Category: Tropical Style

A trip to the nursery may be all it takes to choose what plants to grow in your landscape, but nothing replaces a well-thought-out plan. It can save you money, it can save you time later spent in the garden, and it can create a landscape that blends nicely together and is attractive throughout the year. To help you select plants to your landscape, several parts should be considered. Once your selections are made, measure and execute your plan on paper so you can make changes prior to making any purchases.

Evaluate the investments and costs of the plants. Annuals are generally inexpensive, but they need to be replaced every year. Perennials are more costly but live for several years. Shrubs and trees are excellent investments as they can last for generations, though you need to dig a little deeper in your pockets to afford them, especially if they are big. Bulbous plants typically multiply in time, and you can plan to grow them in various places on your property as the years progress.

Narrow your list of plants down to the ones that grow well in your U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone, which can be based on winter low temperatures. Use Sunset climate zones that will help you to find plants that also grow well throughout your summers. If you live in a coastal region, choose plants that tolerate salt spray, if necessary. In high-wind places, select plants that could tolerate such problems. The total amount of direct sunlight in your landscape also influences plant selection, because plants require different amounts of sunlight to thrive.

Take note on when distinct plants bloom and what colors, so you can grow a colorful landscape for as many months as possible. Notice which trees and shrubs are deciduous. The leaves of a few trees and shrubs take on a bronze or red color during cooler weather, and winter berries can brighten the landscape during what can be a drab time of year, especially in cooler zones. The height of plants should also be considered so you can plan to grow your taller plants near the rear of a garden area and the smaller ones in front.

Consider how much care the plants need to thrive. Drought-tolerant plants require little boating, as do plants native to your region. Native plants also require little, if any, fertilizing because they already boom in the natural environment near your house. Many annuals require deadheading to bloom proficiently, and many shrubs require regular prunings. If you do not want to spend a lot of time in the garden, then these types of plants are likely not a fantastic selection.

Picture the landscape in full adulthood. You have to provide enough space for trees, shrubs and other plants to grow and flourish. Some can be pruned to keep the size down, but others cannot. Consider any overhead wires, in addition to some other structures. Limbs and roots can sometimes wreak havoc on permanent structures. Planting a large tree beside the house right beneath electrical wires is not a wise idea. Trees may finally block a window of your house, which may or may not be want you want.

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Common plant names produce confusion from the botanical world. Various plants might share the exact same common name while having their very own botanical name. Snowball bush is just a term that some use for hydrangeas (Hydrangea spp.) and viburnums (Viburnum spp.) . Although they share the title snowball bush because of their large, white flower heads, hydrangeas and viburnums are distinctively different.

Plant Families

Taxonomists classify plants into families that share similar attributes. The snowball bush viburnum is a member of the Caprifoliaceae, or honeysuckle, family. Viburnum species which bear the familiar white, snowball blooms incorporate European of typical cedar bush (V. opulus) and also Chinese snowball bush (V. macrocephalum). Hydrangeas are comparable plants, which can be in the Hydrangeaceae familymembers. Many species of hydrangeas have the recognizable mophead flowers which bloom in shades of blue or pink depending on land pH. One hydrangea species, H. arborescens, has large, round, white blooms.

Hydrangea

Depending on species, hydrangea blossoms might take round, lacecap or panicle shapes. “Annabelle” is the most common cultivar of H. arborescens, also called smooth hydrangea, in the nursery trade. It’s a small, deciduous shrub, reaching heights up to 5 feet and doing best in moist soil under shade. Growing in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 9, “Annabelle” has white, showy flowerheads that prompt some people to call it a snowball bush.

Snowball Viburnum

Both main viburnums called snowball bush common snowball bush and Chinese snowball bush. Although some viburnum species bear fruit, snowball bush is fruitless. Rather, its focal point are the large, round flower heads which open as lime green, however, change to white. Snowball bush is different from white-flowering hydrangeas in many ways. This is a bigger shrub that can reach heights of 20 feet and prefers sunny areas. It is not as cold-tolerant as hydrangea, growing in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6 through 9.

