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Most Common Vine

Cucumber

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is a creeping vine native to South Asia. It has a long history of cultivation – mentions of its use are found in various ancient scripts, including the Bible, Epic of Gilgamesh and Pliny the Elder’s “Natural History”. Today, Cucumber is one of the most widely cultivated vegetable species in the world.

Trumpet vine

The Trumpet vine is a flowering plant that climbs as it grows. It gets its nickname from its bright flowers, which are shaped like long trumpet bells. The shape matches them well with the hummingbirds that love to visit for the nectar. The Trumpet vine is originally native to eastern North America.

Arrowhead plant

Arrowhead plant (Syngonium podophyllum) is a beautiful foliage plant, one of the most popular species of the Araceae family. Due to its air purifying qualities and good looks, Arrowhead plant is often cultivated as a houseplant. Every part of this plant is toxic, so it’s best to keep it away from kids and pets.

Brazilian jasmine

Mandevilla sanderi, colloquially known as Brazilian jasmine, is an ornamental perennial vine native to South America. Its velvety flowers are most often white, scarlet or pink in color. Brazilian jasmine contains white latex, which is toxic and can have an irritating effect when it comes in contact with skin or eyes.

Japanese honeysuckle

Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) is a twining vine native to East Asia. It features white-yellow flowers that emit a pleasant, sweet aroma and are often visited by pollinators such as honeybees. Their sweet nectar is readily consumed by wildlife but some parts of the plant are toxic to humans. In landscaping, Japanese honeysuckle is used as a groundcover because its dense, fast-growing nature helps prevent weeds and improve soil health.

Common bean

Common bean is one of the most widely produced cash crops in the world, with 23.6 million tons grown in 2016. China is the largest producer of the Common bean, accounting for 79% of the market share. While the Common bean is known as a staple food source, the leaves can be used to trap bedbugs and the beans are widely used in a type of fortune-telling called “favomancy”.

Italian Clematis

Italian Clematis (Clematis viticella) is a climbing herbaceous perennial native to Europe. It has showy flowers and long blooming time, which makes it an excellent addition to flower gardens. There are many varieties available, with a variety of different flower shapes and colors.

Multiflora rose

Multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora) is an ornamental climbing shrub native to East Asia. It produces a great number of flowers, which is the reasoning behind its specific epithet; multiflora means “many flowers.” The flowers are usually white, but some pink varieties can be found. Multiflora rose is considered a noxious weed in certain parts of the world.

Bigleaf periwinkle

Vinca major, colloquially known as Bigleaf periwinkle, is an evergreen perennial vine. It is commonly used as an ornamental and groundcover plant in landscaping. Bigleaf periwinkle is considered a very dangerous weed in certain regions of the US, Australia, and New Zealand, as it tends to outcompete native plants.

Common periwinkle

Common periwinkle (Vinca minor) is a trailing evergreen subshrub that forms large, dense colonies. Because of this quality, Common periwinkle is commonly used in landscaping as a groundcover. It is a mildly toxic plant, but due to its pungent taste, it rarely gets ingested in amounts significant enough to cause toxic effects.

Heartleaf philodendron

Philodendron hederaceum is an evergreen climbing plant originating from the West Indies. It is a widely cultivated houseplant, famous for its glossy, heart-shaped leaves, hence the common name Heartleaf philodendron. It contains calcium oxalate crystals, so it can be mildly toxic when ingested.

Hummingbird fuchshia

The vibrant colors and graceful shape of Hummingbird fuchshia makes it a perfect choice to grace your garden. The Hummingbird fuchshia is less sensitive to cold than other types of fuchsias, which means that this plant can go from containers or window boxes to permanent plantings along borders or as shrubs.

Sweet potato

While most assume that the Sweet potato is a potato, it is not considered nightshade. However, sweet potatoes and potatoes both belong to the order of Solanales. Its culinary use is wide and can be fried, baked or boiled.

Star jasmine

Star jasmine is a popular ornamental and houseplant due to its fragrant smell and relative ease of growth. This versatile plant can grow in full sun, partial shade or complete shade, making it common in a variety of climates. It prefers to climb and is generally planted on walls or fences to allow for this natural upward growth. The Star jasmine is also known to attract pollinators such as bees.

Paperflower

Paperflower is used commonly as an outdoor ornamental plant and thrives in warm climates. The genus Bougainvillea is the official flower of many places, including Guam, Pingtung, Ipoh, Tagbilaran, San Clemente, Guangzhou, and Naha.

Most Common Subshrub

Crepe myrtle

Crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) is a highly ornamental small tropical tree or shrub, often multi-stemmed. It is native to India, Southeastern Asia, and Japan, and features a characteristic vase-shaped crown and beautifully-ruffled pink blooms that can last from early summer to autumn. It is also a popular nesting shrub for small birds.

Bigleaf hydrangea

The Bigleaf hydrangea is a deciduous shrub native to Japan, and is known for its lush, oval, colorful inflorescence. The two types of Hydrangea macrophylla are mopheads – with large, ball-shaped, sterile flower clusters, and lacecapes – with small round fertile flowers in the center, and sterile flowers on the outer side of each inflorescence. Depending on soil pH, blooms can change color from pink to blue.

Chinese hibiscus

Chinese hibiscus is a small flowering tree. Its fragrant flowers are well known the world over, leading to many cultivated variants. Chinese hibiscus is the national flower of Malaysia and is featured on Malaysian coins. Although the Latin name, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, means “the rose of China,” it is not related to true roses.

