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What Kind of Okra is Red? Native to Ethiopia, okra is the only member of the mallow family (which includes cotton, hibiscus, and hollyhock) to bear edible fruit. Generally speaking, okra pods are green and a staple of many a southern diet. A relative newcomer, Red Burgundy okra was bred by Leon Robbins at Clemson University and introduced in 1983, becoming the All-America Selections winner in 1988. There are also other red varieties of okra that include ‘Red Velvet’ and the dwarf red okra “Little Lucy....

Traditional Moose Deterrents Moose are beautiful, statuesque animals with warm eyes and vegetarian dining preferences. The latter is what might get your garden in trouble. Moose graze a host of different plants both native and ornamental. They will invade the vegetable garden or eat your hedge. Their lack of pickiness in the vegetative realm means many of your landscape plants could be in danger. Moose are huge and can dwarf a small SUV, which means keeping them out of any area can be a challenge....

When to Plant Bulbs Is it too late to plant bulbs? Here is how you know: When is it too late to plant bulbs? The main thing you need know about when to plant bulbs is that you can plant bulbs until the ground is frozen. Frost does not make a difference in when to plant spring bulbs. Frost mostly affects plants above the ground, not those below the ground. That being said, your bulbs will perform better in the spring if they have a few weeks to establish themselves in the ground....

Why Gladioli Has Yellow Foliage Gladioli produce best in well draining loamy soil. They require full sun for abundant colorful blooms and need additional nutrients in the form of bulb food or worked in organic material. If your gladiolus turns yellow in the leaf area, several conditions may be the cause. Prevention starts with choosing healthy corms with no blemishes and a firm texture and good color. Often bacterial, fungal or viral diseases hitchhike into your garden on unhealthy corms which develop into sick plants....

Why Do Root Vegetables Get Sweeter With Cold? Winter sweetening is a phenomenon you often see in vegetables that grow naturally in cold weather. While the first frost of fall will kill lots of plants, there are many varieties, root crops in particular, that will survive these much colder temperatures. This is due, in part, to their ability to convert starch into sugar. Over the course of the growing season, these vegetables store up energy in the form of starches....

Why Won’t My Cranberry Fruit? A cranberry vine with no fruit may simply be too young. Cranberry plants are most commonly available for purchase in two forms: one-year-old rooted cuttings and three- or four-year-old plants. If you plant cuttings, you will have to wait about three to four years to get fruit. If you transplant older plants into your garden, you may get a small amount of fruit the same year you plant, and you should get a full harvest by the third year....

Why Won’t My Cannas Bloom? Canna lilies produce beautiful tropical blooms in bright shades of red, orange, yellow and white. Different varieties of canna may also have very colorful or unique foliage. For example, Tropicanna has stripes of green, red, orange, pink, purple and yellow on their foliage. While many varieties of canna can be enjoyed strictly for their colorful foliage, we usually plant these hoping for an abundance of blooms in addition to the nifty tropical-like leaves....

What are Wireworms? Wireworms are the larvae of what is commonly known of as the click beetle. The click beetle gets its name from the clicking sound it makes when trying to flip itself over from on its back. Wireworms have a very slender, hard body; are yellow to brown in color; and range in size from ½ to 1 ½ inches (1.3 to 3.8 cm.) in length. These pests can cause significant damage to young corn and other plants....

What are Parsley Worms? Striking caterpillars, parsley worms turn into even more striking black swallowtail butterflies. They are easily identifiable as green worms with a brilliant, yellow dotted black band across each body segment. When the caterpillar is disturbed, it protrudes a pair of fleshy “horns,” the better to scare predators away. This larval stage of the gorgeous black swallowtail can grow up to 2 inches (5 cm.) long. Parsley Worm Life Cycle Female black swallowtail butterflies are slightly larger than males and, as is usual in nature, a bit duller in color than their male counterparts....

