Strawberries, the most popular fruit crop among home gardeners, are easy to grow in all parts of the United States and southern Canada. The plants grow 6 to 8 inches tall in a thick central crown from which emerge dark green three- leaflet leaves and fruit-producing stems; each plant will spread about 12 inches across, but runners may extend several feet beyond.

Black raspberries, often called blackcaps, and purple raspberries, which are hybrids between red and black varieties, have quite a different flavor from that of red raspberries. Yellow raspberries are mutations of red varieties and are like them except for color.

To prune black and purple raspberries, snip off the tips of the new canes in midsummer when they are about 3 feet tall. This will cause them to send out laterals, or side branches, that may more than double fruit production the following year. In the spring remove all but three to six strong canes and cut back the laterals to about 8 to 10 inches. Each of the buds on the laterals will bear several clusters of berries. Cut away the fruit-producing canes as soon as they finish bearing.

Strong colourings, fragrance and upright flower spikes typify this South and Central American genus. The plants are mainly epiphytic with stout pseudobulbs and leaves which can grow to 30cm (12in) or more in height.

The flowers, clustered on the spike, have a heavy, waxy texture and are strongly coloured. The plants bloom mostly during the summer. Temperature: Intermediate-growing, with a minimum winter night temperature of 13C (55F).

Of the 20 or so species that occur in the wild, only a few are generally found in cultivation, the most popular being Zygopetalum mackaii. Until recently very little hybridizing had been carried out with this genus, but the last few years have witnessed an upsurge in the breeding of intergeneric hybrids from Australia. Zygopetalums have been crossed with Colax to produce Zygocolax, Neogardneria which gives Zygoneria, and with Aganisia, Batemannia, Otostylis and Zygosepalum which created the multigeneric hybrid Hamelwellsara.

Spray the foliage and maintain a good humidity. Allow the plants to rest when dormant during the winter. Height: 30cm (12in). Acineta superba These robust orchids from South America need to grow in baskets to enable their downward-growing flower spikes to hang freely. The fragrant flowers, which appear in spring and summer, are cupped, with the smaller petals standing close to the lip.

The lycastes are a relatively small, but influential, natural genus of medium-size plants. They have had a great impact on the related anguloas with which they will readily interbreed to produce some of the most showy artificial hybrids.

While some species, such as Masdevallia coccinea, produce some of the most vibrant colours in the orchid flora, others are very drab. Of the 300 or so species, many are in cultivation alongside a small number of hybrids. The flowers are characterized by the triangular shape of the large, spreading sepals, of which some (such as those of Masdevallia caudata) have extended “tails”. The petals and lip are much reduced and remain generally hidden at the centre of the bloom. In other species, such as M. racemosa, the sepals are fused at the base to create a tube that contains the diminutive other segments. While M. veitchiana is outstanding for its vibrant orange and red colouring, others, such as M. ventricularia, which has curious brown-spotted, tubular flowers, are nonetheless interesting and worth considering.

In the normal course of events, one would be inclined to say that an old veteran of 22 years owes you nothing, and that a bush that has been allowed to get into this senile state would be better scrapped to make space for a new start.

Even at a distance and solely on the evidence within the question, it is a pretty safe conclusion that the soil under these roses is extremely low in organic content. A further consequence of this is that the supply of the minor and trace elements is depleted.

In this case, and others like it, the cutting out of several old stems at once would have been better done gradually, one or two each year, to avoid too violent a shock.

Modern scientific investigation has not isolated a virus, bacterium, fungus, or other mysterious foreign body that would explain what happens, and we can therefore regard the unknown disease theory as irrational as is the sympathetic heartbreak. We have to look for rational, sensible and similar factors.

The hazelnut bears sweet-flavored nuts on easily maintained. relatively small trees that are 5 to 20 feet tall. The roundish tan nuts, which range about 1/2 to 3/4 inch in diameter, ripen in the early fall.

There are two general classes of cultivated pecan varieties: the southern ones, suited for Zones 7-10, which require about 250 frost-free days each year, and the northern ones, suited to Zones 5-7, which require 180 to 200 frost-free days each year. The chief southern varieties, which bear thin-shelled nuts about 2 inches long, are Desirable, Mahan, Moneymaker, Schley, Stuart and Success. Northern varieties bear nuts 1 to 11/2 inches long with harder shells, although their flavor is equally good; recommended varieties are Colby, Greenriver, Hodge, Major, Posey and Starking Hardy Giant. Trees of at least two varieties should be planted close together, for pollination of one variety by the pollen from another is usually necessary if the trees are to bear fruit. Pecans are among the longest-lived of nut trees and may bear for 300 years or longer. A 10-year-old pecan produces about 10 pounds of nuts a year and a mature tree may bear 100 or more pounds of nuts annually.