Dwarf umbrella tree

Dwarf umbrella tree ( Schefflera arboricola ) is an evergreen, multi-stemmed shrub native to China. It is commonly grown as a houseplant or a garden plant in milder climates for its decorative palmately compound leaves. The leaves contain calcium oxalates, which damage internal organs when ingested. It shouldn’t be confused with the Australian umbrella tree, Schefflera actinophylla.

Japanese maple

There is no plant that symbolizes the traditional Japanese garden better than the Japanese maple( Acer palmatum ). This small deciduous tree or a shrub native to East Asia can grow up to around 10 m , but it is often kept smaller. Japanese maple is loved for its artistic-quality canopy with brilliant red autumn leaves. It is also commonly grown as a bonsai.

Corn plant

Corn plant (Dracaena fragrans) is an evergreen, slow-growing perennial shrub native to tropical Africa. Also, it is a classic houseplant, grown in Europe since the 1800s. Its glossy green foliage that resembles corn leaves grow on top of a thick cane, which is why the plant is sometimes called “false palm tree.”

Heavenly bamboo

Despite its name, Heavenly bamboo is not actually bamboo at all but a semi-evergreen shrub. It gains its name because a casual observer may mistake it for actual bamboo. The bright red berries are a key distinguishing feature of this plant. They should be avoided, however, since they are toxic to most animals and humans alike.

Japanese camellia

The Japanese camellia is a bright flower that thrives in temperate climates. Native to Japan, it has since spread around the world and is even the official state flower of the U.S. state of Alabama. In China, the Japanese camellia is considered a symbol of luck, and is a staple of many New Year celebrations.

Common lantana

The Common lantana is a flowering plant that grows best in tropical environments. It spread outside the Americas when the Dutch brought it to Europe. The plant is generally regarded as an unwanted weed that reduces biodiversity. Additionally, it is toxic to livestock and harms the output of farmland.

Garden croton

The Garden croton is a showy tropical display that does well indoors or in warm climates. Known for its attractive foliage, this plant can have both to color and structural variations in its leaves. Leaf colors can include orange, yellow, scarlet, white, and green, and many times all are present on one plant.

Laurustinus

Laurustinus_ (Viburnum tinus) is a flowering shrub native to the Mediterranean region. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant and it often adorns winter gardens. When little else is growing during cold days of winter, Laurustinus produces numerous clusters of tiny white flowers.

Horseshoe geranium

Horseshoe geranium can be identified by looking for horseshoe-shaped patterns of color, or “zones” within the leaves. The bright blooms are attractive to bees, butterflies, and birds and come in many colors, including red, pink, salmon, and more. These plants are easy to grow outside in your yard or indoors in containers.

Tree aeonium

Tree aeonium (Aeonium arboreum) is a succulent subshrub species endemic to the Canary Islands. Tree aeonium is often grown as an ornamental plant in gardens. Because it is subtropical, this species has to be grown under greenhouse conditions in other climates. Tree aeonium is also known as the tree houseleek and the Irish rose. It grows naturally in shade and on weathered, volcanic soils.

Japanese meadowsweet

Japanese meadowsweet is considered by many to be an invasive species due to its ability to spread rapidly, creating a dense thicket or hedge. The species traces its roots to Japan, Korea, and China and was introduced in other areas because of its attractive flowers. Use caution when planting to make sure that this shrub can be managed appropriately.

Butterfly bush

Buddleja davidii, commonly known as Butterfly bush, is a fast-growing shrub native to East Asia. This vigorous plant is usually cultivated as an ornamental, due to its extravagant purple inflorescences. It carries the name Butterfly bush because its flowers are a valuable source of nutritious nectar for numerous butterfly species.

Most Common Herb

Golden pothos

The Golden pothos is a popular flowering house plant that’s commonly seen in Australia, Asia, and the West Indies. It goes by many nicknames, including “devil’s ivy,” because it is so hard to kill, and can grow in the dark. Golden pothos has poisonous sap, so it should be kept away from pets and children.

Tomato

Solanum lycopersicum is an annual or perennial herbaceous vine native to Central and South America that produces a large, juicy, edible fruit known as Tomato. Today there are over 10000 cultivated varieties. Although tomato is the world’s most popular vegetable, botanically it is a fruit.

Black walnut

Black walnut (Juglans nigra) is a large riparian zone tree native to North America. It is cultivated for nutritious walnuts and the high-quality dark timber. Juglans nigra produces juglone, a compound that inhibits the growth of other plants in the walnut tree’s proximity, so it may be undesirable near lawns and gardens. It is susceptible to Thousand cankers disease.

Common sunflower

The Common sunflower is recognizable for its bright flower on a very tall stem. It is often grown in gardens. These flowers have been important in culture: they were worshipped by the ancient Inca people, and today, they represent eco-friendly movements. The artist Vincent Van Gogh made a famous series of paintings about Common sunflowers. Wild versions of the plant branch out to many flower heads, but domesticated plants typically only have one.

Indian shot

Despite its name, Indian shot (Canna indica) is a flowering perennial plant native to Central and South America. It has been naturalized in other parts of the world and became a popular garden plant for its large decorative leaves, fiery red blooms, and the ease of cultivation. It is a traditional minor food crop for indigenous peoples of the Americas.

English ivy

English ivy is the most common climber of European forests. It is a perennial woody vine with evergreen, dark, shiny lobed leaves. It utilizes aerial rootlets to attach to the tree bark with exceptional strength, helping the ivy creep more than 15 m up a tree. English ivy also grows as a forest groundcover and is invasive outside of its native range.