Pruning

Another significant distinction between snowball bush and hydrangea is when to prune them. Snowball bush blooms on the previous season’s old timber, which means you have to prune it immediately after flowering. Otherwise, pruning later in the season eliminates developing flower buds, which means it will not flower the following year. Smooth hydrangea blooms on the current season’s new wood. You can prune it from late winter to early spring and it is going to still blossom during the current season.

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Should you assume those drops of water on the leaves of your garden plants are always dew, you could possibly be wrong. Dew is moisture from the atmosphere and will cover the surface of a leaf, but if you only see droplets on the leaf edges, then you are seeing an example of guttation. This moisture results from the special physics of plant transfer.

Plant Transport Systems

Like all living things, plants will need to transfer moisture and nutrients to all of their tissues. Plants use xylem and phloem as the key vehicles for transfer. Roots pull in water and nutrients from the soil, which are then moved upward into the leaves and stalks from xylem. The leaves use the sun to create energy and food for the plant, which then travels downward into the stems and then the roots through phloem.

Moving Xylem

To get to the leaves from the roots, xylem must overcome the downward pull of gravity. Throughout the day, this can be accomplished by transpiration, a special type of evaporation through holes in the leaves called stomata. The evaporation makes a pull just like a vacuum to drag the xylem up from the roots. At night, transpiration slows in part due to the stomata close, but xylem still needs to stream or the plant will wilt. To do so, the cells from the roots make it possible for minerals to build up. This build up of antioxidants contributes to water, which generates pressure in the main cells. This pressure pushes xylem back up to the leaves.

Xylem and Guttation

Leaves can simply take in a short quantity of water. Throughout the day or in dry conditions, the excess water evaporates because of the sun or wind. At night, cooler temperatures, peaceful states and closed stomata mean that the leaves don’t lose just as much moisture as during the day. After the pressure in the main cells shoves water-carrying xylem up, the stress forces excess water from their leaves through special structures called hydathodes found at the tip and margins or leaves. Guttation mainly occurs at night, but it sometimes happens during the day in areas with high humidity.

Plants and Guttation

Guttation doesn’t occur in every plant. Trees, by way of example, are too large to create the force needed to push xylem upward hard enough to cause guttation. Plants that most commonly experience guttation are non-woody and smaller than 3 feet tall, but some shrubs and vines show guttation as well. Guttation is typically not a problem for plants unless your soil has a high mineral content. Once the water does disappear, the minerals become left behind and can burn the tips of their leaves. Lowering the quantity of fertilizer you use can avoid this burn.

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The orchid family (Orchidaceae family) encompasses a huge array of plants in soil-bound North American natives to exotic, tree-dwelling tropicals. With varieties hardy from U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 12, orchids differ considerably from each other yet share similar nutrient requirements. A balanced, complete fertilizer, such as 20-20-20, provides excellent orchid nutrition in maintaining American Orchid Society recommendations.

Orchid Needs

Proper orchid nourishment is uncomplicated. Like all plants, orchids need nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the biggest amounts. These primary macronutrients are the three numbers on fertilizer packaging — always in the same order. Nitrogen (N) fuels green, leafy growth. Phosphorus (P) enhances root growth and flowering, and potassium (K) facilitates overall growth and wellness. Fertilizers that include all three of these essentials are called whole fertilizers. Products with three matching numbers contain equal proportions of these nutrients and are called balanced fertilizers. Complete, balanced nutrition facilitates all of the basic facets of orchid development.

Fertilizer Options

Some specialty orchid fertilizers adapt nutrient ratios for different stages of orchid development. Additional nitrogen facilitates powerful, fresh shoots, while phosphorus and potassium add extra boosts as plants flower or develop origins. These specialty fertilizers are available in a variety of ratios, but all build on a whole, balanced foundation. With bark-grown orchids, like moth orchids (Phalaenopsis spp., USDA zones 10 through 12), bark decomposition may reduce available nitrogen. A whole, 30-10-10 fertilizer offers extra nitrogen for all these plants. Nitrogen delivered in the kind of urea frequently tucked away. Non-urea fertilizers supply orchids with a more successful source, as stated by the American Orchid Society.

