Taking time to remove spent blossoms from your shrubs and garden flowers can pay off with more attractive, healthier plantings. The removal of dead flowers is often referred to as “deadheading.” Though it often seems like a big bother, pinching or pruning off dead flowers helps keep plants looking cleaner and prevents them from producing fruit and seed. This allows the plants to put more of their resources into root and foliage growth and development […]

Many a gardener has noticed that branches of some plants seem to take root and form new plants where they lay on the ground. This is a natural process known as layering. We can take advantage of layering to increase the number of plants in our collection or to share our prized plants with friends and family. The concept is similar to propagating by cuttings except, in the case of layering, new plants remain connected […]

Plants have names, just like people do. Sometimes two or more plants share the same name, or an individual plant may be known by several different names, depending on local and family traditions. So the everyday, common names we give plants can be confusing to gardeners. To make the naming of plants more precise and universal, an international system of naming plants is used by scientists and plant professionals. Known as the “International Code of […]

As if gardening chores aren’t strenuous enough by this time of year, Mother Nature’s heat wave is making life even more difficult. Tomatoes, peppers, melons, squash, pumpkins, cucumbers and beans often drop their blossoms without setting fruit when day temperatures are above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. There’s not much you can do but wait for cooler temperatures to prevail. As more favorable conditions return, the plants will resume normal fruit set. Sweet corn also is likely […]