Coleus

Coleus is probably best known for its beautiful multicolored foliage while it also has delicate flowers. The patterned leaves of its many variants can show off nearly every color of the rainbow. Coleus is mildly toxic if consumed, but was once used in rituals by members of the Mexican Mazatec tribe.

Basil

Basil is a species of mint plant native to Asia and Africa. It is a popular houseplant, and thrives when it receives plenty of regular sun and water. This plant is also easy to transfer from one soil environment to another. The edible Basil leaves can be eaten fresh or dried with pizza, salads, soups, teas, and many other dishes.

Common columbine

The Common columbine is a tall, flowering plant, typically with a long stem and light purple flowers. The Latin specific name for the plant, “vulgaris,” means “common,” and it comes from the fact that the plants spread easily and grow in many places around Europe. Ancient Romans considered the Common columbine to be sacred for the goddess, Venus.

Dieffenbachia

The focal point of a Dieffenbachia is the beautiful look and patterns of the foliage, which are often variegated. This plant has showy white blooms, but only flowers in perfect conditions. Use caution, because the Dieffenbachia is poisonous; if the sap is ingested it can cause muteness for up to two weeks by numbing the throat and vocal cords.

Snake plant

Snake plant can be considered part house plant and part architectural display, as its sword-like leaves with bold striping patterns are distinctive and eye-catching. Use caution with this plant, however, because it is poisonous when ingested and can cause nausea, vomiting, and even swelling of the throat and tongue.

Garden phlox

The Garden phlox is a flowering plant that is native to the United States. The name, phlox, comes from the Latin for “flame,” reflecting its bright colors. Garden phlox flowers can become important food sources for insects and hummingbirds.

Impatiens

Impatiens (Impatiens walleriana) is flowering herbaceous plant native to Eastern Africa. Its vividly colored, elegant flowers have made it one of the most popular ornamental plants in the world. Impatiens is often used as a bedding plant in parks and gardens worldwide.

Common zinnia

The Common zinnia is a popular garden plant. It thrives in relatively dry conditions with good airflow. Garden varieties come in many colors, usually having been hybridized from different wild varieties. Common zinnias are considered an allergy-safe pollen-producing flower.

Wild carrot

The Wild carrot is a common flowering plant with light, delicate flowers. Originally native to Europe and Asia, it has also spread to North America and Australia. Studies of historical paintings suggest that the Wild carrot was cultivated in Turkey, Spain, and North Africa for centuries.

Most Common Tree

White mulberry

A unique and easy-to-grow edible landscaping plant, the White mulberry is prized for its tasty fruits as well as its exquisite ornamental appeal. Originally native to China, this plant was valued for its role in silk production: silkworms will only eat the leaves of White mulberry trees, making them crucial for the product’s creation. Ultimately, the trees were sold around the world and are used today in different countries that produce silk.

Red maple

The Red maple is a common North American tree with distinctive red leaves and flower buds. Its sap can be made into maple syrup and the wood is good for furniture. Though non-toxic to humans, the leaves are very toxic to horses. According to the U.S. Forest Service, Red maple is the most common tree in eastern North America.

Callery pear

Callery pear is a species of pear tree native to China and Vietnam. Although the small fruit is unfit for human consumption (but loved by birds), Callery pear is planted as an ornamental tree for its spring blooms and showy autumn colors. The fast-growing cultivar ‘Bradford’ is especially popular in the United States, to the point of becoming an invasive species.

Eastern redbud

Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis) is a small understory tree native to North America. In spring or early summer clusters of purple-pink flowers appear on bare branches and sometimes on the trunk. The characteristic seed pod reveals that Eastern redbud belongs to the legume family, which makes it a cousin to peas, and locust trees.

White ash

White ash is a species of ash tree native to North America. It’s leaves turn distinctly bright yellow or red in the autumn. Fraxinus americana is a fast-growing pioneer species that often inhabits riparian zones, and fragmented and disturbed habitats. It is similar in appearance to Green ash (F. pennsylvanica) and sometimes it is hard to tell between the two.

Black cherry

Black cherry (Prunus serotina) is a medium-sized, deciduous forest tree native to the Americas, but also naturalized in parts of Europe. It features inflorescence with small white blooms that become clusters of dark cherries, edible when pitted. Mature trees have gray-to-black, distinctly crackled bark. The glossy leaves are poisonous to livestock. It is a highly reproductive pioneer species with invasive potential.

Flowering dogwood

Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) is a small North American tree renowned for its wide canopy and plentiful spring blooms. Individual white or pink “flower” is actually a flower head that contains four oval bracts and a cluster of tiny yellow true flowers. Because of its decorative canopy, prolific spring blooming, and attractive red autumn leaves and berries, it is the most popular native tree in US gardens.

Sweetgum

Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) is a medium-to-large tree native to warm temperate regions of North and Central America. It puts on a brilliant autumn display – the leathery star-shaped foliage turns orange, red, and burgundy, with multi-colored individual leaves. Decorative foliage and an elegant straight trunk earned Sweetgum a prominent place in parks and treelines around the world.

Box elder

Box elder (Acer negundo) is a type of maple tree native to North America, but which is now found throughout the world. It is a hardy, medium-to-large tree that grows quickly and has a relatively short lifespan of up to 60 years. Older trees are prone to storm damage. Box elder wood is relatively flimsy because the tree grows so fast.