Timing and Rates

Orchids’ sensitive origins are vulnerable to fertilizer burn. Less is best. Year-round weekly feedings of all one-fourth-strength fertilizer are preferable to full-strength, monthly feedings for many orchid types. Water orchids with unfertilized water first, and completely wet the origins and growing medium. Then water with a diluted fertilizer solution. For example, dissolve 1/4 tsp of water-soluble, 20-20-20 fertilizer in 1 gallon of water water pre-watered mix well. Fertilize native ground-dwelling orchids, like slipper orchid (Cypripedium kentuckiense, USDA zones 3 through 8), from spring during the flowering season using the same diluted solution.

Water Factors

Salts from fertilizers or water itself can build up in orchid containers over time. The telltale white crust on bark, fiber or orchid origins shows orchids have been overfertilized or never watered before fluid applications. Salt buildup steals moisture and chemicals fertilizer burn. Sensitive orchid origins also react to chemicals and minerals in water added to fertilizers. Avoid softened water and mineral-heavy well water, which can damage orchid roots. Allow chlorinated tap water to sit overnight before applying. Captured precipitation or reverse-osmosis water flushes salts away and dilutes fertilizers without adding harmful salts. Use room-temperature water for fertilizer solutions.

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English laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) is an evergreen shrub or tree that’s a fast-grower, reaching a height of 15 to 30 feet when mature. It does well as a single specimen or implanted in a row to form a hedge. This really is a smog-tolerant plant that thrives in slightly inland coastal locations and grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6 through 9. If you need to transplant a English laurel, selecting a good time and supplying a bit of extra care before and after the transfer can see to it that the plant remains healthy in its site.

Transplanting in Early Spring

Though it’s an evergreen and doesn’t become fully dormant, the English laurel slows its growth during cool winter weather and becomes semi-dormant during these weeks. It’s best to transfer the plant in early spring, once soil temperature is above 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Do this while the laurel’s still partly inactive but poised to put out fresh roots and top growth — if you analyze dormant buds on several twigs, you’ll notice that they haven’t yet started to swell or show green. Choose a day once the plant’s not stressed from dry weather and the soil is moist. If it’s a massive specimen, run a length of soft twine outside around the plant’s branches, then tying them securely to avoid damaging them during the move.

Tranplanting in Autumn

If your region is in a warmer part of this English laurel’s scope, such as USDA zone 9 and over where frosts are rare and the ground doesn’t freeze in winter, soil temperatures are probably warm enough year round to support root development. In these areas, it is possible to transplant a laurel from the fall and the plant will put out fresh roots during winter. Transplanting in fall also helps the tree prevent the stress of summer heat that a spring-transplanted laurel can encounter soon after it’s moved. If you transfer a laurel from the fall, spreading a 4- to 6-inch thick layer of organic mulch below the plant’s canopy then it’s moved can warm its origins and encourage development of new roots.

Some Preparation Helps

If you have some time before you intend to transfer a laurel, provide the plant some extra attention to help prepare it. Keep it well-watered throughout the season before you transplant, ensuring that it receives at least 1 inch of water weekly, like rain. It also helps to maintain the plant mapped exactly the exact same way after you transfer the laurel to its place — mark a branch that faces north and keep this side toward north in the new site. It’s also very important to keep it at precisely the exact same depth in its new place, to avoid suffocation or drying from origins from planting too deep or too shallow, respectively. Use white paint or weatherproof tape to mark the original soil line on several large branches — make certain that these marks can also be at the ground line following transplanting.

Giving Good Aftercare

After you’ve transplanted a English laurel, keep it well watered, especially during the first few weeks — watch for any wilting of foliage, a sign that it’s not getting enough moisture. Check the top two or three inches of soil regularly and water when it’s dry to the touch, using a soaker hose positioned near the dripline — let water soak till the top 6 inches of soil are moist. If your area will be windy, protecting the plant for its first time with a burlap screen attached to posts driven into the ground around the windy side can help prevent excessive water loss through the foliage. Maintain the laurel well-mulched, but pull mulch away from the lower branches to prevent fungal issues.

