Cultivar Is A Cultivated Variety
UNITED STATES—A plant 'variety' is a group within a species that exhibits distinguishing characteristics. A 'cultivar' is simply a cultivated variety. The first five...
Exotic Species Can Become Naturalized
UNITED STATES—Every palm tree in local landscapes is exotic. Simply put, all palms are originally from somewhere else. The desert fan palm, the only...
Deadhead To Eliminate Fading Bloom
UNITED STATES—The need to deadhead so early in spring is one of the few minor consequences of spring bulbs. Long before it becomes necessary...
Rodents Will Never Give Up
UNITED STATES—None of the most problematic rodents here hibernate completely. Only ground squirrels hibernate, but they are rare, and tend to avoid home gardens...
Crop Rotation For Home Gardens
UNITED STATES—Vegetable gardening is not permanent landscaping. With few exceptions, vegetable plants are annuals, like bedding plants. They do their respective jobs within only...
Vegetable Gardening Goes From Cool To Warm
UNITED STATES—The weather agrees with the calendar this year. It is time to start replacing remaining cool season vegetable plants with fresh warm season...
Foliage Is Meant For Weather
UNITED STATES—Foliage needs sunlight for photosynthesis. Foliage needs air for respiration. Roots need moisture to sustain foliage. Houseplants can technically get all of what...
Frost Is Now Old Wintry News
UNITED STATES—Frost was something of a non-issue for some of us this winter. For those of us in milder climates, it rarely is. Those...
Seasonal Pruning Is Precisely That
UNITED STATES—Seasonal pruning is just as the terminology implies, seasonal. It might seem as if it all happens in winter. Most of it begins...
Pollarding And Coppicing Appall Arborists
UNITED STATES—Very few arborists in America condone the extreme pruning techniques known as pollarding and coppicing. Both techniques essentially ruin trees, and deprive them...