Cherry plum

Cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera) is a deciduous small tree or a shrub native to Southern Europe and Western Asia. It is one of the most common wild fruits of its native region, producing numerous, rounded, yellow, red, or burgundy-colored, sweet, juicy fruit in summer and autumn. Cherry plum is also used as an ornamental tree, and as rootstock for other Prunus species.

Silver maple

Silver maple (Acer saccharinum) is one of the most common deciduous trees in the United States and southeast Canada. It is a 15–25 m tall, fast-growing, sun-loving tree. Its leaves have deeper angular notches between the five lobes than many other maple species. Silver maple is often found along waterways and wetlands, earning it an alternative name “Water maple.”

Norway maple

Acer platanoides is a maple tree species native to Europe and West Asia. It is 20–30 m tall and has bright green, lobed leaves which turn yellow or red in the autumn. Introduced as an ornamental shade tree in the United States, it is now considered invasive. Outside of its northern range, it can be short-lived and susceptible to disease and damage.

Eastern red cedar

Eastern red cedar is a coniferous evergreen tree that is native to North America. The fruit of this tree, juniper berries, is an important food source for birds in the winter. The wood of the Eastern red cedar is used in fencing as it is resistant to rot, and it is also used to line closets and chests since it also resists moths.

European plum

Prunus domestica is a small deciduous tree and the most common orchard plum in Europe and other regions of the world. It is a hybrid species that had most likely evolved from the wild Cherry plum, Prunus cerasifera. The fruit is elongated, fleshy, and usually sweet. Dried fruits of European plum are called prunes.

Sweet cherry

Sweet cherry is a well-known species to fruit lovers worldwide. This stone fruit varies in flavor from sweet to tart, depending on the specific cultivar. Sweet cherry is also used for lumber and is a preferred wood type for furniture.

Suggested Plants to Build a Garden That Blooms All the Year Round

White mulberry

BloomTime:Spring

Red maple

BloomTime:Spring

Callery pear

BloomTime:Spring

Virginia creeper

BloomTime:Summer

The Virginia creeper is a North American vine from the grape family that has it all – vigorous growth, fragrant flowers, decorative blue-colored berries, and leaves that turn crimson in the fall. Using small forked tendrils with adhesive pads, the Virginia creeper will cling strongly to almost all surfaces. It can grow over entire walls, providing shelter and food for wildlife.

Bigleaf hydrangea

BloomTime:Summer

The Bigleaf hydrangea is a deciduous shrub native to Japan, and is known for its lush, oval, colorful inflorescence. The two types of Bigleaf hydrangea are mopheads – with large, ball-shaped, sterile flower clusters, and lacecapes – with small round fertile flowers in the center, and sterile flowers on the outer side of each inflorescence. Depending on soil pH, blooms can change color from pink to blue.

Song of india

BloomTime:Summer

The Song of india has distinctive leaves that stay green year-round. The plant’s unique appearance and low-maintenance nature make it popular as a house plant. The Song of india is native to Indian Ocean islands including Madagascar, though not, oddly, to India itself.

China rose

BloomTime:Spring,Summer,Autumn

The China rose (Rosa chinensis) is a Southwest China native. The plant has been cultivated for so long that it has become hard to tell the difference between wild and cultivated varieties. With medium-sized clusters of flowers and a long blooming season, it is easy to see why the China rose was chosen as the basis for many rose hybrids.

Crepe myrtle

BloomTime:Summer,Autumn

Crapemyrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) is a highly ornamental small tropical tree or shrub, often multi-stemmed. It is native to India, Southeastern Asia, and Japan, and features a characteristic vase-shaped crown and beautifully-ruffled pink blooms that can last from early summer to autumn. It is also a popular nesting shrub for small birds.

Rose of sharon

BloomTime:Spring,Summer,Autumn

Hibiscus syriacus is a deciduous shrub with trumpet-shaped pink, lavender, or white flowers. Although it was first collected by Western botanists from Syrian gardens, “Rose of sharon” is native to south-central and southeastern China. Because of its hardiness and prolific blooming, it is cultivated all around the world. It is the national flower of South Korea, mentioned in its national anthem.

Flaming katy

BloomTime:Spring,Winter

Madagascar widow’s-thrill (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana) originates from Madagascar and has been a popular houseplant since the 1930s. Unlike most other succulents that are grown for their interesting leaves, Kalanchoe blossfeldiana is valued for the colorful flowerheads it produces in autumn and winter. This is the reason it is commonly gifted during holidays, earning it another name – Christmas kalanchoe. It is toxic to pets.

Japanese camellia

BloomTime:Spring,Winter

Laurustinus

BloomTime:Spring,Winter

Laurustinus (Viburnum tinus) is a flowering shrub native to the Mediterranean region. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant and it often adorns winter gardens. When little else is growing during cold days of winter, Laurustinus produces numerous clusters of tiny white flowers.

Dieffenbachia

BloomTime:All year around

The focal point of a Dumbcane is the beautiful look and patterns of the foliage, which are often variegated. This plant has showy white blooms, but only flowers in perfect conditions. Use caution, because the Dumbcane is poisonous; if the sap is ingested it can cause muteness for up to two weeks by numbing the throat and vocal cords.

Wax begonia

BloomTime:All year around

Begonia cucullata is a native of South America. It is often used as a ground cover and also does well in containers. The blossoms of Wax begonia can be red, white, or pink. In some states like Florida and Georgia, Wax begonia is considered an invasive species due to its tendency to reseed prolifically in the right conditions.