There are very many different kinds of rose from different parts of the world, the number of species alone runs to three figures, and the crosses and hybrids are countless. The ranges of variation include colour, growth habit, size, scent, and numbers or degree of thorns. Some are numerous and fine, almost like fur, while others have fewer but much bigger thorns that are hard and vicious. One variety has no thorns at all, which in fact, although it was raised as long ago as 1868, makes it a still popular and widely grown variety.

It is `Zephirine Drouhin’ and you should be able to find it in catalogues under the headings ‘climbers’ or ‘Bourbons’. It is a climber that will get up to 10ft (3m) high if allowed or, as is usually the case, will make the same length diverted over a pergola, fence, pillar or similar support.

A not uncommon idea is to let it wander into small open trees like lilac and elder, where it neither smothers its host, nor is itself deprived of light, and where its bloom puts on a long-lasting display after the host has finished.

Most people spend a lot of time and money making the inside of their home look great. Now think what that home would look like if the same effort were put into the outside. I’m not talking about general landscaping, but some of the more functional elements. Let’s look for a second at what is probably the most underutilized part of many homes…the patio.

Most people would get a lot more use out of this area by simply adding a patio cover. And if you want one that looks great, and will increase your home’s overall value, then wood patio covers are definitely the way to go. Wood simply looks elegant and romantic, while providing many functional benefits as well.

But first let’s talk about why you need a patio cover. The shade it gives will let you sit outside even when the hot summer sun is beating down. And the cover will protect you from other elements as well. Now you can sit outside and enjoy a warm summer rain while not getting wet. You can enjoy a cool shower while staying dry in the evening. And of course we already mentioned it will add value to your property.

There are many different types of species that eat up houseplants. There are also a few found in almost all areas.

The first type of common houseplant pests are so tiny you cannot even see them with your eyes, though their damage can become obvious, bacteria.

Rotting roots is a common type of problem with plants that are victim of over watering. Some forms of rot are the result of fungi that grow as a result of over water. The excess moisture aids the growth of bacteria found in the soil that already live in the soil and can be beneficial in small amounts. Once they get to a certain size, the attack the roots and they get transported up into the body of the plant and the leaves. This can quickly kill even the healthiest plant.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, is applicable here. Simply watch how much you water your plants and when. How much water is the right amount, when it best time to water and this will vary from one species to another. You need to research the different types of needs your plant may have.

They are merely practical hints on the placing, tending and training of plants which can enable the housewife or home owner to display his or her talents and personality and at the same time obtain greater value and reward from the plants in the home.

For example, certain plants can be employed in the most practical manner to make a room appear to be longer or shorter, taller or squatter, lighter or darker. Plants can be used to bring out and highlight the beauties of a picture on the wall or to disguise a dreary view or a shabby piece of furniture. They can be so placed and trained that they act as a living screen or frame.

Vivid colours, yellow, orange, white and brilliant red are advancing. They come out to meet you and so tend to make a room appear to be shorter if placed at the far end. And conversely, dark colors, mainly greens of course, are receding and tend to look farther away than they really are, thus lengthening a short room. A tall rubber plant or fatshedera will make a room look higher, for the eye tends to follow the growth upwards, while a high ceiling can appear to be lower if horizontal growing plants catch the eye.

Rain water can be used to water houseplants. Rainwater can be used to house several ornamental fish, nor why a miniature fountain or water splash, a bubble or gurgle fountain should not be installed, both to increase the decorative and interest-making value of the area and to assist with the creation of the necessary humidity.

But if it is small, then there may exist space enough merely for a few plants and a chair or two and a low occasional table. But if space is minimal, then use this to the utmost. For example, standing space immediately adjacent to the windows will seldom be used. So from the ceiling put in a series of hooks to enable hanging baskets or hanging shelves to be filled with plants.

The new conservatory should be designed so that it joins the south to west side of the house. It should be protected by masonry or plants to some degree from prevailing winds, particularly if these should be from the north or cast. It should have one door to the garden and one door to the house interior, either or both of which can be open on warm and windless clays, but both of which should be closed during the winter to allow the correct temperatures and relative humidities to be maintained.