Spruce Trees Have Been A Subject Of Fascination For Mankind

Spruce trees are coniferous trees, of the Picea genus, found in the northern temperate and taiga regions of the planet. They are predominantly characterized by their whorled branches and conical shape. Spruce trees have several uses, ranging from use of its wood in several musical instruments, to the use of some species as a Christmas tree during the Yuletide season.

Although the first thing that comes to our mind when we hear the word 'spruce' is Christmas tree, not many people are aware of the various facts about spruce trees. These facts include their fast paced growth, different varieties, usage, etc. Let's take a look at some facts about these coniferous trees.

Spruce Trees Growth: One of the most fascinating spruce trees facts is their growth. The average growth rate of these conifers is 6 to 11 inches per year. However, Sitka spruce, Norway spruce, and Colorado blue spruce are known as the fast growing spruce species. The Sitka spruce can attain a growth rate of approximately 60 inches per year, and grow up to a height of 160 to 220 feet in its lifetime. Norway spruce has a growth rate of 30 inches per year, while Colorado blue spruce has a growth rate of 13 inches. Some species of spruce trees can even grow up to 20 feet in width. These trees are popular choices when it comes to tree houses for kids.

Spruce Trees Varieties: There are thirty-five varieties of spruce trees found all over the world. From this, seven varieties of the spruce family are found in North America. These are

• Black Spruce (Picea mariana)
• Colorado Spruce (Picea pungens)
• Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pungens var. glauca)
• Norway Spruce (Picea abies)
• Serbian Spruce (Picea omorika)
• Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis)
• White Spruce (Picea glauca)

The entire lot of thirty-five varieties of spruce trees are categorized into 5 groups - Clade I, Clade II, Clade III, Clade IV and Clade V.

Spruce Trees Diseases and Insects: Spruce trees are vulnerable to a disease known as the Rhizosphaera needlecast, wherein the tree experiences premature needlecast i.e. fall of needle like leaves. These coniferous trees are also home to several insects, prominent ones being

• Cooley Spruce Gall Adelgid
• Spruce Spider Mite
• Eastern Spruce Gall Adelgid
• Douglas-fir Tussock Moth
• Cytospora Canker Spruce
• Needle Miner
• Spruce Budworm

Other than this, spruce trees also face problems such as salt injury, wherein the branches start getting damaged starting from below, and frost injury, wherein the late spring frost damages the tender new growth.

Mind-boggling Spruce Tree Facts

If these general facts about spruce trees weren't enough, here are some more spruce tree facts which are bound to leave you in awe.

• The word 'spruce' in English language is derived from the French word 'Pruce' meaning Prussia, from where spruce trees are believed to have originated.
• In order to quench their thirst, early American Indians used to chew the frankincense, a gum like resin, that formed on spruce tree bark when it was cut.
• A cluster of Norway spruce growing in the mountains of western Sweden are claimed to be the oldest known living trees with an age 9,550 years.
• The spruce trees are the loftiest among the European trees. They can reach heights of 125 to 150 feet, at times even 180 feet, and sport a tapering stem with an average diameter of around 6 feet.
• The Norwegian people gave the Norway spruce as a token of appreciation of British friendship during the World War II.

Spruce trees have been a subject of fascination for mankind since a long time. The above mentioned spruce tree facts would no doubt contribute to the popularity of these coniferous tree species.

Lavender Plants Can Be A Great Addition To Your Garden

Lavender belonging to the genus "Lavandula" is an extremely beautiful flower that tempts every gardener to cultivate and fall in love with it. Lavandula constitutes nearly thirty species of plants belonging to mint family. In this article, we will be discussing the different lavender plant varieties that have attracted gardeners for ages. This plant is a resident of Mediterranean. It can survive in rock, dry and sunny habitat. This plant is naturally resistant to pest and is also drought tolerant. The beautiful and useful lavender herb plants have a quality of attracting insects that are beneficial and lures beautiful butterflies, like other herbs. Apart from being widely known for its beautiful blooms and fragrance it is also famous for its medicinal qualities. The soothing fragrance of lavender flower also makes it an excellent essential oil. Since the Victorian age, its fragrance is known as a symbol of purity and piousness. Lavender was known as "herb of love" in the middle age. Like many Lavender benefits, there are many Lavender plant varieties as well. If we talk about cultivation of lavender, growing Lavender from seeds is quite difficult, but inexpensive. This plant blooms in different shapes and colors all over the world in various climatic conditions.