Arrowhead plant

BloomTime:All year around

How to Get Rid of Snails and Slugs in the Garden

Snails and slugs can ravage your garden and turn your precious plants into spindly sticks almost overnight. To protect your plants, it’s important to get rid of these pests as soon as you spot them.

Infestations of snails or slugs can be devastating for gardeners. Depending on where one lives, both slugs and snails can become a nuisance as they dine on garden plants, causing unsightly holes in foliage, stems and roots. Essentially both are considered mollusks, and since they can multiply quickly by laying eggs, they can overpopulate a garden within a single growing season.

Snails and slugs eat organic matter. Sadly for gardeners, they enjoy both living plants and decaying plants. They tend to be attracted toward plants with thick or succulent leaves and dine on fruit such as tomatoes and strawberries.

Like deer or rabbits, snails and slugs often make the top ten lists of garden pests. While there are dozens of home remedies and myths about eliminating them from our gardens, the truth is that the best if not only way to reduce their damage is to stop them before they do any serious destruction. Keep reading for a few proven methods to try.

Bait and Lures

Organic Chemical Baits

Iron Phosphate Pellets – Often sold as Slug Bait, Iron Phosphate pellets are organic work but only to a point. While safe to use around children and pets, the pellets can take seven days to a few weeks to kill a slug or snail after one consumes it. Some brands of these pellets contain other ingredients such as a weak insecticide like Spinosad, but it is added not to kill slugs or snails but to affect other garden pests that are insects.

Ferric Sodium – The products that contain Ferric Sodium work in much the same way that Iron Phosphate does, but Ferric Sodium it isn’t considered quite organic by many countries. However, Ferric Sodium kills these pests slightly quicker, in about half the time than Iron Phosphate (4-6 days).

Inorganic Chemical Baits

Products that contain metaldehyde are proven to work, often killing both snails and slugs within a few hours, but they are not organic and are toxic if not poisonous if ingested. Use caution around children and pets if you choose to use such baits. Always read and follow the manufacturer’s directions carefully as when and how you use them greatly affects their efficacy. Typically such baits are set out near evening when slugs and snails are more active, and they work best during hot and dry weather, not when temperatures are cold or in heavy rain.

Natural Methods of Elimination

Eliminating Conditions, they Love – Snails and slugs need places to hide and love the undersides of boards, stones, and large flower pots that sit on the ground. While eliminating every hiding plant is impossible, reducing such places as shelters is generally a good first step.

Tape Barriers – Many people insist that barriers that snails and slugs don’t like are an effective way to keep them off of plants, but proceed carefully as copper tape (which presumably emits a low electrical charge that these pests don’t like) can work against you. Copper tape placed around a raised bed might achieve just the opposite effect – trapping the pests within the bed and not outside of it. Also, each plant will need a barrier which is often unpractical. Under the right, controlled conditions, however, copper bands do work.

Other barriers – Clever systems also work, but aren’t always practical. Setting a potted plant elevated above a pan of water will also work, as slugs and snails cannot swim. This may only be useful if you have just a few potted plants, however.

Pans of Beer – While beer baits are a famous trick, the truth is that they do work – to a point. A pie plate with beer poured in it will often attract slugs due to the yeasty scent, but catching a handful of snails or slugs in a garden is often not that effective, and the pans can attract other pests.

Diatomaceous Earth – The use of diatomaceous earth (microscopically sharp natural product) is effective, its use might be impractical for many as bands must be comprised of a totally dry medium and applied at least 1 -3 inched high around a plant. Once damp or wet, the medium loses its effectiveness.

Hand Picking – As disgusting as it may be, many gardeners know that hand-picking slugs and snails and destroying them is often very effective. Wear latex gloves and head out into the garden at night with a flashlight for the greatest success. Drop the victims into a bucket of soapy water and then dispose of them.Plants that Deter or Repel them.

New Biological Controls – New studies are finding that a new predatory snail known as Decollate Snail (Rumina decollata) in known to effectively control some snails species on farms and in orchards. However, its use is still under scrutiny as it can affect native snail populations. Always check with local officials to see if you live in such an area.

Methods that Don’t work – Some myths and methods popular on social media in eliminating slugs and snails have little to no data behind their efficacy. These include the use of Crushed Eggshells Coffee Grounds and no plants proven to repel them.

Flower of the Week: Sweetpea

Despite the name, sweetpea is not just an aromatic pea, but a member of the genus Lathyrus in the Leguminosae family. As a hugely popular ornamental plant, sweetpea has large, bright, richly colored flowers that are distinctively fragrant. The plant blossoms each year in late spring and early summer for several weeks.

With its thin, weak stems, sweetpea is an annual climbing plant that requires fences or lattices for support when planted. Nonetheless, artificially selected sweetpeas have long, straight stalks and make good cut flower material.

A Beautiful Flower From Italy

Although native to southern Italy, Sicily, and the Aegean islands, sweetpea began showing up in European gardens in the late 17th century. The early history of its cultivation is very mysterious. Francisco Cupani was a Sicilian monk and botanist who brought sweetpeas to the attention of Europe when he sent seeds of various colors to the Netherlands and England. When it first hit the market, there were divergent theories about where it came from, with Malta, Sri Lanka, China, and even South America mistakenly identified as its original habitat.

After two centuries of cultivation, a very large number of sweetpea varieties have been developed. Some were adapted to growing in the garden, and others were more suitable for use as cut flowers. At the end of the 19th century, Scottish breeder Henry Eckford greatly enriched the strains of sweetpeas. He cultured more than 150 varieties of sweetpeas in his garden in Wem in Shropshire, England, including the revolutionary large flower line.

