What Do Stems Do

Well, okay, go ahead—my compost bin is made from a swimming pool wall.One need not buy anything at a gardening center for composting vegetable scraps. In order to steward my money responsibly, I resolve to either acquire things for free, or for pennies...

They scatter hundreds of seeds that take root in rich soil, invading other flower space. Add shorter flowers in front of the coneflowers or plant coneflowers among evergreens like rosemary and lavender plants.

This is another project we've not yet settled on a solution for and have put off for another day. Beneath that is the surviving dog bed the girls curl up at night. To account for this, I purchased to 15-inch-wide cabinets with 8-inch adjustable legs to...

In addition, she was inspired by her visit to the urban gardens of Havana, Cuba, and by a similar organization, Brooklyn Skill Share . Have you ever wanted to learn to make kombucha or kefir at home?

Give it a sunny spot, and your prostrate rosemary will creep out of its bed and half way across your yard if you let it. The upright kind gets leggy and looks scraggly if you don't trim it back occasionally.

It can infect previously healthy trees of susceptible species, or it can attack already weakened specimens of other tree species. These beneficial rhizomorphs are important nutrient sources for many tree species.For the fungus, the rhizomorph's functions...

Some samara fruits split into two wings, technically two samaras, while others simply form one samara per fruit. Flowering plants produce fruits after blooming, and the purpose of the fruits is to disperse seeds to grow new plants.

Because impatiens germinate late in the spring, gardeners prefer to purchase transplants from their local gardening supply store.Impatiens grown in heavily shaded areas produce fewer blooms, according to Iowa State University.

You can also take cuttings of green wood from smaller branches and root them as new trees, with the same limitation.The process of budding, a specialized form of grafting, involves skillfully grafting young, green, budded wood onto desired rootstock.

This will result in shorter plants with more flowering stalks. Chinese gardeners cooked the greens and the buds were considered a delicacy. Today, varieties can be fringed or ruffled.Thomas Jefferson cultivated Alcea rosea var.

You may think, “What can I do? This line of thinking has the tendency to quickly turn from awe and wonder to insignificance: What can I do to change anything in the grand scheme of Earth, especially the giant issues that face our world and its people?

Bees typically pollinate flowers during the day. Each type of gardenia features variations on flower size and shape, which in turn attract a variety of different pollinating insects.While the South African Gardenia thunbergia bloom develops eight or nine...

Narrow your goals down to a singular season.things pertinent from now through May or June. Use your well thought out to-do list like a tool as important as your spade this year. Plot it out into a vision for your garden because without this, you may wander...

Remove all tissue that is dead, diseased or injured. Although they tolerate heavy pruning, cutting too frequently can adversely affect growth. Cut back long branches to a bud or lateral joint, and ensure that each branch is cut to a different length.Plumbago...

Bulb plants are generally perennials and die back after blossoming to flower again the following year if planted in an appropriate climate. Bulb plants, like tulips (Tulipa spp.) and daffodils (Narcissus spp.), are single parents in the bigger sense of...

It's repetitive and relaxing, plus incredibly satisfying to see the rough, rustic stone in shades of honey and cream eating up the ugly black-glue emptiness. Boy, was I wrong. Right now, we've got one wall left to tile, a whole bunch of grouting to do,...

The seeds are only used for cultivation purposes by experienced breeders and not by casual gardeners. Botanically, banana plants are actually herbs, with succulent stems through which the leaves grow and uncurl at the top.

My shed/workshop/treasure trove of leftover junk, parts, tools and even some new supplies is currently a mess. This created two tight figure eights. She secured it in place with a couple of finishing nails.

You can also make a white or pink rose into a purple rose with artificial dyes.Purple roses are specially bred, but they do exist.Some varieties of "hybrid tea" roses can be grown with light-purple hues.

Because of the spikes' design, they release nutrients laterally, which means the nutrients may not reach deep roots. Some also may benefit after their first flush of blooms fade or when their fruiting begins.

When the asci breaks open, the spores are released. After landing in such an environment, the spore will grow hair-like filaments that are called hypha. The cap of the mushroom--the part we typically eat--is actually the fruiting part of the mushroom,...

In the fungi groups Ascomycota and Basidiomycota, spores called conidia are not held within a sac. Humans have a mixed relationship with fungi. These slime molds may have been the evolutionary precursor to the fungi kingdom.

Pansies are particularly vulnerable in spring, when tender new buds begin to form on the plants. While no plant is completely safe from a deer, those with thorns, hairy leaves or a pungent odor, like herbs, are less desirable than pansies or fruit-bearing...

Daffodils are low-maintenance annuals that take care of themselves. Keep daffodils moist but stop all watering about three weeks after the flowers bloom.You can leave daffodil bulbs in the ground for up to five years before replanting them.Daffodils grown...

Years ago, while a young farmer, I took a class in electrical wiring. I was reminded of what I had forgotten as I pondered my shop redo. It's still a mess, but it's getting closer—at least in my head if not in real life.

It gave me many of the fine touches of a drill press, including a depth stop. The other day, I was looking through some clippings of shop tips and I ran across an old friend. It can be mounted above or below workbenches and even used for drum sanding.

As gardeners, we are closely tuned into changes in the out-of-doors. Any deciduous forest will experience a change in color as it experiences the withdrawal of chlorophyll from the leaves prior to leaf drop.