Lavender plants are a favorite among gardeners for the heavenly smell of their attractive flowers. Lavender flowers can give a truly beautiful look to a landscape or a garden. Lavender or lavendula is actually a genus of mostly perennial flowering plants, which are native to the Mediterranean region, India and tropical Africa. Some lavender species are herbaceous plants, while a few fall into the category of shrubs and subshrubs. Lavender is a member of the mint family. There are around 39 species of flowering plants that belong to the genus lavender.

Plant Description
Most of the members of the genus, lavender are perennial herbs. These plants can be distinguished by their upright and erect stem and shoots. The leaves of lavender plants are usually silvery green in color and they can be entire or pinnate, depending on the particular species or types. There are three main types of lavender plants, true or English lavender, Spanish lavender and French lavender. The true or English lavender is hardy to zones 5 to 8, and it bears deep purple colored flowers, while its leaves are quite narrow.

On the other hand, Spanish lavender is hardy to zones 8 to 10, and its leaves are dark green in color. The shape of the flowers of Spanish lavender resemble a pineapple, and they are usually purple or white in color. French lavender plants are hardy to zones 5 to 8, and they usually bear light purple colored flowers, while their leaves are serrated and gray in color. Lavender plants usually bear flowers in whorls, and they form a spike above the foliage at the top of the slender stalk. The color of the flowers usually range from blue, violet to lilac and dark purple. The flowers of certain species of lavender plants are used to extract an essential oil, known as the lavender oil.

Lavender Plant Care
Lavender plants are one of the few flowering plants, that require minimal care and maintenance. They can be grown from seeds and seedlings. There are several types of lavender plants. So, you will find many varieties of lavender plants for sale. But, be sure to select a variety that is suitable for planting in the climatic conditions of your area. In general, lavender plant can tolerate and thrive in a wide range of growing conditions. They need at least 7 to 8 hours of sunlight. They usually prefer loose and well-drained, alkaline soil. Learn more about growing lavender and growing lavender from seeds.

While planting a lavender plant, do not forget to add some compost to the planting hole. Generally, lavender plants are first grown in a pot or containers, and then shifted to well-worked soil. Dampness is one of the important factors that can impede the growth lavender plant. Therefore, it is advisable to leave some space among the plants, so as to ensure proper air circulation. Lavender plants produce better blooms in warm climates. Therefore, many gardeners prefer to apply a layer of sand around the plant, so as to promote heat retention. This in turn, encourages the growth of more fragrant flowers. Know more about growing lavender in containers.

Next to soil type, the two most important aspect of lavender plant care are watering and pruning. Lavender is a drought resistant plant and so, it requires minimal watering, once it establishes itself firmly. However, the young plants would require watering at regular intervals, especially during the first growing season. After the plant develops a strong root system, it would require watering only in the dry season, and in extremely hot conditions. As far as lavender plants pruning is concerned, spring is the ideal time for doing this. Pruning lavender plants is very simple. All you have to do is to keep harvesting the flowers. At the end of the flowering season, just prune back the plants by a few inches. The taller plants can be however, pruned back to about one third of their height. Also, cut back the foliage by about one third. Before pruning a lavender plant in spring, wait for the new growth to appear. When the new growth appears, leave it undisturbed for about a month, after which cut back half of the new foliage.

This is how you can grow and maintain lavender plants in your flower garden or landscape. Gardeners prefer to grow these ornamental plants to create low hedges and borders. But, they are also excellent for growing in a rock garden and cottage garden. Apart from these, you can put it to so many uses. Lavender spikes can be used for dried flower arrangement, while the flowers can be added to salads and used for cooking. You can include the dried flowers in sachets and keep them in the closets and drawers to repel moth and other insects, and also to give your clothing a fresh smell. Thus lavender plants can be used in numerous ways and so, they can be a great addition to your garden.

Beautiful Spring Flowers Are In Full Bloom

Some flowers grow in spring whereas some of the beautiful blossoms are seen during fall. Seasons come and go, but every season has its own set of characteristic floral blooms that mark the advent of these season. Spring flowers are the basically the flowers that bloom in spring and these can be categorized as early spring flowers and late spring flowers depending on the time of flowering. Here is a list of different types of spring flowers and some interesting facts and information about them.

