Known for its large, showy summer flowers, rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) grows as either a shrub or small tree in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9. It extends to the mallow family (Malvaceae), which includes flowers that have a column of fused stamens surrounding the pistil and ovary. Other plants …

Tomatoes are one of the very few food-producing plants which will be quite large and still transplant without severe consequences. As long as the plant is in good condition, the roots aren’t damaged during transplanting, and it is set in a hole adequately large, even fruit-bearing tomatoes can be transplanted. Ideal Transplant Size In a …

Although grapevines are hardy, they’re a large time commitment for home gardeners, since it requires two to three years for the vines to start bearing fruit. The plants also require extensive pruning each spring. After all that attention and love, it would be awful to see wildlife consume your grape harvest before you had a …

Mulberry trees come in many different shapes and sizes, but all produce the clustered mulberry fruit. Most species have been imported to the United States from Asia, but now thrive and are even considered invasive in some areas. Several cities in North America, like El Paso, Texas and Phoenix, Arizona have banned the planting of …

Soil provides the first link in the food chain for land-based animals; growing plants nourish both herbivores and omnivores with nutrient-rich fruits, roots and foliage. Soil is not a lifeless mound of dirt holding plant roots, however. In fact, every square inch carries some form of existence, vitamin or mineral, for healthy plant growth. Soil …

Pine tree root systems and canopies can pose a challenge if you’re growing vegetables, however some vegetables will grow nicely near pines with just a little planning and preparation. Before planting, evaluate the density of shade, analyze the ground, clear that the planting area of tree roots by fortifying securely and supplement the ground with …

A tiered garden can produce more vegetables in a given area than a raised bed. The vertical beams of the plants reduces opponent of their roots and allows smaller plants to rise above the shade of bigger ones. If it’s implanted in three gardens a year — spring, summer and fall — a tiny tiered …

Although you probably think of these as nuts, almonds are actually a type of stone fruit. They climb in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 8, however, need specific environmental conditions to fruit successfully. These trees are susceptible to spring frost, need wet soils, and blossom just in cold, rainy weather. California …

Producing the largest fruit about the longest vines, the watermelon (Citrullus vulgaris) also has the longest history of any of the melons. And most dieters concur; it is the sweetest of the bunch. The first recorded evidence of a watermelon crop occurred over 5,000 years ago in Egypt. Depicted at hieroglyphics, watermelons were put at …

Compact, evergreen shrubs that perfume the atmosphere for weeks in late spring or winter with their white or pink blossoms, dwarf Indian hawthorns (Raphiolepsis spp.) Stand just 2 to 4 feet high and wide. Their dense, shiny green foliage often deepens to red or purple in winter. The tidy, salt-tolerant shrubs thrive in sunlight to …