Since then, Eckford’s extensive exchanges with the American horticultural community made California one of the centers for sweetpea cultivation. California sweetpea seeds of various colors were not only sold to various parts of the United States, but also supplied in large quantities to the British market.

The Pursuit of Yellow

Sweetpeas are available in a wide range of pastel colors, including blue, orange, pink, white, and have many two-tone and even multi-colored varieties, but there has never been a yellow strain. Horticulturists have been as ardent in their quest for yellow sweetpeas as they have been for blue roses, but have had little success.

In recent years, horticulturists have attempted to hybridize sweetpea with Lathyrus belinensis of the same genus, even employing embryo rescue techniques, to try to introduce the latter’s yellow gene into sweetpeas. The experiment has produced some interesting hybrids, but no stable yellow strains have emerged yet.

A Delightful Aroma

Sweetpeas are known for their aroma, which is “as delightful as the Mediterranean sun.” Their delicate, sweet scents have also led major brands to compete for the release of perfumes with sweetpea among the main notes.

However, the scent of sweetpea in perfume comes from the formulation of other fragrances, not from a direct extract like rose essential oil. The amount of fragrant substances that can be extracted from sweetpeas is too little to be of commercial value to the perfume industry.

Be Careful Of Toxicity

Although both its flowers and seeds are similar to peas, ingesting large amounts of sweetpeas can cause severe osteolathyrism. The toxins contained in sweetpeas affect the formation of collagen, resulting in damage to bones and connective tissues.

Sweetpea pods

However, there is now research looking to turn these toxic substances into useful drugs. For example the toxins might be able to prevent disruption of skin contraction after skin-grafting.

Can I Grow Sweetpea Well?

Sweetpeas are easy to cultivate, requiring just a little extra care. Varieties can be selected according to your needs. The classic varieties tend to have stronger aromas, while new varieties have more colorful flowers.

They prefer to grow in environments with warm winters and cool summers, ample sunlight, and humid air. They have moderate water requirements, are intolerant of waterlogging and frost, and need protection in open-field cultivation. Also, fencing is required in areas where hares are present.

After the final singling of seedlings, each sweetpea plant should be equipped with a climbing pole, and after the plant grows taller than 30 cm, they can be pinched back to promote branching. In the peak growing season, the rapid growth of sweetpea branches require pruning and tendril removal. Overly dense side-branches should also be removed promptly; otherwise, blooming can be hindered. In the flowering season, sweetpeas need a potassium-rich compound fertilizer once a month.

The first round of sweetpea flowers are usually short-stalked and small, and can be cut back to promote the second round of bloom.

Size: 1-2.5 m tall, 0.3-0.6 m wide

Hardiness: USDA Zone 3-9

Light: Full sun, half shade

Soil: Well-drained loamy, sandy, or clay soil, slightly alkaline

Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer. Certain varieties keep blooming until fall.

Flower of the Week: Viticella Group Clematis

Clematis (Clematis spp.), crowned the “Queen of Vine Flowers”, is a family of flowering deciduous climbing plants. With a flowering season that lasts from summer to fall, it can be planted in open fields or in pots to decorate yards or balconies. Clematis flowers can also be appreciated as cut flowers, lasting over a week in clean water.

The cultivars of clematis consist of a complex family, including 12 different groups. Among those, viticella group clematis, belonging to Cultivar Group 3, is a small-flowered variety that became popular in recent years. Compared to the large-flowered clematis which was popular earlier, viticella group clematis flowers are small and plentiful, with a flower diameter of 4-13 cm. Clematis only blooms on the new branches of each year’s growth.

Viticella group clematis originates from Southern Europe. It’s more adaptable to various climates and more disease-resistant, making it perfect for gardening beginners and enthusiasts.

Forming a Scenic Wall of Blossoms

Clematis’s best partner is a wire lattice (with the diameter of the support structures less than 2 cm). When the plant matures, flowers and leaves interweave to form a thick layer of beauty on the wire grid.

Growing clematises and Chinese roses together on the wall of blossoms could create a charming scene. One dark- and the other light-colored, Chinese roses provide vining support to clematises, while clematises fill up the gaps on a wall of Chinese roses. The duo’s flower seasons start and end at different times, but overlap for a period. To supplement the wall of blossoms, try lilies and iris.

Fake Petals

Clematis flowers generally have 4 to 8 “petals,” though there are also double varieties. However, the so-called “petals” of clematis, as with all other ornamental plants in the Ranunculaceae family, are actually calyxes: sepals forming a whorl that encloses the petals and forms a protective layer around a bud. For some double varieties, the ornamental parts include the calyxes and the vestigial stamens.

Popularity Trends Under Artists' Painting Brushes

Quite a number of famous artists have painted clematis-themed subjects, tracing the change in popularity trends of clematis from the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century. Curious which shapes and colors of the flower are more in style in a particular era? Look for answers in the paintings!

Henri Fantin-Latour (France) Rose and Clematis, 1883

Oscar-Claude Monet (France) Clematis, 1897

Alphonse Mucha (Czech) Clematis, 1897-1898

Anna Archer (Denmark) Living Room with Lilac Curtains and Blue Clematis, 1913

Nicolae Tonitza (Romania) Clematis Red Flowers, 1935

Can I Grow Clematis Well?

