Orchard owners know how to get rid of mistletoe in order to increase crop production. If you do the pruning yourself, remove infested material back to the branch collar.To kill mistletoe growth permanently, cut back the leaves and stems to the wood and...
This is either due to their very different physiology, or the slow, nibbling way they eat, stopping as soon as something tastes bad or is irritating. As delicate as birds seem, they actually seem to be able to tolerate a lot of plants being nibbled and...
You can hardly go wrong, especially if what you want is a bed of bright yellow, non-stop flowers throughout the long, hot summer. No pinching is needed, since they are self branching.
The spirit of Friggas' good will lives on as the Christian theme of love triumphing over death.Kissing under the mistletoe is also cited in an early work by Washington Irving, “Christmas Eve," which tells of the festivities surrounding the Twelve Days...
The cactus has pencil thin succulent stems that may reach 6 feet in length. The grownup name for this cactus is Rhipsalis mistletoe cactus. If you are not prone to overwatering, you can plant the cactus in regular potting soil mixed with sand or other...
In some areas, the silky flycatcher is entirely dependent on the mistletoe berries. While the etymology of "mistletoe" is uncertain, some people have claimed that it means "dung-on-twig", from the way the birds spread the seeds.The seed sprouts on the...
I was happily surprised to find many of his suggestions growing in my own garden and the image showing the cover of the book is just a very few of the armload of varieties that I clipped for the shot.
Each head will produce several hundred seed and while you can separate the seeds by color, if they have been grown close to each other, chances are, you'll get several colors from one plant.These are easy to grow plants and new gardeners should have a...
I learned from some young friends recently that "golden" is a term applied to that which is valuable, important, or possibly precious. Today it hangs as a holiday decoration where it effects another kind of magic: holiday kisses.Digging a little deeper,...
I grew my first coleus from seed in college. It will take a couple of weeks for the color to appear in the baby leaves, so be patient.Some gardeners keep their coleus plants in a sunny window during the winter.
Caladiums are enexpensive and easy to obtain. Caladiums are very undemanding. My front porch is in the full morning sun for several hours, but bright shade after about 10:00 AM.Caladiums look much more exotic and difficult than they really are, and actually...
Other species will colonize other types of trees. However, the tradition of hanging mistletoe in the house around the time of the winter solstice goes back at least as far as Iron Age druidic customs on the British Isles, and the enduring association...
They ask for very little and produce a beautiful show with flowers each spring and hips each fall. New gardeners wanting to try a rose can not go wrong by choosing an alba. These plant profiles will feature time-tested seeds and plants that are easy to...
They are the favored flower and plant for all Christmas celebrations everywhere. I have seen stunning specimens blooming in the same dirty pots for 20 years and more.If the temperature is lower than 55- 60 F, plants set flower buds regardless of the length...
They do need about an inch of water a week, and if they are container-grown, a bit more. Without a little guidance from seasoned veterans, they often choose seeds and plants that are more challenging than their budding skills can handle.
Great for new gardeners, lazy gardeners and busy gardeners. They are generally very inexpensive and often a friend or neighbor will simply hand you a few 'chicks' if asked. They may wither a bit, but if given a drink, they'll bounce right back with no...
When the sprouts appear, they will look like little onions, but quickly start to grow. They do best with regular water, but do not like 'wet feet'. Shapes range from a basic star shape to round, sculpted, recurved, crispate and spiders.
Plant your rubber plant near the shelter of other trees or a building, but give it plenty of room because its banyan roots are long and strong, often growing on the soil's surface.
Many places will sell much larger plants -- often at a higher cost -- but tomatoes of this size do not tend to transplant well and any extra growth will be lost as it adjusts to its new environment.Seedlings bought from a garden center may not have been...
Add them to corsages, hair arrangements or leis, which will keep for up to one day.Gently pick the plumeria flowers close to the bottom of the stem where they join the tree so as not to crush the five-pointed petals.Construct leis, hair arrangements or...
Place the toothpick high enough to stop the barbwire from swinging outward but low enough for the rat to be able to step over it.Put a spoonful of peanut butter at the uncut end of the bottle.
You can use any color grapes for this recipe.Whisk the egg whites of two eggs with 1/8 teaspoon of lemon juice in a glass bowl. Sweeten up your sour grapes to make them more palatable.Vitis lubrusca grapes are native to the United States.Pluck the grapes...
Or try them with any mix of greens that could use a mild ginger punch. They make a deliciously crisp garnish on savory meals.Fresh ginger root can be too much of a punch for some dishes.
Wet the mushrooms enough that they are shiny, but not dripping or slimy.Break off the mushrooms when they get to the size you want. Create humidity by misting the bucket daily or by setting the bucket in a tub that contains about 1 inch of water.
Check the information on the bag of mix to see if it is recommended to be used for potted plants. Water until the water starts to drain out the holes in the bottom. If the plant is a little leggy it can be planted deeper than it was growing in the pot...
Spray the roses lightly with aerosol hair spray to strengthen their petals. Use only healthy, disease-free roses that are nearly at their peak.Remove the leaves from the stem and cut the stem down to 2 or 3 inches.Spread an inch of silica gel in the bottom...
