Dawn Walls-Thumma

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Garden Guides uses a knowledgeable team of editors, writers, and experts to create all our content. We dive deep into the ever-evolving conversations surrounding gardening and landscaping, striving to deliver the most current and helpful tips, strengthened by expert insight and tutorials from our talented team.

As we cover many fields of expertise, we make it a priority to ensure every beat remains fresh and comprehensive. Additional information on our editorial process available here.

Stories By Dawn Walls-Thumma

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    Produce By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 4th, 2022

    How Aquarium Lights Affect Potted Plants

    How Aquarium Lights Affect Potted Plants. For many homeowners, keeping houseplants means considering how to provide light for those plants. Even sunny windows sometimes won't provide enough light, necessitating supplementation with artificial light. Aquarium lights are compact, easy to find and inexpensive, making them a tempting choice when selecting lights for your houseplants. Make sure you know how the type of light you choose will affect plant growth before installing a new lighting system for your plants.

    By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 4th, 2022 Read More
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    Trees By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022

    The Meaning Of A Cedar Tree

    The Meaning of a Cedar Tree. Cedar trees, which produce cones and have fragrant, reddish wood, are a totem for many cultures. Cedar trees are mentioned in the Bible and by classical writers who were enthralled by the tree's size and majesty.

    By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022 Read More
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    Produce By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022

    How Sunflower Seeds Are Dispersed

    How Sunflower Seeds Are Dispersed. The sunflower family, known to botanists as Asteraceae, is the largest family of flowering plants on Earth, including species like daisies, asters and thistles. In some regions, sunflowers account for up to 20 percent of the plant life. Sunflowers share in common a radial flower structure, the petals arranged around the center of the flower like rays around a sun. All flowering plants bear seeds, and seed dispersal is one of the adaptations that account for a plant's reproductive success.

    By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022 Read More
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    Produce By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022

    Sooty Mold On An Aloe Vera Plant

    Sooty Mold on an Aloe Vera Plant. The aloe vera plant is attractive, useful and easy to care for. With its thick, uplifted arms in a shade of pale green, it tends to attract positive attention. But some homeowners find their beautiful aloe plants beginning to develop an ugly black fuzz. Even if they wipe it away, it comes back heavier than before. Sooty mold is the problem, and it is related to insect infestation on your aloe plant.

    By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022 Read More
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    Flowers
    Flowers By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022

    The Significance Of The Herb Sage

    The Significance of the Herb Sage. According to ancient herbalists, people who drink sage tea never grow old. Native to the Mediterranean region, both herbalists and cooks prize the long silvery-green leaves of the culinary sage plant, which grows as a small shrub and sends up stalks of pale purple flowers in the spring. Sage belongs to the genus Salvia, meaning "to save," and with varieties found around the world, it is not surprising that this medicinal herb has a storied history.

    By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022 Read More
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    Produce By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022

    Incandescent Light Vs. Sunlight For Plant Growth

    Incandescent Light Vs. Sunlight for Plant Growth. You don't need a green thumb to know that your houseplants need light. However, many homeowners are not sure what kind of light to provide their plants, how to provide light or in what quantities. Poorly lit plants give disappointing results, growing spindly or failing to flower. If the choices for your houseplants are incandescent lighting or natural sunlight, sunlight will prove the better choice in most circumstances.

    By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022 Read More
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    Flowers
    Flowers By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022

    A List Of Flowers In Scotland

    A List of Flowers in Scotland. In the relatively mild conditions of Scotland, flowers bloom in some places year-round, although, as expected, they are far more common during the spring and summer. At the same time, Scotland's rich historic and folkloric past mean that Scottish flowers are often especially meaningful, featuring stories and traditions.

    By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022 Read More
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    Flowers By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022

    How To Identify Pennsylvania Ferns

    How to Identify Pennsylvania Ferns. Ferns generally grow in the cool shade beneath towering forest trees, where they can easily obtain the water they rely on for reproduction. Although they do not produce flowers, their delicate, feathery foliage adds interesting accents to landscapes. In particular, using native ferns allows you to use plants particularly adapted to conditions in the state of Pennsylvania. And, if you're a Pennsylvania fern fan, you're in luck. The Native Plant Information Network lists 65 fern species that grow in Pennsylvania, giving Pennsylvania gardeners a range to choose from. The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources specifies four species in particular that grow widely throughout the state.

    By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022 Read More
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    Produce By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022

    How To Use Unfinished Compost In Planting Bed

    How to Use Unfinished Compost in Planting Bed. Composting is a natural process during which soil microbes break down plant and animal matter into healthy, nutrient-rich soil. Kitchen scraps and yard waste make excellent compost, leading many gardeners to pursue composting as an inexpensive and eco-friendly alternative to conventional fertilizers. Because it relies on microbes to do all of the work, the breakdown of ingredients may take weeks, even months, depending on conditions. While using immature compost is generally not advisable--the University of Illinois Extension points out that soil microbes will compete with plants for nitrogen and stunt their growth--some crops thrive in what is known as "lasagna composting," and unfinished compost makes an excellent mulch.

    By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022 Read More
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    Produce By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022

    Difference In Seeds And Bulbs

    Difference in Seeds and Bulbs. To the gardener at planting season, there is little difference between seeds and bulbs. From both, new plant growth arises, and both are handled similarly. From a botanical standpoint, however, seeds and bulbs are different structures, and although they overlap some in purpose, they serve the plant differently as well.

    By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022 Read More
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    Trees
    Trees By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022

    Facts About Olive Tree Flowers

    Facts About Olive Tree Flowers. Since ancient times, olives have been treasured for their savory fruits, which also produce oil valued for cooking and fuel. Before the formation of tasty, jet black fruits, however, olive trees develop flowers, from which olives form. The olive flower is distinct in its appearance, growth requirements and reproductive habits.