Caring for a Browning Yucca Plant When yucca plant problems do strike, they’re usually easy to resolve, so don’t panic if you’ve got a yucca plant with brown leaves. Several minor problems can cause the browning of yuccas. The first step in caring for a sick one is to determine what, exactly, is causing the problem. While you’re doing your investigation, check for these items: Normal aging. Yucca plant leaves turning brown can be a normal part of their lifecycle, provided the browning leaves are the oldest and closest to the ground....

What are Edible Perennials? Edible perennials are simply those that require less work, come back in the garden each year and, of course, you can eat. This can include vegetables, herbs, fruits, and even flowering plants. By planting perennials that you can eat, you don’t have to replant them each year. Generally, they die back in winter, coming back once again in spring – or even summer, making your gardening endeavors much easier....

Hardy Cover Crops It’s late summer and you have reaped a bountiful harvest from your vegetable garden. Production of fruits and vegetables has drained the soil of its nutrients, so you decide to plant a fall cover crop to restore nutrients to the tired vegetable garden, essentially making it ready for the following spring season. Cover crops are often used to renew used-up beds. For this purpose, there are fall cover crops and spring cover crops....

Choosing Evergreen Tree Varieties Choosing the right plant that is hardy in your zone is important. This is because some plants are not able to withstand the temperatures in your region. While site selection, soil type, debris, and care requirements must all go into deciding your plant choice, zone is one of the most vital considerations. Not all evergreen tree varieties will perform well in every zone. Some of our options for evergreen trees in zone 7 can help you decide what plants are right for your garden....

About Winesap Apples Mixing sweet and tart flavors, the flavor of Winesap apples has many of the qualities of a fine wine, resulting in the common name of the tree. It originated in New Jersey over 200 years ago and has won the loyalty of many gardeners since. What makes Winesap apples so appealing? The fruit itself is a draw, delicious and crunchy, yet keeping well in storage up to six months....

What is an African Water Fern? Fish keepers will know the Bolbitis water fern, or African fern (Bolbitis heudelotii). It is a tropical shade epiphyte found around bodies of water and boggy regions. The fern is a robust specimen and useful as a natural plant in fish tanks. It will grow on a rock or piece of wood, which helps anchor the plant to the floor of the tank or even the wall....

This plant is an exceptional option for those looking to add vibrant greenery or those looking for a serious attention-grabber in their tanks. It is also important to note that many different varieties are sold under the same common name. First, you will need to obtain the plants. Due to their popularity, it is likely that they can be found locally. However, those unable to do so can easily find the plants online....

How Many Different Amsonias are There? Amsonia is actually the name of a genus of plants that contains 22 species. These plants are, for the most part, semi-woody perennials with a clumping growth habit and small, star-shaped flowers. Often, when gardeners refer to amsonias, they are talking about Amsonia tabernaemontana, commonly known as common bluestar, eastern bluestar, or willowleaf bluestar. This is by far the most commonly grown species. There are, however, many other types of amsonia that deserve recognition....

When Should I Be Harvesting Anise Seed? Anise flowers are white and wispy and very similar in appearance to Queen Anne’s lace. It takes them quite a while to develop seeds, and about 100 frost-free days of growth are required before anise seed harvest can take place. In late summer or early autumn, you should notice the flowers developing small, green seeds. Some gardeners insist that you should leave the plants alone until the seeds dry out and turn a muddy brown color....

Ants in a greenhouse can do a lot of damage to plants. You may ask yourself, “how do I keep ants out of my greenhouse?” Read on for information about the prevention of ants entering greenhouse areas as well as tips on ant control in greenhouses. How Do I Keep Ants Out of My Greenhouse? It’s helpful to take preventative action before you see ants in your greenhouse. You can surround the greenhouse with coffee grounds, a product the insects do not like....

How to Get Seed from Anthurium Anthurium flowers are both male and female with the female flowers coming first. This means that unless you have several plants with flowers in different stages of development and of different sexes, an individual anthurium is unlikely to produce fruit. With no fruit, you have no seeds. In order for anthurium propagation by seed to occur, you will need to solve this problem. Propagating anthuriums from seed begins with tricking your plant into producing that needed seed....