http://treesandshrubs.about.com/ Get the latest headlines from the About.com http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hh http://www.about.com/ 118 20 en-us 2012-01-31T06:19:06Z Tue, 31 Jan 2012 06:19:06 +0000 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 http://treesandshrubs.about.com/b/2012/02/20/mystery-monday-name-that-tree-4.htm <img src ="http://z.about.com/d/treesandshrubs/1/0/S/0/-/-/JapaneseMapleFlickruserMesmanImages.jpg" hspace="5" align="center"> <p>Welcome to Mystery Monday! Life has been a bit busy lately as we just bought our first place. Huzzah! As we get settled in, I can't help but dream of spring. I will have garden space and there are surely many new houseplants in my future as I decorate.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://treesandshrubs.about.com/b/2012/02/20/mystery-monday-name-that-tree-4.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://treesandshrubs.about.com/b/2012/02/20/mystery-monday-name-that-tree-4.htm Mon, 20 Feb 2012 23:42:25 +0000 2012-02-20T23:42:25Z http://treesandshrubs.about.com/b/2012/01/31/january-roundup-for-trees-and-shrubs.htm <p>My gardening efforts at the moment have been purely indoors. We have a station at school stocked with a plethora of seed packets, pots, soil and more. The munchkins love to fill the shelves with new seedlings. I love seeing them learn about the wonders of horticulture.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://treesandshrubs.about.com/b/2012/01/31/january-roundup-for-trees-and-shrubs.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://treesandshrubs.about.com/b/2012/01/31/january-roundup-for-trees-and-shrubs.htm Tue, 31 Jan 2012 06:19:06 +0000 2012-01-31T06:19:06Z http://treesandshrubs.about.com/b/2012/01/23/mystery-monday-chinese-new-year-edition.htm <img class="alignnone" src="http://0.tqn.com/h/treesandshrubs/1/H/C/F/-/-/MysteryMonday012312Flickrkgsudhi.jpg" alt="Mystery Monday 012312 Chinese New Year Tree" /> <p>Happy Chinese New Year! We had fun learning about it today in our class (grades 1-3), so I wanted to do a special edition of Mystery Monday to continue the celebration.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://treesandshrubs.about.com/b/2012/01/23/mystery-monday-chinese-new-year-edition.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://treesandshrubs.about.com/b/2012/01/23/mystery-monday-chinese-new-year-edition.htm Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:12:50 +0000 2012-01-23T23:12:50Z http://treesandshrubs.about.com/b/2011/12/31/december-roundup-for-trees-and-shrubs.htm <p>While I did have a tropical Christmas in Southern California (the temperatures were around 75 degrees - pure heaven!), I've been freezing away here in Utah for the past few months. The trees and shrubs, for the most part, are bare and the botanical world slumbers away.</P>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://treesandshrubs.about.com/b/2011/12/31/december-roundup-for-trees-and-shrubs.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://treesandshrubs.about.com/b/2011/12/31/december-roundup-for-trees-and-shrubs.htm Sat, 31 Dec 2011 19:41:55 +0000 2011-12-31T19:41:55Z http://treesandshrubs.about.com/b/2011/12/26/dont-throw-your-christmas-tree-away-recycle-it.htm <p>Christmas trees are such an interesting idea. You cut down a live tree, plunk it down in your living room, then toss it to the curb after Christmas is over. The production of Christmas trees itself is actually not so bad for the environment - many trees are replanted each year to provide future crops, which can produce oxygen and facilitate the removal of carbon dioxide. It seems like such a waste, though, to just send it to the landfills.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://treesandshrubs.about.com/b/2011/12/26/dont-throw-your-christmas-tree-away-recycle-it.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://treesandshrubs.about.com/b/2011/12/26/dont-throw-your-christmas-tree-away-recycle-it.htm Mon, 26 Dec 2011 00:20:46 +0000 2011-12-26T00:20:46Z http://treesandshrubs.about.com/b/2011/12/25/the-12-trees-and-shrubs-of-christmas-day-12.htm <img src ="http://z.about.com/d/treesandshrubs/1/0/e/7/-/-/ChristmasCamelliaFlickrstrollers.jpg" hspace="5" align="center"> <p><i>On the twelfth day of Christmas<br /> My true love gave to me<br /> Twelve Christmas camellias</i></p> <p>One common name for <i>Camellia sasanqua</i> is the Christmas camellia. It's natural with the bright red blooms and the lush green leaves. Christmas camellias are great for USDA zones 8-11.