You can grow wildflowers in a border, a pot and a window box as well as in a meadow.
07.08.2024 - 16:37 / treehugger.com
Even though pineapples are considered a fruit (and a fruit generally comes from trees—unless it’s a berry), pineapples actually grow on a plant close to the ground. Each pineapple plant bears exactly one pineapple. So where did pineapple come from in the first place?
Most of us think of pineapples as coming from Hawaii, but that's not the case. Pineapples are a member of the bromeliad family, which is indigenous to the Americas (mostly South America) but has been found in Africa as well. By far the most famous plant in the bromeliad family, pineapples were first brought over to Spain by Christopher Columbus in 1493.
The pineapple—which is no relation to pine trees or apples—got its name through the combination of the Spanish «pina» (so named because it reminded them of a pine cone) and the English «apple» (so named because of its sweet taste).
Back in Europe in the 17th century, pineapples were grown in greenhouses and were a symbol of opulence and wealth, only adorning the banquet tables of the very rich. Fast-forward to today, and pineapples are everywhere.
How did it make this transition? A tropical fruit, pineapples symbolized the exotic world, and would often be brought home to North America by sailors from their South American journeys. But even into the 1800s, a pineapple was still a novelty to most Americans. It was not until the mid-1700s when Capt. James Cook introduced the pineapple to Hawaii and finally, in 1903, when James Drummond Dole started canning pineapple, the pineapple became readily accessible to Americans.
So how exactly does a pineapple grow? Pretty easily, actually. A pineapple starts and ends as the same product—that is to say, you need a pineapple to grow a pineapple. Pineapples don’t
You can grow wildflowers in a border, a pot and a window box as well as in a meadow.
The topic of fruiting quince came up the other day when a friend shared just how productive his tree was shaping up to be this year. Everyone present enthusiastically chimed in with our own quince experiences, memories, and recipes. We all appeared to have had a grandmother with a quince growing in her garden, who would use the fall-gathered fruit for cooking, jellies, jams, to add oomph to apple pies and ciders, and for medicinal—sometimes even alcoholic—purposes! Though most varieties of quince need to be cooked to be enjoyed in our particular climate zone and are firm and astringent at harvest time, this fruit has an avid fan club and is adored for many reasons.
How to Grow and Care for Lupines Lupinus spp.
Flanking our waterways in great mops of silver green, the willow is the most poetic and mysterious of trees. In many cultures – including ancient Egypt and ancient Greece – it was associated with immortality, death, and the underworld; old English folklore states that if you sit beside a willow and shed tears, the tree will cry with you. In China, where the weeping willow hails from, it represents strength and resilience, reflecting the instruction in the Tao Te Ching to have a flexible attitude: 'A tree that won't bend, breaks easily in storms.' Being pliant and strong, willow is used for weaving, and its light weight and hardness make it the best wood for cricket bats.
Heucheras are shade-loving plants, native to the woodlands of North America. Grown for their foliage, their leaves come in a huge range of colours from red, purple, vivid green and even silver, and they bear attractive flowers in summer, too. Heucheras make excellent ground cover plants, and work well in winter pot displays. Members of thesaxifrage family, heucheras are also known as coral bells and alumroot.
Zinnias are mostly annual plants, popular because of the colourful, daisy-like flowers. Native to Mexico, there are 18 species and hundreds of cultivated forms, which are grown as annual bedding plants. Flowers come in vivid colours from red, orange and deep pink to green, with a lovely long flowering season from summer to the first frosts. Zinnias are perfect for filling gaps in the border and also work well in container displays. Long stemmed varieties make great cut flowers.
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Ohio straddles the line between a continental climate in the north and a subtropical climate in the south. According to the region, it experiences all four seasons in wavering levels of intensity: cold, frosty winters, hot and humid summers, and a wholesome spring and fall. We share the best fruit trees to grow in Ohio across its climes and soil types!
Found everywhere on earth, this elegant flower is one of the most coveted houseplants for beauty. But how do you get started with orchids? Producing some of the tiniest seeds ever, that too mostly dormant, growing orchid seedlings is no walk in the park!
Geranium macrorrhizum, or big root geranium, is one of my all-time favorite perennials for its ease of cultivation, attractive foliage, pretty summer blooms, and incredible vigor. It’s perfect at the front of a perennial or shrub bed, along a pathway, or as a groundcover under shrubs. Big root geranium spreads and forms a dense carpet of foliage, but it’s not so aggressive that it becomes invasive. In this article you’ll learn all about planting, growing, and caring for this stunning plant. Get to know Geranium macrorrhizum Also called big root cranesbill, Geranium macrorrhizum is a perennial plant hardy
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