Plants and Flowers

Hydrangea will be a colorful and undemanding shrub in your summer garden. This one may be the best summer-blooming plant for you.
It is bright, colorful and easy to grow and care for, it is not affected by pests or diseases, and it blooms for a long weeks.
Most big leaf hydrangeas bloom on the previous season’s branches, which means that the stems usually die back to the ground, so they will produce flowers only warm regions.
Two more complicated cultivars - Endless Summer and ‘Blushing Bride’: can be frown in gardeners in more chilly areas.
Both cultivars bloom on both previous and new growth. You can create more flowers by deadheading and pruning back flowering stems. The only other care demanded is to prune out winter-destroyed stems in early spring.
The fallowing advice will help you in hydrangea successful growing. These flowering shrubs grow best in part-shade and prefer a wet, woodsy soil enriched with bog moss and leaf mold. Do not forget to water them well throughout the whole growing season.

These plants can be harvested at any time when they grow. Beet roots are as a rule are most tender when they are 40 to 50 days. The best size for harvesting is between 1-1/2 to 2 inches in diameter. More large roots become more fibrous. When harvested, leave a little bit foliage on the root to avoid bleeding when cooking.
Beets can be easily stored for a long time, but they should be kept at temperatures near freezing and with high humidity to avoid wilting.
Choice of cultivar depends on your tastes. There are some varieties and their characteristics.
Burpee Golden - round type with a unusual yellow-orange color.
Pacemaker III - common, smooth a tender round beet, cercospera leaf spot tolerant, high quality tops.
Red Ace hybrid – has exceptional weather tolerance, is cercospera leaf spot tolerant, early maturity.
Little Mini Ball – small-sized round roots.
Detroit Dark Red – is excellent for canning, pickling quality, tender and very sweet with good boiling greens.

Plant the seeds in a prepared beforehand seedbed when the soil can be worked in spring. You should sow the seeds 1/2-inch deep and in rows from 12 to 18 inches or more apart, which depends on the method of cultivation.
Succession planting can be done after a three week breaks throughout the season. You should avoid only seeding when daytime temperatures are about 80 degrees F, and wait until it is a little bit cooler. Most beet varieties will mature from 55 to 70 days and can be planted any time until late summer.
When the plants are well established, the mulch will conserve soil moisture, prevent it from drying up and help keep off weed growth. Any cultivation should be very shallow to avoid to the beet roots damage. Additional watering may be necessary only during dry periods.
Do not forget about weeds, insects and diseases control. The main insect and disease problems of beets are flea beetles, leaf miners, aphids and Cercospora leaf spot. Routine control of the crop can help to notice the major pest infestation.

Beets are popular among gardeners because they are comparatively easy to grow and almost the whole plant can be eaten. Beets have different shapes and sizes, may be red, yellow or white. The tops or greens of young plants can be used in salads.
They like a cooler climate though can tolerate heat. Temperatures of 60 to 65 F and bright sunny days are ideal conditions for beet plant successful growth and development. They can resist cold weather that makes them a good long-season crop.
Beets prefer well-drained soils. You are recommended to remove stones and all garden waste since this will hinder growth. High clay soils should be added with an organic matter to improve structure of the soil and to help avoid crusting after rainfall. Beets are sensitive to soil acidity. A low soil pH can lead to undersized growth. They prefer a pH of 6.2 to 6.8 and will tolerate 6.0 to 7.5.

Angular leafspot is a bacteria disease which quickly spreads through rain or water. It leaves dead spots on leaves. The best way to prevent this disease is to keep the foliage dry. Soaker hoses work great to for this purpose.
Downy mildew is a fungal disease. On a sick plant you will see yellow spots on leaves that eventually turn gray. Disease resistant varieties usually do not suffer from this problem. But you may practice cleanliness in the garden by removing garden waste and trying to keep the foliage as dry and possible.
Mosaic virus causes deformation of the cucumber plants, with small leaves and underdeveloped plants. Discoloration and spotting on the leaves may also be the signs of the disease. This disease is spread by aphids so control these pests. Infected plants should be removed and destroyed. The fruits from infected plants should also be destroyed.
Powdery mildew is also a fungal disease which is spread by spores carried by the wind. Leaves may begin to drop off, if the disease spreads. Note, that there are varieties resistant to this disease. Make sure to keep your garden free of waste and to destroy all infected plant parts.
Sudden wilt
This disease is caused by pythium fungus destroy the whole plant. This disease is strengthened by poor draining soil, so do not forgot to add organic compost to the soil before planting. Growing your cucumbers in containers and raised beds can also help to solve this problem.