Early spring flowers include buttercup anemones, irises, eastern redbuds and many other flowers. Other popular early spring flowers include, Ghostflower, Snowdrop, Lesser celandine, Field Wood-rush and Contra Costa goldfields.

Yellow Anemone (Anemone ranunculoides): This spring flower also known as the yellow wood anemone or buttercup anemone, is a species of a herbaceous perennial plant. It grows in forests across most of Continental Europe, and rarely in the Mediterranean region. Yellow anemone flowers between March and May. The flowers of this plant are about 1.5 cm diameter and have five to eight rich yellow colored petal-like segments.

Early Star-of-Bethlehem (Gagea bohemica): Also known as the Welsch Star of Bethlehem or the Radnor Lily, this spring flowering plant in the genus Gagea of the family Liliaceae. It is found in the Mediterranean region, central Europe and in some parts of France and Germany. The flowers are seen from January to March or April. There are around four flowers on each plant and the flowers are yellow and have six petals and are about 1½ cm in diameter.

Iris: Iris is a genus, which includes as many as 200 to300 species of flowering plants with colorful flowers. There exist a wide variety of Iris flowers, which are found in various parts of the world. Iris is the state flower of Tennessee. Irises are extensively grown as ornamental plants in gardens.

Eastern Redbud (Cercis Canadensis): It is a large shrub or small tree which is native to eastern North America. The flowers are seen in April or May. The flowers are papilionaceous and rose colored. There are five petals in which the upper petal is the smallest and is enclosed in the bud by the wings and encircled by the broader petals. These flowers are borne in groups of four to eight together.

Types of Spring Flowers: Late Spring Flowers

Late spring flowers include several flowers like mountain laurels, spring snowflakes, bloodroots and sweet crabapple flowers. Some of the other popular late spring flowers include chestnut oak flowers and Carolina Silver bells.

Mountain-laurel (Kalmia latifolia): this spring flower is also known as Spoonwood and is a flowering plant that belongs to the family Ericaceae. These flowers are native to the eastern United States. The flowers of Mountain - laurel bloom between May and June and are star-shaped and appear in clusters. The flower colors range from red to pink to white. It blooms between May and June. This spring flower is also known as Ivy bush or Calico Bush, Sheep Laurel, Lambkill and Clamoun. All parts of the plant are poisonous. This is the state flower of Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

Spring Snowflake (Leucojum vernum): The snowflakes are native to southern Europe but they have been introduced and have naturalized in other locations like the east coast of North America. The snowflake flowers are small and bell-shaped, white with a green spot at the end of each petal. The flowers are seen from March to May and have a slight yet distinctive fragrance.

Sweet crabapple (Malus coronaria): This spring flower is native to north America. The flowers appear around May or June. The flowers are rose-colored, fragrant and are borne in five or six-flowered umbels. The calyx of the flowers is urn-shaped, five lobed and slender. There are five round petals, which have long narrow claws and show a crenulated margin.

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria Canadensis): This spring flower is native to eastern North America from Nova Scotia, Canada southward to Florida. The bloodroot flowers are produced from March to May. The flowers appear over clasping leaves while blooming and have 8-12 delicate white petals and yellow reproductive parts. Bees and flies pollinate the bloodroot flowers. The seeds develop in elongated green pods and ripen before the foliage goes dormant.

All the different types of spring flowers are a source of great joy during spring. Spring flowers truly make the spring season a picturesque time of the year, when the nature spreads her lovely colors in every bloom and peta as we stare in awe and marvel at the beauty of the spring flowers.

Beautiful Rivers In Spain For Nature Lovers

Apart from the mountains, the parks and the beautiful beaches and landscapes, Spain has a variety of rivers that are interestingly beautiful. The rivers complete the beautiful natural landscapes of this second largest tourist destination. The river banks act as very good spots for picnicking, soul searching or just for experiencing peace and quiet for nature lovers.

River Tajo

This is the longest river in Spain and begins its course in Madrid's eastern mountains. This beautiful and important river is also referred to as Tagus and it cuts across Toledo, central Spain, up to the border of Portugal and Spain. From here, it continues its course to Portugal and into the Atlantic Ocean. Tajo River is very important, as its water is the main power source of Spain. Reservoirs and dams have been built for hydroelectricity production. This attracts people who want to see the generation of power.

The beauty of the river is the deep gorges it has and the various beautiful waterfalls that it creates on its course. It stretches 625 miles with Jarama and Alagon as its tributaries.

