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What is Ornamental Switchgrass? This clumping grass may grow 4 to 6 feet (1-2 m.) tall. It has fine bladed foliage and produces a feathery inflorescence in late summer, which may be deep red or purple. The flower plume will persist well into fall and bears glossy red seeds. The foliage is bluish green most of the time and produces a haze of soft color in the landscape. Switchgrass is a perennial plant that has incredible versatility and hardiness, growing well in USDA zones 5 to 9....

Oullins Gage Information This tree was first documented in Oullins, for which it is named, near Lyon, France. Oullins gage information indicates that the European trees grow readily in the U.S. if you can find them. This specimen was first marketed in 1860. The fruit is described as exquisite and ambrosial. It is ready for harvest in mid-August and is exceptional for eating fresh, culinary endeavors, and desserts. If you’re interested in growing Oullins gage plums, you’ll have your own exquisite gage fruit....

Spectacular blooms appear on the tree in early spring. If you’re in an appropriate area, you may want to grow your own palo verde tree. It grows well in USDA zones 8 through 11. Read on to learn how to plant palo verde trees in suitable areas. Palo Verde Tree Information Palo verde tree information indicates that a naturally occurring hybrid of this tree, the Desert Museum palo verde (Cercidium x ‘Desert Museum’), is best to grow in your landscape....

About Pawpaw Tree Pruning Pruning pawpaw trees is not something a gardener should worry about on a daily basis. These are native trees. They have been growing in the wild in bottomlands and along creek banks for centuries without assistance, staying healthy and producing fruit. Pawpaws in the wild are usually understory trees, slender trees with slender branches widely spaced. In sunny locations, they are shorter and denser. While pawpaw trimming can assist in keeping your tree healthy, pruning pawpaw trees should be done sparingly....

What are Sugar Bon Peas? When it comes to a great, versatile variety of pea, Sugar Bon is hard to beat. These plants produce high-quality pea pods of about 3 inches (7.5 cm.) in abundance. But they are also dwarf, growing in height to just about 24 inches (61 cm.), which makes them ideal for small spaces and container gardening. The flavor of the Sugar Bon pea is deliciously sweet, and the pods are crisp and juicy....

Why is Bark Peeling Off my Tree? When bark peels off a tree, determine whether the tree is going through a normal shedding process or if injury or disease is causing the problem. If you see bark covering the wood after the old bark peels away, the tree is probably undergoing a normal shedding process. If you see bare wood or mats of fungus under the peeling bark, the tree is suffering from environmental damage or disease....

Pepper Seed Viability When saving seeds, the rule of thumb is don’t save seeds from hybrids. Hybrids are made up of deliberately crossing two different strains to create a super plant with the most desirable traits of the two parent plants. If you try to save the seed and reuse, you will likely end up with a product that has latent traits of the original parent plant but dissimilar to the hybrid from which you harvested the seeds....

Fast-Growing Perennial Vines If you need quick cover for a fence, trellis or wall, choose one of these fast-growing perennial vines: Chocolate vine – Chocolate vine (Akebia quinata) is a deciduous perennial vine that rapidly grows to a length of 20 to 40 feet (6 to12 m.). The small, brownish-purple flowers and 4-inch (10 cm.) purple seed pods are often hidden among the dense vegetation, but you’ll enjoy the fragrance whether you can see the flowers or not....

Many gardeners feel that pole beans have better flavor and, of course, their habitat is vertical and are, therefore, a better choice for those of us with limited vegetable garden space. They are also much easier to harvest. Pole beans can be planted in rows and allowed to grow up frames, fences, or pretty much anything, even in teepee like A-frames amongst other plants or flower gardens. Pole beans also yield two to three times as many beans from the same amount of space as bush beans....

Pink Flowering Rosemary Plants Rosemary(Rosemarinus officinalis) is an aromatic, perennial evergreen shrub that is steeped in history. The ancient Romans and Greeks used rosemary and associated it with love of their deities Eros and Aphrodite. You are likely to love it as well for its delicious flavor, scent and ease of growing. Rosemary is in the mint family, Labiatae, and is native to the Mediterranean hills, Portugal, and northwestern Spain. While rosemary is primarily used in culinary dishes, in ancient times, the herb was associated with remembrance, memory and fidelity....

