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How to Grow a Balsa Tree. Ochroma pyramidale is the scientific name for the balsa tree. This evergreen tree grows naturally in warm, humid areas within Central and South America. Balsa trees require tropical climates with high levels of humidity. These trees can reach a mature height of 60 to 90 feet within 10 years. With proper care, you can enjoy this fast-growing evergreen in your own tropical landscape.
Read MoreHow to Revive a Dying Pothos. Recognized for its quick and easy growth, the pothos plant makes a great houseplant for beginners and seasoned gardeners. Pothos, also known as devil's ivy, closely resembles philodendron and exhibits similar growing habits and soil requirements. Pothos plants display mottled, heart-shaped leaves along twining stems. Like all houseplants, the pothos plant occasionally suffers from adverse conditions and neglect. Revive your dying pothos plant by supplying the necessary elements required for healthy growth.
Read MoreLeaves are Falling Off My Japanese Maple. Japanese maple trees are small ornamental trees that seldom grow taller than 20 feet. Favored by homeowners for their attractive foliage, Japanese maples have multiple branches that produce serrated leaves. In the autumn, these leaves turn vibrant shades of orange, red and yellow, creating a focal point in the landscape. Poor growing conditions, inadequate moisture and pest infestations can lead to leaf drop.
Read MoreHow to Cover a Dogwood Tree. Dogwood trees produce attractive blossoms in the springtime and small berries in the fall. These berries often remain on the tree throughout the winter, providing fresh food for birds. These trees grow about 30 feet high. Dogwoods thrive in many areas of the central and eastern United States. These trees prefer moderate climates and may suffer in areas with freezing temperatures. Dogwoods require protection during cold snaps and hard frosts.
Read MoreAcreage Landscaping Ideas. Suburban and city landscaping differs from rural landscaping. Where a few types of shrubs and flowers provide adequate landscape plants in small yards, rural homes near farmland and homes on acreage require additional consideration. Design your acreage landscape by contemplating your site's existing characteristics. Determine the amount of space you require to implement windbreaks, outbuildings and gardens. Many rural properties require protection from the elements. A good landscape design for large areas of land requires careful planning.
Read MoreHow to Transplant Aspen Trees. Aspen trees (Populus tremuloides) are small to medium-sized trees. The leaves on these deciduous trees flutter in the slightest breeze, creating the appearance of trembling or quaking. In nature, aspen trees quickly cover areas of the land lost to forest fires, erosion and logging practices. Because of their interesting appearance, as well as their ability to grow rapidly, aspen trees make good choices in many landscape designs in areas with cool climates.
Read MoreGrowing Hops in Texas. The state of Texas produces millions of barrels of beer annually. Many craft brewers and microbreweries, as well as home-brewers, grow their own hops (Humulus lupulus) locally. Hops produce an oily substance, known as lupulin, commonly used as a flavoring in beer. In addition to their usefulness in beer production, these tall vines add interest and greenery to yards and landscapes. With proper care, these vines often reach between 15 and 20 feet in height in Texas.
Read MoreHow to Cultivate Wild Black Raspberries From Seeds. Wild black raspberry patches are a source of food for both wildlife and humans. Cultivating the same varieties from seed gathered in the countryside allows you to bring the wild berries a little closer to home. Although these plants propagate fastest from root divisions and vegetative cuttings, they also reproduce readily and easily from seeds.
Read MoreTips on Removing a Lawn With a Sod Cutter. Although planting a new lawn can be a time-consuming venture, removing a mature lawn can also present challenges. The best method for removing an existing lawn is by using a sod cutter. This tool can help you lift sections of your mature lawn, including the grass blades, root sections and surrounding soil. This method of lawn removal allows you to transplant sod to other areas of your landscape, avoiding unnecessary waste. Like many landscaping tasks, this procedure requires some time and effort.
Read MoreHow to Grow Grass in the Woods. Grass requires some necessary elements for optimum growth and color. Although hundreds of varieties of grass exist, all types require adequate amounts of water, light and nutrients. Many varieties of grass require full sunlight and often suffer and die in shady areas. A few types flourish in areas that receive modest amounts of sunlight. Growing healthy lawns in wooded areas requires careful grass selection. Growing grass in shady areas also involves proper site preparation and planting techniques.
Read MoreHow to Take Care of Water Canna. Ponds and water gardens enhance landscapes and create the impression of an oasis. These gardens require special plants that appreciate the humid environment surrounding the water and the damp, boggy soil. Water canna (Thalia) thrives in the moist environment of a water garden. These plants produce clusters of blossoms on the tops of their tall stalks. Water cannas add a graceful touch to boggy areas. To care for water cannas, place them in a pot and plant the pot near the water's edge.
Read MoreFacts About the North Star Cherry Tree. Few trees add both ornamental beauty to the landscape and fresh flavor to your table to the degree that the North Star cherry does, with its homegrown cherries you can pluck straight off the tree. Cherry trees come in two main categories -- sweet and tart. The North Star cherry tree is a type of tart cherry cultivar that matures at a height of less than 12 feet, making it a suitable addition for small yards and limited areas in the landscape.
Read MoreSteps on Growing Wheat. In addition to commercial farmers, many individual gardeners enjoy growing their own wheat for baking or for use in feeding livestock. This common grain crop grows well in most areas of the United States, preferring mild to moderate climates. Like all plants, wheat goes through a series of stages to reach maturity. Good preparation and ongoing care will ensure that your small wheat crop thrives and produces a plentiful harvest of fresh grain.