The most common cucumber pests are leafhopper, leaf miners, squash bugs, nematodes and whiteflies.
Leafhoppers
On the upper part of the leaves appear numerous of small, whitish dots. Eventually, the leaves will turn brown.
Leaf miners
Leaf miners make small holes in the leaves of plants. Leaves became discolored. Use an organic pesticide to solve the problem.
Nematodes
Nematodes infect plants and cause swelling on the roots and stems, and small knots on the roots. Infected plants will begin to wilt. To prevent nematodes plant garlic as a companion plant. Crop rotation will also help to avoid nematodes.
Squash bugs
Squash bugs leave tiny yellow to brown stains on the leaves. Try picking the bugs off by hand as well.
Whiteflies
The most common symptoms are yellowing leaves, a liquid frequently called “honeydew,” and the presence of a black or gray mold. You can use natural pesticide to treat the plant, or remove by hands the leaves that have white flies on them and destroy the leaves.

Consider that you can avoid many diseases if you buy resistant varieties. Some of them are resistant to cucumber mosaic, downy mildew, powdery mildew, anthracnose, angular leaf spot, scab, etc.
One more way to avoid such troubles, as disease and pest is to rotate crop with herbs, annuals, and other vegetables. If your cucumbers have already suffered from pests or diseases, the best thing you can do is to identify and treat the problem as quickly as possible.
If your cucumbers look healthy but do not produce fruit, the plants may be suffering from a lack of pollinators in your garden. Try no to use chemicals in the garden, especially insecticides.
Cucumber bitterness is very common trouble. This bitterness is caused early in the plant’s development by terpenoid compounds that give a bitter flower to the entire plant. Typically, the bitterness accumulates at the stem and below the surface of the cucumber’s skin. But unfortunately, this is a genetic problem. The latest hybrids seem to have less problems with bitterness. Additionally, remember to grow your vines in the proper area, with plenty of sun. Avoid over watering and use organic compost.

You can grow your young plants indoors for no more than 2 weeks before you are ready to plant them in soil. Be sure that the temperature is stable and there is no danger of frosts. You can also plant seeds directly in the garden, if the soil is well warmed. Separate your seeds by about 3-4 fee, or ground your future cucumbers in rows. And do not forget that some cucumbers varieties can be grown in container gardens.
Unfortunately these heat-loving plants suffer from many different pests and diseases. Aphids, pickle worms, mites, and cucumber beetles are the most common pests you may face with in your bed. Your plants may also suffer from such diseases as anthracnose, powdery mildew, downy mildew, bacterial wilt, and angular leaf spot.
With the appearance of seedlings, look for cucumber beetle, which attacks young plants. If your cucumber is infected with bacterial wilt, it will droop and die eventually.
But remember that chemical pesticides in your garden may be harmful for the bees that fertilize your plants. Chemical pesticides can also be harmful for the other beneficial insects and soil organisms in your garden.

Cucumber is a subtropical plant which needs a lot of sun. This plant is a creeper and requires some space for growing in your garden. If you have little space for growing cucumbers, you can use vertical structures for them. If you are going to grow your cucumbers in containers, you can choose from a number of dwarf varieties.
The best average temperatures for this plant are around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Even a light frost can kill this plant, so plant it in the late spring or early summer when there is no risk of frost.
Generally, cucumbers are tolerant to any soils. But soil must well-draining. Also, before planting add some organic compost to the soil in your garden to provide the proper nutrients for strong and healthy plants. By the way, adding organic compost is one of the best ways to improve soil drainage and balance soil pH.
For the further productivity of the soil, you may use any organic fertilizer, which will strenthen plants’ immune systems and make them resistant to pests and diseases.
Adding mulch will promote growth of your cucumbers. It will retain soil moisture and keep it from weeds.

For this garden plant you should choose a place that receives full sun. Though tomatoes will tolerate a little shade, you’ll get a smaller crop. Compulsory condition for successful tomatoes growing is drainage and protection from strong winds. Prepare beds with compost, especially if your soil is poor and contains mostly clay or sand. Tomatoes do best in a little bit acid soil.
Before transplanting plants need hardening off. If soil in your garden is not well drained, set the plant on a mound four to six inches above the surrounding soil. If soil is dry, place them in a depression so that roots can get enough water.
Water well your young plants before transplanting, and put them in the ground about two inches deeper than they were in the pot. Remove two or three bottom leaves after planting. Then water well; plants that look wilted water again. Thick mulch can help soil to retain water. In the process of growing water them when they look wilted.
When transplanting, be sure not to press the soil too strong around the stem, or the stem may break.
You can try growing tomatoes in large containers or pots; besides, some small varieties can even be grown in hanging baskets. Container-grown tomatoes demand special monitoring to water and fertilizer supplies.