Patricia H. Reed

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Stories By Patricia H. Reed

  • Flowers
    Flowers By Patricia H. Reed November 4th, 2022

    When To Prune Gaura

    When to Prune Gaura. No matter how pretty a plant's flower, if you can't see it, it doesn't do your garden any good. This is often the case with gaura (Gaura lindheimeri), a summer-blooming perennial suitable for U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9, known for its tendency to flop over, hiding its flowers in the next plant over or on the ground. Proper pruning can help train the delicate-stemmed gaura to bloom at a lower height on stockier stems so you can better admire its flowers, and post-bloom cleanup keeps the plant looking good through fall.

    By Patricia H. Reed November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Flowers
    Flowers By Patricia H. Reed November 4th, 2022

    When Is The Best Time To Prune A Tea Olive?

    When Is the Best Time to Prune a Tea Olive?. Though a few varieties bear showy flowers, tea olive (Osmanthus spp.), also known as sweet olive, produces blooms that fill a garden with fragrance rather than color. Pruning the shrub, which is evergreen in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 7b to 11, at the wrong time can eliminate those sweet-smelling blossoms. The best timing for pruning the shrub depends on the way you use tea olive in your landscape.

    By Patricia H. Reed November 4th, 2022 Read More
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    Produce
    Produce By Patricia H. Reed November 4th, 2022

    How To Trim A Pyracantha Shrub

    How to Trim a Pyracantha Shrub. Pyracantha, or firethorn (Pyracantha coccinea), gives you a lot of bang for your landscaping buck and requires just a little regular pruning in return. The evergreen, which can be a free-standing shrub or trained against a wall or fence, not only gives you year-round foliage, but is covered in tiny white flowers in spring, followed by the main event -- a big show of bright red-orange berries in the fall. Suitable for U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6 through 9, the shrub grows from 6 to 18 feet tall in full sun to partial shade, and blooms on year-old wood, so prune after blooming for the best display.

    By Patricia H. Reed November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Flowers
    Flowers By Patricia H. Reed November 4th, 2022

    How To Restart A Holly Bush

    How to Restart a Holly Bush. An overgrown holly (Ilex spp.), either on its own or part of a hedge, can loom over the garden, looking rangy at the base, while casting shade where you don't want it, or blocking doors or windows when used as a foundation shrub. Restore a holly that has outgrown its planting area, or has begun to look bedraggled and unattractive through drastic pruning. Rejuvenate your holly with one of several renovation pruning techniques, depending on how much of the plant you want to maintain during the process and the final form you want your holly to take.

    By Patricia H. Reed November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Trees
    Trees By Patricia H. Reed November 4th, 2022

    How To Prune Vinca

    How to Prune Vinca. Vinca (Vinca spp.) also called periwinkle or creeping myrtle, can save you plenty of time in a shady garden. The spreading ground cover forms a year-round mat of deep green or variegated foliage, accented by blue or purplish flowers in spring, blocking out weeds and barren soil in heavy shade where grass won't grow, or on slopes and banks that can be a chore to maintain otherwise. Pruning is optional when your plants look lush and are well-behaved, but when your vincas look sad and spindly, or threaten to take over the yard, it's time to break out some tools.

    By Patricia H. Reed November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Produce
    Produce By Patricia H. Reed September 6th, 2022

    Fertilizing Dwarf Date Palms

    Fertilizing Dwarf Date Palms. Palm trees don't have to tower overhead to make an impact, but they do have to be healthy. A pygmy date palm (Phoenix roebelenii) is a graceful single-trunked tree that reaches 8 to 10 feet outdoors in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 11, or about 3 feet tall indoors in cooler zones. Whether growing in the ground or potted indoors or out, the right fertilizer helps your pygmy date thrive.

    By Patricia H. Reed September 6th, 2022 Read More
  • Produce
    Produce By Patricia H. Reed September 6th, 2022

    How To Gravity Feed A Water Feature

    How to Gravity Feed a Water Feature. Water features in the garden, such as fountains and waterfalls, require not only water, but electricity to keep that water moving. An electric pump moves the water from the lower reservoir or pond up to the top of the water feature, where it can cascade down again. Prior to the use of electricity, hydraulics -- the pressure of water -- was used to power fountains from the plazas of Rome to English country houses. It can be used to supply water and movement to a small water feature in your backyard as well.

    By Patricia H. Reed September 6th, 2022 Read More
  • Trees
    Trees By Patricia H. Reed September 6th, 2022

    How To Prune Little Gem Magnolia Trees

    How to Prune Little Gem Magnolia Trees. Southern magnolias (Magnolia grandiflora) are grand trees in full bloom, but mature specimens top out at 60 to 80 feet tall, and can overwhelm a small yard. The cultivar "Little Gem" (Magnolia grandiflora "Little Gem") can give you the same classic evergreen leaves and fragrant white blossoms at about one-third the size in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 7 through 9. Though the plant starts flowering at about 3 feet tall and has a longer flowering period each year than most magnolias, it has a tendency to get leggy without pruning each spring.

    By Patricia H. Reed September 6th, 2022 Read More
  • Trees
    Trees By Patricia H. Reed September 6th, 2022

    How Far Should I Cut Tall Phlox Down In Winter?

    How Far Should I Cut Tall Phlox Down in Winter?. Tall garden phlox (Phlox paniculata) is an old-fashioned beauty cultivated by generations of gardeners. The plant, perennial in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 8, is an attractive middle-of-the-border plant for full sun that grows from 2 to 3 feet tall and blooms for as long as six weeks from late summer into fall. As temperatures drop going into winter, cut phlox back for a healthier plant in the spring.

    By Patricia H. Reed September 6th, 2022 Read More
  • Produce
    Produce By Patricia H. Reed September 6th, 2022

    How To Prune Okra Plants For Bush-Type Production

    How to Prune Okra Plants for Bush-Type Production. Kids may turn up their noses at the thought of a slimy mouthful of okra (Hibiscus esculentus), but when you grow the vegetable in your own garden, you can pick it for the best flavor and texture, when the pods are young and crisp. Okra is a warm-weather crop, seeded only when night temperatures are consistently above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Because it takes less than two months to start producing, you can harvest the plant over a long period with proper pruning. Okra stalks can reach 8 feet tall. Pruning keeps the pods within reach of shorter gardeners, and persuades the stalk to form a bush with many more productive tips.

    By Patricia H. Reed September 6th, 2022 Read More