Plants Archives - Page 29 of 45 - Indiana Yard and Garden - Purdue Consumer HorticulturePurdue University Indiana Yard and Garden

Category: Plants

Sunflowers for Summer Fun
Yard and Garden News

Spring Gardening Stories

Sunflowers have long been included in the typical Midwestern garden, but modern hybrids have greatly expanded the palette of choices for today’s garden. Whether you want short, medium or tall; yellow, burgundy, bronze or brown; seed for the birds; or just pretty look at, there’s a sunflower for you. Gardeners will find two different types of sunflowers available from garden centers and mail-order catalogs: Those that are grown for their edible seeds, and those that…Read more about Sunflowers for Summer Fun[Read More]

Question and Answer
In the Grow (Q & A)

Q. Help! Something is boring holes in my silver maple tree. There are four holes at a time in a horizontal line. These holes are a little bigger than a pencil eraser and deep enough that the tree is oozing lots of sap. What could be doing this? Will my tree die? Do I need to plug the holes and with what? What can I do to prevent this from continuing? It has happened three times…Read more about Question and Answer[Read More]

Annual Versus Perennial Flowers
Yard and Garden News

Spring Gardening Stories

Comparing annual and perennial flowers is a little like comparing apples and oranges. Each type of flower has its own characteristics and advantages. Annual flowers are those that complete their lifecycle in just one growing season. In other words, you plant a seed (or a seedling plant), it grows foliage, then flowers, seeds and then the plant dies, all in the same year. Annual flowers tend to bloom from spring until autumn frost. Although they…Read more about Annual Versus Perennial Flowers[Read More]

Question and Answer
In the Grow (Q & A)

Q. I read your article on fire blight. We have a bad case of fire blight on one of our pear trees. You spoke of doing a pruning of the diseased parts, and we were wondering when would be the best time to do the pruning–spring or fall? — Linda Am Rhein, Scipio, Ind. A. Fire blight-infected limbs and branches should be pruned during late winter when there is much less chance of spreading fire-blight bacteria on…Read more about Question and Answer[Read More]

Pruning Evergreens
Yard and Garden News

Spring Gardening Stories

Evergreens require a bit different manner of pruning than other landscape plants. Although a plant is not likely to die from improper pruning, it is important to note that most evergreens cannot replace lost growth the way that deciduous plants can. So while other landscape plants might be able to outgrow an errant pruning job, evergreens can suffer permanent disfigurement. Individual plants should be assessed for pruning needs. Evergreens that have been sheared into formal…Read more about Pruning Evergreens[Read More]

Question and Answer
In the Grow (Q & A)

Q. I have a corn plant that my sister game me. She lives in North Carolina, and I live in Indiana. I brought it home and it was beautiful. I looked it up in a garden book and the only information on it was to keep it watered–1 inch–when it feels dry. It is not doing well at all. Two bunches of the leaves fell off at the trunk. Each time I water, more leaves turn…Read more about Question and Answer[Read More]

Question and Answer
In the Grow (Q & A)

Q. Each year, including this past one, some of the new growth on my pear trees turns black and wilts. This year is the worst ever. What causes this and what can I do about it? – Ann Hunt, West Lafayette, Ind. A. Fireblight causes young twigs and flower blossoms to wilt, blacken and die. Often the tips of blighted twigs become crooked, resembling a shepherd’s staff. Fireblight affects apples, pears and certain ornamentals, including crab apples,…Read more about Question and Answer[Read More]

December “In The Grow”
In the Grow (Q & A)

Q. I gathered some bittersweet branches last fall. These are the decorative red berries gathered in the fall for winter arrangements in the home. I have saved some well-developed seed but can’t get them to grow. I stored some in the freezer for a time, yet neither did they sprout. I’m wondering if they must pass through a bird’s digestive process to sprout. The seed appears to be encased in a thick shell. If so,…Read more about December “In The Grow”[Read More]

The Vanilla Orchid
Yard and Garden News

Autumn Gardening Stories

Although much of the vanilla used for flavoring and fragrance today is produced synthetically, natural vanilla comes from the seed pod of an orchid plant. Vanilla planifolia is a vigorous, vining orchid that can reach up to 300 feet in its native tropical American environment. The vine produces greenish-yellow flowers that must be hand-pollinated outside of its native habitat to ensure good fruit set. The pods grow to about 6-9 inches long and are harvested…Read more about The Vanilla Orchid[Read More]

November “In The Grow”
In the Grow (Q & A)

Q. This year, I had problems with my tomatoes. They grew well and had lots of green and ripe tomatoes on them, when all at once the leaves turned yellow and fell off. Some plants had no leaves left. The tomatoes that were ripe didn’t taste good. This happened in just a week’s time. Other neighbors had the same problem. – Kathryn Gilbert Cory, Ind. A. Tomatoes are susceptible to a number of problems. One…Read more about November “In The Grow”[Read More]