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Ponytail hands (Beaucarnea recurvata) appear like palm trees, and grow up to 30 feet tall in their own native Central America. The crown of foliage droops in the woody, bulbous, erect trunk. Ponytail palms grow outdoors in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 through 11, but they are often grown as houseplants. Baby plants, called offsets, sometimes grow around the base of the mother plant. Each of those offsets can grow into a new plant if you remove them in the ideal way and provide the suitable care.

Preparing the Pot

Ponytail hands root and grow best in well-draining, somewhat dry dirt. Use 6-inch-diameter pots with bottom drainage for planting new offsets. A well-draining potting soil, such as one formulated for cactus or desert plants, provides adequate drainage for fresh ponytail hands, or you can mix equal parts conventional potting soil with sand to make your personal rooting mixture. Use a powdered rooting hormone to guarantee the offsets form roots and set quickly.

Cutting Method

Cutting the offsets in the mother plant in spring is always the quickest way to propagate ponytail palms, but some offsets might fail to form roots and wo not survive. Wipe a sharp knife with a cloth soaked in isopropyl alcohol to disinfect it, then cut the offset in the mother plant just beneath the ground. Dust the cut surface of the offset with an even application of the rooting hormone powder. Pour the rooting hormone onto a plastic plate or dish and dip the offset in the powder. Set the offset in the ready pot, pushing it into the dirt slightly so the cut end is in the dirt and the offset stays erect. Water sparingly so the soil remains moist but does not become moist or sloping during the rooting period.

Layering Technique

Layering allows the offset to form roots before you remove it from the mother, which can give you a greater prospect of success. Do the layering in spring. Moisten a small few sphagnum moss and pack it loosely round the base of the offset. If possible, lift the offset slightly out of the ground, but leave it attached to the mother plant, and that means that you are able to put some moss beneath it. Dust the bottom and lower sides of the offset with the rooting hormone powder, using a clean, dry paintbrush, to encourage it to set roots in the moss. Water the moss to moisten it only when it has almost completely dried. You can cut the offset in the mother plant and transfer it to the ready pot after the offset starts forming roots that are visible.

Caring for Offsets

Few pests or diseases influence ponytail hands should you permit the soil to dry out between waterings. Overly moist dirt can cause the offset to decay during and after rooting. It can take four weeks or longer for root growth to begin on the offset. During this time period, provide the ponytail palm with bright, indirect light and monitor the moisture in the soil or moss daily. You are able to move the plant to immediate, all-day sun after it roots and starts putting on busy new growth. Transplant the offset outdoors into a sunlit, well-draining bed the following spring if you want to grow it as an outdoor plant.

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Some soils are distinctively red in color while others are brown or black. Colour is determined by numerous things, including mineral makeup conditions, weathering and content. Many red lands, such as Georgia’s famous clay, acquire their color by the presence of iron oxides. Gain useful insight into the characteristics of your soil by knowing what its color means.

Soil Color and Drainage

Patterns and color found inside the subsoil offer significant clues to some soil conditions. While soil will be dull and dark well-drained soil is brighter in color. Vibrant red colour results from iron. Waterlogged, anaerobic conditions retard oxidation, leading to dull yellowish-colored or gray soil. Bright red or brownish-red subsoil generally indicates good motion of air and water. Undergo periods of standing water or soils that drain slowly develop mottling that may include both brightly colored brown and red stains mixed with dull gray stripes and spots.

Organic Content

Colour is a good indicator of organic content–the amount of decomposed plant and animal material . Dark brown or black topsoil contains a high proportion of organic matter. Excessively moist soils tend to retard the formation of colours, but don’t necessarily indicate a deficiency of iron. Soil of any color indicates a proportion of organic matter. Wind, sun and water erosion reduce content, leading to soil.

