Posts for 'Trees/ Shrubs/ Weeds' Category

 Wildlife gardeners will have to wait another year before the city changes its bylaw to allow tall grasses and wildflowers to flourish in people's yards.

"Based on our resources and current workloads, we won't get to it this year," said Christine Hartig, a policy officer in the city's bylaw and regulatory services branch.

But Capital Councillor Clive Doucet said the decision to delay the bylaw changes was made without councillors' input, and he wants the gardening matter dealt with this year, as planned.

"We were told by senior staff it would be ready to go this spring," Doucet said. "Why wouldn't you want to straighten it out this year? It's not rocket science. ... It's so simple."

Read the complete story

Green tea is grown in Korea on Jeju Island and in Southern parts of Korea. Green tea was first introduced to Korea during the reign of Queen Seondeok.

Tea helps ward off drowsiness and invigorates one's mind and body, so Buddhist monks used it as an aid in cultivating their minds.  As you might heard the best green tea is picked in spring and the tea flowers are blooming with small tiny white flowers in September - November in the bottom part of the tea bush.

Many city dwellers find the solace for their passion for gardening in container gardens. They tend the plants and beautify their indoors with unique flowers. However the real problem begins when there comes the little hands of angels who crush the flowers while enjoying it!

The toddlers in the family definitely find an attraction for the beautiful plants and flowers in the house. However they are too innocent to realize that they are actually spoiling the plants while enjoying them. Here are some tips to grow indoor plants with your toddler trotting around it.

Read the complete story

His aim is to see that one crore trees are planted with the co-operation of people. And, Ambaji Temple Trust has promised support and  recently felicitated retired LIC field officer LD Shah, 70, who has been involved in a tree plantation campaign for the past 25 years.

"I have been going to religious institutions in the village with ecological and social programmes. The response has been encouraging," Shah told TOI. Till date, nearly seven lakh trees have been planted mainly in his native Kutch district as part of his mission Koti Vriksh Abhiyan.

Read the complete story

This time of year is prime tree-planting season. We all want an instant sense of scale and maturity in our gardens – but trees supposedly take ages to grow, so you may be tempted to buy in large sizes.  Research has shown, however, that trees planted when small (up to 2½ft) establish faster and more effectively than larger ones and may even overtake a larger (and more expensive) specimen planted at the same time.

Small trees have a larger root-to-foliage ratio, which means evaporation and therefore moisture needs are lower, and their ability to produce new roots is greater. They also suffer less root check immediately after planting and are less susceptible to stress in times of drought.

Read the complete story

A lightning strike Wednesday was so strong that it knocked out the lights in Shallowford Park, damaged the irrigation system and even overturned a picnic table. But the damage it did to one of the park's majestic oak trees is what most worries Town Manager Cecil Wood the most.

"We can replace wiring," Wood said. "I can't replace a 75-year-old tree."The tree is one of three large oaks that make for a shady area at the park's northwest corner, next to the veterans' memorial. It took the brunt of the lightning strike.

It's not the first time that the beloved old trees have been threatened -- two years ago, the trees were severely damaged by heat and drought.

Town officials worried that they wouldn't survive. Last year, the town moved the stage for the annual "beach blast" party away from the trees to help protect them. Improved maintenance including a revamped irrigation system and a layer of fresh mulch helped save the trees.

Read the complete story

Evaluating tree health can be tricky. How can you sift the false alarms from the real deal? If the tree looks otherwise healthy, with nice-sized leaves and good growth, you can probably relax. Here are some harmless symptoms the public asks us about at the Morton Arboretum Plant Clinic.

This summer you may notice perfectly healthy, green leaves dropping off your tree, especially an elm or river birch. During this past rainy spring, the roots absorbed lots of water, and the tree produced an abundance of leaves.

But now the soil is drier and the tree just isn't getting enough water to support all those leaves. So it drops leaves to get a better balance. If dropping leaves are brown with spots, it may be a minor fungal disease. This year, fungi attacked not only the leaves that emerged in spring, but those that emerged later, the "second set."

Read the complete story

Marshmallow, dandelion, cat’s ear, lamb’s tongue, chickweed, plantain, fleabane and dock are some of the common broadleaf weeds found in lawns and home gardens. Broadleaf weeds usually have wide leaves that often hug the ground.

Active growth varies between summer and winter weeds, and weeds which are perennials (weeds that don’t die after one growing season) and become dormant at certain times of the year. Examples of winter perennials are white clover and dandelion and examples of summer perennials are curly dock and plantain.

The best time to control winter broadleaf weeds is in autumn and for summer broadleaf weeds is in spring. It is important to note that it is easier to control small, actively growing weeds than mature weeds that are starting to produce seed.

Read the complete story

Ready for an online experience that's fun for you and your entire family? Welcome to the American Family Interactive Tree.

The Tree gives you an opportunity to create a special kind of family tree -- a tree that not only allows you to show the people who compose your family, but to tell their stories. And by telling their stories, you'll create a picture of your family as a whole that shows why it's unique. You'll also be creating an invaluable family history.

You'll answer questions about where and when family members were born, what their interests are, what moments have shaped them, and many others. If you don't have all the answers, don't worry! You'll be able to e-mail members of your family about the tree, and they'll have the ability to help you complete it. And when the tree is done, you'll be able to print out the information entered for each family member.

Well, we always knew there was more to Saskatchewan than grain elevators and waving wheat. For one thing… there’s the crooked trees!

The trees, growing on a farm in The Thickwood Hills, northwest of Saskatoon, has become a hot spot for fans of the strange and unusual.

Essentially, the crooked trees are a grove of genetically mutated aspens, but the local folklore surrounding the origins of these trees is what makes them truly wondrous.

For instance - one story posits the trees are a result of “alien urine.”

This wonder offers us a chance to shed that “boring Canadian” image and go for something a little bit more… peculiar.