Even the hardiest of plants will fail to thrive without proper care. While the specific needs and vulnerabilities of plants vary widely by species, many plants have the same basic requirements and are susceptible to the same types of problems.
Parlor palms were popular indoor plants in the gas-lit Victorian home.palm image by Dave from Fotolia.comAll indoor plants need some light for photosynthesis. But if your home or office has only low light due to surrounding trees, other buildings or small windows, some houseplants will...
The Leyland cypress is not a naturally occurring evergreen tree species. It is a hybrid, first developed in Wales around 1870 by crossing the Monterrey cypress with the Alaskan cedar. Leyland cypress grows rapidly and tolerates salt spray, making it a prized plant for screening and hedging. It usual
Caribbean red pepper plants are commonly known as habanero chilis. The flowering plants are perennials that are botanically referred to as capsicum chinense. The Caribbean red pepper plant originates in southeastern Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula region, and also in Central America's Belize...
Trees cover the world. Some are short and stubby, others are tall and majestic, towering over forests and casting a long shadow. The branches of trees may bear leaves, needles or long fronds. We use wood in everything from houses to canoes. Many trees have interesting origins and...
Brassica is a genus of plants in the mustard family. Brassicas contain more species grown for agricultural crops than any other cultivated genus. Brassica seeds yield broccoli and cauliflower, grown for their flowers; cabbages and Brussels sprouts, grown for their leaves; turnips and rutabagas, gro
Butternut squash is a medium-sized sweet gourd with creamy flesh. Squash plants have flowers of both sexes. Both sexes need to be present on the plant for fruit production; however, one male blossom can pollinate up to 10 female flowers, especially if pollinating by hand. Identification of the two s
A raised garden bed has many advantages over a typical row-style garden. The narrow beds have pathways between them, and all the work is done from the paths. This lessens the chance of creating compacted soil in the growing area by stepping on it. Crop rotation is easier to manage and the beds conta
The Dolgo crab apple is a fruiting specimen rather than an ornamental. It gets nice round fruits that are good for pickling and preserves. The trees prefer cold weather to set buds but a warm and humid summer. Leaves fall off in winter and the tree goes dormant. The tree gets about 10 to 30 feet hig
Lavender shrubs require very little water to thrive.Anna Yu/Photodisc/Getty ImagesShrubs require watering before they begin to wilt or show other signs of drought stress. Once the plant is under stress, it becomes more prone to insect or disease damage. Providing the proper amount of...
Though perennial flowers, caladiums enjoy tropical and sub-tropical climates, and they won't survive through severe cold seasons. If you live in a climate with freezing temperatures in winter, you don't need to surrender your caladiums each winter and purchase new bulbs every spring. You can dig up
Temperature affects plants in several ways. High temperatures cause them to lose water and can also signal the plant to stop the process of photosynthesis. A nighttime temperature increase and longer days indicate the advent of springtime and plant reproduction. Cooler nights and shorter days begin
All pecan trees, including the Mahan cultivar, self-pollinate. But, similar to other pecan trees, the Mahan produces bigger nut crops if it cross-pollinates with another pecan tree cultivar. Due to the tree's susceptibility to scab, the Mahan cultivar is only recommended for planting in Arkansas.
Eureka lemon trees are trees that flower and bear lemon fruit all year if raised in the correct environment. If planted by seed, they take 15 years to bear fruit, so if you want your own lemons in a shorter time, you must buy a mature tree to plant. Eureka lemon trees are cold-sensitive plants that
Geraniums are sturdy plants with bountiful blooms, but those blooms can quickly be destroyed by an attack of tobacco worms or aphids. Tobacco worms in particular have caused such severe damage that in some parts of the United States where the tobacco worm, nicknamed the "geranium budworm," is preval
Sunflower seeds are used for a variety of purposes, including as a snack, bird feed and oil that can be used for cooking and in salad dressings. There are several types of insects and larvae that feed on sunflower seeds, which can lead to scarring on the plants. If these insects and their larvae are
Junipers (Juniperus spp.) and arborvitae are both part of the cypress (Cupressaceae) plant family, but juniper species are part of the genus juniperus, which is a large genus of evergreen shrubs, trees and groundcover, while arborvitae species are part of the smaller genus, thuja, which consists of
Apple borers, also known as flatheaded appletree borers, do not exclusively attack apple trees. They are also pests of beech trees, elms, dogwoods and other deciduous trees. The borer is the larva of a beetle. The adults lay their eggs in wounds and cracks in the tree bark, and the larvae burrow thr
A warm cup of tea can calm nerves or rejuvenate people on a slow day, and it has become a staple of life in many areas of the world. The University of Florida Extension website estimates that tea makes up more than $5 billion of the world's economy each year. If you would prefer to grow your own tea