Parent Material

Colour is associated with the parent material from which it was formed. Red soil might be derived from stone, such as the sandstone common into the desert areas of Nevada, California and Arizona. Hematite — that the mineral from which iron ore is obtained — is a frequent source of color for many lands, particularly those in zones or dry areas. Red soil may come and manganese because the stone is broken down through weathering which become oxidized. For instance, the land of the Piedmont region of Georgia was made from deposits of gneiss and white, black and gray granite. Over time, the rock material was reduced to dust, including oxidized iron which colored the soil red.

Ultisols

Occasionally called”red clay lands,” ultisols are among the 12 orders of land, identified by the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s Universal Soil Classification System. Reddish in color, ultisols are located in portions of Africa, Asia and South America and hot, humid areas such as the Southeastern United States. These lands are often highly acidic and form in extremely weathered geologic areas. If correctly amended with lime and fertilizer, ultisols are low in nutrients and contain high amounts of clay but may be utilized for agriculture.

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When most orchids (Orchidaceae) are only hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture zone 10b, the vivid flowers make excellent indoor specimens when given sufficient soil and moisture. In case you have one of over 1,200 species of Dendrobium orchids, then you can propagate the plant to grow orchids that are several with exactly the very same features as the mother plant.

Cut a stem on your own forehead at least 12 inches long near the base using pruning shears or a sharp knife. Split the stem into 3- to 4-inch segments, making sure every segment has a dormant bud.

Line a shallow tray with sphagnum moss, until it is thoroughly moist, and mist the ribbon. Place the cuttings in the tray. Cover with polyurethane plastic wrap and place in a place that’s at least 60 degrees of direct sunlight.

Fill one 3- to 4-inch pot per orchid plantlet with fir bark potting mix to within an inch of the top of the container. Place one in every container, then covering the stem segment and roots with potting mix When the orchid stem plantlets have sprouted in the buds.

Line a tray with smooth stones and add sufficient water to almost cover the stone. Put the pot on top of the rocks to keep the atmosphere round the humid. Keep your fresh orchids in an area which receives mist them every day, and bright, indirect light. Orchids prefer temperatures between 55 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit depending upon the species, and a night temperature of 50 degrees for optimum flowering.

Water your orchids from the drainage holes per week until water flows and fertilize every three weeks with a orchid fertilizer from spring into mid-fall. Alternately, dip the base of the container in a bucket of water, letting it soak through the holes.

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Homeowners with lawns which contain soils might find it difficult to nurture healthy causing land values to drop. High-alkaline soils, with pH levels of above, join soil nutrients key to a plant’s growth. This can result in yellow to white leaves, stunted growth and root growth. Lowering a land’s alkalinity level is possible with the support of sulfur and materials. With application, these alterations free essential nutrients, will lower the pH of the soil and allow the development of a beautiful landscape.

Examine the soil to detect its alkalinity level. Gather soil samples from the backyard area. Dig to a depth of 6 inches with a shovel or trowel. Pour to a plastic bag and then seal it closed. Repeat this process two to four more times in random areas throughout the garden. Take the soil samples to soil testing lab or some county extension office for processing.

Review the results of the soil test to ascertain the soil’s pH. Find the recommended pH level of your soil. Many plants will grow well in soils with a pH level between 6 and 7.5.

Add elemental sulfur in a speed of 0.1 pounds per 10 square feet of loamy dirt for every single one-half unit you wish to lessen the pH. For instance, to lower the pH from 7 to 6.5, employ 0.1 pounds per 10 square feet, and also to lower the pH from 7.5 to 6.5, employ 0.2 pounds per 10 square feet. Reduce this speed by one-third for soils, and raise it.

Put on the sulfur in the spring at the beginning of the season. Spread the sulfur above the surface of the ground, raking it . Water the sulfur to the ground using a garden hose.

Add a 1- to 2-inch layer of sphagnum peat moss above the soil’s surface. Spread over the ground with a rake. Mix that the peat moss to the top 2 inches of soil with a tiller.

Reapply the sulfur and peat moss annually. Examine the amended soil each year to ascertain its pH level. Stop making applications once the desired level is reached by the soil pH.