Clematis likes light but can’t tolerate sunburn. Its succulent roots like loose, air-permeable substrate, prefer moisture, don’t tolerate waterlogging, are cold-resistant, and love a slightly cooler climate. It’s best to grow clematis in sun-facing places with good drainage.

Late Large Flowered Clematis ‘Ville de Lyon’

Choose a seedling with a plump root ball and transplant it to a planting pit bottomed with ample base fertilizers, deep enough so the first two clusters of leaves are fully buried into the ground. Cover with soil carefully, water thoroughly, and cover with a 5 cm-thick layer of organic mulch, such as shredded bark. If the soil is clay-heavy, mix perlite, vermiculite, or sand in the soil to improve its air permeability.

In daily care, keep the soil moist and it well-drained, too, especially in rainstorm-heavy summers. Apply liquid fertilizers once a week from the beginning of the flower season through the end. As the seedlings begin to grow, guide them with gentle ties to the wire lattice or stakes so they grow in the direction you desire.

One of the viticella group clematis’ key features is that its flowers only bloom on the newly-sprouted branches of the year. Thus, pruning needs to be performed in accordance with its variety, considering where flowers may blossom after new branches develop. When pruning, try to keep plump, robust buds beneath the cuts. Remove spent blooms so nutrients promote new ones. In the fall, prune heavily for winter dormancy.

Size: 2-4.5 m tall, 0.5-2 m wide

Hardiness: USDA Hardiness Zones 4-11

Light Duration: Full day to half shade

Soil: Moist, well-drained sandy soil, loam soil, or chalk soil

Blooming Time: Summer

10 Types of Garden Trowel: Which One Do You Need?

Are you confused by all the different types of garden trowel available. Fear not because we’ll cover 10 different types of trowels and what they can be used for. So, the next time you need a trowel for a special purpose, you’ll know exactly which one to choose.

Every gardener needs a garden trowel. If you’re new to gardening and you haven’t got one yet, you might be confused as to which one you need. There are so many different types to choose from. But, are they all the same.

Actually, each type of trowel is designed for different tasks around the garden. So, a trowel is not just a trowel. In fact, there are around ten garden trowel blades and all of them have a slightly different purpose.

If you’re confused, don’t worry. We will explain what each trowel is used for to help you decide which ones you need in your garden.

Traditional Trowel

This is the basic shape and style of garden trowel that has been around for many years. The blade looks like a miniature shovel. It has a rounded tip and slightly curved sides.

This type of trowel is used for digging small holes in the garden to plant seedlings and potted plants and it can also be used when you’re potting into containers. Basically, it’s the foundation model of all garden trowels and definitely one you should have.

Transplanting Trowel

This type of trowel has a long, thin blade with a pointed tip and slightly rounded sides. As the name suggests, it’s mainly used for transplanting seedlings, small plants and bulbs from one position to another in the garden.

This trowel is also useful for when you’re working in confined spaces or you’re transplanting from a small pot into a larger one. Because of the long, thin nature of the blade, it’s also very useful for planting bulbs that only need a small hole.

Dixter Trowel

The dixter trowel has a long, thin blade that is the same width for the length of the blade. The tip is rounded. This trowel is primarily designed for planting into rock gardens as the thinness of the blade allows you to get into tight spaces easily.

The trowel is also commonly used for digging up weeds. The length of the blade allows you to easily get down to the roots of weeds and lever them up out of the ground.

Another use for this trowel is when you want to plant seeds into a drill. You use the tip of the blade to create a narrow drill that you can then plant the seeds into. Then, use the edge of the blade to fill in the drill and lightly tamp down.

Ladle Trowel

The tip of this trowel is quite small and round with curved edges. It also has a long, thin tapered piece that leads to the ladle. This tapered “rod” is curved. The trowel is designed in this way to allow you to dig around a hole and then scoop out the soil. This creates a nice, clean hole for you to plant into.

A common use for this trowel is to plant out bulbs into the garden as well as annual seedlings.

Potting Trowel

Every gardener needs a potting trowel. It’s similar to the traditional trowel, however, the sides are curved up higher to create more of a scoop shape. This is the perfect trowel to use when you’re growing in pots.

It allows you to easily scoop up some potting mix to fill your containers with. The trowel is also useful for re-potting plants into larger containers. The curved edges of the blade allow you to push it into the container and easily scoop out the plant with all its roots intact.

Digging Trowel

A digging trowel has a different shape to the traditional trowel. It features a long, thinner blade with a pointed tip in the shape of an arrow. It’s useful for when you need to dig small stones out of the garden and it allows you to break up the soil with its sharp tip.

Because of this sharp tip, it’s also very useful as a cutting tool for when you need to cut an opening into bags of potting mix or compost.

Tulip Trowel

As the name suggests, the blade on this trowel is shaped like a tulip with three sharp points and rounded sides to create a deep dish. It’s designed for gardeners who have to work with heavy clay.

The sharp tips allow you to break up the clay and dig holes for planting your seedlings into.

Weeding Trowel

A weeding trowel really does make weeding easier and you definitely shouldn’t be without one of these. It features a long, thin blade much like the dixter trowel but with a forked end.

This tip allows you to dig underneath the weed and cut through the roots before pulling it out. If you use it correctly, you should be able to lift out the weed, roots and all, without too much tugging.

Tissot Trowel

This is an interesting looking trowel for a very specific use. It has a very wide blade with a V-shaped tip. It is primarily designed for dividing up large clumps of plants with rhizomes like orchids or clivias.

