Eustoma Russelianum (Texas Bluebell)

Beautiful blue Gentian, as they are commonly called Texas. Texans know them better by Texas Bluebell or Spanish Bluebells, as they were brought to Texas in the 17th century by a Spanish maiden and planted in the southern part of Texas, from which they have scattered ‘way beyond its borders. Bluebell, a lovely blue or purplish five-lobed bell-shaped flower, later opening wide, about two inches across. In Texas in their native habitat they grow in any locality with sleepy, flat ground containing some salt content. The foliage is a beautiful gray-greed;)opposite leaves, ovate to oblong to three inches, partly folding. Eustoma are biennials and grow from one foot to three feet, depending on location, food, and water. They grow in full sun in the wild, but where there is constant moisture, in ditches or other places. To see them by the acre as I have many times is positively breath-taking. They have a very long tap root, therefore are very difficult to dig and bring in from their native haunts. It is easy to grow them from seeds if the seeds are fully matured on the plant. Small plants transplant much better than the large ones. I have several hundred in my garden now which I have grown from seeds.

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Dried Pictures Bring Life

Did you have one of those vacations this year that you would cherish all the more with a picture, using some of the dried materials gathered on such a trip? First, one must choose a suitable frame. A nice size is 12 x 14, although any size to your liking is permissible. If you are not the handy man around the house, have a box made the same size as your frame, using the frame for the cover. The box should be about the size of the glass on your frame and about two inches deep. The first step is to paint the inside of this box a suitable color, usually a sky blue. This background can then be used as the sky or blue water. However, one’s imagination can guide one as to the color. A green is beautiful and cool.

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Naegelias Hybrid

In this group of Gesneriads are included some of the finest pot plants in existence. For a foliage plant to give continuous color in leaf is usually considered enough, but when one with beautifully marbled and veined leaves also give a wealth of gorgeous blossoms late in the season, we have a plant that should be widely grown in window gardens everywhere.

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Daffodils As A Garden Color

For more than 40 years I have been growing daffodils in small gardens in eastern Canada and in California, usually just planting them wherever I could find room. But it is only recently that I have realized that daffodils are primarily garden flowers. Now I am acutely aware of the casual way in which they are generally treated and would like to pass on some of my experiences to other gardeners who want daffodils to he an integral part of their garden picture in spring and not too great a liability thereafter.

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The Time Of House Plant

Just as Memorial Day is the signal for the relegation of house plants to the porch, the shrub border or some special corner in the garden, so is Labor Day the time for the preparation of the plants for their return to the house. Preparation means repotting with new soil in good clean pots, cleaning the saucers and trays and refilling them with a thin layer of fine gravel.

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Planting The Rock Garden – Try Arabis

Rock gardening is gaining each year in popularity, at least here in the Northeast. If you have not tried one, plan to do so, especially if part of your property is sloping. Many wild flowers, which have of recent years been offered by nurserymen and seedmen, have adapted themselves readily to the rock garden, for it is on rocky hillsides or mountains that some botanists first discovered them.

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Nemaslug Slug Killer: The Best Way To Destroy Slugs

There are two type of gardens: the flower and the vegetable garden. Whatever the type of garden, gardeners want to maintain it at its best. Gardeners like to make sure the flowers are lush and colourful looking, just as nature intended. While with the vegetable patch, keepers want the final produce fit for eating. Some gardeners spend large amounts of time looking after the garden with the fertilising and the watering processes. For others, gardening is a favoured hobby, keeping the plants in the best shape provides great satisfaction.

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The Soil Doctor – What Is In The Dirt?

If your house plants are not growing well, here are a few generalizations to help decide whether or not the problem originates in the soil mixture. An over-heavy mix (contains too much clay-like soil, not enough humus or sand) packs hard in the pot, which in turn makes it is difficult to moisten or thoroughly wet; the result is that the plants make little or no growth.

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How To Make This Year A Topnotch Garden With Bright Flowers

If you’re a Northwesterner or a Northern Californian, put those dreaded memories of spring flood conditions behind you. Determine now to make this the year for a topnotch garden with bright flowers, finer shrubs and greener lawns.

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September Starts Next Years Lawn

Unfortunately not many gardeners know that September can be one of the most important gardening months of the year. Too many gardeners consider this month just one of the last of the growing season, offering little opportunity to do more than wait sadly for the coming of winter. September, however, can be a “busy, joyous period devoted to planting, preparation for next year, keeping the garden up to the end of the season, and improving and making new lawns. It ushers in the fall planting season in the North and gives the gardener opportunities to do many things that will lighten the load of spring work next year.

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