River Ebro

Marking 565 miles in length, this river is considered to be Spain's most voluminous. Its course starts in Fontibre, flowing through Logrono, Miranda de Ebro, Zaragoza and Catalonia. It drains at Tarragona into the Mediterranean Sea. The significance of the river is the fact that it was the Northern Roman and Southern Carthaginian division point, which holds an important historic period.

Cultivation of rice, vegetables and citrus is done on the river's wetland area, in Tarragona, where Ebro Delta is found. This land is exquisite and beautiful.

River Guadiana

This river forms part of Spain Portugal border, as it flows through Spain's south central area and Portugal's south eastern area. The river's course begins from Cuenca province mountains, through Damiel marshy areas, then cuts westward through Toledo Mountains gorges. Hydroelectric power is also generated from this river, although not much.

These are some of the most beautiful and significant rivers in Spain that are worth checking out. They form very beautiful and attractive landscapes, some of which are breathtaking. Bridges found on some of these rivers are good spots for taking beautiful pictures that will forever hold the beautiful memories of Spain.

It is always a good thing to explore as much as possible, when touring in any part of the world, unlike reserving oneself to the major areas of attraction alone.

Hottest And The Largest Desert Of Sahara

The Sahara desert, reputed to be the hottest and the largest desert in the world, is a place full of challenges due to its extreme climate. Here are some interesting Sahara desert facts to brief you about some details associated with this enigmatic land. Long endless miles of sand dunes and scorching heat, this is probably the image one has in mind when one thinks about deserts. The desert is known to offer many challenges for those who wish to live life on the wild side, however, in the recent times, many aspects have changed about the same.

The Sahara desert is one of nature's wonders and has always mystified people with its vast stretches of sand. This desert is also home to a variety of plants and animals naturally equipped to handle the extremities of this area. These Sahara desert facts will brief you about many such interesting details about this very amazing place! Sahara Desert Facts: The Sahara desert covers around 9,000,000 square kilometers and the overall area is as large as the continental United States.

The Sahara desert also has the reputation of being the world's largest hot desert! The landforms in this desert often undergo constant change. These landforms are shaped as per the direction of the wind and the occasional rainfalls. Although being a desert area, one can notice annual rainfall in many regions of this vast land area. There are different climates witnessed in different regions such as the subtropical climate in the northern land whereas a tropical climate in the southern area. Over the years, the climate of the Sahara desert has undergone humungous changes. This desert therefore, is known for its harsh climates so typical of all deserts! This hot desert has annual temperatures that can exceed 30 degrees C. Some of the hottest months have temperatures exceeding 50 degrees C.

 In the winters, the temperatures drop below freezing points. This itself explains the diverse climates of this hot desert. Studies have revealed the changing size of the Sahara desert! Observations made with the help of satellite photographs have proven this desert can shrink or even grow. The Sahara desert is home to quite a few species of animals. Camels and goats are the only ones amongst the domesticated animals one may see out here. Apart from these, the Saharan cheetah, the sand vipers, scorpions and monitor lizards can be found out here. This desert has some of the tallest sand dunes and these can reach 189 meters in height. The land area also has stone plateaus, large gravel plains, dry valleys and even sand flats.

The Sahara desert has around 500 species of flora. These consist of mainly ephemeral plants known locally as Acheb. At some oases, close to the Nile Valley, one can find olive trees growing out here. Vegetation is found in areas where the ground water reaches the surface of the land. This place has mainly nomadic groups of people that move from place to place. Nomads wear a particular headdress known as Howli. These people are mainly engaged in trading and hunting. The low population is due to the rather difficult conditions seen in the Sahara desert. The Sahara desert stretches over areas of Northern Africa, from the Red Sea to the areas close to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean.

This desert shares it boundaries with the Atlas Mountains, the Mediterranean Sea, Egypt, Sudan and valley of the Niger River. Emi Koussi is the highest peak that is seen in the Tibesti Mountains. This peak has a height of 3415 m. Farming is being practiced in certain areas of the Sahara desert with the help of drought-resistant plants. Some areas of this land have been transformed in order to prevent soil erosion. This mysterious and vast place also has some of the most magnificent landscapes and despite harsh weather, it has attracted people to study details associated with the Sahara desert. This desert is more than a hot and dry place, it is one of the most remarkable areas known to man!