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Directions for Using Seasol. Seasol is a seaweed product produced in Australia. It is a blend of two kinds of seaweed: bull kelp (Durvillaea potatorum), an ocean kelp that grows off the coast of Tasmania, and knotted kelp (Ascophyllum nodosum), which grows in shallow, intertidal areas of the North Atlantic Ocean. Seasol’s only active ingredient is potassium hydroxide, at 0.5 percent.
Read MoreHow to Landscape a Garden in 1930s Style. Creating a 1930s garden will take some digging to see examples, but it's not too difficult to find photographs of period homes that include the gardens surrounding them. Take the photos to your local nursery for help identifying the plants, or hire a landscape designer who specializes in period gardens. Vestiges of the 1930s may still exist in the garden, such as paths, patios, fences or outbuildings, as well as mature trees and shrubs. Use these as a basis for re-landscaping.
Read MoreCan You Cut Back an Endless Summer Hydrangea?. In the mid-1980s, a propagator at Bailey Nurseries in Minnesota noticed that one of the nursery’s hydrangeas was setting buds on its new growth. Most bigleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) bloom from buds set the previous fall. Bailey Nurseries introduced “Endless Summer” (Hydrangea macrophylla “Bailmer”) in 2004. “Endless Summer,” known for cold hardiness as well as repeat bloom, grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 9.
Read MoreDwarf Loropetalum Shrub Size. Loropetalum chinense, commonly known as Chinese fringe flower because of its airy blooms and Asian origins, is a member of the witchhazel family (Hamamelidaceae). Both full-size and dwarf cultivars of the shrub are winter-hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 7 through 10. In zones 9 and 10, they are reliably evergreen. A full-size Chinese fringe flower shrub quickly reaches 10 to 15 feet tall and wide, and a dwarf cultivar ranges from 1 to 5 feet tall and 3 to 5 feet wide.
Read MoreFemale vs. Male Chinese Pistachio. The Chinese pistache tree (Pistacia chinensis) is a large, deciduous ornamental shade tree with brilliant fall color. It doesn’t produce pistachio nuts, although it is commonly used as the rootstock for grafting the pistachio nut tree (Pistacia vera). It is a long-lived tree that grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6 through 9.
Read MoreItalian Cypress Substitute. Italian cypress trees (Cupressus sempervirens) provide the stately spires that are the hallmark of formal Italian gardens. Used for hedges, to line a driveway or as punctuation points in a landscape, they grow slowly to 70 feet tall, yet stay only about 10 feet wide. They don’t grow in all climates and need summer heat and low humidity. While they grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 7 through 10, in areas with cool summers, you may have better luck with a lookalike tree.
Read MoreWhat Is the Difference Between a Horse Chestnut & a Chestnut Tree?. The tree with the common name “horse chestnut” isn’t a chestnut tree at all. Its botanical name is Aesculus hippocastanum, and it belongs to the Sapindaceae family, which also includes maples. The native American chestnut tree, which is nearly extinct in the United States because of a fungal disease, is Castanea dentata, a member of the Fagaceae, or beech, family. A third tree, the Ohio buckeye (Aesculus glabra), also produces nuts that are sometimes called horse chestnuts.
Read MoreFuyu Persimmon Tree Facts. “Fuyu” persimmon (Diospyros kaka “Fuyu”) is a Japanese persimmon variety that thrives in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 7 through 10. The tree is valued for its year-round ornamental qualities, which include the round, deep orange fruit decorating its bare branches in late fall, after the colorful fall leaves drop. The fruit is tasty and sweet.
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