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Learning more about disbudding and pinching can help gardeners better understand the growth process of various flowering plants. What is Disbudding? Foremost, growers will need a firm understanding of terminology. Disbudding flowers is a type of pruning. It isn’t necessary but done only for specific reasons– to attain larger blooms. Those who choose to disbud a plant are essentially selecting which flowers will be allowed to bloom and which will not....

About Choisya Plants Choisya shrubs are fast-growing bushes, beloved by gardeners and bees for their star-shaped flowers. Choisya plants blossom in late winter or early spring and hold onto their flowers through fall. Blossoms smell lightly of citrus fragrance and attract lots of bees. They are drought-resistant once established and resist deer too. The leaves of the choisya grow in groups of three at the ends of branches. These bushes grow up to 8 feet (2....

What Is Prairie Phlox? Phlox pilosa, also known as prairie phlox or downy phlox, is an herbaceous, flowering perennial native to much of eastern Canada and the U.S. Pilosa refers to the fact that the stems, leaves, and parts of the flowers have fine, white hairs. Prairie phlox grows in neat clumps up to about 1.5 to 2 feet (45 to 60 cm.) tall and a little less wide. The prairie phlox flowers grow in rounded clusters....

About the Yellow Evening Primrose Plant The evening primrose plant is a native wildflower in North America. It grows in abundance and is sometimes mistaken for a dandelion. As the name suggests, the yellow evening primrose blossoms open up in the evening and the blooms stay open into the early morning. The plant produces lovely, lightly scented yellow blossoms from May to July that range in size from one to two inches (2....

When to Harvest Pomegranates Native from Iran to the Himalayas in northern India, pomegranates have been cultivated for centuries for their juicy arils. They are grown in mild temperate to subtropical climates in regions with cool winters and hot summers. Drought tolerant, the trees actually prefer a semi-arid climate, planted in deep, acidic loam with good drainage. Don’t expect to begin harvesting pomegranate fruit until three to four years after planting....

Propagating Pindo Palms Pindo palms are relatively cold tolerant plants. They do grow from seeds well, but the seed needs to undergo several stringent conditions, and even then, seed is slow to germinate. It can take nearly 50 weeks before germination occurs in the best conditions. Pindo palm propagation may be challenging, but the end result is a wonderful new plant. Fresh, ripe seed is the most viable and easy to germinate....

Which are the plants to consider for spring pruning? Read on for more information. Pruning Trees in Spring Spring pruning should be on the calendar for some trees, but not all. Spring flowering plants that bloom on old wood (like azaleas, dogwood and camellia) are best pruned in the summer after they have flowered. However, if they are overgrown and neglected, rejuvenation pruning is in order and spring is the best time to proceed....

How Do Trail Cameras Work? A trail camera, also known as a wildlife camera, is a remote camera you can set up outside to take pictures and video. The idea is that you can capture images that would be impossible to get otherwise because your presence would keep animals away. The camera doesn’t run or take pictures constantly. It is triggered by motion. The devices store the images and videos so you can view them later....

About Harvesting Pears There’s nothing like a pear eaten fresh at its peak, but it isn’t always possible or easy to tell when a pear is ready. Pears ripen from the inside out, so if a pear is allowed to ripen on the tree you may end up with fruit that looks good on the outside but is soft and brown on the interior. This means that pears are usually harvested when they are still firm/hard and then ripened off the tree....

Types of Fungal Damage in Cactus The vast number of cacti species can only be outcompeted by the huge quantity of fungal varieties. Fungus spots on cactus pads are common, as in the case of Phyllosticta pad spot. It is often quite impossible to diagnose which fungal organism is causing the spots, but often that is unimportant since treatments are generally the same. A few fungus types damage the roots and eventually the whole plant, so once their visual damage is seen, it is too late for the plant....

