Home And Garden

Common name: False kamani, almendras, badamier, Java almond, amandier de Cayenne, tropical almond, wild almond, Indian almond, myrobalan, Malabar almond, Singapore almond, ketapang, Huu kwang, Sea almond, kobateishi, West Indian almond, amandel huu kwang . Family: Combretaceae (Combretum family) . Overview This tree thrives as an ornamental tree in many tropical cities in the world. Tropical almond is a large deciduous stately tree, originally from India , growing up to 90 feet tall with horizontal whorls of branches offering clusters of foot long; obviate leaves that turn pink-red to red - yellow before falling. Some of the pigments responsible for this are: violaxanthin, lutein and zeaxanthin. There are also flavonoids present such as quercetin and kamferol. The leaves contain also tannins (s. a. punicalin, punicalagin and tercatein). The greenish - white female - and male flowers are on the same tree; these flowers are inconspicuous and not very showy. It has large (2...

Family:  Myrtaceae Genus:  Callistemon Species:  rigidus Category: Trees Height: 10-12 ft. (3-3.6 m) Spacing: 6-8 ft. (1.8-2.4 m) Sun Exposure: Full Sun Danger: N/A Bloom Color: Red Bloom Time: Late Winter/Early Spring Mid Spring Late Spring/Early Summer Foliage: Grown for foliage Evergreen Other details: Drought-tolerant; suitable for xeriscaping This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds Soil pH requirements: 6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic) 6.6 to 7.5 (neutral) 7.6 to 7.8 (mildly alkaline) Patent Information: Non-patented Propagation Methods: From semi-hardwood cuttings From seed; direct sow after last frost Seed Collecting: Unblemished fruit must be significantly overripe before harvesting seed; clean and dry seeds

The next time your neighbor with the emerald green lawn casts a look down their nose at your less than perfect lawn, don’t feel bad. The fact of the matter is that your weedy lawn is doing more for your garden, the environment and your wallet that the supposedly “perfect” lawn your neighbor maintains. One of the major benefits of having a weedy lawn is that many weeds in your lawn attract butterflies and caterpillars. Common lawn weeds, such as plantain, dandelion and clover are sources of food for the Buckeye butterfly, Baltimore butterfly, Eastern tailed blue butterfly and a great many others. Allowing some of these common weeds to grow in your garden, encourages butterflies to lay their eggs in your yard which will result in more butterflies in your garden later on. Weeds also help to attract other beneficial bugs to your garden as well. Many good bugs, like predatory wasps, preying mantis, ladybugs and bees find food and shelter in the weeds in our yards. These “good” bugs will ...

It's important to learn how to take care of summer plants in the winter, because most so-called summer plants cannot withstand freezing winter temperatures. Whether your summer plant is a tropical plant or a tender herb you'd like to keep alive throughout the winter months, learn the steps to taking care of plants through the wintertime. How to Take Care of Summer Plants in the Winter When people talk about summer plants, what do they mean? Identify your plant below and learn the specifics of how to take care of summer plants in the winter. Annual Flowers Annual summer flowers such as impatiens and begonias hail from warm, tropical climates. Most cannot withstand temperatures consistently dipping below 50 or 60 degrees. You'll see frost damage on the flowers first, followed by dying leaves. You can try to maintain them throughout the winter months by placing a cold frame around the garden bed. A cold frame consists of side panels and an angled clear plastic or gla...

Common Names: Chinese hibiscus, rose-of-China, Hawaiian hibiscus Family: Malvaceae (mallow Family) Description Chinese hibiscus is a large shrub or small tree that gets up to 15 ft (4.5 m) tall in frost free climates. The toothed leaves are arranged alternately and are quite variable, but tend to be large, dark green, and shiny. Chinese hibiscus has a coarse texture and normally grows upright and broad spreading. It usually grows as a bush with many stems. Flowers are glorious and huge at their best -- up to 6 in (15 cm) in diameter -- and occur in many colors. Most are flared and have a bell shape; they may be single or double, smooth or scalloped. The flowers have a long central tube with stamens and pistils at the tip. Hundreds of selections are available, with flower colors from scarlet to orange to yellow to white. Location The experts aren't sure, but Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is thought to have originated in tropical Asia . Culture Deep, moderately fertile, well dr...