Stage Ideas, Tips & Guides

Adam Albright

Better Homes & Gardens

When you see a caterpillar on dill in your garden—or other plants—you may be startled, grossed out, or annoyed that your plant is being systematically decimated. I get excited. Because I know it’s a black swallowtail caterpillar (Papilio polyxenes) that’s going to turn into a beautiful butterfly. And that butterfly is going to become one of many valuable pollinators in my garden. I see a few types of swallowtail butterflies fluttering about my property, landing on various annuals and perennials. They are am

After all that hard work, a bad harvest can spoil your mood. Not anymore, though; with these tips and tricks on pruning cucumbers for a juicy harvest, you’ll have plenty of these veggies, and that too, really good ones!

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Do Black Swallowtail Butterflies Eat Carrots?

Growing garlic is simpler than you probably imagine. The outcomes are usually satisfying and the whole process takes little time and effort. The main conditions garlic requires are sufficient sunshine, well-drained soil, proper watering, and regular weed removal.

Pothos is a champion survivor, and might even go through an apocalypse if maintained well! However, if you are going to neglect it way too much, the plant may suffer and die. If you see yours in a bad state, too, here’s how to take care of it.

Q: We have a small back garden that includes an old wall covered in ivy. I love the ivy, but it has become home to an army of slugs that have eaten many of my plants over the years. I have tried many different things to combat the slugs (ground eggshells, coffee grinds, various different pellets), none of which have really made that much difference. I am also concerned about using products that may harm the birds that visit the garden and our dog. At this stage, I think I have to accept that the slugs are part of the garden and learn to live with them. So, I would like to look at planting some small shrubs and flowers that are not appealing to slugs. I would be grateful for some suggestions. JM

If you’re like me as soon as you plant your seed potatoes you’re already anticipating the harvest of tender tubers. However, potatoes are a long season crop and you’ll have to practice patience. So how long does it take for potatoes to grow? Generally the potato growing season is three to four months, but there are a few strategies you can do to encourage an early harvest. In this article you’ll learn about the different types of potatoes, which ones grow the fastest, and discover six ways to speed up the homegrown harvest. Types of potatoes Potatoes are categorized according to the length of their growing season. To ensure the longest season of homeg

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What is this red-eyed creature found crawling up a pine tree?

What is this maggot-looking insect on the bottom of this strawberry leaf?

If you're dealing with an awkwardly shaped room in your home and are coming up short on how to best arrange furniture within the space, professional interior designers are here to help.

Robin L Marshall / Stringer / Getty Images

Spilling jade plant can be an amazing addition to hanging baskets, where you can see its stems hanging down with those fleshy leaves! If you don’t know how to train one for the job, we have the best tips!

What is the bloated tan thing found on the underside of this strawberry leaf?

This article uncovers a variety of plants that not only mimic the appearance of corn, but also look eye-catching with their tall stalks of lush, green leaves, making them a great addition in garden and pots!

Hornworms can be very frustrating and difficult to get rid of. They have impressive appetites, which means they can do a lot of damage very quickly – but it is possible to save your plants.

Pinching is an art of stimulating new growth in plants by pressing and removing the ends of the stems. Let’s have a deeper understanding of the ones that benefit the most from it.

If you will get the details of watermelon growing stages, you will cultivate it better while avoiding the mistakes, which will result in a guaranteed juicy and bigger fruits!

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Have you heard of the saying, “You are what you eat”? The body is in a rapid growth stage from puberty through early adulthood. As you age, you make more choices that affect your body and health. To support proper growth and development, teens need a nutritionally balanced diet, physical activity, and adequate sleep. A diet high in nutritious foods can benefit a teen’s overall health as well as:

Growing butternut squash involves several distinct stages, from seed germination to fruits. Understanding these will help you get a plentiful harvest!

The jade plant (Crassula ovata) is one of the quintessential succulents for homes that becomes a little leggy and overgrown with time – this calls for some pruning action, and this is where this guide comes in!

Monsteras are popular indoor plants that stand out with their lush foliage having unique cuts! Growing it involves witnessing various stages that you should be aware of to understand its requirements better.

There are several important stages in the cultivation of a plant and one of these is the planting of plants in pots. This is known as potting. The move is dictated by the vigor of the plant, especially in its root system. Once it outgrows its original soil area in a pot it is necessary to provide more room for the root development and the plant has to be moved on or potted into a larger pot. If the plant is being raised from seed or a cutting, it will be necessary to give it more root room eventually and the next move is into a small pot.

One of the exciting stages of garden construction is the marking out of beds. The sites for the flower displays are marked out in the garden in the form of beds or borders. These may be of various shapes and sizes and much will depend on the character of the garden as to the exact shape which is used. Formal beds are those which have straight, defined edges whereas the informal types have irregular or natural edges. It is a good idea to draw up scale plans on paper before any marking out is begun. This will enable the gardener to design and measure the beds accurately especially where it is necessary to accommodate collections of plants such as shrubs and herbaceous plants.

Growing a spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) as a tree can be a creative gardening project – something you can flaunt to your friends once done! Let us share some innovative techniques to make it possible!

Plant trends change every year but they are here to stay for a long time to come! This year calls for a little change, and keeping that in mind, we have some cool ideas you must copy for an appealing indoor setup with nature’s best!

We have the best variegated impatiens plants. Our list includes Spreading Impatiens, Congo Cockatoo, and Center Stage, all with colorful flowers and leaves. Variegated Double Impatiens, Fusion Peach Frost, and Variegated Impatiens have unique leaf patterns. Fiesta Ole Peppermint is great for pots with its big flowers and edged leaves.

We have plans for taking care of houseplants based on their age. When you first get a plant, water it and use good soil. As it grows, water it the same way but start using a little fertilizer after six months. After a year, keep watering, feed it more, and you might need to put it in a bigger pot and cut off dead parts.

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These root vegetables begin their journey as as tiny seeds and transform into crunchy, nutritious delights! Let’s understand carrot growth stages in detail.

This is the application of nutrients to the aerial parts of plants. It can be used for the treatment of all deficiencies for all types of growing plants. But you can only spray very small amounts of nutrients onto the leaves at a time, otherwise, leaf scorch or even defoliation may follow. If foliar spraying is to be successful there must be sufficient foliage to hold the applied nutrients, and plants cannot develop to a stage of growth when foliar treatment, would be effective unless the soil has been prepared properly before sowing or planting. So, although foliar feeding cannot take the place of the traditional method of applying fertilizers and manures to the soil, it is a useful supplement, for the following purposes:

In his classic book Mormon Country, author Wallace Stegner noted that nineteenth century Mormons planted rows of Lombardy poplar trees wherever they established settlements in the territory that is now Utah. The trees served as windbreaks and boundary markers, but they were also the flags that marked the advance of Mormon civilization in a hostile territory. In my hometown and lots of other towns all over the United States elm trees served a similar function, marking the spread of middle class residential neighborhoods during the end of the nineteenth and the first third of the twentieth centuries. In the 1960’s almost all of those tall elegant trees fell prey to Dutch Elm Disease, making each municipality a little poorer.