    By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022 Read More
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    Produce By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022

    Root Rot Of A Rubber Tree

    Root Rot of a Rubber Tree. The rubber tree or rubber plant is the common name of the species Ficus elastica, commonly grown as a houseplant. The rubber plant grows well in a variety of conditions and is easy to care for, according to Karen Russ and Bob Polomski of the Clemson Cooperative Extension, concluding that it is an excellent choice as a houseplant. One problem with your rubber plant is root rot.

    By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022 Read More
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    Produce By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022

    Alum Treatment Of Soil

    Alum Treatment of Soil. High-pH or alkaline soils will not allow most plants to grow well, as high pH can cause nutritional deficiencies. In addition, some species -- such as rhododendrons and blueberries -- require a low-pH or acidic soil to grow properly. Gardeners often use aluminum sulfate -- a chemical commonly referred to as alum -- to lower the pH of garden soils.

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    Produce By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022

    What Are The Four Phyla Of The Plant Kingdom?

    What Are the Four Phyla of the Plant Kingdom?. Some 475 million years ago, algae washed ashore into a moist, protected nook and developed as the first land plant. Since then, species have gone extinct and the very shape of the world has changed, but the plants have remained, adapting to each new challenge with increasing complexity and variety. Today, botanists recognize four broad classifications within the plant kingdom that show the plants' storied march through time.

    By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022 Read More
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    Produce By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022

    Venus Fly Trap Classification

    Venus Fly Trap Classification. Venus flytraps are small, carnivorous plants native to boggy regions in North and South Carolina, although overcollecting of the plants has caused them to become a threatened species. Venus flytraps are popular and easy-to-care-for houseplants. The plant was given its name because when an insect lands on one of the plant's leaves and touches a small trigger hair, the plant clamps shut and secretes juices that digest the insect. Because Venus flytraps tend to live in poor soil, insects provide them with supplemental nutrition. Like all plants, a Venus flaytrap's classification begins with the Plant Kingdom.

    By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022 Read More
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    Produce By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022

    Heirloom Oat Varieties

    Heirloom Oat Varieties. Heirloom crops have been in existence for generations, arriving to us now as seeds carefully selected, cultivated and treasured by our ancestors. Heirloom varieties demonstrate great variety in terms of appearance, taste and the conditions they will tolerate. As farmer Jennifer Greene explains on an episode of "America's Heartland," heirloom oats are one way to connect people to the land that feeds them. In addition to their use as a food crop, oats are also a suitable cover crop, naturally restoring soil fertility during the off-season.

    By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022 Read More
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    Trees
    Trees By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022

    Hardwood Tree Leaf Identification

    Hardwood Tree Leaf Identification. So you have a leaf in hand and you want to know what it is. Chances are, the leaf belongs to a hardwood tree, also known as deciduous trees, which belong to the same group as flowering plants. Fortunately, when identifying a hardwood tree, the leaves provide some of the best clues that will help you to reach a reliable conclusion.

    By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022 Read More
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    Produce By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022

    The Seven Life Processes Of A Plant

    The Seven Life Processes of a Plant. When you think of life, you probably think of animal life: running, hiding, breathing and feeding. Plant life, in comparison, takes such different forms that it can become challenging to understand how plants carry out the seven processes that define life. Closely observing plant life reveals sometimes surprising connections to our own existences.

    By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022 Read More
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    Produce By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022

    Hydroponics & Beans

    Hydroponics & Beans. Nothing tastes better than home-grown vegetables. Many people, however, find themselves without space to grow vegetables, and in many regions, vegetable gardening is confined to a short season, leaving gardeners without a source of fresh produce throughout the rest of the year. Hydroponics offers one indoor-growing solution, and beans are among the most successful hydroponic crops, even for the beginner.

    By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022 Read More
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    Produce By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022

    Life Cycle Of A Heterosporous Plant

    Life Cycle of a Heterosporous Plant. Heterospory refers to an adaptation seen in later-evolved plants--all seed plants and some ferns--in which spores develop in two different sizes and complete separate reproductive functions. Heterospory represents a drastic change from homospory in how plants complete their life cycle and achieve reproductive success, producing fertile offspring that grow to produce their own offspring.

    By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022 Read More
  • Trees
    Trees By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022

    Difference Between Fraser & Balsam Fir

    Difference Between Fraser & Balsam Fir. According to Dr. Craig R. McKinley of the National Christmas Tree Association, the Fraser and balsam fir trees are so similar that some researchers suggest they may have had the same origins. Distinguishing the trees based on appearance is difficult. The primary difference lies in where the trees prefer to grow.

    By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022 Read More
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    Flowers
    Flowers By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022

    Difference Between Flowering & Non Flowering Plants

    Difference Between Flowering & Non Flowering Plants. Flowering plants, also called angiosperms, are the most diverse group of plants on earth, with over a quarter million species in 435 families. What sets angiosperms apart extends beyond the presence of often bright, showy blossoms when compared to their more demure, non-flowering relatives. Flowers signify differences in reproduction and evolution between different types of plants.

    By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022 Read More
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    Produce By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022

    What Is The Function Of Seeds And Spores In Plants?

    What Is the Function of Seeds and Spores in Plants?. Seeds and spores allow plants to reproduce. When a seed or a spore falls to the ground and conditions are right, it will grow into a new adult plant. However, seeds and spores are not the same thing. Not only do plants differ with respect to their reproductive methods, seeds and spores also represent important steps along the evolution of the plant kingdom that exemplify how plants have adapted to life on land.

    By Dawn Walls-Thumma November 3rd, 2022 Read More