How Much Cold Will Kill a Plant? How much cold will kill a plant is not an easy question to answer. Be sure to look up the cold hardiness for the plant in question before leaving the plant outside. Some plants can survive sub-freezing temperatures for months while others cannot take temperatures below 50 F. (10 C.) for more than a few hours. What Happens to Cold Damaged Plants? While many people ask how much cold will kill a plant, the real question should be how much freezing will kill a plant....

Oregano (Origanum vulgare) is a heat-loving, pungent herb that is found in Mediterranean and Mexican cooking. Growing oregano indoors is an excellent way to bring those flavors to your food. If you are a dedicated cook, a display of fresh growing herbs nearhand enhances your dishes and enlivens recipes. Planting oregano indoors can be done alone or in a trough with other like-minded herbs. Planting Oregano Indoors Indoor oregano plants need similar conditions to exterior raised plants....

Facts on Veltheimia Plants Veltheimia lilies are bulb plants of the cape of Africa. They look quite different from other bulb flowers. Those differences have earned them a variety of common names including winter Veltheimia, forest lily, sand onion, sand lily, red hot poker, and elephant’s eye. Different species of Veltheimia lilies bloom at different times. Forest lilies (Veltheimia bracteata) bloom in the late winter or early spring, while Veltheimia capensis blooms in autumn and winter....

The first step in attracting your own rodent control predator is by making an owl nest box. Owls do not make nests of their own, but take over useful structures or other abandoned nests. Once an owl finds a likely nest box on your property, it will happily stay and hunt on your property all year long. How to Attract Owls to the Garden How to attract owls to your backyard?...

When to Cut Back Daylilies The minimum daylily trimming you should do is an annual tidy up of spent leaves and stems. This is important because it keeps the ground clean and prevents or minimizes the buildup of pests or pathogens. You can do this in late fall or early spring, depending on when you want to put in the effort. If you choose to do the cleanup in the fall, you can wait until the first hard frost before cutting back leaves....

Is Soaking Dried Beans Necessary? No, soaking dried beans is not necessary, but soaking dry beans accomplishes two goals: cutting cooking time and reducing stomach distress. The beans will cook eventually if not pre-soaked but will take significantly longer. So, how long does it take to soak dry beans before cooking? Why Do You Soak Dry Beans? The reasons why you soak dry beans are twofold. Number one, it cuts cooking time significantly....

Types of Japanese Painted Fern Several cultivars of this plant are available to the gardener, with varying shades of color. The name derives from the fact that Japanese painted fern plants appear to have been delicately painted with shades of green, red, and silver. Look at different types of Japanese painted fern to decide which you prefer for your garden. The cultivar ‘Pictum,’ with its attractive silver and red color, was named perennial plant of the year in 2004 by the Perennial Plant Association....

Japanese Vegetable Gardening Similarity in climate is the main reason growing Japanese vegetables in the United States is easy. This island nation has four distinct seasons with a majority of Japan experiencing a humid subtropical climate similar to the southeastern and south-central states of the U.S. Many vegetables from Japan thrive in our climate and those that don’t can often be grown as container plants. Leafy greens and root vegetables are popular ingredients in Japanese cooking....

Jerusalem Artichoke Companion Planting As an ornamental and an edible, Jerusalem artichoke has plant friends or companions in the veggie garden, as well as in flowerbeds. It attracts pollinators, beneficial insects, and birds. However, it also can be prone to aphids. In fact, it is sometimes used as an aphid decoy plant. Jerusalem artichoke can inhibit the growth of potatoes and tomatoes, so it should not be placed near either of them....

While some people count foxes as rather endearing, cute even (that’d be me) fox pest control may be a serious issue in the garden. Foxes are often an introduced, non-native, species that can disturb the delicate balance of an ecosystem. Over time, escapees introduced for the purposes of fox hunting and fur farming roamed free and comfortably settled in coastal and valley ecosystems. Prey for the fox are rodents, rabbits, reptiles, bird eggs, insects, waterfowl, and other ground-nesting birds, and they make no differentiation between imperiled species....