Browsing Category
Trees & Houseplants : Home & Garden
Eastern Pennsylvania Flowering Trees
Eastern redbud is a flowering tree often planted in eastern Pennsylvania.redbud branch image by Carbonbrain from Fotolia.comThe Pocono Mountains and deep valleys of eastern Pennsylvania provide the ideal habitat for a large number of flowering hardwood trees. Unlike evergreens, such as...
Desert Fruit Plants
Arizona is well known for its citrus production.grapefruit for sale image by David Levinson from Fotolia.comDespite the heat, the dryness and the climate extremes, many desert regions produce sweet and flavorful varieties of fruit. The majority of desert fruit trees are imported from...
How to Prune a Miniature Rhododendron
Miniature rhododendrons are not much different from their big brothers. The smaller ones are planted the same way, but they're bred to be a third of the size. Miniature rhodies can generally thrive and grow with very little pruning. As with any ornamental shrub, pruning a dwarf rhododendron is best
How to Water Maple Trees
Maple trees often grow 50 to 75 feet tall and have a canopy spread of 30 to 50 feet. Known for their jaw-dropping beauty, welcome summer shade, easy care, fast-growing nature and resistance to disease, maple trees are often used in urban beautification projects and cottage gardening. They also have
How to Build an Underground Safety Deposit Box in Your Backyard
Keeping valuables inside your house is a risk unless you have a very resilient safe or an advanced home security system. Keeping them in a safety deposit box at a bank works well unless you are concerned about a large-scale catastrophe that might cause banks to close.In such
How to Graft the Mamey Sapote
Mamey sapote is a unique fruit that is not widely cultivated. It is native to Central America and is only hardy in tropical locations. The trees are 40 to 60 feet in height and wide with numerous branches. The fruit is a 3- to 8-inch-long berry with hard, woody skin. The inside is pulpy and variousl
Varieties of Hardy Hibiscus
The Hardy Hibiscus is a type of flower that is easy to grow because it can withstand much cooler climates than the original tropical type of Hibiscus. The Hardy varieties thrive outdoors as far north as zone four without harm from winter freezes as long as they receive a cover to protect...
How to Grow American Ginseng in Virginia
Ginseng, the common name for a group of herbs in the Araliaceae family, has become popular as a dietary supplement, used to increase mental focus, energy and even motivation. Supplements are made from the roots of these plants, which grow naturally in high, wooded mountains, where they find the shad
Types of Annual Flowers
There are five different types of annuals: hardy, half-hardy, tender, cool-season and warm-season. With such a variety of different types of annuals, you are certain to find the ideal flowers for your garden. The term "annual" means that the flowers complete their full life cycle in a year. During t
How to Replace a Pull Start on a Lawnmower
Anyone who owns a lawnmower with a pull start cord has to replace the cord a number of times during the life of the mower. This is because cords wear down over multiple uses from friction and tension. Replacing the pull start on a lawn mower is one of the easier repairs and requires few tools and li
How Does the Leaf-Cutter Ant Help Maintain the Rain Forest?
Leaf-cutter ants live in the rain forest and are an important part of its ecology. They harvest, recycle and compost leafy greens to make a fungus that cannot survive or grow without the ants' assistance. The ants get their name from their habit of taking pieces of leaves, roots and other plant mate
How to Prune a Cape Honeysuckle
The orange, trumpet-shaped flowers and small, oval, bright green leaves of the cape honeysuckle add a dazzling splash of color to the landscape. This vigorous grower will form a small to medium-size shrub up to 6 feet tall with yearly pruning. When allowed to climb, the branches can reach 25 to 30 f
How to Raise Tomatoes from Seed
There is nothing like the bold, sweet flavor of a homegrown tomato! Store-bought, chemically-ripened tomatoes will never compare. The tomato world offers endless possibilities, from heirloom, multi-colored beauties and sweet, snacking grape tomatoes to the biggest Beefsteak hybrids you've ever seen
How to Prune a Blackhaw Viburnum
Blackhaw Viburnum is one of the more outstanding ornamental plants for the home garden. It is very versatile and tolerant of most soil types. Blackhaw can be grown in full sun or partial shade and produces a large bush that can be pruned into a small tree. It has dark-green foliage that has seasonal
How to Age Terracotta Pots
Terracotta pots are attractive containers for planting your favorite plants and shrubs, but waiting for them get an aged appearance naturally can be frustrating. You can age any size terracotta pot you like with a special mixture and help the natural weathering process. Whether needing aged-looking
The Best Annual Flowers to Plant
Scientifically defined, an annual is a plant that completes its entire life cycle within the course of a single year. Annual plants will live for a year, during which time they will sprout, flower and die. If an annual is allowed to seed, it will continue its life cycle each year through self-propag
Planters & Pottery for Plants
Beautiful planters and pottery makes container gardening easy and fun, particularly since a seemingly endless array of colors and designs are available to choose from. However, no special planters or pottery for container gardening are needed. Grab some old paint from the basement or garage and then
Weed Control in Established Clover
Clover is a native of southeastern Europe and southwestern Asia Minor. White clover and red clover are the two major clover varieties. Weed control is an important part of clover management, as weeds affect the health of plants by competing for nutrients, water and space.
What Time of Day Should Grass Be Watered?
The amount of water applied to a lawn can be almost as important as the timing, since less water will actually make it into the soil during certain times of the day. In addition, watering at the wrong time can invite disease and other fungus that can damage grass rather than keeping it healthy.
Typical Kitchen Layout
The kitchen is among the most used rooms in the home, and as such it must be both functional and aesthetically pleasing. A kitchen's layout is arranged by the counters, cabinets and appliances, the arrangement of which is key to making the room flow well. You have a variety of styles to choose from,