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Trees & Houseplants : Home & Garden
Adaptations for the Wild Indigo
Wild indigo (Baptisia spp.) is a long-lived perennial with adaptations that enable a single plant to live for decades in a single location. This bushy plant reaches full height, 15 to 70 inches, each year after dying back to the ground each fall. The three-lobed compound leaves turn black in the fal
Flowers Which are Good for Drying
Choose classic flowers for drying.dried flowers image by Lily Forman from Fotolia.comA well-made dried flower arrangements retains color and visual interest. It may combine textures, mixing flowers with dried grasses, seedheads or cattails. If you choose unwisely, your dried flowers will...
When Do Caramel Coral Bells Plants Die?
Coral bells is the common name for Heuchera, a popular herbaceous perennial known for its distinctive and colorful foliage. Caramel is one of many cultivars. Heuchera can be a very finicky plant. It can die for no apparent reason for one gardener, yet thrive for another. It may die during the first
How to Eliminate Fire Blight on Gala Apple Trees
Fire blight is a bacterial disease of apples, pears, and other members of the Rosaceae family. Wind, rain and human activities can all spread the bacterium Erwinia amylovora, which causes the blight. Gala apples trees are one of the varieties particularly susceptible to fire blight and aggressive in
What Are Puff Balls on an Oak Tree?
Puffballs on an oak tree come from insects, fungi or bacteria causing round growths on the trees, called galls. Wasp larvae commonly cause oak tree galls. The galls have smooth, hairy or spiny exterior surfaces with puffballs and larvae inside.
Homemade Spray for Blight
Many different kinds of blight affect a variety of plants. Fire blight affects trees and shrubs, while alternaria leaf blight is commonly found on melons. One homemade solution is a simple baking soda mixture that is effective against several problems. In addition to fungal sprays for blight disease
How to Decorate a Table With Ribbons
Ribbons bring an almost ethereal quality to decorating, and they can be seen on decorating projects as varied as package wrapping to table decoration. Their satiny sheen and rich, soft texture add a special elegance to a fancy table. Because of the variety of ribbon available on the market, it doesn
Tomato Varieties in Florida
Fresh and healthy tomatoes grow on the vine in Florida.Tomato image by Broken_Perfection from Fotolia.comTomato varieties differ in shape, color, size, flavor and growing conditions. Before planting tomatoes, check the plant to make sure it will thrive in your climate. Tomatoes can be...
How to Grow Avocado Plants From Seed
Sprout an avocado seed, or pit, as an educational project with children or as a fun and inexpensive way to start a houseplant. Watch the roots and stem develop through a glass, then enjoy a plant with heavy, deep-green leaves that will grow into a large tree if you keep caring for it and repotting i
Can a Red Fuji Pollinate a Red Delicious Apple Tree?
Red Delicious apple trees require a cross-pollinating cultivar to bear fruit. Most apple tree varieties need another apple or crab apple cultivar to pollinate blossoms. Some cultivars are excellent pollinators, and some cultivar pairs are incompatible. If you want your Red Delicious apple tree to se
Wildflowers Found in Iowa
Purple coneflower is one striking Iowa wildflower.Hemera Technologies/Photos.com/Getty ImagesIowa's wildflowers provide both beauty and function, with some flowers having a history of use as natural medicines and as a food source for humans, animals and insects. Many Iowa counties support...
How to Remove Algae from a Fish Pond
A fish pond can be a lovely and tranquil addition to your garden landscape. Unfortunately, fish ponds are also notorious breeding grounds for algae. Although algae are not known to pose a health risk to the fish swimming in the pond, they can turn the water a murky green and generally distract from
How to Get Rid of Roadrunners
"Beep, beep!" is a phrase synonymous with the roadrunner bird, an animal made famous by the Warner Brothers cartoon. While roadrunners actually make more of a cooing sound, they are prey for coyotes. You might want to keep these ground birds, who can run up to 17 mph, out of your yard if you have ba
What Family Is the Rose Bush In?
Rose bushes belong in the Rosaceae family that contains around 3,400 species of trees, shrubs, vines and herbs.
Types of Wild Flax Plants
Flax, an annual plant with one main stem, is the common name for the genus Linum. One species from this genus, common flax (Linum usitatissimum), is known for producing linseed oil and linen. Many types of wild flax plants have blue, white, yellow, red or white flowers with five delicate petals, sa
Vegetable Gardening Under Pine Trees
It is possible to grow vegetables beneath pine trees. Vegetables, however, must be selected based on their ability to grow well under the conditions that pine trees create.
How to Identify Tree Seed Balls
Trees are either flowering plants that produce seeds or nonflowering plants that produce cones. Many flowering trees have nuts or samaras for seeds, but a few have seed balls. Seed balls make interesting conversation pieces, but it helps to know what plant the seed comes from. Identifying the seed b
How Do I Plant Strawberries in Alabama?
The fall is a good time to plant strawberries in Alabama. Strawberries established during September and October have a much higher yield the next year than strawberries planted during the spring months, according to the University of Alabama. Planting certified disease-free plants will better ensure
How Do Trees That Produce Seedless Oranges Grow?
All plants grow from seed. Or do they? In our modern world, there are many seedless fruits and vegetables. But if they don't contain seeds, how can more seedless food producing plants grow? The story of how seedless oranges came about is an excellent example of how seedless fruits come to be---and h
Black Worms in the Garden With Red or Orange Heads
With the exception of some beneficial species of earthworms, seeing any type of worm in your garden usually leads to trouble in the form of damaged plants. Black worms adorned with orange heads are most likely a type of armyworm.