What is Pirat Butterhead Lettuce? Butterhead, or butter, lettuces include varieties that form looser heads, that have a sweeter flavor with less bitterness, and that have a more delicate texture than other lettuce varieties. In the grocery store, you’ll see these lettuces labeled as butter lettuce, Boston lettuce, or Bibb lettuce, but there are many other types, including the Pirat variety. Pirat lettuce plants are heirlooms that originated in Germany, and they have a unique coloration....

How Many Different Plane Trees are There? “Plane tree” is the name given to any of the six to ten species (opinions vary on the exact number) in the genus Platanus, the only genus in the family Platanaceae. Platanus is an ancient genus of flowering trees, with fossils confirming it to be at least 100 million years old. Platanus kerrii is native to East Asia, and Platanus orientalis (oriental plane tree) is native to western Asia and southern Europe....

This easy-to-grow evergreen comes in a wide variety of sizes and colors, providing a solution for almost any landscape situation. Follow a few tips on how to grow an arborvitae and you will have a plant with a superior growth habit and ease of care. Arborvitae Growing Conditions Arborvitae prefer moist, well-drained soil in full sun or even partial shade. Most zones of the United States provide ideal arborvitae growing conditions and they are hardy to USDA Zone 3....

What is Full Shade? Full shade and full sun are the easiest of light categories to interpret when it comes to growing plants. Full shade basically means that the shade lasts all day long. Very little, if any, direct sunlight hits the plant at any time of the day. Sunnier areas of the yard or light-colored walls may reflect some sunlight into the shaded area, however, none of this is direct sunlight....

About Plants Rabbits Can’t Eat Rabbits have a fairly sensitive digestive system. They require a high fiber, low sugar, and low-fat diet. This is why most ‘people food’ is a no-no; rabbits can’t tolerate foods like bread, rice, chips, or chocolate for instance. When Thumper is nosing around for a treat, refrain from sharing your chips or other snacks and opt for rabbit healthy options instead. So just what plants are toxic to rabbits?...

Planting Cantaloupe in Pots If you want to grow cantaloupes in pots, there are a few caveats you should know prior to planting your container-grown cantaloupes. Unless you can provide an extra-large container such as a half whiskey barrel, you’ll have better luck with a dwarf variety like ‘Minnesota Midget,’ which produces juicy melons weighing about 3 pounds (1.5 kg.), or ‘Sugar Cube,’ a sweet, disease-resistant variety that tops out at about 2 pounds (1 kg....

How to Propagate Butterfly Bushes from Seed One method for propagating butterfly bush is by growing seeds. You can grow butterfly bushes from seed, but it’s usually quicker and easier to propagate butterfly bush cuttings. Seeds need to be pre-chilled for up to four weeks prior to planting. Since butterfly bush seeds require plenty of light to germinate, the seeds only need to be lightly covered with soil. Once sown, keep the seeds moist....

How Do I Prune Shasta Daisies? I hear the question, “how do I prune Shasta daisies,” quite frequently. These robust flowers are easy to grow and maintain, asking little of you other than occasional water, moderately fertile soil, and sunshine. There are a couple of reasons for Shasta daisy pruning, including preventing the plant from freely seeding, but also to enhance plant growth. Gardeners with large patches of the plants also know to divide them every few years to increase the number of plants and create a healthier clump....

What is a Parker Pear? Introduced in 1934 from the University of Minnesota, this tasty bronze pear is a good pollinator for ‘Luscious.’ It is an open pollinated seedling from a Manchurian pear. Parker pear trees are known for their compact form and hardiness. Plants are suitable for USDA zones 4 to 8. The Parker pear is a semi-dwarf tree that may grow 15 to 20 feet (4.5-6 m.) tall. The tree is quite showy for several seasons....

Red Baron Peach Info Red Baron peaches are widely available in supermarkets because they don’t transport well. These delicate fruits are popular home orchard plants that bloom and produce prolifically. In fact, the production is so high, culling the blossoms to minimize fruit per stem tip is advised for better fruit size. That being said, with a little care, harvesting Red Baron peaches in August and taking those first bites is one of the highlights of the summer....