… in Italian, Chinese, French, and Thai cuisine, but it is also a fragrant, ornamental plant for gardens and containers. Easy to grow and tasty to eat, basil plants will add color and an aniselike fragrance to all flower … before finally planting them in the garden after May 15. Harvesting Basil Fresh basil is best harvested immediately before use. Individual leaves can be pinched off but plants will …
Type: Plant Info
… It is most noticeable in late spring and summer when it appears as large, whitish lumps, up to ½ inch long, attached to the branches of magnolia trees. In severe infestations, entire … of magnolias. The specks are immature scales called crawlers, which move along the branches for a short time until they settle and begin feeding. Each crawler grows into a waxy, whitish … immobile adult scales. Applying horticultural oil in the early spring and late summer is the best treatment. Horticultural oil will smother active and recently settled crawlers. When applied …
Type: Plant Info
… Q. My Phalaenopsis orchid just finished blooming and I’m not sure what to do with the flower stem. Do I cut it? If so, where? A. Proper pruning of the inflorescence on … until the plant reaches a larger size. Inflorescences of larger plants can be pruned back to just above the lowest node on the stem, which may encourage it to rebloom within 8 to 12 weeks. Some gardeners believe that it is always best to remove the entire flowering stem to its base. If flowers grow smaller with age, remove …
Type: Plant Info
… Meadowsweet spirea is an upright shrub that grows to a maximum height of 4 feet. It requires full sun to partial shade and medium to wet moisture conditions. From June to August it produces showy … are quite small, they occur in clusters of inflorescence that can be very showy. Spireas are best used in groupings in a shrub or mixed border, where they are valued as tough, reliable and …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… In Greek mythology, Iris is the Goddess of the Rainbow. She’s a messenger from the gods to mortals—a golden-winged goddess who travels to earth on a rainbow. When she arrives, colorful … plants—irises—sprout where her feet touch the ground. The genus Iris is a fitting name for a group of fabulous plants whose flowers represent a rainbow of hues. There are about 300 … ) One of the first signs of spring are the charming flowers on 6-inch-tall plants. They are best massed in sunny areas of rock gardens, along the front of a border with dwarf daffodils, …
Type: Plant Info
… There’s still plenty to enjoy in the garden in August and September. Later-blooming perennials, annuals, and shrubs can provide color for weeks to come. And many of their blossoms offer nectar to migrating butterflies and … Remove the spent blossoms to extend the bloom time. Full sun and moist, well-drained soil work best for this charmer. Seven-son flower (Heptacodium miconioides) A large shrub or small tree …
Type: Plant Info
… Q. Is it too late to plant potatoes? A. Potatoes may be planted as late as the beginning of July. Tubers develop best when soil temperatures are between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Potato tubers can rot when … The pieces should be planted immediately after cutting, approximately 12 inches apart and two to three inches deep. Rows may be planted two to three feet apart. As potatoes grow, they will …
Type: Plant Info
… deciduous, rounded, Missouri native tree or large, upright shrub that typically grows 20 to 30 feet tall and occurs in limestone glades, rocky limestone bluffs, and bald knobs in the area of southeast Missouri. Smoketree gets its common name, not from the 6- to 10-inch flower clusters (tiny, insignificant, dioecious, yellowish-green flowers) which bloom … colors in the fall, including yellow, red, orange, and reddish purple, producing some of the best fall color of any native American trees and shrubs. It is not subject to serious insect or …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Actaea poetica narcissus ( Narcissus ‘Actaea’) is one of the best known of the cultivars derived from Narcissus poeticus . Pure-white glistening petals, … if planted in well-drained, moist soil in full sun or light shade. It usually flowers in mid- to late spring (mid-May to the beginning of June in the Chicago region). Narcissus, like almost all bulbs, produces the …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… and a green star in the center. Delightfully fragrant, the 3-inch flowers appear in late July to August with deeply recurved petals. The stems grow 4 to 6 feet in height with 20 to 50 flowers per stem. Black Beauty is an Orienpet hybrid, which … Oriental hybrids typically have a lovely fragrance, although some people find it unpleasant at best. The unsurpassed grace and beauty of this lily make it a lovely addition to the garden. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
