How To Tell The Difference Between A Tree & A Weed
How to Tell the Difference Between a Tree & a Weed
Read MoreHollan Johnson
Garden Guides Editorial Policies
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 Hollan Johnson
-
-
How To Winterize Creeping Jenny
How to Winterize Creeping Jenny. Creeping Jenny is thought to be invasive in most of the United States. However, many people still plant it in their gardens because it makes nice ground cover. It is hardy through zones 2 to 10, so it can stand a lot of climate variety. In warmer climates, creeping Jenny is an evergreen instead of a perennial. However, in colder climates, winterizing creeping Jenny is needed. Winter care for creeping Jenny is very simple though.
Read More -
How To Cut Back A Perennial Hollyhock Flower
How to Cut Back a Perennial Hollyhock Flower. Hollyhocks are old and lovely plants that look great in farm and cottage gardens. They have tall stalks, reaching six to eight feet in height, covered in colorful blooms. While hollyhocks are biennials, they can be treated as perennials and will grow back for several years if they are properly cared for. Cutting back perennial hollyhocks is what helps these lovely flowers survive for more than two years.
Read More -
How To Prune Nellie Stevens Holly
How to Prune Nellie Stevens Holly. The Nellie R. Stevens holly is a cross between a Chinese holly and an English holly, according to the University of Arkansas, and it is grown as an ornamental tree or shrub. They grow well in warm climates, from USDA hardiness zones 6 to 9, and have very dense growth, making them perfect hedge plants. Nellie R. Stevens hollies reach heights of 30 feet with a spread up to 15 feet wide. Like other hollies, they do not require much pruning to keep it in shape.
Read More -
How To Add Flower Petals To Worm Composter
How to Add Flower Petals to Worm Composter. Worm composting, also known as vermicomposting, is a method in which red earthworms are used to compost waste. According to Fine Gardening, worms can recycle your garbage and turn it into rich compost for your garden in just 60 days. You can feed compost worms any plant-based material, eggshells, coffee grounds and tea. Flower petals are a good addition to compost and can easily be added with just a few precautions.
Read More -
How To Clean Muddy Pool Water
How to Clean Muddy Pool Water. Mud can get into a swimming pool from mudslides, windstorms or heavy rain. Whatever the cause, a muddy pool is an unsightly mess. Skimmers and filters won’t be able to remove all the mud from your pool without help. Adding flocculants to your pool will allow the filter to pick up all of the mud. The flocculants bind with the small mud particles, making them larger so the filter and skimmers can pick them up.
Read More -
How To Use A Soil Conditioner
How to Use a Soil Conditioner. Soil conditioners are additives you put in your soil to improve its quality for the plants you want to grow in it. There is a wide range of soil conditioners, from manure and compost to lime and sulfur. Even mulch is a soil conditioner since it actively improves your soil. According to Cornell University, you should add soil conditioners before you plant your garden and then as often as you can after that, if you are using organic matter as a soil conditioner.
Read More -
How To Put Sand In A Crawl Space
How to Put Sand in a Crawl Space. Crawl spaces are areas under a house that are used for storage or to allow access to the pipes that run under the house. Most crawl spaces are unfinished, with just dirt or concrete on the ground, and they can grow humid or flood at times. To combat the humidity in a crawl space, you can add sand to the floor. This absorbs moisture and cuts down on the humidity.
Read More -
How To Winterize Rose Of Sharon
How to Winterize Rose of Sharon. Rose of Sharon is not a rose at all. It is a member of the Hibiscus family, and it looks just as tropical as its cousins. With large delicate flowers sprouting all over it in the summer, it is a lovely plant. Some varieties are even hardy through zones 4 to 9 although most can only stand the winter in zone 5. While warmer climates need not worry, zones 4 to 6 should winterize Rose of Sharon to give it proper winter protection.
Read More -
How To Grow Sweet Fruit Trees
How to Grow Sweet Fruit Trees. Growing fruit trees in your yard is a great way to save money and enjoy fresh fruit, and you need not be confined to apple or plum. You can grow peaches, cherries or pears as well. While all fruit trees have different growing requirements and USDA hardiness zones, they do have some things in common, like planting and site preparation.
