"Most discussions of lily beetles are a little helpful and considerably depressing. Many gardeners have abandoned growing lilies because the battle against the beetles is time- consuming and messy. But may I suggest that if (a) you have lots of free time (as I do) and (b) are willing to get some blood on your hands (as I am) that all is not lost. Many hundreds of lilies grow here so you will understand that we have a major interest in this problem. Here are some suggestions." Tips and a book review from guest contributor Brian Bixley.
Pests, Plagues, and Varmints
Wild, Wicked–But Not Native: Rosa Multiflora
June 25, 2014 – Posted in: Native/Invasive, Pests, Plagues, and Varmints, RosesThere comes a time in every gardener's life when she realizes that a plant she has admired is not all it seems to be. Whatever the initial attraction, another side of the plant is discovered, and the gardener decides the relationship must end. I met Rosa multiflora through his fragrance. At this time of the [...]
What You Don’t Know About Bugs Could Make Your Garden Better
February 28, 2014 – Posted in: Book reviews, Habitat gardening, Interviews, Native/Invasive, Pests, Plagues, and VarmintsJessica Walliser's new book,Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Controlrecently published by Timber Press, turns the gardener's view of insects upside down. Suddenly, they are no longer the enemy, but allies you encourage by the way that you garden. Jessica and I had a lively email "chat" that I hope [...]
Don’t Pick Wild Parsnip: Wildflower Wednesday
July 24, 2013 – Posted in: Native/Invasive, Pests, Plagues, and VarmintsWild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) lines the ditches of the rural roads I walk and drive on. Its yellow umbels reach peak bloom around the same time as the orange ditch lilies (Hemerocallis fulva). The yellow and orange complement each other nicely, but this is one wildflower you don't want to pick.I first wrote about wild [...]
How to Rescue a Plant with Yellow Leaves
July 11, 2013 – Posted in: How-to, Pests, Plagues, and VarmintsBecause my 'Josef Lemper' hellebore was turning yellow, I decided to contact my source for advice. This plant was sent to me to try out in my garden compliments of Skagit Gardens, so I contacted Rhonda Jennings, who sent me the sample, to see what she thought. The best thing to do, if you haven’t [...]
Yellow Leaves: Why?
July 4, 2013 – Posted in: Pests, Plagues, and VarmintsA lot of my plants have yellow leaves that aren't supposed to. It's been raining frequently--often heavy downpours--and when it hasn't been raining it's been quite humid. So both the air and the soil are saturated--a recipe for plant disease if the plants aren't adapted to those conditions. Here's what I've been seeing: Can This [...]
Gardener 4, Voles 146
May 11, 2010 – Posted in: Pests, Plagues, and Varmints, What's up/bloomingLast fall, I planted 150 species tulips. My last words on that post were "it will still look beautiful next spring." Boy, was I wrong. The snowdrops that I had divided came up. At least some of the crocus that I divided came up. And four tulips emerged and bloomed. Four. Out of one hundred [...]
What’s Wrong With My Juneberry?
April 27, 2010 – Posted in: Pests, Plagues, and Varmints, Plant infoThey're having a plant clinic over at Garden Rant, and I decided to submit the perplexing, premature leaf drop my 'Autumn Brilliance' Juneberry exhibits every year. The leaf drop was addressed in today's clinic, but since they didn't show all the images, I thought I'd share them here. So much for autumn brilliance, huh? Though [...]
Late Blight in Our Garden
August 4, 2009 – Posted in: Pests, Plagues, and Varmints, VegetablesFriday the garden looked fine. Saturday we were gone, Sunday it rained. On Monday I asked my husband to dig up some new potatoes for our supper, and he discovered the garden was infected with Phytophthora infestans, commonly known as late blight. Late Blight Factoids Ideal conditions for late blight are days in the 70sF [...]
Endless Summer Hydrangea: Where’s the Blooms?
July 14, 2009 – Posted in: Hydrangeas, Pests, Plagues, and VarmintsAlmost exactly a year ago, my 'Endless Summer' hydrangea was blooming. This year, as you can see above, it doesn't even have buds. What Went Wrong? Okay, I forgot to feed it. Does it completely fail to make buds without fertilizer? I think not. It may not flower as profusely, and the blooms may not [...]
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