Annual flowers grow, produce flowers and die within a season. On the other hand, perennials can live for 2 years. By growing annuals in your garden, you can grow different varieties of flowers each year. Annual flowers bloom and produce more flowers when compared to biennials and perennials. Growing them in the borders of your garden adds beauty. Growing them near your vegetables can help to attract beneficial insects that…
When you have lots of mosquitoes in your backyard it can be difficult to enjoy outdoor activities. Besides sucking your blood and causing itches, mosquitoes can also spread lots of diseases. Mosquito-repellant creams contain chemicals that can harm our health. Growing certain plants in your garden can help to repel mosquitoes. You can grow these plants in walkways, near children’s play areas or on patios. These plants emit certain fragrances…
Growing native plants in your garden has numerous benefits. It can benefit the environment in many ways. Native plants are more adaptable to the region’s climate, soil and rainfall levels. Benefits of landscaping with native plants: 1. Saves Water Growing native plants in your garden can help to conserve water. Native plants do not require much water when compared to lawns. Lawns need consistent watering to thrive whereas native plants…
Seed starting mix is different from potting mix and it’s best to use seed starting mix to germinate seeds. This is because the seed starting mix is more sterile and you don’t need to lose your seeds because of any infection. Also, the seed starting mix is lightweight and spongy which helps tiny seedlings to spread their delicate roots. It is easy to make your seed starting mix instead of…
Certain flower plants grow best in average soil conditions whereas others need fertile soil to grow well.The main nutrients flowering plants require are nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous. Phosphorus is one of the main nutrients that plants require for producing flowers. You can add either solid or liquid fertilisers to your plants. Solid fertilisers are slow-release fertilisers, but when temperatures get warmer nutrients are absorbed by the plants faster. Liquid fertilisers…
Hydrangeas are a beautiful addition to our garden beds. If you live in an apartment or do not have enough space for a garden you can grow them in containers. Hydrangeas come in shrub, tree and vine varieties. You can grow shrub variety of hydrangeas in a pot or container.Hydrangeas are toxic for both humans and animals so they should be kept away from pets and children. Hydrangeas produce flowers…
White mold or sclerotinia stem rot is a disease caused by the fungal pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. This fungal pathogen spreads during the cool and wet seasons. It affects tomatoes and many other plants eventually killing them. White mold is also called timber rot as it can severely affect the stems of tomatoes leading to rot. It is widespread in subtropical and temperate areas. This fungus can infect lots of weeds…
Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that affects a variety of plants. There are different varieties of this fungal species that affect different kinds of plants. When a plant is affected by this disease white spots appear in the leaves, leaves start to turn yellow and fall off, and the leaf edges also curl up. Powdery mildew does not kill the plant in most cases but it can severely affect…
Chicken manure is rich in nutrients that can benefit the plants in your garden. It’s high in nitrogen and directly applying it to plants can burn their roots. It has to be properly aged before it can be used in the garden. Aged manure is manure that is simply set aside for a period of 4 to 5 months. Besides nitrogen other nutrients chicken manure consists of are potassium, phosphorous…
Insulin plant (scientific name Chamaecostus cuspidatus) is a herbaceous plant that belongs to the Costaceae family. This plant grows 2 to 5 feet tall. Its flowers come in colours like yellow and orange. Flowers bloom during the spring and summer seasons. Here is how to grow insulin plant at home. Growing Conditions: You can buy a plant from the local nursery. If you are growing this plant in pots then…
