does Your Plant Have Boxwood Leafminer? To identify whether you have leafminer on boxwood shrubs, it helps to understand the boxwood leafminer life cycle. The cycle begins in spring when the females insert eggs directly into the boxwood leaves from the undersides....
Basic factors such as soil health, pest control, and regular watering all play crucial roles in the productivity of tomato plants – indeed they are vital components when starting a vegetable garden. But if you want to take your crops to the next level, our proven tomato-growing secrets will help you become an expert. As well as increasing yields, many of these methods will help to make tomato plants grow faster....
How To Stop Erosion On A Slope In Your Front Or Backyard You are probably already very familiar with what causes soil erosion if you have a hill or slope on your property. Rainfall and wind carry the precious topsoil away to storm drains where it can be transported to waterways, affecting water quality and aquatic life. Runoff can also wreak havoc in your yard and gardens. Managing erosion is important not only for the homeowner but future generations....
What Insect Is Eating My Flowers? Local wildlife is known to browse and damage garden plants, but insects that eat flowers are especially problematic. Though some species can be easily identified, others may require research or be otherwise difficult to recognize. Learning more about the most common culprits can help growers to better diagnose and treat plants before the damage becomes too severe. 1. Earwigs Among common bugs that eat flowers, earwigs often leave gardeners to question how to protect their plants’ delicate blooms....
The Groundhog Lifestyle Although they are sometimes called woodchucks, groundhog is a more fitting name. These large rodents live in burrows underground and they can make pigs of themselves in a backyard garden. An adult groundhog weighs between 6 and 12 pounds (3-5 kg.) and can eat as much as 1.5 pounds (1 kg.) of vegetation per day. Sometime between mid-September and early October, groundhogs enter their underground burrows to hibernate for the winter....
In the drive to create pollinator gardens that can survive unpredictable climate changes, there is renewed enthusiasm for native plants that have wide appeal to bees, butterflies, hoverflies, moths, and other beneficial insects, as well as hummingbirds. However, this year’s trend-setting plants need to multi-task, by also being beautiful, adding color and structure to the garden, and having a long flowering period. Exotic, high-maintenance plants and large manicured lawns are among the garden trends to avoid this year, as we seek to make our gardens more sustainable and lower-maintenance....
What is an Invasive Plant? Most people know that an invasive plant is a problem, but do you know why? What makes a plant invasive? Are all non-native species invasive? These are important questions. Start with definitions of three important terms: Native plant: A plant is native if it occurs naturally in the location in which it evolved, with no human intervention. In other words, people did not move the plant to that location....
Should You Cut Back Perennials in the Fall? When your region experiences the first freeze of autumn, you don’t always have to run for the pruners. There may be some good reasons to leave the foliage, flowers, fruit and seedheads to overwinter in the garden and cut them back in spring. First, leaving some drying perennials in place will make the garden interesting during the winter months. They trap other fallen leaves and, together, offer a blanket of protection from winter cold for the plants’ roots....
Basil will keep growing all summer, which means it can be harvested regularly throughout the growing season. As soon as temperatures begin to cool, though, it will start dying back. Even a light frost will strike it dead. So what can you do to save all those delicious leaves? Drying basil is an easy and effective way to keep that fresh summer taste, even in winter. How to Dry Fresh Basil Basil has a more intense flavor when it’s fresh, but anyone who’s had it in their kitchen knows that it degrades quickly....
Clearly, the long-term success of plants hinges on being able to correctly identify the best fertilizer for any given plant, at a particular stage of development – and then to add it in the best way, and in the right quantities. Understanding fertilizer rates and applications enables you to better judge food types and timings. This essential guide to understanding fertilizer outlines the fundamentals of feeding to help ornamentals, edibles, shrubs and lawns to flourish....
Land stewardship requires a holistic approach to manage elements that can cause damaging changes. Large amounts of water deposited by flooding waterways, torrential rains, or other events may necessitate installing a swale. Such structures will slow the movement of water, direct it intentionally, and spread it out to minimize damage. Swales are simply ditches that catch water and allow it to percolate slowly into the earth. They may be bare in the case of diversion ditches, but the usual structure is a vegetated swale where plants can receive necessary moisture....
Benefits of Drip Irrigation for Raised Beds Drip irrigation involves a slow application of water to a plant’s root area through individual water release mechanisms called emitters. This allows for a very focused application of water. No water is splashed on the foliage and, since the water is delivered under the soil, little is lost to evaporation. And watering so deeply encourages the roots to grow down. In addition, weeds growing between plants are deprived of water and die....
Eco-Friendly Gender Reveal Ideas You may have seen a gender reveal party where the expectant couple reveals (or learns) the sex of their baby by opening a box filled with either pink or blue helium balloons, which are not eco-friendly. Instead, spew a pop of color into the air with biodegradable alternatives, such as natural flower petals, biodegradable confetti, and edible paint. You can also craft seed balls or seed bombs that your family and friends can toss in a field or garden and wait to see the results....
Tillandsia, or air plants, are one of the easier plants to grow. They are perfect for novice gardeners who want to dip a toe into the world of houseplants. It takes little knowledge to know how to care for an air plant, as these are epiphytic flora that don’t even require soil. There are a wide variety of ways to display their diverse forms. With a little luck and time, the little plants may even produce offsets and bloom....
