Home & Garden: The Best Japanese Maples to Grow in Dallas, Texas

The Best Japanese Maples to Grow in Dallas, Texas

A number of Japanese maple cultivars do well in Dallas, Texas.japanese maple image by Horticulture from Fotolia.comJapanese maple (Acer palmatum) is a native tree of Korea, China and Japan and was introduced in the United States and England in the 1800s. Most Japanese maple varieties grow...

Home & Garden: How to Harvest Asian Pears

How to Harvest Asian Pears

Asian pears are similar to the European pears found in most grocery stores, except that they are small and round like apples, and firm when they ripen. Asian pears ripen from the trees they grow on, and have a subtle sweet taste that become more tart toward the center of the fruit. Asian pears are r

Home & Garden: How Often to Water Bell Pepper Plants in a House

How Often to Water Bell Pepper Plants in a House

Bell pepper plants grow well in containers and make suitable indoor plants if you can provide them with a sunny area in your home. Watering bell peppers properly is an essential part of their care. Other factors, such as the containers and soil medium, are also important because they directly relate

Home & Garden: Interesting Facts on the White Poplar Tree

Interesting Facts on the White Poplar Tree

The white poplar tree (Populus alba) is native to central and southern Europe, western Siberia and central Asia. Early settlers introduced the tree to North America.

Home & Garden: How to Sprout Bean Plants

How to Sprout Bean Plants

Beans sprout so well that sprouting beans provides a basic learning activity for children. With dried beans, containers, water and absorbent growing material, anyone can sprout bean plants. Many varieties of beans, such as garbanzos and mung, also work for sprouting to eat as salad sprouts. Whether

Home & Garden: Ground Cover Plants for Hot Climates

Ground Cover Plants for Hot Climates

Peruvian verbena grows in hot, dry sites such as rock gardens.Verbena image by CarlosNeto from Fotolia.comGround cover plants help protect the soil, conserve moisture and control weeds. In hot, dry climates they cool the landscape as they spread over bare soil. Most ground cover plants...

Home & Garden: Anisodontea X Hypomandarum Pests

Anisodontea X Hypomandarum Pests

Anisodontea x hypomandarum, known commonly as hybrid African mallow, is a perennial enjoyed for its large quantity of blooms that can appear year-round with ideal conditions and care. The only pests of this plant are typically whiteflies and spider mites. An additional serious problem that this plan

Home & Garden: How to Pick Quince

How to Pick Quince

Quince (Cydonia oblonga) is an ornamental tree that produces fruit resembling a mix between a pear and an apple. The fruit is preceded by beautiful pink and white blossoms that appear in the spring. The fruit itself can weigh up to 1 pound, is green in its youth and rock-hard. Quince is not a fruit

Home & Garden: How to Grow a Paw Paw Tree

How to Grow a Paw Paw Tree

The pawpaw tree is a fruit-producing tree native to the eastern United States. According to Purdue University, it's the only member of the Annonaceae family that lives in a temperate climate. Also known as the Indiana banana, the pawpaw tree produces a unique and aromatic fruit. Its flesh is creamy,

Home & Garden: How to Plant Orange Trees in Florida

How to Plant Orange Trees in Florida

The fragrant blossoms of orange trees bloom in the spring and yield bountiful harvests of oranges within the first five years of planting. Most orange trees will reach heights of 20 to 30 feet, with an equal spread at maturity. Florida lies within USDA hardiness zones 8 through 11. Orange trees are

Home & Garden: How to Tell Female Flowers from Male Flowers on Pumpkin Plants

How to Tell Female Flowers from Male Flowers on Pumpkin Plants

At first glance, it may appear that all of the flowers on your pumpkin plant are the same. A closer inspection reveals distinct differences between the female flowers and the male flowers. Pumpkin plants --- and other "cucurbits," such as melons, cucumbers and squash --- have both female and male fl

Home & Garden: How Long to Grow Radishes?

How Long to Grow Radishes?

There is nothing quite like a basket full of plump, red radishes to cure the winter doldrums. Planted in early spring, two to three weeks before the date of the last frost, many radishes are ready to harvest less than a month later. In fact, most radishes mature so rapidly, you can grow several crop

Home & Garden: Azalea Leaves Are Turning Yellow

Azalea Leaves Are Turning Yellow

Today's American azaleas are hybrids of Asian azaleas. Europeans first took these flowering shrubs back home from Japan in the late 1700s. Within about 50 years, they had introduced hybrid azaleas to the eastern section of the United States. Deciduous azaleas naturally develop and drop yellow leaves

Home & Garden: Fluorescent Lighting and Plants

Fluorescent Lighting and Plants

While most plants love a sunny window, a bright window is not always available. Seasonal changes may significantly reduce the natural light coming into your home or office, or affect the temperature, making conditions difficult for your plants to survive. Fluorescent lighting can provide your plant

Home & Garden: Manchurian Pear Trees

Manchurian Pear Trees

The Manchurian pear tree (Pyrus ussuriensis), also known as the Ussurian pear, is a fruiting species native to northeastern Asia. Travelers brought the species to the United States in 1855. By 1865 specimens existed in Berlin and Britain. As of the 21st century, growers from Australia to the upper M

Home & Garden: How to Plant a Pineapple in a Container

How to Plant a Pineapple in a Container

If it tastes sweet like an apple, but looks more like a pine cone, it's probably a pineapple. This tropical member of the Bromeliaceae family grows on a large plant that looks more like a small tree, and favors temperatures around 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Try your hand at growing your very own pineapp

Home & Garden: How to Care for an Erica Heather Plant

How to Care for an Erica Heather Plant

Native to the British Isles, Erica carnea, also known as heath or heather, is a low-growing shrub that will reach heights of about 12 inches at maturity. Spiky, pink, white or red blooms adorn the plant after the snow melts in late winter and early spring, lasting for several months. During the summ

Home & Garden: How to Grow Avocados From Seeds

How to Grow Avocados From Seeds

Avocado's are rich fruits that are used to make guacamole or as an ingredient in salads and other dishes. They can also be eaten raw. Rather than throwing away the large pit that is found in the middle of the fruit, germinate it and grow your own avocado tree.The price of avocado's in the grocery st

Home & Garden: How to Grow Tea Olives From Cuttings

How to Grow Tea Olives From Cuttings

A tea olive plant creates a pleasant aroma similar to the scent of fresh peaches, apricots or jasmine. The plant can grow tall or be maintained as a smaller shrub. It will grow in almost any soil but prefers acidic, moist dirt. To propagate a tea olive branch, you must use cuttings. The cuttings mus

Home & Garden: Problems With Clematis Armandii

Problems With Clematis Armandii

Armand clematis (Clematis armandii) is an evergreen vine common in warm areas. This vigorous climber is covered in fragrant, white flowers in spring. There are a few care problems to consider before planting this vine.