It can also be quite useful for digging into hard clay when you want to create some planting holes.

Planting Trowel

You guessed it! The planting trowel is designed to plant out seedlings into the garden or into containers such as hanging baskets. It is smaller than the traditional trowel with a diamond shaped flat blade that has a pointed tip.

Final Thoughts

So now you have a better understanding of all the different types of trowels available and what their individual purpose is. Not every gardener will need each one of these trowels but most will want to have more than one.

When purchasing a trowel, make sure that you get the best quality trowel you can afford. Avoid trowels with plastic blades as these will break over time. It’s best to invest in a well-made trowel that has a coated steel blade.

If you choose wisely, your garden trowels should last you a lifetime.

Is Fertigation Good for My Garden? Pros and Cons

Is Fertigation Good For My Garden? Pros and Cons

A mix of fertilization and irrigation, fertigation can be a garden game changer. Learn all about fertigation and decide if it is a good fit for your garden.

If you’ve never heard of fertigation before, don’t worry! By the time you’ve read this entire article you’ll basically be an expert, and you can decide whether it is something you want to use in your garden or not.

What Is Fertigation?

Well, as you may have guessed from the name, fertigation is a combination of fertilization and irrigation. This way of delivering nutrients to plants is most commonly used in hydroponic farming operations, because hydroponic systems use no soil at all and rely on water-soluble fertilizers to nourish crops. But fertigation has much broader application potential than hydroponic systems. Read on to learn all about how fertigation works, what options there are, and how to use it in your own garden.

How Fertigation Works

Many gardeners feed their plants with granulated, time-released fertilizers that are broadcast onto the soil surface. This approach, while convenient, poses a few problems. For one, it is very difficult to control or calculate the amount of fertilizer plants actually get, because a hard rainfall or lack of rain can affect the release of fertilizer to the soil. Another significant issue is that heavy rain can wash out the fertilizer into gutters and wastewater systems, contaminating waterways. Even gardeners who use organic means of fertilizing may find that the compost they use to top dress planting beds does not adequately feed the plants below because it takes a long time to work!

Fertigation solves these problems by delivering the two things plants need most at the same time. The principles behind fertigation are simple: by using fertilizer dissolved into water, plants receive a precise amount of nutrients directly to their root zones. Less fertilizer is wasted, and plants produce higher yields.

How and Where Is Fertigation Used?

Fertigation can be applied in several different ways:

Overhead spray irrigation is something seen often in agriculture and in lawn sprinkler systems. Incidentally, lawns respond extremely well to fertigation, and are an ideal residential application of this method. A typical lawn should be fertigated up to four times per year, during the growing season.
Hand-application system uses a siphon mixer that screws onto a hose bib and distributes a specific amount of water-soluble fertilizer into the water as it is sprayed from a nozzle. This is a practical way to use fertigation in a garden where a number of ornamental plants have the same nutrient requirements. It gives an exceptionally high level of control over which plants get fertilized and how much water and fertilizer they receive.
Drip irrigation systems are commonly used in row crops and ornamental gardens, and offer the advantages of keeping leaves dry, minimizing evaporation, and eliminating issues with overspray. In order to fertigate in a drip system, you need a fertilizer injector system and a backflow preventer. This is an efficient way to fertigate gardens where most of the plants have similar nutrient needs.

In addition to being efficient, fertigation also allows you to more closely control the amount of microelements that are delivered to a garden—useful because these are expensive. Fertigation makes a lot of sense in agricultural settings where consistency and high crop yields are the top priorities and irrigation systems are already present. Farmers usually deal with large-scale areas where wasted fertilizer is detrimental to the environment and costly to the business. Fertigation is a straightforward way for agricultural growers to improve outcomes.

Drawbacks of Fertigation

Fertigation may not hold the same appeal for home gardeners that it does for farmers. Unlike an agricultural field, a garden contains many different types of plants, each with different, specific nutrient needs.

Corrosive Solutions

Chemical fertilizers applied in a spray irrigation system can be damaging to the paint on cars and houses, and fertilizer that isn’t properly dissolved into water can burn leaves that it’s been applied to.

Additional Equipment

To fertigate a lawn, you need to already have an irrigation system installed or are considering installing one. Irrigation systems can be expensive to install because they require lines, emitters, pumps, valves, and a controller—all of which typically must be installed by a licensed professional. Fertigation systems need to have a backflow preventer as well.

Local Restrictions

In drought-prone areas there may be restrictions on how often you can use irrigation in the summer, preventing you from fertigating when your lawn needs it most.

That being said, fertigation can be extremely effectively as long as it is used properly and on plants that have similar requirements.

Is Fertigation for You?

Despite drawbacks, fertigation can be an efficient way to feed lawns and gardens in some situations. If you have an existing lawn sprinkler system with a backflow preventer, then fertigation offers an excellent alternative to broadcasting granulated fertilizer onto the lawn. If you’ve struggled with coordinating the timing of your irrigation and fertilization in the past, then fertigation may provide you with the right balance of water and nutrients at the right time.

Hand fertigation is an expensive method for delivering nutrients to your ornamental beds. If you are a dedicated gardener, or if you live in a region where drought means water restrictions are a part of your life, this may be the ideal solution to your summer water limitations.

And for vegetable gardens with drip irrigation systems, fertigation can deliver the right nutrients to the roots of your plants, giving you an outstanding yield.

The bottom line is that fertigation has some very practical applications, and can be useful in the right setting. Do your research to decide if it is good for your garden.