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It’s that wondrous time of year when late summer starts knocking at early fall’s doorway. Take advantage by planting a tree in your front lawn which celebrates the mixing of those seasons. Here are some top picks from landscape experts across the U.S.

The Garden Route Company

Bloodgood Japanese maple. Sandy Ayers of The Garden Route Company at California loves the ruby-red tones of Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’, or Bloodgood Japanese maple.

USDA zones: 5 to 8 (find your zone)
Height: 15 to 25 feet
Color: deep red in spring and summer, turns scarlet in fall; deciduous
Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade
Water requirement:moderate to regular

The Garden Route Company

Coral bark Japanese maple. While less dramatic compared to the Bloodgood, Acer palmatum ‘Sango Kaku’, or coral bark Japanese maple, is one of Ayers’ favorites because of the way it elevates shots of yellow right into a lawn.

USDA zones:4 to 9
Height: 20 feet
Color: Yellow-green leaves and coral bark in spring and summer; the leaves turn brighter yellow in fall; the bark turns a vibrant coral at winter; deciduous
Light requirement:Full sun to partial shade
Water requirement:moderate to routine

River birch. “River birch is one of my favorites,” says Terry Sims of The Garden Artist at Idaho. “During fall the leaves turn yellow, and it is a nice comparison to the reds. The exfoliating cinnamon- and cream-colored bark becomes notable as the tree loses its leaves.”

The birches revealed here are a part of a project designed by Windsor Companies.

USDA zones: 3 to 9
Height: 40 to 70 feet
Color: Green leaves in spring and summer; turns golden in fall; deciduous
Light requirement:Total sun
Water requirement:Will bear moderate flooding; drought resistant

LLC, the American Gardener

Forest pansy redbud. With four-season interest Cercis canadensis, or forest pansy redbud, provides a fantastic focal point in any lawn. “This is especially true from the front lawn,” notes Sims, “where land mass will be smaller.”

Redbuds, such as the one in this job by The American Gardener, are ranked for total sunlight but, according to Sims, favor afternoon shade.

USDA zones: 5 to 9
Height: 20 feet
Color: Blooms pink in early spring; turns purple in fall; deciduous
Light requirement:Total sun
Water requirement:Frequent

Milieu Design

Chanticleer pear. Pyrus calleryana, or chanticleer pear, is believed by many to be a fantastic street tree because of its tendency to not “litter” leaves. It develops at a pyramidal shape, so it’s easy to match in narrow locations. “For your front lawn, my favorite sort of allée [line of trees] is using the chanticleer pear,” says Sims. “It softens the expanse of a driveway to assist minimize hardscape and provides the visitor with direction to the front door.”

This allée of chanticleer pear trees is now a portion of a job by Milieu Design.

USDA zones: 5 to 8
Height: 24 to 35 feet
Color: dark green leaves in summer; turns fiery orange in fall; deciduous
Light condition: Total sun
Water requirement:Regular

Westover Landscape Design, Inc..

Kwanzan cherry. This dual pink flowering tree is a favorite of Robert Welsch’s of Westover Landscape Design at New York because it makes a graceful, colorful display as well as a walkway or street.

USDA zones: 5 to 9
Height: 30 to 40 feet
Color: Green leaves in summer; turns copper in fall; deciduous
Light requirement:Entire sun
Water requirement:Frequent

Ginkgo Leaf Studio

Apple serviceberry. Amelanchier x grandiflora, or apple serviceberry is, as James Drzewiecki of Ginkgo Leaf Studio in Wisconsin describes, an ideal tree for smaller suburban yards. “It will not get so large that it casts a lot of shade over the entire lawn, such as large shade trees do, but it is large enough to maintain scale with the majority of average-sized houses,” he says. “Plus, the purple berries make a marvelous jam.”

USDA zones: 4 to 9
Height: 20 to 25 feet
Color: Green leaves in summer; turns orange-red in fall; deciduous
moderate requirement:Full to partial sun
Water requirement:Frequent

More: The Weepers and the Creepers: 10 Intriguing Trees for Your Garden

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