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  Common Names: mountain laurel, calico bush Family: Ericaceae (heath Family) Description Mountain laurel is a dense, bushy shrub that is usually less than 10 ft (3 m) tall with an equal spread. Occasional specimens may reach tree size, up to 30 ft (9 m) in height. Mountain laurel has leathery evergreen leaves that are glossy dark green, elliptic to oval in shape, 2-5 in (5-12 cm) long, and arranged alternately on the stems. With mountain laurel it’s all about the inflorescence, which is extremely showy. Individual flowers are bowl shaped, a little less than an inch (2.5 cm) across and may be pale pink, fuchsia, almost crimson or white, usually with darker pink markings on the inside of the corolla. Several flowers are borne in rounded clusters (corymbs) 3-4 in (7-10 cm) across. The buds that precede the flowers are dark pink and nearly as showy as the flowers. Mature fruits are inconspicuous dry capsules that eventually split open to release extremely tiny seeds. This beautiful Am...

  Germination is the process by which a plant grows from a seed. Let’s take a look at some germination facts. The Life Cycle of a Plant Let’s learn about seeds, embryos, and endosperms. Everything that lives on earth has a life cycle. Life begins, it grows, it reproduces, and it dies. But what is a plant’s life cycle? Plants start their lives as tiny seeds. These can be as tiny as a grain of salt or bigger than a fingernail. Some are round, and some are flat or tear-shaped. Inside a seed is an embryo, which is a tiny plant, and the endosperm, which are small leaves which feed the embryo. The outside of the seed has a coat, and this acts as a protection for the embryo to make sure it’s safe. Some seeds have very hard seed coats. Others have soft seed coats. This amazing coat protects the seed from extreme temperatures, injury and parasites. The embryo is safely stored inside the coat, waiting for the perfect time to begin germinating, which means that it starts growing. These seeds ...

Starting trees from seed can be one of the most rewarding gardening activities, but tree seeds often require a little more preparation than many common flower or vegetable seeds. In most cases, there are two ways to start tree seeds: The natural way, which often includes sowing the seeds in the fall, or through forced or “assisted” germination, which is initially done indoors. The Natural Way to Germinate Tree Seeds Seeds have been sprouting and trees have been growing for an awfully long time without any help from humans. The “natural way” to germinate tree seeds, then, is to allow nature to take its course. Most seeds, when sown in the fall without any pre-treatment, will begin to germinate the following spring. Be sure to sow the seeds at the recommended depth. If the seeds are planted too deep, this could delay or inhibit the spring germination process. With some seed varieties you may see germination spread over two or three years with some seeds germinating in the firs...