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://treesandshrubs.about.com/b/2011/12/25/the-12-trees-and-shrubs-of-christmas-day-12.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://treesandshrubs.about.com/b/2011/12/25/the-12-trees-and-shrubs-of-christmas-day-12.htm Sun, 25 Dec 2011 05:00:14 +0000 2011-12-25T05:00:14Z http://treesandshrubs.about.com/b/2011/12/24/the-12-trees-and-shrubs-of-christmas-day-11.htm <img src ="http://z.about.com/d/treesandshrubs/1/0/d/7/-/-/AcornsFlickrdawnspointofview.jpg" hspace="5" align="center"> <p><i>On the eleventh day of Christmas<br /> My true love gave to me<br /> Eleven acorn ornaments</i></p> <p>Acorns have long been part of the Christmas season in Germany. They believe that oak trees are sacred. As <a href = "http://www.xmasdays.com/store/legends.html">Xmasdays.com</a> says, "Acorns are also believed to represent the rebirth of life as witnessed by the coming of the Christ child." They are used to decorate the Christmas tree.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://treesandshrubs.about.com/b/2011/12/24/the-12-trees-and-shrubs-of-christmas-day-11.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://treesandshrubs.about.com/b/2011/12/24/the-12-trees-and-shrubs-of-christmas-day-11.htm Sat, 24 Dec 2011 05:00:38 +0000 2011-12-24T05:00:38Z http://treesandshrubs.about.com/b/2011/12/23/the-12-trees-and-shrubs-of-christmas-day-10.htm <img src ="http://z.about.com/d/treesandshrubs/1/0/c/7/-/-/MistletoeFlickrpiX1966.jpg" hspace="5" align="center"> <p><i>On the tenth day of Christmas<br /> My true love gave to me<br /> Ten mistletoe sprigs</i></p> <p>Did you know that mistletoe is actually a parasite shrub that attacks trees and shrubs? </p> <p>How did a parasitic plant become a kiss inducer? David Beaulieu from Landscaping <a href = "http://landscaping.about.com/cs/winterlandscaping1/a/mistletoe.htm">has the answer</a>, as does <a href = "http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/norsegodspictures/p/mistletoe.htm">N.S. Gill</a> from Ancient History.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://treesandshrubs.about.com/b/2011/12/23/the-12-trees-and-shrubs-of-christmas-day-10.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://treesandshrubs.about.com/b/2011/12/23/the-12-trees-and-shrubs-of-christmas-day-10.htm Fri, 23 Dec 2011 05:00:08 +0000 2011-12-23T05:00:08Z http://treesandshrubs.about.com/b/2011/12/22/the-12-trees-and-shrubs-of-christmas-day-9.htm <img src ="http://z.about.com/d/treesandshrubs/1/0/V/7/-/-/NorfolkIslandPineFlickrRyanSomma.jpg" hspace="5" align="center"> <p><i>On the ninth day of Christmas<br /> My true love gave to me<br /> Nine Norfolk Island Pines</i></p> <p>Here's one example of why common names can be confusing. <a href = "http://forestry.about.com/od/silviculture/p/norfolk_pine.htm">Norfolk Island Pines</a> (<i>Araucaria heterophylla</i>) aren't really pine trees (<i>Pinus spp.</i>). Instead, they belong to the <i>Araucariaceae</i> family, which includes one of my favorite strange trees - the <a href = "http://forestry.about.com/od/silviculture/p/monkey_tree.htm">monkey puzzle tree</a> (<i>Araucaria araucana</i>).</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://treesandshrubs.about.com/b/2011/12/22/the-12-trees-and-shrubs-of-christmas-day-9.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://treesandshrubs.about.com/b/2011/12/22/the-12-trees-and-shrubs-of-christmas-day-9.htm Thu, 22 Dec 2011 05:00:12 +0000 2011-12-22T05:00:12Z http://treesandshrubs.about.com/b/2011/12/21/the-12-trees-and-shrubs-of-christmas-day-8.htm <img src ="http://z.about.com/d/treesandshrubs/1/0/T/7/-/-/MyrrhWikimediaGaiusCornelius.JPG" hspace="5" align="center"> <p><i>On the eighth day of Christmas<br /> My true love gave to me<br /> Eight myrrh trees</i></p> <p>Myrrh is the sap from several trees and shrubs in the <i>Balsamodendron</i> and <i>Commiphora</i> genera. It is dried and used in fragrances, incense, and medicinally. It was also used in embalming. Most myrrh comes from <i>Commiphora myrrha</i>. It was a gift brought by the Three Wise Men. Another gift, frankincense, is also made from tree sap.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://treesandshrubs.about.com/b/2011/12/21/the-12-trees-and-shrubs-of-christmas-day-8.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://treesandshrubs.about.com/b/2011/12/21/the-12-trees-and-shrubs-of-christmas-day-8.htm Wed, 21 Dec 2011 05:00:40 +0000 2011-12-21T05:00:40Z