Read More -
How To Prune Blue Fescue
How to Prune Blue Fescue. Blue fescue is a commonly grown ornamental grass. According to the University of Arkansas, blue fescue is a cool-season perennial grass with blue-gray leaves. It is hardy between USDA zones 4 and 9 and grows from 6 to 10 inches tall. Blue fescue prefers to grow in full sun and needs well-drained soil in which to thrive. It grows in a small mound, which makes it perfect for borders or as a backdrop to showy plants.
Read More -
How To Treat A Mock Orange Tree For Winter
How to Treat a Mock Orange Tree for Winter. The mock orange is a deciduous flowering shrub that is native to Europe, according to the University of Illinois. It grows in full sun with well-drained, moist soil, and it can handle alkaline soil. Hardy to USDA Zones 4 through 8, the mock orange grows to about 10 to 12 feet tall and 10 to 12 feet wide. It flowers in the spring with white or pink blooms, depending on the variety. Come winter, this shrub will need some protecting if you live in a cold area.
Read More -
How To Grow Fuji Apple Trees
How to Grow Fuji Apple Trees. Fuji apples were created in Japan as a mixture between Red Delicious and Ralls Genet. Worldwide, they are one of the most popular apples. With their sweet crispy flesh, they taste great right off the tree, although they aren't thought of as a good cooking apple. With hardiness from zone six through nine, they will grow in nearly any climate of the U.S. However, if you want your Fuji apple to tree to bear fruit you will have to plant another variety of apple tree along with it so they can pollinate each other. Rome and Braeburn are both good choices with which to do so.
Read More -
How To Prune Woods' Rose
How to Prune Woods' Rose. Woods' rose is a wild shrub rose native to North America. They grow naturally all over the western U.S. and up into Canada. While their blooms are not as complex as modern roses, with only five petals per flower, they are still a lovely plant. They also produce rose hips that stay on the bush during the winter and provide wildlife with much needed food. It is hardy through zones 4 to 8. Prune woods' rose lightly in order to get the best out of it.
Read More -
Soil Requirements For Almond Trees
Soil Requirements for Almond Trees. According to University of California, Davis, almond trees are deciduous trees which are a part of the rose family. They have been grown by humans for thousands of years and do best in Mediterranean climates. Arbor Day, the tree foundation, states that most almond trees grow well in USDA Hardiness Zones 5 through 8 and reach heights of 20 feet with a 15 feet spread. Almond trees require the proper type of soil to grow well.
Read More -
How To Grow Navel Orange Trees
How to Grow Navel Orange Trees. Navel oranges are familiar to almost everyone as the oranges you find in the super market. While Valencia oranges are used for juice making, navel oranges are grown mostly for their fruit. While oranges are native to India, navel oranges are a hybrid of sweet oranges, created in Brazil. They are the hardiest of all oranges grown and do well in light frosts, so long as they are protected. There are a few varieties to choose from, many that will remain hardy in USDA zones 8 to 11. Navel orange trees are easy to grow in the right climate.
Read More -
Types Of Avocado Trees
Types of Avocado Trees. Avocados are large fruit that are classed as berries. They grow on evergreen trees that can reach heights of 40 to 80 feet tall, according to the University of Hawaii. The avocado tree is native to tropical and subtropical areas in Central America, from Southern Mexico through Guatemala. As tropical and subtropical plants, avocado trees need warm, mild weather in which to thrive. Avocado varieties are split up into three main groups.
Read More -
Characteristics Of The Banana Fruit
Characteristics of the Banana Fruit. Bananas come from banana plants, an herbaceous perennial that grows quickly. They are native to Indo-Malaysia, but are now grown all over the world in tropical and sub-tropical regions as one of the largest cash crops on the market. Banana plants need warm weather to bear fruit, as it takes 10 to 15 months for the plant just to produce a flower stalk. Once the banana has a flower stalk the female flowers bear banana fruit, much like that seen in the grocery store. Interestingly, bananas are classified as a berry and not a fruit.
