Mustard family
Cruciferae
Eye-beer’is. About 30 species of garden plants, mostly from the Mediterranean region.
Description
Leaves divided or undivided, alternate. Flowers in flat-topped or finger-shaped clusters, the 4 petals separate. Sometimes the outer flowers of a cluster are sterile.
How to Grow (more…)
If you’ve never seen an indoor fish pond or are of the mind that the only place for a fishpond is outdoors, it’s time to readjust your thinking. Many people love the idea of having a goldfish or Koi pond in their lawn and garden area but find the reality isn’t always as wonderful as the fantasy.
Every winter runs the risk of losing the plant and fish life in your pond with the first freeze. As a result, more and more people are coming up with a method for bringing the outdoors, in and forming your very own pond indoors is a beautiful alternative to a tired old aquarium. While an indoor pond doesn’t have to be beautiful in order to be functional, you can choose to make it a focal point and conversation piece quite easily. (more…)
GARDEN PESTS.
If we could garden without any interference from the pests which attack plants, then indeed gardening would be a simple matter. But all the time we must watch out for these little foes little in size, but tremendous in the havoc they make.
As human illness may often be prevented by healthful conditions, so pests may be kept away by strict garden cleanliness. Heaps of waste are lodging places for the breeding of insects. I do not think a compost pile will do the harm, but unkempt, uncared-for spots seem to invite trouble.
There are certain helps to keeping pests down. The constant stirring up of the soil by earthworms is an aid in keeping the soil open to air and water. Many of our common birds feed upon insects. The sparrows, robins, chickadees, meadow larks and orioles are all examples of birds who help in this way. Some insects feed on other and harmful insects. Some kinds of ladybugs do this good deed. The ichneumon-fly helps too. And toads are wonders in the number of insects they can consume at one meal. The toad deserves very kind treatment from all of us. (more…)
As part of a species name, refers to the leaves. For example, lemon verbena, Aloysia triphylla, has leaves arranged in groups of three.
Watch Out For These Koi Water Quality Hazards! There are many Koi water quality hazards. The biggies are ammonia and nitrites and, to a lesser extent, nitrates. Some others that are important to have knowledge about are chlorine, chloramines, pH balance and random contaminants. Both chlorine and chloramines can harm fish and can burn or kill pond plants. They will also kill the beneficial nitrifying bacteria in your Koi pond. Chlorine, which is a volatile gas, breaks down with water circulation and exposure to air within 24-48 hours. Chloramines, on the other hand, take much longer to dissipate. Municipal water supplies have begun adding ammonia along with the chlorine which results in the longer-lasting chloramines. If you add water to your pond from a municipal supply make sure to spray it in with a hose to add aeration that will help break down and move out the gases. Another good option would be to let the water sit for a day or two before adding it to your pond to make sure it doesn’t constitute a Koi water quality hazard! Sodium Thiosulfate removes chlorine from water and will also pull chlorine from the chloramines. (more…)
