| Gardening Daily Tips by ArcaMax, sponsored today by: | Get Paid To Lose Weight! Discover why over 1500 people a day are taking the Visalus 90-Day Weight Loss Challenge. We are helping people lose the fat, earn a full-time living, and giving away a free BMW every hour of every day! Watch the video, and join us now! Watch the Get Paid To Lose Weight Video! |  Plant type: Herb, Interior Plant, Shrub
USDA Hardiness Zones: 6a to 9a
Height: 24" to 48"
Spread: 12" to 24"
Exposure: partial shade partial sun to full sun
Bloom Color: Blue
Bloom Time: Early summer, Late summer, Late spring, Late winter, Mid summer, Mid spring
Leaf Color: Green, Silvery
Growth Rate: average
Moisture: dry to moist
Soil Condition: Adaptable, Loamy, Sandy, Well drained
Form: Rounded
Landscape Uses:
Border, Container, Ground cover, Seashore
Special Features:
Edible, Fragrant foliage, Not North American native, Attracts butterflies, Suitable for dried flowers, Fragrant flowers Print | Comment | Tweet It | Facebook It | | Sponsor "New Smokeless Technology: Thousands Kick Tobacco for Good" Our amazing new Electronic Cigarette lets you smoke anywhere - without the odor and the ash. You still get the nicotene you crave, but think about what you don't get: * No Smoke * No Tar * No Ash * No Odor * No Yellow Teeth * No Bad Breath Try the Full Starter Kit for 2 Full Weeks Free! Just pay $4.95 S&H >> Go! Get Yours Here. | | Question: How do I check PH levels, etc., of my garden soil? How do I know what level is correct?
Answer: The correct pH depends upon which plants you want to put into your garden. Most vegetables, perennials and shrubs will grow happily in a slightly acidic to neutral soil (6.0 to 7.0) Some plants such as rhododendrons, camellias and azaleas prefer a slightly more acidic soil (5.5). There are amendments you can incorporate into your soil to change the pH if necessary. Usually, you can purchase a soil test kit from your local garden supply store. Good luck with your testing! Print | Comment | Tweet It | Facebook It | | Question: What can I plant in containers on my NYC terrace over the fall/winter that will survive the cold? It faces south and I currently have large pots with tomatoes. I want something just for the winter, as I wish to again grow tomatoes next year.
Answer: The easiest thing to do is to decorate the planters with cut evergreens and perhaps some sparkling lights during the holidays. Pansies and ornamental cabbage would provide some interest for a few months as well but might not last all winter in your climate. You could add a pot or two with small, hardy evergreen shrubs; however, they're pricey and you'd want to keep these in their containers year-round. Print | Comment | Tweet It | Facebook It | | Question: We have an old white bathtub we'd like to use as a pond or water garden. Can it stay white, or does it need to be painted black? How will the water plants do?
Answer: If you plan to sink the tub into the ground, it should serve quite well as a pond. If it's above ground, consider it a warm-season garden ornament because the water will freeze hard during the winter and kill your plants. The tub can stay white, but expect it to turn green with algae growth within a year. Pond liners are black because they fool the eye into thinking the water is much deeper than it really is. It's an aesthetic thing, rather than a functional thing. Most any water plants will do okay in your tub, but some aquatic plants require a water depth of four or more feet in order to grow well, and to be able to winter over. A layer of ice on the top of the pond in winter won't hurt plant roots that are several feet below the surface, but a shallow pond will freeze completely and may kill the plants. Enjoy! Print | Comment | Tweet It | Facebook It | | Even easier than making compost, but not for the impatient, leaf mold is made simply by piling fall leaves inside a corral of wire fencing. Shredding the leaves first and turning the pile every six months will speed the process some, but because fall leaves are low in nitrogen, decomposition will take place slowly over a period of six months to two years. Leaf mold is a great soil amendment, helping to increase water retention, improve soil structure and provide habitat for beneficial soil organisms. It also makes a great mulch. Print | Comment | Tweet It | Facebook It | | Add a few hellebore plants to your perennial gardens for their evergreen foliage and the colorful flowers they produce in late winter. Plant in part shade and moist soil. Print | Comment | Tweet It | Facebook It | | | | | More Gardening Daily Tips from ArcaMax.com | | | | |