Read More -
How To Divide Bamboo Plants
How to Divide Bamboo Plants. Bamboo is a type of grass that adds an Asian vibe to any garden. While bamboo can be expensive, it also is a great barrier plant that can provide a lot of privacy. If your bamboo is outgrowing its bounds or you just want to get the most of the new bamboo, dividing it is the way to go. Bamboo is a tough plant and can take quite a bit of abuse, so little care is needed when cutting it apart.
Read More -
How To Care For Crabapple Trees
How to Care for Crabapple Trees. Crab apple trees are similar to apple trees, only they have much smaller fruit. Also, unlike apples, crab apples are usually left on the tree for birds to eat and not harvested. However, they still make a lovely yard tree. They offer a plethora of flowers in the spring. Then in the fall, they bear colorful fruit as the leaves change. Crab apple trees are hardy to Zone 4. Crab apple tree care is similar to apple tree care, except that crab apple trees are less fussy.
Read More -
How To Grow Hollyhocks From Seed
How to Grow Hollyhocks From Seed. Growing hollyhocks from seeds is probably the easiest way to incorporate these China natives into your garden. While hollyhocks are usually biennials in USDA zones 3 to 8, they can be grown as annuals or perennials as well. These beauties can grow from 6 to 10 feet tall, with lovely large flowers covering them during the summer months. Their blossoms come in a myriad of colors, from red to pink to white.
Read More -
The Average Cost Of Tree Care Insurance
The Average Cost of Tree Care Insurance. Tree care companies do the dangerous work of maintaining tall trees around your yard. They prune large branches, cut trees back from power lines and even fell trees that are dead or damaged. However, if there is an accident on your property you can be held responsible if the tree care company didn’t have insurance. Adequate tree care insurance should cover many different items.
Read More -
The Best Soil Amendments For Gardens With Clay
The Best Soil Amendments for Gardens With Clay. Clay soil is soil made up of over 50 percent of clay. If you have clay soil, things aren't all bad. Clay soil holds in moisture well and contains a lot of nutrients, which your garden needs. However, clay soil also drains slowly and has very little air in it. There are soil amendments for clay soil that will improve the aeration and drainage of your garden over time.
Read More -
How To Build A Fertilizer Injector
How to Build a Fertilizer Injector. A fertilizer injector is a tank hooked up to your watering system that puts fertilizer into the water. This allows you to both water your plants and fertilize them at the same time. Fertilizer injectors only work with chemical fertilizers that are water soluble, not organic fertilizers. Building your own fertilizer injector is possible, but it won’t have all the fancy features of an expensive fertilizer injector that you could buy.
Read More -
How To Wire Tractor Lights
How to Wire Tractor Lights. If your tractor needs more light, either in the back or the front, you can install additional lights with little problem. The tractor’s battery will power the lights after you attach the lights' wires to the magnetron. The magnetron is the tractor’s generator. You can wire lights directly to a battery, allowing you to run the lights when the tractor's motor is off. Wiring lights to the magnetron means the lights will work only when the tractor is powered on.
Read More -
How Can I Care For Creeping Charlie House Plants?
How Can I Care for Creeping Charlie House Plants?. Creeping Charlie, also known as Pilea nummulariifolia, according to the University of Florida, is part of the Pilea family of plants that are found in tropical regions all over the world. Creeping Charlie grows natively in the Caribbean, and it may be considered a weed in your yard, but it is also used as a houseplant. Creeping Charlie has an attractive ivy-like feel to it and works well in hanging baskets.
Read More -
How To Prepare Aster Flowers For Winter
How to Prepare Aster Flowers for Winter. Asters, also known as Michaelmas daisies, are fall-blooming perennials that come in a large variety of colors and sizes, according to the University of Illinois. Asters can range in size from 6 inches to 6 feet tall, although in most cases the taller varieties need to be staked. Asters grow best in full sun with well-drained soil that is kept moist. Even though asters bloom in the fall, they still need winter protection.
Read More