Read MoreBotanical Names for Hostas. Gardeners choose hosta plants for shady areas of the garden because these plants can thrive with very little exposure to sunlight. In fact, hostas exposed to excessive amounts of sunlight suffer from scorching and leaf discoloration. Propagated from rhizomes, hosta plants thrive in well-drained soils. Divide the rhizomes every few years to increase the number of hosta plants. Like most plants, hostas possess both common and botanical names. Differentiate between the diverse varieties of hosta plants by identifying them according to their botanical names.
Read MoreHow to Take Care of Margarita Plants. Some varieties of plants enhance your landscape while providing edible produce for the table. One type of useful plant, the Margarita plant, also called the golden sweet potato vine, brightens up your yard with its yellow-green foliage. Grow this ornamental vine in elevated containers near porches and patios to create a burst of color among other plants. With proper care, your Margarita plant will produce edible tubers later in the season.
Read MoreHow to Save a Diseased Crabapple Tree. Although their fruit leaves a bitter taste in the mouth, flowering crab apple trees provide beauty and interest in a variety of landscape designs. The trees produce fragrant white and pink blossoms in the spring, often showering the lawn with a carpet of petals when the wind blows. Like many other types of fruit trees, crab apple trees experience their fair share of blights and diseases. The correct treatment for a diseased crab apple tree depends on the underlying disorder.
Read MoreHow to Save My Lime Tree. Citrus fruits, such as limes, grow on trees in tropical and subtropical climates. Lime trees range in size between approximately six and 25 feet. These small trees produce fresh fruit and add ornamental value to yards and landscapes. Because of their small size, lime trees make suitable container plants for patios and atriums. Like all plants, lime trees occasionally suffer from adverse conditions, including temperature irregularities, bug infestations, diseases and poor soil compositions. Save a distressed lime tree by providing adequate care and treatment.
Read MoreItalian Cypress Tree Diseases. The Italian Cypress tree grows to a height between 40 and 60 feet. Normally less than 3 feet wide, these trees form a tall column of green boughs. Italian Cypress trees make a thick screen when planted close together. These evergreen trees provide interesting additions to formal landscapes and accents near structures and buildings. Although attractive when healthy, Italian Cypress trees often suffer from certain types of illness and diseases.
Read MoreWhat Is a Fuschia Flowering Tree?. While small fuchsia plants may provide suitable growth habits to grace your porch and patio, large fuchsia trees (Schotia brachypetala) enhance outdoor areas of your yard and landscape. These attractive trees produce a burst of deeply colored blossoms, making them a suitable plant for ornamental purposes. These semi-tropical, flowering trees require appropriate conditions to grow and flourish. Like other medium to large trees, fuchsia trees add a sense of permanence and durability to a landscape design.
Read MoreHow to Care for New Sod. Grass sod provides a quick way to establish a green lawn. Although often more expensive than grass seed, sod is easy to care for once established. Damage to lawns grown from sod normally occurs during installation or the initial phase of establishment. Knowing how to care for new sod from the time of delivery ensures your best chances for a healthy lawn for years to come.
Read MoreHow to Grow Sequoia Trees. Sequoia trees (Sequoiadendron giganteum) grow to approximately 300 feet. These giant trees may live to be 3,000 years old. Also known as sierra redwood trees, sequoias make useful trees in windbreaks and screens. These big trees, native to California, thrive in moist, well-drained soils. Although sequoias grow quickly in their native habitat, they require proper care in yards and landscapes to thrive and mature into majestic specimens. You can grow one of these giant trees in your own yard.
Read MoreHow to Care for a Smoke Tree. Blossoming trees enhance yards and landscapes by adding colorful blossoms along with foliage. One type of blossoming tree, the smoke tree (Cotinus coggygria), produces small clusters of blossoms resembling puffs of smoke along the branches. Many smoke trees grow to a height and width of 15 feet, forming a rounded shape at maturity. These trees, also known as smoke bushes, exhibit deep, purple leaves when grown in full sunlight to partial shade. Healthy specimens require careful attention during planting and establishment.
Read MoreHow to Cut Down a River Birch Tree. The river birch tree, whose scientific name is Betula nigra, grows freely along streams and rivers in most areas of the United States. This short-lived birch provides protection against soil erosion in these wet areas of the landscape. Although this ornamental tree provides interest in many yards and many homeowners find it attractive, its invasive tendencies eventually create problems in some landscapes. Removing a river birch tree involves carefully cutting down the tree with a chain saw.
Read MoreHow Do I Divide Yucca Plants?. Yucca plants thrive in many types of soil in mild to warm climates. These plants grow from root division, forming a collection of leaves atop a single trunk. The majority of yucca plants form sharp spines at the tips of their long, sturdy leaves. Yucca plants produce pale yellow, white and cream blossoms early in the year. Divide this perennial to obtain small starts for new yucca plants.
Read MoreCommon Bermuda Grass Problems. Bermuda grass (C. dactylon (L.) Pers.) is a perennial sod grass common in areas of high traffic as an attractive groundcover. Bermuda grass grows well in many climates, making it an ideal choice for sports' fields and lawns. This grass provides effective erosion control along highways and drainage ditches. This warm season grass thrives in climates with warm summers and mild winters. Although Bermuda grass establishes quickly and grows vigorously under ideal circumstances, certain conditions adversely affect this type of grass.
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